Thursday, February 14, 2008

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) (15 сообщений)

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  • ScreenFlow: The killer screencasting app is here

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    Whether you love them or hate them, screencasts made on Macs just got exponentially better. We at TUAW are in awe of the latest contender for your screencasting love: ScreenFlow, from Vara Software (the maker of Wirecast and Videocue). The feature set is, well, unbelievable in comparison to what is currently available on our platform of choice. And it's an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink solution, with a fantastic editor, amazing effects and simultaneous recording of a video camera (or iSight), your full screen, microphone audio and computer audio without even kicking up my fans. Am I gushing? Definitely.

    The fans on my MacBook Pro tend to go nuts after a little while of full-screen recording. Screenium was pretty good with that, but it was only a fraction of the solution that ScreenFlow seems to be. The real magic of ScreenFlow starts after the recording is finished. Once you're in the editor, you find that it's tracked all of your movements, foreground windows, keypresses, etc. with precision.

    You can cut and fade, zoom and rotate, add callouts for foreground windows or mouse clicks ... I'm still in amazement. No longer will I need Mouseposé; not only does it automate the process of highlighting the mouse position and calling out clicks wherever you want them, it relieves any need to be hitting hotkeys to turn it on and off while you record. Is this finally the Mac Camtasia? Quite probably.

    ScreenFlow costs $99.99 and is available for purchase. A fully-functional (watermarked) demo is right here along with a screencast that's seriously worth watching.

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  • Not a "people person?" Get an iPhone

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    Anthropophobic* iPhone users have something to look forward to. You may remember that Apple filed a patent for an iPhone-based payment system back in December. The system would not only allow payment without interaction, but could be used as a full ordering and fulfillment notification system. But even before the patent was publicized, Phil Lu was already figuring out how to minimize any human contact with a system concept called QuickOrder.

    Phil's proposal is designed around Starbucks purchasing, and it would allow ordering and payment from your iPhone. QuickOrder uses Semacode barcode technology to link iPhones to coffee orders; as he told Gizmodo, this would allow payment using your iTunes account and bypass the credit card transaction entirely. You could order from afar, pay with a finger swipe and -- if it's anything like the Starbucks I'm used to -- pick up your coffee without saying a word. For those not inclined towards being near other living beings, you're in and out with your coffee fix and nary a "hello." I feel palpable levels of anticipation emanating from hermitic sects of iPhone users everywhere.

    And yes, despite a certain amount of sarcasm, I do think it's a very cool idea, even though I actually enjoy my daily chats with baristas. And I do love the mockups Phil created.

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  • Starbucks/AT&T deal to include edge servers for Apple?

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    In the world of wireless networking, there are big secrets and little secrets. For a great rundown on the obvious and hidden implications of the AT&T/Starbucks WiFi deal, you should check out Glenn Fleishman's piece at TidBITS. Glenn sussed out the various flavors of AT&T's offering, mused about the implications of WiFi ubiquity for the anticipated 3G iPhone, and tried to track down the deal for Starbucks card holders; it's still not clear exactly how the "2 hours of access" arrangement will work, but the expectation is that anyone with a Starbucks card that gets used (to make a purchase) once a month will be able to connect for up to two hours a day during that month.

    Things got really interesting, however, when Glenn talked to Starbucks CTO Chris Bruzzo about the AT&T deal. Bruzzo strongly implied that Starbucks retail locations are caching iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store content for sales to iTunes, iPhone and iPod touch users in-store, rather than having to backhaul the content from Apple. Glenn quotes Bruzzo, "Right now in our stores that have the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store, you go and buy the song that's playing directly overhead, and see how fast it transfers." If Starbucks is populating hundreds of Wi-Fi Store-enabled locations with edge servers to speed content delivery for music, wouldn't it make sense to do the same for the yet-huger TV show and movie files that are zipping about? At that point, Starbucks becomes a loading zone for both caffeine and content. Fill 'er up!

