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TUAW Fitness: An Apple a day makes the weight go away
Filed under: Features, How-tos, Apple, iPhone, Apple TV
I've struggled with my weight for a long time. In my free-wheeling post-college days I lived with my two best friends, sitting around playing video games, drinking beer and eating Taco Bell. I put on a lot of weight in a short amount of time with that diet and exercise schedule, topping out at 260 pounds. I decided enough was enough, and I strapped on my running shoes, straightened up my eating habits, and lost almost 90 pounds.

In the years that have followed, my weight has gone up and down several times, and I'm at the point now that I need to get serious about losing weight again. According to my BMI, at 6'3" I should top out at 199 pounds, and right now I'm at 225.

This time my weight loss should be easier since I have 3 secret weapons: my iPhone 3GS, my Mac and my AppleTV. Read on for my weight loss plan and how these Apple products will help me achieve my goals.
Continue reading TUAW Fitness: An Apple a day makes the weight go away
TUAW TUAW Fitness: An Apple a day makes the weight go away originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 01 Aug 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple adds queue time, contact info to iPhone developer pages
Filed under: Developer, iPhone, App Store
Small steps: reports from several iPhone developers indicate that Apple has showcased two key features on the Dev Center website that may improve the mood and attitude of anxious app submitters.

Feature #1 is a queue status graphic (seen here), letting everyone know how long the approval wait should be -- like the line signs at Walt Disney World, only far geekier.

Feature #2 is the presence of a new 'all issues' escalation email address, so developers with urgent bug fixes that need to be prioritized can get their questions answered -- something that the Iconfactory's Craig Hockenberry specifically asked for in his wrapup of the 1st-anniversary state of the store. This email channel has apparently been open for a week or two, but is now being publicized on the front page.

Several other tips & suggestions posts have also been updated in the past 24 hours, including notes on the keywording/tagging options and walkthroughs on changing your app name and assigning/adjusting the app's rating. If you're a registered developer, swing over to the Dev Center and take a look.

[via the delightful Nik Fletcher]
TUAW Apple adds queue time, contact info to iPhone developer pages originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 01 Aug 2009 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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It's the Feds! FCC quizzes Apple, AT&T and Google about Google Voice apps
Filed under: Apple Corporate, iPhone, App Store
Earlier today, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) sent out letters to Apple, AT&T and Google, readable here [FCC's letter to Apple, to AT&T & to Google] asking each company about its involvement in the Google Voice app rejections. The agency is asking Apple to explain why the Google app was rejected and the third-party apps removed, if any VoIP apps have been approved, and whether there are general rules and regulations covering application approvals (something many developers would also love to know).

It's worth noting that none of the Google Voice apps are VoIP (voice over IP) applications in the traditional sense, as they rely on the cellular carrier's voice network to handle calls, so it's not clear if the FCC understands this or if the agency is heading down a blind alley on this particular topic.

To Google, the letter asks if any other Google apps have been accepted in the store (we know there are a few), whether Apple explains the rejection process or the reasoning behind the treatment of Google Latitude, if there are other ways to use Google Voice on the iPhone (again, a somewhat naive question, as the service works fine via touchtone commands and Mobile Safari), and lastly and most intriguingly, what the app approval process is for Android applications (should be a short answer: "C'mon in, the water's fine!").

Finally, the agency is asking AT&T how the carrier was consulted on this decision, if any VoIP applications are running on their network (again, missing the point, since GV ≠ VoIP -- more relevant that there are BlackBerry apps for Google Voice that are happily on AT&T handsets), and whether AT&T can provide a list of rejected applications on the store while detailing the role it plays in approving possible 3G-enabled services like Sling.

The FCC has given the three companies until August 21 to respond to their letters; while the overall scope of the questions betrays quite a bit of agency unfamiliarity with the workings of the Google Voice service and the App Store, any movement toward openness and clear answers is positive. Hopefully, these responses will offer some insight into the story of this whole mess that has given everyone such indigestion over the past week.

[via Engadget, links to FCC via BusinessWeek]
TUAW It's the Feds! FCC quizzes Apple, AT&T and Google about Google Voice apps originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Mac 101: Get a PC printer running on a Mac. There's a driver for that!
Filed under: Peripherals, Switchers, Mac 101
More Mac 101, tips and tricks for new Mac users.

While this tip may be old news to tech-savvy folk, I think it might help a lot of recent Mac switchers who want to leverage their existing investment in their Windows-compatible peripherals.

I have a friend who has been on Windows forever. He finally had his fill, and after some incessant nagging on my part, he made the switch. What I expected to happen, did happen -- he's thrilled being on a Mac. He's yet to see a crash, and as most of us know, it generally 'just works.'

