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- YouTube with all of the sizzle but none of the Flash
Filed under: Multimedia
[Our regular Sunday night Talkcast is cancelled due to a sick host. Sorry, and we'll see you next week. -Ed.]
Let's face it: Flash on the Mac is a dog. Actually, that's an insult to dogs, which are known for running fast. Flash for Mac is such a an unoptimized beast that you can expect it will suck up as much CPU as possible, even for the simplest of videos.
My first line of defense is ClickToFlash (which I've mentioned before), but the folks over at NeoSmart have another solution, at least for YouTube: HTML5.
By using the newest version of HTML, they have devised a system to send YouTube videos directly to any MP4 decoder on your computer. Simply go to their custom web page and paste the YouTube URL into the field. In a moment you will be presented with a clean window showing you the video, as well as a download link for the MP4 version.
They also have a Greasemonkey/UserScript available which will add a link to all YouTube pages. That's nice, but what I was really looking for was a bookmarklet I could keep in my Bookmarks Bar and just click on when I was on a YouTube page. I didn't find one, so I made one. Drag (don't click!) this link to your Bookmarks Bar: FlashFree YouTube and you can easily access the NeoSmart/HTML5 version.
How does it work? Superbly well. I tested it using Safari, and watching a YouTube video through NeoSmart had no noticeable impact on my CPU at all.
I've nearly given up hope for a version of Flash for Mac that doesn't stink. Until then, ClickToFlash and NeoSmart's HTML5 YouTube are a great combination to make your web surfing more enjoyable.TUAWYouTube with all of the sizzle but none of the Flash originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Safari - Apple - HTML - Adobe Flash - TUAW
Переслать - Balloons! Sending out a mystery message on your iPhone
Filed under: iPhone, App Review
With over 100,000 apps in the app store, it's getting harder and harder to find something new; most apps seem to be 'me too' versions of something else. Balloons! US $2.99 [iTunes Link] for iPhones running OS 3.0 or better, is something I haven't seen before, and it's really very clever. TUAW first got a look at an early development version of Balloons! back at WWDC, including a video interview with the developer.
Balloon mail has been used, along with the more common phrase message in a bottle, to describe sending a message into the wind or sea and hoping that someone finds it and contacts you. It's sort of non-directional social networking with a hint of mystery built in.
In this app, you start making a balloon by choosing from a variety of balloon styles. Next you create a message that the balloon will convey. Tap in the middle of the screen and the camera activates to take a picture of what's going on in your life at the moment. Then add a bit of text and send the balloon out into the world. Other users, over 900 in the first 3 days of sales, are doing the same thing. Over 3500 balloons have been sent up from the US, Europe, and Japan already.
Next, you'll want to catch a balloon. When you do, you'll see the message from the person who made the balloon along with a separate flippable page from everyone who caught the balloon, added something to it, and let it fly again. As more people catch, add to, and release balloons, each balloon takes on a history and often has a story to tell.
The balloons don't travel randomly. If launched in New York City, you can't immediately grab the balloon in London; it needs time to travel.
If you want to see what has happened to your balloon, there is a balloon tracking option that tells you how long your balloon has been flying and if has been caught or not. Tap on one of your caught balloons and you'll see all the notes added by those that have seen your balloon. I found this to be a lot of fun.
There is a free, advertising-supported version of the app [iTunes Link] that doesn't include the tracking option. I liked the idea of giving out a free appetizer, since you can get a great idea of how Balloons! works and quickly realize that the best part of the app is the tracking option.
The graphics suit the app nicely. Screens are very cartoonish using bright colors and animated clouds. I was taken by the whimsy of this app, and can see it being great for kids as a nudge toward becoming interested in geography. It's also fun, tinged with a bit of longing for faraway places, for everyone.
Take a look at the video in the 2nd half of this post to see it in action.
Continue reading Balloons! Sending out a mystery message on your iPhone
TUAWBalloons! Sending out a mystery message on your iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Brenthaven: The best computer backpack I've ever seen
Filed under: Accessories, Reviews
The TUAW gang have been searching for great holiday gift ideas and I think I've found one that's been right under my nose for five years.
When I bought my brand new PowerBook G4 17" in 2004, I splurged and bought a Brenthaven backpack for it. Back then it cost a good deal more than the usual backpack -- around $75 -- but I thought it would be worth it since I lugged around my PowerBook nearly every day and it looked like the Brenthaven provided better padding than the competition.
Since then, the backpack has housed a succession of three 17" PowerBooks and MacBook Pros under very heavy use. The amazing part is that outside of being a bit dusty, it's in just as good shape as the day I bought it. No frayed stitching, no stuck zippers, no torn dividers. There is no sign of wear and/or tear whatsoever. And if there was, or ever will be, all Brenthaven bags come with a lifetime warranty.Continue reading Brenthaven: The best computer backpack I've ever seen
TUAWBrenthaven: The best computer backpack I've ever seen originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Is the Magic Mouse a dog?
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Hardware, Peripherals, Bad Apple
For some Magic Mouse users, the streamlined human interface device is not only a dog, but a dog that pees on the carpet, smells bad, and barks continuously. Apple support boards are beginning to fill up with complaints about tracking issues and Bluetooth disconnects. There are also complaints about the lack of a third mouse button, and some all-too-early hardware failures.
I liked the Magic Mouse when I saw it at my local Apple Store, so I took one home for my Mac Pro. It seemed to work for awhile, but now it is very erratic at tracking and speed, even when MouseZoom is installed. Its Bluetooth connection has dropped several times, and it either comes back after a long wait or simply fails to connect again.
When I moved back to my wired Apple mouse, I found that I had actually preferred the form factor of the Magic Mouse, and I missed the button-less scroll wheel.
The Magic Mouse seems to be working fine for many users, but there are some hints that the little rodents are having trouble with some older hardware. My 2006 Intel-based Mac Pro may be one of the computers at issue.
Apple will hopefully issue a software update, if that is the problem. In my case, the only magic I'm going to see from the Magic Mouse is when it disappears from my desktop.
How is it going for you?TUAWIs the Magic Mouse a dog? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - First look: Viewfinder supercharges Flickr search
Filed under: Software, First Look
The new Mac app Viewfinder by Connected Flow (developer Fraser Speirs is the man behind the FlickrExport plugins for Aperture and iPhoto) is designed for browsing/searching images on Flickr. This application provides many ways to work with the service's photos; you can select licenses to constrain your search to images you can use (such as Creative Commons or commercial use images), or search through the full text of tags and descriptions. Once you've found a photo, you can save a few steps in performing common tasks that would normally require you to download the image separately.
You can set the selected image to your desktop picture in one click. You can also insert the selected image into a Keynote presentation immediately. You can see the selected image(s) on Flickr, or you can download them. Also, you can get a "quick look" of the image by pressing the space bar on your keyboard, just like you would using the Finder.
If you're a frequent image searcher on Flickr, Viewfinder is a nice way to supercharge your search tasks. If you're not an image search pro, however, you're probably not going to need this application.
Viewfinder requires Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard (which makes it Intel-only); Keynote '08 or later is required to insert an image into a Keynote presentation. It's available for a introductory price of US $23.60.TUAWFirst look: Viewfinder supercharges Flickr search originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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