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- Make Your eBay Experience More Mac-Like With GarageBuy
I’ve been a fan of GarageSale for a few years and, while I don’t use eBay regularly, I tend to use OS X software when placing a listing. It always results in something which looks stunning and makes the item you’re selling a great deal more appealing.
A friend recently told me about a similar eBay app called GarageBuy, developed by iwascoding. Rather than providing a tool to sell your item, GarageBuy assists with searching and tracking items you’d like to purchase.
I hadn’t really ever considered the need for a local OS X application for browsing eBay, but have been impressed with GarageBuy after using it for a few days. It provides a full featured method for searching and browsing eBay, watching auctions, bidding and integrating your eBay purchasing with local apps such as iCal.
The Interface
The interface itself is very similar to GarageSale — the fairly dark gray, complicated layout has echoes of other iwascoding releases. While this isn’t my favorite style (I generally prefer applications with a little more white-space), it gets the job done in this case.
There are three different layouts for browsing results: list, list with thumbnails, and images. When choosing the image version, small sticky notes are superimposed over the image to let you know the price and whether the item is a bid or ‘buy it now’ listing. Upon selecting a result, all the relevant details are displayed beneath it. One slight criticism here is that when resizing the application, the listed features don’t adjust evenly — it would be quite easy to end up with details being cut off on a smaller screen.
Fortunately, another option exists for viewing the actual eBay listing below the thumbnails when clicking on a particular result. I’m a fan of this option, as I quite like being able to see the result on the actual eBay site itself.
Results can be narrowed easily by category at the top of the listing, which is great when searching for a product which has a bunch of accessories for sale (there were around 1000 iPhones on sale, but over 16,000 accessories!) After performing a search, the results are stored in the sidebar to return to later. These saved searches have their results updated automatically, and you’re notified if any new ones appear. GarageBuy can integrate with Growl to notify you in any way you specify.
As eBay grows and expands, their categories and data changes format regularly (categories for iPhone accessories certainly wouldn’t have existed a few years ago!). Fortunately, GarageBuy is perfectly capable of downloading updates to support new categories as they are adjusted.
Bidding and Buying
At present, GarageBuy is unable to support items requesting immediate payment. It does, however, provide functionality for Buy it Now and standard bidding listings. After authorizing GarageBuy to access your eBay account via a token, all this can be done from within the app.
AppleScript support is integrated to allow you to create a script which will automatically bid a predefined amount on a particular item. This is a really interesting solution, and makes it easy for a ‘power’ eBay user to automate their business — through the use of iCal reminders (see below) and AppleScript, set bids can be placed in the last few minutes of an auction.
Integrating with OS X
The beauty of managing your eBay purchases locally is the ability to integrate directly with other local applications. Two such features are provided:
- Mail: Clicking ‘Tell a Friend’ will automatically open an email containing information for the listing currently being viewed. This includes the current price, shipping information and eBay item ID.
- iCal: Selecting ‘Generate iCal Event’ can create a separate calendar within iCal for tracking eBay items, and will display an alarm notification a set number of minutes before the end of the auction. I’ve found this to be really useful to avoid kicking yourself for just missing the end of an auction. It can of course be done manually, but it’s nice to have the feature integrated.
GarageBuy for iPhone/iPod Touch
As a companion to the desktop application, a piece of software is available for the iPhone/iPod Touch. It allows you to search for, and bid on, eBay items from anywhere. It’s usable almost anywhere, supporting 16 different eBay Sites including the USA, Canada, Germany and Great Britain. Downloading it is completely free, and it provides an excellent addition to your iPhone. Arguably, I would expect to get more use out of the mobile version as I’m not a huge fan of the eBay mobile site.
Other eBay Tools
We’ve previously posted a collection of different eBay utilities for the Mac. Many deal with listing your own items, but there are a couple of useful Dashboard widgets which you may be interested in checking out as an alternative to GarageBuy.
Conclusion
Unlike a few of iwascoding’s other products, GarageBuy is completely free to use. There’s no barrier to downloading it and having a play for yourself. You may find that it doesn’t add a great deal over using the eBay site itself, but if you’re a regular eBayer it can add a range of really useful functionality.
Is it an app that captures your interest, or do you use another tool for simplifying eBay purchasing?
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Переслать - Daily Apple: Imaginary Apple, Bad Android, & NVIDIA Fail
Crazy Apple Concepts From 90’s, No Grunge Model Though - Here are some great Flickr photos of concept designs of Apple products from the early 90’s. Some of it is just bizarre, and others are not so different from concepts that continue to crop up to this day, which is a sad reflection on how badly we want a tablet Mac.
Android Has Malware Scare, Now Apple’s Iron-Fisted Rule Makes Sense - Apple gets a lot of flack for their App Store approval process, but Google recently had a near miss with a malware app that makes it look pretty reasonable. The app in question, MemoryUp Personal, apparently deletes memory cards and spams people. Good feature set.
NVIDIA Display Fix Doesn’t Fix Everything - Distortion issues on monitors connected to MacBooks via Mini DisplayPort to Dual-DVI adapters were not fixed via Monday’s update, says Gizmodo’s Jason Chen. The issue is an intermittent one that resolves after a few reconnects, but still, this isn’t amateur hour Apple.
Speaking of Concepts, Here’s a Whopper - A tri-fold Macbook design? Kooky. It’s a magic little MacBook Mini, or in other words, what an Apple netbook might look like. I often wonder what else these people designing Apple concepts do with their time. Maybe show little poor girls pictures of ponies they’ll never, ever have?
Steampunk-y iPhone Design… On a Shirt! - This thing is really cool. I like the pan flute part, and the compass-dial thingy where the Home button should go. Another wonderful, impossible device that I will sadly never be able to have.
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Click here to save cost on your IT demandsПереслать - Apple's Multi-Touch Patent: A More Realistic View
So Apple is finally awarded their multi-touch patent, and the hue and cry from the Apple Bashers is pretty loud. But not only Apple Bashers are worried, Daring Fireball had this to say:
Very broad language - taken at face value, Apple effectively owns the IP rights to multi-touch in the U.S. This sucks.
DF’s major beef is with the patent office awarding the patent in the first place due to its broad language. However, what other type of language does one use for the concept being patented? We’re talking a whole new UI here. The implication seems to be that the patent is short on specifics, yet it’s 358 pages! When you’re patenting a new UI, I’m thinking you’re going to have to brush with broad strokes lest you forget a corner of the canvas that a competitor uses to white out your picture.
Other comments I’ve read on various blogs are more alarmist. Apple will become a monopoly. Apple is evil. I hated them before, I hate them even more now. Apple will kill innovation. Apple hates competition. Blah, blah, blah…
And all of this without Apple even lifting a finger. I guess it’s easier to yell and scream first, and then look for justification later.
What’s Really Going On?
