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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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Share Your Best Shots With an iPhoto Favorites Library

I took to the soapbox recently about the lack of flexibility in iPhoto for incremental backups. I still don’t have a great solution that suits my particular needs and desires, though some useful suggestions can be found in the comments of that post. But here’s a little tip that may be useful if you’ve got lots of archived iPhoto libraries and you want to quickly drill down to the standout shots. I call it the “iPhoto Favorites Library.”

In my experience, a year’s worth of photographs is around 4,000 strong. Of those 4,000 image files, somewhere between 5 and 10 percent get four- and five-star ratings. Sure, most of my photos are important to me personally, but the majority aren’t the ones I’ll go to when showing off the kids to a friend on my iPhone. Now take into consideration your yearly (or whatever) iPhoto library backups, and you’ve got a mountain of photos in several different libraries to traverse before you find your those standouts.

The solution is pretty straightforward, actually. Pull all of your four- and five-star photos (assuming you’re consistently using ratings) from each of your archived iPhoto libraries. If you’ve created Smart Albums in iPhoto in the past (such as anything with four or five stars), you can create a simple Automator workflow that filters photos from that album, selects them, and copies them to a designated folder of your choosing. This effectively exports all those photos you want, from whichever iPhoto library is currently set as the default. Is it easier than just opening that library and dragging and dropping them by hand? Probably not, but that’s your call.

Once you’ve got a folder full of four- and five-star photos from over the years, it’s time to create a new iPhoto library. Open iPhoto and hold the Option key. This allows you to select a new library to create. With that blank library open, drag all of those photos from (their file location) above into iPhoto. Moving forward, you’d just open this Favorites library and add the latest keepers to it.

Perhaps I’ve answered my own question to the iPhoto Backup issue. I don’t need to cart all of those so-so images around all year long. I could just roll with a Favorites library, and then my current yearly library. Either way, this should help you access those great photos from years passed more quickly, without having to spend time digging through multiple libraries.

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Macworld Expo is Dead: Long Live the Macworld Expo

A Macworld Expo without Apple is like ordering a decaf, non-fat latte – what's the point? This is old news, right? Not really. For many, this time of year is when the discussion about going to Macworld begins. IDG has already started some of its marketing push. Will Macworld 2010 be a ghost town, or will it be the best Macworld ever?

Macworld was in intensive care in 2008 and Apple’s decision to not exhibit in the future killed it, right? Maybe not. Macworld may end up stronger than ever. It reminds me of the classic science fiction plot where the main character goes through some strange metamorphosis on his deathbed (Doctor Who anyone?).

The Big Squeeze

My first Macworld was 1995. The clone wars were about to begin, but it was still Apple’s show. I had an absolute blast, and it wasn’t just because Sandra Bullock was filming "The Net" on the show floor. Back then there were detailed product demos and face time with a vendor's sales and support team. Schwag bags were so big I’d have to ship a separate box back to Kansas.

As time marched on, smaller vendors were squeezed out by the big shots. Just like in any business, big national chains increased costs and make it more expensive for the little guys. Eventually, vendors stopped sending top personnel and often just hired warm bodies to staff their booths.

After over a decade of attendance, I decided in 2008 to pack it in. Too many exhibitors were doing "engineering via PowerPoint," showing off screenshots and mockups of future products in lieu of real demos. Quicken Financial Life is still M.I.A. Any word on NightHawk? When I asked an exhibitor a moderately difficult question I was simply handed a card and told to call some support or sales number, or pointed towards the FAQ on their website. Furthermore, the show's emphasis on Mac hardware and software had been overwhelmed by a preponderance of laptop and iPod cases and sometimes seemed to be more of a fashion show than a technical conference.

As a press person, qualifying for passes became difficult as the show management became overly bureaucratic. Many attendees and exhibitors hated the event's timing, right after the holidays and New Year. After the second day in 2008, I decided it would be my last Macworld due to the increased hassle and decreased value. Apparently Steve Jobs agreed with me and took a pass on 2009, and then Apple soon followed suit.

