Thursday, July 12, 2007

The Apple Blog (20 сообщений)

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The Apple Blog, 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.
http://theappleblog.com
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  • AppleGeeks Interview - Part 2

    Following up on part 1 of my interview with the creative minds behind AppleGeeks.com, here’s what Ananth Panagariya had to say about his role in writing AppleGeeks.

    TAB: I'm not sure which one of you came up with the idea, but where did the idea of AppleGeeks come from?

    Ananth: Hawk's older brother Mohammad had the domain lying around, and we'd been talking about starting a comic strip on the web. Hawk and I are both Apple fans, but for me it's a preference and a fondness – for him, it's a passion (maybe an obsession, hahaha).

    TAB: Where do you get your material for each comic?

    Ananth: Real life, often times. Sometimes it's internet news, especially Apple news. At other times, it's just stuff that comes out my imagination. Doing Applegeeks can be a fluid process – there's times when Hawk will suggest ideas and I'll suggest layouts.

    TAB: Can you walk us through your creative process to write a comic?

    Ananth: I'll come to Hawk with an idea and we'll toss it back and forth. Then I'll write it out and we'll go over it again. Often times we'll get new ideas as we go back and forth. Sometimes Hawk will contribute a punchline – sometimes I'll contribute a new approach to panel layout or describe a particular visual that has a certain desired impact.

    TAB: Are you at all surprised at the number of readers you have now?

    Ananth: Hah, of course. It was certainly a huge shock when we had our first big rise in readership, but even now, when we think it's leveled off, we'll get thrown for a loop. We're still scratching our heads at it.

    TAB: How long do you see yourself writing AppleGeeks? Is there going to be a time when you just get too busy?

    Ananth: Hahahaha. Ahahahahahahahaha. Haaaahahahahahaha … sorry about that. It's just that we're always busy. If being busy were going to stop me, it would have stopped me a long time ago.

    TAB: Which character is your "favorite" and why?

    Ananth: It used to be Jayce, then it was Gina, but I think lately it's been Eve. Her character is a lot of fun to explore, and since she has such a child-like disposition, she has a way of altering the dynamic between characters that works out in interesting ways.

    TAB: I have to ask… are you picking up an iPhone?

    Ananth: Not right off the bat – I'll probably wait for the second version to come out. By then, most of the bugs will be worked out.

    No Tags





  • MacUpdate Interview

    Anyone who is into Mac shareware applications has heard of MacUpdate, for the uninitiated, it’s basically a giant catalog of every Mac app, getting updated by-the-minute with new software updates. I recently had a chance to virtually sit down with Joel Mueller, the founder and head honcho of MacUpdate, for some questions about his site.

    TAB: I’ve always seen MacUpdate as the underdog to the “big bad” VersionTracker. For one, I hate their bloat and all the Windows software cluttering up the site. What’s the competition like these days between you guys?

    Joel: Depends on who you ask. Answers that people give to questions like these are often more representative of the person answering the question, than a proper representation of how things actually are. ;)

    VersionTracker has a strong crew of people working for them and they do very well for themselves. I personally really enjoy communicating ideas with different members of their team during events like Macworld Expo. Both parties are often very encouraging to each other.

    On occasion, issues in the shareware world arise (like spyware, unethical development behaviors, fake user reviews). When this happens, some of the great people behind both organizations connect to think of the best way to deal with the situation and better serve the community. Making decisions together about those types of issues helps keep good things uniform and protects users from issues that they might not even be aware of. It’s a good thing.

    In terms of competition, one of the best games to play is to go to archive.org, a site that attempts to archive website changes throughout time. Enter both site URLs and compare the progression through time. It’s worth a few good laughs.

    TAB: I noticed a while ago a call for experts in valuation. Are you guys planning on selling MacUpdate soon?

    Joel: Way back in business school, and through various mentors, people have asked if MacUpdate has an exit plan strategy. And honestly it never has — we build a site for different motives and purposes. Exit plans were never a concern, and I personally was challenged to understand their importance (tell that to the YouTube crew ;).

    But I really enjoy learning. I don’t live in Silicon Valley where the bubble grows, so naturally I’m not accustomed to the cultures of take overs, selling out or venture capital first hand. But I really enjoy learning. Years ago I can remember going to 8 different banks and asking questions about the processes and recommendations of getting a mortgage to buy a home. At the time, I couldn’t even afford a shack-of-a-house mortgage. But the focus wasn’t on me buying the home, but on learning all the information I could from different sources.

    By sending out feelers for business appraisers, I was hoping to learn more about web-based company valuations and current conditions for negotiating. When I read sites like TechCrunch, it amazes me how much venture capital funding is being acquired and how many online communities are being sold with high price tags. I compare some of these site’s community and traffic to MacUpdate and I’m amazed. So naturally, I want to learn more about how all of that Silicon Valley amazement works.

    TAB: Among other things, I’ve noticed a recent push for your daily promo service. Did MacZot’s success have anything to do with that decision?

    Joel: There were a lot of influences, and a lot of questions asked to developers. MacUpdate wanted to know where to place its energy. There were two directions we were considering more: (1) Product reviews with style, or (2) software sales for developers. We even went as far as to send our requests to hire writers who could go above and beyond the a bland, normal review. We wanted inside stuff. We wanted quotes from developers about what they thought rocked. We wanted to be able to tell our users hints about what was coming in the next major upgrade. It was going to be entertaining, to say the least.

    But the more we talked with developers, the more it became apparent that a strong motivation for getting their products reviewed was so that they would reach more sales. So naturally we thought, “why not cut to the chase and go after the deeper goal,” so that’s exactly what we did with the daily MacUpdate Promo.

    There were a lot of factors and influences that made this happen. I’m grateful for all of them and how they played part in supporting the launch and continued improvement of MU Promo.

    TAB: So is there anything new planned for MU Promo? I’ve snagged a few neat apps on there already, anything really awesome coming up that you could “leak” for our readers perhaps?

    Joel: A bundle is coming. A big one.

    A few weeks ago, MacUpdate received an email from Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple. We emailed him about an upcoming MacUpdate Promo bundle, and he wrote back saying that the bundle was “incredible” and that he used many of the titles himself. I was in awe when I saw the name “Steve Wozniak” in my email inbox. How cool is it that he is excited about the upcoming MacUpdate Promo bundle?

    TAB: A bundle sale. Ah, like the ones MacHeist and MacZot have done in the past?

    Joel: The funny thing is that Zot and Heist guys all helped out with the MacUpdate booth a couple of years ago, on the floor of the Macworld Expo. It’s amazing to see them all branch out and create strong, new footholds in Mac shareware promotions. It’s an exciting time for Mac shareware right now. Passionate, skilled people are connecting with each other through awesome, free communication tools. I hear stories from Nate, the point man for MUPromo, about the great conversations he has with devs…often leading him to talk about sports or the iPhone or family. When you utilize communication technologies with the smartest computer minds, it’s a blast to communicate waves of new ideas and then see them materialize.

    TAB: So when does this start?

    Joel: Monday, July 9, 2007. For 9-days. Join me and a bunch of the crew that helped put this bundle together, on the 9th just past midnight, in IRC chat as we unveil each of the programs in the bundle, one-by-one. It's going to be a lot of fun!

    TAB: The 9th. Have you been following the MacHeist controversy at all? Something about someone stealing their bundle sale idea…

    Joel: I’ve been pretty buried in last minute development and polishing so everything is smooth for the launch.

    TAB: Thanks for your time Joel, and good luck with your upcoming projects.

    ,


    Комментарии к сообщению:
    http://theappleblog.com/2007/07/08/macupdate-interview/#comments



  • iPod vending machines now in U.S. retail outlets

    iPod vending machine

    iPod vending machines aren’t new. They’ve been spotted in Japan, where just about everything (farm fresh eggs, hot ramen, etc.) can be purchased via vending machine. And since late 2005 they’ve been seen in airports, places where visitors can be trapped for hours on end looking for a gift or diversion.

    But iPod vending machines have now moved into U.S. retail outlets. The photo above was snapped at a Macy’s department store at the Arden Fair mall in Sacramento, Calif. — the same Arden Fair that has had an Apple Retail Store for a couple of years. Perhaps some Macy’s shoppers don’t want to walk through the rest of the mall to get their hands on an iPod, or maybe they just don’t want to have to deal with an employee at the checkout counter.

    You can see in the photo there is a “10%-50% off Summer Sale” but that is on select third-party iPod cases and accessories sold in the machine, not Apple products. Don’t ever get your hopes up that Apple would mark anything down by 50 percent.

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  • Five Lesser-Known Tips on Being an Apple Fanboy

    Obsessing over all things Apple used to be a lonely place. Through the 1990s, in the “No Steve Era”, there was a seemingly small group that would discuss the benefits of CyberDog and OpenDoc, run Kaleidoscope themes to show the futuristic Copland interface, engage in live IRC chats during Apple earnings calls, boot the BeOS on our Macs off Zip disks and seek out the Apple logo in TV shows and movies, trading e-mails when we spotted one.

    But in the last decade, the Apple world has changed, and we are surrounded by a multitude of people and press who are following Steve Jobs’ every move. What used to be the realm of MacOSRumors is now strutted about in CNET, the Wall Street Journal and the Associated Press. We have open debates about the iPhone, iPod and iTunes in cover stories on Newsweek and Time. And Apple stock is achieving all-time highs, seemingly every day. Rather than root for the old days, I thought I’d add some helpful, lesser-known tips to the new Apple fans among us, so that they can help spread the Macintosh religion.

    1. Never Admit Fault With Apple Around Non-Mac People

    Is your computer running slowly? Are you seeing application crashes and annoyances? Sometimes it does happen, even on a Mac. If you are experiencing issues, the last thing you want to do is grouse about them in front of a Windows bigot or Linux fan. Even if it’s not the Mac’s fault, they will say, “Oh, I see. A Mac! No wonder…” or some derivative that will only reinforce their opinions. Instead, first, troubleshoot the issue on your own time. Failing resolution, consult with a fellow Mac fan under the cover of darkness, or slink into an Apple Store and have a conversation with a Mac genius. And if it turns out that the issues were due to an older machine, then by all means, upgrade and tell everyone how great your new machine is!

    2. Make Your Apple Usage Visible

    If you are a Macintosh island in a world of Windows, sometimes the quiet, but visible approach is all you need. Bring your MacBook to staff meetings, even if all you’re doing is taking notes. If the office provides you a Dell laptop, bring in the Apple notebook instead, and leave the Dell at home, saying that the Windows PC simply isn’t fast enough, or doesn’t run the applications you need to, or it crashes too much. Don’t be noisy about it, but always, when asked, reaffirm why it is that you have made your decision, and let them know it can deliver them the same level of productivity and self-satisfaction.

    3. Present the Apple Logo in a Good Light

    Apple stickers are not for everybody. While Apple provides stickers with every new Mac and iPod, slapping an Apple logo on your dirty 1991 Datsun doesn’t do the brand any favors. Instead, consider buying a new car if you are in this conundrum. If you do have a car worthy of the Apple logo, be sure that your car is kept clean, that the Apple logo is prominently displayed, and most importantly, be sure that you drive confidently, without erratic moves, just slightly faster than the flow of traffic. You will want to pass people by so that the Apple logo is exposed to the greatest audience, but also so they see that Mac people are inherently faster.

    4. Don’t Sound Too Eager

    It’s one thing to be have confidence, and quite another to be a drooling fanatic. As an Apple fan, do not engage in flame wars online. They will only make the opposition hate you more. As an Apple fan, don’t recite the lines from the latest Mac vs. PC commercial. Be aware of the content, but don’t have a poster of Justin Long in your cubicle. If you see friends or colleagues struggling with a PC virus, offer your help and condolences, and sound perplexed, as if you’re not familiar with viruses, rather than screaming from the rooftops about your inherent superiority.

    5. Do Your Homework. People Will Expect an Expert

    The worst thing you can be as an Apple fanboy is an ignorant fanboy. If you’re approached and asked how you can connect your MacBook to the company’s Exchange server, be sure you know the answer. Expect to be asked questions about the latest Steve Jobs keynote or product release. Be sure you’ve seen the keynote the day it is presented, because the questions may start that evening or the next day. An inattentive Apple fan is not a good advocate. Even if you’re not going to buy the product, be sure you’ve read Apple.com and can talk to its benefits. Understand the limitations of Windows and incorporate them in your answers about the Mac platform. Know the enemy.

    With the right training, you can be a great Mac advocate and fanboy. You can also overdo it, so be careful in what you say, what you do and how you portray yourself and the platform. Keep in mind that you are an example to others in the world of computing. To whom much is given, much is expected, and Apple has given you quite a bit. Be sure that you do not fold under the pressure.

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  • iPhone's Root Password Already Cracked

    While this information will currently be of no use to you, it’s still interesting/impressive - and maybe only if you’re a hacker at heart…

    It seems that it took some curious iPhone users only 3 days to hack an iphone firmware image and discover the encrypted root password and then to crack it. The super-geeky details can be found here if you’re interested in that sort of thing.

    You can click through the link above to find the passwords if you so desire, but again, it really does you no good at all. For now.

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  • The Next iLife May Be Ready to Ship

    MacScoop claims to have the details on the status of the iLife suite. The software went curiously unmentioned in the 2 major keynotes of 2007 which has led to much speculation about when it would drop, features, and Leopard-dependance. But MacScoop is saying that the development of the popular Mac-based software suite (including iPhoto, iTunes, iMovie HD, iDVD, GarageBand, and iWeb) was finished last week. Additionally it appears it will run on both Tiger and Leopard (10.4 and 10.5 respectively) and could be released by the end of the summer.

    I wonder if there will be varying degrees of functionality based on the version of OS that iLife 07 is installed upon… Seems that Leopard will have a lot of features that the next version of iLife could do quite a bit with. Sounds like we’ll know soon enough.

    No Tags





  • I Totally Get It - The iPhone is Awesomer. Let's Move On

    I’ve got a couple of friends who have iPhones now. I’ve held one. I’ve played with one. It is indeed killer. Apple seems to have knocked it out of the park, despite some small snags (there were bound to be nit-picky owners out there) and designed a product that lived up to the asinine levels of hype. Way to go Apple!!

    But it’s a new week, and holy cow, there are other things happening in the world! Darren Barefoot sums it all up with a grat parody page - iPhatigue.

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  • Will Xcode Be Coming To Windows Soon?

    Clearly Apple has shown their affinity for putting software out there for the Windows crowd. To date Apple has produced nearly a half dozen software applications for the Windows platform. These offerings include Quicktime (and the Pro version), iTunes, Software Update, and most recently, Safari. So what is to be Apple’s next foray into the Windows software arena? Let’s take a deeper look at the situation.

    With the exception of Quicktime Pro, the software in question is all freely available to Windows users. Offering these programs up with no obligation creates the perfect opportunity for would-be Apple consumers to test the waters and get a feel for what ‘the other half’ are raving about.

    iTunes is obviously a companion to the popular iPod music player (though I’m not sure ‘popular’ cuts it with more than 100 million sold in the past 5+ years…), but gives a decent view into the simplicity that the marriage of Apple hardware and software are known for. The iPod has proven to be somewhat of a ‘gateway drug’ in terms of converting users of the mp3 player to Apple computer owners. (see, Halo Effect as a Business Model)

    Safari (version 3, beta) was released to the public not quite a month ago on both the OS X and Windows platforms. The Windows version was immediately found to be quite buggy, but was just as quickly patched-up. It is beta software afterall, and that’s the purpose for which it’s been released! But now Windows users fed-up with Internet Explorer can get a taste of the speed and ingenuity that Apple offers in it’s wide array of software products on the Apple platform.

    So back to the question at hand: What may be Apple’s next software release for the Windows platform?

    The knee-jerk answer might be, “Well iLife of course!” There are however, a couple problems I see with this answer. First off, it costs money. Granted, $79 for the amazing range of functionality and consumer-power-tools that iLife includes (iPhoto, iTunes, iMovie HD, GarageBand, and iWeb) is a steal, but when Windows and 3rd party developer offer similar software on the Windows platform (in many cases, free or nearly so), it may be a hard sell convincing a Windows-user to plunk down the money. The second, and much larger problem, is that iLife is so simple because of it’s tightly-knit connection with the Apple-developed hardware platforms. The user experience is heightened ten-fold when all their hardware works seemlessly with their software. Without direct control over the wide array of hardware that Windows users are working on, iLife may seem more like a black eye than a reason to take the next step into the Apple World.

    iWork may be slightly more viable as a Windows software offering from Apple. There’s less hardware integration to hold it back, but it relies quite heavily on Core OS X functionality, not to mention the tie-ins with the iLife apps. The design capabilities are extremely easy and fun to use, but there could be an awful lot lost in translation without the operating system and ‘companion’ applications support found on the OS X platform. Oh, and it’s also $79, so there’s that fiscal barrier-to-entry yet again.

    There are a host of other applications that Apple puts out that may be hits on Window as well - Final Cut, Motion, Shake to name a few - but I believe there are three keys to the most plausible answer. The software in question needs:

    1. To be interesting to a large cross-section of the user population
    2. To be free, or nearly so
    3. To create a desire to move to the Apple platform completely

    Based on these criteria, I believe Xcode will be the next software offering from Apple for the Windows operating system. Software developers are becoming a dime-a-dozen (not a bad thing, mind you) and the number of Windows devs around must be tremendous. (At WWDC 07 there were many comments about the huge number of developers - new to the platform - that were there.) Xcode is currently offered for free under the Apple Developer Connection, so it wouldn’t require potential developers to ante-up just to see if they liked it. And most importantly, the great tools that Apple builds to hook-into the vast power and functionality of OS X should be a great argument for a developer to make the Switch and pounce on a new Mac.

    I realize there are many more requirements behind the scenes for something like Xcode to work as intended, on Windows, but I wouldn’t put it outside Apple’s reach. They’ve shown their desire and commitment to powering their company forward, and I feel Xcode on Windows is the next big step they’ll take in doing so.

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  • Make Music: Little to No Talent Needed

    Let’s say you’re a budding musician or a podcaster who would like to have some music for your show but you don’t want to run into any potential copyright issues. I had this situation pop up when I had to get some music for my new vidcast, Complicate Life. Using someone else’s work is usually asking for trouble and if you make it big, you could be looking at more trouble in the years to come. The easy way to avoid this? Simply create your own music using GarageBand. Don’t worry, you don’t need to be a superstar musician to put together something that you will like.

    Step 1: Musical Typing

    Musical Typing Open up GarageBand. Go to the Window menu option and click “Musical Typing.” You will now have the ability to play a keyboard using your regular computer keyboard (no special keyboards necessary). Mess around on the keyboard until you figure something out. I highly suggest recording this brainstorming session as you could accidentally come up with something you really like.

    There’s no need to know how to play the keyboard. I’m a big fan of spelling words out and hearing what they sound like. You’ll be surprised that you can put together sentences and make some pretty decent music. For my new show, I messed around and came up with a simple progression:
    a k j k
    a l l k
    a k j k
    a ; l k j k j k l ;

    I have included an MP3 of the track I created; try playing along so you can get used to musical typing.

    Step 2: Timing

    Track Editor Button Now that you have a basic tune, it’s time to clean it up. Select your audio track and then click the Track Editor button (it looks like a pair of scissors with a wave form behind it). Now you can see your music one of two ways. One looks like standard sheet music, the other looks like rectangular blocks on a grid. You can use either one to edit your music. I use the rectangular blocks on a grid view because it was the default. Unless your timing is excellent, you may have made a few mistakes.

    Align ToGarageBand can easily fix your timing woes. Click on the grid, then select all, then click the “Align to” button. You can align to different tempos (check that word) by using the slider to the left of that “Align to” button. Take a listen to your changed music project. If you like it, you’re one step closer to finished. If not, you can tweak your music project further.

    Click on one of the black rectangles. It will turn green. You can slide it up and down the octaves or you could also lengthen or shorten the duration of the note (or both). You may discover a new tune by messing with these notes.

    Step 3: Layering

    Layering Your Tracks Surely, you are not just going to have a single piano for your song. You are the ambitious type who wants a whole orchestra to sing your praises. Well, there’s plenty more you can do with GarageBand. To thicken out or lighten up your sound, you can easily “Select All” while in the Track Editor and then paste. You will have a new set of the music you just recorded. From there, you can drag the entire copy up and down octaves depending on what sound you are going for.

    Layering Your TracksIf you have a nice doubled up sound (or maybe even tripled up sound), you may want more. Perhaps you want a string accompaniment. You could try to craft a new part by trying the above methods again. However, if you just want to make your sound fuller, you could just copy your entire track and paste it into a new track. I suggest creating a new track and copying your work from your original instrument to this new one. Try adding strings to your piano sound. You’ll hear that your work sounds fuller and richer. Additionally, the interplay between the echos of the strings and the piano sometimes creates welcome surprises.

    Step 4: Percussion

    Drum Loops You may want to add percussion. You could easily do this as the first step, but I prefer the metronome so I don’t get distracted by a cool beat. I suggest just using the loops provided by Apple. Just click the “Loop Browser” (the icon with the eye on it next to the Track Editor). There you will be welcomed by hundreds of options. Pick drums and then listen to the loops.

    It is easy to pick just one loop, but you could layer these loops easily by dragging and dropping them into your project area. Because the timing of these loops are excellent, it is very simple to layer several loops to create your own unique loop.

    Step 5: Other Music

    You can do much more with GarageBand if you can play an instrument. I can play guitar (not well, but well enough to put together something if necessary) so I usually will play guitar on top of music that needs guitar.

    Also, you may find that you now have an abundance of tracks. You have three types of horns, two types of synths, two of something else — do not be afraid to pare down your symphony. Selectively mute some instruments and listen to your project. Does it sound better or worse if that Zanzibar Chords track is on or off? Once again, I mention that the combination of several instruments can change the overall sound.

    Step 6: Balancing

    GarageBand places every track you create in the middle. You may want to shift your track pan position using knob next to your track. Shifting your tracks to the left or right can make some instruments stand out or make them fade out if you want. Remember how your audience will listen to your music. If you’re doing a mono podcast, perhaps you should have some mono music to go with it. If you are doing a full blown music track, a stereo mix may fit better.

    Conclusion

    There is probably a million other things you could do using GarageBand or any other recording software. However, I hope this gives you an idea of how to start to create music even with little to no musical knowledge. Good luck.

    ,





  • Apple Inc to Design Mercedes Navigation Systems

    GPS Magazine points to a German report (FOCUS automotive magazine) that Apple Inc has struck an exclusive deal with Mercedes to develop their in-car navigation systems. The Luxury car maker will have exclusivity to Apple’s design for the first 6 months, after which it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see these Apple Navs popping up in other Luxury brand names as well.

    The Apple in-car Navigation systems won’t be showing up in Mercedes’ vehicles until the 2009 model year, so we’re around a year away from seeing what Apple’s got up its collective sleeve. It’s probably a safe bet that an enhanced version of the Google Maps feature (found in the iPhone) will be used in some shape. GPS Mag points out the obvious, that iPod and iPhone integration would be no-brainers - the latter being more useful in this writer’s opinion.

    Notice how I referred to Apple by their new name here, twice? I’d say news of this sort is yet another reason they dropped the restricting ‘Computer’ tag from their name. They’re quickly evolving into some new and interesting markets with the Apple TV, iPhone, and now in-car GPS…

    UPDATE:
    Apparently this is a couple weeks old, but the first I’d heard about it. I blame the iPhone for eclipsing everything else from view…or something like that. Regardless, should be interesting to see where Apple takes this.

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  • Gruber's Got His

    John Gruber just Twittered:

    I suddenly feel taller, younger, healthier. Convinced that my teeth are now whiter.

    There you have it folks. If you don’t have an iPhone, get in line now!
    You can see pics from his experience here on flickr.


    Комментарии к сообщению:
    http://theappleblog.com/2007/06/29/grubers-got-his/#comments



  • Waiting for Rev B of The iPhone

    say no to iphoneThe gadget junky in me is screaming out for an iPhone. I even gave my best pitch to my wife on why she wanted a semi-used Samsung Blackjack, but I knew, and she knew it wasn’t to be. Yet.

    In early January 2007 (B.i. - Before iPhone) I had been rocking my Blackjack for a month or so. It was great and fulfilled all my mobile needs - especially where 3G coverage was available. Then came MacWord 2007, (and henceforth time would be known as A.i. - After iPhone) and everyone went stark raving mad about the iPhone.

    In recent months, leading up to TODAY (or the iSecondComing as many seem to see it as) I’ve been asked repeatedly, “Do you want an iPhone?” “Are you getting an iPhone?” “The iPhone will cure hunger and bring world peace, you’re getting yours on June 29th, right?” My honest reaction has always been that:

    Yes, I definitely think it’s gonna rock, and Yes I’d like to get one. But no, I won’t be getting one for now - my Blackjack does what I need and will until a Revision B model of the iPhone is released.

    And finally I find that someone else is of nearly the exact same mindset as me. Jeff Atwood has put together a tremendously thoughtful article on the topic, and echoes my opinions almost exactly. But his version is much more eloquent and with much more [interesting] detail. I recommend the read - probably while you’re waiting in a line someplace for an iPhone…

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  • Shift in Website Development Due to iPhone?

    Web developers have been more and more concerned with coding for mobile devices. Now that the iPhone is here, I wonder if that may change further. The iPhone - unlike most other cellular phones on the market - browses using a wide-screen web browser and the touch interface makes it easy to do so.

    I’ll be interested to see if web developers will come up with a pseudo-mobile development process specifically for Safari on the iPhone. Meaning, will designers embrace the iPhone’s click-to-zoom interface, making some elements a certain size for optimal viewing/reading, leading to an Apple-specific mobile development practice?

    Will the use of web 2.0 apps (the standard SDK for the iPhone…) see a slight transformation so as to be optimized for iPhone viewing? I’ve got to believe there’s going to be a noticeable shift of some kind that results from this new piece of technolust.

    If you’re developing mobile web pages/applications, I’d love to hear your take on this possible shift in development practices.

    EDIT:     Thanks to Tom for pointing out an error that was published. I accidentally posted with 2 different thoughts combined in 1 and it sounded likea broad and absolute statement which was not intended. It’s been udpated.

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  • Screencast: Quicksilver for Beginners

    If you’ve heard about Quicksilver but have been too timid to familiarize yourself with it, or to peek under the hood a bit, this screencast is for you!

    Perhaps too often, we (as in the collective web) focus our attention on the cutting edge features of Quicksilver. Unfortunately that can make for a steep barrier to entry into this amazingly powerful program. So I wanted to take a step back and show a simple trick or two that makes Quicksilver valuable to the new user (either of Quicksilver, or the Apple platform in general).
    Quicksilver Rocks!
    To those veterans of our favorite launcher, this screencast may not be much for you, and I do apologize for that. I’ll do my best to expose something new and exciting with Quicksilver in the coming week or two. But for those who really don’t know Quicksilver from a hole in the ground, this aims to serve as a useful [visual] primer on getting started with a life-altering application. (I’m serious about the ‘life-altering’ thing.)

    Following a simple but useful function of Quicksilver, I’ll cover the Preferences and various sections within that can help enhance your Quicksilver experience. For those who have followed along with my past screencasts, this isn’t another ‘Setup’ - instead this is aimed at explaining the various functions in Preferences, like Rescanning catalogs, finding information about plugins, and things of that nature.

    You can grab this screencast in either .mov or .m4v (AppleTV friendly) format directly (below), or you can subscribe to our new TAB Screencasts feed here, or via iTunes.

    Quicksilver - The Beginner’s Walkthrough (mov)
    20 mins / 138 mb

    Quicksilver - The Beginner’s Walkthrough (m4v)
    20 mins / 90mb

    This is a long one (apologies if it gets repetitive, but I wanted to cater to the new-to-Quicksilver crowd). Please feel free to leave questions below in the comments section, and we’ll do our best to answer them promptly.

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  • iPhone Campout Live Blog

    Up and running!

    Sorry for the delay in updates! When I tried to activate my iPhone, AT&T turned service to my Treo off, but the iPhone still wasn’t activated. I went about 2 1/2 hours without any cell coverage. When I couldn’t get a WiFi signal at the Apple Store, I decided to get out of there and find a hotspot.

    I found a nice coffee shop and by the time I plugged in (about 8:30 PM) the iPhone activated and I was in business. Wow, what an amazing device! I had a long drive home so I still haven’t had a lot of time to play with it but I have seen enough to know it’s everything I thought it would be and more. What an elegant device!

    I have several friends who also got iPhones. One friend of mine walked into an Apple Store at 7:30 PM and bought an iPhone in less than 10 minutes with no wait. It’s okay, I really enjoyed hanging out all day and getting my hands on one first. My only regret is that I didn’t get to post as much here as I would have liked. Still, it was a successful day and I hope everyone who wanted one got an iPhone.

    7:57 PM - No Service

    I lost service on my Treo… soon after trying to activate my iPhone my Treo stopped working. I had to find a coffee shop with free WiFi.

    When I plug in my iPhone it tells me it needs additional time to activate, and the rep at the Apple Store said it could take up to 6 hours! I waited in line for 10 hours, so what’s another 6, right?!

    Right now all I can do is look at this pretty phone and hope it starts working soon… I wonder if other people are having the same problem….

    6:39 PM - Trouble Activating

    Well this is interesting. I can’t get the iPhone to activate. It said it would email me when it was complete. I can’t do anything but call 911 right now, so I’m patiently awaiting an email.

    6:20 PM - Here it is!I just got my iPhone and am activating it now!

    photo_062907_012.jpg

    6:05 PM - Going InIt’s pure mayhem. The first person just came out with their iPhone and now I’m going in.

    5:55 PM - Entering SoonI just found out I’m 3rd in line in the 2nd group going in to the store…Its just a few minutes to launch and the security and police are patroling and they’ve already taken all the chairs and organized the line.

    5:30 PM - Black Curtain RemovedWith 30 minutes left everyone is going crazy talking about the iPhone. An Apple Store employee just came by to explain the procedure.

    They will be letting small groups of people in at a time so they can “experience” the iPhone. I just hope small group means 50 so I can get my hands on one!

    photo_062907_010.jpg

    4:00 PM - Anxiously WaitingWe’re all just biding our time now until 6 PM. Everyone is talking about the launch and there is a lot of buzz about what they’re going to do, whether they’ll give out t-shirts and free stuff, etc.