He did have one problem though. He had a Dell USB printer sitting on his desk. When he plugged it into his MacBook it wasn't recognized, and there was a scrolling list of lots of printers, but nothing from Dell.

A quick web search revealed the printer was actually a rebranded Samsung ML-1710. The Samsung driver page for this printer didn't show any Mac drivers. Searching a bit deeper on Google, we found that an unsupported Mac driver was hiding on the Australian Samsung website.

We downloaded and installed the driver, and what do you know? The printer came up, and printed just fine.

The reality is that there are a lot more printer brands than there are original equipment manufacturers, and it's pretty easy to find out who actually makes a particular printer. If it's a USB printer, chances are good you can find a driver and be quickly printing away. For a wide-ranging solution, the Gutenprint (formerly Gimp-Print) open source project provides drivers for hundreds of older or unsupported printers.

The moral: Don't give up on your PC printer if you feel like it still has life in it; a little bit of online research may turn up a way forward for your Mac. If you have similar happy endings, or unpleasant ones, let us know in the comments. Your fellow readers can learn from your experiences.
TUAW Mac 101: Get a PC printer running on a Mac. There's a driver for that! originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Hands on (a little late) with GV Mobile for jailbroken phones
Filed under: iPhone, Jailbreak/pwnage, App Review
After writing about the GV Mobile situation on TUAW the other day, a helpful TUAW reader sent me a Google Voice invite (thanks Ian M! You rock!). I set up my account, hopped over to a jailbroken 3.0 iPod touch and downloaded a copy of the software via Cydia. I then copied it off the touch via sftp, signed it with my developer credentials and installed it through iTunes on a non-jailbroken iPhone to see what I'd been missing.
GV Mobile offers a pretty nice feature set. You can use it to set your Google Voice preferences, such as your preferred phone, so that when calls come through the right phone rings. That's an awesome feature on-the-go. Yes, the same option is available at the Voice website, but I really like the simple interface GV Mobile offers to switch that number with just a couple of taps.

You can dial directly from the app out to other phones. You still use your AT&T minutes but you avoid having to navigate through the Google Voice command interface. When the call is over, you return to the application.

The SMS and voicemail features are also very nice, each offering a dedicated screen and easy to use interfaces. A lot of design thought went into the program and it shows, especially in these two options.

Unfortunately, since the application was ported for a jailbreak install, it would no longer remember my user credentials between sessions. Be aware this approach works fine for review but isn't meant for a day-to-day bypass of the App Store, unless your Google username and password are trivial to type over and over again.

Despite the excellent number setting, SMS, and Voicemail features, I felt that most of the application features really needed to be integrated at the OS level, which they presumably will be in Google Chrome or Android. Apple provides its own OS-level telephony system and using this app for outgoing calls really felt more like work than time savings. Yes, the outgoing International rates are superb on Google Voice and the connection quality far exceeds that of Fring's SIP-based services or Skype's iPhone app. That said, I think the application could have benefited from a greater focus on the SMS/voicemail features with the telephone portion being pushed back in prominence.

The program does exhibit a few minor quirks. For example, when I tap on the call history tab, I'd prefer that it gave me a button to load that history from Google Voice rather than do so automatically and trap me, especially when I meant to hit another tab.

All said, I really did enjoy using GV Mobile. I think it has good functionality and must have been a really good App Store offering, while it was there. If you do have a jailbroken iPhone system to test it on, it's certainly worth a spin. And if you find you use it, the application is donationware.
TUAW Hands on (a little late) with GV Mobile for jailbroken phones originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sneak Peek: 1Password 3.0 + secret beta-enabler tweak
Filed under: Software, Reviews

As Christina mentioned a while ago, 1Password version 3 is on the horizon, and we've got some sneak peeks to show you. There are some great improvements to the core, but more immediately noticeable are the visual tweaks to the interface. The entire UI has been overhauled, and I'm impressed. Take a look at the gallery to see for yourself. Oh, and check the end of the post if you missed out on the private beta but want to play with version 3 on your machine!

Haven't heard of 1Password? It's a form-filling, password-storing, iPhone-syncing, highly-secure information storage system. It handles software licenses, secure notes, credit cards and, of course, passwords. It can generate impossible-to-crack passwords on-the-fly, and then remember them for you. All you have to remember is, that's right, one password. Get it?

