Skype for Mac 2.5 out with SMS messaging

Posted on Jan. 31, ’07, 5:06 PM PT by Aaron Freedman

Category | Software » Updates

Skype, the immensely popular VoIP client, has just taken Skype for Mac 2.5 out of beta and into the world. Version 2.5 features the ability to send SMS text messages (for a fee, of course), have automatic birthday notifications sent to your friends, and conduct free ten person conference calls. Plus, with a little tweaking, you can now get 640 x 480 quality for video chats. And, as always, Skype 2.5 for Mac can be downloaded for free.

iTunes Store: downloading music, saving the environment

Posted on Jan. 31, ’07, 2:32 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | iTunes » iTunes Store

Here’s something Greenpeace never really thought about: Apple’s iTunes Store is reducing waste, reducing the manufacture of petroleum-based plastics, and reducing the effects transportation has on the environment.

Every time you purchase music from the iTunes Store, you are preventing the manufacture of a CD, which, according to a blog entry entitled the Apple iTunes Store Environmental Impact:

are mostly manufactured from Aluminum and Polycarbonate along with Lacquer, Dyes, and other materials such as water, glass, and nickel. Most of these materials must also be processed before manufacturers can use them to make CD’s. As an example, to make plastic, crude oil from the ground is combined with natural gas and chemicals in a processing plant.

Think of all those toxins you are eliminating! Additionally, by buying your music digitally, you are reducing the amount of waste (a CD, its jewel case, and packaging) that will someday end up in a landfill:

A CD along with a slim jewel case and 1-2 pages of liner weighs about 60 grams. That’s about .13224 lbs. If a standard tractor trailer can move 80,000 lbs of product (or about 605,000 CD’s) the Apple iTunes Store has saved about 275 tractor trailers worth of CD’s from being manufactured and shipped and is adding to that by about 5 tractor trailers worth per week.

And of course I must bring to your attention the gas and air-pollutants you save by using the iTunes Store. Not only does an online music purchase stop you from driving to Walmart to buy a CD, but the CD doesn’t need to be trucked around the globe from the manufacturing plant to reach Walmart in the first place. Of course I should mention that there’s all the power and maintenance equipment used to actually provide iTunes music, but I think it uses comparatively less energy and resources than a physical CD.

So next time you burn $9.99 on an album from the iTunes Store, at least your wallet can feel a little better knowing you’re helping the environment.

The truth about Ellen Feiss

Posted on Jan. 31, ’07, 1:48 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | Apple » Advertising

Let’s face it: you can never really have too much of Ellen Feiss. You know, that girl whose 30 seconds of “Switch” fame exploded into unparalleled Apple ad recognition? Macenstein has posted the transcript with a special one-on-one interview with her, which provides some very special answers to some very special questions.

Certain rumors about the ad can now be dispelled based on facts contained in the interview. For example, Ellen Feiss’ story of her PC eating her paper is a true one. The ads were actually filmed in an interview-style where she was asked questions about her computing experiences. A second ad which never aired featured Ellen’s Powerbook G4, which her parents purchased for her after that PC ate her paper. Lastly, it has been confirmed that there were no illegal drugs involved in the shoot, despite popular belief.

[via Slashdot]

Allow me to sell you a bridge

Posted on Jan. 31, ’07, 7:39 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Software

The fine Adium development team started closing in on version 1.0 a while back. While the betas have been treating me really well, it never got the warm fuzzy final release status. The devs have explained why. First, they decided to use some Java libraries.

Then, disaster struck. Rather, Apple did. They deprecated the Java-Objective-C language bridge that we were depending on. We had a few choices, none were very good. We could spend 1-2 years rewriting both Joscar and Smack to work using JNI, the supported way going forward for what we were doing with Joscar and Smack. We could have spent time doing other things. In the end, the decision was made to move back to Libgaim, and just take it. In some ways this is where Microsoft is a better platform, since they inform everyone of their roadmaps way beforehand. But it’s what we’re left with. Evan, David and myself came up with a letter to send out to everyone, Evan sent it, and we moved on.

Lately, Apple has been dropping Java like something far more offensive, but no less warm, than a hot potato. As part of that, Apple burned the Java-Objective-C language bridge (I don’t care if you won’t forgive me for the pun). This behavior isn’t directly visible to end users, but its effects can be felt. By eliminating an option for developers, end users can expect some software to lack features or slower development. While Java may get a bad rap, it’s still relevant and frequently used. This is one case where Apple shouldn’t succumb to public perception and do what’s right for developers and users.

Vista does not come standard with social graces

Posted on Jan. 31, ’07, 6:45 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Windows

If you missed Bill Gates’ appearance on the Daily Show last night, you really didn’t miss much. It did have a high point though. The end. Allow me to share it with you now through the wonders of YouTube.

Poor Jon Stewart is caught completely off-guard. You may now leave your own punchline about Gates’ departure in the comments. Let me help you. Puns using both “Gates” and leaving are fair game.

[via Valleywag]

Daylight Savings dilemma

Posted on Jan. 31, ’07, 6:04 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Troubleshooting

Most passionate Mac users are currently using Tiger, so the whole Daylight Savings Time change is mostly academic. For those that haven’t really been paying attention, let’s turn to Wikipedia of what has become an unnecessarily complex concept.

DST commonly begins in the northern hemisphere on the last Sunday in March or the first Sunday in April, and ends on the last Sunday in October. However, due to the Energy Policy Act of 2005, beginning in 2007, the United States will begin observing DST from the second Sunday in March until the first Sunday in November. (Studies will determine if this remains permanent.) Most of Canada will also observe the new period to avoid possible economic losses from confusion with the United States. Since 2002, the European Union has fixed the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October as start and end dates (European Summer Time).