    In just two hours, the iPhone goes on sale…

    2:00 PM - Store is ClosedThe Apple Store closed at 2:00 PM and the employees inside are getting ready for the big launch. I can see them inside the store meeting, but they are now putting up black sheets to block our view, so it will be a secret from here out. Several Apple Store employees said they “hope” there will be enough phones for everyone but they are very optimistic. I think there will be plenty, unless the line doubles or triples in size (which is entirely possible.)

    iPhone Campout - Apple Store Closed

    iPhone Campout - Employee Meeting

    1:00 PM UpdateUpdating just a few minutes early. The line continues to grow slowly. I spent a little time in the Apple Store a few minutes ago and it’s staying packed with people just asking about the buzz and customers buying Macs and iPods. I’m looking forward to 2PM when the store closes and the anticipation starts.
    12:00 PM UpdateIt’s noon, and I just grabbed some lunch to tide me over for a while. The line continues to grow but more slowly now. Only about 20 more people appear to be standing in line.

    After four hours, it’s not really that bad but I’m predicting that the line will grow the most between 2PM and launch, when the Apple Store is closed. I originally planned to come up around 1PM thinking that the line would start when the store closed. Boy am I glad I decided to come when the mall opened!

    11:00 AM UpdateTime is passing quickly now… it’s fun to talk to everyone and gossip about all the rumors floating around. Will there be enough iPhones to go around? Several people have said that they have 10 employees to check people out simultaneously in the store. At 6:00 PM they will let 10 people in at one time, and one at a time after as people leave.The line has grown and looks to be at least 100 people total already.

    10:00 AM UpdateWell, it’s been two hours and the line just keeps growing! I’ve talked to a ton of people in line (many thanks to Jena for holding my spot in line) and here’s what the rumor mill has to offer. There is a consensus that this store is getting about 1,000 iPhones, so I think everyone in line right now is set.Also, I miscounted initially. I’m 41 in line and there are now about 45 people behind me. See the photos below. There’s also a photo of the Apple Store which is open and doing business, which will close at 2PM to get ready for the launch. I heard one rumor that the iPhone is already on sale in Europe, not sure about that one. And the final tidbit is that Apple just released a new version of iTunes minutes ago that you will have to have to activate the iPhone. So if you’re standing in line with me, go to Software Update and get the newest version of iTunes. At 6PM it’s quite possible that Apple’s servers will crash from millions of people trying to do the update at the same time.

    iPhone Campout Line 3
    iPhone Campout - Apple Store

    More updates at 11 AM… Stay tuned.

    9:00 AM UpdateThe line is still growing. Check out this photo from behind me; there are almost as many people behind me as in front. I counted 18-20 people behind me already and growing rapidlly!iPhone Campout Line 2

    8:00 AM Well, I’m here at the Apple Store at Lenox Square Mall and the line is forming! I got here when the doors opened at 8AM and I am still about 25th in line. I will be here all day, until the 6PM launch of the iPhone when I hope to get my hands on the most anticipated consumer device this decade.I’ve been talking with some of the people in line and it seems that Lenox Mall got it better than most - I’ve already gotten reports of AT&T stores that had hundreds of people waiting in line this morning.Only time will tell if I get an iPhone, but I’ll be here all day taking pictures and talking with other iPhone campers so keep your address bar tuned to TAB today for all-day coverage of the iPhone launch.Here is the line where I am standing (and sitting). There are 9 (I will update this regularly) people after me in line.Line at the Apple Store





  • Let Your Apple TV in on iPhone Mania

    With all the attention given the iPhone over the last few weeks, I’ve started to feel sorry for the Apple TV. While the iPhone has been seen as one of Apple’s most important announcements ever, compared with the original Mac launch, the Apple TV continues to be, in comparison, seen as a hobby.

    So, in our home, we let the Apple TV get in on some of the action. Here’s how you can as well.

    Apple has been posting a great series of iPhone tutorials on their Web site this week, on the pace of one per day. Rather than watching in your Web browser, you can download the videos, transfer them to iTunes, synchronize with your Apple TV, and from the comfort of your living room, you can sit back and watch the iPhone videos on the big screen. I’ll tell you, it’s something to see the iPhone in much larger than life on our 42-inch plasma.

    So it’s real simple.

    1. Download the iPhone videos. (Found here)
    2. Unzip the .zip file. (This results in a .mov QuickTime movie)
    3. Open iTunes
    4. Drag and drop the .mov file to the “Movies” section of iTunes.
    5. Synchronize your Apple TV.
    6. Turn on your TV set, put your Apple Remote in hand, and enjoy.

    It’s not like having the iPhone yourself, but it’s pretty good. And this way, your Apple TV doesn’t feel like the red-headed stepchild as much as it might otherwise.

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  • Challenge: Make a Better .Mac

    So for everyone who’s ever complained about the .Mac service, someone is finally trying to do something about it. The notMac Challenge is offering up a choice bounty (at least $10k!) for anyone who can develop a .Mac alternative that’s as easy to use as Apple’s offering, but robust enough to be useful for everyone, and worth the equivalent cost.

    I actually just signed up for the 30-day trial of .Mac the other day, to see if there were any features that would be especially useful to me. So far, not seeing it. But who knows. The notMac Challenge is a big one, and I think the bounty - which at this point is $7500 which will be matched, up to $10,000, so upwards of $20 thousand! - will be much deserved if anyone can crack that nut.

