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09:27
Quark, Snap launch private label version of QuarkPromote.com

Quark has launched the first private-label version of QuarkPromote.com with Snap, aprinting franchise in Australia.

Called Snap Promote, the new service from Snap leverages the technology behind QuarkPromote.com to offer small businesses in Australia an easy and affordable way to create and print marketing material using professionally-designed templates for business cards, postcards, tri-fold brochures, flyers, and more, says Grant Vernon, CEO of Snap.
 
There are a number of ways printers can work with QuarkPromote.com. Franchise and independent printers in the United States can join the QuarkPromote.com network of printers to send customers to their store specifically or to participate as a prints-by-mail provider. Independent printers and print franchises around the world who are interested in private-label opportunities with QuarkPromote.com for their own markets should contact Cyndie Shaffstall at cshaffstall@quark....

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09:19
NewerTech announces seven-port USB hub

NewerTech (http://www.newertech.com) has announced a $27.95 Seven Port USB 2.0 Powered Hub for connecting and powering up to seven USB devices simultaneously to a Mac or PC. It delivers the required 500mA of power to each of the seven industry standard USB ports to eliminate device disconnection commonly experienced by typical underpowered hubs, the company says.

It's designed for powering multiple desktop accessories like external drives, scanners, printers, optical drives, and digital cameras. The NewerTech Seven Port USB 2.0 Powered Hub also offers access to temporary devices like thumb drives, media readers, and even USB chargeable devices like iPods and iPhones.

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08:16
Deutsche Telekom to lose iPhone exclusivity in Germany?

Deutsche Telekom AG will lose exclusivity for the iPhone in Germany ahead of the l Christmas holiday shopping season, bringing the number of providers who sell the popular device in the country to three, reports the "Wall Street Journal" (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405274870420680457546725283446376...), quoting "people familiar with the matter."

In addition to Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone Group PLC and Telefonica SA's O2 will sell the iPhone, the people said. One said that deals haven't been finalized yet but negotiations are in a advanced stage. Deutsche Telekom's exclusive rights to sell the device haven't been extended and could end as early as October, posing a threat to growth in its home market.

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08:09
DV Expo features Final Cut Pro, Adobe CS5 training

NewBay Media, a publisher of digital content creation media, today announced that it will once again partner with Weynand Training International, a Gold Level Apple Authorized Training Center located in Los Angeles, to offer hands-on professional-level training at its upcoming Digital Video Expo (http://www.dvexpo.com) conference and trade show.

The event will be held at the Pasadena Convention Center from Sept. 28-30. Based on the success of last year’s training program, Digital Video Expo and Weynand Training are offering instruction in additional applications at this year’s event, including: Apple Soundtrack Pro, Apple Motion 4, Adobe CS5: Photoshop and Adobe CS5: After Effects.

Digital Video Expo’s hands-on instruction program will be run by Diana Weynand, a producer/editor who is a co-owner of Weynand Training International, an Apple Authorized Training Center located in Los Angeles. She is the...

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08:03
Apimac introduces iDatabase for the Mac and iPhone

Apimac has released iDatabase (http://www.apimac.com/idatabase/) for the Mac and iPhone. It's a new personal database manager that offers a way to organize your information and data.

With iDatabase for Mac and iPhone users can manage membership lists, expenses, projects, keep track of internet accounts and more. Users can choose from 16 ready-to-use, customizable database templates to organize any type of information or can create a totally new database from scratch.

The following templates are included: Accounts; Classes; Computers; Contacts; Customers; Events; Exercise Log; Expenses; Inventory; Movie Catalog; Membership List; Mobile Phones; Notes; Projects; Recipes; To Do; Vehicle Maintenance.

The types of fields a user can create are: Small Text, Large Text, Number, Date, Time, Date and Time, Image, Choose, calculation and also a special field type named Separator Field...

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07:51
Cinematica is new video clip management tool for the Mac

From the makers of EarthDesk, Cinematica (http://www.xericdesign.com/cinematica.php ) is a new, US$24.95 Mac OS X app that lets you manage your video library in detail, keeping track of dozens of properties for each and every file.

You can sort and search by multiple criteria simultaneously, such as genre, studio, program, season and episode, as well as by technical properties including resolution, aspect ratio, frame rate, and video codec. Cinematica even has a secondary filter that lets you further refine your search based on a selected property.

Cinematica imports and catalogs video files quietly in the background so you can keep working, and lets you customize collection icons. It also utilizes smart collections to catalogue all of your video files into groups. A demo is available for download.

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07:24
iWeb Themes Park releases five new iWeb themes

iWeb Themes Park (http://www.iwebthemespark.com) has announced five new iWeb themes for iWeb, Apple's web creation component of its iLife suite. The new themes are Bright Solutions, Chess Club, Clinic, Historical and Music Life.

To use iWeb Themes from iWeb Themes Park requires a Mac with iLife '08 (iWeb 2.0) or later. The iWeb Themes Box of 55 themes is priced at US $39.99. Ten iWeb themes in a Combo Package can be purchased for $29.99. Each template is available for $10.99. Three iWeb themes of Your choice can be obtained only for $21.98. Two iWeb themes are free for everyone.

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07:16
Toshiba launches SDHC memory card

Toshiba (http://www.toshiba.com) has launched an 8GB,16GB and 32GB SDHC UHS-I cards compliant with the SD Memory Card Standard Ver. 3.0 (SD 3.0), UHS104.

These new SD cards purportedly offer the world's fastest SDHC data read and write speeds. Toshiba also unveiled the world's first 4GB, 8GB and 16GB microSDHC UHS-I cards compliant with (SD 3.0), UHS50. Mass production of the new SDHC UHS-I cards and sample shipments of the new microSDHC UHS-I cards will start this November.

Toshiba says the new SDHC UHS-I Memory Cards are the world's first memory cards compliant with SD 3.0, UHS104. They have a maximum read speed of 95MB per second, and a write speed of 80MB per second.

Toshiba's new microSDHC UHS-I cards are the microSDHC memory cards compliant with SD 3.0, UHS50. They provide a maximum read speed of 40MB per second and a write speed of 20MB per second.

The expanded new card series...

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07:01
PDFpen for Mac OS X beefs up Evernote support

SmileOnMyMac has updated PDFPen (http://www.smileonmymac.com/PDFpen/download.html), its PDF editing and form-filling tool for Mac OS X, to version 4.7.1. In the upgrade, users can choose an Evernote notebook into which to save the PDF, in addition to setting the name and note title. PDFpen 4.7.1 also added support for form submission via HTTP and email.

PDFpen costs US$49.95, and PDFpenPro is $99.95. Family pack licenses, which cover up to five computers in one household, are $74.95 for PDFpen and $129.95 for PDFpenPro. Upgrades from earlier versions of either application are $25, and free to users who purchased after June 1, 2008. Upgrades from any version of PDFpen to PDFpenPro 4.0 are $25.

PDFpen 4.7.1 and PDFpen Pro 4.7.1 require Mac OS X 10.6 or later. Demo versions are available for download.

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06:41
The MacJury weighs in on Apple's special event announcements

The MacJury (http://www.macjury.com) recently convened to discuss the iPod, iTunes and Apple TV announcements made Wednesday at an Apple special event.

