Jul 6, 2008 Jul 8, 2008 Monday July 7, 2008
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Flagit!: Customised flags for Mail.app
Ever felt that the red flag in Mail.app doesn't offer you enough flexibility? Flagit! is a plug-in that offers Mail.app users customisable flags of as many different colours as you like, as well as question and exclamation marks. It is packaged as a plug-in for SIMBL , an Input Manager that allows application-specific hacks for Cocoa apps (like Mail.app). It is not heavy on documentation. Pay close attention to the installer screen, because it offers you all the information you will get on how to use its new features: Once installed, you can access its features through the “Mark” option in the contextual menu. Highlight the email you want to flag, Control-click (or right-click) on the email and choose the flag you want: The Customize option opens a preference pane with room to edit the default flags and create as many new ones as you need: It also provides the option to colourise the text of the email that you have flagged. Combined with the option to colourise the backgrounds of emails (which I do through Mail Act-on — Leopard users this way ), it can produce a riot of colour in your inbox. If I wasn't very happy about marking emails done or needing attention or waiting for a response with the keywords feature of MailTags , I could imagine using this, and benefitting from the additional visual help of coloured flags. Flagit! works with Tiger and Leopard and is shareware (USD 8). You can download a 15-day free demo from the developer's web site . UPDATE: Users report in the comments that Flagit! doesn't play nicely with the WideMail plugin. The comments also contain some tips on uninstalling Flagit! Tags: Apple Mail, flags, hacks, mail.app, plugins, Productivity, SIMBL Related posts WideScreenMail plugin gets two-line preview WideMail 0.1.0: Real Widescreen Preview Column While I was busy… Tabbable MailTags: Another improvement? Plugin List: Updates, improvements
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Emailchemy developer (and email packrat) tells all
Matt Hovey, the developer of an amazing email format conversion application called Emailchemy has written a nice piece explaining why was driven to create the app. Hawk Wings has covered Emailchemy before. It can convert emails and mailboxes from an astonishing number of email clients (AOL for Windows, Claris Emailer, CompuServe Classic for Macintosh, CompuServe 2000 for Windows, Entourage (Database, .rge Archives and cache files), Eudora, Mail.app, Mozilla, Mulberry, Musashi, Neoplanet, Netscape, Opera, Outlook for Windows, Outlook Express for Macintosh, Windows and UNIX/Solaris, PowerTalk/AOCE for Macintosh, QuickMail Pro for Macintosh and Windows, Thunderbird, Yahoo! Mail and any other UNIX-style or mbox-format mailbox—whew!) into “mbox” format, mail spool, or “UNIX-style” mailboxes, folders of individual email files (.txt or .eml files), comma-separated value files (.csv files), IMAPdir (Binc IMAP maildir) or Maildir++ (Courier IMAP maildir) format, or IMAP formats usable by Outlook, Outlook Express, Entourage, Mail.app, and Thunderbird. Matt recounts how he moved from his beginnings in mail on UNIX (in 1990, when I was still fooling around on a PC with Waffle, Fidonet and UUCP email) through a dizzying sequence of email clients mandated by “corporate policy” at work and the march of software progress at home: I went from using Eudora at work to using Apple’s PowerTalk, and from that to using WordPerfect Office (aka Groupwise), Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Notes, and finally Microsoft Outlook. Then, to further complicate matters, I went from using Eudora at home to using Apple’s PowerTalk, Claris Emailer, and Netscape Mail, back to Eudora again, and then finally Apple’s Mail.app that came with Mac OS X. It's all very nostalgic! No wonder he ended up with “years of archived email saved in files created by several different applications that no other application could read.” That's enough to convert anyone into an ardent disciple of open formats. If you are in the same bind, Emailchemy (shareware — USD 29.50) may well be the tool for you. Tags: apple mail. thinderbird, Claris Emailer, convertor, email, Emailchemy, entourage, Eudora, mail.app, mbox, old emails, the good old days, unix Related posts Emailchemy: Converting or Recovering old emails Podcast: MacNotables email client shoot-out Email Backup Pro: Simple email backup and restore Email Backup Pro 1.1: Multiple client support Email Backup and Backup Pro updates: GyazMail, better restore
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Software Updates & New Release Highlights For Week Ending 2007-07-05