My. Head. Hurts. TidBITS has a nice breakdown. As long as you’ve updated to 10.4.6, you’ve got the official Apple fix and your clock will shift automatically. But wait, not everyone is using Tiger (I was shocked to hear this as well). If you’re using 10.3, you’re in luck, Ian Ward Comfort has come to your rescue with an unofficial fix.

Where’s Apple? Isn’t this one of those things that Apple needs to stay on top of despite development status? This type of problem will fade into the background as Apple slows its Mac OS X development cycle, but in the mean time, users without the latest and greatest should still get some minimal support.

The athlete’s best friend is an iPod

Posted on Jan. 31, ’07, 5:23 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | iPod

Jayson Stark, writing for ESPN, has an excellent article on the iPod’s influence on baseball. I’ll admit, few sports articles really catch my interest, but Stark has put together a great piece. The article centers around Jason Jennings, whose ERA (earned run average) was effectively cut in half by watching film on an iPod. (For those that heard the podcast, you know the reason I’m covering this article instead of, say, Dan.)

“The great thing is, it’s so easy to use,” said Jennings, who became a happy iPod convert in a hurry. “It’s such an easy thing to have access to. You can go to Best Buy and, by that night, you can have all your starts for the last four years on there.”

Cool. But you’re no doubt thinking: Does any of this really matter? Well, yeah. In fact, Jennings actually thinks his iPod turned his whole season around.

He also found out something else.

“I admit I’ve got a bunch of country music videos on there,” Jennings confessed. “And I think ‘Prison Break’ was a big hit on our team last year. I know a lot of guys were watching that. … I mean, sometimes you need a break, you know? It’s not just for baseball.”

Hmmm. Sounds like a catchy slogan for the folks at Apple once this really catches on: “The iPod — It’s Not Just for Baseball.”

[danke Jason Snell]

Mint 2.0 released

Posted on Jan. 30, ’07, 1:59 PM PT by Pat Nakajima

Category | Internet

Mint, the fantastic stats package created by Shaun Inman, graphic design extraordinaire, was upgraded to version 2.0 today. Along with the online component, a new dashboard widget was released as well, which gives a quick look at your traffic stats, directly from the dashboard. Like everything else in Mint, it conveys the right amount of information with a healthy dose of beauty.

Mint is a web app that feels and responds the way a desktop app would, yet has capabilities due to its web-based nature that wouldn’t come so naturally to something you drop in your Applications folder. I like seeing the gap between web and desktop bridged like that, and the addition of integrated widgets only sweetens the deal.

If you’re interested in Mint, you can grab a license for $30 (per domain). If you already use Mint, then an upgrade to Mint 2 costs $19, unless you purchased your license since January 2007, in which case the upgrade is free (as it was in my case.) Mint is the only stats package that can show me that I get literally zero traffic, yet entice me to look at it over and over again.

Apple steals Microsoft’s one day after six years

Posted on Jan. 30, ’07, 1:43 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | Apple » Rivals

I think Apple’s up to something mischievous. As I’m sure you’re well-aware (being the MacUser reader that you are) Apple released a few small things this morning—namely colored iPod Shuffles, the infamous 802.11n enabler patch, and the news that the AirPort extreme is shipping. But why are these releases mischievous, you ask? Well, perhaps you’ve forgotten that today marked the launch of Windows Vista.

I am of the belief that Apple just couldn’t let Microsoft have their one day. I mean, come on Apple, it took Redmond nearly six years to get to this day, and you couldn’t even let them have it all to themselves. Some small children behave better than this.

The bottom line is that Apple shouldn’t have been concerned in the first place. After all, the midnight Vista launch in San Francisco attracted more local homeless for the free food, than it did PC users to grab the first copy of Vista. So while I certainly appreciate colored Shuffles and speedy 802.11n, I’m a little embarrassed for Apple that they couldn’t even have the decency to give Microsoft their one day of attention.

The AirPort Extreme is extremely shipping

Posted on Jan. 30, ’07, 1:08 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | Hardware

Colorful Shuffles and an 802.11n enabler weren’t the only things new at Apple.com this morning. They have also, as of this morning, officially started shipping the new AirPort Extreme with 802.11n. That’s right—it’s shipping before its estimated ship date.

While the Apple Store’s estimated ship date may still report a “February” ship date, we have in fact confirmed with Macworld and several other sources that Apple’s site is incorrect. The flat white little wonder really is shipping. (If you’re planning on picking up one of these babies, don’t forget that it ships with the 802.11n enabler. There’s no need to spend one single penny extra on that nasty, attention-sucking 802.11n enabler.)

Apple plays Cupid with free engraving, free gift wrapping until Feb. 14th

Posted on Jan. 30, ’07, 9:07 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | iPod

February 14th: a day that shall live in infamy.

Or not. Depending on what kind of presents you bring your significant other. Now, we know that Scott’s predicted something Apple-related being announced on Valentine’s Day this year, and while we have no idea whether or not that’s true, we do know that Apple isn’t about to ignore this pinkest of holidays.

For one thing, they’ve got this snazzy table explaining when you’ll have to order your loved one’s gifts by in order to get them delivered by the 14th, with the options of both standard and overnight shipping. They’re also offering free laser engraving on any iPod, including the new chromatic iPod shuffles, and free gift boxing until February 14th for the wrapping-impaired.

And, in case you’re wondering: a laser-engraved green iPod shuffle for the MacUser crew would not go unappreciated this Valentine’s Day.

802.11n enabler now available, for real (and $2)

Posted on Jan. 30, ’07, 8:03 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Software » Updates

Core 2 Duo Mac owners, the moment of truth is here: Apple has officially released the 802.11n Enabler. It’s on sale at the Apple Store for $1.99 (plus tax? Blast you, government!).

It works thusly: pay up your $1.99 (or $2.49 Canadian, or £1.25, or €1.95), and Apple will send you a URL at which you can download the enabler. We’re guessing you can’t just distribute that URL willy-nilly, though we have to wonder if the patch itself is protected, or whether perhaps it will find its way into the darker corners of the Internet, where it will dwell alone in the darkness: twisted and evil.