Starting with Apple's decision to stream the event, and the success and implications of that stream over both Mac and idevices, the panel reviews everything that was shown. The new High Dynamic Range photography option of iOS 4.1, new Game Center options, new iPod shuffle, nano and touch models, iTunes 10 with the new Ping social network, TV show rentals and a new Apple TV all were entered into evidence and contemplated by the panel of Dave Hamilton, Chuck La Tournous, Don McAllister, Omaha Sternberg and host Chuck Joiner.

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06:35
Samsung debuts HMX-T10 camcorder

Samsung Electronics (http://www.samsung.com) has debuted the US$299 HMX-T10 camcorder, a compact digital camcorder that sports a 20-degree Slanted Lens that ensures that the user can truly enjoy their recording experience without any discomfort to their arm or wrist, a common occurrence in standard camcorders currently on the market, according to SangJin Park, president of Samsung Digital Imaging Business, Samsung Electronics.

The camcorder has a 2.7-inch touch screen LCD and the ability to capture still images and video footage at the same time. Additionally, due to its compact nature, the HMX-T10 can be carried with ease in any environment, Park says.

The HMX-T10 boasts full HD technology for all video footage and 4.7 mega-pixel still images, plus Optical Image Stabilization. Additionally, it incorporates an advanced BSI (Back Side Illuminated) CMOS sensor that purportedly provides twice the...

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06:28
IDC: Apple recycles in 95% of the countries where its products are sold

According to International Data Corporation (IDC), mobile phone recycling is amazingly low today, with rates of 10% considered good. The research group spoke with the vendors directly, physically inspected the packaging, devices, and accessories of mobile phone manufacturers, and leveraged published corporate responsibility reports and other corporate and product environmental reports as available.

IDC (http://www.idc.com) also reviewed other third-party rating and watchdog sites such as ENERGY STAR and Greenpeace. To better understand where the mobile industry stands on sustainability, IDC used five criteria (packaging, materials, energy, end-of-life program, and overall sustainability efforts) and 20 sub-criteria to create a green ranking of 10 key mobile device manufacturers. The top five mobile device manufacturers in terms of their sustainability policies and practices are (in alphabetical order): Apple, LG,...

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03:21
CloudDav enables WebDav access for S3, SkyDrive, other Storage Clouds

SMEStorage (http://www.smestorage.com) has announced that CloudDav is now available to purchase for all registered users of the SMEStorage Gateway service, whether they are free or premium members.

CloudDav enables WebDav access for supported storage clouds, such as Amazon S3 and SkyDrive, even when the underlying storage cloud itself does not support it. This makes it ideal for being able to access documents via iPhone/iPad applications that support WebDav, such as Office2,  from storage providers that are otherwise not supported, according to SMEStorage CEO Ian Oborne.

He says that if users are using more than one cloud they will see all their clouds files simply by adding the SMEStorage WebDav service enabling them to, for example, to manage files from Amazon S3, SkyDrive, Google Docs, and more, all from one WebDav file system. For existing and new iPhone and iPad users, if they send a...

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Sep 01
PING Golf announces trademark agreement with Apple

PING (http://www.ping.com) and its parent company, Karsten Manufacturing Corp., have entered into an agreement with Apple under which Apple will use the PING trademark in connection with Apple's new social music discovery feature in iTunes.  Apple introduced the iTunes PING feature at Wednesday's special event.

Founded in 1959, PING is a brand that holds more than 1,000 trademark registrations around the world, many related to golf equipment.  

"We are pleased to enter into this agreement with Apple," said John Solheim, Chairman and CEO of Karsten Manufacturing Corporation and PING.  "Like PING, Apple carries a reputation for innovation and quality.  I have always had great respect for companies that have changed and improved the ways things are done and I continue to model PING along those lines.  Apple is a truly great example of this kind of enterprise."

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Sep 01
Google SketchUp 8 gets redesigned workflow, more

Google has launched Google SketchUp 8 (http://sketchup.google.com/), which sports a redesigned workflow for geospatial modeling, which is critical for both Google Earth modelers and professionals who need to make digital site models for their designs.

Modelers can now take advantage of access to high-quality imagery and terrain data from Google Earth and a direct connection to Google Building Maker, making it easier to model existing structures. Google SketchUp 8 also sports an all-new collection of Solid tools for performing common additive/subtractive (“Boolean”) modeling operations, which allow for the calculation of volume.

These new tools (Union, Intersect, Subtract, Trim and Split) allow modelers to generate otherwise hard-to-create 3D forms by combining multiple solids, representing a significant time savings for a very large proportion of SketchUp Pro users. There are also SketchUp...

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Sep 01
Apple TV revamped, new version goes for $99

Apple has rolled out a new version of the Apple TV at a special Wednesday event hosted by Apple's big kahuna, Steve Jobs. Is it still a "hobby" for Apple? Perhaps, but if so it's less than before and offers a way to watch your favorite HD movies and TV shows on your HD TV for US$99.

The previous Apple TV cost $249. Users of the new Apple TV -- which is 80% smaller than its predecessor -- can choose from the largest online selection of HD movies to rent, including first run movies for US$4.99, and a selection of HD TV show episodes to rent from ABC, ABC Family, Fox, Disney Channel and BBC America for 99 cents. 

Yes, that's right, they're rent only. You can no longer buy TV shows or movies at the iTunes Store. The new Apple TV has no built-in storage.

The new Apple TV also streams content from Netflix, YouTube, Flickr and MobileMe, as well as music, photos and videos from Macs and PCs to your HD TV. You can also enjoy slideshows of your photos on your HD TV...

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MacTech Blog

Sep 02
Apple patent involves rearranging idevice apps on your...

An Apple patent (number 20100223563) for remotely defining an user interface for a handheld device has appeared at the US Patent & Trademark Office. It involves using your Mac to arrange the icons on an idevice and also thinks at an Apple watch, though I'm not holding my breath on this.

In some embodiments, a host computer can be used by a user to arrange icons among a plurality of home screens or views. For example, a representation of each of the home screens available at a handheld device can be displayed on a host computer along with a representation of the available icons usable at the handheld device. A user can select representation of icons at the host computer and arrange the icons among the representations of the home screens. Icons and/or home screens can be added and/or removed. The arrangement created by the user at the host computer display can be sent to the handheld device when completed. James Green is the inventor.

Here's Apple's background and...

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Sep 02
Apple patent relates to GarageBand features

An Apple patent (number 20100223400) has appeared at the US Patent & Trademark Office regarding features -- both present and future -- of Apple's GarageBand app. The app is for correlating changes in audio.

Exemplary embodiments of methods and apparatuses to correlate changes in one audio signal to another audio signal are described. A first audio signal is outputted. A second audio signal is received. The second audio signal may be stored in a memory buffer. The first audio signal is correlated to conform to the second audio signal. The first audio signal may be dynamically correlated to match with the second audio signal while the second audio signal is received. At least in some embodiments, a size of a musical time unit of the second audio signal is determined to correlate the first audio signal. At least in some embodiments, the adjusted first audio signal is stored in another memory buffer. Chris Moulios is the inventor.

Here's Apple's background and summary...

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Sep 02
Patents relate to Apple TV updates -- and perhaps its...