My view of the whole thing is that Apple remembers a painful lesson, and has no intention of letting it happen again. They invented the computer GUI we’ve been using for 25 years and got precious little for it. It was ripped off, and those goods rammed down our throats through means that are still questionable, at best.
Back then, the idea of patenting or copyrighting software or a UI was pretty fuzzy (just ask the inventor of Visacalc, it must suck to see a bajillion dollars of Excel sold every year and get bupkis). It also didn’t help that the ‘85 agreement between Microsoft and Apple could have been worded better, but I’m not so sure that back then Microsoft would have been stopped from their rip-off Windows shell even without that agreement. Today we know better.
Apple spent millions of dollars and several years developing the premiere touch user interface, and they had no intention for any other company to simply copy the primary elements and then claim it’s the same thing. Not this time.
Does Apple Deserve This?
For those claiming Apple doesn’t deserve the patent because they did not “invent” multi-touch, who did invent it? Jeff Han? Did he not rely on the works of others? Doesn’t everybody? More to the point, who is everybody modeling their product after? That’s right, that would be Apple. No one is ripping off Jeff’s, or anyone else’s, designs for the simple reasons there was nothing practical enough to rip off.
At some point, when you perfect an idea, and actually make it work, and usable, and practical, and bring it to market, and it’s affordable and reliable enough to be a huge hit then, yes, you “invented” it. Apple absolutely did this with the Macintosh, and they did it with the iPhone OS.
Will It Kill Innovation?
As for the idea that this kills innovation, please re-think that question using incentive and history as your guides:
- Incentive, because why put in the massive amounts of time, money and effort to truly innovate — and put up with all your competitors mocking and ridiculing it until the product becomes a huge hit — only to watch them change their tune and just start ripping it off? The incentive is that if you take those huge risks (does anyone not appreciate what a risk this was for Apple?) you’ll get rewarded by being afforded some level of protection. That potential reward encourages innovation, it doesn’t kill it. In fact, it’s a major reason for the patent system in the first place.
- As for history, did Apple’s lack of control over the computer GUI give us innovation? Are any of you seriously going to argue the DOS shell known as Windows was innovative? It could be argued that not being able to stop Windows ultimately set the computer tech world back 15 years. Please. Blatant knock-offs from those trying to make a quick buck (or even just survive) is not innovation, it’s stolen IP. Let’s not get all teary-eyed over supposed suppressed innovation. The rip-off artists aren’t interested in innovating anything.
And please try to think back to only two years ago, when much of the planet was mocking Apple and the iPhone. How short some memories are! That every phone should be like this seems self-evident now, but it was Apple who realized it and did the work to make it so. I do not (and should not) care that someone was demoing resizing photos on a huge screen with expensive equipment in an implementation that was not at all practical outside of a lab, or university, or demo room. That’s not what the iPhone is. That’s its genius. That’s what is being patented.
Finally…
It remains to be seen how Apple will use this patent to protect their IP. I do not dispute that many patents are used as weapons to club everything in order to make a buck. We see a lot of such “patent trolling,” but does anyone seriously think Apple is going to be a patent troll now? I mean, surely you know they have better sources of revenue, right?
I just don’t see Apple having the time nor the inclination to try to make a few bucks that way. It’s about trying to stop blatant copycats of a major game-changing design in a way they could not 25 years ago. Good for them.
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Hear Microsoft, IBM, Dell and Cisco execs at GigaOM’s Green:Net.Переслать - On The Job 3.0
It’s been nearly two-and-a-half years since we reviewed On The Job here at TheAppleBlog, and we gave it high marks back then. Today Stunt Software has released On The Job 3.0, their time & expense tracking and invoicing application. The new version has some nice new features, but it keeps the excellent simple, yet powerful feel we praised it for back in 2006.
On The Job greets a new user with a sample client and a sample project. It is easy to get in and edit what you need to get started right away. A helpful addition to Version 3 is the properties panel that is shown in gray at the bottom of the window. This replaces an info panel that you had to call anytime you wanted to make a change to a job. Anything you need is within arm’s reach. Before this addition, even simple changes took a few more clicks than it felt like were needed.
Timing projects is just as straightforward as it was in Version 2. You just click the big “play” button and it starts timing it. You can also start and stop the timer or even switch tasks from both the dock icon or the menu bar item. If you accidentally leave On The Job running while you go grab some lunch, no problem. When you come back, a little idle timer pops up asking if you want to subtract that hour or not.
Going back to see your timed tasks is pretty classy too. Click the little “i” button next to a task, and you can see, add, edit and delete your timing sessions. Lots of little interface things like these really add to the feel of the program.
One big request people had with Version 2 of On The Job was the desire to customize the design of their invoices. Well, Stunt Software took that to heart and spent some quality time coming up with their invoice designer. It looks like an easy-to-understand version of the Billings invoice designer. I like it!
Not everything is perfect here. There are a few interface inconsistencies that bother me. If you make the window too narrow, things start looking odd in the properties panel.
It also doesn’t feel quite right that if I add items that aren’t timed, such as a fixed-cost expense, all it shows is a dollar cost in the row with the time grayed out. There should be additional optional columns for quantity and per-unit cost.
So there is a little work to be done in a few areas like that, but all in all, things are on the right track. I’m hoping we don’t have to wait two-and-a-half years for more updates.
I used On The Job Version 2 quite a bit right when I started my freelancing business. I ended up switching to Billings so that I could have custom-designed invoices, but I always missed the ease of use of On The Job. Now that On The Job has that Invoice designer, I think I just might have to move back.
On The Job 3.0 costs $39.95, and upgrades from version 2.0 can be had for $14.95. It is available from Stunt Software’s web site.
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Click here to save cost on your IT demandsПереслать - Papermaster Can Begin Work, IBM Can Begin Looking Over His Shoulder
I touched on this development yesterday, but it merits closer attention. The name Papermaster, once associated with the guy in the army who was in charge of all the stationery (I assume), is now famous in the Apple and tech community for calling attention to the sensitive nature of switching jobs in Silicon Valley.
After announcing his leave from IBM, where he was a top executive working on IBM’s microprocessor technology, and his decision to accept a position with Apple as iPod chief Tony Faddel’s replacement, IBM decided to initiate legal proceedings to block the move, citing their non-compete agreement, and the potential threat to company IP the move represented.
The two heavyweight tech firms have finally reached a settlement, and Apple announced yesterday that as a result, Mark Papermaster will begin his job as Senior Vice President of Devices Hardware Engineering on April 24. Apple’s press release downplays the legal battle between themselves and IBM, focusing instead on Papermaster’s professional and educational background.When the trouble was initially revealed, I suggested at the time that one of the possible motives of IBM in pursuing legal action, since it was my opinion that they probably couldn’t win in the long run, was to strong-arm Apple into some sort of settlement that allowed them early access to upcoming Apple innovations. That’s not necessarily what they got, but they could potentially, depending on what the court sees as infringement by Apple on IBM’s IP.
According to the terms of the settlement, Apple has to submit information to the court regarding Papermaster’s work once in July 2009, and again in October 2009, in order to make sure that nothing Apple is doing steps on IBM’s toes. It’s unclear whether it will be solely at the court’s discretion to decide if an infringement has occurred, but if IBM gets to have a look as well to make sure everything is on the up-and-up, they could potentially be privy to insider information on Apple tech in a way no one else is.
The settlement also prevents Papermaster from starting his new job any earlier than April 24, a date which marks six months since his departure from IBM. The delay doesn’t seem significant, and is probably only thrown in as a concession to the original one year term stipulated in Papermaster’s non-compete agreement.
After all this trouble, Apple, and Apple followers, are expecting big things from Papermaster, so let’s hope he can deliver. I’m hoping that the dispute and the distraction it caused is part of the reason for Apple’s lack of movement on the netbook front, and that we’ll see something in that area soon now that the new SVP has been cleared to get to work.
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Click here to save cost on your IT demandsПереслать - First Look: iPhoto '09
I’ve spent several hours tinkering with Apple’s new iPhoto ‘09 — part of the newly updated iLife ‘09 suite of media applications — and I like what I’ve seen so far. The entire application is a strong step forward, and the exciting new features (facial recognition and geotagging) don’t disappoint. The following is a focused walkthrough of iPhoto ‘09 and the interesting new features it boasts.
Faces
The most interesting (to me at least) of iPhoto’s new tricks is facial recognition. Immediately after firing-up the application, your library will be updated, and then analysis of all captured faces begins. The nearly two thousand photos in my library took around 30+ minutes to process. Once it was done, I named the members of my family and began training it for accuracy. After confirming about 20 photos for each person, the results were pretty accurate. I’d get an awful lot of utility from this feature in Aperture — fingers crossed that it comes sooner than later.
An unexpected side effect of Faces was an answer to the question my wife and I ask each other often — which one of us do our kids look like? It was interesting to see my oldest showing up, mingled amongst images of me, and our middle mixed in with photos of my wife — we always considered it the other way around. I’m no expert on how the face-matching algorithm works, but its accuracy is enough that I trust its take on the question.
From the high level corkboard view of all the Faces you’ve identified, you can add extra information about each individual. Specifically, their full name and email address. A peek at Help, and I discovered that the email address comes in handy when using the Facebook upload feature, but details on this below.A small niggle comes when updating the keyphoto (or identifying photo for a grouping of photos) for an individual. When reviewing the info for a person, you can scrub through their pictures and click on one to change the keyphoto. The keyphoto doesn’t change until you exit the info screen. Lack of instant gratification led me to believe it hadn’t worked. I would suspect this behavior to change in a later update.
iPhoto Faces Corkboard View
iPhoto '09 Picture Info Bezel
Places
Thanks to my GPS location tagging on my iPhone, Places immediately had some points of interest for me to review. The rest of my photos lack geographical EXIF data, so it was on me to mark them accordingly. Thankfully, the Events grouping makes it relatively easy to grab all images from a specific place and mark them at the map in one fell swoop. My preference is to geotag the trips we’ve taken — places that aren’t home, because home is the obvious place for the majority of our family photos.
The map displays pins, in typical Google Maps style, where your photos were shot, and hovering over the pin displays the name of the location and an arrow to view the related images. It’s simple and effective. The Smart Album button below the map makes it easy to create an album of all the photos from the location of the selected pin — nice if you want to group all of your ski photos for instance.
If you decide to email off some of your photos, you can choose to include location information. When I tested this however, I couldn’t find the location in EXIF, or captioned beneath the photo in the email. It’s quite likely I didn’t look in the right place, but from my experience, it didn’t seem to work. (Feel free to point me in the right direction in comments, if you’ve found it to work properly!)
The Places feature is nice, though for my family who doesn’t travel too terribly much, it’s not all that interesting. Though it does have me thinking much more about grabbing one of those slick Eye-Fi Explore memory cards which will handle the geotagging for me.
iPhoto '09 Places Map
iPhoto '09 Places Assignment
The combination of these different grouping options (Events, Faces, Places) is ridiculously powerful, with little user input. Suddenly we can find any photo or group of photos in a variety of different ways, cross-checking them by parameters in what might be described as different dimensions. This is very cool and I’m excited to see how my photo management evolves because of it.
Facebook & Flickr Upload
Prior to iPhoto ‘09 you could upload your photos to these two popular services, but through third party plugins. Now however, it’s baked right in (along with Mobile Me, if you like that sort of thing). The process is simple and streamlined, and when the upload is complete, iPhoto displays a clickable URL to go directly to the photos in your favorite browser. Very handy!
The Facebook integration has a couple of extra features that are nifty in an understated sort of way. At upload time, you can choose (directly within the iPhoto interface) the security level of your photos — who can actually view them. The other comes from the Faces feature, when you add the email address to an identified face in your library. That email address, when an associated picture is uploaded to Facebook, is matched to your Facebook friends and alerts them that a photo of them has been uploaded. This is quite nifty indeed!
iPhoto '09 Facebook Upload Link
Slideshows
If you’ve ever used the Flash gallery plugin SlideShowPro, it feels like much of iPhoto ’09’s slideshow layout and functionality came from there. This isn’t a bad thing mind you, it just has a very familiar feel to it, and it works.
The slideshow setup options are a bit more intuitive than they were in earlier versions of iPhoto, and get out of your way for full screen play as soon as you’ve selected your desired settings. Of the settings, there are 6 themes to choose from for presenting the photos. These themes give a fresh feel to the slideshows that were once ‘wowing,’ and as of late, getting a bit stale.
iPhoto '09 Slideshow Launch
Export
While you can use the Share menu in iPhoto to export your photos to iWeb, there’s a simpler option hidden under Export in the File menu. Webpage gives you some simple options for generating a barebones web gallery page with navigation. It’s nothing elaborate like iWeb, just a quick and dirty HTML generated gallery for when you need to throw some pictures up quickly (temporarily?).
There’s no doubt that iPhoto ‘09 is a wonderful update. The highlight features seem to work very well, and haven’t disappointed. I haven’t had time to play with the other iLife apps yet, as I’ve been working on this article. But if the rest of the updates are on par with iPhoto, the suite as a whole is certainly (as always seems to be the case) a steal at only $79.
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Click here to save cost on your IT demandsПереслать - First Look: iMovie '09
iMovie ‘08 was not considered one of Apple’s best releases — to put it mildly. In fact, the outcry of disappointment was so high, that Apple responded by re-issuing iMovie HD 6 (v6.0.4 to be exact) for those who were unwilling to embark on the new movie creation paradigms in iMovie ‘08.
