SlingPlayer 1.0 released with Aqua and Apple TV support
Posted on Apr. 30, ’07, 4:30 PM PT by Aaron Freedman
Category | Software » Updates
I love my SlingBox. Withe ability to travel freely through the space-time vortex of television, my cable box no longer rules me. Still, SlingMedia’s SlingPlayer client for Mac hasn’t yet been up to the standards I would like. That is, until now.
Today, SlingMedia unveiled SlingPlayer 1.0 for Mac. SlingPlayer 1.0 includes a lot of features that many Mac users have been waiting for for a while now, including a full Aqua interface following Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines (which looks gorgeous, and has some nice additions including a transparent background when no Slingbox is connected, and an overall much more Mac-like appearance), integrated support for the Apple Remote (for controlling the Apple TV, an iPod with Apple’s Universal Dock, the iPod Hi-Fi, or a Mac with Front Row and an IR port), and some extra bug fixes and features (including support for the TiVo Series3).
The Slingbox 1.0 update looks really great and definitely shows SlingMedia’s Mac support with full colors.
[via Engadget]
VirtualBox, yet another virtualization option
Posted on Apr. 30, ’07, 4:13 PM PT by Thomas Gagnon-van Leeuwen
Category | Windows
Joining the ranks of Parallels Desktop, VMWare Fusion and CrossOver is a new addition to the Mac virtualization market: VirtualBox. A few days ago, innotek released a Mac beta version of the software, in addition to its existing Windows and Linux editions.
What differentiates VirtualBox from its competitors is its price: $0 for personal use. Not only that, it’s completely open-source. It runs various flavors of both Linux and Windows (including Vista). A few notable features include a modular design, Remote Desktop Protocol support, and shared folders. Overall, it sounds like VirtualBox is somewhat on the geeky side.
Judging by the lone Mac screenshot on VirtualBox’s site, the product lacks Parallels Desktop’s polish, but early user reports sent to MacWindows suggest the speed is impressive. There’s price to pay for the “beta” label, though: among other things, expect USB support to be flaky.
Anyone want to try it out and report back? The beta is downloadable from VirtualBox’s website.
iScrapbook is simple, attractive, and unique
Posted on Apr. 30, ’07, 3:18 PM PT by Scott Silverman
Category | Software
I love the Mac platform so much because it simply gets the best apps. Mac developers really know what they’re doing, as there’s a constant flow of new, exciting, and beautiful pieces of software everyday. Today I was particularly impressed by an application called iScrapbook. The idea is pretty standard—it’s simply a scrapbook on your screen—but you’d be hard pressed to find something so simple yet functional anywhere else.
You can create beautiful pages of your photos, test, and graphics—complete with over 100 image masks. The application even includes a package of over 40,000 piece of clip art, which alone is enough to justify the $49.99 price tag. It will eat up nearly 4GB of hard drive space, however.
[via Macworld]
Developing in Rails with Coda
Posted on Apr. 30, ’07, 1:27 PM PT by Pat Nakajima
Category | Software
If you read any of my initial posts about Coda, you know that I was thoroughly impressed with the app, I just didn’t really see myself using it, due to my unbreakable addiction to TextMate. So even after downloading Coda and wanting so hard to make it part of my work-flow, I ended up sticking with my old routine of TextMate, Terminal, and Firefox (with the Firebug extension for CSS tricksiness). I attempted to make my setup as Coda-like as possible, even going so far as installing a tabs plug-in for Terminal (a plug-in that I later found to wreak havoc on performance).
Last night, it finally occurred to me that the fact that Coda can’t replace 3 out of 3 of my development apps doesn’t mean that it can’t replace 2. So I’ve found myself using Coda’s excellent site management features, as well as its superb Terminal support. I’ve replaced Firefox with Coda’s preview mode, and have even been able to start reaping the benefits of Coda’s CSSEdit-esque stylesheet editor.
The best part about consolidating all of these apps is that it’s still easy as ever to do all of my code work in TextMate. As the resident web development geek here at MacUser, I must say that Coda is an investment worthy of anybody who spends more than 10 minutes a day creating stuff that will end up in those Internet tubes. If any of you have any experiences with Coda you’d like to share, please do so.
Reminder: MacUser redesign submissions due tonight
Posted on Apr. 30, ’07, 11:06 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | MacUser
Are you one of those people who likes to wait until the very last second? Because if you are, there’s still time to squeeze in a submission for our MacUser redesign. We’ve been collecting entries for the last few weeks, but we want to hear from you (and you, and you, and you).
The official deadline is tonight at 11:59PM Pacific Time. We’ll accept submissions to macuser [at] macuser [dot] com right up until that clock clicks over onto May 1st, at which point no power on this green earth can save you from the terrible fate that awaits.
We’ll have more on the results of the MacUser redesign in the next few weeks, but remember, if you want a chance for glory and victory, get those submissions results in pronto.
Add a RAID to your MacBook Pro
Posted on Apr. 30, ’07, 9:49 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Geekery
We talked up MCE’s OptiBay way back last fall, but we had heard little of its real world use until now.
Eric Cheng, dissatisfied with paltry storage scheme on his MacBook Pro, took matters into his own Torx-wielding hands, and decided to use the OptiBay to slip an extra drive in (who really uses the optical drive anyway?). Using Xbench, Eric tested the results when the two drives had been configured by OS X’s Disk Utility into a RAID0 array (in a RAID0, the data is “striped,” with alternating bits being written to both drives; the result is usually faster disk access times, since you can use both drives simultaneously, but the downside is that if one drive fails, you lose all of your data).
Eric’s results do show an improvement in performance, though they come with a number of caveats, including louder noise from the drives, a 1mm gap at the top of the case, and some excess heat. But if you’re looking to improve speed on your MacBook Pro’s disk (or add data redundancy with a RAID1 array), this is one way to do it.
[via Macenstein]
Apple Support site gets some TLC
Posted on Apr. 30, ’07, 8:49 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Internet
Apple’s Support site may have a shiny new look, but it’s the same great taste. The support section has undergone a slight redesign, which currently features a prominent plug for the Apple TV’s support section. The left hand navigation bar now has an easily accessible list of Apple’s most popular products (with the option to browse all products in a drop down menu), and services.
The bottom of the page has information on Apple Care, Repair and Replacement Parts, and Exchange and Extension programs, with an option to type in your serial number from any Apple product, to get full information on it.
Looks pretty good to me; definitely cleaner and more streamlined. I find Apple’s Support site to usually be comprehensive and helpful, though it can sometimes take some digging to find precisely what you’re looking for (that’s where Google helps out). I wonder if we’ll see more changes as the iPhone gets closer to launch.
