Tuesday, February 12, 2008

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) (17 сообщений)

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  • Camouflage 1.20

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    If you're like me, then you like to take screenshots and send them to people -- maybe it's to help them through an issue with their computer, or just to document something -- either way, icons on your desktop can get in the way. There are a couple things you could do to get rid of the icons: use command + shift + 4 + space bar to only take a picture of the current window, or you could move all of your icons to a folder.

    This is where Camouflage comes in. It allows you to hide your desktop icons with a single click. Just click it's menu bar icon and ... BOOM ... the icons fade off your desktop. Click the menu bar icon again to have them fade back in. You can also assign a hot key and use a custom wallpaper when it is activated. Sometimes it's the simple things that amaze me.

    Best of all, Camouflage is absolutely free (donations are accepted). You can download Camouflage from the developer's website.
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    Комментарии к сообщению:
    http://www.tuaw.com/2008/02/12/camouflage-1-20/#comments



  • iLife '08 Support update available

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    Just in time for Aperture 2, a minor support update has just been issued for iLife '08. The update, to quote the Apple description page, ."..supports system software components shared by all iLife '08 applications to improve their stability and performance," as well as fixing providing bug fixes for compatibility with Aperture 2. The update is available for users running OS X 10.4.9 and above and is available via Software Update or directly from Apple's download site.

    Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
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  • iEatBrainz gets a Universal bump

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    Jay Tuley's original IEatBrainz apparently went defunct before it ever grew up to be a Universal build. Fortunately for us, Pierre Andrews picked up the (open) source code and made a version that works for just about everybody.

    IEatBrainz uses the online acoustic fingerprint service "MusicBrainz" to fix improperly tagged files in your iTunes collection. It's simple, easy and pretty fast considering the number of web transactions it has to make. It serves as a great interface to MusicBrainz, which has to take the blame for any inaccuracies. The software allows you to select files from your library to check, and begins looking them up in the background while you're still picking files. You get a chance to review the ones that it thinks it found matches for before sending the information to iTunes.

    For various and sundry reasons I have a lot of poorly tagged files in iTunes, so I spent some time seeing what it could fix. I have to tell you, it handled Black Metal and Classical quite well, scoring almost 100%. Other genres baffled MusicBrainz a little. My Dead Boys tracks were a wash and it told me that Siouxsie was actually Switchblade Symphony. Overall, about 60%, but I have some very obscure tracks. I don't even know what some of them are.

    It's free, and no one will question why you have so many untagged tracks. We promise. You can grab the Universal build at 6V8.

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  • JetS3t offers another option for Amazon S3 access

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    At 15¢ per gig, Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Solution) is rapidly becoming an online storage standard, with companies like 37Signals and SmugMug storing information adding up to terabytes. On a slightly smaller scale, I transfer a few gigs on S3 every month, both to and from my Mac and server-to-server, and my bill is usually under $10. I'm always on the lookout for new ways to take advantage of this inexpensive yet massive storage system.

    Several Mac applications have already added S3 support, including Transmit, Interarchy and Forklift. That's a cool step for such applications because it integrates your various file transferring tools (FTP, SFTP, S3, etc.) into one app, which I would love... if it worked reliably. But the only application I've consistently had luck with - as in not constantly crashing - is JungleDisk, which uses a webDAV system for filestorage that allows an S3 bucket (a subsection, or folder, in your S3 account) to be mounted as a local filesystem, but makes the filesystem on the web inaccessible to other programs. And you can't make files public outside of your local network. I've generally resorted to S3Fox - a very capable Firefox addon - and a command-line ruby script called s3sync.

    However, I also discovered the JetS3t Java toolkit today. In addition to the toolkit, the JetS3t download also includes an application suite. Of primary interest to me was the Cockpit application, which provides an S3 browser with upload and download capabilities, as well as ACL control. There are also apps for setting up gateways and providing a secure, distributable client.

    I'd like to begin by saying that I loathe Java applications on a Mac, not least because they're ugly. But Cockpit is one of the fastest S3 browsers I've ever used. Looking past the fact that you have to launch it from the command line (yes, you can fix that), it has no integration with other Mac apps, and its underwhelming aesthetics, I have to admit that it really does get the job done. It even has little extras, like the ability to generate Torrent URLs or a temporary URL that which allows people to download a file for a specified period of time. It probably won't replace my current tools, but it was worth a trip to the dark (Java) side. I hope it inspires some Cocoa browsers that are faster, more flexible and more stable than what we've got.

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  • Aperture 2 is here

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    Let's just say it: Aperture 2 is here - and boy are some of us here at TUAW excited. Amongst the news, the full-price of the application has dropped to just $199 US, with the paid upgrade being just $99. That's down from the previous full price of $299 -- a price currently retained by competitor Adobe Lightroom (we'll see how long that lasts).