One piece of good news: the $2 fee covers every computer you own. So if you’ve got a Core 2 Duo MacBook and a Core 2 Duo iMac, go wild. Heck, go install it on your IIfx if you like; we won’t tell!

Goodbye Jim,we hardly knew ye

Posted on Jan. 30, ’07, 7:46 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Apple » Rivals

Jim Allchin has quickly become Microsoft employee #1 as far as we’re considered here at MacUser. He loves both Macs and iPods. He’s become a source of endless Apple compliments. We love it and him for it.

With today’s Vista launch, Jim can call it a career and will be headed for a sunny retreat on the 1st.

Allchin is skipping the big gala launch of Vista in New York, opting to preside over an internal company event in Redmond on Tuesday. A day later he will finish up at Microsoft and the next day he’s headed on vacation. “February 1, I’m going to go where it’s warm, on a boat.”

Good for him. Following that rest though, I hope he considers a position at Apple. He’ll fit right in. If you’re reading Jim, tell them MacUser sent you (and don’t forget that we backed you).

iPod shuffles put some color in their cheeks

Posted on Jan. 30, ’07, 6:47 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | iPod

We interrupt this run-of-the-mill Tuesday to bring you breaking news of the utmost importance. Apple’s iPod shuffle is now available in colors. The impact of this announcement will no doubt be felt the world over. No longer will shuffle fans be constrained to the stolid silver exterior: now they can express their music tastes and coordinate their fashion sense with their hip duds.

“When we designed the new shuffle we entered into a new space of fashion — the idea that you can wear it in your favorite color is a great extension,” Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, told Macworld.

The shuffle colors look pretty much like the nano colors; there’s orange instead of black or red, leaving the door open for an iPod Shuffle Special Edition Red (say it with me: ooooooh). But nothing else about the little player has changed: capacity remains 1GB, price remains $79.

Of course, the big question remains: does that makes these 2.5G shuffles? iPod shuffle colors? The nomenclature just gets more difficult everytime.

Update: Engadget points out that the new shuffles come with the revamped earbuds featured in the 2G nanos and 5.5G iPods, finally.

[via Playlist]

Apple brand impact second to none in US and Canada

Posted on Jan. 30, ’07, 6:29 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Apple » Advertising

This may well elicit a loud “duh” from most of you, but Apple totally rules the US and Canada when it comes to brand impact. There was a time when being like me, following Apple’s every move, was bizarre and maybe even warranted a restraining order. Now though, everyone watches Apple’s every move. People pay attention to Steve Jobs’s attire for crying out loud.

Beyond the mystique of Steve, there’s the iPod culture that’s taken over countless billboards, TV shows, public transportation methods, and even my dreams (get out of my head, dock connector!). Basically, Apple is pervasive in society. Brandchannel.com’s reader poll has recognized their dominance in the US and Canada. Globally, it comes second to Google, but considering they’ve been verbed (to google is now accepted in everyday conversation), that’s still pretty good company.

Take a look at the iPhone. I probably wouldn’t have been so enthralled if anybody else had done it, and neither would have most of the media. The Apple logo is like gold. Maybe a tattoo of it would make me prime marriage material.

[via the Mac Observer]

Pogue’s videos available as a podcast

Posted on Jan. 30, ’07, 5:39 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Music » Podcasting

David Pogue is still very much a Mac fan and I’m a total Pogue fanboy. Considering the popularity of his Vista vs Mac OS X video, I’m thinking y’all will be really interested in forthcoming videos. You can now get those videos in an iTunes feed. Very convenient.

There are currently four videos in the feed. You definitely want to check out “The iPhone Up Close”. The beginning of it is a several minute montage with that trademarked David Pogue wit as commentary. After that though, you get to see him actually playing with it. It actually works.

From the ending, I’m thinking he’ll be the first customer. Oh, and tell me if you spot the celebrity.

Apple pays $700,000 to bloggers for legal fees

Posted on Jan. 29, ’07, 4:12 PM PT by Aaron Freedman

Category | Legal

After losing a lawsuit against several Apple bloggers, Apple now has to cough up $700,000 to compensate for the legal fees of the bloggers . The case, which involved Apple suing several online Apple rumors bloggers for revealing “top-secret” information on an unreleased product, resulted in a big victory for the blogosphere and a significant loss for Apple. While $700,000 isn’t much for a company worth billions of dollars, this case does leave an impression that Apple can’t just boss around Apple rumor bloggers. So, in the end, I’m happy for the bloggers who won, as they do deserve their First Amendment rights, and Apple really should think twice next time they decide to make a case against bloggers.

[via MacSurfer]

AirPort Extreme says no to some NAS devices

Posted on Jan. 29, ’07, 2:17 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | Hardware

We here at MacUser always have your best interest at heart. That’s why if you’re getting a little too excited about the possibility of having Network Attached Storage (NAS) on your $180 AirPort Extreme, we just want to give you a reality check. To do that, here’s a quote from an Apple info doc:

AirPort Extreme (802.11n) base stations, which work with USB storage devices, do not support USB devices that use removable media such as a floppy disk drive or an optical drive.

So if you were planning on putting a floppy drive, zip drive, Blu-Ray disc burner, or some other sort of storage device which utilizes removable media onto an AirPort Extreme, you now know it’s a no-go. Sorry if we bursted your bubble.

[hat tip: Derik]

The future is cloudy for Windows

Posted on Jan. 29, ’07, 2:05 PM PT by Pat Nakajima

Category | Apple

Over at Forbes.com, Daniel Lyons (a Mac user), seems to be under the impression that Windows, as a platform, is bulletproof. As evidence, he cites the fact that when Windows XP was released in 2001, it faced the same sorts of criticisms and obstacles that Vista does today. These did nothing to stop the widespread adoption of XP, he argues, and this leads him to believe that the same will hold true for Vista.

