Aspyr releases Call of Duty 2 demo

Posted on Jun. 30, ’06, 4:23 PM PT by Aaron Freedman

Category | Software

What’s better than playing a WWII -themed video game on your Mac? Playing that same game for free. Well, sort of. Aspyr Media has just released a demo of Call of Duty 2, a game which allows you to play as either Russian, British, or American soldiers against Nazis in WWII battlegrounds. The demo, which is also available on BitTorrent, allows you to play a single mission — “The End of the Beginning” — as a British soldier in 1942 North Africa trying to defeat German artillery at the docks. Please keep in mind, though, that Call of Duty 2 has very steep minimum requirements, including a 1.8 GHz G5 or Intel processor, a graphics card with 64MB of VRAM, and 4GB of hard drive space. If you want to know more about Call of Duty 2, you can check out Macworld’s review.

Spurious eBay item of the day: Please buy Alec Baldwin’s iPod. Please?

Posted on Jun. 30, ’06, 10:05 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | iPod

What does it take to sell your 20GB 4th generation iPod on eBay? A little celebrity. Currently, for over $78 you can own a little piece of movie history: an iPod that (allegedly) belonged to actor Alec Baldwin. How do we know it’s his? Does it have his name on it?

Well, sort of. “Alec Baldwin” is engraved on the back of the iPod, though I’m not sure Apple really polices its engravings too tightly. Now, I’m an Alec Baldwin fan who has unabashedly proclaimed his love for The Shadow and The Hunt for Red October, but I’m still not certain I feel the need to buy his old MP3 player. Especially if the earbuds are used. The post claims that the iPod contains a selection of Baldwin’s music, including “Flaming Lips, the Doors, and Velvet Underground, along with New York Times and BBC News Podcasts.” So, my question is: did somebody steal Alec Baldwin’s iPod? Or is the actor feeling a little cash-strapped?

In related news, the iPod shuffle jointly owned by Stephen, Billy, and Daniel Baldwin is currently holding at around $5.

[via Defamer]

How to watch the World Cup on your Mac, 3rd Edition

Posted on Jun. 30, ’06, 9:51 AM PT by Cyrus Farivar

Category | Video

I don’t know if this was available all along, but a reader wrote in with instructions as to how to watch the games via ESPN360 — FOR FREE!

Here’s how:

1) Download Flip4Mac
2) Open up QT, pull down the File menu, and select “Open URL”
3) Enter this address: mms://live.espnevent.espn.com.edgestreams.net/reflector:51921
4) Press play.
5) GOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!

[A million hat tips: woo]

Update: This feed works fine, without the need of a proxy, reports a friend in France.

The fun never ends: 10.4.7 Update Update

Posted on Jun. 30, ’06, 8:53 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Software » Updates

We reported on a host of 10.4.7 problems the other day, and Apple has apparently now backtracked on the update, posting a revised version of the download for Intel-based Macs. What’s the deal? Apple explained the situation thusly:

Mac OS X v10.4.7 was released on Tuesday of this week. The install package that upgrades a Mac OS X v10.4.6 (Intel) system is being revised. The revision is to provide several files related to OpenGL performance that were missing.

Only the package that upgrades a Mac OS X v10.4.6 (Intel) system to Mac OS X v10.4.7 (Intel) is being changed. All other Mac OS X v10.4.7 install packages remain unchanged.

The change being made to the install package does not affect the security fixes provided in the package.

The new package is named: MacOSXUpd10.4.7Intel.dmg
It’s SHA-1 digest is: 10aa57dfccd63accb0939a894cea202a8910fb45

This applies only to the 10.4.6->10.4.7 update for Intel Macs and not the combo installer. MacFixIt has documented a way to check and see if you’ve downloaded the right update. Kind of glad I hadn’t installed the update yet. Sometimes it pays to wait.

[via Macs Only]

The iPod nano: small, beautiful, deadly

Posted on Jun. 30, ’06, 8:12 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Apple » Humor

The iPod nano is a marvel of engineering: it’s tiny, lightweight, and it sounds fantastic. But what you don’t know about this miniscule MP3 player could kill you. Eight different ways. From Sunday.

Should you ever find your life in danger, whilst possessing nothing but an iPod nano, McSweeney’s presents eight ways in which you can defend your well-being with Steve Jobs’s favorite music player. The techniques can be used to target everyone from rowdy soccer hooligans to tea lovers.

6. Carefully unstaple a tea bag and pour the contents on a plate. Break into the lithium-ion battery pack and saturate the tea with the battery’s poison, then dry the tea in the sun (or with a hair dryer if you are in a hurry). Put tea back in tea bag and bend the staple back to its original position. Put the tea bag back where you got it.

7. Download to the Nano “We’ve Only Just Begun” by the Carpenters. Tell someone you will give him or her your Nano if they listen to that song a hundred times in a row.

[via The Consumerist]

The future of tab management

Posted on Jun. 30, ’06, 7:35 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Internet

Born out of Google’s Summer of Code, Desmond Elliot has shown his work in a neat little movie. It’s a neat new approach to the problem of tab overflow. Safari, Camino, and NetNewsWire all currently allow a certain number of tabs given a window width, and the rest are overflowed into a menu that one can select from. The problem with this is that the overflow tabs can’t be seen without closing existing tabs.

One has to close those tabs by using a keyboard shortcut or menu item. That’s not a great solution. Further, it makes it harder to move between these tabs quickly because the menu has to be open to know what’s there. Desmond’s solution is allow one to scroll though the tabs using buttons on either side. That’s an elegant solution and far more intuitive than the current implementation. It’s only a matter of time before it’s in Camino, but I want it in Safari (and no, I’m not a fan of the rumored thumbnail tabs a la OmniWeb).

Mark/Space acquires MySync

Posted on Jun. 30, ’06, 6:48 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Software

I’ve been a little unsatisfied with the level of service that .Mac has been supplying lately. The real blocker has been the syncing component. I love it. I basically bought Yojimbo because of its support for it. MySync aimed to fake the service, allowing you to sync your Macs without subscribing.

I’ve never really played with it because I am an active .Mac member, but it’s always been in the back of my mind as part of a backup plan, should I decide to drop .Mac. Today, it was announced that Mark/Space acquired MySync. Mark/Space, known for their Missing Sync line of products, already has a good amount of experience when it comes to Sync Services. I expect we’ll see a very mature product with full support relatively soon. Hopefully that threat will be enough to force Apple to pick up the slack.

Intel releases 2.33 GHz Core Duo; start the countdown

Posted on Jun. 30, ’06, 6:00 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Hardware

One of the unfortunate things for Apple (depending upon how you look at it) as part of the Intel transition is that the current status of their products is highly visible. Apple can’t hide the fact that faster chips are available until the next chosen revision date. Anybody who reads tech news can find out now.

Intel is now offering 2.33 GHz Core Duo processors. When can we expect Apple’s response? I see two options. Apple waits for normal product refresh to integrate the new processors or they stealthily integrate them. The problem with the latter is that it removes a somewhat large part of the anticipation that Apple fans experience when waiting for the next model. The net result could be longer refresh cycles.

I’m on the fence about which is the better policy.

Son of Leopard fakery

Posted on Jun. 29, ’06, 2:46 PM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Geekery

Haven’t had your fill of fake Leopard yet? Perhaps movies are more your cup of tea. A video that looks to be building on the faux Leopard screenshots posted earlier in the week appeared recently on YouTube. It purportedly demonstrates a tabbed Finder, much like the screenshots.

My comments about the screenshots apply equally to this video. While I think a tabbed Finder would be pretty cool, and I could see Apple putting this into place, I don’t believe this anything other than an elaborate hoax. Still, I’m impressed with the work that they’ve put into it. As with the screenshots, if this was anywhere near legit, Apple would have cease & desisted YouTube into the ground. Also, as one of the commenters points out, Apple does not habitually label their OS as “Pre-releases.”

If only these fauxteurs would use their talents for good instead of stupid.

[via Infinite Loop]

iTunes 6.0.5 and iPod Updater 2006-06-28 out with support for Nike + iPod support

Posted on Jun. 29, ’06, 2:10 PM PT by Aaron Freedman

Category | Software » Updates

With the Nike + iPod Sport Kit and Nike+ shoes soon on the way, Apple has updated iTunes and iPods to support some of the Nike+ features. iTunes 6.0.5 (also available from Software Update) allows Nike + iPod data to be synchronized between the iPod and iTunes. Also, according to The Unofficial Apple Weblog, iTunes 6.0.5 will be able to access the Nike iTMS content starting when it’s posted on July 18. In addition to the Nike+ features, iTunes 6.0.5 also fixes an issue involving integer overflow vulnerability in AAC encoded files.

In addition to the release of iTunes 6.0.5, iPod Updater 2006-06-28 (also available from Software Update) has come out, which provides Nike + iPod support for the nano, a volume limit setting for the iPod shuffle, and several bug fixes.

[via TUAW (for the iPod Updater)]

Video Skype for Mac out in the wild and very dangerous

Posted on Jun. 29, ’06, 1:51 PM PT by Aaron Freedman

Category | Software » Updates

Yes, at last, Video Skype for Mac has been released! Well, not quite. Apparently, someone has leaked a very early development version of Skype for Mac 2.0, featuring video, out into the open. Unfortunately, this leaked program is very unstable, and will delete your Skype contacts and other important information. On the bright side, Skype for Mac 2.0 is very close to completion and will be out soon (the image on the right is a screenshot of the developer build).

Trick out Firefox to support your favorite World Cup team

Posted on Jun. 29, ’06, 12:00 PM PT by Cyrus Farivar

Category | Video

So you’re too cheap to fork over the $5 to watch the World Cup on your Mac? This new Firefox plugin, Joga, might be the next best thing — it updates the scores in a little pop-up window right in your browswer. Plus you can trick out your browser with your favorite team colors.

One Man’s Journey : Leaving OS X for Ubuntu

Posted on Jun. 29, ’06, 11:00 AM PT by Cyrus Farivar

Category | Apple » Rivals

Most of us mere mortals will probably never abandon OS X for any full-fledged *nix distribution. But Mark Pilgrim is not a mere mortal — he is among the class of élite uber-geeks. (You might remember him from a few months ago — he spoke on Macworld Podcast #31 on Greasemonkey.) This is from the same guy, who, weeks before, had a blog entry in which the concluding question, with 100 percent seriousness, was : “So, to my illustrious audience, I throw out this question: how do you back up 100 GB of data per year for 50 years?”

But this comment is the best reason why most people who might want to dabble in *nix, will probably come back to OS X:

Magritte on a Powerbook

Posted on Jun. 29, ’06, 10:00 AM PT by Cyrus Farivar

Category | Geekery

This is probably the sweetest laser etching that I’ve ever seen.

PREVIOUSLY: How to get your Powerbook laser-etched ; April 14, 2006

[via MAKE, Hat tip: Aaron Azlant]

Maine schools re-up Mac laptop program

Posted on Jun. 29, ’06, 8:47 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Business

The state of Maine has wisely decided to stick with Apple as the supplier for their statewide laptop plan, beating out a plan to replace the computers with Lenovo Thinkpads, supplied by middleman CDW-G. The plan calls for notebook computers for 32,000 students and 4,000 teachers for a price of around $41 million dollars, or roughly $289/laptop. The original deal, struck in 2002, worked out to about $300/laptop. Also included are upgraded wireless networks.

What I found interesting is that the article claims that the computers will be “iBook notebooks.” Seeing as how you can no longer buy iBooks in the Apple Store, will these be refurbed models? Or possibly ones that Apple had earmarked prior to the phasing out of the line? Or is there a chance that the article is just wrong and they’ll be using MacBooks instead?

One of my cousin’s daughters got an iBook from her school district in upstate New York as part of a similar deal and she loved it. The number of ways in which it let her harness her creativity were really impressive, and I think she may have gone Mac for life.

When you wish upon a star…

Posted on Jun. 29, ’06, 8:05 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Software » Updates

Now that the purported Leopard screenshots have been debunked, it’s time to start speculating about what Steve & Co. might have in store for the grand unveiling of Leopard, several weeks hence. Our big brothers over at Macworld are pros at this sort of thing, having covered between them roughly 6,234,539 Apple product launches since 1869. So when Jason Snell, Chris Breen, Philip Michaels, Jim Dalrymple, and Rob “Whatcha talkin’ bout Willis?” Griffiths combine their powers, we get two things: 1) a list of 23 improvements that should be in Leopard and 2) Captain Planet.

The shopping list of features includes such goodies as a redesigned Finder, improved media center experience, tabbed iChat, better Boot Camp support and way way more than I could possibly fit in this tiny paragraph.

For my part, there are a number of features I’d love to see in Leopard, not all of them flashy either. With 10.5 hopefully seeing the light of day before Vista’s out of the gate, now is Apple’s chance to truly leapfrog far ahead of Microsoft. Regardless, whatever everybody’s thinking, you can bet that Apple will drop a couple of surprises that nobody saw coming.

What do you want on your Tombstone to see in Leopard?

Debug your Javascript

Posted on Jun. 29, ’06, 7:23 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Internet

Web developers, Apple has a new toy tool for you. Drosera, named after the largest bug eating plant (clever), allows you to debug Javascript in any WebKit app, as long as its using a very recent build of WebKit (a nightly). Additionally, you’ll need to set a plist parameter for Safari. It also shares a little in common with its brother, Web Inspector.

One of the unique things about Drosera, like the Web Inspector, is that over 90% of it is written in HTML and JavaScript. This is a true testament of what you can do with web technologies today and the rapid development that WebKit allows.

It looks like Drosera could be a very useful tool that may even allow web developers that are having problems deploying their applications to Safari find out a deficiency in either their code, or in Safari’s Javascript implementation (which could be reported). I think this will end up benefiting end users.

Yahoo Messenger 3.0 beta

Posted on Jun. 29, ’06, 6:37 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Software

Yahoo has always been a little weak with their Mac support. While they’ve had a Yahoo Messenger client, its appearance and functionality was lacking. I never warmed up to the service either and there’s only one person that I’ve really ever talked to on it. Even then, I simply used Adium.

Yahoo is really stepping it up a notch with their 3.0 beta. It’s got a great new look, lets you use your Yahoo Avatar, lets you organize buddies by groups, and even has the dreaded “Buzz” feature. Webcam support is still there and Windows Live Messenger interoperability is planned. The bad news is no sign of voice chat support.

On the other hand, the “new look” is actually really good. It uses the Unified look and has a buddy list very reminiscent of iChat, but in my humble opinion, actually looks better. Yahoo seems to have a better grasp on the Mac look and feel, going so far as to make the webcam icon look like an iSight. If you’re a Yahoo Messenger user, it’s worth a download. If you’re not, well, it’s still not good enough to change service.

Speaking of 10.4.7…

Posted on Jun. 29, ’06, 6:04 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Software

Dan asked you if he should install the recent Mac OS X 10.4.7 update on his MacBook. If he uses Firefox, that answer is a yes. I’m still stuck firmly in PowerPC town, so I can’t confirm this on my own, but an unpublicized fix included is one for antialiasing in some applications including the popular browser. You gotta love the fact that these kinds of fixes aren’t in the update description even though it’s likely to improve the experience for many users.

I’ve included the screenshot taken by Dan Benjamin of Hivelogic. As he puts it:

It’s easy to see that fonts rendered in Firefox (and some other apps) on Intel Macs just look wrong. They’re too light and the anti-aliasing isn’t working correctly.

At any rate, anyone noticing this should update straight away.

[via Daring Fireball Linked List]

Quicktime 7.1.2 out

Posted on Jun. 28, ’06, 3:47 PM PT by Aaron Freedman

Category | Software » Updates

Wooho! Quicktime 7.1.2 is out, which means…a fix to an issue with previewing iDVD projects. Download it from Apple’s site or from Software Update.

Adobe updates Flash Player to 9

Posted on Jun. 28, ’06, 3:00 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | Software » Updates

This morning Adobe released Flash Player 9, which is supposedly up to ten times faster than before. Interestingly, however, is that the application is still PowerPC based for the Mac. Adobe seems way too intent on making Mac users wait as long as possible to get their Intel Universal versions of Adobe products. However, I did find this quote on the Adobe support site:

Adobe plans to support the new Intel-based Macs with Flash Player 9, after the initial release of the Windows and PowerPC-based Mac versions. The preview release of Flash Player 8 for Intel-based Macs will then be replaced with a final release version of Flash Player 9 for the platform.

And the Slacker of the Year Award goes to……Adobe!

A Mac’s best friend: the Treo 700p

Posted on Jun. 28, ’06, 2:00 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | Hardware

I know there are many people out there like me—people who are looking for the ultimate cell phone. My search has been going on for about a year. I’m just watching, waiting, and wishing for Verizon to offer me something good. And I think that something may have arrived.

If you check out this Macworld review of the new Palm OS Treo 700p, you’ll see that it earns a four mouse rating. Four mice, EvDO data access, Palm OS, qwerty keyboard, large color screen, Bluetooth, camera. This thing really has it all. The most compelling reason for me to buy this phone really boils down to two simple things: EvDO and a Palm-based OS. Let’s break it down.

EvDO allows you to achieve broadband-like data speeds on your cell phone. This is obviously advantageous in any situation, as phone-based download speeds will be fast, but it plays the biggest role when working with Bluetooth. The Treo 700p can connect to your laptop via Bluetooth and serve as an EvDO modem. With this feature, I can have high-speed internet on my laptop (without the purchase of an EvDO Express/Card), anywhere I have (EvDO) cellphone service.

Second: a Palm-based OS is so essential to working with a Mac. The cousin of this phone, the Treo 700w, runs off a Microsoft Windows OS. Need I say more..? Basically, the Treo 700p will sync with my Mac via Bluetooth using iSync, transferring all my contacts, calendars, to-dos, and more. If you so wish, you can even grab The Missing Sync and having expanded functionality with your Mac and Palm device. With The Missing Sync you haven even more control over what syncs to your Palm, including photos and music.

The only down sides to this phone (as far as I can see) are price and size. I stopped by Verizon today to get a hands-on look at the Treo 700p, only to find it wasn’t in the store yet. Anyone have any experience with this great looking phone? I’m very eager to buy one, as soon as Verizon stocks up.

10.4.7 Update Roundup: Changing OS X’s SOCKS? Adobe goes “unsane”? Losing your memory?

Posted on Jun. 28, ’06, 12:27 PM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Software » Updates

Yesterday’s release of the 10.4.7 update seems to have caused some ripples around the web. Hawk Wings is reporting that the updater may change OS X’s SOCKS configuration, thus wreaking havoc with Mail.app’s ability to connect to mail servers. Check out that link for a fix.

Meanwhile, MacFixIt is indicating that some Intel Mac owners who have Unsanity’s Application Enhancer (APE) installed are having trouble launching Adobe Creative Suite 2 apps. The fix for that at the moment seems to be uninstalling APE.

Accelerate Your Macintosh! has seen a couple of readers reporting that installed memory has been “lost” (isn’t registering) after the update is installed. Switching the DIMMs to different slots may help.

One of our own commenters reported massive data loss and network instability.

And, as always, the venerable Macintouch has a slew of reader reports on the 10.4.7 updated process, both successes and problems.

All in all, seems about par for the course for an OS X update. How are you guys doing with 10.4.7? Any issues? Should I go ahead and install on my MacBook?

Apple ranks second on “The Wired 40”

Posted on Jun. 28, ’06, 12:13 PM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Business

Wired Magazine has released its annual list of “The Wired 40,” companies that are paving the way for the future. What does it take to make it on The Wired 40?

We start by looking for the basics: strategic vision, global reach, killer technology. But that’s not enough. To land a spot on our annual Wired 40 list, a business also needs the X-factor – a hunger for new ideas and an impatience to put them into practice. Such companies inevitably become trendsetters, literally: As we debated and redebated the list this year, six major themes flickered into view. From the rise of peer production to the end of carbon pollution, they tell us where the world is heading.

Apple had garnered the number one spot on 2005’s list, but the company has slipped to number 2 this year, losing the top slot to the monolith that is Google. Still, could be worse. Microsoft ranks in at #36:

The desktop OS gold mine won’t last forever. What’s next? Redmond’s latest to-do list includes software-as-service, security, even VoIP. Or it could simply buy a piece of Yahoo. (Take that, Google!)

Notable omissions from this year’s list include Dell (hard to believe they’ve ever paved anything, aside from the road to hell), and Steve Jobs’s former other company, Pixar (now part of the big happy Disney family).

iTunes 4.9 Anniversary

Posted on Jun. 28, ’06, 11:30 AM PT by Cyrus Farivar

Category | Music » Podcasting

No one except Wired News seemed to remember that today is the one-year anniversary of iTunes 4.9, Apple’s first official foray into podcasts. I wrote Playlist’s first look when iTunes 4.9 was released, and having been a consumer of podcasts before 4.9, I can say that iTunes just makes it significantly easier. Why would I use a different podcast client and then play them in iTunes?