Three Apple patent applications at the US Patent & Trademark Office tie in with Wednesday's Apple TV announcements and may point to future developments. They describe methods to improve the experience of over-the-air syncing, and browsing of Internet-based content.

Patent number 20080301260 is for a method and user interface for accessing groups of media assets. Improved systems and methods to navigate, browse, search and/or playback digital media assets (e.g., media items) hosted on a media server are disclosed. One embodiment of the invention pertains to a user interface arrangement, such as a hierarchical menu system, that facilitates navigation, browsing and playing of media items remotely stored on a media server.

The user interface arrangement enables user scrolling or browsing with respect to a list or set of information pertaining to media items, where the list or set can be expanded to include information for additional media items that are subsequently...

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Sep 02
Some musings on yesterday's Apple announcements

Now that I'd had a few hours to think about all the announcements from Apple at yesterday's special event, here are some random musings about them.

Despite rumors of the iPod shuffle's demise, it lives on. For now. I still think that its days are numbered, now that the nano has gotten so small. Eventually, I think we'll see a 2GB nano replacing the shuffle entirely.

Hmmm, the new nano trades its camera for a touchscreen. Is that a good swap?

The iPod classic is still around, but received no update. As soon as the iPod touch reaches 128GB of capacity (it's only half that right now) you can bid adieu to the classic, which Apple seems to regard as the ugly ducking in the iPod line-up.

The new iPod touch sounds great, but I was hoping for a 128GB version now. And if the teeny nano can have an FM radio feature, why not the touch? Yes, that's right, I want it all and I want it now!

As for the Apple TV update, overall, I think it's a great step forward....

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Sep 02
Editorial: The looming battle for the TV OS

By Andrew Eisner
Retrevo.com's director of Community and Content

Everyone loves apps! A library of 225,000 iPhone/iPad apps and five billion downloads are impressive numbers for such a young platform and confirm the fast growing interest in apps-based computing.

Not only can apps run on smartphones, tablets and laptops but we predict the next platform for apps will be connected TVs. We see a living room where TV viewers click on a weather app or sports app instead of watching the local news. A home where families play a board game together on the TV using the Monopoly app, or stay in touch with their friends with a FaceBook app, all from the comfort of the living room couch.

Microsoft unlikely to win this battle

Unlike the battle for the desktop OS it doesn't look like Microsoft has much of a chance of winning this battle for the TV OS. Competition over who will provide a TV OS is heating up with Google TV getting...

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Sep 01
The Northern Spy: iOS 4, iBooks, Apple's special...

iOS4

iOS4 has recently been released to the iPod, providing the new features to a larger number of existing Apple customers. Of most importance to the Spy were multitasking and folders, the former in operational terms, the latter in organizational.

He wasted no time in reorganizing his five home pages down to two, with most applications in folders. To do this, hold a touch until the wiggle effect starts, then drop one app on top of another. A folder with both will be created, which can then readily be renamed to suit, and additional apps can be dragged into it. Most people will wonder how they got along without application folders.

Double clicking the bottom application switching button is now supposed to produce the multitasking bar, providing quick access to currently running processes. However, within individual applications the implementation of this feature is inconsistent. Even within the same application, sometimes a single press...

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Sep 01
What I'm expecting at today's Apple event

Apple will hold a special event today at 1 pm (Pacific) and speculation has been rampant about what will be announced. I've read pretty much all the predictions, mulled 'em over and decided this is what we'll see -- and won't see.

We will see:

° A new iPod touch with a front-facing camera, higher rez display and support for FaceTime;

° A revamped iPod nano that lacks a click wheel;

° A web-based version of the iTunes Store that will -- as "All Things D" put it -- "sync up easily with the rest of the Internet and make it much easier for customers to share their musical tastes (but not songs) with friends." It could offer easier integration for services like Twitter and Facebook, allowing users to link to the store and share playlists, songs and albums.

°An Apple TV in a sleeker case with more storage, cheaper TV show rentals, running iOS with Apple TV specific apps available.

We won't see:

° iLife '11 or iWork '11 (but look for these...

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Aug 31
Apple patents range from image rendering to icons

Apple has been granted eight patents by the US Patent & Trademark Office. Following is a summary of each.

Patent number 7,788,656 is for a system for reducing the number of programs necessary to render an image. Disclosed is a system for reducing memory and computational requirements of graphics operations. The system provides techniques for combining otherwise individual operations to apply filters to images. The combined filter emerging from the combination spares the processor time and the creation of an entire intermediary image. The system further provides for application of these techniques in many contexts including where the operations are fragment programs in for a programmable GPU. John Harper is the inventor.

Patent number 7,788,582 involves techniques and graphical user interfaces for improved media item searching. Improved techniques and graphical user interfaces that assist users in searching through a group of media...

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Aug 31
Sandy Bridge chips could bring Blu-ray playback, USB 3...

At a recent developer conference, Intel said its next-generation laptop chips based on the Sandy Bridge architecture will be able to play Blu-ray 3D movies while preserving battery life. Could this mean Blu-ray playback might finally arrive on the Mac? Probably, not but I'll keep hoping.

You won’t need to buy a separate graphics processor to specifically view 3D content. Sandy Bridge chips are slated to go into production later this year, and computers with 'em could arrive in the first half of next year.

Intel’s current laptop chips are capable of 1080p video, and improvements in Sandy Bridge chips could bring a noticeable graphics improvement to computers, according to "PC World" (http://macosg.me/2/so).

Sandy Bridge will be the first mainstream Intel chip to integrate the graphics processing unit (GPU) onto the same piece of silicon as the main processor, or CPU. This is possible thanks to...

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Aug 30
Computers haven't overtaken TVs for video viewing...

More U.S. households are watching online video and on a wider variety of devices now than two years ago, but we're not sacrificing our TV viewing to do so, according to international research firm Parks Associates (http://www.parkassociates.com). At least not just yet.

The firm's "Digital Media Evolution II" study found 40% of all U.S. broadband homes now regularly watch long-form video on a computer. However, service providers can allay their fears of cord cutting for now as high use of computer video doesn't yet correlate with decreased TV viewing. "Yet" may be the key word here.

"People are using online video to fill in the gaps," says Kurt Scherf, vice president, principal analyst, Parks Associates. "When it comes to watching TV shows and movies, nobody's first choice is the computer. People will watch this content on a computer when it is not convenient or feasible to watch on a TV...

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Reviews and Kool Tools

Elements a must-have app for iPad-using writers
Second Gear Software's Elements 1.0 (http://www.secondgearsoftware.com/elements/) is a great idevice app for writers, especially considering the kludgey workaround you need to sync iWork docs between an iPad and a Mac... Read more »
Review: Commuter for iPad balances price, style, protection
By 'Doctor Dave' Greenbaum The name Otterbox (http://www.otterbox.com) is synonymous with quality protection for your portable devices, so having a line of cases for the iPad is a welcome addition to their family.... Read more »
Kraken cases for the iPhone 4, iPad a mixed bounty
Kraken cases from Trident Cases (http://www.tridentcases.com) are named after the legendary sea monster that was big and strong (and which swallowed Jack Sparrow -- but that's irrelevant). It's an apt name as they'll... Read more »
InDesign CS5 a major step forward
By Jay Nelson InDesign CS5 from Adobe (http://www.adobe.com) represents a major step forward in usability and adds substantial new features for creating and exporting interactive documents and eBooks. If you’re a... Read more »

News Scanner

Thursday September 2

12:30
New features will not apply to older Apple TVs
MacNN

The features of the new Apple TV will not carry over to older models, an Apple spokesperson clarifies. No software update to enable the options is planned, although the representative does comment that all current features should continue to work. This includes buying movies and TV shows, something missing from the latest firmware, since the matching hardware has no permanent storage....