He also argues that just as the Mac was unable to stop the Windows juggernaut in 2001, it will not be able to do so today. He points to Gartner Dataquest data that shows the Mac’s market share at about 1.6% (Linux is shown as holding 2.5% of the market).

I have just a few qualms with this line of thinking.

More iPhone wishes…

Posted on Jan. 29, ’07, 12:48 PM PT by Pat Nakajima

Category | Apple » Humor

So we know the iPhone is coming. We know it will have more features than the Death Star, and probably cost the same as well ($500 went much further “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…”). It will surely elate the fanboys, please the followers, quell the skeptics, and intrigue the cynics. But will it appease the nitpickers? We nitpickers tend to have insatiable desires for the features that don’t even cross the mind of those who would disregard them as useless. Here’s what I need to see:

• Adjustable Snooze Alarm Clock: Sometimes, I want to sleep in for 5 minutes, and sometimes I need another 24 hours to cleanse the circadian palate. Many alarm clocks try to straddle the wants of most consumers by including an awkward number, such as a seven minute snooze. I want control though.
• Chameleon Tip Calculator: Nothing is so tactless as whipping out your phone to try to determine your server’s gratuity, especially at a fine dining establishment with a menu containing words like cou d’oie (that dish, by the way, is the neck skin of a goose, stuffed like a sausage). If the iPhone can mask my socio-mathematical ineptitude, I’d be happy
• Push-to-talk No More: Everytime I hear that trademark ::beep beep::, I have to prepare myself for the inevitable barage of poorly constructed efforts at communicating, strewn about with clumsy insertions of profanity and prepositional cabooses aplenty. Make it stop, please.

Disco strikes back!

Posted on Jan. 29, ’07, 12:00 PM PT by Pat Nakajima

Category | Software

I’ve talked about the disc burning app, Disco, before. First, I expressed huge excitement over its supposed great interface, and neat visual effects. Later, I shared my disillusionment with the app, as I came to learn (along with many other paying beta testers) that various basics of usability had been overtly eschewed in favor of trendy design, rendering the app almost totally unusable.

So Disco sat in my Applications folder, unused. I can never bring myself to uninstall an app that I’ve paid for, no matter how little I use it.

Then, just the other day, I felt like burning a folder to a disc. Just one folder. And on a whim, I found myself typing ‘d-i-s-c-o” at the Quicksilver prompt. Disco popped up, I burned the folder quickly and that was it. Disco performed as expected.

I suppose the fact that I didn’t expect Disco to wash my car, make my bed, and sing me a lullaby as I fell asleep, helped me to appreciate the app for what it is. Disco is a victim of its own hype. Is it everything they claim it to be? Not by a long shot. Is it a decent solution for simple disc burning? You bet it is.

And with the coming release of Disco 1.0 in February, the developers have promised to include the most glaring omission in this app’s otherwise smart interface: a resizable window. When that is added, I may just have to eat a couple of my words.

Have any of you ever dismissed an app, only to return to it later and find that it’s actually pretty worthwhile?

Adobe takes Lightroom out of the dark

Posted on Jan. 29, ’07, 11:11 AM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | Software

The date is now official. February 19th, 2007 will mark the beginning of life for a new piece of Adobe software: Photoshop Lightroom. We have been following Lightroom since its conception as a tiny little beta star in the grand universe of Adobe. Lightroom beta received over one million downloads. Despite its popularity, however, product manager Tom Hogarty confirmed that Lightroom will not be bundled as a part of the Adobe Creative Suite.

New to the final version of Photoshop Lightroom are clone and healing tools, an improved metadata browser, a beefed-up ranking/rating system, support for more raw file formats (over 150), and general improvements across all five stages of Lightroom workflow: Library, Develop, Slideshow, Print, and Web.

Pre-orders are being taken now at the special introductory price of $199. After April 30th, however, the price will increase to $299, so if Camera RAW is your thing, I suggest you download the final beta of Lightroom and give it a shot before it expires on February 28th. As a current Aperture owner, user, and hater, I suppose I have some difficult choices in front of me.

Uncle MacUser wants you

Posted on Jan. 29, ’07, 10:41 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | MacUser

Fancy yourself a blogger? Perhaps we can help. Uncle MacUser is looking for a few good men and women to join their elite blogging ranks. You’ve read of their exploits—now it’s time to make exploits of your own. And not the security vulnerability kind.

But first, a show of good faith: here’s what we need from you. An email, sent to macuser [at] macuser [dot] com under the cover of darkness, containing three super secret blog posts in the ever-elusive MacUser style. We prefer posts that cover stories we haven’t yet written about, and we also prefer new posts, rather than posts from your existing blog. Needless to say, emails without sample posts will be tossed into the pit that we usually reserve for Vista fanboys.

Also include a bit about yourself—it doesn’t have to be a MacUser-style bio, we just want to know who we’re talking to. Or being talked at by, I guess. Submissions will be open until midnight EST Sunday, so act now (supplies are limited).

MacUser Podcast #13: I want my two dollars!

Posted on Jan. 29, ’07, 9:55 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | MacUser

You’d have thought our live panel at Macworld might have spoiled us for podcasting forever—but you’d be wrong. Derik, Scott, Pat, and I break out the mics and headphones for our first post-Macworld podcast.

Now that RDF has faded a bit, we take on the iPhone, the Apple TV, and the new AirPort Extreme, as well as spend some time discussing the role of the Mac for Apple, the possibility of the Beatles, and Apple fans’ newest curse word: Sarbanes-Oxley.

Thrill to the banter of the MacUser team! Marvel as we dismay Derik with our extreme lack of football knowledge! Puzzle at our mention of cats failing to pay their Internet bill (you’ll have to listen all the way to the end for that special treat)! But above all, please enjoy podcast lucky number thirteen.

AAC version (13.2 MB, 54 min)

Comments and feedback on the show are always welcome, so feel free to share your thoughts below, or in an email to macuser [at] macuser [dot] com.