There are two things that I don’t get about this article:

The launch “was great because it made it easy to get a podcast, but not so good because all the others wasted away,” said [This Week in Tech host Leo Laporte], who notes that 80 percent of his then-200,000 listeners started using iTunes after the launch. “It puts everything in Apple’s hands. That’s a historically bad thing for any technology…. Podcasting was not created by iTunes. It is not reliant on iTunes.”

I don’t understand how this puts anything in Apple’s hands. Apple made it easier to receive podcasts. Why is that a bad thing?

And furthermore, why do all podcasters need to be on the top downloads in iTunes? What happened to podcasting for fun?

New iPods delayed?

Posted on Jun. 28, ’06, 10:33 AM PT by Cyrus Farivar

Category | iPod

CNNMoney reports that the next generation of iPods won’t come out until early 2007. Yikes. I was wondering why we haven’t seen any Apple events as of late.

On Wall Street, Apple stock has dipped a bit, reaching its lowest levels since October 2005 — today it’s trading around $55/share.

[Hat tip: Jonathan Seff]

Get your EV-DO here…piping hot EV-DO

Posted on Jun. 28, ’06, 9:28 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Hardware

For those of you MacBook Pro users who crave high-speed Internet access where there’s no Wi-Fi, well, you now have options. Last week I mentioned Novatel’s HSDPA ExpressCard, coming this fall, likely to Cingular. If you happen to prefer kicking it Verizon or Spring-style, all is not lost. Dell is releasing (reputedly by the end of the week) a re-branded Novatel card for those providers’ EV-DO networks, featuring speeds of up to an astounding theoretical 2.4Mbps. If only computers ran on theory. And sunshine. Actual speeds will probably be around 500Kbps or 1Mbps—still plenty fast for speed freaks.

There was some concern that there wouldn’t be any Mac drivers available to run this card, but there are reports that the 10.4.7 update does actually support it. As always, you’ll still need to work out a deal with your cell provider, who will probably only be wanting your first, second, and third born children.

[via Engadget]

Apple revs 17” MacBook Pro firmware

Posted on Jun. 28, ’06, 9:03 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Software » Updates

Sometimes good things come in small (installer) packages. Apple’s released a firmware update for the 17” MacBook Pro that supposedly “adjusts fan behavior.” For those of you curious as to how I can spin this seemingly innocuous morsel into my usual long-winded narrative, the short answer is: no idea.

Perhaps we’ll see a similar update to deal with the MacBook’s mooing. I’d be interested to hear from 17” MBP owners to see if they’ve noticed any differences since installing the update.

[via MacCentral]

Look! Up in the sky! It’s an… iPod case!

Posted on Jun. 28, ’06, 8:33 AM PT by Jason Snell

Category | iPod

Time was, the biggest movie tie-ins you’d see would be 32-ounce plastic cups at fast-food restaurants. But time marches on, and it probably won’t surprise anyone to discover that the movie tie-in business has reached the world of the iPod.

Yes, XtremeMac is here with their new line of “Superman Returns” iPod cases. For a mere $30 you, too, can have a Pod of Steel.

This isn’t XtremeMac’s first foray into licensed iPod cases. Oh, no. They’ve also got cases featuring Star Wars, Looney Tunes, The Simpsons, Batman, Major League Baseball, and the NBA.

I’d like to scoff at this, but the fact is, if it were a Spider-Man case instead of a Superman model, I’m ashamed to say that I’d actually be pretty excited.

Competition heats up in online music

Posted on Jun. 27, ’06, 3:40 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | Music

Yet another addition has surfaced to the vast array of online music stores today. Tower Records launched their online Digital Music Store which sports downloads priced identically to the iTMS ($.99/track or $9.99/album). A few differences, however, are Tower’s utilization of 192kbps encoded files and the Microsoft DRM standard. Yes, that means that these files are not Mac or iPod compatible.

[via iPod Observer]

OS X 10.4.7 now available

Posted on Jun. 27, ’06, 3:12 PM PT by Cyrus Farivar

Category | Apple

Says MacCentral:

According to notes provided with both packages, the updates address the same issues. Among the changes, Mac OS X 10.4.7 addresses an issue that prevents AFP deadlocks and dropped connections; saving Adobe and Quark documents to AFP mounted volumes is more reliable; and Bluetooth file transfers, pairing and connecting to a Bluetooth mouse and syncing to mobile phones has been improved.

Aussie journalist makes the switch

Posted on Jun. 27, ’06, 2:19 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | Apple

There sure have been enough rumblings in the recent weeks over Apple’s ads, Vista’s remarkable resemblance to OS X, and the future of Leopard. And here comes one more. This time, it’s from down under, and Graeme Philipson sure has an earful to say about Microsoft, and the Mac.

His article starts off with a list of grievances: things like rebooting, reformatting, viruses, Vista delays, greed, and hubris. Slowly but surely, Graeme sees the light of OS X cutting through the haze of countless Windows problems. He seems to be a rebel switcher, a PC user who is so fed up by Windows that Apple looks more and more appealing by the minute. And it’s just like he says:

Applications are becoming embedded on more and more devices. There are more mobile phones than computers on the planet. Information, and information technology, is moving beyond the era of discrete desktop computers towards a supernet of interlinked devices and mini-applications.

Microsoft doesn’t play there, try as it might. Google does. So does Apple.

And so Microsoft loses yet another fraction of their 95% market share. Here’s to hoping Graeme’s Mac experience is just as good as Microsoft’s isn’t.

[via TidBITS Talk via Jason]

A guide to common OS X shortcuts

Posted on Jun. 27, ’06, 11:52 AM PT by Aaron Freedman

Category | Apple

What’s the largest problem the Windows converts to OS X face? Learning a whole load of new keyboard shortcuts, many of which using keys that don’t even appear on most Windows keyboards (namely the ⌘, or Command key). Well, Apple has a whole page devoted to the variety of OS X keyboard shortcuts, ranging from how to boot from a CD/DVD to making the screen black and white. The guide also has many shortcuts that I didn’t even know of, such as how to turn on Voiceover (which I think I once did by accident).

Microsoft gets serious about digital hub?

Posted on Jun. 27, ’06, 10:34 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Apple » Rivals

As the old saying goes, “if you can’t beat ‘em, buy up enough companies until you can.” No doubt feeling a little bit lacking in the digital hub department, Microsoft has snapped up iView Multimedia, makers of MediaPro digital asset management software.

The acquisition is widely seen as Microsoft trying to bolster their case not only against Apple, but also against other rivals, such as Google’s Picasa photo management software. iView Media could be targeted as an iPhoto/Picasa-killer while their high end MediaPro software likely seems positioned to be a competitor to Apple’s Aperture.

iView sells OS X versions of its products, and in a statement on its website, it claims that they will continue to ship the Mac versions of their software.

The Macintosh versions of iView software are great products with a large and loyal user base that is important to Microsoft. As Mac users know, workgroups and teams often include a mixture of users working on both Windows and Mac workstations with a need for a high degree of collaboration.

Microsoft will fully support the existing Mac products, will continue to sell Mac versions of the current iView product line and will offer upgrade pricing to all Mac users of future products that may be available based on the iView products.

Apple’s MagSafe connector pioneered for dangerous cookery?

Posted on Jun. 27, ’06, 9:21 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Hardware

We’re not ones to be shy about our love for Apple’s novel magnetic power adapter. Even when it’s catching on fire, it still remains close to our hearts. It appears though, that Apple wasn’t the first company to come up with the utilizing the power of magnets.

A magnetic power connector standard was developed by an independent product safety testing institution, Underwriters Laboratories, which was recommended for all deep friers, fondue pots, and multi-purpose electric pots. The goal was to prevent injuries from spilled hot grease, often caused by children pulling on the cords.

A laudable goal, to be certain. Not being big on the electric fondue (boy, would that be a great name for a band), I’m not certain whether or not this standard has caught on. But I think we can all agree that the power of magnets is certainly scienterific.

[via digg]

Boot Camp MIA in ad?

Posted on Jun. 27, ’06, 8:10 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Apple » Advertising

And the plot thickens. Aaron noted that on their web page, Apple eschews their own Boot Camp solution when it comes to recommending how to run Windows on Intel Macs, instead advertising Parallels Desktop.

Now, an astute Mac Observer reader has noticed that Apple has also added a plug for Parallels to one of their new “Get a Mac” ads. The “Touché” spot, which features the Mac explaining that he can run both Windows and OS X, now has fine print stipulating: “Purchase of Windows and Parallels software required.”

So, whither Boot Camp? Conspiracy theorists are speculating that this means that Leopard will feature Parallels-like virtualization software instead of the current Boot Camp model. That may be, but I believe it’s irrelevant to the ad. My explanation is somewhat more mundane: As we noted when Apple launched the “Touché” ad, Boot Camp is still officially unsupported Beta software, whereas Parallels has reached official release status. Given the demographic that they’re targeting (i.e., people who are knew to the Mac), it makes sense for them to plug not only the currently most supported method of running Windows, but also the one that’s probably more attractive to most switchers: the ability to run Windows and Mac apps side-by-side.

Of course, on August 7th, this could all change completely.

And now, a very unfunny rebuttal

Posted on Jun. 27, ’06, 7:34 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Apple » Advertising

PC World’s Harry McCracken has written a point-by-point (or is that ad-by-ad?) response to the recent Mac ads. He’s pretty fair and balanced in his analysis, though sometimes he gets a little touchy (generally prefacing with the admission that the bottom-line message is generally true).

I have to wonder though. Is the irony that wafts around the article like thick cigar smoke apparent to him? Apple makes a series of humorous ads about how fun Macs are and how dull PCs are. There are jokes. The tone is light. The PC World Editor in Chief compose a piece, devoid of humor, with line by line analysis, painstakingly trying to get to the truth.

It puts a smile on my face.

Another repair extension program

Posted on Jun. 27, ’06, 7:04 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Hardware

The Mac to be fixed du jour is the eMac. Apple has started the eMac Repair Extension Program for Video and Power Issues. Catchy name. They will fix eMacs with serial number ranges:

• G8412xxxxxx - G8520xxxxxx
• YM412xxxxxx - YM520xxxxxx
• VM440xxxxxx - VM516xxxxxx

That exhibit the following issues:

• Scrambled or distorted video
• No video
• No power

And to think, I paid good money to see scrambled video on my Power Mac. What’s that? That’s the iTunes visualizer? Oh. Well, this should help a few Mac fans. If you aren’t having a problem, there’s no need to visit an Apple Authorized repair location.

[via MacCentral]

Gamblers sale on Delicious Library

Posted on Jun. 27, ’06, 6:15 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Software

The Delicious Monster guys are selling their premiere media cataloging software, Delicious Library, at a discount for a limited time. Here’s the deal:

Every week we are going to reduce the price of Delicious Library by $5. We will keep reducing the price until we sell a secret number of copies that we have set aside, or until four weeks go by. If you wait for the price to go down, you are taking a risk that the sale will end because we sell out! It’s called a “gambler’s sale” because the longer you wait, the more you might save — or you might miss the sale entirely.

Very interesting marketing. I already own a copy, which I love. My only gripe was the price ($40), but with amenities like built-in UPC scanning with your iSight, I couldn’t help myself. I haven’t really regretted the decision either. So what’s your strategy? Are you going to buy it now or stick it out?

[via Daring Fireball Linked List]

Ihnatko: Underused and unappreciated

Posted on Jun. 26, ’06, 4:55 PM PT by Andy Ihnatko

Category | Ihnatko

“Wait… I’ve been using Mac OS X for years; how come nobody’s ever told me about that feature before?”

I hear this lament way too frequently. Someone comes to me with a problem that’s been vexing them forever; I explain how they can solve it in five minutes without buying any extra software. Or I’m setting up for a talk and the overhead projector is already running. The audience notices that I seem to be accomplishing some tasks much, much more quickly than they normally do, and also that I’m not cursing at my Mac so aerobically that it sets off the room’s carbon monoxide alarm.

It’s true that many of Mac OS X’s ginchiest features are neglected middle children, overlooked and underappreciated. Herewith I present The Best Mac OS X Features That Most People Don’t Seem To Use.

A command line index

Posted on Jun. 26, ’06, 4:54 PM PT by Aaron Freedman

Category | Geekery

When I first started playing round with OS X’s Terminal, I felt a little lost in all of the Unix commands. I mean, there’s so many, and they can be very hard to remember. So, I was very happy when I “stumbled upon” the Linux BASH command A-Z index (using the awesome Firefox extension, StumbleUpon). Now, while the site does say it’s the Linux BASH command A-Z index, all of the commands can be used in OS X’s Terminal, provided that you’re using bash as the shell (it’s set as the default). So, next time you think that the rm command is for renaming a file (for people who don’t know, rm deletes files without sending them to the Trash first), check out the BASH index.

How to watch the World Cup on your Mac

Posted on Jun. 26, ’06, 3:20 PM PT by Cyrus Farivar

Category | Video

I posed this question back in the early days of the World Cup — and after exhaustive research (thanks, Aaron!), found that there is a solution of questionable legality: BBCProxy.com.

BBCProxy.com, which is registered to someone in Moscow, seems pretty dubious at best. While the site is designed to look like the BBC site, there remains a disclaimer on the side of the page: “BBCproxy.com is in no way affilated with bbc.co.uk.”

The site gives you access to a proxy server which will successfully allow you to fool the BBC website into thinking that you’re in the U.K. so you can use their video streams that are normally only limited to those living in the U.K. — for the low price of $5 per match, or $30 for the remaining 10 matches. (And yes, the site accepts Paypal.)

Once paid, the site will email out a proxy address and port, and a username and password. Then, the site says that you just have to change the proxy server for your RealPlayer, and while the instructions are for Windows, they’re basically the same for Mac.

After that, the site lists at the bottom of the page what the BBC’s feed address is. Open that up in RealPlayer and you should see something like this :

Airport, eMac, and iSight leave EU Apple Stores

Posted on Jun. 26, ’06, 2:17 PM PT by Aaron Freedman

Category | Hardware

As Scott previously mentioned, the online Apple Store has been going down a lot lately. Well, one reason is because eMacs, iSights, and Airport Base Stations have been removed from EU Apple Stores. This removal is due to the fact that the products taken down from the Stores did not comply with the EU’s new environmental laws. In addition to these products leaving the online Apple Store, eMacs, iSights, and Airport Base Stations will no longer be sold in Europe starting June 30. Of course, the removal of these products can also be justified by the fact that they’re outdated and not needed anymore — new eMacs are most likely in development, iSights have been incorporated into all Macs which have screens (my guess is that the next line of Cinema Displays will have built-in iSights), and the Airport Extreme Base Station has already made normal Airport virtually obsolete.

Apple store & discussions down frequently

Posted on Jun. 26, ’06, 1:49 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | Internet

Perhaps I simply spend too much time browsing the ever-famous Apple.com, but I’ve noticed something that has come much to my annoyance: unreliability from Apple. In the past three or so days, I’ve cruised over to apple.com/store to check my Order Status, only to find that the store “Will be back shortly.” A few hours later, I point my URL to discussions.apple.com only to find that discussions are “temporarily unavailable,” just as they are now. This has happened far too often recently. What gives Apple? Anyone else noticed this, or do I spend too much time at Apple.com?

Woodcrest arrives, eyes shift to Apple?

Posted on Jun. 26, ’06, 1:23 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | Hardware » Intel Macs

Intel released their long awaited and highly anticipated “Woodcrest” server processors today. The processor now goes by the far more attractive name “Dual-Core Intel Xeon 5100,” in case you were wondering. Major features and improvements of the chip include:

• 135% performance increase with a 40% reduction in power consumption over the old Intel server chip
• will ship in speeds up to 3.0GHz with a 1.33 GHz FSB
• 4MB of shared L2 cache
• Advanced Smart Cache lets one core or processor use all the cache memory

Now we must wait. Apple may employ this new chip in an Intel server platform, or in their Mac Pro. Who knows? The same core microarchitecture technology used in the Xeon 5100 will also be employed in the future Intel Core 2 Duo chips rumored to appear in updated notebooks later on.

iWeb “sucks in the way of the worst program you have ever loved”

Posted on Jun. 26, ’06, 11:46 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Software

Normally, a review of a six month old product wouldn’t be big news…and it’s not, really. But Ars Technica’s Charles Jade is no ordinary reviewer. Jade puts iWeb 1.1.infinity (as he calls it) through its paces, pointing out the good, the bad, and especially the tremendously ugly.

In the Internet Epoch, anyone can tell their story, but it’s not as simple as breaking out the charcoal sticks and berry paint. For the technically declined, grappling with an endless stream of uppercase letters—HTML, MP3, PHP, SQL, FTP—makes for an apathy-inducing experience at best. And while there are WYSIWYG web publishing tools, the number of end-to-end solutions that can create a media-rich experience of a “day in the life” and that use a lowercase “i” in the title are few indeed[…]

The answer is in the using, the first person-pronoun symbolized by the “i” in the title, and as an actual iWeb user I can definitively say iWeb is better than a cave wall. How much better depends largely on your point of iView.

As a former web developer, I have to say that I appreciate a good WYSIWYG editor, but it’ll never supplant hand-coding for me. Beginners may find iWeb a good way to get started in web design, though I imagine that many will quickly outgrow its capabilities.

AppleDefects dogs “lap” suggestion; Apple backpedals

Posted on Jun. 26, ’06, 10:38 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Hardware

When I was a kid, I was mystified by the idea that your lap disappears when you stand up. I mean, where did it go? Now that I’m an adult, I’ve moved on to other little questions of the universe, like driving on parkways and parking on driveways. I’ve grown, you see.

Apple’s at an age where they’ve stopped thinking about laps too. The company had excised most references to “laptop” computers, replacing it with the term “notebook.” Why? Well, the current crop of Apple portables run hot enough that putting them on your lap for a significant amount of time was not advisable. In fact, Apple’s own documentation for the MacBook is very particular that you should not leave the bottom of the computer in contact with your lap, or any place else on your body, for prolonged periods of time.

Unfortunately, it appears that Apple missed a spot on their student page that suggested you can use your computer on your lap. Since that was caught by website AppleDefects.com, Apple has apparently backpedaled and corrected their text, which now reads “Anywhere you want” instead of “On your lap.”

This, of course, raises the question: what if I want to put it on my lap?

[via Digg]

Hon Hai admits wrongdoing in “iPod city”

Posted on Jun. 26, ’06, 10:03 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Apple » News

After loudly declaring the falsity of allegations that laborers at iPod assembly plants are treated unfairly, Hon Hai (aka Foxconn) has now come forward to admit that, well, that’s kind of the case.

It turns out that workers at the plant are forced to work an extra 80 hours every month, in clear violation of China’s labor laws, which set an upper limit of 36 extra hours per month. Some of the “confusion” may have resulted from the fact that Foxconn claims to pay the workers at least the minimum mandated by the local government.

Gee, glad we cleared that up. Why the heck is it like pulling teeth to get the truth out of companies? Just once I’d like to see a company correct a problem before the media gets a hold of it. Perhaps that’s a pipe dream.

[via Engadget]

WWDC Keynote to be hosted by Stevie “Wonder” Jobs

Posted on Jun. 26, ’06, 8:11 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Apple » Events

Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines. We kind of knew this was coming, but it’s always good to get the ol’ official confirmation. And after this past week’s Leopard screenshot fakery, I’d have to guess people are waiting for the real thing with mouths adrool. So, wait no more:

Apple on Monday announced that CEO Steve Jobs and other executives will provide a preview of the company’s forthcoming Mac OS X “Leopard” release at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). The executive team will give the demo at a keynote presentation scheduled for 10:00 AM Pacific Time on Monday, August 7, 2006. WWDC takes place from August 7 - 11, 2006 in San Francisco, Calif.

Jobs will be joined by Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing; Bertrand Serlet, senior vice president of Software Engineering; and Scott Forstall, vice president of Platform Experience.

So, only six weeks to go. Plenty of time to fill up with predictions, arguments, and name-calling. Get to it!

Blinking lights of death (BLOD)

Posted on Jun. 26, ’06, 7:54 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | iPod

Apparently, hacking away at your iPod shuffle with a screwdriver is not the only way to kill it. Sometimes they die on their own. Your iPod shuffle may start signaling in an altered morse code. Instead of •••—-••• for SOS, it’ll blink with alternating green and amber lights.

“It just happened out of nowhere,” says Hunniford, a physics student at Simon Fraser University. Instead of his favorite songs, he got the alternating green and amber LEDs flashing on the front of his Shuffle when he pressed any button. The unit had worked the moment before, he says.

You won’t like iPod shuffle when you make him angry. The top solution is to reapply the firmware update. Most times this happens outside of warranty. With the extended iPod warranty running $59, it makes no sense to invest in it. Seems to me the best solution is to just get a new one.

rooSwitch gives you pseudo multiusers

Posted on Jun. 26, ’06, 7:00 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Software

A common question I encounter a lot is if it’s possible to have separate users in Mail, in the same user account. Some might remember this functionality from Outlook Express, back in the bad old days of Mac OS 9. My family used it to great success, but these days, I think separate user accounts are a much better solution. Despite that, some still want to use the same account.

rooSwitch is an application that allows you to switch sets of application data. Trying a new version of one of your core programs? Make a new set of preferences. Want to back up? It can do that too.