I'm trying to get back on track with these posts and, as always, do not hesitate to post your top picks from the previous week in the comments, especially if I missed something major (usually an app that I do not use or did not have time to try since I at least grab and tinker with anything I've posted if not regularly use). VirtualHostX - 1.0.11 - A handy little app that lets you configure Apache virtual hosts (Apple-install or “MAMP” stack) via a GUI (as opposed to gnarly config files). Works with 10.4 & 10.5 and provides the ability to backup & restore configs. This update fixes a DocumentRoot bug and includes the author's new OpenFeedback Cocoa framework which allows for submitting bug reports & feedback from inside apps. Well worth the $7.00 USD if you work with web sites on your Mac. TrailRunner - 1.7v240 - Summer is a great time to kick-start your fitness routine and TrailRunner is a great way to gauge your progress. This update enhances the track merge functionality, enhancements to the Workout History view and weblog publishing features, new compatibility with the Nike+ Sportband (no need for the iPod version) and the ability to integrate with nikeplus.com to retrieve workout, goal and competition data. Leopard-only, but free! Bee Docs Timeline - 3D Edition - 2.1.3 - Primarily a bug-fix release to this timeline-designer. Full version cost is $65.00. Leopard-only. Adium X - 1.2.7 - The best, multi-platform chat client for OS X had two updates which, when combined, fixed numerous bugs including ones in XMPP, ICQ and MSN compatibility. 10.4/10.5 & free! TrueCrypt - 6.0 - This awesome security/encryption tool added parallelized encryption/decryption on multi-core processors (operations are now “n” times as fast according to the number of processors or cores). Other enhancements include an improved volume format and the ability to create hidden volumes. 10.4/10.5 & free! Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection - 2.0 - Microsoft finally updates their Mac RDC client with an improved OS X look & feel and a ton of features. 10.4/10.5 and free! MacFuse - 1.7.1 - Mostly bug-fixes to this free tool which allows your Mac to use all sorts of other filesystems. 10.4/10.5 Apple Time Capsule & AirPort Base Station - 7.3.2 - If the blinky, yellow light did not coax you into finding out what was going on, note that there is a very slight point update to the firmware on these Apple WLAN devices that fixes issues with poor throughput, the inability to connect to devices, some AirTunes dropout issues, and errors with “double NATting”. Stanza - 10.0 Beta - This is an interesting e-book reader that supports a large number of formats and exporting numerous devices including the iPhone. 10.4/10.5 and beta (check site for pricing) Shatner Facts - 1.0 - For some reason, I couldn't resist this rather silly little widget. Everything you wanted (or never wanted) to know about William Shatner. If you download this, post your favorite bit of Shatner-trivia in the comments. 10.4/10.5 compatible and (of course) free.
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MailFX: New Mail Notifier for Mail.app
MailFX is a new notification utility for Mail.app that displays a Quartz Composer animated graphic on the Desktop when new mail arrives. This is the sort of thing that will please people looking for a notification utility between the complete pop-up MailAppetizer offers and the minimal approach of menubar utilities like MailUnreadStatusBar. It installs itself as a classic bundle in your Mail Directory, with its own preference Pane in Mail.app's Preferences: Here you can select which of the included graphics you want it to display, how long it should display and how transparently. It can also play a sound when the notification is shown (Nostalgic readers should check out the Eudora new mail sound in the dropdown box). You can also opt to reveal Mail.app when you click on the notification. The plugin crates a rule that controls which emails will trigger a notification. By default it is set to trigger for all new mail: Obviously, tweaking the rule can reduce this and make the alerts more useful (for example, set the rule to trigger only on emails from your work account and not emails from your blog, or only from your boss, or whatever). In addition, it claims to restore the ability to hide Mail.app on start-up, a feature broken in Leopard (and Tiger too, IIRC). MailFX is freeware and only works with Leopard Mail. It's available from the developer's web site Excursus: An Ethical Blogging Dilemma Every now and then an app or plugin comes along that sharpens the difference between being a journalist and a blogger. The bouncy, bouncy notification madness of NotifX was just such an app. This one is another. When you are a journalist, you just write what your editor tells you to, and don't ask (too many) questions. And then you get a paycheck in the mail. When you're a blogger, it's more complicated (for one thing, there are no paychecks). On the one hand, you want to be comprehensive. That's the point of the blog. On the other hand, there's the question of good taste. The blog is “mine” in a way that the IT articles I once wrote are not. To be honest, this utility offends my aesthetic sensibilities. I would rather cut my heart out with a teaspoon than use it. To post or not to post? I resolve this dilemma as follows: Smack myself on the back of the head for being a snob, and post. Tags: a question of good taste, animation, anti-productivity applications, Apple Mail, mail.app, notification, notifx, plugins, quartz composer Related posts MailUnreadStatusBar notification app goes Universal MailAnnounce AppleScript updated Mail.appetizer 1.2b4: Plays better with Mail.app Mail Widget 1.4: SSL support. Rebuilt. Fast. Mail Unread Menu: Menubar notification
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AT&T: Pay full price for the iPhone 3G; Use it with another mobile carrier