Well, fast forward 16 months and we now have iMovie ‘09, newly updated in the iLife ‘09 suite. As a humble yet reasonably confident videographer (I shoot with a Sony HDR-SR11), and having only real experience with iMovie ‘08, I have been waiting impatiently for this new release.
At the Macworld Expo, I was honored to receive an in-person demo of iMovie ‘09 from the iMovie Project Manager himself (names spared to protect the innocent). The demo was amazing, as I was able to see first hand all of the goodness that is iMovie ‘09.
Because I am impatient, I went to my local Apple Store as soon as they opened yesterday morning (Bay Street over in Emeryville, CA) and picked up a copy of iLife ‘09 just so I could begin playing with the new iMovie. After a few hours of playtime, here is what I have discovered…
What’s New
Apple touts these four features as tantamount to the release:
- Precision Editor - Exact editing for audio and video clips.
- Video Stabilization - A major, professional-level feature from Final Cut Studio. Thankfully, Apple realized that even regular videographers have shaky hands too. If you want a good example, head over to Macworld where Jason Snell shows an example of before and after.
- Travel maps - Tell iMovie all the places you visited in the movie and you get a fancy, animated travel map a la Indiana Jones.
- Themes - Yes, you now get to choose from a half-dozen themes to auto-create an end-to-end experience for your movie.
There are also these other really nice features:
- Improved user experience - The UI for the Project editor
- Chapter creation - Yes, you can now export to iDVD with chapters. This means no more roundabout trip through GarageBand and then to iDVD.
- Picture-in-picture + Green Screen - In the iMovie preferences, check the Show the Advanced Tools option and you get these additional features. Just drag clips onto another clip in your project and you can begin having even more fun.
- Video effects - The ability to create different visual effects on a per frame basis.
- Speed - You can now speed up, slow down or put the particular set of frames in reverse. No more export to QuickTime in order to enable this feature.
What’s Still Missing
Well, Apple did hit a triple with the release of iMovie ‘09, but not a home-run. Here is what’s still missing:
- 5.1 Audio support - Consumer application or not, it’s pretty shocking that iMovie ‘09 doesn’t support 5.1 audio, seeing how pretty much all mainstream consumer videocams support it.
- No plug-in support - I spoke with the Project Manager at Macworld Expo and he explained that because everything in iMovie is in real-time, designing a model to support plugins is technically challenging (this is nonsense — it just takes time, resources and prioritization).
- A limited set of Themes - Here was an opportunity for Apple to extend iMovie the way they extended GarageBand with its new Lessons and Lessons Store. Apple could have made it so third parties build additional themes and users paid a nominal fee ($1.99 or less) per item.
What Does It Look Like?
iMovie 09 main screen with updated Project editor
You now get a much more detailed view of your projects compared to iMovie ‘08. Further, you can quickly edit the project by clicking the button in the top left corner of the screen.
iMovie 09 Precision Editor
The precision editor is what everyone was clamoring for since the release of iMovie ‘08. You can now define exactly where you want to edit your clips, frame by frame. It’s super easy to use as well as you can now even fine tune the audio.
Choose Your Theme
This is a feature that many a user from the iMovie ‘06 HD days has missed. Essentially, Apple provides pre-packaged themes that include an opening, transitions and end credits (plus some cool animations along the way).
Maps & Backgrounds
Another one of the big features is defining a map of your video travels. This is really a fun feature and adds pizazz to your video. You can easily use existing map points or re-label them for your own purposes.
Picture-in-Picture
Using picture-in-picture was a breeze. Just drag-and-drop one clip onto another. When you do, a small menu prompts you to add the clip as a picture-in-picture (as well as other choices, like green screen). Then, you can drag the PIP clip where you want on the main clip. In this example, I applied a video effect as well.
InspectorThe inspector has been improved to enable adjustments to speed (including reverse), applying video effects and to enable video stabilization.
Video Effects
In this window, you can choose from 20 different video effects for the clip(s) you have selected. Some of these are really fun, and help you create your masterpiece the way you want it.
Concluding Thoughts
This is a monumental release given the short development cycle. Apple clearly delivered a product that sets a new bar for simple movie making. One of the best features of iMovie, whether it is ‘08 or now ‘09, is that it takes just minutes to create a movie and publish it. Now, with ‘09, your video is even richer.
Some folks will still complain that iMovie ‘09 lacks the timeline/non-linear editor (NLE) that made iMovie ‘06 HD the “best.” That might be true, although I believe that the new wave of movie editing has hit us and iMovie ‘08 was the beginning of that wave. With iMovie ‘09, get ready, because the big Kahuna just hit and you have the right surfboard to ride it.
Lastly, if you want some quick tutorials on some of the new features in iMovie 09, head on over to the Apple Tutorial site. And, if you want to see if you video camera is compatible with iMovie 09, click here.
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Hear Microsoft, IBM, Dell and Cisco execs at GigaOM’s Green:Net.Переслать - Daily Apple: Indie iPhone, Opposite World, & the Papermaster Returns
iLife ‘08 Updates Land Along With iLife ‘09 - The big story might be the release of iLife ‘09, which features major additions to iPhoto, iMovie, and Garage Band, but iLife ‘08 also got some lovin’ from Apple. Those updates include stability improvements and minor issue resolution for both the iLife Media Browser and iDVD 7.0.3. Not as spicy, but at least it’s something.
iPhone Basically Is Mobile Independent Gaming Industry - Or at least the successful bits. According to Joystiq, via TUAW, iPhone games from independent developers occupy 11 out of 14 available spots on the finalist list for the 2009 Independent Games Mobile category. Highlights from the list include the popular Fieldrunnners and Galcon, the minimalist sci-fi conquest game.
Apple Issues iPhone Firmware 2.2.1 - This minor update to the iPhone 2.2 firmware brings little change, beyond stability improvements for Safari and bug fixes for an issue with photos downloaded to Camera Roll from Mail. I haven’t done it, since I just enabled Emoji the non-jailbreak way and don’t want to lose my cute little pictures, which could happen.
Papermaster OK to Work, May Be a Slight (Huge) Hitch - IBM and Apple have finally settled over Mark Papermaster’s sexy bones, but Apple might now have to preview their work to IBM in order to get the go-ahead. Sort of just like I said, in case anyone was wondering.
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Hear Microsoft, IBM, Dell and Cisco execs at GigaOM’s Green:Net.Переслать - Guide to QuickBooks on the Mac
QuickBooks is a critical tool for many small businesses, and one of the more frustrating issues for switchers to figure out as they come to the Mac from a Windows PC. While the options for running QuickBooks on the Mac are improving in 2009, there are also good reasons, and good solutions, for running QuickBooks for Windows on the Mac. In the articles detailed below, I attempt to guide you through all you might want to know about QuickBooks on the Mac.