    Thanks to Chris for sending this tip over.

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  • AppleGeeks Interview - Part 1

    I know you should never start a blog post with a cliche, but the first time I saw an AppleGeeks comic it was love at first sight. Any comic with clever satires, lovable characters, and amazing artwork is bound to turn some heads. But a comic with an Apple theme? Now that’s any Apple fanboy’s (or fangirl’s) dream.

    If you have no idea what I’m talking about, I’ll give you a second to check out the latest comic over at AppleGeeks.com. No really, go check it out… I’ll wait.

    Being such a big fan of the comic, and fascinated with the huge fanclub that has grown around it, I sent an email over to the creators of AppleGeeks - Mohammad F. Haque, a.k.a. “Hawk”, and Ananth Panagariya. They graciously agreed to answer a few questions about the comic, the writing process, and their love of macs.

    First up is Hawk, the man with the digital pen:

    TAB: It sounds simple, buy why AppleGeeks? Why not another Batman or Spiderman comic?

    Hawk: My brother had the domain lying around and I’m a huge Apple fan. I started off with an Apple computer and fell in love with it ever since. So we thought it would be fun to create something around that. I also share the same birthday as Steve Jobs, so maybe it was destiny?

    TAB: Can you walk us through how you create a typical AppleGeek comic?

    Hawk: After I get the final script from Ananth, I will draw it on paper. I would use a ruler and create layout and draw in all the scenes. After I finish drawing the computer, depending on my mood and if I have time, I will ink the comic with micron pens. Once the inking is done, I will scan it and color the comic in Adobe Photoshop. That’s pretty much how I work.

    TAB: What's your mac set-up?

    Hawk: I have a Mac Pro, 17″ Macbook Pro and Dual G4 PowerMac. I also have a 21″ Cintiq which is connected to my Mac Pro. The Cintiq is a wacom monitor tablet, which allows me to draw right on the monitor.
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/hawkstudios/248551446/ (old setup) http://www.flickr.com/photos/hawkstudios/341109112/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/hawkstudios/510755630/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/hawkstudios/431754993/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/hawkstudios/356417632/

    TAB: How have the forums and the AppleGeeks community influenced what you do?

    Hawk: The forum allows us to talk to our fans which motivates us to keep going forward.

    TAB: What's the "next big thing" for AppleGeeks? Published comics? Bigger online store?

    Hawk: The “next big thing” would be publishing a book…or books. But of course we need the time to do that.

    TAB: How did you and Ananth meet? What are the biggest challenges to working together on a single project like this?

    Hawk: Ananth and I met during my second year in college (University of Maryland). We took the same art class and became good friends. The biggest challenge would be finding the time to actually sit down, talk about it and actually do it. Ananth and I are very busy people.

    TAB: I have to ask… are you picking up an iPhone?

    Hawk: I would love to have one. Oh man I really would love one…but I’m stuck with Verizon. I’m still waiting to hear from Apple to give me one though. ;)

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  • Quick Tip: Selecting "Don't Save" From the Keyboard

    Undoubtedly, everyone’s closed a file that hadn’t yet been saved, and gotten the dialog box asking if you’d like to save the file before closing and losing its contents. In most cases this is probably a nice reminder, but there are enough occasions where I was using a text file or an image file temporarily and had no desire to preserve it any further.

    I’m definitely more a keyboard-jockey than a mouse user - I just feel more efficient with my hands on the keys is all. So it can be annoying when I have to move my hand to the mouse and click the “Don’t Save” button in those warning dialog boxes. True enough, that hitting the ‘Tab’ key cycles through those button options, but in my experience, hitting ‘Enter’ when over the button you desire is flaky at best.

    So in the event you want to choose the ‘Don’t Save’ button (from your keyboard), hit CMD-D (assuming the ‘D’ stands for ‘Don’t'). You should actually be able to use this tip for most warning dialogs, swapping out the ‘D’ for the first letter of whatever button you want to choose. It’s worth mentioning too, that hitting CMD-D executes that selection immediately, not requiring an extra keystroke to hit ‘Enter’.

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  • An FTP Application to Break The Mold?

    Last week I wrote about my failure to understand why everyone and their dog seems to be churning out FTP and Text Editor applications. The discussion that was generated in the comments was a good one, and many good points were brought to my attention that I hadn’t considered previously. The point that seemed most common was that developers feel they can do it better and thus the glut of similar apps we have to choose from. (Definitely not a bad position for the consumer to be in!)

    But I did get one email from a developer, explaining his position on the topic. Brian Amerige is the developer of an as-yet unreleased FTP application named Flow. He feels that current FTP and Text Editors (as they tend to go hand in hand) just don’t get it right and so he’s set out to solve that problem. The 2 interesting features Brian highlights (check out the screencasts) are the ability to remotely edit files directly on the remote host (seen it done), and the especially cool one - concurrent uploading of files. The latter taking full advantage of high-speed broadband connections and their multiple streaming capabilities.

    From the little I’ve seen, and what I’ve read, it sounds like an interesting take on the FTP market. If you’re interested in checking out Flow for yourself, Brian has just posted the Private Beta details to his webpage. Go sign up and if you’re one of the lucky ones chosen to test-drive this workflow-altering FTP client you can decide for yourself!

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