[via The Mac Observer]
Simulate a city… even faster
Posted on Apr. 30, ’07, 7:58 AM PT by Derik DeLong
Category | Games
I could never get the hang of SimCity. I spent a couple afternoons playing with it, but in the end, it always ended up being a desolate place that no one wanted to live in. My excuse I used recently to hide my shame was that there wasn’t a universal binary. I’m a man of principles after all.
If you’ve got SimCity 4 and the Rush Hour expansion pack, you can download the new public beta version to get that fresh universal binary feeling. No RAM bloating Rosetta for you. Don’t be afraid of the description text.
The wording is somewhat confusing on the Macgamefiles.com page where the download is hosted, as it says “For now, Simcity 4 Rush Hour is still not supported for play on Intel Macs.” This is not to imply that the Universal binary does not work on Intel-based Macs — simply that Aspyr does not yet warrant that the software will work.
That’s pretty fair, especially since it is a beta. Are you guys waiting for any games? I still have a copy of KOTOR that I really couldn’t get into and want a UB for.
Teaching old dogs new tricks
Posted on Apr. 30, ’07, 6:33 AM PT by Derik DeLong
Category | Windows
It’s true. Not all of us are so lucky as to have been using Macs for their entire lives. Technically I used a DEC machine for a little while (yay for DEClander!), but for the most part, I’ve lived my entire computer life on Macs. I’m sure there are a few behaviors I picked up from that I tried on Windows, Linux, and Unix, but none come to mind. However, with Macs becoming more popular every day, switchers and newbies are making mistakes that I would never think of.
Dan Warne documented 30 of these faux pas (archive link because Dan’s site can’t withstand the power of Digg). It’s a pretty good list as far as these “top insert number here” lists go.
These three really struck a chord with me (and some of the others seemed a little contrived).
6. Double-clicking a window thinking it will maximise it, but instead sending it to the dock
18. Thinking the green “+” button maximises a window to full screen (not realising that Apple’s maximise philosophy is to only make a window as big as it needs to be to comfortably fit the width of content currently being displayed)
26. Inability to work with multiple documents on-screen at the same time, because they have only ever learned to use Windows’ maximise mode which always makes everything full-screen
This is probably the biggest thing Windows fans miss. The maximize function is so overused and ingrained into their psyche that the idea of having multiple windows coexisting seems foreign. A surprising number of Windows users use all their programs that way. However, given the design of most Windows apps, it’s unsurprising. Scores of them are designed in such a way that it’s the only usable mode of operation. The biggest cause is that so much gets crammed onto the screen that for most users is completely useless, that a huge canvas is needed.
It’s good to keep these in mind. The next time you visit your friend with their shiny new Mac, you’ll be able to help keep that experience as good as it is for you.
[via the Destroyer of Blogs]
ProCare multiplies for your added financial discomfort
Posted on Apr. 30, ’07, 5:16 AM PT by Derik DeLong
Category | Apple » Stores
Scott had a positive experience with ProCare before. According to ifoAppleStore (the fine folks also bringing us the Boston Store Webcam) is reporting the $99/year service will be split into two parts. Until May 2nd, the service includes preferred treatment for service and personal training.
However, clearly due to continued success, will be selling the service component separately from the training component, selling each for the same $99 it costs for both currently. Ouch.
Apple will realign its current $99 per-year ProCare service, splitting it into separate computer and personal training services, each priced at $99. The split will occur on May 2nd, leaving advance reservation, priority repair and other Genius Bar services on up to three computers under the existing ProCare service banner. Apple wll then move the personal training component of ProCare provided by Creatives out under a new “One2One” banner, and price both services separately at $99.
Now’s the time to buy if you were eyeing that silver card.
First photos taken with iPhone?
Posted on Apr. 28, ’07, 4:45 PM PT by Thomas Gagnon-van Leeuwen
Category | iPhone
Since everyone out there is just craving for iPhone news, we need to bring you the latest. Apparently, the first photos taken with the yet-to-be-out phone have surfaced (while I wrote this, they disappeared). Credit for finding them goes to Mobility Guerilla.
The facts: two pieces of evidence were on Flickr. One picture is of a guy eating toast, the other of a woman in a bakery. Both are 2 megapixels and contain “Apple” as the camera maker and “iPhone” as the model (this information is found in the EXIF data). The toast photo’s tags contain “cupertino”. The Flickr user’s only other photo tagged with “cupertino” is a photo of an office with a PowerBook and a Cinema Display. Finally, the Flickr user’s profile lists San Francisco as his location.
The question is, is this legitimate? The information around the user seems to point to an Apple employee, but the fact that they were taken with the iPhone is solely based on EXIF data. The fact that the photos were removed, though, are in a way a confirmation of their authenticity. And this looks more like a mistake than a prank, as the photos were completely normal scenes and not publicized before Mobile Guerrilla spotted them.
What do you think? Clever prank or unfortunate mistake? If it truly is a mistake, I don’t see it as being a leak, rather a smaller teaser of things to come. After all, we don’t know more than we already did, do we?
[via digg]
The iPod’s reach englobes school art and more
Posted on Apr. 28, ’07, 1:58 PM PT by Thomas Gagnon-van Leeuwen
Category | iPod
It’s no secret the iPod has had an impact on our society. Because of their ubiquitous status, those white earbuds are almost the symbol of music in the 21st century, and certainly a strong symbol of the current teenage generation.
My school’s art exhibition was held a few days ago, and, as an exhibitor, I attended. I was pleasantly surprised to find that a class of 9th graders had reproduced the iPod’s trademark silhouette ads as one of their projects.
It made me realize that the iPod (and its silhouette commercials) have really entered more than the mainstream: they’ve seeped into various aspects of our society. And of course, they’ve completely supplanted the other MP3 players, not only by market share or features, but by recognition and celebrity status. When most people refer to MP3 players, they just say “iPods”. Someone with white earbuds is instantly cooler than if he/she had black ones, to the point that many competitors meticulously try to copy the look of Apple’s iconic earbuds.
If another company wants to take over the reigns of the music player market, it’s going to take some serious time, effort, and marketing. If you want to read more about this iPod culture, I’ve recently read “The Perfect Thing”, a book by Steven Levy, and I highly recommend it.
NAND suppliers straining to meet Apple demand
Posted on Apr. 28, ’07, 11:42 AM PT by Aaron Freedman
Category | Hardware
You always know when Apple’s got something up its sleeve when it’s pushing NAND flash suppliers to the limit.