Apple - AppleTV - Macintosh -...

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12:20
A Story About Woz and Jobs, Actual Partners in Crime...
Gizmodo Apple

#truecrime

When Steve Jobs singled out Steve Wozniak as his "partner in crime" at yesterday's event, he wasn't just speaking figuratively. Here's Woz recounting the time he, Jobs, and the infamous Captain Crunch got picked up by the police for phreaking. More »

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12:06
Product News: NASA App HD: Cool Space Stuff for iPad
Mac Observer

NASA announced Thursday the release of NASA App HD, a new app that brings all kinds of cool NASA content to your iPad. 









...

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12:00
Set up your own Priority Inbox with Apple's Mail
TUAW

Last month, Google released Priority Inbox, a system that learns which messages are the most important to you and highlights them automatically over time. It's in beta right now and Google is slowly turning it on for its users. If you're tired of waiting, or if you use Apple's Mail and not Gmail, you'll appreciate this setup from Ben Brooks.

Ben explains how a combination of rules acts as his "priority inbox" for Mail. He's got some basic rules in place, like one that identifies messages from Apple and one that files backups away. Others are more clever.

For instance, he's written one that first notices if his work address is in the CC field, and then checks if his name appears in the message body. If not, it's highlighted red and stored away. That way, it's marked "less important" in Priority Inbox terms.

Conversely, another rule...

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12:00
Mophie Juice Pack for iPhone 4 coming next week?
MacNN

Add-on battery maker Mophie will soon release another battery pack, this time for the iPhone 4. Engadget believes the accessory will arrive as soon as next week, priced at $79, or less than previous Mophie iPhone batteries. The newest product will reportedly double the iPhone 4's battery life....





Mophie - IPhone - Smartphone - Handhelds -...

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11:55
Samsung hints Android Honeycomb will be tablet-...
MacNN

Samsung in a brief talk on Thursday both confirmed a future Android codename and hinted at its tablet focus. In confirming that it hoped to upgrade the Galaxy Tab to Android 3.0, nicknamed Gingerbread, product planning lead WP Hong told TechRadar the next version would be Honeycomb. He claimed it would be "specifically optimised" for a different tablet besides one like the seven-inch Galaxy but wouldn't provide much more detail....





Android - tablet - Google -...

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11:00
Five dislikes plus five likes equals iTunes 10
TUAW

Before I get rolling here, let me warn you -- I'm not a frequent user of iTunes. I don't spend all of my time purchasing new music, videos, and movies, nor do I obsess over creating playlists to share with my friends.

However, I do use it often enough that after firing up iTunes 10 last night, I immediately found some things I wasn't fond of and some other items I quickly loved. Am I going to lose sleep over the things I don't like? Nope. But I hope that it gets TUAW readers thinking about what they like and dislike about the new iteration of iTunes.

Dislikes:

  1. What's with the close / minimize / maximize buttons being vertical in the top "toolbar" of iTunes 10 (see example at right)? As I stated to my cohorts here at TUAW this morning, doesn't that fly in the face of 10 years of experience with OS X and even violate...
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11:00
Google disputes Apple's indirect claims about...
AppleInsider

Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs suggested Wednesday that reported Android activations from Google are falsely inflated because they include upgrades -- an insinuation that the search giant quickly disputed.






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11:00
Walkman temporarily outsells iPod in Japan
MacNN

Sony's Walkman line has temporarily passed the iPod for sales in Japan once more, researchers at BCN claimed today. Basic players like the S640 helped Sony creep past in August with 47.8 of sales where Apple dropped to 44 percent. While the Walkman overtook the iPod briefly a year ago, the new figures mark the first time Sony managed to hold an overall lead for the month....





Apple - Peripherals - Hardware -...

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10:54
New Bento 3 Project Manager
Apple

FileMaker, Inc. announced the Bento 3 Project Manager, a brand new set of templates designed to make it easy for Mac users to track their personal projects and manage their time within one integrated, intuitive place. The Bento 3 Project Manager includes a free 30-day trial of the popular Bento 3 personal database for Mac, plus two professionally designed, ready-to-use templates.

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10:35
Apple patents document media browsing, cloud sync
MacNN

Two new Apple patent applications have appeared in listings at the US Patent and Trademark Office. The first, Method and User Interface for Accessing Groups of Media Assets, is directly linked to the Apple TV, and describes an interface for browsing media sources such as YouTube. By way of a remote, people can scroll through categorized lists of information that can be expanded to include new media....





Apple - Macintosh - IPhone -...

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10:30
In-Depth Review: Touch Mouse: Free Wireless Mouse...
Mac Observer

Just what we needed—another reason not to get up off the couch. Logitech’s Touch Mouse turns your iPhone or iPod touch into a wireless mouse, perfect for those moments when you want to do something on your computer without actually touching it. Although the application and its accompanying computer server software is slightly more involved installation-wise, it’s worth it, especially for ending the hassle of getting up and down to manually change programming when watching video from your computer displayed on a television.





...

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10:28
News: Ping Steered Clear of Facebook Over Onerous...
Mac Observer

Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled a new music-related social networking service called Ping on Wednesday, and it seems the company intentionally steered away from tying the service into Facebook. Mr. Jobs said his company talked with Facebook about a possible team up, but ultimately wasn’t comfortable with the terms of the deal.






...

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10:05
Apple's iOS beats Android 6 to 1 on the Web
Macworld

Apple's iOS mobile operating system is now the third-most popular platform on the Internet, with a share nearly six times larger than Android's, according to Web measurement company Net Applications.






...

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10:00
iTunes 101: How to set up Ping
TUAW

Apple has jumped into the social media pool with both feet by introducing Ping to iTunes 10. Since this is brand-new, we'll show you how to set it up and start pinging your friends. Whatever that means.

After installing iTunes 10, you'll see the Ping button. Click it to enter your Apple ID and begin the process of creating your profile. It'll pull the information stored on the account, like name and address, but fortunately you can edit it. You can add a photo to represent yourself as well. There are many PhotoBooth-style filters available, so have fun playing around.

Note that your photo won't go live until Apple approves it. Mine took a good 20 minutes to show up, and others have said the same thing. Just be patient, it'll get there.

Click below to read more.

Gallery:...

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09:58
Deal Brothers: Refurbished 17” MacBook Pro 2.66GHz...
Mac Observer

The Deal Brothers noted that Apple is offering a refurbished 17” MacBook Pro 2.66GHz Intel Core i7o for $2169, with free shipping and one year of AppleCare.







...

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09:47
Editorial: Apple TV: What was Apple Thinking?
Mac Observer

As the dust settles from the new Apple TV announcement, some observers are getting all wound up about the limitations of the new device. Are these concerns valid?







