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TheAppleBlog
TheAppleBlog, published by and for the day-to-day Apple user, is a prominent source for news, reviews, walkthroughs, and real life application of all Apple products.
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Has Steve Jobs Chosen His Replacement?
Ever since his very secretive battle with Pancreatic Cancer in 2003-2004, Steve Jobs’ health is consistently under a microscope. Every time Jobs coughs on stage the news media goes crazy with rumors that he might be ill.

Many believe the charismatic leader, who saved Apple from extinction in the 90’s, cannot be replaced. Investors seem to agree. When a hoax news story was posted on a CNN iReport that Steve Jobs had a heart attack, Apple stock fell sharply until it was reported that the story was just a hoax.

Tom Reestman recently argued that Apple would be just fine without Jobs, noting that he has put together a “a crack management team that is executing almost flawlessly.” I agree that Apple’s current senior management team has the experience and creativity to continue producing successful products. But while Apple’s day to day operations would likely run relatively smoothly, their share price would plummet due to speculation and fear.
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Weekly App Store Roundup: Nov. 1, 2008
The time has arrived for us to wave a fond farewell to the week that brought us the joys of seeing Steve Wozniak dressed as a Sith Lord and the subsequent horror of seeing The Woz then attempt to act. As usual, the App Store has been chugging away in the background like a steam engine fueled only by the adrenaline of developers across the globe. Join us as we grab our tool-box and investigate a few worthy additions to the store.

This week we’re looking at Google Earth, Mobile Files, Say Who and Cyber Chess Ultimate Online Chess.

Google Earth (free) - Is there nothing our humble iPhone’s aren’t capable of? Apparently not, as Google have upped the game once more by shrinking down the awe-inspiring Google Earth on to our pocket-size Apple devices. It’s not necessarily a replacement for the excellent GPS-fuelled Maps app, but Google Earth is impressive nonetheless and a useful tool to compliment every iPhone owner’s globe-trotting adventures.

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iTunes 8 Makes Podcast Management Improvements
One of my personal gripes with iTunes 7 and earlier versions was that the “retention” rules for podcasts were global. You could choose to keep all episodes, all unwatched episodes, the 5 most recent, etc. but that choice would be applied universally to all your different podcasts. Thankfully, the new iTunes update addresses that situation and provides you with the opportunity to customize the settings for each podcast individually.

I basically have two types of podcasts in my library: “timely” news podcasts and “timeless” informational podcasts. Some of the newsy podcasts, like my soccer news (football to the rest of the world), have a limited shelf life. Another example is TV show commentary podcasts. I don’t need to hold on to episodes from three months ago. I really only want the last week or so. Then I have the “timeless” podcasts like NPR Live Concerts that I probably want to keep forever so I can keep those live performances in my iTunes library.

How is it done?

The settings for podcasts in iTunes 8 are found by clicking on the “Settings…” button (whodathunkit?) found at the bottom left below the list of podcasts.

You can select how often iTunes checks for new podcast episodes (every hour, day, week or manually) and you can then use the dropdown labeled “Settings for:” to select individual podcasts. Here’s a look at my default settings, which are configured to keep all episodes.
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Espionage Brings "Tricksy" Folder Encryption to OS X

Despite being an avid OS X user, there are deficiencies in this great OS of ours and many of the ones I focus on center — unsurprisingly — around security.

In the plethora of accurate claims of superiority in Apple’s “I’m a Mac” ads, one counter-example is the ability within Windows to encrypt individual folders. While Microsoft’s EFS is no panacea of security and usability, it does work and there has been no practical parallel yet within OS X. Until now.

A Twitter post early Thursday morning from the legendary Matt Gemmell quietly announced Espionage from Tao Effect software (Greg Slepak & John Ashenden). This $14.95 utility (for OS X 10.5+) uses some interesting tricks to bring folder-level encryption and/or privacy to your workstation. Read on to see what’s going on under the covers and to find out if Espionage is the right solution for you.
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Using the Cloud to Setup a New Mac

In a previous article I explained how in the last year I’ve moved the majority of my data to the Cloud. By utilizing MobileMe’s syncing mechanisms, I’m able to do this without sacrificing the “comfort” and “safety” of having all my data local. This not only saves me from worrying what I’d do if all of Apple’s servers exploded tomorrow, but it also allows me to utilize local desktop applications of my choosing, and to do so even if I have no Internet connectivity.