It’s free for now, but will be available for “a reasonable price” when it reaches 1.0.

[via hicksdesign sidenotes]

MacBook stain support group

Posted on Jun. 26, ’06, 6:01 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Hardware

Much like its predecessor, g4noise.com, started to act as a meeting place for the loud MDD owners, stainedBook.info is the meeting place for those afflicted by the dreaded yellow MacBook syndrome.

Is your new MacBook stained after few weeks of purchase?
This site was born as a way to give pressure to Apple regarding recent QA issues with the new white MacBook. Many people all over the world are complaining about stains appearing in their newly acquired piece of Apple hardware.

None of the MacUser bloggers have reported personally on having this problem. At current count, there are 55 afflicted users. Is this a rare manufacturing defect? Is the problem behind the keyboard (ie, the user)? Inquiring minds need to know.

CNet Mac OS X/Parallels/Boot Camp benchmarks

Posted on Jun. 25, ’06, 4:09 PM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Hardware » Intel Macs

I’m usually skeptical of articles that start out baiting Mac users for flames:

The Mac cult, er, I mean, community seems to be of two minds about the fact the Apple has switched to Intel processors for its computers: One group seems to believe that this is tantamount to sacrilege and Apple has forever sullied its good name. The other group thinks that this is just the right move to motivate all those poor Windows suckers (the meager other 89 percent of all computer users) to finally move over to the Mac platform—also known to some as “the light side of the force.”

While my vastly oversimplified exaggerations might incur the wrath of die-hard Mac fanatics, the truth is that the rest of us can easily enjoy the best of both the Mac and Windows XP worlds on a single system—as long as that system is an Intel Mac.

However, it has actual benchmarks. Real numbers, so it’s worth a closer look. While I do that, I can’t help but lash back at the editorializing.

MagSafe not so safe?

Posted on Jun. 25, ’06, 12:21 PM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Hardware

You might recall our last mystery hit, The Case of the Flaming MagSafe Connector. For those who didn’t follow the thrilling adventures, all you really need to know is that the MagSafe connector on one guy’s MacBook Pro apparently caught on fire while he was out.

Until this point, it seemed like this was an isolated occurrence, but now a forum user has posted his own confrontation with a fiery connector, which involved him smelling something burning while working in bed with his MacBook Pro. Turned out the cord was melting right before his eyes.

Coincidentally, Rob “Not a stranger to fashion” Griffiths just wrote a post on his own blog about his concerns regarding the MacBook/MacBook Pro power adapters, specifically the amount of heat generated by them. He’s also detected a strange “static” noise that seems to be emanating from the brick, one that I’ve confirmed when I put my ear up close to my MacBook’s adapter. I find that while the brick does get hot, it doesn’t always get as hot as Rob is describing. Hopefully, it’ll never get hot enough to burst into flames.

[Forum link via Gizmodo]

School a Macworld editor

Posted on Jun. 24, ’06, 11:30 PM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Hardware

I’m a huge proponent of the two computer system. Give me a great desktop and a really small laptop. This is why I’m such a fan of the 12” Powerbook. However, Phil Michaels doesn’t get it.

I know the 12-inch PowerBook has its partisans—Jason Snell claims to be a really big fan, though I notice that didn’t stop him from replacing his with a MacBook—but for my taste, the small screen made it too tiny for me to take it seriously as a professional laptop. If someone could enlighten me as to its appeal—and why Apple should consider bringing back the 12-inch form factor in future Intel-based laptop offerings—I’d be interested in hearing the rationale.

I think it’s painfully obvious and I’m betting a few of you will think so as well. I’ve already dropped a post in the comments there. While the MacBook isn’t huge at 13.3”, it’s a bit larger than some of us like. How long before we see the resurrection of the Duo?

iPod shuffle deals

Posted on Jun. 24, ’06, 10:07 PM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Apple » Stores

Rush on over to the Apple Store website. In the refurbished section, there are several great deals right now. I recently got a 512 MB iPod shuffle for $50, but I wish I’d waited. Right now you can get:

• Refurbished 512MB iPod shuffle + Free Apple iPod shuffle Armband - $49
• Refurbished 512MB iPod shuffle + Free Apple iPod shuffle External Battery Pack - $49
• Refurbished 20GB iPod w/ Click Wheel + Free Apple iPod Dock - $169
• Refurbished 20GB iPod w/ Color Display + Free Apple iPod Dock - $199

The first two are awesome values. Remember that a shuffle can double as a thumbdrive and you have little reason to not cash in.

Gizmo Project goes 2.0

Posted on Jun. 24, ’06, 2:13 PM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Software » Updates

Generally, when I’m looking to do cross-platform VoIP on the Mac, I turn to Skype. But there was a brief period last year when that program was giving me no end of trouble, so I fell back to an alternative, Gizmo Project. Gizmo has some advantages over Skype, among them built-in call recording, but other features, such as its handling of conference calls, left something to be desired.

Today, Gizmo Project launched version 2.0, with the following enhancements:

Integration with the Asterisk office PBX

Improved buddy list presence display

Support for “Growl” notifications (Mac)

Call-routing improvements for greater reliability

Conference-calling improvements

New low rates on International calls

Improved audio quality for home networks

Leopard screenshots come out as fake

Posted on Jun. 24, ’06, 1:05 PM PT by Aaron Freedman

Category | Internet

Remember those supposed Leopard screenshots that came out yesterday? Well, now they have been confirmed as fake by their creator. Even though those screenshots were fake, they still looked pretty real to me, despite the fact that they had some flaws (the “About This Mac” window wasn’t entirely correct).

[via TUAW]

Tivoli says iYiYi!

Posted on Jun. 24, ’06, 12:39 PM PT by Dan Moren

Category | iPod

There are more speaker systems on the market than one could shake a hefty stick at. Covering all of them would be almost as hard as keeping track of iPod cases. Fortunately, it’s the kind of stuff our cronies over at Playlist live for. Senior Reviews Editor Dan Frakes passed along the straight dope on Tivoli Audio’s new iYiYi iPod speaker system.

Like its portable cousin, the iSongBook (which Playlist awarded a 4.5 out of 5) incorporates an AM/FM radio (with 5 preset slots per band) along with a universal iPod dock (with 7 included adapters). In addition, the iYiYi features two inputs for connecting auxiliary audio equipment, like a CD player, TV, or computer. The iYiYi also has a remote control, and a digital clock with an alarm and sleep timer.

If the iYiYi’s sound quality is as good as the iSongBook, listeners are in for a treat. It’ll run $300 when it’s released this fall, and you can pick one up in either black or white to match your iPod. Or heck, just grab one of each! I’m sure you can expect a full review over at Playlist when they get their hands on one which, knowing their wily ways, will probably be in the not too distant future.

[Thanks, Dan]

The Zoom button: abused and neglected

Posted on Jun. 24, ’06, 11:25 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Geekery

The Zoom button, or very commonly incorrectly called the Maximize button, has become a point of confusion for switchers and new users alike. Most switchers expect the Maximize button behavior of taking up the whole screen, hence the nomenclature problem. I regularly take it upon myself to clarify, but lately, it’s become a losing battle.

The moment I explain the proper operation (resizing just enough to expose all the content of the window), exceptions get pointed out. That list of exceptions isn’t restricted to third party applications. Apple is increasingly changing the behavior.

iSkin adds Claro to their lineup

Posted on Jun. 23, ’06, 1:12 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | iPod » iPod Software

If we were to post every time a new case was released for the iPod, someone might go insane; the site would just be renamed iPodCaseUser.com. But I believe there are certain cases and companies which deserve a post when something new and exciting happens, and iSkin is one such company.

The iSkin case is the top-of-the-line silicon skin for iPods (at least in my personal opinion), and just recently iSkin added something a little different to their products page: the Claro.

This skin is actually a two-part case, sporting a silicon undercoat with a “crystal clear” polycarbonate overcoat. Supposively, this kind of a setup allows for shock absorption, protecting your precious iPod video. The case also has an integrated belt-clip/kick-stand (which actually might come in handy for watching videos).

Looks like a really nice case, as it’s clear, preserving the iPod’s natural beauty, and thin, not adding too much bulk to the iPod. And for $40, it’s not cheap, but not too differently priced from most iPod cases these days.

The World Cup, brought to you by Apple

Posted on Jun. 23, ’06, 1:09 PM PT by Aaron Freedman

Category | Video

We’ve been hearing a lot lately about World Cup products for your iPod, watching the World Cup on your Mac, etc. Well, it seems that Apple itself has been involved with the World Cup by powering the TV networks that provide highlights from it. The Host Broadcast Service, or HBS, has been using Apple hardware and software to stream highlight clips from the World Cup all around the world. But how, you ask?

The HBS delivers its highlight clips to 50 networks around the world as the games are happening. To accomplish this the group is using four Power Mac G5s, PictureReady software and AJA Kona cards to DVCPRO HD 1080i50. The feeds from the games are recorded into a 20TB Apple Xsan.

A total of three Final Cut Pro systems monitor the games currently being played and recorded—if the production team sees something highlight worthy, a 15-second clip is immediately edited and exported through QuickTime. These clips are then made available to its network subscribers.

And HBS isn’t the only TV company that uses Apple technology to process and distribute World Cup highlights; NHK in Japan and TV Azteca in Mexico are also powered by Apple products. Hmm, if Apple’s getting a reach into the business world via TV networks, maybe soon XServes will dominate businesses worldwide. Maybe.

First Look : Civilization IV

Posted on Jun. 23, ’06, 12:57 PM PT by Cyrus Farivar

Category | Games

This newest iteration of my favorite all-time Mac game is finally here! I remember back in the day when I first played Civilization on my family’s Mac Classic II — oh, yes, those were the days. Check out my first look:

But after a few turns and clicking around to the various navigation and advisor buttons in the top right of the screen, you’ll discover that Civilization IV replaces some of the concepts from older versions of the game, such as the type of government you form. Instead, there’s now a more complex version called “Civics”—as you progress through the game, you discover various types of governments, religions, and systems of labor, mixing and matching the ones for your civilization. At one point in my game, my Civics settings simultaneously included Universal Sufferage, Nationhood, Emancipation, Free Market economy, and Theocracy (Judaism).

Getting a screw loose : Installing RAM into my MacBook

Posted on Jun. 23, ’06, 11:56 AM PT by Cyrus Farivar

Category | Hardware » Intel Macs

So last night, I decided that I was going to take the plunge, and replace my paltry 512 MB of RAM with a more standard 1 GB. I found myself at Fry’s Electronics in Concord, Calif., where they sold me two 512 MB sticks of Patriot Memory for about $110.

This morning, back at the Macworld offices, I decided to take the plunge and install it. Remembering Jason Snell’s video which showed how easy it is to install RAM, I figured it would be a breeze. I started unscrewing and then found myself in a position where I couldn’t get the screws to come out of the housing. I sauntered on down to Jason’s office, where he kindly explained that the screws don’t actually come out of the housing — so once they’re loosened enough, you can just pull the housing out of the battery bay. The screws don’t come off of the housing. Then there was also the issue of how to know when your RAM is actually installed, because you can’t see the socket where you’re installing it. Jason said the “RAM finger” method applies : just push down until you have creases from the edge of the RAM on your fingertips.

I booted up the MacBook and amazingly I have 1 GB of RAM now.

Give your Mac a wake-up call with WakeOnLan

Posted on Jun. 23, ’06, 11:37 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Software

Does your house have a big network, full of computers so widespread that you occasionally lose one? Well, we can’t help you in that scenario, but if you just need a way to manage some of your computers more centrally, perhaps ReadPixel’s free WakeOnLan will help you out.

Launch WakeOnLan and you’ll get a list of devices on your local network, including Macs, PCs, printers, routers, etc. You can wake any of them, put any of them to sleep, schedule wake and sleep times, even arrange to wake them up from over the Internet (if you have a .Mac account). It’s also, for the perennially paranoid, a quick way to see what else is lurking on your home network.

Sure, it’s kind of a one trick pony, but handy if you need to manage your home network without leaving your desk.

How this guy got a refund on iTMS

Posted on Jun. 23, ’06, 10:00 AM PT by Cyrus Farivar

Category | iTunes » iTunes Store

This guy managed to complain to the iTMS about how his download of the Chapelle Show had ads in it — they refunded his money!

i can’t believe what i’m seeing, there is no indication anywhere that there will be ads, and not just ads, ads on every single episode of my 12 episode season. i go through every single preview video - there is not one single clip that depicts any sort of commercial or advertisement.

there’s no way i’m paying $21.99 for ad riddled 320x240 videos of chapelle’s show. it would be cheaper for me to order it on amazon ($4.12 cheaper to be precise) with NO ads on the individual episodes, and just as easy for me to rip it using handbrake on my girlfriends mbpro so i can put it on my iPod.

[via Digg]

Get your MacBook Pro online with some help from Merlin…

Posted on Jun. 23, ’06, 9:01 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Hardware

I really love that in a pinch, I can usually use my Bluetooth phone as a modem for decently fast Internet access. I used to be able to do this with a Motorola USB cable, but it was often more trouble than it was worth: going wireless was a huge advantage.

Along these lines, there were a number of PCMCIA cards that you could use as high-speed wireless modems (provided you had a usually pretty expensive cellular plan that covered them), but we haven’t seen much of these for the ExpressCard slots that have replaced PCMCIA on the MacBook Pros.

If you’ve been holding out before upgrading to the MBP because of this, maybe this’ll pique your interest: Novatel’s been hard at work on an ExpressCard that’ll allow fast internet via HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access).

The Merlin XU870 ExpressCard is a tri-band HSDPA/UMTS and quad-band EDGE/GPRS product that allows for worldwide roaming between HSDPA networks in North America and Europe. The Merlin XU870 ExpressCard will initially be configured for 3.6 Mbps data speeds and when mobile operators start providing 7.2 Mbps service, a software utility will be used to upgrade the card and boost its speed to 7.2 Mbps.

In the US, HSDPA means Cingular, who’s deployed a network in several cities around the country. Verizon and Sprint, meanwhile, use the competing 1xEV-DO service (which my cellphone supports). You can expect to see the Merlin XU870 sometime this fall.

[via Engadget]

Let the games begin: probably fake Leopard shots

Posted on Jun. 23, ’06, 8:07 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Internet

Well, it’s never to early to think about the future. Especially when that future involves a big spotted cat. Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference is a scant six weeks away, and with it, the debut of OS X 10.5, Leopard.

As with every new Apple release, the Internet is thrumming with rumors and supposition: will this new OS feature Windows virtualization? Will we finally see tabbed iChat/Finder/Bluetooth Setup Assistant? Will there be cheese grating?

And, of course, there are those who claim to have gotten a look at the new release. Our family across the pond, Macworld UK, is reporting on some alleged screenshots of Leopard, which you can find here.

Honestly, the first thing in my head which makes me doubt the authenticity of these shots is nothing to do with their content, but rather their presentation. If these were real screenshots, I have to imagine that Apple Legal would have blown this website out of the water. Now, having said that, I’m sure it’ll go down within the day. So instead, I’m going to present this as one person’s cleverly-Photoshopped concept of what 10.5 might look like, including Windows virtualization, multiple virtual desktops (This I simply don’t buy—I don’t think Apple will ever go the multiple virtual desktop route; it’s simply too complicated and not useful enough for most people), a combined Address Book-iCal (which doesn’t make much sense to me either), and a tabbed Finder (that would be useful/logical).

Of course, when the final version of Leopard appears and many of these features there, I will be garnishing my hat with a nice helping of chocolate syrup. To make it go down easier.

Speaking of Sparkle, the Transmission was received

Posted on Jun. 23, ’06, 7:40 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Software

I made another empassioned plea for more Sparkle support in Mac software yesterday. Today I’m greeted with an update to my absolute favorite Bittorrent client, Transmission. Being the update junkie I am, I went to check out the new features.

• Ability to limit download rate
• Automatic banning of peers who send bad data
• Can keep a copy of the torrent file so the original can be deleted
• Many bugfixes
• Reworked interface
• Rate limits can be changed directly from the main window
• Ability to automatically stop seeding at a given ratio
• Allows sorting of the tranfers list
• Extended Info Inspector
• Automatic updating with Sparkle

See the last one? Sweet. The other features include a lot of things I was looking for and an even more lickable interface helps.

Get your free web game on

Posted on Jun. 23, ’06, 6:49 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Games

Macgamestore.com is offering free web games on their site. I’ll give you one guess as to what their business does. Even that is too many. Sure, there are many sites offer platform neutral web games, but this is geared to Macs.

I couldn’t get Prince of Persia to work (I remember playing that on the old Quadra 660av). Gem Shop and Curveball are two early favorites for me. Go, play, and report back your favorites.

MagSafe could have saved my Powerbook

Posted on Jun. 23, ’06, 6:14 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Hardware

Like many laptop users, I carry my computer around my house. Mine isn’t huge, but there are a lot of stairs. I’m lazy, so when I’m carting the Powerbook around, it’s usually still open with the power cord hanging from it in kind of a loop. Given these two facts, it shouldn’t have been a surprise when my cat, running up the stairs after me, ran into the cord full force, ripping my precious Powerbook from my hands. (Don’t worry, she’s fine.)

Luckily, it landed on carpet and stayed in one piece. It did mess up the power pin again (I had a previous accident where the Powerbook was jerked by the power cord). It really makes me wish I had MagSafe power connectors as this would have been a non-issue in both cases. If I stay this clumsy, I may have to upgrade to a MacBook earlier than I planned.

MagSafe: it’s kitty proof.

MacUser Caption-a-thon: “Burn, baby burn..”

Posted on Jun. 23, ’06, 5:00 AM PT by Aaron Freedman

Category | Apple » Humor

I just thought that most of our readers would enjoy seeing a Dell on fire.

Post your caption in the comments!

[via Engadget]

USB & FireWire disappoint; my SATA solution

Posted on Jun. 22, ’06, 3:49 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | Hardware

As I eagerly await the delivery of my MacBook Pro (it’s still in Shanghai), I have been forced to huddle over countless pages of benchmarks, reviews, photo galleries, and FedEx tracking pages. One of my biggest realized concerns with respect to my new computer purchase, however, is hard drive space. And it’s not so much hard drive space that concerns me, but hard drive speed.

I use my hard drives a lot: Final Cut Studio, Photoshop CS2, Soundtrack Pro, Aperture. All require fast transfer speeds sometimes difficult to obtain externally (especially with a laptop). And so I began my quest.

(Note: if you are looking for external storage and don’t require fast transfer speeds [ie: a backup drive], it may be safe to stop reading now. Just buy an external hard drive with FireWire and avoid USB 2.0.)

I started doing a little bit of my own testing to compare the speed of a 3.5 inch 7200 RPM hard drive with the speed of a 2.5 inch 5400 RPM drive and I realized one thing: there was no difference. Obviously, this must be wrong. So I hit up the ‘net to do a little research, and discovered these benchmarks. Basically, the problem didn’t lie within the drive but rather in the connection; it was the USB 2.0 which was bottlenecking the drive performance.

The Four Levels of iPod Interaction

Posted on Jun. 22, ’06, 3:47 PM PT by Cyrus Farivar

Category | iPod

New York magazine, as part of their Urban Etiquette Handbook, has a section on “The Four Levels of iPod Interaction : Whom you do and don’t have to unplug for” :

LEVEL ONE
Continue at full blast. Consider increasing the vigor of your head-nodding and/or humming.
• Guys passing out bargain-electronics-store flyers.
• Idealistic-looking whippersnappers holding clipboards.
• Scientologists.

Apple at #4 on Info Tech top 100

Posted on Jun. 22, ’06, 3:07 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | Business

BusinessWeek online published their list of the top 100 Information Technology companies today, and Apple ranks at number four, up from number six in 2005. Interestingly, Apple is the only American company in the top ten. Other major contenders are from Taiwan, Mexico, Japan, and Spain. An overview of Apple is posted on the BusinessWeek website with some interesting facts about the company. For example did you know Apple has nearly 15,000 employees, a 56% yearly sales growth, and 1.73 billion in profits?

Sous le Marteau: French DRM law is toast

Posted on Jun. 22, ’06, 10:08 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Legal

When last we saw our Gallic friends, they were busy trying to reconcile the DRM bills that had been passed by their Senate and National Assembly. You see…[insert flashback music]

The National Assembly had passed an extremely strict version of the law that would have required Apple to open up its DRM to competitors, a move the company termed “state-sponsored piracy.”

Meanwhile, the French Senate passed a watered-down version of the law: this allowed copyright holders to have the final say on whether or not DRM should be interoperable, allowing Apple to negotiate with the recording industry and artists. Tricksy.