    Update: Apparently there's some confusion over 'edge servers.' To clarify, I don't mean EDGE as in AT&T's 2.5G wireless network, I mean edge as in the edge of a network, a razor, or of night. Apple's investment in and longtime use of Akamai shows that it understands the value of having content decentralized across the network.
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  • The changing life and times of Leopard

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    By now, most of you have had a chance to install the new Mac OS X 10.5.2 update for Leopard. Apple has added some minor tweaks to the OS as well as some new features. If you haven't seen some of the features, you might want to take a look -- we've look high and low in the update and have a list of the new features below.

    Time Machine status
    By default after installing the update, Leopard sticks a Time Machine back up status button in the menu bar. This drop-down menu will give you the time of the last back up and a "Back Up Now" option. You can also enter the Time Machine interface right from the menu bar, meaning that you can now remove that semi-pesky icon from your dock.



    Continue reading for more Leopard changes.

    Continue reading The changing life and times of Leopard

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  • iChat Pro makes iChat look like Adium

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    Personally, I'm an Adium user at heart -- iChat is super nice (especially for a built-in chat program), but it just doesn't have the features and customizability that that Adium does. But if you have to use iChat for whatever reason (easy video conferencing comes to mind) despite your love for Adium, then this mod, sent to us by reader Philipp, will probably come in handy.

    It's called iChat Pro, and it basically simplifies your iChat window, squeezing out the borders and cutting the buttons at the bottom. I don't think you can change the colors and design of the display the way you can in Adium (it's been a while since I used iChat, and a quick browse through the preferences didn't reveal any options for that), but at least it looks a little more professional than the, let's admit it, a little goofy, default iChat GUI. iChat Pro is a free iChat mod from Infinise Design.
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  • 1Password update fixes 10.5.2 Safari problems

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    OS X 10.5.2 threw a few curve balls at developers, and many of them are doing an admirable job of catching them with updates so timely you might think they were prescient. 1Password developer Dave Teare ranks high on that list, having put out an update yesterday that rapidly fixed the Safari problem that 10.5.2 introduced.

    1Password is a favorite at TUAW, and it's possibly been mentioned previously for it's time-saving, form-filling, credit card-remembering abilities. In addition to the Safari fix, there are several other enhancements to the application, such as user-assignable "restore form" shortcut keys in Firefox that should help keep my Services menu happy by avoiding conflicts, and an improved credit card fill should ease some frustrations with not-quite-filled forms and help speed up the draining of my available cash during the occasional online shopping spree.

    So that bleeding-edge surfers aren't left out, the release also adds support for the latest Firefox nightly builds, as well as Camino 1.6b2. And improvements to the new iPhone Logins bookmark should also be welcome for those surfing on the small but oh-so-touchable screen.

    1Password runs $29.95 for new users and the update is free for current users. You can download the new version (free demo) at the 1Password site.

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  • Mac Automation: Birthday greetings

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    I am sure that everyone has forgotten other peoples birthday's from time-to-time (*raises hand*). Luckily, with Mac OS X's built-in Address Book and Automator, you can automate the remembering and sending of greeting cards by e-mail -- thus eliminating the awkwardness of forgetting. In this how-to I will show you how to create a birthday field in your Address Book contacts, and how to send an e-mail birthday greeting when the time is right.

    To learn how to do this, read on.

    Continue reading Mac Automation: Birthday greetings

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  • Putting the Apple Store geniuses to the test

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    Challenging customer service folks in retail stores is pretty much shooting fish in a barrel-- sure, Apple claims to have a great retail environment, but if those Geniuses are getting paid as little as I was when I worked in retail, there's no real reason for them to know the difference between the Apple ][ and the Apple //e (that's what you have TUAW for).