In the WWDC '08 keynote addressSteve Jobs announced that the iPhone 3G would be available for $199. Naturally this was a cause of excite for many who were looking to purchase the iPhone. The news also caused speculation because many believed that it would be difficult to get an iPhone to use with another carriet. AT&T went out of its way, and rightfully so, to make sure that the iPhone 3G would be extremely difficult to unlock. In-store activationwas a requirement for those looking to purchase the low priced iPhone. If you've been wondering how you can score an unlocked iPhone 3G your worries are over. According to the Washington Post, If you want to use the iPhone with your own mobile provider all you have to do is pay the price of an unsubsidized iPhone. You can purchase the iPhone 3G without a contract. How much will the iPhones cost. The 8GB is available for $599 and the 16GB will be available for $699. Some consider the price high, but It's not if you really think about it. Most mobile phone in the U.S. are subsidized phones which cost you less up front. Mobile carriers monthly make up the difference through monthly subscription fees. My LG was free when I signed my two-year contract with Verizon. AT&T users who upgrade to the iPhone 3G can expect to pay a minimum of $70 per month for the life of the two-year contract. You pay less up front, but you end up paying more over the life of the contract. I'd rather pay the full price up front. I wasn't happy when Apple decided to use AT&T as the only mobile carrier for the iPhone here within the U.S. Sorry Apple, as much as I like the iPhone I'm not switching to AT&T. I vacation in South Carolina several times each year. The area I vacation is rural, and the connection AT&T offers in this area is poor. I rely on phone calls, and the internet for my business so switching to AT&T is not an option. The recent announcement changes things considerably although the iPhone 3G is still locked AT&T users who would like to unlock the iPhone to use with their preferred mobile carrier won't have to go through as many obstacles. Would you pay full price for an iPhone 3G? Let us know in the comment section.
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Beta Beat: Freedom leaves you internet-less
Filed under: Software, FreewareAre you tired of being distracted by the internet? Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, and Google Earth could all be considered "distractions" or "time wasters." So, if you're looking to get some work done without physically un-pluging from the internet then Freedom might be what you need. Freedom allows you to set a time limit for internet access. For instance, if I need to set aside 30 minutes for a project that doesn't require internet access, I could tell Freedom to block internet access for those 30 minutes, Freedom will then disable WiFi and ethernet access for 30 minutes. After the 30 minutes are over your WiFi and ethernet access will be restored. You can download Freedom for free (donations accepted) from the developers website or from MacUpdate.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Phoenix, Arizona Apple Store planned
Filed under: Retail, RumorsThe Graphic Mac is reporting that a new Apple Store has been planned for Phoenix, Arizona. This will be the state's fifth Apple Store, and Phoenix's second.The new store will open in the Arrowhead Mall. James at The Graphic Mac says he's seen the black construction wall and white Apple Logo in front of a large retail space on the mall's lower level. Rumor has it this store will open at the end of this month.If any TUAW readers want to send us a spyshot of the construction, please do! You'll find the tip link towards the bottom of the page.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Apple Store down
Filed under: Retail, Apple The Apple Store just went offline. The site has been updated to show the yellow sticky note that we've all come to love. What could it mean? Might it mean that MobileMe boxes will be available and ready for shipping? One could only hope. If you notice anything new, be sure to send us a tip! Stay tuned here as we keep you updated. Thanks to everyone who sent this in!Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Hazel's filesystem housecleaning abilities just got even more powerful
Are you a slob? Do you need someone to follow you around with a garbage bag and a hamper to pick up after you? Does this slovenliness extend to your Mac? If so, you need Hazel. Hazel is a housekeeper for your folders and files. Using Hazel's powerful rule engine, you can easily create workflows that keep your files organized automatically. Hazel also features options for managing your Trash... [read more at MacMerc.com]
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ted: episode downloader for bittorrent
Filed under: Freeware, Internet ToolsIn the past we've covered the Mac application TV Shows, which automates starting bittorrents for tv show episodes. Sadly, it hasn't been updated in a while (though the main page still promises an update soon). However, I recently ran across another application that works in a similar way called ted.With ted you can select various shows, even see summaries of episodes, then send the torrents off your your favorite bittorrent client (e.g. Transmission). Unfortunately, ted is a cross-platform java application, but it should run fine on any modern Mac.ted is a free download from sourceforge.[via Gizmodo]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments