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Quick Search Box or Quicksilver?
For years I (along with the rest of TheAppleBlog) have championed the launcher known as Quicksilver. Its versatility solidified it as a must-have utility on any Mac. But as OS X matured, the developer’s attention to Quicksilver waned, and he was eventually hired on at Google. Known for encouraging employee pet projects, Google soon announced Quick Search Box, which from all indications appeared to be the evolution of Quicksilver.

The story doesn’t end there. Quick Search Box started life as a fairly dumbed-down, albeit OS X-compatible, alternative to Quicksilver. It seemed that this new offering had the support of Google and would go far. In the meantime, Quicksilver’s code was open-sourced, and the community started slowly hacking away at it.

Now today, we have access to a community-supported version of Quicksilver that runs smoothly on OS X 10.6, as well as the Google-backed Quick Search Box which also works well enough. So which is the better choice for daily use?

I dumped Quicksilver a year or so ago in favor of Quick Search Box. The replacement was good enough for launching and finding files, and since that’s mostly what I used it for, things were good. However, as time passed, the functionality of Google’s product hasn’t closed the gap nearly as much as I’d like to see. Neither has the developer support really exploded in the form of plugins, as we’ve seen over the years for Quicksilver. Worst of all, Quick Search Box isn’t as responsive as I’d like.

So not too long ago, I went to Blacktree and downloaded the latest Quicksilver release. I found it to be much faster than the Google solution right away. Further use has shown it to be nowhere near as buggy as it once was (I have yet to experience a Quicksilver crash after a couple months’ use). But the best part is, all of the old functionality I knew and loved — both native (oh, how I missed complex triggers) as well as plugin support (let’s hear it for text and image manipulation) — is there and better than ever.

Whether you’re a current user of Google’s Quick Search Box, a past user of Quicksilver or new to both, I’d highly recommend taking a look at the latest build of Quicksilver. It’s been a happy homecoming for me, and I’m confident that the great functionality, speed, and extensibility that the app offers will make it of great use to you, too.

If you’ve found bliss with either program, please share your tale, and what it was that was the make or break feature for you.

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Quick Tip: Use a Custom Background in OmmWriter
OmmWriter is a full-screen writing application designed to block out distractions, similar to WriteRoom. A while ago, TAB’s own Darrell Etherington reviewed an earlier version at our sister site, WebWorkerDaily. The developers behind OmmWriter recently released a new free version, as well as a new paid version that includes more backgrounds and sounds.

You can use your own backgrounds with a simple hack, though. Basically, you just replace the background images OmmWriter uses with your own, and then choose between them within the app. This can be useful if you don’t like the backgrounds bundled with OmmWriter, or if you want to use an image of your blog, so you can see what your text will look like when it’s published, like this guy did here.

To do this, go to your Applications folder and select OmmWriter. Then, right-click it and select Show Package Contents. There are three default background images used in the free version of OmmWriter, with names “background_white.jpg”, “paisaje_1920x1200.jpg”, and “textura_oscuro_1920x1200.jpg”. Choose which file you want to replace and move it to the trash (don’t worry, you can always drag it out again). Now you need to rename the image you want to use as a replacement with the name of the image you removed. Then, all you have to do is drag your replacement image into the OmmWriter Resources folder and that’s it. When you restart OmmWriter, you should be able to choose your new background image.

Your replacement background image will have to be a JPEG. Since you can’t change the color of the text in OmmWriter, you’ll want to choose an image that’s light enough for you to see the text. You can find some good images from InterfaceLift, and you can always change the opacity of the picture with your favorite photo editing software if you need to lighten it up.

You can also use this method to replace some of the audio files OmmWriter uses for ambiance. OmmWriter is a great app for writers looking to boost their productivity, and this nifty little hack should help you get even more in the zone. Does anyone else use these distraction-free writing tools?

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Why You Want Google Voice on Your iPhone
After over a year in limbo, Apple has reportedly approved Google's Voice application for the iTunes App Store, indicating that the iPhone may finally see the software. Sure you iPhone owners have lived without it forever, but Google Voice is a masterful method to manage communications.

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BlackBerry PlayBook: iPad Rival or Rookie Mistake?
Research in Motion finally unveiled its much-rumored BlackBerry tablet yesterday, and it looks a lot more impressive at first glance than the company’s most recent handset, the Palm Pre-like Torch. But is this a game-changing device, or will it stumble out of the starting gate?

The Business of Play

First, note that even RIM is reluctant to frame the device as a direct iPad competitor. The press release for the PlayBook emphasizes its business appeal, citing “advanced security features, out-of-the-box enterprise support” and a brand new development platform aimed at IT departments. BlackBerry knows where its real strength lies, and it seems to know to avoid Apple’s, too.