    Still, Laptop's writeup on their trip inside the Apple Store is pretty entertaining anyway. The Genius confirms what we all knew about the Macbook Air (it's a "supplemental computer, like, if you already have a desktop at home"), and messes up some specifics on HD-DVD and processor speed and size. My own Apple Store experience wasn't much better-- I had to explain what a KVM switch was (to switch between my Mac mini purchase and my gaming PC). But just like Laptop's experience, my person was helpful and quick, and what more can you really ask from a retail experience?

    Long story short, do your research at home, and show up at the Apple Store (or the Best Buy, or the Circuit City, or wherever) only when you know what you really want to buy. The guys and girls with nametags on at the store know a lot about how to sell stuff, but they just don't get paid enough to make your choices for you.
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  • Call Recorder 2.3 released

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    We use Skype for the TUAW Talkcast and recently, our host and podcasting guru (OK, not guru, but he is the host and we like him), Michael Rose, has been looking at possibly using Ecamm's Call Recorder 2 plugin as an option for recording our weekly talkcasts. I actually have used it to record both audio and video chat for the Squadcast and really think that it is a fantastic, fantastic add-on.

    For anyone unfamiliar, Call Recorder is a great little tool that adds a recording window to Skype. This makes it easy to record incoming and outgoing calls (audio and video). The files are saved in the QuickTime format and they can be converted to MP3 or split into separate tracks.

    With the release of the latest version of Skype for the Mac, Ecamm has updated Call Recorder as well. In addition to the latest Skype compatibility, Call Recorder 2.3 also includes a new two-track video recording option (so that you can have a separate stream from each side of the conversation) and enhanced video recording quality.

    Call Recorder 2 is $14.95 (for $7 more, you can also get Conference Recorder, which adds the same functionality to iChat, and unlike the built in iChat recorder, doesn't require both users to have Leopard) and a free demo is available if you want to try out the tool.

    If you want a simple, hassle free way to record Skype conversations, give Call Recorder a shot!
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  • Skype updates to 2.7 (.0.257)

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    Skype, which has become my primary means of communicating with anyone not standing directly in front of me, has updated to version 2.7.0.257 with improvements, changes and a very, very long list of bugfixes.

    I'm happy, possibly even thrilled, about an alleged improvement in video stability. If you've ever used the video features, you've probably noticed that, in numerous scenarios, Skype prefers to show up more in your crash logs than on your desktop. I haven't had a chance to fully test out the video portion of this update and the release notes simply refer to it as "improved stability", so I'm hoping for the best.

    The 20+ bugfixes, by and large, deal mostly with errors I haven't run into and one grammatical correction to a dialog. Oh, and they fixed the language name for Belarusian, which could potentially appease 9,081,102* people.

    Fewer crashes and proper grammar are tantalizing but, as is usually the case, I find the API additions to be the most exciting. The Skype API is AppleScript-able and fairly comprehensive. This update adds more interface access, new voicemail features, and a few intriguing looking options which I'll just have to play with to understand.

    It would be nice if the updater built into Skype actually did what the name implies, but for now you'll have to head for the web page and get it yourself. Be sure to check out the release notes.

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  • Apple TV 'T2' HD video is pretty good, says iLounge

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    There's been some controversy about the HD video quality on the Apple TV, which we've covered before. Now that Take Two has dropped, iLounge has done the legwork to put together an excellent visual comparison. They compared four versions of Live Free and Die Hard: Blu-ray, Apple TV HD, Cable HD, and DVD.

    The results were quite good for the Apple TV; while Blu-ray was the clear and expected winner, the Apple TV version outpaced the Cable HD version on several of the tests, particularly those testing compression artifacts. The upshot: "Because of its cleaner motion and audio, we felt that the Apple experience was better in both overall audio and video quality than the HD cable experience, and for most users, superior to renting a standard DVD as well." Check out their full article for many more comparison shots.
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  • Moving the goalposts on iPhone 1.1.3 jailbreaking and unlocking

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    It's been a busy few days in the iPhone 1.1.3 hackathon. After the Geohot software unlock, yesterday saw the release of the Zibri command-line and unlock.no Windows GUI versions of an all-in-one software jailbreak, activation and unlocking script for 1.1.3 iPhones. Just in the past few minutes, aCujo reminded us of the bootloader downgrade from 4.6 to 3.9, completely in software. Comments below also remind us that iJailbreak, the "bar mitzvah project" of iPhone utilities (both developers are 13 years old), has released both an automated jailbreak mobile tool and a Mac-compatible (Leopard-only for the moment) desktop utility for 1.1.3.