QuickBooks 2009 for Mac
In this latest release, Intuit has updated QuickBooks 2009 with a revamped user interface and streamlined access to frequently used aspects of the seminal accounting software for the Mac. The addition of the new home page and various “centers” provide an overview of the most common workflows associated with running a business. This new version also features integration with the Lightspeed Point of Sale system. It still has the Mac-specific goodies like online backup straight to your MobileMe account and syncing with Address Book.app and iCal. You can read our look at QuickBooks 2009 for Mac to get the big picture.
QuickBooks Online
Intuit’s latest online release promises compatibility with the Mac and the Safari web browser. Previous versions relied on ActiveX controls embedded in Internet Explorer to deliver a rich interface. Of course, this left Linux and Mac users out in the cold. While there is no firm release date for this new release of QuickBooks Online, Intuit is promising that it is not far away. In the meantime, there is limited support for the iPhone to access some features now. QuickBooks Online is not the right solution for everyone, but it does have some advantages for those that can live with its constraints. Get our overview of QuickBooks Online to decide if it might be right for you.Reasons to Choose QuickBooks for Windows
In some cases, the features missing from the Mac version will not allow you to make a complete move over to the Mac. Maybe you are a professional accountant, or rely on the advanced features of QuickBooks Premier. Maybe you need multi-user access and features beyond what the online product has to offer. You can get a rundown on the major reasons to stick with QuickBooks for Windows here so that you can make an informed decision.Running QuickBooks for Windows
If you have to run QuickBooks for Windows, you might as well know how to do it. We cover all the major methods that are available to run Windows software on your new Mac. In this article on running QuickBooks for Windows, we run through everything from Boot Camp to Remote Desktop to Virtualization. You will have everything you need to decide how to run QuickBooks for Windows.
Virtualization Tips & Tricks
The method that I prefer for running Windows software is to use virtualization software. This article covers a few tips and tricks for setting up your Virtual Machine and configuring it to take best advantage of the Mac environment you are using to host Windows. Read up on some ways to help ensure a smooth transition to running QuickBooks in a VM, and cover important topics like setting up the VM, making sure to quit the right things, and backups for your company file. You can read our tips for running QuickBooks in a VM and see what works for you.
Conclusion
In my years as a consultant, I have found that QuickBooks was often the most challenging part of switching a business over to the Mac. While I cannot claim that this guide is exhaustive, I do think that you will find a lot of valuable information to help you make good decision about how to handle QuickBooks as you transition over to the Mac. For some of you, that may mean continuing to run the Windows version, while still enjoying all the goodness of the Mac in the many areas where it really shines. There should be at least a little something for everyone here. Please let us know how you fare in the comments below.
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Click here to save cost on your IT demandsПереслать - Gently Used iPod for Sale, Comes Complete With Military Secrets
It’s a good thing we’re on friendly terms with New Zealand, because one of the residents of that green, hilly island recently acquired 60 pages of sensitive U.S. military data. Total cost of national secrets? $15. Which would’ve been great if that’s what the man who bought it was in the market for, but he was actually just looking for a working MP3 player, which Ars Technica reports the used iPod was not. Data found on the iPod included the personal information of military personnel, and details about mission briefings and deployment.
The purchaser of the used iPod, Chris Ogle, has been looking through the information, and even tried calling some of the numbers listed. Some of the calls actually connected with the correct individuals, indicating that the information is not, in fact, out of date. He also says he’s made the U.S. Department of Defense aware of the mix-up, but has yet to receive any word back from them. Maybe they’re hoping that if they stay real quiet this will all go away.
This is a fairly sensational example, but the fact is that many people don’t think about making sure their personal data is really gone from their iPod before selling it or trading it on the secondhand market through sites like eBay, Kijiji, and craigslist. Your iPod, just like a computer hard drive, contains data that can be recovered unless you go out of your way to make sure it can’t. Proper data erasure is even more important now that the iPod Touch can retrieve and store emails and other sensitive information.
If you have an older iPod that still supports disk mode, then you’ll want to use Disk Utility to completely reformat the drive, and then Restore the iPod using the latest firmware available for that model. Check out this useful tutorial describing exactly how to do that in detail for more info. You can also do a secure erase from Disk Utility, but for any of this to work you have to enable Disk mode on the device.
If you have an iPod touch, you could just do a Restore, which will wipe all your data, but to be extra safe, you may want to try formatting the iPod a couple different ways. First, go to Settings > General > Reset and choose the “Erase All Content and Settings” option. Once you’ve done that, proceed with a normal Restore when you connect the device to your computer, but set it up as a new iPod, instead of restoring from a backup.
That may still leave bits of information on your device, so here’s another method to try that involves writing over sensitive info with filler material and then erasing again, as described by Macsimum News:
1. Change passwords for all mail accounts that are synced to the iPhone or touch.
2. Make sure the device can no longer open the mail accounts.
3. Do an erase/restore of the iPhone or iPod touch, preferably using another computer or at least another account than the one the device was synced with.
4. Sync as many songs/videos of a non-compromising nature and nothing else to the newly restored device as will fit.
5. A good tool I recommend using to fill the drive up with data (songs/videos), is PhoneView. You can directly access the disk on your iPhone to totally fill it up.
6. After you have filled the drive up, do another erase/restore.
7. Repeat steps 4/5 with different content and erase/restore again. The more times you do this, the more times the data will be overwritten, thus having a less chance of recovery.There you go, now you can make sure that if there’s a leak of sensitive information about your country’s military, it won’t have come from you.
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Hear Microsoft, IBM, Dell and Cisco execs at GigaOM’s Green:Net.Переслать - Apple Approves Podcaster App, Provides Another Ray of Hope
It was the rejection heard ’round the world when Apple’s reviewers rejected the user-favorite Podcaster app, citing as the cause the fact that it duplicated functionality provided by Apple’s own software. That proved to be the case, but only after Apple released the 2.2 iPhone firmware update, which brought direct podcast downloading support to Apple’s handheld devices. Podcaster was a standalone third party app that allowed the same thing.
Now Apple’s singing a different tune, though it took some change from the Podcaster developers to make that happen. They recently approved the App, now available under the name “RSS Player” (App Store), and with some of the original functionality removed. RSS Player is Podcaster minus their podcast directory, which is apparently the bit Apple took particular offense to. So, while you may not be able to find feeds with the app, RSS Player will let you subscribe to any cast feed you like, and there’s no built-in 10MB download limit while using 3G, as there is with Apple’s app.
While the people behind RSS Player clearly made some concessions, Apple seems to have softened a bit as well. While it may be a product of the same kind of thinking that allowed fart simulation and bikini babe apps into the App Store, this latest reversal of fortune, along with the recent influx of browser apps, represents a relaxation of the rules that could actually provide real benefit to iPhone and iPod touch owners in the long run.