Show notes after the jump…

Harvard classes come to iTunes…sort of

Posted on Jan. 29, ’07, 9:19 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | iTunes » iTunes Store

Harvard and I have a long, tumultuous history. While they were my alma mater’s main rival in hockey, I also worked for them for a number of years, and took a few classes at the Harvard Extension School. So I was kind of excited to see that the Extension School is now offering content via the iTunes U program.

But as always, Harvard has to do things their own way. Rather than offering free courses, as Berkeley and Stanford have been doing, they’re offering only previews of classes: one full audio lecture, and a video excerpt. And the previews are only for their distance education courses. Still, at least they’re free (thanks, Harvard). I suppose it’s a start.

The included courses are from a variety of disciplines, including Computer Science, Management, and Liberal Arts. And I have to say that the lecture on the creation of the samurai in feudal Japan (History E-1851 Japan: Tradition and Transformation) sounds pretty interesting. Maybe some light listening for my next workout.

[via Playlist]

Verizon Wireless rebellion crushed by AT&T-Apple alliance

Posted on Jan. 29, ’07, 8:10 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | iPhone

I thought I might start out this post with a string of invective and name-calling leveled against Verizon, but the way I figure it, they’ll be enjoying the fruits of self-flagellation soon enough.

Turns out that what the former largest cell phone provider in the US can’t hear now is the sweet “cha-ching” of cash registers. About two years ago, Verizon apparently turned down its chance to be the exclusive partner for the iPhone, saying that they “just couldn’t reach a deal that was mutually beneficial.” I’m sorry: with the bundles of cash that are likely to result from this, you couldn’t find a way to divvy it up?

Of course Apple, with its typical flair, insisted on a large degree of control over how and where the iPhone was sold (in Apple Stores, but not Wal-Mart and Best Buy, for example), as well as determining whether broken iPhones should be replaced or repaired.

“They would have been stepping in between us and our customers to the point where we would have almost had to take a back seat … on hardware and service support,” [Verizon Wireless vice president Jim] Gerace says.

In case you’ve missed the impact of this whole fiasco: I’m a Verizon customer. And my contract is in effect for another year. C’mon guys: I would have totally traded up to an iPhone if I could have stuck with Verizon. Meanwhile, Cingular is—no surprise—pleased as punch: “We think this is a win for Apple, and it is a win for Cingular.”

[via Macworld]

The ultimate bar

Posted on Jan. 29, ’07, 7:46 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Geekery

My parents have a bar in their house. It’s great for entertaining. It’s nothing like this bar made entirely out of Macs. Check it out, 28 Classic II Macs. That’s a lot of computer.

Clearly this will impress a lot of Mac fans (primarily guys). However, after the visual splendor has worn off, where’s the booze to make those screensavers mindblowing again?

That bar isn’t even half his setup. He’s got more Mac than even I would know what to do with. I hope he’s running some kind of distributed processing clients on them. According to his Flickr profile, he’s single. You know your task now. Round up some girls and bring them to his place.

Conan roasts the iPhone

Posted on Jan. 29, ’07, 6:34 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | iPhone

&I can’t tell you how much I love Conan O’Brien. The following simply reinforces that love.

Sideburns. Heh.

Dashboard widgets can do anything

Posted on Jan. 29, ’07, 5:54 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Geekery

I never thought I’d see the day, but I suppose it was inevitable. Someone proposed using a Dashboard widget. I don’t think I could pull that off. First, you’d have to be really geeky (I definitely fall into this category). Second, you need a girl that’s the slightest bit inclined (and definitely into you).

Bjorn is one lucky guy. The girl said yes.

So I got on his computer and there’s a picture of him and me from last year. He then tells me to press F12 like a true Computer science major, and up pops a picture of the ring he’d bought for me, and a little proposal (you can see below). He then got on his knees and confessed his true love for me. After some convincing, I said yes ;)

Without jest, this story warms my heart. Congratulations to the happy couple. May many Mac using offspring fill your home.

UK Get a Mac ads now available

Posted on Jan. 29, ’07, 5:14 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Apple » Advertising

Dan let you know they were coming, but the UK version of the Get a Mac ads are now available. They’re now complete with British accents. The Mac looks a lot older than Justin Long while PC doesn’t even have glasses. The shame of it all.

“Restarting” looks to be simply a re-adapted version of the US commercial as is “Trust Mac” and “Pie Chart”. I love the british vocabulary that’s thrown in. It’s making me feel more refined.

Now, what about an Australian version?

1000 Words: Pictures from this week’s Mac news

Posted on Jan. 28, ’07, 9:53 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Apple » People

Sometimes stories fall through the cracks here on MacUser, and sometimes there are things that just don’t merit an entire post on their own. Doesn’t mean we don’t want you to know about them. Hardly! What kind of friends would that make us? Really. So sit back and enjoy these images that were finding their way around the Interweb this week.

Help for virtual packrats

Posted on Jan. 28, ’07, 9:18 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Geekery

Productivity guru and friend of the blog (FotB) Merlin Mann had a problem. Well, more than one if we know Merlin, but we can only talk about so much here. This particular issue revolves around storage of the virtual kind. Here we all are, accumulating tons upon tons—gigatons, if you will—of virtual stuff. Where do we put it all?

Greg Keene of TechDigs.net set out to solve Merlin’s problem (again, just the storage problem—anything else was far out of his pay grade) by detailing the set up of a home NAS system. NAS, or Network Attached Storage, is a device that attaches to your local network and provides storage via multiple hard drives, often in a RAID setup. Greg goes through setting up apps like iTunes to use the NAS, as well as taking it the next step by showing you how to backup your NAS.

The idea of pervasive network storage is one that is becoming more and more popular as we start to get more and more of our media from the net. The release of the new AirPort Extreme with its AirPort Disk functionality will certainly make it more popular than ever. If you’re inclined to pick up an NAS, Greg recommends the Infrant ReadyNAS NV, which you can pick up with a terabyte of storage from Amazon for just about a grand.