...

| Read more »
09:46
iTunes Ping loses Facebook Connect after release (...
iLounge

As noted when iTunes 10 launched yesterday with Apple’s new music social network Ping, the official release of the software came roughly eight hours after its announcement—considerably later than had originally been expected. Reports have suggested that the delay may have been the result of a last-minute contractual problem…

| Read more »
09:41
[Sponsor] Felt Tip Inc.
Daring Fireba...

Summer’s almost over and you want to get in shape and shed those
extra pounds. I’m Lucius Kwok, and my company Felt Tip Inc has some
great iOS apps for that. Couch to 5k gets your butt off your couch and
running a 5k, using a tested 9-week workout program based on
intervals. Food Diary makes it easy to follow the simple equation:
burn more calories than you consume, and you’ll lose weight. Check
them out in the iPhone App Store.

| Read more »
09:40
Apple's New iPod Touch Torn Apart By The FCC [...
Gizmodo Apple

#apple

The FCC has set its camera to macro mode and snapped the insides of Apple's new iPod Touch. There's a ruler for scale and it might be possible to tell what camera the FCC uses from the reflections. More »

| Read more »
09:30
iTunes 10 user interface sees some minor changes
MacFixIt

Apple's iTunes 10 upgrade brings a number of interesting enhancements to the program, including the "Ping" social-networking option and the new clutter-reducing "hybrid" view for album covers and song listings. Despite these features and other new improvements, when it comes to the user interface there are some outstanding drawbacks in the new version of iTunes.

| Read more »
09:20
Google intros final Chrome 6 with new speed, simpler...
MacNN

Just after the two-year anniversary of its Chrome browser, Google on Thursday released a new Chrome 6 stable build for Linux, Mac OS X and Windows. Its engine is faster than for Chrome 5 and a full three times faster than the 2008 browser originally was in JavaScript performance. Google has also made Chrome simpler, with a more minimalist interface....





Google Chrome - Google - search - ...

| Read more »

Rumor Scanner

Thursday September 2

09:42
Fourth-Generation iPod Touch Teardown Photos Posted by FCC
MacRumors

Engadget notes that Apple's new iPod touch introduced yesterday has appeared on the website of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Along with other standard information on radiation emissions required by the FCC for approval, t...

| Read more »
07:26
Confusion Over Facebook's Brief Appearance in Ping fo...
MacRumors

Screenshot from Follow Music and People with Ping video tutorial
With yesterday's release of iTunes 10, Apple also deployed a new music-focused social network feature known as Ping. When it initially launched yesterday, users creating...

| Read more »

Wednesday September 1

22:59
Twitter for iPad Offers a Fresh New Interface
MacRumors

Tonight Twitter released a new update to their popular Twitter application that makes it a Universal app with native support for the iPad's large display. While native support has been a long requested feature for the official Twitter app, the compa...

| Read more »
20:20
Apple Posts September Media Event Video Stream in Multiple...
MacRumors

Apple has posted the full stream for today's Media event. While the stream had been available for Mac OS X 10.6 and iOS users immediately after the broadcast, it is now provided in multiple formats that can be viewed cross platform on both ...

| Read more »
19:00
iTunes 10 Now Available to Download
MacRumors

Apple has finally posted the iTunes 10 release for download. iTunes 10 was introduced today during the keynote event. The new version of the media management application features a streamlined interface and a new networking feature called P...

| Read more »
15:50
Apple introduces new Apple TV for $99.
LOOPRumors

Apple today announced the new Apple TV which offers the simplest way to watch your favorite HD movies and TV shows on your HD TV for the breakthrough price of just $99.

Apple TV users can choose from the largest online selection of HD movies to rent, including first run movies for just $4.99, and the largest online selection of HD TV show episodes to rent from ABC, ABC Family, Fox, Disney Channel and BBC America for just 99 cents.

The new Apple TV will ship in four weeks.
Apple TV also streams content from Netflix, YouTube, Flickr and MobileMe, as well as music, photos and videos from PCs and Macs to your HD TV. Enjoy gorgeous slideshows of your photos on your HD TV using Apple TV’s selection of built-in slideshows. Apple TV has built-in HDMI, Wi-Fi, Ethernet and an internal power supply for easy set-up, and features silent, cool, very low power operation in an enclosure that’s less than four inches square—80 percent smaller than the previous generation.

... | Read more »
14:33
Apple announces new iPod lineup.
LOOPRumors

Apple CEO Steve Jobs just announced a refreshed line of iPods at today’s media event in San Francisco, CA.

Jobs introduced the new iPod shuffle, nano, and touch models to the media in San Francisco and viewers around the world as the company provided a live broadcast for the first time to test its new $1 billion facility in North Carolina.

The new, thinner iPod touch includes a front facing camera for FaceTime, HD video recording, and retina display. The new model will be priced as follows:

8GB $229, 32GB $299, 64GB $399.

The new nano now boasts a small multi-touch screen and includes Nike+ and a pedometer.

The new shuffle will sell for only $49.

The new iPod family is available for pre-order today and will start shipping next week.

| Read more »
14:00
Apple's New iPod Touch and iPod Nano Commercials
MacRumors

During today's media event, Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced two new commercials, one each for the new iPod touch and iPod nano. Apple has now posted the commercials to its product-specific sites, as well as its YouTube page.

i...

| Read more »
13:49
Apple posts live feed of Fall Music Event.
LOOPRumors

Apple has posted a live feed of their Fall Music Event which takes place at 10am PST.

The link is here. 

| Read more »
12:55
Apple updates iPod Touch with cameras, Facetime
Mac OS Rumors

The new 2010 iPod Touch has been revealed, including features that were expected but not included on the 2009 model. At just 7.2mm thick, the new Touch has shed some of its bulk including that rounded back many users complained about. A new microphone is included to support FaceTime, but should also work with other [...]

| Read more »
12:32
New AppleTV loses the Hobby, gains streaming and TV rental...
Mac OS Rumors

Apple has finally taken the Apple TV out of ‘hobby’ status and loaded it up with features that will appeal to a wider audience. The new AppleTV model shrinks from 7″ square, for the previous model, to just 3.9″ square and slightly less than 1″ tall. In sharp contrast to the older model, which was [...]

| Read more »
12:00
Apple announces new iPod Shuffle, Nano
Mac OS Rumors

Apple’s 2010 music event brought a number of welcome updates to most of the models in the iPod lineup. The shuffle has regained the buttons that were removed in the 3rd generation models, the nano became much smaller and gained a clip much like the shuffle has, and the nano also became an iOS device [...]

| Read more »
11:59
Notes and Observations about Apple's iPod and Apple T...
MacRumors

Apple hosted their media event today and announced a number of new products and updates. For a summary of those announcements, see our previous coverage:

- Apple Announces All New iPod Models: Shuffle, Nano, and Touch
-...

| Read more »
11:46
Apple Announces All-New iPod Models: Shuffle, Nano and Tou...
MacRumors

Along with announcing iOS 4.1 and the forthcoming iOS 4.2 for the iPad, Apple announced all-new iPod models at today's keynote event.