Read on for a quick walkthrough of new 1Password features, and a little trick to get your hands on it early ...
Continue reading Sneak Peek: 1Password 3.0 + secret beta-enabler tweak
TUAW Sneak Peek: 1Password 3.0 + secret beta-enabler tweak originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Open XML compatiblity issues spring up in Service Pack 2 update for Office 2008
Filed under: Software, Productivity, Troubleshooting
A few weeks back, Microsoft released its Service Pack 2 update for Microsoft Office 2008 for the Mac. While adding a host of features and refinements (such as Custom Path Animation in PowerPoint and increased speed and load times in Word and Excel), the service pack apparently packed too much of a punch.

The update has prevented some Open XML files from opening, for which Microsoft provides the following suggestions, and I've done a bit of MS-to-English translation (with apologies to DF)... read on to get the gist.
Continue reading Open XML compatiblity issues spring up in Service Pack 2 update for Office 2008
TUAW Open XML compatiblity issues spring up in Service Pack 2 update for Office 2008 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Did we say Saturday? iPhone OS 3.0.1 out now to block SMS exploit
Filed under: Hacks, Bugs/Recalls, Software Update, Security, iPhone

Maybe it's already Saturday in the UK, or close to it: Apple has released iPhone OS 3.0.1 for iPhone, iPhone 3G & 3GS, an update that patches the phone to prevent bad actors from taking it over or taking it down with the just-demoed SMS exploit.

The update weighs in at ~~close to 300 MB~~about 230 MB (like all iPhone updates, it's a full image of the OS), and as far as we can tell there are no other fixes or tweaks; just the privilege of continuing to use your iPhone in peace and security.

Update with care, and let us know in the comments how the update works for you!

14:30 ET: Apple's security mailing list just delivered the notes for 3.0.1, they are reproduced in the 2nd half of this post. Also worth noting that the SMS exploit is not endemic to the iPhone alone; both Android and Windows Mobile platforms can be attacked with similar techniques, although Google tells BW that the issue on Android phones is now fixed (presumably through carrier action on T-Mobile's side, not confirmed though).
Continue reading Did we say Saturday? iPhone OS 3.0.1 out now to block SMS exploit
TUAW Did we say Saturday? iPhone OS 3.0.1 out now to block SMS exploit originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Friday Favorite: AppZapper
Filed under: Software, Friday Favorite
Every so often I'll go through my Mac's hard drive and delete stuff that's just sitting around. The downloads folder fills with junk especially fast. I also download lots of software out of curiosity, and after a few months my applications folder is bulging.

While installing Mac software is often as easy as a click, uninstalling takes a bit more work. Rather than hunt around for preference files, etc. I use AppZapper. By simply dropping an app onto the cute raygun icon, AppZapper finds all of that application's related files -- preferences, caches, etc. -- and lists them in a window. With a click, it "zaps" them (you can disable that sound effect) to the trash.

Fortunately, they aren't deleted for good, so you can recover something zapped by mistake. Once you're ready, simply empty the trash to reclaim all of that precious hard drive space. Pro tip: Move it to your Finder Window's sidebar for easy drag-and-drop access.

AppZapper requies Tiger or Leopard and the $12.95US pricetag includes free upgrades for life. There are other apps that do this, yes, but AppZapper works perfectly for me.

Update: Some readers are reporting that AppZapper doesn't work properly under Leopard. It's never given me any trouble, but if you want an alternative, Hazel is a good one.
TUAW Friday Favorite: AppZapper originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Freeverse goes with ngmoco's Plus+ for iPhone social gaming
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Software, Odds and ends, Developer, iPhone, App Store, SDK
Freeverse has picked a partner in the ongoing dance of social gaming networks on the iPhone. They've joined up with ngmoco and their Plus+ system for all of their games, including Flick Bowling, Flick Fishing, and Moto Thunder. The first Freeverse game to use the system (which allows players to earn points across games, track friends' playing habits, and vie for the tops of leaderboards) will be an upcoming title called Warpgate, and then it'll be ported back to the already-released games as well.

This is actually a fairly big shot across the board of other networks vying for players, including Aurora Feint's OpenFeint, Chillingo's Crystal SDK, Scoreloop, and a few other competing services. ngmoco had originally announced that their Plus+ service would be proprietary to the titles that they published, but the inclusion of Freeverse as a partner means they're likely headhunting for quality titles to add to the mix, much like everyone else.

To a certain extent, this is a behind-the-scenes battle -- consumers will likely choose games based on what they want to play, not necessarily on what social network they're hooked into. It's as if Microsoft, instead of having the overarching Xbox Live system, left it up to developers to award and track achievement points. But you have to think that one big player will emerge here, and then it'll be interesting to see what kinds of rewards the devs who connected with that system will reap.

[via TouchArcade]
TUAW Freeverse goes with ngmoco's Plus+ for iPhone social gaming originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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O2: SMS security flaw on iPhone to be patched Saturday
Filed under: Apple, Security, iPhone
Yesterday's news from the Black Hat Technical Security Conference in Las Vegas about the SMS security flaw affecting iPhone, Android, and Windows Mobile smartphones was a bit unnerving. Through skillful manipulation of SMS messages, an attacker could gain control of a smartphone.

BBC News reports that UK mobile provider O2 has received word from Apple about a patch for the security flaw on the iPhone. The patch, in the form of a software update, will be available Saturday, August 1, 2009. As with all updates to the iPhone, the security patch will appear in iTunes.

Considering the potential for mischief on the part of hackers, it is entirely possible that AT&T, O2, and other carriers will notify their customers of the availability of the update. Whether or not that message will come through SMS remains to be seen.

Be sure to keep an eye on TUAW or our Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/tuaw) tomorrow and we'll notify you as soon as the patch makes an appearance.

UPDATE: iPhone OS 3.0.1 is now available for download from iTunes. 297.9MB in size.
TUAW O2: SMS security flaw on iPhone to be patched Saturday originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Warhammer Online coming to the Mac
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Software, Odds and ends
More good news for MMO players on the Mac: Warhammer Online has joined the ranks of EVE and of course World of Warcraft by announcing the release of a Mac-compatible client. Most of you already interested were probably playing with Boot Camp, but that hasn't stopped Mythic from working on a Mac client. It's in beta now (and free to current players, with a free trial available for those who haven't stepped inside the MMO yet), and they're aiming for a release in the Fall. And how nice is this: Mac players will get two titles of their own, as well as an exclusive in-game trophy.

Unfortunately, the client doesn't run truly natively -- Mythic is owned by EA, so, you guessed it, Transgaming's Cider is behind this port, too. Cider isn't always the best way to run games (native would be the way we'd like to see it), but many of the problems we've seen with the technology are a few years old now, so hopefully it's gotten better (and that's likely what this beta is all about) -- hopefully they can work out all the kinks before the official release in the Fall.

Warhammer Online is an excellent MMO, especially notable for its heavy PvP elements and its innovative Public Quests and Tome of Knowledge feature (kind of like achivements, but even more in-depth). It's a little late coming to our platform, but it's good to finally see another big game take on Mac support.
TUAW Warhammer Online coming to the Mac originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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David Pogue and his 'Take Back the Beep' campaign
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends, iPhone
David Pogue, who writes on tech for the New York Times had an interesting and thoughtful column yesterday. He's been complaining about the ridiculously long messages the cellular carriers stick on to the end of your voicemail message. He's right, too. But what I hadn't realized was that these incessant and long messages add to your air time and are bringing in millions of dollars of extra, and unearned revenue to the cellphone providers.

Here's a sample from the column of how, instead of a simple beep, the phone companies game the system to add to your minutes:

* Sprint: "[Phone number] is not available right now. Please leave a detailed message after the tone. When you have finished recording, you may hang up, or press pound for more options."

* Verizon: "At the tone, please record your message. When you have finished recording, you may hang up, or press 1 for more options. To leave a callback number, press 5. (Beep)"

* AT&T: "To page this person, press five now. At the tone, please record your message. When you are finished, you may hang up, or press one for more options."

* T-Mobile: "Record your message after the tone. To send a numeric page, press five. When you are finished recording, hang up, or for delivery options, press pound."

It would be nice to be able to turn this stuff off, but it really isn't possible. There is one nice surprise in all this bad news. When Apple made the deal with AT&T, Apple insisted these messages not be on iPhone voice mail. When you call me you get MY message, and a beep. Just like that. No "dial 2 for the temperature in Des Moines" or "touch the pound key three times quickly, pause and one more click to get customer service if you are north of latitude 40 degrees." This is an example of something Apple and AT&T did that actually benefited iPhone owners, especially given all the latest circus with Skype, SlingPlayer, and Google.

Pogue has this exactly right. Cellphone users should complain to high heaven about these rather egregious violations of common sense and just plain smart customer relations. iPhone owners got off easy with voice mail. But we're bearing a heavy load as Apple and AT&T try to outdo each other in alienating their customers.

There oughta be a law.
TUAW David Pogue and his 'Take Back the Beep' campaign originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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NetNewsWire starts syncing with Google Reader, NewsGator Online perishes
Filed under: Software
I have fervently wished for a desktop client to work with Google Reader for as long as Reader has been around. NewsGator finally answered my plea, announcing that NetNewsWire and the rest of the NewsGator RSS Reader Suite would be syncing solely with Google Reader after August 31, 2009. This signals an immediate move away from NewsGator Online, and the demise of the RSS feed syncing service.