Now, it seems that in order to cover the demand for all iPods and iPhones to be sold in the second half of 2007, Apple has increased the amount of NAND flash chips they need Samsung to produce by 10 to 15 percent, which totals to be 400 to 500 million 512 MB chips. Now that’s a lot of data.
I’m still a little skeptical about all of the effort Apple’s putting into the iPhone. I mean, will they really sell as many $600 phones as they think they will? Well, with only about six more weeks until the expected launch of the iPhone, we will soon find out.
[via TUAW]
One bad Apple TV review
Posted on Apr. 28, ’07, 9:08 AM PT by Thomas Gagnon-van Leeuwen
Category | Apple TV
Yesterday, I wrote about the National Post’s untrue iTunes article, now I just need to pick on another Canadian publication: Jack Kapica reviews the Apple TV for the Globe and Mail, Canada’s biggest newspaper.
One bad Apple TVJust by reading the headline, I knew I was in for one of these misinformed Apple product reviews. And I wasn’t wrong. The introduction itself contains a mix of obvious statements (the inability to play WMA protected music) and lies (
It won’t play protected WMA content, you won’t be able to download TV and movies and unless you have a Mac, you won’t be able to stream photos. Is it even worth considering?
But because it’s bundled with iTunes, Apple TV becomes a closed system. Put another way, you can’t stream much through Apple TV unless iTunes declares it to be legal, whatever that means in the context of the Canadian legislative jurisdiction.Wait, whaaaat? iTunes declaring if content is legal or illegal? Not only does Kapica use the old (false) argument of the “closed system”, he states that iTunes decides if content is legal or not. This is so ridiculous, I don’t know how to contradict him. Do I need to remind him iTunes will accept any MP3 song or any MPEG-4 movie, regardless of its source? And no, it doesn’t have some kind of sophisticated legal analyzer robot that determines the legality of your content. But there’s more.
The difference between a cliff and a plateau
Posted on Apr. 27, ’07, 4:50 PM PT by Thomas Gagnon-van Leeuwen
Category | iTunes » iTunes Store
Article headlines are pretty much always exaggerated, but I think the phenomenon just hit a new high. On the other hand, according to Canadian newspaper National Post, iTunes Store sales just hit a new low. Or so they say.
When I see a claim such as “iTunes sales fall off a cliff”, I expect a reasonable level of evidence to back it up. In this case, the National Post’s reasoning is, err, interesting. Peter Nowak argues that Apple’s “music-related services and products” growth in revenue has dropped from 124% between 2005 and 2006 to 34% between 2006 and 2007. Remember, we’re talking revenue growth here, not revenue itself. What can a normal person conclude? iTunes is not growing as fast as last year.
But Peter Nowak claims iTunes sales are falling off a cliff. Or does he?
iTunes, which has more than 80% of the global market and is essentially synonymous with legal music downloads, is hitting a plateau after a few years of very quick growth. [emphasis added]
Hitting a plateau, or falling off a cliff? For your enjoyment, I’ve created a small comparison image of a plateau and a cliff above for you to decide if they are the same thing.
As for the claim that it’s hitting a plateau, that’s not really true: 34% growth is not a plateau. It’s not a 124% curve, but it’s reasonable growth. Enough with these misleading and untrue headlines.
A gift from Apple to your MacBook battery
Posted on Apr. 27, ’07, 4:01 PM PT by Thomas Gagnon-van Leeuwen
Category | Troubleshooting
If you were having problems with your MacBook or MacBook Pro battery, today is your lucky day. Apple has issued Battery Update 1.2 to fix a performance problem with the batteries inside its Intel notebooks sold from February 2006 to April 2007 (in other words, all MacBooks and MacBook Pros). Note that this problem only affects performance, not safety.
The update should show up in Software Update, and it’s also available from Apple’s support website. Better yet, if you’ve installed the update and you’re still having problems, Apple is offering to replace your battery free of charge, provided it shows at least one of these symptoms:
If it does, you’re eligible for a replacement at your local Apple Store or service provider. Enjoy your new performance, and feel free to tell us if the update fixed your battery life issues. Maybe this is related to the problem Dan and some of you had a while back?
Last call for early-bird WWDC registration
Posted on Apr. 27, ’07, 2:57 PM PT by Scott Silverman
Category | Apple » Events
If you’re planning on or considering attending WWDC, then you may want to plan/consider this: today, April 27th, is the last day to receive early bird WWDC registration prices from Apple. Tickets are $1,295.00 through the end of the day today, and will then climb to $1,595.00—that’s a savings of $300. And if you’re feeling really adventurous, for a mere $1,695 you can grab a WWDC ticket along with an Apple Developer Connection Select Membership, which includes the pre-lease version of Leopard. Tempting, I know.
Mac Pro Blu-ray burner almost affordable
Posted on Apr. 27, ’07, 2:15 PM PT by Scott Silverman
Category | Hardware » Accessories
At the beginning of April, FastMac announced their first Blu-ray drive, which was targeted at Apple notebooks and ran $800. Things are quickly getting a little more realistic, however. The internal, tray loading Blu-ray drive—compatible with any Mac that uses internal disc drives—has a $499.95 price tag. That’s the lowest we’ve seen to-date.
Although Mac OS X still doesn’t support Blu-ray discs or burning, the FastMac drive is certified compatible with Adobe Premiere Pro CS3. It will also work with Roxio Toast 8, meaning Blu-ray discs could be a great storage/backup option (50GB per disc).
Alternatively, you could always pop a FastMac Blu-ray drive into an external enclosure. Then you’ve got yourself a portable, external Blu-ray drive for use with your MacBook, which saved you about $300. (Most external Blu-ray burners are still over $800.) Of course all this Blu-ray stuff will get really exciting in October when Apple announces that OS X Leopard is the first OS to support system-wide Blu-ray burning. You heard it here first.
[via MacNN]
Need a new hard drive enclosure? Try a blank book
Posted on Apr. 27, ’07, 11:29 AM PT by Kate Marshall
Category | Geekery
I have a confession to make: I love notebooks. I’m not just talking about notebook computers (my favorite kind of computer). I mean notebooks in general—journals, wirebound notebooks and the like. My journal/general notebook of choice for the past year was a series of large Moleskine hardcover books.
That’s why I was particularly pleased to see that one intrepid tinkerer has merged a Moleskine-brand sketchbook with a spare MacBook hard drive. The process involved a lot of cutting and glueing, and an external hard drive case that wouldn’t need a power supply. So why do it, since at first glance, a hard drive enclosed in paper and cardboard doesn’t seem like a smart idea? Let’s visit the FAQ for this trick:
Because regular enclosures are boring. Because Moleskine notebooks are great looking. And of course, the usual answer: why not?