The new iPod shuffle will see the return of buttons and will still include the VoiceOver fea...

| Read more »
11:43
Apple Introduces Updated Apple TV with Netflix Integration...
MacRumors

As hinted early in the keynote with the mention of TV show rentals, Steve Jobs today announced the second generation of Apple TV hardware, a significant redesign for the device. At one-fourth the size of the original Apple TV, the new device ...

| Read more »
11:36
Apple Releases iTunes 10 With 'Ping' Social Netw...
MacRumors

Alongside new iPod models, Apple today introduced a new version of iTunes, dubbed iTunes 10. The new version of the media management application features a streamlined interface and a new networking feature called Ping, along with a new, more...

| Read more »
11:35
Apple Announces Pending Release of iOS 4.1, 4.2 Coming in...
MacRumors

At today's keynote event, Steve Jobs announced the upcoming availability of iOS 4.1 for the iPhone and iPod touch. Jobs noted that the long running proximity sensor, Bluetooth, and iPhone 3G performance bugs that have been raised by u...

| Read more »
09:00
Live Coverage of Apple's 2010 Fall Media Event
MacRumors

Outside Apple's media event in San Francisco (Source: CrunchGear)
Apple today is holding its traditional fall media event where it is expected to introduce several new and updated products and services, with iPods, iTunes, and Apple TV...

| Read more »
07:56
Next-Generation iPod Touch to Be 'Slightly Thinner...
MacRumors

iLounge offers a number of details regarding the fourth-generation iPod touch rumored for introduction today that it believes to be correct. While much of the information regarding the physical features of the device is essentially the same as that ...

| Read more »
07:03
Intel CEO: Jobs 'Very Happy' With Intel-Infineon...
MacRumors

In an interview on the Fox Business Network earlier this week, Intel CEO Paul Otellini claims that Apple CEO Steve Jobs is "very happy" with Intel's deal to acquire Infineon's wireless chip unit. Infineon has provided components, including b...

| Read more »
06:48
Apple TV Reported to Retain Name, Updated Products Not Shi...
MacRumors

According to a pair of tweets from Australian Macworld, a revised Apple TV should be introduced today with its current name rather than being rebranded as "iTV," and none of the products set for introduction today will see immediate availabil...

| Read more »

Documentation Scanner

Thursday September 2

07:30
Improved iTunes 10 Classic Visualizer
Mac OS X Hint...

The iTunes Classic Visualizer is great. For starters, it keeps you interested, and it seems uncannily good at matching the mood of the visuals to the style of music. The new Visualizer style just doesn't make sense to me -- pulsating orbs?



Anyway, the problem with the Classic Visualizer is that it would always force a low resolution on you when using full screen mode.



I'm happy to point out that the Classic Visualizer in iTunes 10 now uses your current display resolution when you go into full screen mode. Now it looks absolutely awesome on a nice 720p/1080p TV set. Unfortunately it still blanks secondary displays in full screen mode.



I know I'm not the only one to have searched for an answer to this, only to be disappointed with the 'Use screen zoom' solution that's been around for years.



[crarko adds: I tested this, and it works as described, although I didn't try the external...

| Read more »
07:30
Make the iTunes 10 control buttons horizontal
Mac OS X Hint...

iTunes 10 provides a different layout for the Close, Minimize and Maximize buttons. Instead of being ordered horizontally, in iTunes 10 they're arranged vertically, like a traffic light.
Reverting the buttons to a horizontal layout can easily be done. With iTunes not running, open Terminal and enter the following code:



defaults write com.apple.iTunes full-window -1



To restore the vertical layout, simply use this command:



defaults write com.apple.iTunes full-window -0



[crarko adds: Thank you very much. iTunes 10 has a lot of good points, like better performance, but some of the UI changes are perplexing.]




...

| Read more »

Wednesday September 1

21:29
iTunes Store: How to rent TV Shows
Apple - All P...

You can rent TV Shows from the iTunes Store and watch them on your Mac or Windows computer, iPhone, or iPod touch.1

| Read more »
19:23
Apple security updates
Apple - All P...

This document outlines security updates for Apple products.

| Read more »
15:28
iOS Developer Program
iPhone Develo...

The iPhone Developer Program is now the iOS Developer Program. You will continue to access the same program benefits and technical resources for developing and distributing your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch apps.

| Read more »
15:27
iOS SDK 4.1 GM Seed Now Available
iPhone Develo...

iOS Developer Program members can log in to the iOS Dev Center to download iOS 4.1 GM seed and iOS SDK 4.1 GM seed. Review the Xcode 3.2.4 Readme and the iOS SDK 4.1 GM seed Release Notes before installing and developing with these new releases.

| Read more »
15:25
Getting Started with Game Center
iPhone Develo...

Game Center is Apple's new social gaming network that allows your users to invite friends to play a game, start a multiplayer game through auto-matching, track their achievements, and compare their best scores on a leaderboard. Learn everything you need to know about developing your apps for Game Center, from understanding the fundamentals to updating your Game Center app once it’s on the App Store.

| Read more »
12:07
iTunes Store: Movie rental frequently asked question...
Apple - All P...

See the frequently asked questions below to learn more about renting movies from the iTunes Store.

| Read more »
08:29
Powering Apple and third party peripherals through U...
Apple - All P...

Learn more about the power available via USB on Apple computers and displays and how to use peripheral devices that may require more power than is available through the USB port.

| Read more »
07:30
Get details about your iOS apps in a .csv file
Mac OS X Hint...

Since iTunes does not give you a lot of information via print or export of your apps, I wrote a little shell script to retrieve information from the app files themselves.



The script creates and opens a .csv file. To correctly display the columns, choose 'semicolons' as the column delimiter in your csv viewer (e.g. OpenOffice Calc).
You can choose what information to retrieve by commenting/uncommenting them in the Attributes definition at the beginning of the script.



To run the script do the following: [crarko adds: Note that the path to the Mobile Applications folder may be different depending on your previous upgrade path(s), for example mine was located at ~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music/Mobile Applications. Just be sure to put the script in the same folder as the app (.ipa) files.]

  • Save it as getproperties.sh in your Mobile Applications Folder at ~/Music/iTunes/Mobile Applications.
  • Open...
| Read more »
07:30
Display location information in Safari 5
Mac OS X Hint...

Whenever I go to a website that asks for my location I wonder what exactly I am giving out. I found a neat Safari 5 extension from Upper Atmosphere called FindMe. FindMe displays your location in a tool bar. Your location is just a button press away. You can also click on the result to display it on a map.



Interestingly, Mac OS X Location Services are only available if you have a wireless connection enabled. I would've expected Apple to default to your external IP if it couldn't determine your location based on your wireless connection, but it doesn't.



Most people probably already know where they are but this tool is surprisingly useful.



[crarko adds: I tested this, and it works as described. It asks for permission to find your location just like an iOS app would.]



...

| Read more »

Tuesday August 31

12:17
Apple Cinema Display (30-inch DVI) has 1280 x 800 as...
Apple - All P...

When you connect an Apple Cinema Display (30-inch DVI) to one of the products noted below, you may find that the highest available resolution is 1280 x 800, even though the optimum resolution for the display is 2560 x 1600. The maximum resolution available when this display is connected to a single-link DVI port is 1280 x 800; you must connect the display to a dual-link DVI port to access the higher resolutions available to the display.

| Read more »
07:30
An updated guide to recording HDTV signals
Mac OS X Hint...

This hint is an update to this rather old hint which explains how to record HDTV signals from a FireWire capable box.
For the most part, everything is the same as in the original guide, however there are a few differences.