NetNewsWire was a favorite of mine well before it became free software, and I'm excited to start using it again. While I've had a lot of fun tweaking my Fluid/Google Reader SSB, I miss the solid companionship of a desktop newsreader. I had originally given them up when I wanted to sync my feed-reading with my iPhone, as I wasn't thrilled with NetNewsWire on the iPhone at the time and Google Reader was the only choice left for syncing. Byline and Google's own mobile page were both top-notch, but up until today there were zero Google Reader clients (barring AIR apps ... I have my reasons) available on the Mac, so it was Fluid/Reader on the desktop. While I have the warmest of warm spots in my heart for Fluid, I'm ecstatic to have NetNewsWire back!

NetNewsWire is free, and a new beta with Google Reader sync is available for download. The updated NetNewsWire iPhone app is promised soon, but Byline will work for me right now. For current users of the NewsGator Online syncing service, detailed instructions for making the transition have been provided. You've got until August 31st to make the move and stay in sync. Lastly, if you haven't already picked a favorite stylesheet, don't miss Brockmann ... just another reason I've missed NNW!

Thanks Stephen, Barkin and everyone who sent this in!
TUAW NetNewsWire starts syncing with Google Reader, NewsGator Online perishes originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 18:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Updating doesn't help your iPhone app, but price drops do
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Developer, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch
Here are two different insights from Pocket Gamer about how developers can grow the profile of their iPhone apps. The first comes to us from the wisdom of Peggle, that game that I just can't stop playing. Apparently, they've coined the term "Peggling," which means lowering the price of your app, and seeing a huge benefit from it. Whenever a game drops its price down to 99 cents, much as Peggle did soon after release, it sees a significant bump in the charts. I'm sure there are many other factors at play here -- Peggle was a great game, so you can't sell more of a crappy game just by selling it for cheaper, and I saw a lot of Twitter and blog attention when the price dropped, so it pays to have people watching the price in the first place. But under the right circumstances, dropping the price can do a lot for a game that's already selling pretty well.

But an update, apparently, won't. That's what the makers of Zen Bound told Pocket Gamer -- they say that when they released an update with new levels and new features, it didn't make a difference in their sale numbers at all. Games like Pocket God have made a reputation for themselves by providing regular and solid updates, and certainly it seems like those updates have at least spurred sales, if not made them blow up, but the Zen Bound guys say that singular updates on major products probably won't kick sales into gear.

Interesting. We're at least a few generations into App Store sales at this point, and we're started to see trends and consumer behavior in better relief; developers are getting better and better ideas every day about how to price and service their apps and customers.
TUAW Updating doesn't help your iPhone app, but price drops do originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The iConcertCal app gets you to the show
Filed under: iPhone, App Store, iPod touch, App Review

iConcertCal is a new app for the iPhone that lets you track where and when all your favorite musicians are performing. Using some of the new features in the APIs of iPhone OS 3.0, it reads all the artists in the iTunes library of your iPhone, uses the built in GPS to find your location and then displays results dependent upon how far you are willing to travel.

A while back we reviewed the non-iPhone version of iConcertCal which, acting as an iTunes visualizer, created an iCal calendar of the artists in your library while creating a separate calendar appearing when the visualizer is launched. This new app takes that technology and brings it to a new level.

After setting a location either through "use my location", or choosing from a number of pre-set cities, and setting how many miles should be searched, finding a concert is a snap and can be done a number of ways.

Choosing "My Shows" displays a day-by-day list of all matches found in your iTunes library. Choosing "All Shows" brings up a list of all concerts in your specified area, and tapping on "Venue" lists all music venues in your area along with how many shows are scheduled. Tapping on a venue, affords you a list of all of those concerts.

When you find something you like, you have the option of buying tickets, which takes you to the authorized ticket seller site, emailing the information, bringing up a map to get you to the hall or getting transferred to the iTunes store to buy some of the artist's music.

This alone is cool enough, but the best trick isn't immediately apparent. What happens if you have many songs on your computer that aren't on your iPhone? Or what happens if your largest iTunes library lives on another computer? They've got you covered.

By going to their site on the computer containing your largest library, and setting up an account, all artists on that computer will be indexed. Next go to the app and use the same settings. Automatically all the artists on the computer will be transferred to the iPhone app whether or not the artists are on the iPhone, and that information will be used by the iConcertCal app.

With over 60 gigs of music on my MacBook Pro and deciding to have my iPhone 3GS sync to my MacBook holding around 10 gigs of music, I authenticated my MacBook Pro and now the iConcertCal app shows me all the artists my the 60 gig library. Sweet!