Why not, indeed.
[Via Moleskinerie]
How to bring the Mac into your business: Advice from experts
Posted on Apr. 27, ’07, 10:25 AM PT by Kate Marshall
Category | Business
Now that there are a plethora of ways to make Windows and OS 10 play nicely together, there may be a shift towards businesses relying on Macs instead of the PCs they’ve long supported. For those interested in making Macs part of your company’s current IT setup, a few technology experts have some advice for you. Most of the advice is fairly straightforward but still worth listening to, such as first figuring out what your business needs today and what it might need in the future before you draft that purchase order.
Other tips include looking to the open-source community for product needs, taking advantage of solutions like Parallels and Boot Camp, and keeping both eyes open throughout the transition.
[Via MacSurfer]
MacLockPick cracks your files like eggs
Posted on Apr. 27, ’07, 9:48 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Security
Ever since I was a young tot, I’ve been fascinated with the ins-and-outs of espionage. Later in life, this merged with my interest in technology, enough so that I learned a few simple tricks that could be used to prank friends (spoofing email from our college registrar’s office, for example; or cracking a login password), but I’m a far way from a l33t über hacker.
And while there’s virtually no way I’ll ever get my hands on SubRosaSoft’s new MacLockPick device, it doesn’t mean that I don’t crave a hands-on with the little feller like a junky jonesing for his next hit. This $499 flash drive (discounts are available for bulk purchases and police) is available only to law enforcement personnel and licensed investigators (proof of which is required to buy it—I’m guessing that plastic badge I have won’t cut it). But just pop it into a running or sleeping computer’s USB port and it’ll retrieve oodles of information about your perp. Frankly, the list of stuff it can pick up is terrifying—it’ll make you glad this sucker isn’t available to every Tom, Dan, and Harry who should happen by:
System - The user password of the logged in user. Often this is shared for root access and FileVault encryption.And that’s just what it pulls from the keychain. How does it work? According to the product page:
General - Includes (but is not limited to) passwords for encrypted disk images, wifi base stations, iTunes music store, iChat login, Apple Remote Desktop.
Internet - Includes (but is not limited to) login and password details for web sites, email accounts, some peer to peer networks, online services and stores, auction sites, and .mac accounts.
AppleShare - A list of login and password details for appleshare servers this mac has connected to.
MacLockPick takes advantage of the fact that the default state of the Apple Keychain is open, even if the system has been put to sleep.It also makes use of the openly readable settings files used to keep track of your suspect’s contacts, activities and history. These data sources even include items that your suspect may have previously deleted or has migrated from previous Mac OS X computers.Sounds as though it’s time for a little primer on keeping your keychain secure. Here’s hoping that I never end up on the wrong side of the MacLockPick—not that I have anything to hide. Heh heh. Er, I have to go now.
[via Macworld]
Update: Clarified pricing.
Apple VP says video coming to iTunes Europe
Posted on Apr. 27, ’07, 9:22 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | iTunes » iTunes Store
While we here in the US enjoy our immense iTunes catalog of 350 TV shows and 500 movies, our friends around the globe aren’t so lucky. Even countries as close as Canada have yet to reap the glories of downloadable 640x480 video (let me tell you, it is sweet).
But a change might be just around the corner. Speaking to the French daily business journal Les Echos (that’s French for “the echoes”), Apple’s vice president of Europe (and handsome devil), Pascal Cagni, said this week that videos would launch in Europe by the end of the year. The brief excerpt I saw suggested that it would take time to reencode the content; perhaps that’s to put it into PAL video format, or maybe it’s to turn them all into black-and-white and add complicated subtext.
Details are sparse, but Cagni also mentioned that Apple would open 70 retail outlets inside larger stores in Europe, and launch the iPhone in Europe during Q4 (confirmed during the Q2 financial conference call earlier this week). We think he’s probably in a position to know—and really, how can you not trust that face?
The bear facts on Mac security
Posted on Apr. 27, ’07, 8:51 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Security
If you thought that this past week’s announcement that a MacBook had been hacked at the CanSecWest security conference would lead to reasoned, thoughtful debate on the topic of security, then I certainly hope you’re enjoying those tangerine trees and marmalade skies. Search Security’s Bill Brenner pens a somewhat skewed look at the response to the vulnerability. You can tell it’s Quality (with a capital “Q”) by the slug alone:
This week in Security Blog Log: A much-hyped QuickTime exploit threatens Mac OS X and Windows browsers, but the Apple faithful feel the greatest sting.It’s true: I haven’t been this stung since a bee decided to attack my foot freshman year of college. Whew.
The Apple faithful have had to defend the security prowess of Mac OS X an awful lot this past year and a half.You know, I don’t really find the need to defend the security prowess of OS X; I think the fact that I’ve been using Macs for sixteen years without having my computer compromised by hackers or a virus speaks pretty well for itself. And bringing up the still-unproven Black Hat demo? Ouch—you’re going to lose points with the East German judge on that one.Early 2006 saw the appearance of the first malware targeting Macs, and a few months later a controversial Black Hat demo where a MacBook was hacked via a weakness in the wireless driver.
It doesn’t matter that this flaw seems to affect most browsers, from Safari to Firefox to Internet Explorer 7, and that users are under threat whether they use a Windows or Mac machine. A Mac was successfully targeted first, further chipping away at the OS’s reputation as a more secure alternative to Windows. Apple enthusiasts are feeling the sting.Whoa, whoa. Whoa. “It doesn’t matter” that the flaw is pretty much universal? So let’s say I got attacked by a bear. It wouldn’t matter that that could happen to anybody, because I’m a Mac user and I got attacked by a bear first? So, the headlines reading “Mac users vulnerable to ursine rampage!!!” would be totally justified? Look, Brenner’s right that Macs have an image of being very secure as compared to Windows, which means they have more to lose when vulnerabilities are discovered, but the fact that this is a vulnerability that affects multiple platforms and browsers does nothing to change the fact that Macs are still safer than Windows. And again with “feeling the sting.” I don’t feel stung. Readers, you feel stung? Anybody feeling stung? Anybody? Bueller?
iTunes DRM-free format may be available to all publishers
Posted on Apr. 27, ’07, 8:03 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | iTunes » iTunes Store
I saw on a couple of sites this morning that Apple’s been sending out messages to the folks who sell their music on the iTunes store. The message reads as follows:
Many of you have reached out to iTunes to find out how you can make your songs available higher quality and DRM-free. Starting next month, iTunes will begin offering higher-quality, DRM-free music and DRM-free music videos to all customers.I’m not sure whether this is the full message or not. Other sites have taken this to mean that the higher quality DRM-free formats will be available to any publisher who’s interested, but without seeing the rest of the email, it’s difficult to ascertain.