I’m curious about Apple’s motivations behind these changes of heart, for the simple reason that if we figure out what’s driving acceptances, we can use that information to make sure that other promising apps don’t get blackballed. At least part of the reason apps get belatedly approved appears to be public outcry, so it seems that the Apple community has been acting correctly in raising a stink whenever an undeserving app gets shot down.
There are other forces at work as well, including resistance to Apple’s constricting rules from developers from major players like Google, who defied Cupertino outright in developing their Google Mobile app for iPhone. Last but not least, a willingness to make changes on the part of developers seems to be appreciated, which is fine as long as those changes don’t undermine the original spirit of the app.
I think we should push further where Apple has shown lenience to really open up the App Store. They’ve shown they’re open about browsers, but they still require those apps to basically be Safari at heart. The next step is to get them to relax even further, paving the way for Firefox Mobile and more. Likewise with RSS Player. Any way to get more media on the iPhone beyond the purview of iTunes counts as a win in my book, but its just a start. Good job Apple, but don’t think we’re leaving it at that.
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Click here to save cost on your IT demandsПереслать - Appigo Todo: Detailed Task Management on the iPhone
My recent look at Appigo Notebook for the iPhone and iPod touch had me reevaluating my choice of task management app for the platform. Conveniently, Appigo also offers Todo ($9.99, App Store), one of the leading task management apps in the App Store. While the “integration” Appigo offers between the two apps is more of a basic export function, it still does save some typing, which is nice on a device whose primary virtue is not text entry.
Right away, I can tell that Appigo Todo has done the basic things right. When it comes to task management, I am a man of very simple needs. I want an easy way to check off items as completed, some sort of task prioritization ability, and the ability to sort tasks by group. All of these things are there, with the added benefit that you can both mark a task completed and delete it from the home view, something which is not always possible with apps in this category.
Todo also offers a quick task option, which is great when you just want to remind yourself of something without getting in to too much detail. It’s the advanced functions that make Todo stand out from the pack, though. When creating a new task, you can choose from a number of preset types, which change the appearance of the task’s icon. Choosing one of these presets opens up additional options, like choosing a contact from your address book or entering a website URL.You can also add Tags and Contexts to your tasks, above and beyond organizing them by lists, which are also fully customizable. If you’re an obsessive task tracker, your inbox can become pretty cluttered fairly quickly, so being able to filter in three different ways from very broad to very specific really adds to your ability to organize and drill down.
Appigo Todo offers a variety of synchronization options. If you’re partial to locally stored data, you can go the desktop route, using the Appigo Sync desktop application, which allows Mac users to sync their Todo tasks with Apple’s iCal. No Windows version exists, although Appigo reports that one is currently in the works. If you’re more of a cloud kind of user, you can sync with either Toodledo.com or Remember the Milk, making this the app of choice for those who want to keep their options open.Aside from being one of the most robust task management apps available for the iPhone, Appigo Todo is also one of the most expensive. That said, if you’re serious about getting things done, it might be just what you’re looking for. Anyone interested can also try out Todo Lite (App Store) for free before they lay down any serious cash.
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Click here to save cost on your IT demandsПереслать - Daily Apple: Better Picture, Better Position, Better Reading, and Better MP3 Player
Fix for NVIDIA Graphics Issues Released - Users experiencing trouble with their Dual-DVI connected monitors can breathe a sigh of relief now that a fix has been officially released by Apple. The fix addresses cursor problems on DisplayPort enabled Macs, and HD playback quality on machines using newer NVIDIA cards.
Apple Nets Multi-Touch, iPhone Patents, Better Position From Which to Threaten Palm - A lot has been made of the threatening words spoken by Tim Cook during the Q1 2009 Apple conference call, in which he hinted that Palm’s Pre could be grounds for a suit(s?). Today Apple can further back that up, since they acquired the patent for multi-touch and the iPhone.
Apple Adds New Ad - A new iPhone 3G ad was posted today by Apple on their website, this one again featuring third party apps available in the App Store. The apps featured are Yelp, Osirix, and Classics, and the theme is reading. Because all of those apps require you to read something, see.
Zune Revenue Plummets 50% in 2Q - Microsoft should really just put the thing out of its misery at this point. It’s no good, and it’s doing terrible. For a frame of reference, consider that Apple’s iPod sales rose 3 percent in their own first fiscal quarter. Just kill the thing, for all our sakes.
One Analyst Thinks New iMac Soon, Also It Will Rain Someday In Future - At this point I think the odds are in your favor if you claim a new iMac is on the horizon. Especially when you suggest a whole bunch of logical reasons why they may be waiting, as this particular analyst does.
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Click here to save cost on your IT demandsПереслать - Picturesque 2.1 Image Software Updated
Acqualia has released a notable update to their 2007 Apple Design Award winning image editing application, Picturesque. Picturesque is a “simple app with a simple goal: to make images more beautiful.”
The latest features include interface enhancements, new saving options, faster loading, and a number of general effect improvements. This review will cover a few of the original features, the new additions in 2.1, and show how the app can impact your image workflow.
Picturesque can turn standard photos in 'beautiful images,' allowing you to simply add appealing reflections, perspectives and borders. It’s a great tool for editing images for the web, and makes achieving relatively complex effects remarkably simple.
What Can Picturesque Do?
The app centers around five main ‘effects,’ along with a range of other functionality. These are:
- Perspective: Tilt the image right, left, up or down to create an interesting perspective rather than a simple ‘head on’ view
- Reflection: A simple way to add great looking reflections with customization over opacity and length — far easier than opening Photoshop and doing it manually
- Shadow: As you’d expect, for adding a shadow or ‘glow’ effect behind the image
- Curve: Simply curve any of the four image corners with an adjustable radius
- Stroke: Add a border of varying width/colour around the image
When opening the application, you’re greeted with a very simple window:
This allows you to drag and drop one, or multiple, images into Picturesque. One area where it excels is through applying the same effect in a batch to several images at the same time. This is a simple process, and is far simpler than writing a Photoshop action to do a similar thing.Preset effects can be saved for future use, which is great if you regularly need to adjust an image in the same way for a website or publication.
Why Would You Use Picturesque?
As with any image application, these effects can be combined to create truly awful effects. Whether it’s the classic overuse of the ‘Web 2.0′ reflection or huge, obtrusive rounded corners — Picturesque can be used for more harm than good!
However, if you take care, you’ll find that it’s easy to save a great deal of time through using these simple effects. I’m always amazed at how a simple change in perspective can add so much more depth and feeling to a photograph.
What is New in 2.1?
Version 2.1 brings a number of enhancements to Picturesque including an improved image browser view, improved cropping & image resizing, and the ability to save straight to your desktop with one keystroke. It also fixes a number of bugs relating to stroke, the shadow effect and saving.
Saving immediately to your desktop is a really handy feature, and can make applying quick effects even quicker. When editing an image, a set of new menu items allow you to automatically save the image to your desktop, or overwrite the imported image file.