    At this point, it seems that third-party application users are good to go on the new firmware, and overseas or non-AT&T iPhone owners are pretty well set for getting unlocked and rolling on native cell networks, noting as always that the hacks are not finished works and even the experienced few sometimes do themselves harm. (Wondering how to tell an unlock from a jailbreak? Check out Erica's iPhone hack glossary post from a while back.)

    For those who consider themselves economically and intellectually distanced from the whole unseemly business of hacking iPhones and unlocking them from AT&T's network, consider these two BusinessWeek stories on the iPhone gray market. Not only is the iPhone unlock a money-making engine for thousands of opportunity-minded retailers and middlemen all across the globe, but the status of a functional software unlock means feast or famine (both essentially unwanted) for the maker of the TurboSIM adapter that enables a hardware unlock when software is foiled. It's astonishing that one little device can cause so many ripples in a worldwide chain of commerce and underground innovation.

    Thanks to everyone who sent these in.
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  • iTunes: Free Wednesday

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    Once again, TUAW is pleased to present you with a selection of free songs and videos from around the world. Many of these iTMS items won't be free for long, so grab your copies before the week is up. And don't forget: If you want to buy these on your iPhone or iPod touch, make sure to sign into your account in iTunes before you sync.

    Continue reading iTunes: Free Wednesday

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  • Office 11.4.0 update squashes nasty Entourage data loss bug

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    Among the security patches delivered with Microsoft's 11.4.0 update to Office 2004 this week, there was a fix for a subtle and deeply irritating bug that's been nipping at Exchange users for a long time. Under certain rare circumstances, Entourage users could unexpectedly and unexplainedly lose days or weeks worth of email, poof! I've personally seen this happen a handful of times over the past three years, and it's always a challenging conversation when the affected user asks "What the hell happened?" and the official reply is "Um... let me check the backups for you, mmmkay?"

    TUAW reader Vermyndax, who worked with Microsoft support to track down the bug, blogged about the cause and resolution of the issue today:

    The bug occurs due to a bad logic assumption. Entourage 2004 treats its local database as authoritative to the mail stored in your mailbox. As such, if the Exchange server happens to be virus-scanning your mailbox when you synchronize your mail, Exchange will refuse to allow Entourage access to the items being scanned. Since Entourage receives no information on the existence of those items, it will mark them for deletion in its local database.

    On the next sync, you lose all of those items in the mailbox too. In cases we noted, users were losing large swaths of email at once (on the order of 2-3 weeks' worth all at once).

    Yech. While you could recover the mail from Outlook/OWA "Deleted Items," it was a pain -- and worse if you didn't notice the problem until after your retention deadline had passed. Upgrading to 11.4.0, assuming you aren't quite ready to make the leap to Office 2008, is sounding better all the time.

    Thanks Vermyndax!
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  • Rumors: More iPhone SDK tidbits trickling in

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    Following up to my recent post, I'm now hearing additional scuttlebutt regarding the iPhone SDK release. The latest:

    1. The SDK will ship on time for late February, but many features will be delayed, so this will be at best an alpha or beta release.

    2. People who are in Apple's documentation department are working triple-quadruple-double-secret overtime.

    3. Simulator will be there but you can also test applications directly on the hardware, via a docking cable tether.

    Looking at the calendar, we should know one way or another within, say, two weeks. As always, many grains of salt, rumors, rumors rumors.

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