On the face of it, though, this sounds like a good thing. While negotiations with the major labels are ongoing, there are a number of independent publishers and artists who have pushed for DRM-free tracks in the past. Adding them into the DRM-free realm could help reach the critical mass that would push the rest of the record companies into line.
EMI’s DRM-free offerings, both music and music videos, are slated to appear sometime in May (so, possibly as early as next week). Steve said the other day that he expected iTunes to hit its target of half of iTunes music DRM-free by the end of the year. Fingers are crossed at MacUser HQ.
You’re just like a famous person
Posted on Apr. 27, ’07, 7:30 AM PT by Derik DeLong
Category | Apple » People
Bill the Foot compiled a list of famous Mac users which was apparently created a long time ago (be forewarned, the latter link might make you think you’ve fallen into a timewarp). You may have known a few of these, but some I had no idea of.
- Tim Allen
- Dan Aykroyd
- Sandra Bullock
- B.B. King
- Troy Aikman
- Tom Cruise
Wait… Tom Cruise? I was so totally down with this until that. I’m not sure I want to be associated with Tom. He doesn’t exactly help the whole Mac “zealot” aspect of the community. I can’t help but picture him jumping up on a couch.
“Windows is a pseudo operating system. You don’t know the history of computing. I do.” Yikes.
[via Digg]
Virginia Tech Memorial Fund charity sale
Posted on Apr. 27, ’07, 6:28 AM PT by Derik DeLong
Category | Software
We’re were all very saddened by the recent events at Virginia Tech. The Virginia Tech Memorial Fund was set up to collect money to help give all kinds of assistance to those hurt by the tragedy. Some rather conscientious Mac developers have organized to donate to the fund.
On May 2nd of 2007, several independent Mac developers will donate the proceeds of their sales to the Virginia Tech Memorial Fund. To contribute to this great cause, go to one (or several) of the following participating sites and purchase their software.
The money you pay will be contributed to the fund and you’ll have not only the peace of mind that comes from contributing to a great cause, but also a piece of software that comes from a great company. You can also of course donate directly to the Virginia Tech Memorial Fund.
Some really great products are on the list, such as Booxter, Moneydance, and Default Folder X. Check the list and if you were planning on buying any of the software on the list, wait until May 2nd so it’ll go to the fund.
Yet another Quicktime Java exploit update
Posted on Apr. 27, ’07, 5:04 AM PT by Derik DeLong
Category | Security
Some people have been saying that the exploit we’ve been talking about has been leaked into the wild (after being stolen off the network at the event). According to the organizer’s that isn’t true.
“Not likely,” said Dragos Ruiu, one of the CanSecWest and hack contest organizers. “Everything went over a wired network. It was in a locked cabinet, so it would have to have been physically compromised.”
Daring Fireball fans will also be pleased to find out that Mr. Gruber has interviewed Dino Dai Zovi, who wrote the exploit. The interview is straightforward and asks many of the questions that security conscious Mac users have been wondering. It’s not combative in the least. Take that Mr. Maynor.
News of additional retail stores: rejoice!
Posted on Apr. 26, ’07, 4:14 PM PT by Thomas Gagnon-van Leeuwen
Category | Apple » Stores
Over the past few days, we’ve learned more about new Apple retail store locations that are bound to make some people happy. We’ve got NYC, the UK, and Australia covered.
First, New Yorkers will be pleased to know that a third store is coming their way. This one will be located on a prominent corner in New York City’s meatpacking district, more precisely, where 9th Avenue and 14th Street meet. It’s interesting to note that the company managing this building also took care of the Fifth Avenue location.
Moving to the international scene now, those of you in the United Kingdom have a reason to rejoice: Liverpool is finally getting its first store, inside a new urban development project called “Liverpool One”. It’s described as a place for urban living and leisure — seems like an Apple store contributes to that goal.
Finally, in yesterday’s conference call, Apple confirmed it would be opening stores this year in Glasgow (Scotland) and Sydney (Australia). If you’re near one of those new locations, enjoy your future fruit-topped store.
The ultimate drive for portable power
Posted on Apr. 26, ’07, 3:21 PM PT by Scott Silverman
Category | Hardware » Accessories
Often one must sacrifice power for portability, or portability for power. But Other World Computing has defied the rules or portable computing today with their new line of Mercury On-The-Go bus powered portable hard drives. They have added eSATA to the line, allowing for some super-fast external storage that is completely portable—it’s even powered via USB. You’ll pay for this high power to portability ratio, however: the 160GB, 7200RPM drive with eSATA will run you a cool $260. But it’s still nice to have options.
Have a nice talk with your Address Book
Posted on Apr. 26, ’07, 2:03 PM PT by Scott Silverman
Category | Tips
This is one of those Mac OS X Hints that will return hours to your day make your life a little easier and remind you how throughly Apple designs their software. Did you know that any date field in Address Book (ie: Birthday, Anniversary) supports plain language input as well as numerical dates? For example, instead of typing April 4, 2007 or even 4/26/07, simply type “today.” Address Book will take care of the rest. Other common terms work too: last week, next year, yesterday, 1980, and more. It’s little things like these that make me love my Mac and regret every single day I ever spent in WIndows.
[via Mac OS X Hints]
Send your playlist to space (if you’re under 18)
Posted on Apr. 26, ’07, 11:30 AM PT by Kate Marshall
Category | iPod
Are you: under 18 and a member of a European Union country participating in the European Space Agency’s ATV project? Then start thinking of a playlist for astronauts aboard the International Space Station. The winning metaphorical playlist (ten songs only) will be loaded onto an iPod to be launched into space aboard the European Space Agency’s Automated Transfer Vehicle. The winner travels to South America to watch the launch.
The contest asks participants to imagine which ten songs they’d want to listen to while orbing 400 kilometers (248.5 miles) above planet Earth. As the ESA puts it:
Everyone has a list of favourite tunes which they listen to when they want to be lively and noisy, or quiet and peaceful. But what if you were suddenly transported 400 km above the Earth, to a collection of cylinders in the sky known as the International Space Station (ISS)? What music would you take with you for entertainment as you floated around the world 16 times a day?
Great, now I’ve got Elton John’s “Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going To Be a Long, Long Time)” stuck in my head.