Which brings us to the present. BusinessWeek is reporting this morning that the two houses have declared that, much like Highlander, there can be only one law. And in this case…it will be the puny inoffensive version. And my favorite part:

Unlike the National Assembly’s text, the compromise does not allow consumers or their organizations to file complaints to the new authority.

Lawmakers also agreed to scrap an earlier proposal allowing copy-protection technologies to be legally hacked when they prevent rival music players and sites working together.

Trip the light fantastic with your backlit keyboard

Posted on Jun. 22, ’06, 9:24 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Geekery

It’s Thursday (Thor’s Day for Scandinavian mythology enthusiasts), which means that it’s yet another opportunity to see an inventive programmer take advantage of a lesser known Mac feature to create some sort of bizarre application. We’ve had the Sudden Motion Sensor, the iSight, even the ambient light sensor.

If you’re a 15” or 17” MacBook Pro (or PowerBook G4) owner, you’re among the lucky few with backlit keyboards. Now thanks to Amit Singh (the fellow behind the original Sudden Motion Sensor hacks), the breeding grounds of Ars Technica’s Macintosh Achaia forum (which spawned both Letterbox and Visor), comes two separate backlit keyboard hacks.

The first, from Stefan Werner, is called iSpazz. Pop this file into your iTunes plug-in folder and it’ll turn your backlit keyboard (and optionally your display’s backlight) into an iTunes visualizer, pulsing in time with the music. Migraine sufferers and epileptics should probably give it a miss, though.

If you’re more interested in practicality, there’s also a method for using the backlighting on the keyboard to track CPU load (reputedly inspired by John Gruber of Daring Fireball).

Neither of these hacks are guaranteed to work on every Mac with a backlit keyboard, since some of them apparently use slightly different implementations. Still, it’s always great to see people developing clever uses for these seemingly insignificant features.

[via Infinite Loop]

NeatLittleMacApps podcast about…neat little Mac apps

Posted on Jun. 22, ’06, 8:55 AM PT by Aaron Freedman

Category | Music » Podcasting

You all know those little Mac applications that do cool stuff, like Pukka, AppZapper, and FlickrExport (no longer free, though :( )? Well, now there’s a podcast about them called NeatLittleMacApps. I haven’t has a chance to listen yet, as the podcast hasn’t even been added to iTunes, but I’ll soon check it out. Based on the description, it seems pretty much like Macworld’s Mac Gems, except in podcast form. Wait, doesn’t Cyrus sometimes cover Mac Gems in the Macworld Podcast? Hmm…

[via digg]

Give me your poor, your tired, your iCal tips

Posted on Jun. 22, ’06, 8:25 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Tips

Readers, I come to you on bended knee, looking for some advice. I’ve never been much of a calendar user, trusting instead to keep the various tasks I need to accomplish safely inside my head or in a small list somewhere. I had a Visor handheld several years ago, but it always seemed as though the time it took to put things in was way out of proportion with the frequency with which I used it.

But I’ve found myself at a point where it’s getting harder and harder to keep track of all my tasks, so I’ve started trying to use iCal. So far it’s going pretty well, but I have to say that at times it’s kind of overwhelming to see your whole month laid out before you. I do like the ability to import the birthday field from the Address Book; I ended up spending a while looking up and filling in birthdays for people I know. But in general, I’m looking for any tips on how you manage time with iCal, especially any must-do’s or no-no’s. How can I ensure that my usage of iCal isn’t some mere fad that I’ll discard next week, alongside the Atkins diet and skateboarding? Where’s the killer feature that’ll keep me hooked? Fire away!

FlickrExport 2.0 released, no longer free

Posted on Jun. 22, ’06, 7:44 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Software

I love Flickr. I’ve completely given up on using .Mac for posting picture galleries. They may be prettier than a Flickr gallery, but it has a severely limited amount of space. Given these facts, getting pictures from iPhoto to the service is crucial. Uploaders work, but integration is crucial. My Mac should be able to handle this automatically. FlickrExport is that bridge.

It’s no wonder that Fraser’s software is so popular. Add the fact that it was free (donationware), and you’ve instantly got a huge userbase. He layed the groundwork and starting with 2.0, will be collecting upon the investment of all that hard work. It clocks in at $21 approximately, but given new features such as adding to existing photo sets and Flickr tag inclusion as well as the good feeling that comes with supporting a Mac developer, it’s well worth it.

Sparkle 1.0 arrives to brighten software

Posted on Jun. 22, ’06, 6:44 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Software

I’ve already championed the value of Sparkle, but I think it’s reviewing. Sparkle is a software framework that allows an application developer to add easy software update. Once integrated, all that’s left for the developer to do is to create an appcast feed, a specially formatted RSS feed.

From then on, updates to the application can be put into that feed and users will be able to update automatically with it. In practice, it’s really slick, rivaling Apple’s own Software Update. Now that it has reached 1.0 status, a campaign for its use needs to be started. Every time you have to manually update an application, write a quick note to the developer asking for support.

Google Maps Plugin 2.5 and its developer rock

Posted on Jun. 22, ’06, 6:03 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Software

One of the best enhancements for Apple’s Address Book is Brian Toth’s Google Maps Plugin. He put a lot of work into the latest release (2.5). It features Google Earth and Intel Mac support. After installation, clicking on an Address (when not in edit mode) reveals shortcuts to getting directions or a map centered on the location using Google’s service.

Brian also made an Apple Installer package. Unfortunately, it doesn’t behave completely, failing when installing using a non-admin account. I wrote Brian and was pleasantly surprised when I got a quick response. He’s told me that he determined the problem and will be issuing an update soon with a better installer.

Considering the software is donationware, that’s real service. I highly encourage both downloading and donating.

Update: 2.5.1 is out and has its own barebones installer. Bravo Brian!

iPod gramophone

Posted on Jun. 21, ’06, 4:00 PM PT by Cyrus Farivar

Category | iPod

Our good friends at Boing Boing just discovered an iPod dock + record player + gramophone + wine rack. I always wanted one of those items in an all-in-one unit. Now my life is complete.

[via Boing Boing]

CrossOver for Mac Alpha 2 released

Posted on Jun. 21, ’06, 3:03 PM PT by Aaron Freedman

Category | Software » Updates

A little while ago I talked about Darwine, a program that allows you to run Windows applications on your Mac without Windows installed. Well, there’s also a lesser-known method for running WINE on your Mac, called CrossOver Mac. The software is made by CodeWeavers, who makes the popular, paid version of WINE, CrossOver Office for Linux. CrossOver Mac is their attempt to port CrossOver Office to the Mac platform. Currently the software is in alpha and in order to obtain it you need to send an e-mail here requesting it. I’ve had CrossOver for Mac for a little while now, and even though it is more stable and full-featured than Darwine, it still has a lot to be desired. Alpha 2 should fix some of the problems, with features such as a self-contained app, the beginnings of a redesign in the program, faster speed, and many other improvements. I haven’t tried out Alpha 2 yet, but when I do I’ll make sure to post my experience with it here on MacUser.

Save gas, and get Front Row seats

Posted on Jun. 21, ’06, 2:30 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | Geekery

We’ve certainly seen no shortage of iPod and Mac mods in all types of devices, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say this one tops them all. Autoblog has a report of one man from Virginia who mated his Prius with a Mac mini, and the picture to the right tells all.

The Mac Mini sits inside the dashboard, where one would usually store kleenex and gum, and is wired into the LCD display already a part of the car, but he didn’t stop there. This man also reprogrammed the touchscreen LCD to accept navigation commands for Front Row. His entire music collection is easily accessible from a few touches of his finger, and his young daughter can view DVDs on the setup as well. If this story intrigues you, then be sure to check out the video on the designer’s website.

[via TMO]

Refurb MacBooks appear

Posted on Jun. 21, ’06, 1:57 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | Hardware » Intel Macs

Reports are surfacing on the internet that (black) refurbished MacBooks have made it to the Apple store for the first time. The black MacBook, which normally runs $1,499, is only $1,299 when refurbished. That’s like getting a free upgrade to a black MacBook from a white one.

Oh yeah, there’s one other problem: the store is already sold out. All refurbished MacBooks have disappeared into the hands of desiring consumers. The category for “MacBook,” however, does remain on the refurbished products page. So if you’re looking to buy a refurbished black MacBook, I would recommend checking this page quite frequently, as I’m sure we will see more MacBooks appearing.

NYC Apple Store Saves Jon Stewart’s Photos

Posted on Jun. 21, ’06, 12:30 PM PT by Cyrus Farivar

Category | Apple » People

Jon, we love you and your show — but how many times do we have to tell you? Backup your stuff.

You don’t want to make that hurried dash down to the Apple Store because the only copies of your kid’s photos are on there. Or do you?

Daily Show host Jon Stewart had some sort of mishap with his laptop, but the staff at one of the two Apple stores in New York City was able to save his hard drive’s data, and with it the baby pictures that resided exclusively on said hard drive.

A grateful Stewart had a score of free tickets for tonight’s Daily Show taping sent over to the Apple store in question; staff is on their way over there right now. Nothing malicious to report here — just the age-old feel-good tale of one good turn deserving another.

[via Digg]

Macworld Podcast #42: Protect your Mac

Posted on Jun. 21, ’06, 11:37 AM PT by Cyrus Farivar

Category | Music » Podcasting

While there may only be four known viruses for Mac OS X—at least according to antivirus software maker Sophos—that doesn’t mean that your Mac is impenetrable. There are still plenty of other ways for your data to become compromised—and with you none the wiser about it.

Fortunately, you can take steps right now to keep your Mac and its data secure—our July 2006 cover story, “Protect Your Mac,” offers 18 tips on what you should be doing to protect your data and privacy. In this episode of the Macworld Podcast, I talk to Glenn Fleishman, one of the co-authors of “Protect Your Mac,” about ways to stay secure when you go online.

AAC version (6.4MB, 26 minutes)

Vista Media Center will “make you feel like you’re in the spin cycle”

Posted on Jun. 21, ’06, 11:09 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Windows

Lifehacker editor (and Wired Rave Award winner), the delightful Gina Trapani has been trying out the Windows Vista beta. Previously, she opined that Vista looks “a lot like the Mac”; now she’s gone on to try replacing iTunes with Windows Media Center. The results are, shall we say, less than fruitful.

All I wanted to do was listen to an Aimee Mann album. So, after navigating Media Center’s lengthy setup and configuration wizard, then adding all my music to its library (which took about 20 minutes), I set out to find Aimee. Oddly, there’s no search box in sight, so one has to page through screens and screens of alphabetical artist names to choose the one you want - a huge pain for anyone with a sizable collection who’d like to hear some ZZ Top.

Thankfully Aimee’s in the A’s, so I didn’t have to go far. But just positioning your mouse over the horizontal paging arrow makes artist and album names fly by like you’re doing 65MPH on Highway 1 trying to point at a CD on the side of the road. Not what you’d call easy.

Apple settlement unsettling?

Posted on Jun. 21, ’06, 9:43 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Legal

You may recall that last August, Apple agreed to settle a class action suit alleging that they misrepresented the amount of battery life in first through third generation iPods. Then again, perhaps you were busy. Anyway, participants in the suit received either a $25 check or a $50 coupon for use at the Apple Store. All good, right?

Well, mostly. Turns out that there’s a bit of a caveat emptor in regards to those coupons as a friend of mine informed me after he tried to redeem his $50 coupon. The moral of the story? Read the fine 12 pt. Times New Roman print:

3. Credit may be used to purchase multiple products by the full value of the credit must be used up or exhausted in a single transaction.
[…]
5. Credit can be used ONLY for Apple-branded hardware or Apple-branded software products (excluding iTunes downloads, iTunes Music Store Cards, iTunes Music Store Gift Certificates, or any products redeemable for iTunes downloads or cash).

Is it just me, or do the results of lawsuits often seem to do nothing at all to correct the original problems? I’ll never forget how flabbergasted I was that as part of its antitrust settlement, Microsoft proposed giving hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Microsoft software to schools. Say whaaaaa?

On the subject of Apple, I wonder how many people who were eligible actually participated in the class action suit and, of those who did, how many have actually bothered to redeem their coupons?

DS Lite vs. iPod: Fight!

Posted on Jun. 21, ’06, 8:33 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | iPod

This just in from the Department of Nonsensical Comparisons: in the eternal battle between the Nintendo DS and Apple’s iPod, the Nintendo DS Lite is “the better investment.”

Phew. Glad we cleared that up. I was worried I was going to have pull out an Aaron-style comparison chart and go through this point-by-point. But “Mike” at GamerJunk.net has already taken care of the rundown.

So what makes the DS Lite a better investment than the iPod? Well, according to Mike, it’s that the DS can do everything the iPod can do—and more—for less than the price of an iPod. Of course, you need to buy accessories for the DS for it to play media at all, but once you do that, the DS becomes and iPod-butt-kicking machine. Unless you’re talking about capacity, in which case the iPod’s 30GB still trumps anything flash memory can add to the DS.

Well, it appears we’ve all been duped. I guess I’d better go see how much I can get for my iPods before the market is flooded with people selling them for a new DS.

[via Kotaku]

Marketing speak and the iPod killer

Posted on Jun. 21, ’06, 7:35 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | iPod

Surely I’m not the only one tired of hearing the phrase “iPod Killer” being used. Every new MP3 player is not a threat to the iPod. Does anyone seriously remember that Virgin music player? I only remember because I thought it was so absurd. Well, the latest player to join the ranks is Microsoft’s upcoming one.

Microsoft’s rumored portable music player and download service has many analysts concerned about the future of the iPod and iTunes Music Store. American Technology Research analyst, Shaw Wu, says the threat that Microsoft poses to Apple is overblown.

No kidding. Here’s a quick tip for other journalists. The next time you feel the urge to write “iPod Killer”, replace it with “digital music player”. Thanks.

Camino 1.0.2 out

Posted on Jun. 21, ’06, 7:28 AM PT by Aaron Freedman

Category | Software » Updates

Well, my favorite Mac browser, Camino, has just been updated to its 1.0.2 release, with some awesome new features like…oh, who am I kidding, it’s just some security fixes. Still, it’s better to be safe than sorry, so download the update here.

[via digg]

Apple admits to being secretive, keep it on the down low

Posted on Jun. 21, ’06, 6:55 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Apple

Part of the Apple mystique is the fact that we all anticipate what the turtleneck and jeans filled with man called Steve Jobs will reveal. Will it be a cool piece of new hardware? How about a new feature with a graphical effect that you could stare at all day?

While that’s exciting for you and me, and most consumers, it’s annoying for many IT companies. It’s harder to plan. Even Apple recognizes.

“People always complain that Apple doesn’t give systems admins or systems architects enough of a roadmap of where our technologies are going,” the vendor’s Asia-Pacific head of developer relations, Craig Bradley, told an audience of third-party developers in Sydney yesterday.

Events like WWDC are meant to inform developers of intended efforts, but clearly it doesn’t give the transparency and visibility that other companies do. It seems clear to me that this is another reason that Apple has struggled with the corporate market.

Interarchy 8.1 boasts Amazon S3 support

Posted on Jun. 21, ’06, 6:13 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Software

Interarchy, the powerful file transfer tool, has been around nearly as far back as I can remember. Little known fact at this point, the name is based upon the fact that it used to help search public FTP server files using the Archie search engine.

It’s always had a great range of support and interesting features, but I never warmed up to previous iterations. The interface was a tad more complicated than I wanted to deal with. I must admit though that the addition of Amazon S3 support is really compelling. I’m envisioning using Interarchy to archive my lesser used data on the service. The ideas as endless. When will Transmit add this feature?

iChat AV vs. Skype: A Comparison

Posted on Jun. 20, ’06, 4:23 PM PT by Aaron Freedman

Category | Software

Many of us use audio and/or video chatting instead of normal text IMs to communicate. The two most popular programs for this on Macs are iChat AV and S
kKype. Here’s a brief comparison of their features:

New iPhoto postcard & greeting card themes

Posted on Jun. 20, ’06, 4:13 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | Software » Updates

Apple released a 35 MB update for iPhoto this afternoon. It can be downloaded here, or via Software Update. Why rephrase when Apple puts it so perfectly?

This update to iPhoto contains a variety of new Greeting Card and Postcard themes for use with Apple print services, including invite and thank you card designs for summer parties, weddings, birthdays, etc.

What a coincidence—summer designs, just in time for summer. Nice one, Apple.

Screwdriver + iPod shuffle * impatience != crazy delicious

Posted on Jun. 20, ’06, 1:23 PM PT by Dan Moren

Category | iPod

Last week, I explained that you shouldn’t drop your iPod mini in the toilet. I didn’t really think we needed a whole prescriptive list of things to not do with your iPod, but apparently I was wrong. Apparently “don’t eat the iPod shuffle” didn’t cover everything.

For those of you wondering—and I know you’re out there—“should I viciously hack away at my iPod shuffle with a screwdriver, when I have no idea what I’m doing?”, well, I’m glad you asked. The answer’s pretty complicated, so let’s weigh it carefully.

Or you could just go ahead and—right. Melted your shuffle, eh? Yeah. Bummer. Next time, perhaps you shouldn’t viciously hack away at your iPod shuffle with a screwdriver when you have no idea what you’re doing. Just a thought.

Hey, what’re you doing with that Apple Remote? Don’t put it in your mo—sigh.

Bag me, baby

Posted on Jun. 20, ’06, 1:22 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | Hardware

I’m not going to lie, this is a selfish post: I want to hear what you have to say for my own benefit. Now, this doesn’t mean that other people can’t benefit from what’s written as well, but I’m just putting the warning out there.

Many of our readers have recently purchased a new MacBook or MacBook Pro, just as I have, and what’s a computer without a stylish bag to accompany it? That’s right, I want your bag suggestions. What are you using to carry your new computer, any recommendations? How about something to fit the new form factor of the 13-inch MacBook? We need something functional, protective, priced right, and of course stylish. Here are a few suggestions of my own (I’ve been doing my research):

• Crumpler bags seem stylish and functional, although may be too flashy for some. I like the “Hee-Goer” for the MacBook and the “Part and Parcel” (pictured) for the MBP. Find these bags listed under “Computer Bags” on Crumpler’s odd flash-based website.
• Booq has some of the most modern and classy looking bags I’ve ever seen, but then, I guess you get what you pay for. The Folee XM fits the MBP, while the XS fits the MacBook. Also check out their backpacks (cool).
• Finally, don’t forget the Timbuk2 computer messenger bag—a classic bag in every respect.

Any comments, suggestions, or ideas would be appreciated by all who read (especially me)!

Swinging and missing at an AM iPod add-on

Posted on Jun. 20, ’06, 10:19 AM PT by Cyrus Farivar

Category | iPod

Macworld.com Editor Philip Michaels wants to know why he can’t listen to baseball games on AM radio from his iPod.

Of course, that just raises the question: Why hasn’t someone figured out how to make a workable antenna fit easily onto an iPod accessory? We live in an age where there are very smart people building very clever products. We’ve managed to create a palm-sized device that can store thousands of songs, display photos, even playback videos. And somehow, something that apparently seemed mastered during the era of transistor radios has been lost to our earth scientists? How did this happen?

ABC streams its way to success

Posted on Jun. 20, ’06, 9:24 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Video

Last month, ABC started showing advertising-sponsored streams of its primetime TV shows online. It seems that the results have been pretty impressive: not only did they have more than 11 million viewers, but according to surveys taken after the episode, up to 87% of the viewers actually remembered what advertisers they watched, compared to approximately 40% for traditional broadcasts. I don’t find that particularly surprising, given that the streams had only three or four commercials, as opposed to the dozens that you’re bombarded with during a normal network broadcast.

Though the current site will close at the end of June, the project will continue, though different shows will be available online this fall. ABC’s numbers also found that the free streams did not detract from traditional broadcasts of the shows, which is also not terribly amazing; I feel like they’re more likely to pick up the people who were watching via DVR or via pirated videos on the Internet, i.e. people who were already technologically savvy enough to eschew conventional broadcasts.

In addition, Disney claimed that the one month of streaming “outperformed” the nine-months that their shows had been available on iTunes. This seems to me a ridiculous comparison: you mean people would rather sit through 30-seconds worth of commercials than pay $1.99. I’m shocked. Shocked! I think this also plays into my pet theory (which I’m going to continue repeating until you’re sick of it): people do not want to own all of their content. Many would rather watch an hourlong episode of Lost and be done with it, rather than ending up with a file that they may never watch again. And those who do want to own it will probably still opt for the tangible nature of a DVD set.

A Day at the Opera

Posted on Jun. 20, ’06, 8:53 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Internet

Via the magic of the Internet, the following post is appearing both Macworld’s Gadgetbox and MacUser. Do not adjust your set.

The independently made web browser has hit version 9. The team has added a number of pretty nifty features that you won’t find in a lot of the other browsers out there: BitTorrent support, content blocking, tab previews, and their own widgets. On the OS X side, it’s also a Universal Binary.