Suppose this means it’s time to clean out the virtual shoebox. Now, if only I could find my virtual shoes.

[via 43 Folders]

UK-specific “Get a Mac” ads coming

Posted on Jan. 28, ’07, 8:40 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Apple » Advertising

One Britain-based blogger has taken some video of what appears to be a poster for a UK-specific “Get a Mac” ad. The poster appears in a London tube station and features two presenters from a UK TV program called “Peep Show,” David Mitchell and Robert Webb, as PC and Mac respectively.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen localization of the campaign: last year we got a glimpse of ads in Japan featuring Japanese actors as the computing duo. Unfortunately, though the station poster points users towards apple.com/uk, you’ll still only find the Long and Hodgman ads there, as of this writing. Given, however, that this ad is apparently floating around in public, I would be unsurprised to see the spots appearing this week.

[via MacDailyNews]

Splash a little color into your Terminal session

Posted on Jan. 28, ’07, 8:01 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Tips

Though I bill myself as a Terminal superfreak, every now and then I run across little tips that I had no idea existed. Granted, the tidbit in question today is about the OS X application Terminal, rather than OS X’s underlying command line, but it’s still pretty nifty. And, as it so often does, the secret knowledge stems from Mac OS X Hints’s own Rob “Drag and Drop” Griffiths (admit it; that’s a frightening nickname).

The standard OS X Terminal window is a bit bland: black text on a white background. True command-line geeks prefer something a little more retro; I opt for glowing green text on a black background, but white on black is more than acceptable. Now, you can change a Terminal window’s colors by going to Terminal -> Window Settings -> Color and click on the appropriate swatch or you can use the mighty, magnificent powers of OS X to perform the same task in a slightly more Mac-like way.

Go to Font -> Show Colors and you’ll get OS X’s color picker. Now grab any swatch (next to the magnifying glass icon) and drag and drop it onto the part of the window you want to change. You have four such options: the background, the foreground text, bold text, and the cursor. Immediately, every type of text in that Terminal window will change color. Note that this will only change the colors of the current window; to make it the default, you’ll need to open Terminal -> Window Settings -> Color and click the “Use Settings as Defaults” button.

Why one version of OS X rules

Posted on Jan. 27, ’07, 12:14 PM PT by Aaron Freedman

Category | Apple » Humor

A continuation of my last post:

16. It comes in only one version

[via digg]

When it comes to the iPhone’s closed system, it’s the motivation that matters

Posted on Jan. 27, ’07, 10:16 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Apple » Speculation

Post Macworld Expo, the initial reaction to the news that Apple’s iPhone would be locked down tighter than the Mona Lisa after The Da Vinci Code came out was that Apple ought to open their playground up to everybody. Steve Jobs made his (in some cases, less-than-believable) excuses about one bad application taking down Cingular’s network, but the furor continued, even spawning its own propaganda video. Even I had my thoughts recorded for posterity.

Now that things have calmed down somewhat, some are looking closer at the idea of a locked down phone. Both Wired’s Leander Kahney and ZDNet’s Jason O’Grady have mused on whether a closed environment would really be so bad after all. The watchword: reliability. If Apple controls their device from head-to-toe, then, in theory, you don’t ever have to worry if one bad app will cause your phone to crash (a far more likely scenario than Cingular’s network being brought to its knees).

There’s some truth to this: despite the company line, we’ve all probably had our Macs crash for one reason or another. Now, that’s hardly something you can lay at the feet of third-party apps any more than Apple itself, but there is something to be said for complete control. Apple’s used pretty much the same methodology for their computer hardware for ages, a move roundly criticized by PC power users for restricting their choice, and defended by Mac fans for bringing superior hardware compatibility and reliability.

Does OS X think your flash drive is a blank CD? Here’s the fix

Posted on Jan. 27, ’07, 9:34 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Troubleshooting

This is, admittedly, a pretty specific case, but I figured it might help out anyone else who’s run into the problem. I picked up a SanDisk Cruzer flash drive recently, but I noticed something peculiar about it: every time I plugged it into my computer, a dialog box popped up saying I had inserted a blank CD-R, and asked what I wanted to do with it.

Now, the dialog box itself comes from System Preferences’s CDs & DVDs pane, but the question in my mind was: why does it think my flash drive is a blank CD-R? A trip to Google and I discovered that it has to do with a Windows program called U3 Launchpad that SanDisk and other manufacturers load on some flash drives. It relies on a separate read-only partition that will continue to exist, even if you reformat the flash drive (as I had tried already).

The solution? There is an uninstaller for U3, but it only works on Windows. So you’ll need to find a Windows box (or use Boot Camp—I’m not sure if Parallels USB support will work or not). Plug in your flash drive and run the program, and all will be taken care of. One caveat though: backup your data first. The U3 uninstaller offered to restore my data after the process, and then didn’t. Fortunately, there was nothing of vital importance on the drive.

Get yer AirPort Extreme manuals, hot off the presses

Posted on Jan. 27, ’07, 8:48 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Geekery

Man, the more I hear about the new AirPort Extreme, the more I kind of want one, despite the fact that I already have two routers in my house, both venerable Linksys WRT54Gs that I picked up last year for around $50 each. I’m having a hard time reconciling the $179 pricetag of an Extreme when I could use that money to buy something else: $200 would get my MacBook’s RAM upgraded to 2GB. Then, of course, there’s the always good food-and-bills option as well.

The other day, Apple released a couple of new manuals on the new Extreme: the setup guide (PDF link) and also a document called Designing AirPort Extreme 802.11n Networks (PDF link). These guides give us our first shots of some the software that goes along with the new base station, including the new AirPort Admin Utility. Sadly, one feature not discussed in detail is the AirPort Disk functionality.