Take a look at the gallery of screenshots and see if you can figure out which band I'm seeing four times this week from seat DD 6.

Gallery: iConcertCal
TUAW The iConcertCal app gets you to the show originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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What to do when the wrong date is pasted in Excel
Filed under: Software, Switchers, How-tos, Tips and tricks, Education

From Quentin Tarantino's classic, Pulp Fiction:

Vincent: ...But you know what the funniest thing about Europe is?

Jules: What?

Vincent: It's the little differences. I mean, they got the same [things] over there that we got here, but it's just - it's just there it's a little different.

Jules: Example?

Vincent: ...Do you know what they call a Quarter Pounder with Cheese in Paris?

Jules: They don't call it a Quarter Pounder with Cheese?

Vincent: Naw, man, they got the metric system, they wouldn't know what the [heck] a Quarter Pounder is.

Jules: What do they call it?

Vincent: They call it a "Royale with Cheese".

Jules: "Royale with Cheese."

Vincent: That's right.

Although they both use a different versioning nomenclature, the PC and Mac versions of Microsoft Excel are essentially the same app -- except, as in the words of Vincent Vega, they're just "a little bit different." And one of these differences is their respective date systems. By default, Excel for the PC uses the 1900 date system, while its Mac counterpart uses the 1904 date system. In most cases, users won't notice this subtle difference. For example, a file saved by a PC version of Excel using the 1900 date system will be recognized as such when it's read by its Mac counterpart, and vice versa.
Continue reading What to do when the wrong date is pasted in Excel
TUAW What to do when the wrong date is pasted in Excel originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Email driving: Risky thrill sport, or just plain stupidity?
Filed under: Odds and ends, iPhone
We all know that texting and driving is dangerous, but what about going beyond just sending short text messages, and actually composing and sending emails while driving? I'm voting for "stupid" as the proper adjective to use.

iPhone Savior had a report this morning about Lane Roster, a Huntington Beach, California repo man who has taken driving and emailing to an extreme. Mr. Roster decided that he absolutely had to send emails while driving, so he mounted his iPhone on the dash of his car and loaded the Email 'n Walk app [app store], a program that uses a camera view of what's directly ahead of you as the backdrop to a standard email screen.

Email 'n Walk, as the name implies, is designed to be used while walking. Roster, in a phone interview with iPhone Savior, stated that "If I can't email and drive or send an occasional text I would get absolutely nothing done." He also admitted to getting into two minor accidents while emailing and driving:

"I had only two minor love taps where I rear ended some folks," Roster said, "There was no major damage to speak of. I just settled it right there with good ol' American greenbacks and we were on our way. I won't lie, I do swerve a tad some days when I'm tired, but email driving is a real rush man!"

I'm going to end this post with two quick reminders: don't text (or email) and drive, and try to stay out of Huntington Beach, California if you value your life and your car.
TUAW Email driving: Risky thrill sport, or just plain stupidity? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Ask TUAW: AirPort Extreme bridge, iTunes smart playlists, USB drive backup, and more
Filed under: Features, Troubleshooting, Ask TUAW
Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly Mac troubleshooting Q&A column! This time we've got questions on using an AirPort Extreme as a wireless to ethernet bridge, automatically backing up a USB flash drive, building smart playlists in iTunes, migrating an iTunes Library and more.

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Questions for next week should be left in the comments. When asking a question please include which machine you're running and which version of Mac OS X (we'll assume you're running Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions.
Continue reading Ask TUAW: AirPort Extreme bridge, iTunes smart playlists, USB drive backup, and more
TUAW Ask TUAW: AirPort Extreme bridge, iTunes smart playlists, USB drive backup, and more originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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First Look: PocketMac Ringtone Studio 2.0 for BlackBerry
Filed under: Software, Odds and ends, First Look
PocketMac has been in the business of connecting Macs and handheld devices for quite some time, so it's not surprising that they have decided to start working on other ways to make our mobile devices more useful. Since our readers include Mac owners who use RIM BlackBerry devices, I jumped on the opportunity to give PocketMac's new Ringtone Studio for BlackBerry a try.

In case you're wondering if I've dropped out of the iPhone world, I didn't. I do a lot of work in the mobile world, so I have a lot of different devices, including a BlackBerry Pearl 8100. The built-in ring tones aren't exactly the type of thing you'd want to listen to more than once, so having a BlackBerry ringtone editor that runs on a Mac is a good thing.