I haven’t used Opera in several years, having been content with the plethora of great web browsers available for my platform of choice (Safari, Camino, Firefox), not to mention that I prefer to pay as little as possible for my browser (in the past, Opera used to cost around $30). But given that Opera is going to be the browser of choice for both the Nintendo DS and the Nintendo Wii I decided to download it and see what “the future” might have to offer.

My quick impressions: there’s lots to like here. Built-in session management is an excellent addition (save or restore a set of tabs and windows); you can hover over a tab to see a preview of its content; BitTorrent support is very cool; and I love the quick built-in search shortcuts (a feature I’ve added via SafariStand). And the team hasn’t forgotten that Opera is a web browser at heart: not only does it pass the Acid2 compatibility test, but it also supports forthcoming standards like WebForms 2.0.

The downside? The UI is, frankly, pretty hideous on OS X, and the application suffers from the same problem as Firefox on the Mac: it’s just not very Mac-like. I haven’t tried it on my XP machine yet, but there is the possibility it could be a worthy competitor to Firefox on that platform. If nothing else, I hope it raises the bar for the other browsers to add some of the same features.

[via Slashdot]

Shake it up, baby

Posted on Jun. 20, ’06, 8:00 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Software » Updates

In news that should ring gratefully in the ears of video producers everywhere, Apple has released Shake 4.1. The latest version of the company’s pro video compositing software is, most importantly, a Universal Binary, optimized for full speed on Apple’s new Intel Macs.

Shake, which has been used in blockbuster films such as “The Lord of the Rings” series, previously cost $2,999, but Apple’s drastically slashed that price to just $499, putting the professional software well in the reach of amateur and “prosumer”-level video enthusiasts. In addition, those who own Shake 4 can crossgrade to Shake 4.1 for just $49.

This is following a big trend at Apple to significantly reduce the prices of its pro-level applications, including Shake, Logic, Aperture, and the Final Cut Studio (which includes Final Cut Pro, Soundtrack Pro, Motion 2, and DVD Studio Pro 4). I chalk it up to a blurring of the lines between the “amateurs” and the pros, as well as the increased power of the hardware that’s on everybody’s desk, and the power to develop software more efficiently.

Open source value

Posted on Jun. 20, ’06, 7:52 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Software

In what’s turned into a running conversation among class A bloggers, John Gruber, Mark Pilgrim, and Tim Bray have been debating the pros and cons of going Mac. Tim Bray suggested that Apple open up the source for many of the apps bundled with the OS.

Alternatively, Apple could open-source a few of their apps so we could all fix the pain points

Which naturally drew a smackdown from Gruber. The reasons are plentiful as to why Apple can’t just open source Mail.app, iChat, and iCal. They really are selling points for Apple’s new OS versions. Touting improved internal components (for stability and slight performance gain) and APIs just aren’t enough for the end user. Shiny, tangible features sell new versions of the OS and at this point, it’s improvements in those bundled applications that really draw the consumer in.

Open sourcing would cannibalize OS sales, which is the last thing Apple (and Mac software developers) want.

Piracy bleeds Mac game makers dry

Posted on Jun. 20, ’06, 7:15 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Games

I’ve just gotten around to reading it, but Mr. Game Room himself, Peter Cohen, has written a fascinating look at the piracy trend plaguing Mac game makers. I expected it was problem and without the ability to make up for that fact with volume sales, I figured it made the business a tough one to survive. I really didn’t expect the following though:

Destineer President Peter Tamte tells me that the difference I’ve described between sell-through and update downloads is more common than not. He said that when his company shipped its squad-based first-person shooter First to Fight last year, it found within a few weeks that more people were trying to log on to multiplayer servers with a single banned serial number than the total number of copies Destineer had sold combined.

Take that in and roll it around. More people are abusing a single serial number than bought the game. That’s a problem of monumental proportions. It’s no wonder game developers opt for game consoles and Windows platforms.

Rock your external with PPC and Intel bootability

Posted on Jun. 20, ’06, 6:33 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Tips

In what may be my favorite Intel related hint right now, macosxhints.com features the way to create a hybrid PPC/Intel bootable external drive.

Jonathan Rentsch in this article describes how to make a two-partition external disk that can boot either an Intel or a PowerPC Mac, but it required an extra partition on the Intel Mac. My partner Mike Palacio and I did it without the extra partition, using the following method.

In three… five… twelve easy steps you can boot either type of machine using a single disk. Sounds like the perfect way to make a maintenance disk for all of one’s Macs.

Michael Bartosh Memorial MacIT Scholarship

Posted on Jun. 20, ’06, 6:12 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Apple » People

Paul Kent, VP of the Macworld Conference and Expo, has started a scholarship in Michael Bartosh’s name. That’s real class.

Our community has lost not only a brilliant mind, but a true personality who added to every classroom he led, and every speaker office he held court in. We are setting up a scholarship in Michael’s name for a network engineering student to come to MacIT and hopefully spark their imagination to carry Michael’s torch and build the seamless, easy to use networks that enable people to communicate he was so passionate about.

If you are interested in donating to the Michael Bartosh Scholarship fund to help pay for the travel and expenses to bring a University/College age Network Engineering Student to Macworld to attend the MacIT Conference please fill in the form below. We are in the midst of setting up the formalities of the fund and will be in touch as soon as it’s in place.

[via MacCentral]

Super-customize a Mac Mini for your specific computing needs

Posted on Jun. 19, ’06, 3:46 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | Hardware » Intel Macs

If you so happen to need or desire a decked out Mac Mini, Rival Computer today starting shipping exactly that. Maybe you need an Intel desktop configuration, maybe your building a home entertainment Mac, or maybe you just can’t wait long enough for the Mac Pro to hit stores. Whatever the case, Rival has your customized solution.

Mac Minis can be customized with up to a 2.16 Ghz Core Duo, a 7200 RPM hard drive, 2 GB of RAM, and any array of peripherals—from keyboards, mice, and monitors, to Windows XP and Parallels Desktop. I customized a maxed-out Mac Mini with all the best upgrades, and the total came to $1,799. Still cheaper than a PowerMac. Now if only we could get that integrated graphics problem fixed…

Retro your Mac, completely free

Posted on Jun. 19, ’06, 1:44 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | Geekery

Want to have a little party inside your Mac? Hold down the Control, Option, and Apple keys, and now press the 8 key. See that? An instant party! It’s also great for screwing around with a friends Mac, as they may be wondering what is wrong with their monitor.

How many of you knew about this secret little feature of Tiger? I just learned about it the other day in the Apple Store after 2 years of Mac usage. I’d be interested to hear peoples reactions to this inverted screen trick.

Corny conspiracy theories surround Apple’s kernel

Posted on Jun. 19, ’06, 12:21 PM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Software

You probably don’t think much about OS X’s Mach microkernel. It’s not something that lends itself to casual thinking. In fact, it’s so hard to find a good picture representing it that I’m forced to use this picture of popcorn kernels.

But recent goings on have my interest piqued. You may recall Derik posting on Tom Yager’s criticism that Apple had not yet opened the source of its x86 kernel, and the resulting meeting between Yager and Apple. It seems between the “closed source” issue and the departure of Mach developer Avie Tevanian earlier this year, some conspiracy theorists have taken to proclaiming that the end of the Mach kernel is nigh.

Ars Technica’s John Siracusa tackles these rumors head on in a pair of informative blog posts at Fat Bits. In the first post, Siracusa suggests that the amount of noise about the kernel means that certainly something is going on, though specifics are vauge at the moment.

That’s my optimistic theory, anyway. “Cool kernel changes coming, just wait!” But I also have a darker theory. It’s also possible that Apple is considering a major change in its Mac platform strategy and does not want to drop the bomb until WWDC. This could also be something good, but my intuition tells me that any major Mac strategy change at this point is just as likely to be bad. Not “Mac OS X cancelled, Apple moving to Windows” bad, more along the lines of “Apple switching to x86” bad. That is, short-term upheaval and pain for the promise of long-term gain.

Get a Mac or Die Tryin’

Posted on Jun. 19, ’06, 11:32 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Apple » News

You know how closely we follow hip hop. The news today, frankly, is just too good to be true. According to Forbes, rapper/actor/all-around good guy Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson is in talks with everybody’s favorite fruit company to produce a line of affordable, branded home computers to sell to inner-city families.

I just want you all to know how hard I’m resisting jokes about how much this computer will cost. Ahem. Comments made to AllHipHop.com suggest 50 Cent feels a certain affinity with Apple CEO Steve Jobs:

“He [Jobs] is setting a new standard in the music business,” [50 Cent Manager Chris] Lighty added. “Let’s just say we get each other.”

Well, we’ve seen Apple partner with U2 for an iPod, and there are still lingering rumors of an advertising deal with supermodel Gisele Bundchen (be still my beating heart). Hip hop is huge, and perhaps Apple wants to up their street cred. And I have to say, nothing would pep up Steve’s next Macworld Keynote like an appearance by a bling-laden Fiddy.

[Hat tip to Peter Cohen]

Slate calls new Apple ads “mean-spirited”

Posted on Jun. 19, ’06, 10:26 AM PT by Cyrus Farivar

Category | Apple » Advertising

While I generally love Slate’s coverage of all things ranging from Buenos Aires, to how World Cup stars talk to referees, to why I should be wearing boxer briefs to a serious discussion of The Supreme Court — this latest piece on Apple’s ads is dead wrong.

Roll your own .Mac

Posted on Jun. 19, ’06, 9:05 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Internet

Derik’s earlier post on .Mac spam sparked a faint memory inside my head. Not long ago, I’d been thinking about ditching .Mac. I have another mail account that suits me just fine, as well as my own web space, etc. The problem is, like Derik, I do make use of the Mac-specific .Mac features, namely syncing and my iDisk. But would it be possible to replace those features with something else?

Matt Simerson of The Network People Incorporated says “Heck yeah!” Well, not in exactly those words. I’m reading between the lines here. But Matt did manage to set up a solution that not only replaces most of .Mac’s key Mac features (iDisk, iSync, iCal sharing, and Backup).

A warning for those of you whose pulse rate has risen in the excitement of getting rid of that $100 yearly expenditure: this is not a simple process. Some experience with the Terminal and web technologies like Apache, DNS, and WebDAV is pretty crucial. You may be able to just follow the instructions, but there’s no guarantee, as it’s full of sentences like this: “Since you cannot packet sniff the https connection, get the info from your Apache logs to see what URLs are being asked for. Once you have that, install a script there that dumps the POST info to a temp file.” If that makes you break into a cold sweat, this may not be the project for you. You’ll also need a computer on which to run your faux-.Mac server; Matt used a FreeBSD machine, but it would work in theory on anything from Linux to OS X to possibly even Windows if you’re crazy daring enough.

The major downside to this plan, the way I see it, is that one of the values of .Mac for me is having an off-site backup for my crucial files. If my house—god fordbi—burns down, then a lot of my critical documents are backed up on the .Mac server in California. If you supplant it with your own system on a local network, as Matt does, then when—er, if, right—your house burn downs, there go all your files. But if saving $100/year is important to you, it’s a possibility.

Update: Yes, as Marshall points out below, iSync does not quite work. For enterprising adventurers, you can check out Jeremy Baker’s page for some experiments on getting it to work, though he hasn’t managed to get it working completely either.

The bits will fall as they may

Posted on Jun. 19, ’06, 8:07 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | iTunes » iTunes Store

An editorial in this morning’s Boston Globe takes anti-DRM protesters to task for protesting the iTunes system. The piece tries to justify its criticisms by focusing on the very real allegations of sweatshop conditions in factories that assemble the music player.

But the iTunes-iPod system works superbly together, and the songs play exactly as Apple says they will. Its biggest defect, if the London Mail on Sunday is to be believed, is that iPod players are made under sweatshop conditions in China.

Still, the argument of DRM is one of those tricky matters of principle and it’s unlikely to go away. In fact, it’s only looking to get worse. While Apple’s system may be acceptable for ninety percent of the people using it today, it’s the precedent that’s important: the precedent of eroding consumers’ rights. And while most consumers might seem apathetic about it right now, all it’s going to take is the development of a killer app whose use is prevented by DRM. When consumers start to wonder why they can’t use their TotallyAwesomeNewMediaDevice™ with the songs they legally purchased from iTunes, well, we may have a different story on our hands. And to those who will insist that Apple allows this by burning the purchased music to CD and re-ripping it, I simply ask how much music you’ve bought from the iTunes store and how many CDs you plan on burning.

For now, iPod+iTunes is king, but if history is any indication, this will not always be the case. History has also shown that media industries are rarely content with the status quo; while they may appear to have given up on this round, I wouldn’t bet against them looking for new ways to control content, even at the expense of you and me.

My journey to the Dark Side: Running Windows Vista on my Mac

Posted on Jun. 19, ’06, 7:50 AM PT by Aaron Freedman

Category | Windows

There comes a time in every Mac user’s life when they must turn to the dark side, they must use Windows. Even though I have already installed XP via Parallels on my Intel iMac (more on that to come soon), I only used that for running the PC-only game, Magic: The Gathering Online. But this time I was going to set out to run Windows for no real purpose besides proof-of-concept. I was going to Boot Camp.

To start off my journey to the fiery depths of Hades, I first needed a Windows Vista Beta 2 .iso (available here), a free Windows Vista Beta product key (also from here),a blank DVD, the latest firmware for your Intel Mac, and Boot Camp. Then, I performed the following steps:

Google Calendar now Safari friendly

Posted on Jun. 19, ’06, 7:38 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Internet

As far as web-based calendar services go, Google Calendar is pretty slick. You can even subscribe to iCal published calendars. I personally use this feature heavily to put a prettier face upon my own calendars when I’m on the go and the Palm isn’t around. If I could get Palm syncing and felt comfortable with requiring net access (which I don’t), then I might even consider switching to it.

Its achilles heal was the lack of Safari support. Sure, I could fire up Camino or Firefox, but I really despise switching browsers for different web pages. And I like Safari. That’s no longer an issue. Go ahead and try it out. Good karma to Google for not resting on its laurels.

The .Mac spam saga continues

Posted on Jun. 19, ’06, 6:45 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Internet

It’s quickly turning into an obsession for both Matthew Russell of MacDevCenter and I. Spam on .Mac. It’s been steadily increasing, and it’s not good.

Spammers don’t need to use clever (or unclever) web-scraping techniques when they can just harvest e-mail addresses by brute force. There’s just no other way to explain the correlation between the fury of suspicious, blank messages I’ve gotten lately along with the dramatic increase in offers for great sex-pills, “insider” stock info, and deals on vacations that are just too good to be true.

The process for spammers is simple: generate e-mail addresses by brute force, send out messages, and then wait. If an error message comes back, they know that the e-mail address is no good. If an error message doesn’t come back, then they know it’s a good one that they can start spamming to death.

I must have gotten on the order of 50 of these “blank” email messages in the last week. It’s annoying. Surely these messages are getting addressed to 5+ users a piece (which all the spam sent to .Mac is). While there is a danger of overzealous spam filters, filters that dump some less severe spam into a specific folder for moderation/training is an effective method. And really, can’t these blank messages just be bounced? There is no value in blank messages.

I’m seriously thinking about moving everything over to my webhost’s email, leaving sync as the only real part of .Mac I use.

Colorware takes on the MacBook

Posted on Jun. 19, ’06, 6:02 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Hardware

Following the BlackBook $150 tax debacle, I really hoped for a company to fill the void, undercutting Apple with a black version of the MacBook. It was a nice thought. Colorware, famous for their colored versions of Apple products, is now offering colored MacBooks, starting at $1749.

Oof. If the idea was to get a BlackBook for less, it’s failed. If you’re looking for other colors, then it’s probably a decent deal. I guess I’ll have to sit and wait for the pricing to even out from Apple. Those looking for the low end in black will probably have to wait even longer.

[via Dee’s Planet]

Good old what’s her face

Posted on Jun. 18, ’06, 8:47 PM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Software

Every once in a while, I have a total mind block and can’t remember someone’s name. That is one of the reasons I rarely use people’s names. Besides, I don’t want someone repeating my name back to me a thousand times, why would anyone else? To help with this dilemma, Riya will figure it out for you, or so I read.

I’m downloading the new Mac client tonight and will give it a shot tomorrow. When downloading the client (necessary for some pre-processing), it recommends that an Intel Mac be used because PowerPCs are so much slower. Honestly, I don’t know how to take that, particularly as I don’t have an Intel and I’m no technology laggard. Hopefully the performance will be good enough for me to get by.

Does anyone have any first hand experience with this service?

[Hat tip: Jason, who wrote the MacCentral piece]

iClip lite 2 is out and I’m still iClip 4 betaless

Posted on Jun. 18, ’06, 8:08 PM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Software

The free (as in $0) Widget version of iClip, iClip lite, has matured to version 2 with an awesome interface. That’s cool, but I like the bigger brother (which I have two licenses to). Weren’t the developers looking for beta testers for version 4?

Yes. Yes they were. Then that desire got posted to Digg among other places. They got 1,200 interested applicants I wish I knew which number I was. They’re rolling out the participation in phases and I’m going to pout because I wasn’t in the first cut. Boo.

[via MacCentral]

OmniDizzle goes finizzle

Posted on Jun. 18, ’06, 7:55 PM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Software

Ok, so my reworked title of Omni’s post about OmniDazzle going final, OmniDazzle goes finazzle, is kind of a ripoff. But I like it. Bizzle.

It was a short 14 days from beta to final for them, unheard of in these Google ten year beta phase days. OD still isn’t feeling a lot of love because of the $15 price tag. Surely, a pointer revealer shouldn’t cost that much, right? It does so much more, like let you write directly on the screen, or highlight specific areas.

That’s a presenter’s dream! Besides, surely the pixie dust plugin is worth $15 alone.

Two point conversions: Mac shareware numbers

Posted on Jun. 18, ’06, 3:39 PM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Business

Here’s a funny piece of trivia for you MacUser readers: way, way back when (1993, I believe), I was ever-so-briefly a Mac shareware author. Ever so briefly. I wrote a little program in BASIC to—you know, I don’t want to talk about it. It was useless. We’ll let it go at that.

Anyways, the most surprising thing about my abortive career in Mac programming was that I actually made some money. Not much, but probably close to $20, sent in envelopes to my house (in bills…and coins). Enough that I was surprised, gratified, and, most importantly, could afford some comic books. But being a Mac shareware author isn’t all fun and games, as I soon learned. And so I left the arena, never to return.

Still, I was interested to see that Rogue Amoeba (a shareware vendor whose products, unlike mine, are decidedly useful) had posted its conversion rates, i.e. what percentage of people who downloaded their software went on to buy it. As an isolated set of data it was worth a “hm,” but they extended the challenge to the rest of the Mac community, many of whom responded in kind. You can also check out numbers for Unsanity, The Little App Factory, Gaucho Software, Zengobi, Flying Meat, and Delicious Monster. It seems like 5% or so is a pretty solid conversion rate. While they’re not buying any yachts, at least they’re not going out of business left and right. Which is good, because the Mac shareware community is full of cool people.

That’s robably why, in the end, I would never have survived in it. Alas, it seems I was destined to man the lonely watchtower of Mac blogging until the very end of my days.

[via Infinite Loop]

Mr. Jobs goes to Hollywood

Posted on Jun. 18, ’06, 2:01 PM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Apple » Steve Jobs

Hollywood trade rag Variety has a big profile on our man Steve today. Negotiations with the record companies have proved successful enough that Jobs has set his gaze on Hollywood, and the gold mine for downloading movies. But having seen the way he manhandled the recording industry, and the power which he’ll command as a Disney board member, movie execs are rightfully worried about what kind of treatment they’ll receive.

Interesting tidbits in the article include the fact that Jobs has been pushing for a $9.99 price point for movies, while studios have been arguing for variable pricing (no surprise there). The question is if a $10 point will be incentive enough for people to turn away from both piracy and bargain bin DVDs. As I’ve argued before, they still have to contend with the idea of owning a tangible item, in the form of a DVD, as well as find some way of fighting off the encroaching world of on-demand.

Hollywood is striking deals with a number of online services, none of which have really captured the public’s imagination. Apple has the distribution network, but in my opinion, they’re still missing the link to get the movies from your computer to your TV. I’d be surprised if technology was holding them back, so I’m betting we’ll see that when we see a deal struck with the movie studios. I’ve got my fingers crossed for year’s end or Macworld SF.

[image via Mondo Digitale]

FrontRow refuses to play MP3s?

Posted on Jun. 17, ’06, 11:24 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Music

And the DRM saga continues. Only this time, users are running into problems playing not just DRMed music that they actually own, but DRM-free music they’ve ripped themselves from CDs.

Apple message board posters have complained of a handful of incidents in which FrontRow will refuse to play straight MP3s from a user’s iTunes library. The song files will play fine in iTunes itself, but FrontRow will say that “This computer is not authorized to play the selected song. Go to iTunes and authorize it.”

While no concrete solution has been found yet, some users are suggesting that it may be related to older ID3 tags (the metadata that stores a song’s name, artist, album, etc.); others thing it may be related to music libraries kept on external drives. Whatever it is, Apple needs to get on it lickity-split. I mean, come on, this is a Windows kind of problem, guys.