I was super-excited to see that the AirPort Extreme supports bridging. I have a bridged setup in my house at the moment, using one of my WRT54Gs with hacked firmware, but replacing that with an AirPort Extreme would also give me the sweet, sweet option of attaching my 400GB USB drive there to use as a shared backup.

Those hoping to pop their home directories onto the network should be advised that Apple doesn’t recommend this; nor does AirPort Disk support removable media drives.

[via TUAW and MacFixIt]

Fake invite for fake February 1st. event makes the rounds

Posted on Jan. 27, ’07, 8:11 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Apple » Huh?

The natives are getting restless. We’ve moved past the point of faking new Apple products or new features, straight on into faking invitations to made-up Apple events. Seriously: in what other field do people invent invitations?

Boasting a line from “Auld Lang Syne,” and a picture of the Earth and moon, the fake invitation—which, at first glance, looked to me more like a mousepad—speaks of an event on February 1st at Moscone West. Of course raising the philosophical question: does one need a fake invitation to get into a fake event?

Since the invitation was allegedly sent to someone who worked at a Mac magazine, we confirmed with our brethren over at Macworld—even that was probably overkill since, as many of the commenters point out, the use of the wrong typeface on the invite was pretty much a dead giveaway. There’s also just something about the whole design that looks too, well, crappy to be Apple-produced. It’s too complex, with too many colors.

So, no Apple Event on February 1st. Oh well. Looks like we’ve got a little later to wait for our next round of announcements. And, hey, look: the Superbowl’s next weekend.

[via Digg]

Microsoft execs oogle over Mail.app and Spotlight

Posted on Jan. 26, ’07, 2:40 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | Apple » Rivals

Microsoft’s internal feelings can only remain hidden for so long, as we learn today from a few emails exchanged (free registration required) amongst top Microsoft executives. One exec, Lenn Pryor, at the time Director of Platform Evangelism, wrote to some colleagues:

Tonight I got on corpnet, hooked up Mail.app to my Exchange server and then downloaded all of my mail into the local file store. I did system wide queries against docs, contacts, apps, photos, music, and … my Microsoft email on a Mac. It was [expletive] amazing. It is like I just got a free pass to Longhorn land today.

Jim Allchin was also impressed, writing in an email of Spotlight: “I don’t believe we will have search this fast.” If you glance through the PDFs of the emails exchanged by these men, you will also learn that they were extremely possessive of their Tiger install discs, even refusing to share them.

It’s just a little more proof that Apple really is leap-frogging over Microsoft, and that Vista is really their answer to Tiger (which is practically obsolete with Leopard on the horizon).

[via Hawk Wings]

Apple should make iChat big brother

Posted on Jan. 26, ’07, 2:01 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | Software

One of my favorite little features of iChat is that I can broadcast my current song to the world using the “Current iTunes Track” status option. It provides a level of interaction and personality which is otherwise forgotten in iChat. It’s almost like you were in that person’s very room, listening to music with them.

Well I just so happen to like the iTunes Track option in iChat so much, that I think Apple should add another: Current iCal Status. This is a fairly simple proposition. iChat will look at your iCal events for the day, and based on what time it is, set your current appointment as your away message. For example, at 4PM when you leave the “Board meeting” and head off to “Bio class,” iChat will automatically update your status based on your calendar. That way people can track you down and know why you’re not answering your phone (or something of the like).

Then, of course, if that’s a little to big brother-ish for you, you can always opt-out of broadcasting your iCal status, just the same as you can with the Current iTunes Track. What do you think—is this something you can see Apple doing? Does it intrigue you? I’ve got my hopes set on Leopard.

Update: Dan points out in the comments that Doug (of the ever-famous Doug’s Apple Scripts) has an applet available for download called iCal Calling iChat. While this AppleScript provides basic iCal to iChat functionality, in my opinion it lacks ease of use. For example, it requires a specific calendar in iCal titled “iChat,” has some incompatibilities with the current 3.0 version of iChat, and won’t set your away message to current iCal status—only your status message. A great free download, but I’m still waiting for Apple to do it right!

15 reasons to switch to Vista? How about 15 reasons to switch to OS X

Posted on Jan. 26, ’07, 1:42 PM PT by Aaron Freedman

Category | Windows

While sifting through my sea of NetNewsWire feeds, I couldn’t help but see this story on PC World on 15 reasons to switch to Vista. After reading through it, I couldn’t help but think that OS X has all of those features, and more! So, following the same reasons as the PC World story, here’s 15 reasons why you should switch to OS X and not Vista:

1. It’s the Interface, Stupid
Exactly. Instead of going to an operating system that copies the OS X feel, how about actually going to OS X? Duh!

2. Flip Over Windows Flip 3D
I tried out Flip 3D, and found it tedious to sift through the windows to get what I want. Plus, it’s not available on the Home Basic version of Vista, and requires an Aero-compatible graphics card. Exposé allows me to see all of my open windows in an application or all programs at once, and it works with any graphics card that can handle OS X.

3. Live Thumbnails

Exposé also shows live Windows.

Apple to be sued for iPhone…again?

Posted on Jan. 26, ’07, 1:01 PM PT by Aaron Freedman

Category | Business

As if the Cisco suit wasn’t enough, it seems that LG could sue Apple over the iPhone. Remember the LG Prada phone I told you about? Well, LG says that they filed several patents for thire iPhone-like phone, and if they find that the iPhone is too similar, they may sue. While I still think that Apple could have a decent case against LG (Apple’s multitouch technology is something that I don’t believe any other device has), I feel a little less-excited about the iPhone knowing that it isn’t 100%-revolutionary. I mean, Apple should have seen what LG was doing and tried to do something different than that, which in many ways it has, but also hasn’t.

In the end, while I still think the iPhone is very revolutionary and awesome, I feel a little bit turned-off about the fact that there’s a phone already that’s so much like it.