Better, Faster, Stronger

With Macworld declared dead, IDG can take the opportunity to completely upgrade the event. They can rebuild it. They have the technology. Better than it was before. Better, stronger, faster. Now instead of the beginning of January, the Expo takes place in February. This gives all of us time to breathe after the first of the year and the busy holiday season. Additionally, the expo is at the end of the week and includes a weekend day.

Better hours will attract the casual Mac user who wouldn't necessarily take time off from work to attend, but who simply wants to learn about new Mac products. These are the people who go to the Apple store "just to browse." Registration is currently free for an exhibit-only pass thereby encourage those window shoppers (not to be confused with Windows shoppers). IDG is also focusing on attracting more small and independent developers who had been priced out of previous Expos. These are all very smart moves by IDG and will greatly increase the show's value.

I'm psyched to attend in 2010. I'll have plenty of time to recover from the holiday rush. I'll attend on Saturday so I won't be missing as much work. The outreach to small and independent developers will act as a tonic to boost the show's technical and Mac-focused content. I’ve always loved the developer pavilion and am glad to see this concept extended. Not only is the person working these smaller booths the sales agent, but he or she may also be the developer! Want a feature in the program? Just ask and they'll try and accommodate you. Like a rainforest, removing a couple big trees lets the underbrush grow and flourish.

Will attendance increase in 2010? I predict it will, and I plan to be part of this. Are you attending? Exhibiting? Thinking about it?

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Discovery Channel: Now Showing on the iPhone

While not necessarily late to the game of providing their own native iPhone app, the Discovery Channel (iTunes link) is behind networks like Bravo and HGTV, and like the rest, its definitely still trying to find its footing in a market where traditional media often struggles.

Similar to other network apps, the Discovery Channel app allows users to browse select shows from the network and play clips directly on their iPhone. Note that these are merely clips and not actual episodes. Whether this is due to bandwidth concerns or content restrictions is unknown, but Discovery is certainly not the first company to do this.

Users can take their viewing experience to the next level by interacting through quizzes on topics and shows, learning more about show cast and other info, and see a schedule of TV air times. Other interactive aspects of the app include the ability to watch the "most viewed clips" or jump directly to the iTunes Store to buy your favorite episodes.

Currently, the shows featured inside the app only amount to a little less than half of the entire Discovery lineup, but the future potential for this app is limitless. Discovery Communications, the parent company of The Discovery Channel, has a diverse collection of other properties, and I would expect to see apps for their other networks, like Animal Planet, The Science Channel, TLC or Planet Green.

If you've had a chance to try out the Discovery Channel app, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

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Apple Shipping Snow Leopard on Friday August 28

Looks like the rumor mill was spot on this time, as speculation that Mac OS X Snow Leopard would ship earlier than its anticipated September street date have proven true. Apple announced this morning via a press release that 10.6 will go on sale Friday, August 28th (yes, that’s the end of this week, you’re not dreaming) at Apple retail stores. Pre-orders are now being accepted online.

It’s not really that shocking, since one Mac mini reportedly already shipped with Snow Leopard in Japan. This means users will be able to physically get their hands on the new OS two months before Windows 7 is scheduled to arrive, marking a significant win for Apple over Microsoft.

In the official press release, Apple SVP of Software Engineering Bertrand Serlet gave the following quote, which seems to indicate that the company is hoping this latest release will help bolster their enterprise business, since he focuses on Exchange:

“Snow Leopard builds on our most successful operating system ever and we’re happy to get it to users earlier than expected. For just $29, Leopard users get a smooth upgrade to the world’s most advanced operating system and the only system with built in Exchange support.”

Serlet also cues in on the price, mentioning the $29 single-user license fee for upgrading from Leopard to Snow Leopard. For only $49, users can pick up a family pack, which is a bargain even for Mac owners with only two computers, though the license covers up to five separate installations. Those upgrading from 10.4.x (aka Tiger) have the option of picking up the Mac Box Set with iLife and iWork for $169, or $229 for a family pack.

I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to a labor-intensive Friday, with four Macs to upgrade (a fifth is PowerPC-based, and so can’t run 10.6). You can check out our preparatory guide by Jon Buys to make things easier, or just drool over some of the details of the upcoming release.