RIM didn’t create the PlayBook to storm the consumer market. It did it because it had to, or face losing enterprise customers to iOS. Since a tablet is definitely useful in a business setting, people are already buying iPads for enterprise purposes, basically because they don’t have a choice. It’s probably true that most would prefer a BlackBerry option, so that’s what RIM’s providing. That also accounts for the timing of the announcement. RIM showed its hand early, but it’ll stop some businesses from making an IT buying decision until it can bring a device to market.

Early to Rise, Early to Bed

RIM may be retaining some customers on the enterprise side by announcing early, but it definitely isn’t doing itself any favors in the consumer market. First, Apple and other competitors know exactly what’s coming in six or so months, making it very easy to plan product updates that surpass the PlayBook’s hardware specs. Second, savvy consumers can tell that the PlayBook’s specs are on par with the iPad now, and perhaps beat it in some areas, but they also know Apple updates its devices at least yearly.

That means consumers are expecting an iPad with Retina Display and probably at least a front-facing camera with FaceTime at around the time the PlayBook arrives. The iPad revision’s upgrades will probably make the BlackBerry look decidedly last-gen.

The App Lead

Even if the BlackBerry PlayBook launches with a terrific development framework, and App World gets a significant update that makes it much more appealing to users, Apple’s lead in the app game is basically insurmountable at this point. That’s bad news for RIM’s hopes in both the consumer and the enterprise arena.

Forced to Follow

So is the PlayBook revolutionary? No, it’s a bitter pill RIM CEO Lazardis and Co. were forced to swallow, and it’s being rushed to market to defend a market segment that’s traditionally belonged to the BlackBerry maker. But RIM will continue to succeed in business, for the same reasons that it always has.

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Apple Updates Remote App for iOS Devices
As soon as the iPhone 4 was released, I assumed it wouldn’t be long before Remote got updated to take advantage of the new Retina Display and other features. Then again, I thought the same thing a few months earlier, when the iPad arrived. Needless to say, we’ve been waiting longer than I anticipated. But now, that update’s here.

The redesigned universal app brings Retina Display support, makes great use of the larger screen space on the iPad and introduces a brand new icon that shares some design similarities with the new iTunes 10 icon. But the changes aren’t only visual.

Remote now supports shared libraries (turned off by default, can be turned on in the app’s settings), allowing you to login with your iTunes account and find any libraries using Home Sharing with the computer you’re controlling. It may seem like a small thing, but it can really help if you don’t have your music consolidated in one machine.

Finally, it also brings full support for AirPlay, and compatibility and bug fixes for iTunes 10 and the new Apple TV. Still free, and a great surprise for those of us who may have given up on Apple’s very first downloadable app.

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Quick Tip: Change iPhone App Icons Without Jailbreak
Blog UNEASYsilence figured out this nifty little way of changing the icons of your iOS apps. It’s simple, works on both Mac and PC, and best of all, you don’t have to jailbreak your device to get it to work. It’s a great way to, say, revert the official Twitter app icon to that of Tweetie 2.

It doesn’t work with official apps (either the default set or Remote.app, etc.), unfortunately, so you won’t be able to completely customize your theme. But at least you don’t have to wait around for developers to change the icons on apps that offer great functionality but dismal aesthetics. Here’s how it works on an iPhone 4:
1. Install iPhone Explorer (free, Mac/PC).
2. Plug in your iPhone and launch iPhone Explorer.
3. Navigate to “phone name/Apps/appname/appname.app,” replacing the italicized values with your own, of course.
4. Backup the “icon@2x.png” file you find there by dragging it to a directory of your choice in Finder.
5. Name your replacement icon (which must be a .PNG file, size 114×114, 72 PPI with no transparency and no layers) “icon@2x.png” (case-sensitive).
6. Drag your replacement to that folder in iPhone Explorer, delete the original file, and manually power down and power back up your iPhone.
If you’re using an iPhone 3G or 3GS, instead of looking for and replacing filename “icon@2x.png,” you’ll be working with “icon.png” and your replacement should be 57×57, not 114×114.

iPhone 4 and latest gen iPod touch users can also use this to replace not-so-nice looking icons that haven’t yet been updated for the Retina Display. Just replace the “icon.png” file with a new 114×114-sized version. That’s what I did with the PicPosterous app for the purposes of this article, and it works great, as you can see in the screenshot.

And for nervous users, don’t worry. As you don’t have root access to your device, you can’t accidentally remove any crucial elements of your device’s OS. You also don’t have to worry about those rounded edges on your icons. Just use a square image and iOS will round the corners for you.

What icons are you looking forward to changing?

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Even Without Tablets, Android Ad Impressions Up 996%
Advertising impressions on iPhone are flat while those on Android handsets are up 7 percent since last month and have increased a hefty 996 percent this year. But Apple's iPad witnessed a 76 percent increase in ad requests last month. Here come tablets full of ads!

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