[Via Engadget]
A lava lamp widget; love beads optional
Posted on Apr. 26, ’07, 10:30 AM PT by Kate Marshall
Category | Software
Ah, behold the soothing glow of the humble lava lamp. Pretty colors, swirling bubbles of an indeterminate nature, and a calm light—what’s not to love? If you can’t get the real thing, at least you can share the ’60s hippie joy with your Mac, thanks to iSlayer’s I Love Lamp widget. Sporting several colors and styles (pink, purple, and “retro silver,” to name a few), the I Love Lamp is nearly a one-step operation to use. Download and install widget. Pick preferred color and style choice, if any. Zone out as the digital blobs of wax slowly bounce inside the lamp, inspiring new heights of tranquility for you and your Mac.
As far as “non-essential” Dashboard widgets go, I’d have to say that this one is pretty darn cool. If you’ll excuse me, I have an attention-span that needs wandering.
News from the virtual front: Parallels launches Technology Network, VMWare preps for IPO
Posted on Apr. 26, ’07, 9:44 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Internet
Since Apple transitioned to the Intel platform last year, virtualization has been arguably the hottest topic. Despite the fact that Mac users love their platform of choice, Windows is on occasion a necessary evil, and companies like Parallels and VMWare have swooped to the rescue with their products.
Today, Parallels took a shot at its competitor VMWare by announcing the Parallels Technology Network (PTN). The company calls PTN “a combination research library, development lab and community forum” that contains a Knowledge Base, a forum, and, most interestingly, the ability to download or submit Virtual Appliances: pre-configured packages that are set up to run a specific program or set of programs, such as the Open Office suite. VMWare has been using virtual appliances for some time now, and while the two will probably not be compatible, it does fill in one of the few major advantages that VMWare held over Parallels.
Not that VMWare is taking a load off. The company, which is owned by EMC, today announced their intent to launch an Initial Public Offering (IPO), in which 10% of the company’s class A stock would be sold. No news on when exactly the IPO will go out, but probably in the next few months.
[via Macworld]
Steve-o: No iTunes music subscriptions
Posted on Apr. 26, ’07, 9:12 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | iTunes » iTunes Store
The Steveness himself, Vinnie Jobserino, took time out of his busy iSchedule to talk to Reuters after yesterday’s financial results. While a lot of his comments were mere reiterations of prior remarks (“We’ve said by the end of this year, over half of the songs we offer on iTunes we believe will be in DRM-free versions,” Jobs said. “I think we’re going to achieve that.”), he did offer a tidbit on rumors that iTunes would incorporate a subscription model for music.
“Never say never, but customers don’t seem to be interested in it,” Jobs told Reuters in an interview after Apple reported blow-out quarterly results. “The subscription model has failed so far.” […] “People want to own their music,” he said.Of course, we know that Steve sees music and video differently, so that still leaves plenty of wiggle room for a subscription video model.
Meanwhile, as the negotiations with record companies continue for the next month, Jobs is said to be pushing hard for the rest of the labels to follow EMI’s example and drop Digital Rights Management technology. Give ‘em hell, Steve.
[via MacNN]
Mozy your way into online backups
Posted on Apr. 26, ’07, 8:41 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Software
We’ve dealt more than once with the importance of backing up your data in some form or another. The Mac’s been blessed with a preponderance of good backup apps: besides the ever-popular Super Duper, there’s Carbon Copy Cloner, Prosoft’s Data Backup, and the venerable Retrospect, just to name a few.
While DVDs and external hard disks are still probably the most common choice for data backup, online storage is becoming more and more popular. Derik, for example, has talked up the combination of Amazon’s S3 service and Jungle Disk.
Into this crowded field comes Mozy. While the service has been around for some time, today it announced the availability of a beta Mac client. Mozy offers 2GB of backup space free, or you can pay $4.95 a month for unlimited storage space. It also offers handy features like 448-bit encryption, backup sets (a la Apple’s own .Mac Backup), incremental backups, web access, and rudimentary scheduling. From my quick look, it seems a nice, slick little setup that might be useful for those looking for cheap online backup.
[via Macworld]
Apple Board to Steve: “We got your back, yo”
Posted on Apr. 26, ’07, 8:01 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Business
What’s a board to do when a former member of their posse points the finger at their number one homey? Your options are: a) take justice into their own hands, vigilante-style; b) launch into an inspired musical number, complete with pyrotechnics and background dancers; or c) issue a strongly-worded statement. If you said ‘a’ or ‘b’ then boy do I have a screenplay for you.
Sadly, the Apple board of directors (consisting of Arthur “Gene-Splicer” Levinson, Al “The Bull” Gore, Jerry “Duke” York, Mickey “Mind this gap” Drexler, Bill “No, not the actor” Campbell, and Eric “I totally own you, your house, your car, and oh yeah, your dog” Schmidt) opted for ‘c,’ releasing this paragraph shortly before yesterday’s quarterly results:
We are not going to enter into a public debate with Fred Anderson or his lawyer. Steve Jobs cooperated fully with Apple’s independent investigation and with the government’s investigation of stock option grants at Apple. The SEC investigated the matter thoroughly and its complaint speaks for itself, in terms of what it says, what it does not say, who it charges, and who it does not charge. We have complete confidence in the conclusions of Apple’s independent investigation, and in Steve’s integrity and his ability to lead Apple.That enough reading between the lines for you, Freddy? It’s time to turn in your “friendship 4EVER” bracelet; the board’s already had you Photoshopped out of all those old vacation pictures.
Just remember, in the dog-eat-dog boardrooms of Silicon Valley, it’s bro’s before ex-CFOs.
iPhone, Apple TV to get new features for FREE
Posted on Apr. 26, ’07, 7:03 AM PT by Derik DeLong
Category | Hardware
In case you didn’t read every riveting word of Dan’s groundbreaking coverage of Apple’s Q2 2007 financial results (and why wouldn’t you? he’s really quite sensitive about it), one of the highlights from the call was this little tidbit:
More on Apple TV and iPhone strategy for accounting. Talking up the spiffyness of the iPhone, but nothing new on features. “New software features and new applications” due to be incorporated into the iPhone; features will be added at no additional charge (downloadable updates?). Subscription accounting, over 24 months. Now we get into tricky financial lingo on how they will account for those features, but I wonder if this is to avoid Sarbanes-Oxley issues (a la the N-enabler). Report iPhone results will include unit sales for iPhone, iPhone accessories, and payments from AT&T/Cingular.
Similar model in the Apple TV (i.e. downloadable updates). Included in “other music products and services.”