For me it really is proving to be the best of both worlds.

Well, a few days ago I received a new MacBook, and I want to recount how utilizing these sync services (specifically, MobileMe) made setting up the new machine a snap.

Keep in mind that my iMac will still maintain my complete iTunes library (currently 80GB), and my full Aperture library. I may very well move my photos to the Cloud, but I think iTunes media will stay local — due to its size — for a while.
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8 Horrid Halloween iPhone Apps

It’s Friday the 31st of October and that means only one chilling thing… it’s time for our first annual Halloween App Store Roundup. On this frightful Friday, we went bobbing for a selection of the most spooktacular Apps created just for Halloween.

This Halloween we’re looking at Psi, Scare Tracks, MonstAr Maker, Halloween WordSearch, Trick or Treat, Ghost Pop, Jack O’Lantern and Free Hangman.

Psi ($0.99) - Remember that scene right at the start of Ghostbusters, the one where Venkman is testing a guy and a girl for ESP abilities? Well prepare to live like you’re in the movies as this app lets you conduct your very own ESP experiments to test your pals for latent psychic potential. Unfortunately you can’t electric shock your test subjects, as in the classic movie.

Scare Tracks ($0.99) - No Halloween is complete without a suitably spooky soundtrack, music that will chill even the most fearless trick or treaters to the very bone. Whilst you may have a few horrific albums in your music collection – we’re looking at all the people who bought Britney’s latest album here – Scare Tracks hosts a truly horrible selection of cinematic-style audio treats.
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Happy Halloween: Apple Costume Roundup
Every time around this year I get ghostly pangs of gastro-intestinal discomfort as I’m haunted by memories of eating bags and bags of candy in a single sitting. I also get secretly excited about the one time of the year I’m able to play dress-up in public and not be ridiculed. We here at TAB wanted to share in the excitement of this most sinister holiday with this collection of Apple-themed costumes. Enjoy!

The iPod has become probably the most popular Apple Halloween costume to date, either because it’s easy (the proverbial ghost costume of the nerd crowd?) or because there’s reference models lying around everywhere.

If sales numbers are any indication, however, the iPod costume could soon be overtaken by the iPhone costume. Not only is it equally boxy and uncomfortable, but it’s also a phone.

Maybe you’re a power user, and the iPhone just isn’t enough to meet your demanding needs. Don’t worry, there’s a costume for you, too. I know you still love that berry-colored iMac, but if you haven’t changed it into a fishbowl yet, it makes for stylish headwear.

If the prospect of dressing like hardware and not being able to sit down, turn your head, or move your arms isn’t appealing to you, there are still a couple options out there for you. Everyone’s favorite/most feared CEO makes for a charming/terrifying costume, for instance.

Or if you’re doing the tandem thing, this one’s made for two. Add an air horn and it becomes up-to-the-minute current and loads more aggravating to those around you.

Finally, if you’d rather not dress up yourself, but you still feel the holiday spirit, here’s a nice way to show it.

Happy Halloween TAB readers! Let us know about your own Apple-themed costumes below.

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Put Your Screen Saver to Work With iCalScreenSaver

That mosaic screen saver of your iPhoto pictures may look groovy, but it’s really not doing anything to help your work flow. How about a screen saver that displays all your iCal appointments instead?

PocketMac, the geniuses behind the app that lets you sync your BlackBerry and Mac, has released iCalScreenSaver. This fully configurable app lets you display your iCal appointments as a screen saver that kicks in whenever you’re not using your computer.

Once installed, iCalScreenSaver is accessed via System Preferences. You can choose the background color, which calendars you want displayed, and whether you want only the public events visible.
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