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Twitterrific Update Brings Bags of New Stuff

I'm fickle, always switching allegiances to Twitter apps. I've been jumping between Tweetie and SimplyTweet for months. Between them, they meet all my tweeting needs. But, long before they existed, there was Twitterrific. It’s been installed on every one of my iPhones, but rarely used. That's about to change.

Made by Mac stalwart Iconfactory, Twitterrific is the grandfather of iPhone Twitter apps, launched in January 2007 when Twitter was still young, and winning plaudits for its beautiful UI. The latest update, version 2.1, is as gorgeous as ever. Preserving its beauty while squeezing in more features must’ve been painfully challenging, but somehow the dev team at Iconfactory managed to do it.

2.1 brings the usual stability and bug fixes you'd expect. To choose just one notable fix: the significant speed improvement in typing and deleting – on its own – makes this feel like an all-new application. But read on, there's a lot more here…

It’s a Whole New Twitter Ballgame

Headlining the 2.1 update is support for the iPhone 3GS, particularly the ability to record and post video via services like yFrog or Posterous. (A quick word on this; in my own limited testing, video posted perfectly to my Posterous site – but only the video got there. The accompanying text in the tweet was entirely stripped-out. Weird.)

Video and photos quietly uploads leaving you free to tap-out your Tweet

Other very nice features in 2.1 include:

Tap & Hold a tweet to bring up a context menu with options to copy that tweet's text or URL, and the tweeter's name or avatar.

Tap & Hold a tweet to get a context menu

Multiple language tools are built-in, allowing on-the-fly translation of tweets, and in-app email negates having to quit Twitterrific to send mail.

Better Conversations

Reference View enables the user to see and interact with their Twitter stream while they are composing a new Tweet. So for example, if I were composing a Tweet and wanted to add the Twitter names of several people in my recent Twitter timeline, I'd use the Reference View to scroll through the stream and tap the desired usernames. With each tap, their "@name" is added to my new tweet.

Reference View is a massive timesaver

If you've ever had to memorize more than a few "@" names when composing a Tweet, you'll know just how exciting this new feature is. Suddenly I'm going to enjoy Follow Fridays…

Long-overdue additions and changes include, in no particular order: Instapaper accounts now work with passwords; support has been added for multiple Twitter accounts; Tweeter avatars can be viewed full-screen; Reply and Retweet shortcuts have been added and landscape mode is now available in the built-in browser. Oh yeah, there's also a very welcome "Load More…" button.

Iconfactory assures us (via their version history page) that battery life has been improved by changing the way Twitterrific updates a user's location. They don't go into details, but any change that improves battery life is welcome.

Drawbacks

So, after a few hours of play, I adore this thing, but there are two issues I consider drawbacks.

The first is a conspicuous absence of support for Push Notifications. Now, I've been using Twitter for years, since the early days when it was a Geek-only space, Scoble was making a lot of noise about all the noise he was making and Calacanis hadn't quit Twitter even once yet. In short, I’m an old-timer who already rated Twitter very highly indeed.

The emergence of push-enabled Twitter apps (such as the excellent Simplytweet) has promoted Twitter from a useful service into an indispensable part of my computing toolset. (Yes, I am aware how wanky that sounds, I'm sorry.)

You see, Push so perfectly complements Twitter it would be pointless today creating a Twitter app that doesn't use it. Perhaps the addition of Push functionality is a feature-too-far for this already feature-rich point release. But it badly needs to be added if Iconfactory wants this app to remain a leader amongst Twitter apps.

The second issue I have with Twitterrific is that it's complicated. Icons, while beautiful, are a mixed-bag of both plainly-intuitive and bewilderingly-random. This means some functionality is obvious and easy to find (such as sending a new tweet) while other functionality (such as finding @mentions or direct messages) is hidden behind a "filter" icon only database administrators would recognize. In addition, Twitterrific's many settings are buried quietly in the app itself, not in the iPhone's Settings sheet where they belong.

Go on, guess. I DARE ya!

Perhaps complexity and inconsistency is unavoidable in such a feature-rich application, and it helps that there are some very helpful video Tweetorials to guide beginners. All told, the beauty and power of this app far outweighs its drawbacks.

If you haven't already tried Twitterrific, you really should. The free version sports random ads, but the Pro version is ad-free and worth every penny of the paltry $3.99 asking price.

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