First, with the rise of FireWire 800, you should note that cable boxes supplied by your provider will have FireWire 400, so if you only have FW800 cables, you'll need to get a 400-800 cable or adaptor.



Second, Apple's Firewire SDK is rather old, and its contained applications, like VirtualDVHS, are designed for Tiger, and are rather buggy and difficult to use. A better choice is FireRecord, a simple app that does most of the work for you, including detecting which channel to stream from, which can be frustrating to do manually. (63, 0, and 1 are the common channels)....

| Read more »
07:30
Easy quitting of multitasking apps in iOS 4
Mac OS X Hint...

Apple made it quite easy and intuitive to quit out of apps in iOS 4; however I have not seen this method mentioned anywhere.



Double tap the Home button to bring up the multitasking applications view, then tap and hold on an app (as if you were arranging your home screen). A small red circle will appear on each app; tap one to close that app. And, of course, you can still swipe through the list to see more.



[crarko adds: I can't test this one on my iPhone 3G. Please confirm that this works.]





...

| Read more »

Monday August 30

16:04
iMovie '09: Importing AVCHD clips from some mul...
Apple - All P...

Some camcorders that record multiple formats require extra steps to import both formats into iMovie ’09. If you have recorded both AVCHD and MP4 (or iFrame) formats with certain camcorders, iMovie will only recognize the MP4/iFrame video clips in its 'Import' window.

| Read more »
10:17
Vintage and obsolete products
Apple - All P...

Apple has discontinued support for certain technologically obsolete and vintage products.

| Read more »
07:30
Save Safari 5 from the FastBrowserSearch plugin
Mac OS X Hint...

There are some obsolete plugins that can give Safari 5 a lot of grief, and there are some reports on the Apple forums of a problematic plugin called FastBrowserSearch. It's apparently not new but I didn't see it posted here so thought I'd submit it. It's not hard to uninstall but it's a little tricky where it's placed. If you open Safari and get the FastBrowserSearch Plugin error, this hint is for you.



Quit Safari the delete this plist file (If you look in this plist, it calls MTWB.osax):

~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.MTWB.Product.plist



Next, delete the MTWB.osax file located here:

~/Library/ScriptingAdditions/MTWB.osax



Relaunch Safari and it should be working again.



[crarko adds: I haven't tested this one. I didn't have the MTWB.osax installed, as FastBrowserSearch is a...

| Read more »

Sunday August 29

14:50
iTunes for Windows Vista or Windows 7: Troubleshooti...
Apple - All P...

This article provides some general suggestions when trying to troubleshoot an issue where iTunes for Windows Vista or Windows 7 won't open, stops responding, or unexpectedly quits. It may be useful to print this document before following the steps outlined below.

For a discussion of troubleshooting similar issues in iTunes for Windows XP, see iTunes for Windows XP: Troubleshooting unexpected quits, freezes, or launch issues.
If you are having trouble installing iTunes, see Trouble installing iTunes or QuickTime for Windows.

| Read more »

Friday August 27

07:30
Remove arrows from aliases updated
Mac OS X Hint...

I dislike the Windows-like arrows in the lower left corner of alias icons. Ever since Panther came out, I'd been using the technique described in this hint to get rid of them. After updating to 10.5.8 the pesky arrows were back, I had a little trouble locating the tip for 10.5, because it is categorized for 10.3, and updated information for Tiger users is only presented at the end of the comments. This method works for Leopard [crarko adds: and Snow Leopard] as well. Hence, this version summarizes (and slightly elaborates on) the Tiger-specific instructions from the original submission.
The procedure, which renames the arrow-image file AliasBadgeIcon.icns so that the System won't find it, affects all users and accounts and requires administrator privileges. Open Terminal and type or copy/paste:



cd /System/Library/CoreServices/CoreTypes.bundle/Contents/Resources...

| Read more »
07:30
Move VMware Fusion to another drive/partition
Mac OS X Hint...

I had moved all my /Applications to /Volumes/apps/Applications, and VMware Fusion 3 would not start.



What VMware Fusion is looking for is to use the shell command "cd" ../Library to look for its files. So I sym linked /Library to /Volumes/apps/Library, and it started right up.



The Terminal command used to do that was:



$ sudo ln -s /Library /Volumes/apps/Library



If you have a separate volume or partition for your applications, use the appropriate name in the command.



[crarko adds: I haven't tested this one. In general it's not a good idea to move programs from /Applications elsewhere, especially the Apple installed programs. You can do this by creating symbolic links, but if you miss anything, Software Update may break moved applications. Many third party apps can be placed elsewhere, and if there are problems fixing them may be as...

| Read more »

Technology Showcase

Aug 26
Video looks at digital storytelling features of...

A new online video (http://www.memoryminer.com) shows some of the best ways for using MemoryMiner, a digital storytelling application for Mac OS X. Designed an an complement the iLife suite, the software is all about capturing and exploring your life memories.

MemoryMiner allows anyone to zero in on the stories depicted in their photos by linking them to each other based on people, places and time. While photos are used as the starting point, the goal is always uncovering the backstory.

With MemoryMiner, you can directly record audio or video to capture the backstory of a photo. You can attach documents, web URL's, or other media to add depth and context. Each photo becomes a frame in a storyboard that can be browsed by periods in a person's life, where people overlap, by place, by time, or any combination.

MemoryMiner requires Mac OS X 10.5 or higher. It's Universal Binary so runs...

| Read more »
Jul 30
Ergonis posts video on using Typinator

Ergonis Software has posted a video (http://www.ergonis.com/products/typinator/movie.html) on Typinator (http://www.ergonis.com/products/typinator/), its tool for auto-typing text and auto-correcting typos system-wide across all Mac OS X applications.

With thousands of predefined corrections for common typos and misspelled words for US and British English, German and French, Typinator is not only just a typing assistant that speeds repetitive typing tasks, but also a system-wide auto-correction tool that automatically fixes typing errors and misspelled words. You just define an abbreviation along with its replacement text or picture. Whenever you type one of your abbreviations in any application, Typinator inserts the corresponding...

| Read more »
Jul 19
Seagate introduces GoFlex Home for centralized storage

Seagate (http://www.seagate.com) has unveiled the newest addition to its GoFlex family of hard drives -- the GoFlex Home network storage system. When it's connected to a wireless router, an entire household can centrally store, easily access and continuously back up files wirelessly from Mac and Windows systems on the home  network.

The new centralized storage system simplifies the backup process by being compatible with the Apple Time Machine, as well as including a version of the backup application for both Mac OS X and Windows operating systems, says Darcy Clarkson, Seagate vice president of Retail Sales and Marketing. With the GoFlex Home storage system, families can also wirelessly stream photos, movies and music to most network connected DLNA devices, such as game consoles or a GoFlex TV HD media player, from any room in the house.

The GoFlex Home is available in 1TB and 2TB capacities at...

| Read more »
Jul 13
Are you swimsuit ready? How about remote access ready?

Summer is just around the corner, and if you’re human, you’re not going to want to be stuck inside an office when it’s gorgeous out. But you can’t just shirk your responsibilities either. Don’t worry, there is a way you can get out, enjoy the summer and stay productive. Set up remote access from LogMeIn (https://secure.logmein.com/welcome/default.aspx?originid=7872&destinatio...) now, and you’ll be in business, wherever you are, all summer.