The new crop tools work in a way which I’ve never encountered before, updating the preview of the image as you drag and drop the corners to crop. It draws similarities with simply dragging to re-size, while intelligently cropping the image at the same time. As my vague description suggests, it’s difficult to describe easily without actually trying it out!
Pricing and Details
Picturesque 2 costs $34.95 and requires OS X 10.5 or later. A free 30 day download is available to see whether the app meets your needs. I’m not entirely sure whether the $34.95 price tag is justified, but I can imagine that you’d save a great deal of time over applying these effects through Photoshop manually.
Considering the app has been around for a few years, the updates haven’t been all that revolutionary. While this latest release doesn’t add a great deal of functionality in terms of image effects, it does ensure that Picturesque is easier and quicker to use — something regular users will certainly value.
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Hear Microsoft, IBM, Dell and Cisco execs at GigaOM’s Green:Net.Переслать - More Mac Viruses, Similar Sources: Time to Worry?
Depending on how closely you stick to the word of the law, you may or may not be aware of the potentially dangerous trojan called “OSX.Trojan.iServices.A” unleashed on some of the Mac community last week via a pirated copy of iWork ‘09. The trojan, discovered by Mac security software company Intego, allows the distributor of the malicious software to access and modify the affected system remotely, performing actions such as adding files. Such a vulnerability is potentially fatal to an operating system.
According to Intego’s numbers, more than 20,000 people have downloaded the affected file, a number which also says something about Apple’s ability (or desire?) to curb piracy of its proprietary software. Instructions on how to rid your computer of the virus in case you are among that unlucky 20,000 can be found here, but they can’t take away your shame.
This week, another round of infections has appeared, this time targeting a different, but similar group of pirates. The victims are users who downloaded a pirated copy of Adobe’s popular photo editing program, Photoshop CS4. Again, the people responsible for finding and broadcasting the existence of the trojan are Intego. This one is aptly dubbed “OSX.Trojan.iServices.B”, and actually comes from the serial generator that packages with the Photoshop installer, and not the installer itself. The CS4 trojan presents the same risks as the iWork ‘09 version. Intego reports 5,000 downloads to date.
With two such high-profile virus detections coming so closely on each other’s heels, the question inevitably arises: Is Mac’s status as a highly secure option to Windows in danger? Clearly, Mac users are beginning to present a more attractive target to hackers, because the platform itself is becoming more popular. Not only that, but Mac users may be even more susceptible than others, since they traditionally haven’t had to worry much about malicious attacks.
No doubt the conspiracy theories that security companies cause and cure viruses will also crop up, especially with two such similar detections from the same source in such a short period of time. The reaction might be especially strong, considering how secure most Mac users believe their computers to be.
Really, as it stands, the only people at risk are those trying to pirate software, so it’s not really a case of “Is the OS less secure?”, so much as it is one of “Are Mac users security savvy?”. Pirated software distributed via Torrents has always been a high-risk area, but those running a Mac OS have had the luxury of being less guarded about those types of threats because the malicious code they contained was generally written to attack Windows machines.
The time may have come to star learning more smart surfing practices, but I think the general Mac-using populace can hold off on putting their computers on lock-down. Unless, that is, they plan on pirating like crazy, in which case, shields up.
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Hear Microsoft, IBM, Dell and Cisco execs at GigaOM’s Green:Net.Переслать - An Avalanche of Snow: 10 iPhone Snow Reporting Apps Compared
If sliding down mountains of snow is your thing, it’s quite possible that you’re keen on staying up to date with the current and upcoming snow conditions. As with most niches, this space too has been filled for those of us toting an iPhone or iPod touch and there are several free, and a handful of paid Snow Reporting applications out there for skiers and snowboarders.
All of these applications share the fact that they’re reporting the exact same thing — the weather. So the data (and the data sources) should all be similar, and are in a few cases, the very same source. Expect that every one of the following apps provides the basics:
- Snow in the past 1, 2, or 3 days
- Base Depth
- Snow Conditions
- Current Weather
- Number of Lifts and Runs that are open
This means that each of the following 10 apps needs to shine by the level of data they’re offering, a stunning UI, or most importantly, the extra features they may offer.
So with all of that in mind, and in no particular order, on with the snow!
Ski & Snow Report - Free
Above and beyond the standard data set, Ski & Snow Report presents dates for the past 4 snowfalls and the amount on each date. This is useful stuff in case it’s just outside of the recent snowfall category. Weather forecast and mountain webcams are also available within the app. And if you’re a powderhound, use the ‘Powder Points’ screen to see the resorts with the biggest dumps in the past 24 hours — listed from nearby to far away. The user interface to Ski & Snow Report isn’t typical so far as what most of us are used to on this platform, but it’s nice, and the response is snappy.Colorado Snow Report - Free
I had initially planned to only look at apps that weren’t location specific, but the Colorado Snow Report has a sister app called Utah Snow Report, and they plan to expand to additional states/countries when they “get a single sponsor from a single resort” in one of those areas. Sort of a “Field of Dreams” alternative universe of ‘If you come, they will build it.’ Anyway, the interface is sparse — definitely not what you expect from a UI on an Apple platform — and not responsive at all. The high point is that it tells you the dates of the previous 2 snowfalls, gives you a webcam, and offers resort contact information with links that push to Safari and Google Maps.iSki - Free
The data provided by iSki is pretty slim but each resort has buttons to view the mountain’s webcam and trailmap, though the latter never worked for me (even with a Wi-Fi connection). Each of these features launch within the app rather than to Safari, which is a plus in my book. In the settings you can enter 5 friends (and their cell numbers) and iSki will presumably give you relative location while nearby on the mountain. I wasn’t able to test this, but it sounds pretty interesting — if you’ve got experience with this, we’d love to hear about it in the comments. Last, are SMS Powder Alerts — I got one just this morning, and Steamboat for 4 inches. The UI is pretty nice, though a bit sluggish.Snow and Ski Report by REI - Free
If you remember the Lenovo Summer Olympics app from last summer, you’ll be primed for the quadrant user interface of Snow and Ski Report by REI. It’s not a bad UI, but the nature of the design limits the user to 3 resorts to track (while the 4th pane is for REI shopping). Adding my favorite resorts was fairly cumbersome, so I guess it’s good there are only 3 to configure…The snow info is standard fare but you do get a 5 day forecast and webcams — both of which are viewable from within the app.
The Snow Report by The North Face - Free
Out of the free apps here, The Snow Report by The North Face has the best looking interface, hands down. The data is pretty thin but you do get a 4 day forecast in the main view while the rest of the info (Map directions, Resort site, and full weather details from NOAA) all open external applications.My favorite part of this application is the single download of trail maps — grab it once and it’ll be available for you next time you want it. Unfortunately, the actual run names were just small enough that I was unable to read them — your eyes may serve you better.