Interpret it how you wish, but I think they’re promising us all a pony with both the iPhone and Apple TV. I don’t know how they’ll deliver the creature through a digital download, but that’s an Apple engineering detail that they should be able to figure out (or else I’ll pout).
More likely the Apple TV will get an update to the final 802.11n once it’s released and the iPhone will get a couple new widgets as time goes on (until the second generation is released and the original is supposedly incapable of supporting them). It doubt it will nearly as exciting as we all inevitably hope.
You grill, iGrill, we all scream for burgers
Posted on Apr. 26, ’07, 5:28 AM PT by Derik DeLong
Category | iPod » iPod Accessories
If you thought you liked the George Foreman Lean Mean Fat Reducing Grilling Machine (GFLMFRGM to those in the know) before, then you’re going to be quivering in excitement now. The iGrill (apparently “with George”, yummy) is the newest way to knock out the fat.
GRILL OR ROAST - PLUS ENJOY YOUR FAVORITE TUNES FROM YOUR IPOD, MP3, AND MANY ADDITIONAL MUSIC SYSTEMS
That’s right. The grill has a built-in speaker for getting your groove on while getting your meat on. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. For those of you that have actually waiting for this miracle product, it’ll set you back a mere $149.99 (meat sold separately).
[Hat tip: Andrew Lawrence and MacNN]
The search for a free Spanning Sync: Part II.v
Posted on Apr. 25, ’07, 4:57 PM PT by Aaron Freedman
Category | Software
Before I get to Part III of The search for a free Spanning Sync, I just wanted to cover one app that I almost forgot about: Calgoo.
Calgoo is a desktop interface for working with Google Calendar. This means that, like the Sunbird/Thunderbird interface I mentioned in Part II, you can work with your Google Calendar in a normal desktop program. Of course, Calgoo has many differences from the Part II solution. One is that Calgoo only interfaces with Google Calendar, and instead of syncing with it, it actually runs your Google Calendar(s) from within the program. Also, as a minor annoyance, you need to create a Calgoo account to download and use the program. But, like the Sunbird/Thunderbird method, Calgoo is cross-platform and has a clunky, non-OS-integrating interface. In fact, Calgoo’s interface is even less attractive and OS X friendly than Sunbird’s, do partly to the fact that Calgoo does not sync Google Calendar with a local calendar. Still, Calgoo is in beta (only version 0.37), so it may get better for its 1.0 release.
So, like Sunbird and GCalDaemon before it, Calgoo fails to suit me. But hey, it may be great for you. And if it’s not, just hold tight a little longer for Part III: Back to Beta.
Natural elements and iPods now compatible
Posted on Apr. 25, ’07, 4:02 PM PT by Thomas Gagnon-van Leeuwen
Category | iPod » iPod Accessories
This post is all about combining the natural elements with your iPod. Yes, yes, you can make your shiny player play nice with air and rain, thanks to these two accessories.
Griffin Technology’s new $70-minus-one-cent AirDock puts your iPod is the atmosphere, metaphorically. You can pluck down any iPod with a dock connector into this sleek dock which connects to a computer, a TV, and an electric plug. Of course, that implies syncing, watching, and charging. What more could you want? How about a wireless remote using RF technology for total through-the-air control?
Now, you must protect your investment from the rain. The iBrella lets you do just that, and more. This incredibly silly and cool concept product lets you control your tunes through umbrella movements, à la Wii. Play/Pause? Open and close your white iBrella. Pump up the volume? Twist its handle. My favorite, though, is selecting a random track “by wildly shaking the iBrella in the air”. No, it doesn’t look like you can buy it, but you can still look at this video of iBrella in action.
[AirDock via Playlist, iBrella via TechEBlog]
iPhone details from AT&T internal document
Posted on Apr. 25, ’07, 3:07 PM PT by Scott Silverman
Category | Hardware
No we don’t know the exact service plans AT&T will offer with the iPhone, and we certainly don’t know what features Apple will add before it’s officially released in June, but we do have some other, less specific, news. Somehow or another Engadget got its hands on an internal AT&T FAQ document intended for its employees. The actual document is 3 pages long and contains some redundant information, so I’ve summarized the highlights for you here:
- “An existing customer can purchase the iPhone for the same price as a new customer. However, no subsidies are being offered on the phone at this time.”
- Customers will be allowed to wait past when their contract expires to upgrade to the iPhone.
- Cingular (AT&T) will provide traditional service/billing support but Apple will provide technical support for iTunes and iPod functionality.
- There will be access to Cingular’s MyAccount from the iPhone, allowing the complete management of service.
- The prices of $499 (4GB) and $599 (8GB) have been confirmed by Cingular.
- The iPhone cannot be pre-ordered.
- Many other details (rate plans included) will be released “closer to launch.”
The numbers game: liveblogging Apple’s Q2 2007 earnings
Posted on Apr. 25, ’07, 2:09 PM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Business
To some it makes the world goes round; to others it’s the root of all evil. But I think the O’Jays put it best: money money money money money monnnnney. Like it or not, it’s the lifeblood of so many companies, including the one on which we focus so many of our waking moments.
We’re tapped into Apple’s financial results conference call, which has yet to begin, but we can give you some numbers already. Revenue for the quarter was $5.26 billion, with a net profit of $770 million, or the ever important $0.87 per diluted share. Last year’s Q2 saw a revenue of $4.36 billion, with profit of $410 million ($0.47 per diluted share), which marks a pretty hefty improvement for 2007.
Mac shipments were at 1,517,000 computeres, and 10,549,000 iPods; that’s 36% growth in Macs, and 24% growth in iPods.
We’ll be hearing from CFO Peter Oppenheimer, COO Tim Cook, and Apple’s treasurer in just a moment. Follow the jump for more.
“No” Zune phone
Posted on Apr. 25, ’07, 2:06 PM PT by Scott Silverman
Category | Apple » Rivals
Ever since Apple entered the MP3 market, there were constant rumors that Microsoft was sizing up the competition to release their own device. That device is now known as Zune. Now, ever since Apple entered the cell phone market, there have been constant rumors that Microsoft is working on a Zune phone.
Although we have learned from past product releases (both in the Mac and PC worlds) that executives are more than willing to lie about future product plans, we do have word on the Zune phone. Steve Ballmer has said regarding a Zune phone: “It’s not a concept you’ll ever get from us.” He went on to explain that Microsoft is in the Windows Mobile business and it would be more likely to see Zune (and even Xbox) in Windows Mobile.
So Mr. Baller, no Zune phone, huh? Then how do you explain this?