[Aehso’s Output via MacSurfer]

iPod video joins Rockies’s roster

Posted on Jun. 17, ’06, 8:43 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | iPod

I know there are a number of baseball fans in the Macworld offices (one only has to look at Philip Michaels’s recent post to Playlist’s iPod blog, or Jason Snell’s MLB vs. Slingbox editorial over at Gadgetbox), so I’m surprised none of them were the ones to point out to this the other intersection between everybody’s favorite media player and America’s favorite pastime.

It seems the Colorado Rockies have been using iPods for some time now as scouting tools. Instead of sitting in front of a monitor to watch game tape, pitchers, for example, can download videos of opposing hitters onto their video iPod and study them on a plane or in the locker room. The idea was the brainstorm of Rockies assistant video coordinator Brian Jones, and it’s attracted attention from other clubs, like the Florida Marlins and Seattle Mariners.

The Rockies have downloaded video clips into the iPods of 14 players so far. For the hitters, they’ll store every at-bat and download performances of upcoming pitchers. A 60-gigabyte iPod can hold roughly five seasons’ worth of a player’s at-bats. Pitchers can get all their performances, along with opponents’ at-bats.

Now if only we could watch live baseball games on our iPods. Come on, Major League Baseball, get with the program.

[via Gizmodo]

Just when you thought it was safe…

Posted on Jun. 17, ’06, 8:09 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Hardware » Intel Macs

The MacBook Pros have been out for almost six months now, and one would hope that most of the kinks have been worked out. Of course, plenty of Macs have developed problems well on into their years. My Performa 6300 is the perfect example. Not only did it require a logic board replacement, but its monitor eventually lost the color red. Which was annoying in a number of circumstances.

Latest in the line of MacBook Pro woes are users who are reporting batteries that have swollen. This can result in batteries that don’t charge, computer that turn off, and issues with the trackpad (the swollen battery can prevent the trackpad button from clicking). In some rare cases, it seems that it can also cause the battery case to bulge apart (shades of the splitting MacBook!). There’s no figure on how many MBPs might be affected, but the Apple discussion board threads suggest that it’s more than just isolated occurrences. Apple needs to seriously get on this, because not only are these problems causing inconvenience for MBP users, but I’d guess that batteries splitting apart like that could pose a safety risk.

I’ve got my fingers crossed that it won’t affect the MacBooks too. Any MBP users running into this issue?

[via Infinite Loop]

Apple endorses Parallels Desktop

Posted on Jun. 17, ’06, 6:44 AM PT by Aaron Freedman

Category | Windows

It seems as if Apple endorsing Windows on a Mac is like a snowball, rolling and rolling and rolling until it turns into something really big. Why do I say this? Because, when Apple made their latest “Get A Mac” ads, they also provided a link to a page about running Windows on a Mac, which talks about Parallels Desktop. Hmm, perhaps Apple may be thinking of purchasing Parallels so virtualization technology could be built into Leopard.

MS developing iPod & iTMS equivalents

Posted on Jun. 16, ’06, 3:30 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | Apple » Rivals

Not many details are known at this time, but the project is being headed by Robbie Bach, who is the man responsible for XBOX. According to Reuters:

Microsoft’s service will emphasize the pay-per-download, or a la carte, model, the sources said. A subscription component will also be offered, according to early accounts of the planned service. One source, who has seen a demonstration of the service, said it was an improvement over iTunes.

An improvement over iTunes? This ought to be interesting… You can be sure that as news of the MS iPod develops, MacUser and Macworld will have you informed.

[via Slashdot]

Photoshop on Mactels: an update

Posted on Jun. 16, ’06, 1:39 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | Software

Only one Mac sporting a G-series processor remains. More and more people are switching over to Intel-based Macs everyday. Meanwhile, Photoshop CS2 remains the most widely used (by consumers and pros alike) non-Universal application, and we haven’t had any update from Adobe on the progress of Universal-ness.

Well, wait no more. Last night was Adobe’s 2nd quarter conference call. So the answer, you might be asking? The wait continues. Unfortunately the call simply reaffirmed what many of us knew:

The biggest concern we have around that customer is that many of them are either looking to move to Apple’s new platform, or they have new moved to Apple’s new platform and our current set of products don’t work very well on the Mactel environment.

It is our intent again to focus on the CS3 version where we will provide the entire suite for Mactel, as well as for other operating systems, rather than doing any interim releases.

The performance is just not as good as we would like to be and it won’t get there until we ship CS3. That has been in our plan all along. I suspect that there is not much that we will be able to do until we actually release the CS3 product.

No Intel support until CS3? Darn. My next question, then, is when is CS3 going to be appearing from behind a curtain in suit made of tinfoil with lots of artificial fog?

FADE IN: Mariner releases Montage public beta

Posted on Jun. 16, ’06, 1:10 PM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Software

In my lament for a good Mac word processor a few months back, I mentioned how I was looking for something in the vein of screenplay program Final Draft, but for novels. In the comments to that post, a reader mentioned that if I was looking for good screenplay software, I should keep my eyes peeled for Mariner’s forthcoming Montage, the first Cocoa-developed screenwriting package.

Yesterday, Mariner announced the release of a public beta version of Montage, so I hit the download queue and gave it a run. The verdict? A lot of what I’d like to see in my theoretical novel-writing program is in Montage. If Mariner Write is half this slick, maybe it’s time for me to let go of AppleWorks. Heck, maybe I can use Montage for my novels.

More thoughts after the jump.

How much of an Apple fan are you?

Posted on Jun. 16, ’06, 12:30 PM PT by Cyrus Farivar

Category | Apple » Stores

All right, Apple fans, you think you’re hardcore? You think that having gone both to the 24/7 Apple store in New York and Apple’s flagship store in San Francisco makes you cool? Huh? Are you ready to take the ultimate Apple Store challenge : camp out in an Apple Store for A WEEK STRAIGHT. Why? Because it’s there.

This Suicide Girl (possibly NSFW) is more hardcore than you.

This is like pulling an all-nighter in college, but without the joy and good cheer that comes with finishing a well-written paper on the Unelected Succession of Gerald Ford to the Presidency of the United States.

so it’s more like college in that “what am i doing with my life?” sense of malaise.

[via Digg]

Reaction from China

Posted on Jun. 16, ’06, 11:30 AM PT by Cyrus Farivar

Category | Apple

Here’s one Chinese journalist’s reaction to the Apple is allegedly exploiting workers in China story :

Visitors are not permitted into the factory? Since when were you able to tiptoe around the vats of beer at Anheuser-Busch’s brewery in Williamsburg, Virginia? Or when was the last time you showed up at Microsoft’s compound unannounced in Redmond and expected the royal treatment?

And the workers toil in “a five-storey factory that is secured by police officers”? Is that to keep the workers inside or the hoi polloi outside? Maybe they are police officers, but chances are good the journalist made a common “laowai” mistake and assumed that the “bao’an”, or rent-a-cop security officers, were instead “jingcha”, or official police.

27 British pounds per month is the price of a few pints for you and your friends in an English pub, right? However if the workers did not have to pay for the dormitory, that is a decent, albeit low, wage. The journalist should instead wonder why the buying parity of Chinese and Britons is so lopsided and ask Apple to reduce its high-priced iPod devices. Put this in perspective: a decent 512mb MP3 player in China costs US$35, while the same sort of device in the United States can cost US$110. Yet a McDonald’s Big Mac in China costs about US$1.50 while the same dead cow sandwich costs US$2.50. I’m no Myron Scholes, but the differences in the ratios shows you that you can not make a valid argument between China and Britain based on the buying power of British money in Britain.

[Hat tip : Peter Cohen]

A graduation speech that makes you “think different”

Posted on Jun. 16, ’06, 11:00 AM PT by Aaron Freedman

Category | Apple » Steve Jobs

Ah, June. This time of year means warm weather, long days, and school graduations. And with school graduations come graduation commencement speeches. Commencement speeches can cover a variety of topics ranging from maturity to never giving up to taking responsibility, but last night I heard a speech that talked about one of the most amazing things possible — Steve Jobs. Yes, at my middle school graduation yesterday, our principle delivered a speech that mentioned Steve Jobs himself. The part about Jobs talked about how he dropped out of college and then took a college calligraphy class, which led to him to him creating a variety of typefaces for the Mac. Obviously, this part of the speech blew me away. For someone who you would never suspect to even think about Apple Computer to devote a whole part of a speech to Steve Jobs just amazed me. This was almost as good as having Jobs himself give a commencement speech, as he did at Stanford University last year. But the best part was that the mention of Jobs actually meant something more to me than just the fact that he was mentioned; I was able to understand the message behind it, that even seemingly small, pointless events can turn out to create great, or in this case, “insanely great,” things.

CNN: Where Gates goes, Ballmer should follow

Posted on Jun. 16, ’06, 10:46 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Apple » Rivals

In a column for CNN Money, Business 2.0 editor Owen Thomas suggests that if Microsoft really wants their fortunes to turn, then Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer should follow Bill Gates’s example and bid adieu to the Redmond powerhouse.

Since Gates stepped down as CEO in 2000 in favor of Ballmer, the company has floundered technically and strategically. As the company’s chairman, chief software architect and supposed visionary, Gates deserves blame for missing the wave of Web-based software that has propelled Google and Yahoo.

But Ballmer has made gaffes of his own in his longtime role as head of the company’s business side. They include an undistinguished push into business applications to compete with Oracle, financial maneuvers that have failed to stir the stock - which has slumped 16 percent so far this year - and continuing antitrust problems in the United States and Europe.

Thomas lines up the possible successors for Ballmer’s CEO role: Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner, co-president of MS’s Platform and Services Division Kevin Johnson, and Microsoft consumer and home entertainment product chief Robbie Bach, who oversaw the Xbox’s debut. So, for those of you making book at home, that’s 2:1 odds on the next CEO of MS being named “Kevin.” You heard it here first.

[via Slashdot]

Ihnatko: Kill, Marry, and…

Posted on Jun. 16, ’06, 9:54 AM PT by Andy Ihnatko

Category | Ihnatko

On April 1, 2006, the Mac community united in a touching display of harmony, peace, and celebration, metaphorically gathering around the huge tree in the middle of the town square to sing the same lilting hymn:

I can’t believe that Apple didn’t do anything to mark its 30th anniversary!

I am a colossal Mac fan. I, too had been hoping that Apple would do something special, like release a limited-edition iPod on April 1. Perhaps one shaped like a vintage 5 1/4” floppy, with a 140K storage capacity to match. By my calculations, this is enough to store six seconds of music, which would make this product a must-have for both (a) nostalgic Apple fans, and (b) anyone who doesn’t want to risk exceeding the doctor-recommended maximum dosage of ABBA.

But I am also a man. This means that I have shown up for a date unaware that the evening marked the three-month anniversary of the first time we’d read the Sunday paper together in silence. She was expecting me to hand her a small box from Tiffany’s containing something geological in nature. I instead had brought her a novelty Batman keychain that I thought she’d left behind in my apartment. This was another date that was memorable for its silence, but it was that awkward kind during which your mind races to choose which body part you’re going to try to protect when the attack commences.

So my sympathies are definitely with Apple, here: they can hardly be blamed for not appreciating the significance of the moment or the scale of the disappointment they were about to create. And for Heaven’s sake… do you even know what the traditional 30th anniversary gift is? It’s Pearl. So head on down to the Apple Store and buy yourself a pearl-colored iPod if it’ll make you feel any better.

Still, an anniversary is an anniversary, and I chose to mark the occasion by thinking about all of the hardware that Apple’s produced in the past thirty years and invoking a challenge that a friend introduced me to recently. It’s just three words: KILL, MARRY and…

…Well, then there’s a word that’s very naughty. If you need a hint, I’ll reveal that the Wikipedia establishes the word’s first published occurrence in a 15th-century poem entitled “Flen flyys,” satirizing the Carmelite friars of Cambridge.

The challenge translates thusly: “Name one [album, movie, industrial method of coking coal ore] you’d like to eradicate from all existence, one that you love enough to commit to it for the rest of your life, and one that you know is no good for you but you’ll have a night of fun with it anyway and hope that it never calls back.”

BlogZOT returns, with HoudahSearch 1.2

Posted on Jun. 16, ’06, 8:48 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Software

Those crazy people over at MacZOT. They’re insane. To plug desktop search application HoudahSpot 1.2, MacZOT is giving away up to 5000 copies in one of their BlogZOT promotions. Bloggers who write a review on HoudahSpot will get a free copy and, each blog review will drop the cost of a HoudahSpot license by $.05. The license is starting at $14.95, but once it hits zero, it’s free (as in air).

What exactly is HoudahSpot, and why would you want a free copy of it? Well, here it is straight from the horse’s mouth:

HoudahSpot is a file search tool based on Apple’s Spotlight technology. It enables users to quickly create and store powerful search queries.

Anyways, the BlogZOT shindig only lasts until midnight PST tonight. As of this writing, the license price is down to $14.05, so there’s definitely a bit of play left in it. If you’re a blogger, and you want to get involved (and snag yourself a free copy of HoudahSearch), go check out MacZOT. Tell ‘em MacUser sent you. Oh, and whil you’re at it, tell ‘em MacUser said they were nuttier than the contents of a squirrel’s pantry.

Don’t smack that book

Posted on Jun. 16, ’06, 8:07 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Software

Everyone should remember the SmackBook, the hack that let you switch virtual desktops by perpetrating random acts of violence upon your computer. Well, these programmers thought that there just might be a more peaceful solution, so they harnessed one of the Mac’s other unique features to create—trumpet fanfare, if you would—the ShadowBook.

Instead of giving your computer a wallop, gently pass your hand over the ambient light sensor (used in 15” and 17” PowerBooks and MacBook Pros), and the software will spring into action. Nifty keen, to be sure, but sad for us iBook and MacBook users who have been left out in the cold. Perhaps we could use one of the MacBook’s other unique features—I’m thinking the magnetic latch, though I have now idea how that would work. No doubt some enterprising coder will find the way, though.

[via Gizmodo]

LCDs will outperform CRTs

Posted on Jun. 16, ’06, 7:36 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Hardware

I’m completely satisfied with my Formac 20.1” LCD display. I hear a few people are thrilled with Apple’s LCDs. However, when it comes to color accuracy and response, CRTs are still king (and take up the room to prove it). That may be a thing of the past.

LCD panels have traditionally been lagging behind CRT monitors in terms of color response, saturation, accuracy and overall black-level response. Because LCDs are “always lit” by a backlight, deep dark blacks have been the Achilles heel of LCD technology. However, a company named eCinema Systems has announced a new LCD technology that it claims surpasses CRT in virtually every respect.

Works for me. Apple prides itself on color accuracy with its own LCDs. Can we expect them to adopt this technology? I hope so.

[via Digg]

Mac OS evolution

Posted on Jun. 16, ’06, 6:29 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Apple

More than a couple among us have seen the drastic evolution of the Mac OS from System 7 to Mac OS X. Some may even remember System 1.0 (mindblowing). As a software engineer, it’s genuinely exciting to see prototypes of the OS, dating back to the Lisa days.

When I actually write that out, it seems a little sad. But who cares? We’re talking about Apple. As you take a look, read the caption for the first picture. Softkeys. At one point, a list of actions was lining the bottom of the screen (corresponding to the various function keys). I think we managed to dodge the bullet on that one.

Meetro helps you stalk… errr… keep track of your friends

Posted on Jun. 16, ’06, 5:11 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Software

Now that many of us are connected to the net almost constantly, automating the process of knowing when you’re close to your friends has a gotten a whole lot easier. Dodgeball uses your cell phone. Meetro uses your IP address to figure it out. I’m not sure it’s perfect, but it did figure out the town I was in.

It uses Growl to let you know your friend is closing in fast. Sounds a little creepy, but then again, my friends are creepy. Now at least I know to hide when they’re getting close. Naturally, their client is OS X compatible. I don’t use enough WiFi hotspots to get a lot of use out of this.

Daniel Jalkut isn’t hip to its UI.

The ideal clipboard enhancer

Posted on Jun. 15, ’06, 5:01 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | Software

Tim over at Hawk Wings today covered an update to one of the best Mac clipboard enhancers I have ever seen. Why is it so great? Because it’s so simple.

A while ago I was looking for something that would simply track my copy/pasteing and let me choose which snippet of text I wanted to work with. I found some utilities, but they all either were too complicated, cost money, or didn’t perform the right functions. Here comes Jumpcut.

By using shortcuts/hot keys or the menu bar you can simply select from a list which of the copied pieces of text you want to use. So simple, yet so perfect. Thanks Tim.

Gates debuts Microsoft PuppetMaster 2006

Posted on Jun. 15, ’06, 3:27 PM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Apple » Rivals

It was really only a matter of time before Bill Gates retreated from the limelight into the shadowy den he’s created for himself beneath his immense Washington state compound. By removing himself from his daily role as Chief Software Architect of Microsoft, he ensures that he will only be revealed to a select few—an upper echelon of hand-picked executives.

In the absence of the Microsoft founder and mastermind (no, not Paul Allen), Chief Technology Officer Ray Ozzie has assumed the role of Chief Software Architect, while Steve “Crazy Man” Ballmer—Microsoft’s Dick Cheney—remains on as Chief Executive Officer.

If nothing else, might this shed some light on the pictures we recently posted of Bill Gates with Apple CEO Steve Jobs? Could Bill have been demonstrating his Super Ninja Vanishing Technique? Could Steve have been applauding Bill’s diabolical masterplan?

Even though Gates is stepping down, he’ll still be a busy man. Maybe he’ll finally get around to answering those thousands of emails he gets every day. Maybe he’ll finally get a chance to hone his Xbox skills, playing live under his chosen handle, “Gates of Hell.” Maybe he’ll finally admit that his charitable organization, the Bill and Meldina Gates Foundation, is merely a front for a plot to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids.

Then again, maybe I’m just jealous of his six hojillion dollars and now copious free time.

Nahhh.

Apple store in Boston almost there

Posted on Jun. 15, ’06, 1:06 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | Apple » Stores

I hate to steal Dan’s thunder (I guess today is just the day of thunder-stealing), but this one was just too good to pass up: the Boston Apple Store. I know it’s Dan’s hometown, but since it will be mine as well in 3 months (school) I figured I have just as much right as he does.

Last night Apple got a practical approval of their desired store in Boston from the Back Bay Architectural Commission, says The Boston Globe. They gave Apple approval for the demolition of the existing building on Boylston St., where the new Apple Store is planned to exist. The committee did, however, express one concern…

…about the amount of light emitted from inside the store, especially with new residential neighbors moving into the planned five-star Mandarin Oriental across the street. Apple said there might be some degree of coating on the glass, but that it wants to keep the building as transparent as possible.

That’s right Apple, those transparent buildings sure are eye-catching. Looks to me that as long as Apple comes up with an acceptable building design, we’ll see a store in no time. We wouldn’t want Boston to have to wait too long to get its tax dollars and foot traffic that the Apple Store will inevitably bring.

New patents show signs of wireless and video conferencing iPods

Posted on Jun. 15, ’06, 12:42 PM PT by Aaron Freedman

Category | iPod

Well, it seems like the latest iPod-related patents are out, which means speculation time begins. This time though, the patent wasn’t actually filed by Apple itself, but by someone who appears to want to make an iPod accessory. The patent seems to show an iPod accessory that would add video conferencing capabilities to the iPod, either wired or wirelessly. The patent also mentions using the iPod as a video server or a device that can receive Internet video streams. Of course this is just a patent, so that doesn’t guarantee that this iPod accessory could be out anytime soon (we started seeing touchscreen interface patents by Apple in early-February, yet still no touchscreen iPods or laptops), but a video conferencing iPod would be pretty cool.

[via Engadget]

Weird Al makes less from iTunes than from CDs. Weird.

Posted on Jun. 15, ’06, 11:29 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | iTunes » iTunes Store

Anyone who disputes the fact that Weird Al Yankovic is one of the great artistic minds of our age clearly hasn’t listened to “Albuquerque.” The master parodist has released a dozen albums, starred in a handful of movies (predominantly cult classic UHF), and gone toe-to-toe with rapper Coolio. And yet, like the rest of us, he admits himself occasionally baffled by the recording industry.

In response to a question on the “Ask Al” section of his website, Al discussed whether downloading an album from iTunes or buying a CD nets him more profit:

I am extremely grateful for your support, no matter which format you choose to legally obtain my music in, so you should do whatever makes the most sense for you personally. But since you ASKED… I actually do get significantly more money from CD sales, as opposed to downloads. This is the one thing about my renegotiated record contract that never made much sense to me. It costs the label NOTHING for somebody to download an album (no manufacturing costs, shipping, or really any overhead of any kind) and yet the artist (me) winds up making less from it. Go figure.

Man, I hate sauerkraut.