Snow Reports - $1.99
A very standard set of snow and resort information doesn’t make Snow Reports stand out from the crowd. The graphical interface however is quite nice looking, though branded with OnTheSnow.com, and you’d think they were the developer (Eddit Incorporated is). The snow report, weather report, and webcams all load OnTheSnow.com, but within the application’s own browser (so kind of thumbs down/thumbs up). The buttons to call the resort or check their webpage are clearly marked so that you know they’ll send you to the Phone or Safari if you tap them — a heads-up that I appreciate, at least in the case of Safari.Snocator - $1.99
The ‘My Location’ feature shows where you are and lets you know how far you are from the nearest (hopefully) snow-covered hill. I suppose if you’re traveling, this could be especially useful. Resort Search is quick and effective, narrowing your results as you type the name of a resort, which is very nice indeed (a feature most of the others lack). You can view mountains alphabetically, closest, new snow, or favorites. Snocator gives you the most snow and weather data of any of the apps I’ve used — there’s a ton of additional data available in the resort view, down to details about the name of the run the Tubing hill is closest to. Also included are trail and GPS maps that are downloaded so you can use later without a data connection.Fizz Snow - $2.99
Fizz Snow offers a great deal of weather (both current and forecast) information with a very nice interface. Likewise, the mountain specific views present a lot of useful snow and resort information. There are even downloadable trail maps (that can be zoomed-in on enough to actually read the run names) and webcams — both viewable from within the app itself.SnoCountry - 99 cents
With SnoCountry you get just the pertinent details about snow and the resort you’ve added. The app looks great, but shovels all the heavy lifting off to Safari, where the map, webcam, or resort info are displayed. The one big plus to this snow application is when adding favorite resorts, the search results narrow as you type, rather than a long list to scroll through. However, it’s a small feather in the cap compared to the lack of additional features. There’s a free version of SnoCountry which allows you to track 2 resorts rather than the 18 alotted when you pay the 99 pennies for the full version.Ski Lodge - Snow Reports + Trail Maps + Weather - $1.99 (on sale)
If you’re looking for the quick-hit details about your favorite resorts, and will accept nothing less than a brilliantly beautiful interface, then you’ve arrived at the Ski Lodge. However, drilling down to the resort view offers little more in the way of snow conditions or weather forecast. It does have a downloadable trail maps feature, but it’s buggy right now (repeatedly crashes or freezes my iPhone). Other information for the resort is off-loaded to Safari. A feature not found elsewhere is ‘Ski News,’ which is possibly interesting to someone, but largely useless.If you’re pinching pennies (lift tickets are pricey and then some these days), my pick of the free apps would be Ski & Snow Reports — but they’re free, so see which works best for you. But if you found some change in the couch cushions, SnoCator is my new favorite based on the huge amount of data it puts at my fingertips. Happy winter folks — pray for snow!
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Click here to save cost on your IT demandsПереслать - iLife '09 Shipping, It is Indeed Now Late January
Looks like Apple’s estimate of a late January ship date for iLife ‘09 is coming true after all, since customers who ordered the application suite have begun to get notices that their copies are now shipping. Those customers will likely receive their copies of the product early this week, with official word from Apple putting the ship date at Jan. 27. Anyone buying a new Mac will also receive iLife ‘09, since Apple is including drop-in, user installed copies on DVD starting today, and will be installing the software themselves on Macs shipping later this week.Unlike iWork ‘09, the iLife suite is not available as a digital trial download, so users haven’t yet been able to test the software live on their own machines. iLife has also evaded piracy thus far for the same reason, although it likely won’t do so for much longer.
iLife ‘09 was announced at Macworld as part of Phil Schiller’s keynote address, alongside iWork ‘09, and the 17″ aluminum Macbook Pro. It features a number of improvements, enhancements, and changes compared to the last iteration of the home media suite. iPhoto ‘09 received considerable attention at Macworld, since it got what are arguably the most significant changes of the bunch. The program now includes facial recognition support, allowing it to identify and sort photos based on who is in them, and geotagging support, allowing photos to be organized by location and/or vacation destination.Besides iPhoto, Garage Band also received functional updates, including a new “Learn to Play” mode, and instructional videos from professional musicians like Sting. iMovie ‘09 now offers users both audio and video tracks in edit mode, a stabilization filter for unsteady or shaky video, and animated travel maps based on where video was shot.
The suite retails for $79.99 for a single user license, while a five user family pack is available for $99.99. I don’t know about you, but I’m eager to find out just how well that image recognition works. Definitely going to see if I can fool it with a rubber nose and fake teeth.
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Hear Microsoft, IBM, Dell and Cisco execs at GigaOM’s Green:Net.Переслать - QuickBooks Online to Be Updated for Mac Users
We looked at QuickBooks 2009 for Mac last week, and also slated to be updated for 2009 is QuickBooks Online. Intuit was showing off the latest version at their booth at Macworld Expo running in the Safari web browser (which was not previously possible). QuickBooks Online is an interesting alternative for Mac users because it is the only multi-user version of QuickBooks that will run directly on the Mac, even if it is in a web browser.
If you have 2-3 users and do not need to track inventory, then QuickBooks Online might be a great solution for your business. You get multi-user access at a lower cost than implementing a multi-user Windows installation. You can also provide online access to your accountant, but cannot export an accountant’s copy for editing in the desktop software like you can in QuickBooks for Windows.
There is an iPhone optimized web page available as well that gives you read-only access to a number of key pieces of information like “Who Owes Me,” “Who I Owe,” and Bank Account balances. You can also create new invoices on the upcoming iPhone web app.Intuit is looking into expanding the feature set of the iPhone web portal to include editing existing invoices, but the feature set for the next release has not been locked down yet. I, for one, would love to see the timeclock available on the iPhone so you could clock in or out on a job site. I would also like to see the ability to add a new line item to an existing invoice so if you run a business where services are delivered on-site, it would be simpler to upsell or cross-sell at the customer site and update the invoice right then and there.
Pricing for QuickBooks Online starts at $9.95 per month, but the Online Plus version with most of the goodies starts at $34.95 per month for up to 3 users (access for your accountant is included for free, as are timeclock-only users). Release of QuickBooks Online with Mac compatibility is slated for release in the next few months.
Which One is Right for Me?
This is a tough question for Mac users. If you are running a small business with a single user accessing QuickBooks, then the desktop version is probably the right choice. The 2009 update does not offer huge improvements in functionality, but the interface is much improved and streamlined, and you get Leopard compatibility. All the reports that you likely need are included, and the new Cover Flow report browser makes it easy to find what you are looking for.
If you need multiple users to access your QuickBooks file, then I would seriously consider the Online service as soon as the Mac-compatible update is released to the public. You cannot manage inventory, but QuickBooks Online is the only way to get multi-user support natively. The iPhone web app has limited functionality today, but is a nice addition that will only get better with time.
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