With LogMeIn Free (https://secure.logmein.com/welcome/default.aspx?originid=...

| Read more »
Jul 12
Video demos SonicPics for the iPhone

There's a new video demonstrating the features of SonicPcs for the iPhone. The app -- available in an US$2.99 and free, "lite" version -- is a tool for turning your images into custom slideshow movies that you can share with your friends online!.

SonicPics lets you add images from your iPhone's photo library or camera, arrange your photos, and then narrate the project to create an enhanced m4v video (complete with chapters). You can take photos of your kids, special events, weddings, vacations, the new pet, or first day at camp and narrate them with SonicPics.

When the recording is complete, you can publish your movie to your YouTube account or to your computer. You can view the video at http://www.sonicpics.com/public/index.php#4 .

| Read more »
Jun 24
Video looks at SSDs vs HDDs

Solid State Drives (SSDs) are gaining in popularity. So should you buy a SSD or a traditional hard disk drive?

Other World Computing (OWC) has compared the two types of drives. You can find the SSD vs HDD Shootout at : http://eshop.macsales.com/Customized_Pages/Framework.cfm?page=ssd-speed-... .

| Read more »
Jun 14
OrigAudio posts video on the Rock-It

OrigAudio has posted a video (http://www.origaudio.com/) on the Rock-It, an US$49.99 vibration speaker system.

The Rock-It works with iPods, iPhones, laptops and more. It takes music from the device and generates it into vibration sequences. It sends those vibrations through the Rock-It "pod," which you can stick to any object.

The Rock-It requires two AAA batteries (not included) or an USB connection. It comes with an USB cable and four replacement sticky pads.

| Read more »
Apr 17
Screencast looks at installing, using PDFPen

A new screencast (http://screencasts.smileonmymac.com/SCO170-pdfpen-Module01-832x468-h264_...) offers an introduction and installation guide for PDFPen from SmileOnMyMac.

PDFPen is a PDF editing and form-filling tool for Mac OS X. PDFpen costs US$49.95, and PDFpenPro is $99.95. Family pack licenses, which cover up to five computers in one household, are $74.95 for PDFpen and $129.95 for PDFpenPro. Upgrades from earlier versions of either application are $25, and free to users who purchased after June 1, 2008. Upgrades from any version of PDFpen to PDFpenPro 4.0 are $50.

| Read more »
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Slice It Review
Developer: Com2uS Price: $0.99 Version Reviewed: 1.0.0 Graphics / Sound Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars Game Controls Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars Gameplay Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars Re-use / Replay Value Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars Overall Rating: 4.44... | Read more »
iPhotographer: Introductions, Filterstor...
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Flud for iPad Review
Developer: MADE BY RABBIT Price: $3.99 Version Reviewed: 1.1 Device Reviewed On: iPad iPad Integration Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars User Interface Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars Re-use Value Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Overall Rating: 3.67 out of 5 stars | Read more »
Man Booker Prize Goes Digital with iPhon...
If you love literature, you’ve probably heard of the Man Booker Prize (often, simply “The Booker”). Since 1968, the prize has been awarded annually to the “best” full-length, original, English novel written by a citizen of the Commonwealth of... | Read more »
Gravity Runner Review
Developer: We Are Colin Price: $0.99 Version Reviewed: 1.1 Device Reviewed On: iPad, iPhone 3G Graphics / Sound Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars Game Controls Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars Gameplay Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars Replay Value Rating: 3.75 out of... | Read more »
Thumpies Review
Developer: Big Blue Bubble Price: $2.99 Version Reviewed: 1.3 Graphics / Sound Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars Game Controls Rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars Gameplay Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Re-use / Replay Value Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars Overall Rating: 4.... | Read more »
Color Cross HD for iPad Review
Developer: LITTLE WORLDS STUDIO Price: $2.99 Version Reviewed: 1.1 Device Reviewed On: iPad Graphics / Sound Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Game Controls Rating: 3 out of 5 stars Gameplay Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Replay Value Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars... | Read more »
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Price Scanner via MacPrices.net

Apple offers clearance Apple TVs for $149
The Apple Store has clearance previous-model 160GB Apple TVs now available for $149 shipped. Original MSRP was $229. Read more
Apple releases new 2010 iPods, all new models
Apple today released their all-new lineup of iPods for the 2010 shopping season, including a new iPod shuffle, new iPod nano with touch, and a new iPod touch with the retinal display plus front... Read more
iPads in stock with 24-hour shipping available
All iPad models are now in stock at The Apple Store with 24-hour shipping available: - 16GB iPad Wi-Fi: $499 - 32GB iPad Wi-Fi: $599 - 64GB iPad Wi-Fi: $699 - 16GB iPad Wi-Fi+3G: $629 - 32GB iPad Wi-... Read more
Deal Alert! MacBooks, MacBook Pros, iMacs on sale...
 MacConnection has MacBook Pros, White MacBooks, and iMacs on sale for up to $300 off MSRP after rebate. Shipping is free. Their prices are the lowest we’ve seen for these models from any Apple... Read more
12-core Mac Pro on sale for $4769, $230 off MSRP
OnSale has the new 12-core Westmere Mac Pro on sale for $4769.99 including a free copy of Parallels Desktop 5.0 and a free HP all-in-one printer. Their price is $230 off MSRP, and it’s the lowest we’... Read more
Apple refurbished 2010 Mac mini Server: $849, $150...
The Apple Store is now offering Apple Certified Refurbished 2010 Mac mini Servers for $150 off the cost of new models. An Apple one-year warranty is included, and shipping is free: - 2.66GHz Mac mini... Read more
17″ 2.66GHz i7 MacBook Pro available for $2349, $1...
J&R has availability of the 17″ 2.66GHz i7 MacBook Pro for $2349 including free shipping. Their price is $150 off MSRP, and no rebate is required. Read more
Sale! MacBook Pros available for up to $300 off MS...
 MacConnection has 17″, 15″, and 13″ MacBook Pros on sale this week for up to $300 off MSRP after rebate. Shipping is free. Their prices are the lowest we’ve seen for these models from any Apple... Read more
 

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Ye Olde AppleTVs aren’t getting updated...
Ars Technica got an Apple spokesperson to relay the bad news to those Apple hobbiests that, until last week, plucked down $229 for the former AppleTV: We confirmed with an Apple spokesperson that the... Read more
Is there any chance that Apple will acce...
I know, I know. Flash on mobile devices isn’t what it is on desktops, which frankly isn’t that great either (as I try to write this on a Macbook Pro with memory and processor all but consumed by a... Read more
Apple’s Ping ain’t no ‘Facebook killer’
Computerworld: Apple’s newly-introduced social network for music is called Ping. The service’s fate rests on user-focused features and user-created content. Without those it will fall flat and become... Read more
Samsung brings seven-inch Galaxy to tabl...
Even as Compal Electronics chairman, Ray Chen, warns investors that the non-Apple tablet market ain’t worth playing in, A4 processor manufacturing partner, Samsung, has introdced its Galaxy Tab... Read more
iPad rivals begin tablet industry exit
Apple’s playing an ace card with its iPad tablet — now competitors are beginning to walk away from the battle, with Compal Electronics chairman, Ray Chen, warning investors that the non-Apple tablet... Read more

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