[via Slashdot]

Students: go Mac and you won’t look back

Posted on Jun. 15, ’06, 10:35 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Software

Summer: the time of vacations, rest, relaxation, and—oh my god, summer’s almost over! School’s right on the horizon. Okay, calm down. Breathe. In, out. Most importantly, don’t panic. You’ve still got plenty of time before that next semester of college hits you like a brick wall. And if your old computer is clunking away, at least that’s one decision that won’t require staring bleakly into your coffee every morning.

Writing for his Technology & You column at BusinessWeek Online, Stephen Wildstrom imparts this sage advice to students heading off to college for the first time: pack a Mac.

While I have been a Mac fan for years, I have never felt strongly enough to make the Mac a default recommendation. But things have changed. Mac software, both the OS X operating system and the applications such as iPhoto and GarageBand bundled with it, have gotten steadily better, while Windows seems stuck in a rut.

And remember, of course, that if you grab a new one between now and September 16th, you can snag yourself a free nano. What’re you waiting for?

[hat tip to Rob “Where does he get all of those wonderful toys?” Griffiths]

Here comes Parallels, here comes Parallels, right down Parallels lane

Posted on Jun. 15, ’06, 9:25 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Software

I hate to steal Aaron’s thunder—I know how much he loves his Parallels announcements, but now that the virtualization software has finally hit its official release, it’s fair game, baby.

Really, the only sad thing about Parallels being released is that now it’ll actually cost you some dough. The retail price for the package is $79.99, but if you act now, it can be yours for the low low price of $49.99. Not as good as free, but oh well.

For those of you who have missed our extensive coverage of the subject, Parallels is virtualization software that lets you install other applications on your Intel Mac, such as Linux, or Solaris, and even—*gasp*—the dreaded Windows XP. To paraphrase my Jewish grandmother: “What? Now the Mac OS isn’t good enough for you? Oy!”

Use iPod to back up…your toilets

Posted on Jun. 15, ’06, 8:17 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | iPod

Don’t drop your iPod mini in a toilet, okay? I could see that look in your eyes, like you were considering just letting it drop in. I’m here to tell you that it’s not the answer. In fact, I’m thinking about doing a “The More You Know” style public service announcement for it: “Talk to your kids about flushing their iPods down the toilet. Because it’s not just about the music anymore.”

The truth of the matter is that I’m trying to help you; I’m trying to save you money. It cost Santa Clara University $1000 a week for months to get this girl’s pink iPod mini out of their pipes. But, as it turns out, the iPod mini is virtually indestructible.

In order to get the iPod out from under that building, crews simultaneously flushed as many toilets as they could and they turned on every sink. That caused a water surge which pushed the iPod into a larger more accessible pipe.

Next, a water company was hired to blast water into the pipe in yet another attempt to get the iPod out of the pipe. That effort worked, but at the same time, the blast of water along with a build-up of air caused geysers to burst from the second floor toilets.

Somewhere in Cupertino, a light bulb is going on over Steve Jobs’s head.

[via Digg]

Yager is not impressed

Posted on Jun. 15, ’06, 7:39 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Apple

Tom “Yagerbomb” Yager is back with more on Apple’s currently closed kernel (say that three times fast). He had a meeting with the company, but it apparently turned ugly.

To sum up Apple’s objections, they felt I had given a year-old story a fresh coat of paint and sensationalized it for an audience that wasn’t affected by it. Yet no story is more timely, or more broadly relevant, than this one.

The meeting started sliding downhill when Apple asked, “Has anybody ever written to you about this? How many people actually recompile their OS X kernels?”

Well, Tom does and he takes issue with being marginalized by virtue of numbers. He acknowledges that Apple is going to be returning the Intel version of Mac OS X’s kernel to the open source community shortly, but feels that Apple’s behavior has been substandard. I just don’t care that much. As long as it gets done eventually, a little hiatus isn’t so bad.

But does it require a two thirds majority

Posted on Jun. 15, ’06, 6:44 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Software

Amendment is the new shareware hotness in the Mac software community. Misspell a word and the application immediately prompts you to correct the word, using a very pretty transparent window. If it’s wrong, choose another.

It’s definitely an improvement to the way that it’s currently handled (you have to control click). Apple should have envisioned something like this long ago. I’ve become so dependent upon the built in spell check that anytime I use another computer, I become either really frustrated or I abuse Google’s spell check feature.

At $16 (currently has a 20% reduced price), it seems a tad pricey though. For $5, I could get right on board.

Washington fines Apple

Posted on Jun. 15, ’06, 6:16 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Legal

Just when you thought Apple’s lawyers were busy enough with lawsuits and court dates, Apple gets caught with its hand in the cookie jar. This time, the cookie is offering service contracts without registering with the state of Washington. Broken metaphors? I am the master.

According to the Puget Sound Business Journal:

Apple Computer Inc. has been fined $100,000 by the state of Washington for not registering with the state, as required by law. According to Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler, Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) didn’t register as a service contract provider from 2000 to 2004. A 1999 Washington law required all companies selling service contracts to register with the Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

$100k right down the drain. Ouch. I have to wonder if a little birdy tipped them off.

[via Macsimum News]

Calling all Map Geeks

Posted on Jun. 14, ’06, 4:00 PM PT by Cyrus Farivar

Category | Software

So if you’re a map geek like me, you surely loved the news about Sketchup and Google Earth for Mac.

I got to see a demo of it at the Where 2.0 conference yesterday in San Jose.

Macworld Editors’ Notes:

John Hanke of Google was here to show off some of the latest features in Google Earth. At last year’s conference, Google showed off Google Earth and said that Mac users would have to wait. This year, Hanke said that he’d recently switched back to using a Mac, and that Google Earth “screams” on a MacBook.

Adobe releases Lightroom Beta 3

Posted on Jun. 14, ’06, 1:41 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | Software » Updates

Surely you’ve heard of Aperture, Apple’s solution for professional photographers shooting in RAW, and maybe you’ve heard some of the not-so-nice things people have had to say about it. Often people will compare Aperture to Adobe’s free, still-in-Beta program Lightroom, which was updated to version beta 3 today.

The newest version is available for free download directly from Adobe, and has quite a few upgrades/updates, the most significant of which are:

• Before/After preview and ability to track changes, which allows better monitoring of your post-production
• Live previewing of HTML and Flash web output
• Handles PSD/TIFF files
• Straighten tool for fixing those crooked horizons
• Keyword enhancements
• New printing options
• More camera RAW support

iPod competition, or just another MP3 player?

Posted on Jun. 14, ’06, 1:26 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | Apple » Rivals

As Apple/iPod fans, it’s too bad we never hear about the latest “iPod Killer.” Oh, wait a minute, we always hear about the latest device slated to slaughter the iPod, and this one is no exception. Perhaps, however, it’s a little different.

MusicGremlin today released a portable music player paired with an integrated online music service. The music service includes two options, a $.99 per download purchase price, or a $14.99 per month unlimited rental plan. The online music store features over 2 million tracks from the four major record labels and thousands of independent labels.

The player itself (creatively titled the Gremlin MG-1000) features a color screen, 8 GB hard drive, and integrated Wi-Fi connection. This Wi-Fi connection allows users to download music directly to their player from anywhere there’s wireless internet. It also allows two players to connect and browse each other’s music libraries. Subscription-based users can actually swap music between devices, completely legally.

The device however, can only connect to PCs, so Mac users are stuck using the Wi-Fi features of the device. What do you think, does this device threaten iTunes and the iPod?

Find “in use” files and open ports

Posted on Jun. 14, ’06, 1:25 PM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Tips

Several weeks ago, I discovered a neat trick, thanks to Rob “That’s not a hint; this is a hint” Griffiths. On his Mac OS X Hints weblog, he discussed a terminal command called lsof (short for “list open files”). His suggestion was to use this to find out what application had a file open when you receive this irritating message while trying to empty the Trash: “The operation cannot be completed because the item * is in use.”

If you open up a Terminal session, you can type lsof and it will tell you what files are open. This is usually a pretty long, unhelpful list, but if you add the path and name of the file you’re looking for at the end, for example lsof /Users/dmoren/Desktop/example.txt, it’ll print out just the entry for that file. If you want to see a list of all files open for a particular application, you can pair it with grep, i.e. lsof | grep Safari (the “|” character is the one above your return key; in the command line, it represents a way to take the output of one application and send it into another application).

But that’s not the end of lsof use. Today, I was trying to determine what network port a particular application was using. I did a quick search for solutions on the net, and what should come up, but our old friend lsof? Turns out if you type lsof -i, you’ll get a list of open ports, along with other network info. Piping that through grep makes it pretty easy to find what port you need.

Flock 0.7 released as Universal Binary

Posted on Jun. 14, ’06, 12:27 PM PT by Aaron Freedman

Category | Software » Updates

Remember Flock, the Mozilla-based social networking browser? Well, it’s back, and with a real bang. For one thing, Flock 0.7 Beta 1 is a Universal Binary, so it’ll run smoothly on Intel Macs. Also, the new version of Flock has much improved feed reading with a newspaper-like interface, better photo browsing and blogging, a much faster live-search, and a slew of other great features (Web Snippets and del.icio.us integration to name a few). Flock used to be my favorite web browser, and I still do hold it in high regard, as it tries to accomplish something amazing — have every web-based application you’ll ever need in a single app. With the full release of Flock 0.7 (which I have been following since it’s very early development stages), Flock is much better and more stable, though it is hard for me to let go of my dedicated applications in favor of it. For example, Flock doesn’t have the great OS X integration of Camino, the super-easy to use and fast interface of NetNewsWire, and the advanced features of ecto, though it has made a start (a Universal Binary, intuitive newsreading interface, and more advanced blogging features). Still, at this stage, I’ll prefer to use Flock on an occasional basis, but just not as my day-to-day web browser/newsreading/blogging application.

Boston Apple Store back from drawing board?

Posted on Jun. 14, ’06, 12:01 PM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Apple » Stores

After the construction of the 24/7 Apple Mecca in New York, my hopes are high for the planned flagship store in my hometown of Boston. Apple has been planning to build a store in the Back Bay district (home to plenty of high-end shopping) for some time now, but they’d run into some difficulties with the Back Bay Architectural Committee, who were not thrilled about the idea of demolishing an existing building to make way for a new one. Apple went back to the drawing board and came up with new plans for integrating the store better with the surrounding area.

The proposed plans have three floors worth of retail space and a full-size basement for staff, totaling 22,116 square feet. Included in the design is a spiral staircase in the center of the store. Apple had previously delayed two hearings with the committee, because, according to the company’s representative in this case, Stephen Miller, “they just weren’t ready. They spend a lot of time with these signature stores, and they don’t rush into anything.”

I’m glad that Apple is sensitive to this issue. While Back Bay is a very swank and upscale area, it has a lot of history in it as well. Demolishing buildings is very hard in a city that has as ridiculous a number of historical landmarks as Boston does. Hopefully, the plans will meet with the committee’s approval, and we’ll have a new store in no time.

[Photo by Aiyaz Husain]

Discoloration, Meet Nail Polish Remover

Posted on Jun. 14, ’06, 12:00 PM PT by Cyrus Farivar

Category | Hardware

So we’ve seen some discoloration photos on the new MacBooks earlier this week. But none of these geeks seem to have come up with a solution — until now.

Apparently, the answer is nail polish remover! (Specifically, non-acetone nail polish remover. Ask your chemist and/or wife/girlfriend what that means, because I sure don’t.)

Anyone out there willing to try this?

[via Digg]

How do I watch the World Cup on my Mac?

Posted on Jun. 14, ’06, 11:08 AM PT by Cyrus Farivar

Category | Video

Ok soccer fans, like many of you, I’m at my desk during most of the World Cup games. And given that the games are in the morning, there’s not really much chance that I’m going to duck out early at the end of the work day to watch the World Cup.

So here’s the problem that I pose to you, without using Virtual PC/Boot Camp, how do I watch World Cup games on my Mac?

There have been an number of answers, including this one by my tech journalist buddy Paul Boutin, but it requires a PC application. Isn’t there a way to watch on a Mac?

Mac soccer fans, where are you?

Under the Gavel: on the Nordic track; Creative running ahead

Posted on Jun. 14, ’06, 9:27 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Legal

Welcome back to another edition of “Under the Gavel.” I’m your host, with totally no legal expertise whatsoever (except for what I picked up by osmosis while working at the Harvard Law School Library’s IT department). Norway, Sweden and Denmark band together against Apple, leaving everybody wondering: can Finland be far behind? Meanwhile, are Creative’s claims gaining some traction?

Last time, we reported on Norway’s Consumer Ombudsman, Bjørn “The Norwegian Hammer” Erik Thon, who speculated that the iTunes Music Store’s terms of service were in contradiction with the country’s laws. Since then, Norway has been joined by neighbors Sweden and Denmark. These three Scandinavian musketeers have now thrown down the Viking gauntlet, giving Apple until August 1st to respond to their allegations with something better than “Are not!” If Apple is determined by a Norwegian court to be violating the consumer protection laws, the company may be required to shutter their music operations in that country. According to a Danish consumer official, a decision like that may presage a similar ruling in Denmark, as their consumer laws are very similar to Norway’s.

Meanwhile, Creative is swaggering around, bolstered by news that the International Trade Commission has taken steps to begin an investigation of Apple. The two companies had been locked in John Woo-style face off: a couple of weeks ago, Creative claimed that Apple’s iPod user interface violated a patent held by the Singapore-based company (now catchily dubbed the “Zen patent”); in retaliation, Apple quickly launched a pair of countersuits against Creative. No news yet on how those suits are progressing.

That’s it for this time. Stay tuned for another exciting installment, or else risk being held in contempt (not legal contempt, you understand, just the garden variety scorn).

Apple responds to iPod “sweatshop” claims

Posted on Jun. 14, ’06, 7:39 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Apple » News

This week saw the release of a story in a UK paper, the Mail on Sunday, about the working conditions in the Foxconn plants that assemble Apple’s iPods. As Scott reported earlier, the article suggested that workers put in long hours for little pay, as well as enduring other restrictions placed on their living and working situations.

Apple has finally responded to the allegations in a statement:

Apple is committed to ensuring that working conditions in our supply chain are safe, workers are treated with respect and dignity, and manufacturing processes are environmentally responsible…[Apple is] currently investigating the allegations regarding working conditions in the iPod manufacturing plant in China.

That Apple is looking into this is good; it’s an important issue. Then again, I think that labor conditions in foreign countries tend to be treated as an issue of convenience; pick it up when it benefits you, discard it when it doesn’t (like, when you want to buy an iPod). Make no mistake, there are in all likelihood dozens, if not hundreds, of companies doing the same thing in China and other places. Take a hard look at the number of products you own that bear “Made in China” or “Made in Taiwan” labels. What makes this such a big story is largely the popularity of the iPod itself. Will this make any difference in the way companies carry out their business? Maybe, but the bigger response, as always, will come from our wallets.

Over 33 million served

Posted on Jun. 14, ’06, 7:29 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Business

The Consumer Industry Almanac (CIA between you and me) studies market trends and makes predictions. Naturally they foresee huge gains in computer sales, but of note is the number they throw out for Apple.

33 million.

That’s a lot of Macs. It sounds impressive, but considering their projection for total computers sold, 1.3 billion, we’re only talking about 2.5% of the entire projected market. Those numbers seem a bit low to me. Am I just being optimistic?

[via Macsimum News]

Another Haxie ready for ICBMs

Posted on Jun. 14, ’06, 6:57 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Software

FruitMenu is one of those pieces of software I consider essential. There’s a couple reasons, but the leading one is rooted in nostalgia. When System 7.5 debuted, I remember taking a huge mental note that hierarchal menus were added to the Apple menu.

Why was that so important? I visited Control Panels on a regular basis. With the new feature, the ability to browse and launch each individual panel was revealed. It was a huge productivity booster. When OS X arrived, we reverted back to System 7.1. Back to the stone age. FruitMenu brought that back as well as added a dozen other cool features.

Version 3.6 primarily adds Intel compatibility (another piece of software I don’t need to worry about when transitioning), but also includes an automatic version checker. Sweet.

Ewww, ooze!

Posted on Jun. 14, ’06, 6:08 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Hardware

First we have yellow wrist rests, now we have green ooze. Where will it end? I refuse to have a fuschia light coming from my mouse. Apparently, in some of the liquid cooled Power Macs, the aforementioned liquid escaped from its cooling jail. Some had their concerns when this appeared as a feature and they’ve been validated, even if just a little bit.

With Intel’s new emphasis on cool, power efficient design, we may not see liquid cooling for a while. However, the cooler temperatures and reduced noise could make the upcoming Mac Pros whisper quiet. That’s something I’m really counting on, because as well as my Power Mac MDD has served me, it’s anything but quiet. My loft gets warm and when the fans kick in, well, it’s unpleasant.

[via Daring Fireball’s Linked List]

Transition Apps

Posted on Jun. 13, ’06, 5:28 PM PT by Aaron Freedman

Category | Software

Many Mac users now, probably including some of our readers, are converts from Windows. As a recent convert myself, I know that the transition to OS X can seem daunting at first, as many of your day-to-day applications Windows won’t on a Mac. That’s why I’ve created a list of some popular Windows-only applications and their OS X counterparts.

Internet Explorer 6 - Safari: Safari is OS X’s built-in web browser, complete with all of your basic browser features. These include bookmark management, history management, password management, and support for most modern web page standards. Safari also comes with some more advanced features such as RSS reading, auto filling in of forms, and built-in Google search.
Alternatives: Firefox, Camino.

Outlook Express - Apple Mail: Apple Mail comes incldued with OS X and is a full-featured Mail client. It supports the IMAP, POP, and SMTP standards, folders, and junk mail filtering. Mail is also directly integrated with .Mac, so setting up your .Mac e-mail account couldn’t be any simpler. Plus, Mail uses Tiger’s Spotlight search technology to feature a live Mail search and smart folders.
Alternatives: Thunderbird, Entourage (see below).

iCarta Stereo Dock for iPod with Bath Tissue Holder

Posted on Jun. 13, ’06, 2:22 PM PT by Cyrus Farivar

Category | iPod

Why you’d need an iPod dock in your bathroom is beyond me, but there it is. I’m not sure you’re going to be seeing this reviewed on Playlist anytime soon.

[via Boing Boing]

Use that iPod for everything it’s worth

Posted on Jun. 13, ’06, 2:13 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | iPod

If you own an iPod video or an iPod nano, hopefully you know by now that it can display album art, as well as store lyrics to your songs. Maybe you didn’t know this. Maybe you did and you’re just too lazy to go update your 4,500 songs. In any case, if this sounds appealing, then read on.

With the use of two little Dashboard Widgets and one AppleScript, this entire process becomes insanely easy, and insanely free. (There are some apps which perform similar functions for a price.) First of all is easily getting and applying album art. For this step we will use the creatively titled Album Art Widget, which automatically searches Amazon or Google for your album’s art and with a single click applies it to all tracks.

For lyrics we will use the pearLyrics widget. This widget automatically looks up the Now Playing song’s lyrics (with surprising accuracy) and will copy them into iTunes (which will then transfer them to your iPod). But this would require several days of constant music playing to add lyrics to all your songs. As a remedy we turn to Doug’s Needle Drop AppleScript which will play each song in your library for a set amount of time, say 15 seconds. Now in only a few hours time, all your songs have lyrics and art to enhance your listening experience. What a revolutionary concept.

MacBooks get tasty

Posted on Jun. 13, ’06, 12:03 PM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Apple » People

What’s better than a brand new gleaming white MacBook? Maybe—just maybe—a brand new gleaming white MacBook cake. Yes, in the grand tradition of cakes that look like Apple products, this fellow received a replica of Apple’s newest Mac portable in the traditional Apple white (one wonders if it was yellow cake).

Dave Chan asked his sister for a MacBook for his birthday, and he certainly got what he asked for. Mostly. Hey, Dave, if you don’t want it, can I have a piece? It probably can’t live up to my R2-D2 cake from this past birthday, but you know what they say: the proof is in the pudding. Er, cake. Yes.

[via Digg]

Boot Camp featured in new “Get a Mac” ad

Posted on Jun. 13, ’06, 9:18 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Apple » Advertising

Apple has launched three new ads in its “Get a Mac” campaign, featuring actors John Hodgman (The Daily Show) and Justin Long (Dodgeball, Ed) as the PC and the Mac respectively. Older ads touted the Mac’s usefulness as a digital hub and its immunity to Windows viruses. The new ads feature the Mac’s usefulness out of the box, more on the Mac as a digital lifestyle hub, and, finally, OS X’s Boot Camp, which allows Macs to run Windows.

The Boot Camp ad is by far the most interesting. Apple hasn’t leveraged the technology in an advertising campaign before, which is unsurprising as the software is still officially beta. But by putting it front and center with this new ad, they’re essentially saying that not only is Boot Camp here to stay, but it’s an integral part of their new marketing strategy, though the ad doesn’t mention it by name.