[via Gizmodo]
More weather information than you can shake a stormcloud at
Posted on Apr. 25, ’07, 11:30 AM PT by Kate Marshall
Category | Software
After exchanging textbooks for employee guidelines two years ago, I’ve become something of a weather junkie: is it going to snow today? Will today’s rain screw up the trains? If it’s 50 degrees Farenheit when I leave the house for work but 70 degrees Farenheit when I return home eight hours later, then what should I wear at the office?
This is where obssessive weather updates come in handy, such as Dashboard’s default weather widget and websites like The Weather Channel and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
You can even check out a weather widget for the NOAA, thanks to developer Matthew Williamson. The wealth of information comes at a cost—namely, instant gratification. After putting your location into the back of the main “NOAA” circle, the widget pulls the necessary weather information from the internet, divided into four squares: “Radar,” “Forecast,” “Alerts,” and “Current.”
Clicking the “Forecast” square in the top-left corner gives you a seven-day forecast in separate bubbles, each showing a photo-realistic image of the forecast (sunny clouds, rain, etc). This effect isn’t instantaneous but I’m still awed by the strong, “Cool!” factor. The NOAA Weather Center widget also provides detailed information about radar patterns, current local conditions and any applicable alerts. It can’t help you control the weather (yet) but you’ll be too inundated with humidity levels and rain predictions to notice.
[Edited to fix developer information]
Help HandBrake rip your TV shows
Posted on Apr. 25, ’07, 10:30 AM PT by Kate Marshall
Category | Software
Despite my undying love for Heroes and amused fondness for Blood Ties, there’s not much currently on TV that I want to watch regularly. Instead, I’ve turned to DVDs of favorite television shows; some hit the end of their seven-year contract and said, “no more.” Others, however, are still with us, even though I’m fairly convinced that the quality peaked around season nine (1997-8). Thanks to my video iPod (nicknamed “Ignatius III”) and the reborn HandBrake, I can take my cherised DVDs of Buffy, The Simpsons, etc. and shove them onto Iggy for the morning train commute.
Except that copying 30-60 minute TV episodes from a multiple-disc set is kind of annoying. Thankfully, Playlist’s Christopher Breen has some tips for how to make the most of your HandBrake-and-TV-show activities. After enabling the “enable queue” option, and giving each episode a unique file name (very important so HandBrake doesn’t overwrite each ripping session), you should be left with a handful of cherished, funny, incisive TV episodes from shows gone by.
Would that someone could now find an easier way to batch-edit the newly-ripped episodes.
Apple Q2 financials coming later today. Yippee!
Posted on Apr. 25, ’07, 9:53 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Money
Consider this your friendly reminder: Apple’s conference call for their Q2 2007 quarterly financial results is due to hit at 5PM Eastern today, 2PM for those of you in the West. We’re looking forward to all the delicious, gooey numbers served piping hot straight from the oven.
Of course, we know that listening to financials isn’t everybody’s idea of a good time, so never fear: MacUser’s Special Financial Conference Call Correspondent, yours truly, will be on hand to give you the dirt on everything from diluted earnings to year-over-year growth, complete with the insightful, thought-provoking commentary you’ve come to expect and, dare we say, love.
With yesterday’s news of the SEC’s charges against former Apple counsel Nancy Heinen and settlement with ex-CFO Fred Anderson, we fully expect to hear maybe one or two offhand questions about options shenanigans. Note that I said “hear,” not “comprehend.” Just so you’re warned.
New UK Get a Mac spot is “Awkward”
Posted on Apr. 25, ’07, 9:05 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Apple » Advertising
Blast you, adverts! Slipping through our fingers like grains of fine, white sand under a pure blue sky—sorry, I’m still having separation withdrawal from my trip to the Florida keys. Anyway, we apologize that we neglected to let you know about a new Get a Mac spot. And not just any Get a Mac spot, but a brand new British Get a Mac spot.
We tune into to find our friends Mac and PC joined by a new…shall we say, entourage of characters: the sharp-dressed Microsoft Office posse (I hear pastels are the new black), who, as it turns out, may like hanging out with Mac just a wee bit more than with PC. All in all, mildly amusing. Now I’m off to see if I can find myself a pimpalicious purple suit.
How would you improve Firefox for Mac?
Posted on Apr. 25, ’07, 8:07 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Software
Browser discussions can be more contentious than deciding on a place to eat on those long family car trips. But there’s one thing on which most of us can agree: all the options in the field can be improved to some extent.
Firefox developer (and the man who has now piqued my domain name envy) Colin Barrett is asking for input on what could be improved in the Mac version of the fox.
So, fellow Appleites, I put it to you: What sucks about Firefox on the Mac? Send mail to macfirefox at this domain, and let me know what you think.Man, “the more mail the better?” This guy is my kind of nuts. His blog post is already up to 160 comments, only a few of which appear to be the inevitable offers for online casinos and Viagra. Head over to add your own two cents to the mix.To start you off, here are some things I know people want:
Native Form Widgets (currently scheduled for Firefox 3)
Keychain Integration
Firefox should have a Unified toolbar (not completely hopeless, it turns out)
Performance could be better (as always) If you’ve got more specific nits, that’s great, mail it in. If you think the stuff already on here is really important, I want to hear about it. If there are features in Camino/Safari/OmniWeb/iCab that you absolutely can’t live without, tell me. The more mail I get about this, the better.
But this is where the open source nature of Firefox really shines. As much as I love Safari, you’ll pretty much never hear its devs asking you to deluge them with feature requests. Is it any surprise Firefox is on the rise?
[via Digg]
Periscope gives you a new vantage point
Posted on Apr. 25, ’07, 7:35 AM PT by Derik DeLong
Category | Software
I have one of those fancy standalone iSights that Apple doesn’t sell anymore (and has yet to supply a replacement for). It was my first really working webcam, so I felt the need to rush out and get a real webcam application. My choice was EvoCam. It has a bunch of features, but it hasn’t had a major release with new features in quite some time. Simply said, it’s stale.
Freeverse’s new Periscope is a brand new webcam application that’s got some great features in it. Firstly, it puts a lot of emphasis on the use of a webcam for monitoring your home. EvoCam actually has most of the features that Periscope has in this regard, but Periscope has an edge with support for Apple’s remote control. It also has built in uploading to both .Mac and Flickr and great built-in snapshot management, unlike EvoCam. Unfortunately, it lacks nicities like EvoCam’s built-in webserver and Java picture server (which gives a pseudo live video feed).
Periscope costs $29.95, while EvoCam costs $25. I really had