I have just one gripe about RIngtone Studio; it's a single-function application, and the price tag -- US$29.95 -- is really quite high for something that just creates ringtones. PocketMac defends the price by noting that many BlackBerry users get into subscription ringtone plans that can cost as much as US$9.99 every month.
Continue reading First Look: PocketMac Ringtone Studio 2.0 for BlackBerry
TUAW First Look: PocketMac Ringtone Studio 2.0 for BlackBerry originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple as "the world's most feminine brand"?
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Cult of Mac, Odds and ends, Apple

Fortune's Bridget Brennan has a bold statement: "Why doesn't Apple make remote controls? You ask: Why Apple? Because if any company could improve one of the world's most user-unfriendly electronic devices, it would be Apple. And then there's this: Apple just may be the world's most discreetly feminine brand." Oh man. We were with her right up until that last statement: remote controls are fairly user-unfriendly, and an Apple remote (other than, you know, the one already out there) would be a thing of beauty. But "the world's most discreetly feminine brand"? That opens up a whole can of nuts we probably don't want to open.

But what the heck, snakes be damned, let's open it up. Brennan says that women drive the economy, by influencing 80% of all purchases, and 61% of all consumer electronics products. And she says Apple is doing great, because in a market that's "dude-driven" (her words, obviously), they've brought elegance and style to their products. She says that Apple products don't need manuals, and that Apple's face-to-face customer service is excellent.

Which we mostly agree with (while even Apple fans have their issues with customer service, they do a relatively good job). But "feminine"? Do guys not like elegance and style in their products? Do they enjoy reading manuals, or using electronics that aren't user friendly? Apple is successful for these reasons, sure, but we don't quite see how that makes them "feminine." Brennan concludes by suggesting that "Apple's success [shows] when you make women happy, you make everybody happy." But we're pretty sure that, in Apple's case, it's actually the other way around.
TUAW Apple as "the world's most feminine brand"? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Security researchers to unveil iPhone SMS vulnerability later today
Filed under: Security, iPhone
Two security researchers, Charlie Miller and Collin Mulliner, have discovered a serious security vulnerability affecting SMS messaging on the iPhone that will be unveiled later today at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas. This flaw affects all iPhones and can allow an attacker to gain complete control of an iPhone, including the ability to make calls, browse the web and access the camera. This exploit is caused by corruption in the iPhone's memory handling and is executed by sending a burst of text messages by using a uncommon text character or by sending a hidden message.

So far, Apple has been rumored to have a fix in the works, but there's been no confirmation yet when it will be available. The researchers also say that there's nothing you can do to protect your iPhone from this vulnerability, other than to turn off the phone. More details on this issue will be discussed later today at Black Hat, hopefully outlining a path to fix this issue.

Meanwhile, the two developers have already demonstrated this flaw in action to CNET's Elinor Mills, proving its existence and extent of the threat.

We'll be providing more coverage on this issue once it's unveiled, so stay tuned to TUAW.
TUAW Security researchers to unveil iPhone SMS vulnerability later today originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Yeah, there's an app for that. But for how long, and at what cost?
Filed under: iPod Family, Apple, iPhone, App Store
With the recent kerfuffle surrounding the removal and rejection of Google Voice apps from the App Store, many developers are beginning to question the trust they have placed in Apple to provide them with a reliable system for developing and distributing applications.

Generally, the major hurdle associated with iPhone development is getting approved by Apple. It's no secret that this process is often quite frustrating, and sometimes downright arduous. Developers often wait several weeks without any response before they are suddenly rejected, and then they must make the requested changes (if possible), resubmit their application, and again wait for a response.

But once they have put your app through the paces, and presumably have double and triple checked to ensure that you have complied with the terms, you're safe, right? Your hard work has paid off, Apple has accepted your app, and now you can move on.

Wrong.

As the developers of GV Mobile and VoiceCentral recently discovered, Apple can take an app that was previously given the all-clear, decide that it now duplicates native functionality of the iPhone, and yank it from the App Store in a matter of minutes. Needless to say, there are some serious flaws in this process. First, the functionality provided by both of these apps isn't actually provided by the iPhone, so there's really nothing to duplicate, unless Apple is going to start expecting developers to predict future features and avoid duplicating those too. Then you have the fact that the feature sets provided by the apps and the iPhone itself have not changed since Apple approved them in the first place, so if they truly are duplicating native functionality, they should have been rejected from the start, not months after they were approved.