I’m curious to know whether we’ll see a non-beta release of Boot Camp before Leopard’s release; barring that, I’d say we’ll probably be seeing Leopard in the not too distant future. We know Steve will be showing it off in August, at WWDC, anybody want to make book on whether or not it’ll be shipping by then?

They really don’t make AirPort like they used to

Posted on Jun. 13, ’06, 8:54 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Troubleshooting

So, raise your hand if you’ve ever encountered the dreaded “There was an error joining the selected AirPort network.” I’d been seeing this problem non-stop, both with my old iBook and my new MacBook, which made me believe that it was probably a software problem and not a hardware problem.

When you do most of your work in Internet cafes, as I do, and every network you try to join ends up giving you the same non-descriptive error, you start to get a wee bit frustrated. Fortunately, my phone works as a backup modem and today, for the nth time, I went in search of a solution.

Only this time, I actually found one. I had read in a couple of places before that people were speculating the AirPort 4.2 upgrade was the source of these network woes. Today I found this thread on Apple’s discussion boards on how to replace the current AirPort drivers with the older 4.1 AirPort drivers, using shareware utility Pacifist. I gave it a try (making sure to backup my old AirPort drivers), and lo and behold, upon a restart, wireless networks that had been giving me that error were back in service.

I don’t know why AirPort 4.2 decided to break major functionality, but I wish Apple would acknowledge it and, more importantly, fix it.

Update: Speaking of fixing things, thanks to everybody who wrote in to tell me the link was broken. Just making sure you’re paying attention. It’s fixed now.

AOL gets Mac AIM developer friendly

Posted on Jun. 13, ’06, 7:13 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Software

Software developers looking to take on iChat or Adium X can now get a leg up by using the new Mac version of their Open AIM program. The biggest problem for third party applications has always been attaining feature parity due to no open access to the service, so this should take away those barriers (I hope). iChat has never had this issue because Apple was invited inside the gates.

I’m a little more than surprised at the lack of response yet from developers who are already entrenched in the market. I’ve refreshed the Adium blog page several times, but thus far, I haven’t seen any comment. Is this a panacea or a marketing blitz?

[via MacCentral]

Sync is hard

Posted on Jun. 13, ’06, 6:32 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Apple » Rivals

I want you to grab something anchored down well. Make sure you’re sitting. Vista is going to be dropping another feature before its release. Shocking. Mindblowing. Completely predictable.

This time, the hapless victim is its PC-to-PC Sync feature.

From the beginning, we have made it clear that the top priority for Windows Vista is quality. While PC-to-PC sync is a great feature that improves productivity and collaboration, we don’t have it at the quality level our customers demand.

Translation: it’s going to suck. We decided not to look foolish.

Ignoring possible accusations of copy cattery, I’d like to see something like this in Leapord, only implemented well. Think about the possibilities. You choose a folder to be synced between your laptop and desktop. You make a lot of modifications with your laptop, then, when you rejoin your own personal network, it automatically propagates those changes.

Yes, it takes a lot of wind out of iDisk’s sails. No, I really don’t care. Let’s see it Apple. You never made good on that home on iPod concept.

Michael Bartosh, we’ll miss you

Posted on Jun. 13, ’06, 6:00 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Apple » People

I didn’t really know Michael, but it’s clear that he’s made a huge impact upon the Mac community. He was a former Apple systems engineer as well as author of O’Reilly Media’s book Mac OS X Panther Server Administration. His death, caused by a fall from a balcony, is a shock to those that knew him.

I can’t do justice to this solemn turn of event’s, but friend Check Toporek has written a touching account.

I’ll be honest here, Michael wasn’t the best author I had in the sense of meeting deadlines, but I have to admit in the 9+ years I’ve been editing books for O’Reilly, he was the best damned technical writer I’ve worked with. Hands-down. Michael didn’t pull any punches, and that’s one of the things I liked most about him. …

Great guy. Excellent writer. Huge loss for us all, especially his family and friends closer than I.

Fair winds and following seas, Michael.

Triple boot OS X/XP/Vista

Posted on Jun. 12, ’06, 4:47 PM PT by Aaron Freedman

Category | Windows

So most of you know that you can dual-boot OS X and Vista or OS X and XP. Great. But what is you want to triple boot OS X and XP and Vista? Well, a member of the OSx86 Forums has come up with a solution. It requires you to totally wipe down your hard drive and re-partition it into three partitions and, using Boot Camp, install Vista and XP onto two of them. Also, Vista Beta 2 does support EFI (I can confirm this as I was able to run the installer without Boot Camp), so you may be able to install Vista on an external hard drive. Still, this doesn’t answer the more important question: isn’t one Windows enough torture for your Mac?

MacBook: black vs. white

Posted on Jun. 12, ’06, 4:03 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | Hardware » Intel Macs

The day Apple released the MacBooks, I remember noting that they came in two colors, and then thought immediately about benchmarks. Would Macworld and its similars be benchmarking both colors? Would there be any difference in performance of equally configured machines? Of course, I pretty much dismissed these thoughts as ridiculous, because what does case color have to do with performance? Well, it turns out I may have been wrong.

This Macworld article covers exactly the kind of benchmarking I initially thought about. It turns out the white MacBook is slightly faster than an equivalent black MacBook. However, the difference was narrowed down to the difference in performance between a 60 GB drive and a 80 GB drive (both of which ran at 5,400 RPMs and had 8MB caches). How odd.

Labor abuse in iPod factories?

Posted on Jun. 12, ’06, 3:33 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | Business

Now here’s something you don’t here much about when it comes to Apple’s products: their assembly. According to an article published by Macworld UK, the workers who assemble iPods are mainly female (because females are “more honest than male workers”) and earn as little as $50 per month, although they work 15 hours a day. The dormitories of one plant, located in Longhua, Shanghai, each house 100 people and do not permit visitors from the outside.

A second factory at Suzhou in Shanghai (the same place BTO MacBooks are shipped from) pays workers $100 per month, but those workers are required to buy their own food and accommodations with their salary. The iPod nano, meanwhile, is manufactured in a 5-story building secured by police officers. Could we have another Gap on our hands?

[via MacNN; image via macbillboard]

Google SketchUp released for OS X

Posted on Jun. 12, ’06, 3:30 PM PT by Aaron Freedman

Category | Software

Wow, Google’s having a big day today. In one swift stroke they released a Universal beta version of Google Earth and Google SketchUp for OS X. For those of you that don’t know, Google SketchUp is 3D drawing utility for creating, amongst other things, buildings that can be imported into Google Earth. The new version of SketchUp, which is out also for Windows and Linux, adds the ability to create textured buildings, which is supported in the beta of Google Earth. Unfortunately, SketchUp is not Universal like the Google Earth beta (though based on my use it seems to run quite well under Rosetta), but at least Google’s taking a step in the right direction for full SketchUp support on the Mac platform.

Google Earth goes Universal in beta

Posted on Jun. 12, ’06, 2:41 PM PT by Aaron Freedman

Category | Software

When I moved to an Intel Mac, I was happy to know that most of my apps either came in Universal versions or ran very smoothly in Rosetta. One exception to this was Google Earth. Well, now Google has answered my prayers by releasing a Universal version of Google Earth…kind of. Google Earth version 4 is still in beta (like virtually everything else Google makes), but seems to be pretty stable based on my brief experience with it. The new version of Google Earth also offers a load of other new features, such a new UI, textured buildings (which is now supported in the new version of Google SketchUp, which was released for OS X today), and more advanced use of the KML file (the file type that Google uses to create layers and bookmarks in Google Earth). It’s nice to see that Google is taking notice of Intel Mac users, though there are still a lot of Google programs that are PPC or Windows only.

[via digg]

Apple Easter Egg in “Cars”

Posted on Jun. 12, ’06, 11:46 AM PT by Cyrus Farivar

Category | Apple » Humor

An astute reader over at TUAW pointed out that one of the cars in the opening race is white, has an Apple logo on it and has the race number 84 (for 1984, the year of the Macintosh). Slick!

[via TUAW]

Windows Vista: a lot like the Mac?

Posted on Jun. 12, ’06, 11:33 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Windows

As we noted last week, Microsoft released a public beta of Windows Vista to the general public. So now that it’s out there in some form, what are people saying?

Well, Gina Trapani, editor of Lifehacker, concludes that so far, Vista appears to be “a lot like the Mac”:

From the emphasis on searching and not browsing (Spotlight) to the Windows Sidebar (Dashboard) which runs Gadgets (Widgets), to the built-in Windows Calendar (iCal), the similarities are striking.

Then again, if there’s one thing they ought to be copying, it’s Apple’s ability to release operating systems on time.

Meanwhile, while Aaron provided you with one solution for installing Vista via Boot Camp, another intrepid user on the MacRumors Forums came up with a way that doesn’t involve “repairing” the Vista installation. Check it out in handy Wiki form here. You know, just in case one operating system that looks like OS X isn’t enough for you.

Flickr Find : Apple Planters

Posted on Jun. 12, ’06, 11:13 AM PT by Cyrus Farivar

Category | Hardware

Carli Morgenstein, one of our designers, just sent me this find on Flickr.

Peanut Gallery lets you host movies over the net…or so I hear

Posted on Jun. 12, ’06, 10:30 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Software

Peanut Gallery seems like an intriguing idea for an application. In essence, it allows you to recreate the experience of watching a movie with your friends by letting you all watch the same video over the net, and chat via voice or text while you’re represented by an MST3K-style silhouette.

Now, I must admit that I’m a little skeptical about this mystical GMXP Protocol or Group Media eXperience Protocol…Protocol that power this app. Seems like having one person broadcasting, say, a DVD to a bunch of other people over the Internet would be a recipe for frustration.

The program as seen on the website certainly looks very polished, and I’m interested in trying it out. Unfortunately, not only is the available demo pretty crippled in features, but it also simply doesn’t work for me. You’re supposed to be able to try it out for 10 minutes and host for other people using the demo, but every time I tried to launch a video, it would just tell me that my copy was licensed for hosting. And, as you can guess, I’m not about to shell out $35 just to see if an application works.

I’ve got a query in to their support team, so we’ll see what happens.

iPod Nano Flashlight Boombox

Posted on Jun. 12, ’06, 10:25 AM PT by Cyrus Farivar

Category | iPod

Check out this mono boombox built into a flashlight case. The bulb area was replaced by a big speaker. Here’s how to build one.

[via Boing Boing]

Visor brings Quake 3-style console to OS X

Posted on Jun. 12, ’06, 8:46 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Software

I love the Macintoshian Achaia forum over at Ars Technica. Just last week, someone wondered why there wasn’t a widescreen layout for Apple’s Mail program, and faster than you could say “whaaa?” we were treated to the fantabulous Letterbox (now at version 0.16).

Now somebody asked for a Quake 3-style Terminal console, i.e. a translucent pane that drops down over the top half of the screen. Ask and ye shall receive: an intrepid hacker by the name of Quicksilver creator Alcor dropped a program called Visor that does precisely that (you’ll need to scroll down, as they don’t have a website yet). Visor requires you install the SIMBL package to work, and you need to have Terminal running, but it allows you to set a hotkey for the terminal panel, which slides down with some very slick Open GL effects.

If you’re a regular MacUser reader, you know I love me some Terminal, so I downloaded and installed this sucker stat (in fact, I downloaded the hacked version that makes the panel slide back up again when done, instead of fading out). Now, the command-line is merely a quick F8 away, faster even than my beloved WidgetTerm. I’d love to see a version of this that didn’t require Terminal to be running, but I won’t hold my breath. It’s pretty amazing as it is.

Update: Z.D. reminds me below that, of course, Alcor is the developer behind the much-lauded Quicksilver as well. Updated to reflect this.

[via Infinite Loop]

MacBooks to come in yellow?

Posted on Jun. 12, ’06, 8:16 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Hardware

My friend’s parents are looking for a notebook for his sister, and he called me yesterday to ask me about the MacBooks/MacBook Pros. When he asked about issues that users were reporting, I told him that I hadn’t heard much yet, aside from some very isolated cases. We’ve had splitting plastic and black paint flaking, but, in some ways, it’s been like waiting for the other shoe to drop.

So could this be it? Finally, the dreaded Apple Rev. A curse rears its ugly head? A number of users are reporting that the wrist rest portions of their white MacBooks are turning yellow and discolored after only a couple of weeks. Advice for fixing it is ranging from the helpful (try Mr. Clean Magic Erasers) to the snarky (wash your hands, you filthy hippie). An Apple Discussions thread has started on the subject, and one user has posted pictures to Flickr.

I knew people who had a similar problem with their iBooks, both the G3 and G4 lines, but it hardly seemed to be a universal issue. I tend towards the theory that the body chemistry of some people may somehow interact with the materials to discolor them. There’s always the possibility, though, that it’s just a batch of defective MacBooks.

Well, MacBook users, how about it? Anybody else having crazy discoloration problems?

[via Digg]

Widgets I like: Wireless Grapher

Posted on Jun. 12, ’06, 7:31 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Software

Wireless Grapher (and website) is a Dashboard Widget that, unsurprisingly, graphs the quality of your wireless connection. It’s a quick way to diagnose your connection.

Features include base station name, communication and link quality, as well as reporting the channel. However, mine is reporting channel 6 even though it’s most definitely on channel 1. Anyway, it’s a handy little widget nonetheless.

Goodbye Windows 98, I didn’t know you at all

Posted on Jun. 12, ’06, 6:57 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Windows

It’s not as if you could run Windows 98 using Boot Camp, but seeing as it was and is the bedrock of Microsoft’s OS business, it’s worth noting that Microsoft is finally pulling the plug. They’re slightly less dramatic about, warning about the possibility of serious security holes. Meanwhile, Stevie J retired Mac OS 9 with a coffin years ago.

Style points: Apple 1, Microsoft 0. On the other hand, does Apple need to rework its security update policy and keep aging OS versions more secure? While few are using 10.1 and even fewer using 10.0, there is a strong contingent that is loyal to Jaguar. They deserve security like the rest of us for a good number of years to come.

Scoble leaves Microsoft

Posted on Jun. 12, ’06, 6:17 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Apple » Rivals

One of the most public voices from Microsoft, Robert Scoble of Scobleizer, has left the company. He has no ill will and in fact, still considers it the “best big company in the world.” The move leaves Nick Bradbury of FeedDemon fame (my favorite RSS reader for that other platform) wondering where to get straight information about Microsoft’s latest activities without the marketing glitz.

That leaves me with question myself. Has Apple ever had a similar figurehead? There are more than a few bloggers that work at Apple, but very few comment on the company itself and there certainly isn’t one whose main and only job is to be the blogging face of the company. Is it about time Apple opened up, even a little bit? They wouldn’t have to comment upon rumors, but give a more human face to that company we know and love.

Core 2 Duo in a Mac mini?

Posted on Jun. 12, ’06, 6:00 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Hardware » Intel Macs

We already knew you can drop a better Core Duo into a Mac mini. It now seems that you can even drop the next generation in with little/no issues.

While the Mini does not recognize that its brain has been replaced by a Core 2 Duo chip (it lists itself as simply having a “genuine Intel CPU”) the benchmarks certainly don’t lie.

They sure don’t, if they’re true. Further, if this is true, is there any motivation to wait? Well, let me amend that, for most users.

[via Digg]

First SATA ExpressCard adapter arrives

Posted on Jun. 12, ’06, 4:33 AM PT by Aaron Freedman

Category | Hardware

So you’ve got a cool new MacBook Pro, but you want to up the hard drive a bit without sacrificing speed. Well, you could connect a SATA drive via Firewire 800, but you’ll only be getting up to 800 Mbps transfer speed. But now there’s a better alternative, the Serial ATA ExpressCard adapter from FirmTek. The card offers a SATA port which has speeds up to 1.5 Gbps (SATA-I) and 3.0 Gbps (SATA-II) for connecting to a SATA hard drive or SATA RAID. Still, you’re going to have to pay for speed, as the card costs $119.95. Of course, Firewire 800 ExpressCards only go for about $20 less, and you sacrifice a lot of speed. Also, you can get the card and a SATA drive enclosure as a bundle for $309.95. But, if you just want a decent backup drive like me, Ultra ATA and Firewire do just fine.

[via MacCentral]

RIP, Info-Mac Network: 1984-2006

Posted on Jun. 11, ’06, 10:24 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Internet

If you’re only a recent convert to the Macintosh, the Info-Mac Network may mean nothing to you. But for those who were around during the burgeoning days of the Internet, Info-Mac was a safe haven for Mac users in a world heavily dominated by both PCs and *NIX-based systems. The Info-Mac archive was a huge repository of Mac software, probably the largest in existence at the time. It was the central distribution and archiving point for most Mac freeware and shareware before the World Wide Web became what it is today.

In those days, I acquired most of my Mac programs via local bulletin board systems, downloaded at the blazing fast speeds of 2400 bps, and later 14.4 kbps. But with the distributed nature of those systems, it could be weeks before a given program showed up. I have fond memories of browsing through the extensive Info-Mac servers via command line FTP clients, a far cry from today’s likes of MacUpdate and VersionTracker.

And thus part of the reason that after all these years, the Info-Mac network will be disappearing for good in a few months. The entirely volunteer service has been running since shortly after the appearance of the Mac in 1984, and was comprised of both the Info-Mac Archive and the popular Info-Mac Digest, a mailing list that at its peak was read by tens of thousands of users.

Over at TidBITS, Info-Mac president Adam C. Engst suggests that given all the resources available today, “Info-Mac [has] simply outlived its usefulness.” The archive has stopped adding new software, and the server will go down in the next few months. But those interested in grabbing a complete copy of the 7GB archive are free to do so; instructions are available at the end of the TidBITS piece.

And just remember, like old soldiers, websites never really die. They just fade away.

[via Macsimum News]

More attacks on iTunes DRM from home and abroad

Posted on Jun. 11, ’06, 8:19 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | iTunes » iTunes Store

A couple of comments on Apple’s DRM from interesting sources. First up, the chairman of the British Phonographic Industry, which is roughly equivalent to America’s Recording Industry Association of America. Peter Jamieson took the somewhat surprising step of addressing the House of Commons select committee on culture, media, and sport to make it clear that British citizens who ripped tracks from their CDs to MP3 would not be targeted unless they were distributing those copies to other people (would that our own RIAA were so enlightened).

He then went on to take Apple to task for its proprietary DRM, stating that iTunes’s market dominance was “not particularly healthy” and he “would advocate that Apple opts for interoperability.” Earlier this week, Norway’s government challenged Apple to remove its DRM or face fines Consumer Ombudsman claimed that iTunes’s terms of service may run counter to Norwegian consumer law.

Closer to home, former RIAA chairman Hilary Rosen commented in a blog post that the iPod’s proprietary DRM “bugs” her, and went on to add “Speaking of DRM, it is time to rethink that strategy as well………”—the surprisingly large number of periods indicating either rethinking, or Rosen falling asleep at the keyboard.

My opinion? I’m not sure that the proprietary nature of Apple’s DRM is the problem here, so much as the draconian restrictions of DRM in general. Apple’s FairPlay comes under fire because it’s the most prominent; some might even argue that it’s the most prominent because it’s among the least restrictive. A fact that may not go unnoticed by both the RIAA and BPI.

Update: As Macworld Senior Editor Peter Cohen points out below, my explanation of the Norway situation was potentially misleading. Reworded as per his suggestion.

[via Slashot: BPI and Rosen]

First Impressions: Flip4Mac Intel beta

Posted on Jun. 10, ’06, 2:09 PM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Video

Perhaps I spoke rather hastily the other day in regards to the Flip4Mac WMV plug-in. A comment to that story provided a link for acquiring the beta version of the Intel-native software and I jumped at the chance to give it a try.

The beta showed up in my inbox yesterday, but I didn’t get a chance to install it until this afternoon. Having done so, I gave it a quick run through its paces, testing it in the three browsers I had on hand: Safari, Camino, and Firefox. Flip4Mac worked great in Safari, with some occasional stuttering on a really high-quality WMV, performed adequately in Firefox, and somewhat disappointingly in Camino. Those last two results were particularly surprising as I was using a Univeral version of Camino (1.0) and a PowerPC-native version of Firefox (1.5.0.3). WMVs played fine in QuickTime Player as well.

As I said before, I don’t often find myself needing WMV support, but when it comes up, it’s certainly annoying not to have, so I’m glad Flip4Mac will be releasing the Intel-native version soon. In the meantime, their beta seems to be progressing quite well.

Dvorak deliberately pokes Mac users with stick

Posted on Jun. 10, ’06, 12:36 PM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Apple » People

So, it turns out the key to handling John Dvorak is a lot like the key to high school bullies or some kinds of bears: ignore them until they go away. In a conversation with noted blogger Dave Winer at a Vloggercon party, Dvorak mentioned that he incites Mac users on purpose.

Say it ain’t so, John. Say it ain’t so.

Sure, I’m guilty of linking to Dvorak’s pieces and, even more to point, of occasionally offering my own diatribes. But for Dvorak to admit that he’s little better than your average messageboard troll, and to do it on video, makes me raise an eyebrow and wo