Web 2.0: As told by Microsoft

Posted on Jan. 26, ’07, 11:16 AM PT by Pat Nakajima

Category | Apple » Rivals

Recently, Microsoft released an AJAX library for its ASP.NET server technology. For those of you who only know AJAX as a cleaning product, AJAX stands for “Asynchronous Javascript and XML.” It lets a web page update content dynamically, without a browser refresh, and is one of the cornerstones of the Web 2.0 movement.

The website for ASP.NET AJAX is a veritable glossary of Web 2.0 design clichés. The front page incorporates a diagonal stripe background, shiny looking buttons, a circular star-shaped button, rounded corners, drop-shadows (with apparently inconsistent light sources), excessive gradients, and of course, that “wet floor” reflection effect that can be seen used with great effect in iTunes. The site also has screencasts to show the uses of the library (a rare instance in which a Web 2.0 screencast doesn’t take place on a Mac).

Arguably, nothing has influenced the entire Web 2.0 movement as much as Apple. Many Web 2.0 apps have an Apple-esque feel when it comes to interface design. The deluge of websites you see today with the “wet floor” effect can be chalked up to Apple’s use of these reflections in its graphic design. Also, most of Web 2.0’s biggest web sites are run on almost the same type of server technology that Apple includes with its operating system. (Hint: It’s not ASP.NET.)

They say you should either “Lead, follow, or get out of the way.” Microsoft is too big to get out of the way, so I think it’s clear what path they’re forced to take these days. Granted, it’s more difficult for them to join this movement, since almost everything it embraces is in direct contrast to Microsoft’s ideologies (open source software, web standards, Macs, etc.).

Has anybody actually used this library? It would be interesting to hear feedback on it as compared to open source AJAX solutions.

Fog Creek Copilot, for all your remote troubleshooting needs

Posted on Jan. 26, ’07, 9:52 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Internet

Back over Christmas, I tried to set up my aunt and uncle’s new Windows laptop so that I could log onto it and troubleshoot, should the need arise. XP has a system that is supposed to make this easy, but I still found it a little bit overblown. Either way, I haven’t had a chance to use it yet.

And perhaps, with the release of Fog Creek Copilot 2.0, I’ll never have to. From the mind of Joel Spolsky (of Joel on Software), Copilot is a system that’s supposed to make it easy for you to help someone else with their computer: no configuration, no need to punch holes in your firewall, and no installation required. Best of all, version 2.0 adds support for the Mac, and drops the price: it’s now just $5 for a 24-hour unlimited use pass.

They’ve also added a spiffy direct connect functionality, and the ability to do file transfers. I haven’t had a chance to try it out yet, but next time I run into a tech support request from the family—which ought to be any minute now—I’ll definitely head there first. Unfortunately, I’m guessing it probably won’t help the kernel panics my mom’s iMac has been having. But that’s a story for a different day.

[hat tip: John Siracusa via Twitter]

AirPort Extreme to be less extreme in UK, Europe

Posted on Jan. 26, ’07, 9:41 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Hardware

The new AirPort Extreme was kind of the sneaky Apple announcement back at Macworld. Not only does it have 802.11n functionality, but it also adds three wired Ethernet ports, lets you mount USB hard drives on your network, and share printers with ease.

Unfortunately, the supposed 5x speed gain that you’re supposed to get from the new 802.11n wireless technology is not quite as universal as Apple might hope. Macworld UK reports that in Great Britain, as well as Japan, Germany, Spain, and a handful of other countries, the speed increase will be limited to half that: a more modest 2.5x improvement.

Why the difference? These countries have laws prohibiting “wide-channel operation,” in the case of the AirPort Extreme, a 40 MHz chunk of bandwidth in the 5GHz spectrum. The regulations restrict channel bandwidth to 20 MHz, cutting the AirPort Extreme’s speed gain in half.

You can confirm the difference by checking out the UK Apple page for the AirPort Extreme, which specifies only a 2.5x improvement on the existing 802.11g standard, versus the US Apple page, which lists a 5x improvement. Does this restriction affect the Apple TV too? Most likely, though since our cousins across the pond still can’t buy TV shows or movies via iTunes (though they can get music videos, video podcasts, and some Pixar shorts). Either way, that seems like less of an issue for now.

Macworld takes a first look at the ModBook

Posted on Jan. 26, ’07, 8:55 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Hardware

The only new Mac at the Macworld Expo a couple weeks ago was actually not from Apple, but from Axiotron and Other World Computing. The ModBook is the first Mac tablet ever built; we had a chance to take a look at in our Expo Spotlight video, but now Jon Seff (above, striking his best modeling pose) over at Macworld has gotten a pre-production to unit to take for a spin (they’ve also posted a little video demoing the unit).

The results? Impressive for certain kinds of work, like graphics and design, the ModBook falls down somewhat when it comes to everyday tasks like word processing, despite the use of OS X’s built-in handwriting recognition. As Jon points out, this is hardly the market that Axiotron and OWC are going after: if you want to do your word processing, get a MacBook.

The tablet features seem quite impressive, however, despite the fact that some pieces of functionality are still missing, like the ability rotate the screen from landscape to portrait orientation. The ModBook will also be offering an integrated GPS unit, which is pretty darn spiffy in and of itself. All of this, of course, comes at a premium: the base ModBook goes for $2,279, more than a grand over the base MacBook price of $1,099. But if you’re one of the folks who’s been clamoring for a Mac tablet ever since the Newton bit the dust, the ModBook looks like a worthy option.

Pile on! Comwave joins iPhone trademark dispute

Posted on Jan. 26, ’07, 8:30 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Legal

Apple, Cisco, and now Comwave makes three. Com-who? Don’t be coy; you know, Comwave. The Canadian company that’s been using the iPhone trademark for its Internet phone service for like a billion years now.

All right, I haven’t heard of them either. But perhaps I just don’t keep as close an eye on news from the North. Come to think of i