Now one might also argue that some features offered by Google Voice do overlap with the iPhone, such as the SMS and voicemail functions, although contrary to popular belief, Google Voice is not a VoIP service and doesn't really compete against AT&T. But even if you concede that point to Apple, couldn't they just ask the developers to remove those features and resubmit? What about the other apps -- like Skype, TextFree, or iCall -- that offer similar feature sets, are they going to disappear too? And if AT&T is really responsible for this, as has been suggested previously, why was the app pulled from the App Stores of other countries? Why not just honestly tell the developer that the app is being pulled at the request of the carrier?
Continue reading Yeah, there's an app for that. But for how long, and at what cost?
TUAW Yeah, there's an app for that. But for how long, and at what cost? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Steve Jobs asked to keynote CES 2010?
Filed under: Rumors, Other Events, Steve Jobs, Apple
Update: More debunking of the Apple-to-exhibit report, from Peter Cohen and Chris Nuttall of MacUser and the Financial Times, respectively.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Gary Shapiro, head of the Consumer Electronics Association, asked Apple CEO Steve Jobs to keynote the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show. Given Apple's departure from Macworld, and the likely void that will be left at the event, it's no surprise that the CEA plans to capitalize on this and expand the Apple-related footprint at CES. 25,000 square feet of floor space will be dedicated to Apple-centric vendors at CES 2010, compared to the 4,000 square feet at this past year's event.

Not surprisingly, Jobs, who has just returned from medical leave following a liver transplant, has yet to respond to Shapiro's requests -- and neither have Apple representatives.

Speculation also persists that Apple will be making an official appearance at CES this upcoming year -- while the WSJ's Digits blog says Apple will have an official presence, our veteran former colleague Ryan Block & Engadget say "no way." If Macworld's January date (now February) proved an unnatural fit for the Apple product cycle, then surely CES is no major improvement. It, too, is held in January. Even if Apple tries to downplay its CES appearance (assuming it attends the show) by saying that it won't have any new products to introduce, or that it doesn't talk about unreleased products -- as it usually does -- will anyone really believe it? And if CES fails to bring anything new or surprising from Apple, the event will merely serve as a showcase of the company's current lineup. Said product offering, while far ahead of its competition in both form and function, is within an earshot distance of a drive for viewing at your local Apple store.

What separates Apple events from those of its competitors is that, with a few notable exceptions (such as the iPhone and Apple TV), the company doesn't announce products -- it ships them. Which makes you eagerly await, speculate, and save that hard earned cash in anticipation for what will likely be hitting Apple retail shelves in a short moment's time. It's the promise of tomorrow's innovations that will likely be available tomorrow: instant gratification at its finest. Contrast this with CES, where many manufacturers showcase tomorrow's products and innovations that won't be available for several months, if not longer.

Who knows, I may be wrong. Perhaps CES is the event where Apple unveils that much rumored 10-inch touchscreen tablet. In any case, it certainly would be an interesting sight to see Apple amongst the CES crowd, if indeed it chooses to make an appearance there. But, just as the first couple of seasons of interleague baseball took some time to get accustomed to, so too will seeing Apple participating at CES.

Readers, what do you think? Should Apple and Steve Jobs participate at CES 2010?
TUAW Steve Jobs asked to keynote CES 2010? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple introduces new 2TB Time Capsule, drops price of 1TB model
Filed under: Hardware, Airport
Apple quietly today introduced a new 2TB Time Capsule, its combination of a wireless router and network hard drive, for $499, while dropping the price of the 1TB model to $299, and discontinuing the 500GB model.

The new 2TB Time Capsule is available immediately and is shipping today from Apple's online store. This should hopefully be a welcome addition for those who back up many computers with Time Machine, as many use more than 1TB for their Time Machine backups.

[via MacRumors]
TUAW Apple introduces new 2TB Time Capsule, drops price of 1TB model originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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First two Microsoft stores pretty close to Apple counterparts
Filed under: Retail, Odds and ends
On Tuesday, CNET announced that the first two Microsoft stores would be located in Mission Viejo, Calif. and Scottsdale, Ariz. The California store will be in The Shops at Mission Viejo, a complex that already has an Apple Store. The Arizona store, according to the Associated Press, will be located in Scottsdale Fashion Square (shown at right), a little less than nine miles from Scottsdale Quarter, where Apple opened its fifth Phoenix-metro store last month.

"Hurray," I thought sarcastically after hearing about the Scottsdale store. "Just what I always wanted in my city -- a Microsoft store."

It's not surprising why these two locations were chosen. There's a lot of money in both areas, and a lot of existing Apple stores. It would be a notch in Microsoft's belt to draw traffic away from these highly penetrated areas.

I've already told my fellow TUAW comrades that I'm willing to brave visiting the store when it opens, just to see how it compares to its Apple counterparts. I've already asked for hazard pay. But, after, I think I may just need to stop by my local Apple store to appreciate the guys who drove Microsoft to do this in the first place.
TUAW First two Microsoft stores pretty close to Apple counterparts originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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