    New features include:
    • Quick Preview mode -- 'for rapid-fire photo browsing'
    • re-engineered database for the application to allow Quick Preview touted to be snappy even with half-million-image libraries.
    • an all-in-one heads-up panel for Library, Adjustment and Meta-data controls.
    • a selection of new tools: Recovery for blown highlights, Vignette & Devignette, Definition , Vibrancy and Repair and Retouch
    • .Mac Web Gallery integration
    • and 'All Projects' view, not dissimilar to iPhoto '08's 'Events' view
    • improved RAW decoding
    The new version is available to buy in the US online store now, and undoubtedly heading to other international online stores soon, though the Aperture site has yet to be updated to reflect the changes now got the low-down on the new features.

    Thanks to all those who sent this in!
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    Комментарии к сообщению:
    http://www.tuaw.com/2008/02/12/aperture-2-is-here/#comments



  • 10.5.2 breaks Linotype FontExplorer X, or vice versa

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    Users of Linotype FontExplorer X may want to hold off on the 10.5.2 update ... if it's not already too late. It seems to start up fine, but once you do, clicking a stack will cause the Dock to hang; that's just one symptom, there are problems reported with several applications crashing while FontExplorer X is running.

    Suspicions are circulating that a change in font handling may be the culprit, but FontExplorer X is the common thread in most complaints. There are discussions going on at creativebits, Apple.com and at the FontExplorer X discussion board. If you're a Leopard user and a heavy user of FontExplorer, you'll probably want to watch those discussions to see the solution when it surfaces.

    Thanks Ivan!

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  • The Apple Store is down. On a Tuesday...

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    As many of you have e-mailed us, the Apple Store is indeed down. Usually when this happens, I tend to kind of ignore it -- nine times out of ten, it is nothing -- but it's a Tuesday. Plus, given the rumors and speculation of an impending MacBook Pro refresh...

    We're hitting our refresh buttons and will let you know what happens as soon as the store reopens.

    Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
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  • 10.5.2 makes your WoW go faster

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    Our good friends over at WoW Insider (disclaimer: I'm a lead over there) have unlocked one of the first secrets about 10.5.2 (which dropped today in Software Update): it'll make World of Warcraft play faster.

    After hearing that the patch made reader Jason's Mac play faster, WoW Insider's Adam Holisky saw his FPS jump from 30 to 50 on his first-gen Intel iMac (he also has 2gb of RAM, and installed the graphics update with 10.5.2). The picture on the upper right was a test under 10.5.1, and on the lower right was after the update.

    Pretty slick. I'd imagine that this would probably affect most 3D games (although who knows how EA's games will work on the Mac at any given moment). The only note that might document this in the update itself is just a "general stability" fix for "third-party applications,' but if you see your 3D go faster after 10.5.2 let us know. Azeroth has never looked so good.
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  • Flash coming to iPhone?

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    With the internets all a-flutter over Mac OS X 10.5.2 arriving on the scene, this tid-bit is in from GearLive -- yes, the very same folks who brought us news of the jiggly icons on the iPhone that we were somewhat doubtful of.

    This time around, GearLive is reporting that we can expect to see Flash on the iPhone (and one would assume, iPod touch) 'very, very soon'. No doubt, that brings joy to many people's lives -- Flash has long been one of the most in-demand additions to the iPhone -- but some of us Flash cynics can't help but feel that for Flash sites whose usability is perhaps compromised on the desktop, we're happier with it staying off of our handheld devices.

    Flash gripes aside, chatting with Andru from GearLive tonight they're mighty confident of their sources and have a good track record. Let's just see how this one runs, shall we?
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    Комментарии к сообщению:
    http://www.tuaw.com/2008/02/11/flash-coming-to-iphone/#comments



  • WebObjects Update 5.4.1 for Mac OS X 10.5

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    WebObjects, Apple's little discussed web application framework, has been updated for Leopard. That's right, Apple still makes WebObjects and it would seem they even have an engineer or two actively working on it. The update clocks in at 153 MB and includes many bug fixes which are always welcome.
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  • Apple posts Leopard Graphics Update

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    OS X 10.5.2 hasn't been out for long, and there is already an update available for it. The Leopard Graphics Update 'improves the stability and compatibility of your Mac.' Oh, Apple, your release notes for 10.5.2 were so detailed, I was hoping you had turned a new leaf, but this update has proven me wrong.

    Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
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  • Mocked-up Cinema display taunts us with an update

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    Are we going to see new Cinema displays by the end of the month? If so, they might look like this-- it's a nice-looking mockup posted by Ben over on the redrant forums. It is interesting that Cinema displays are almost starting to match up to the Beatles as the one thing we hope to get from Apple but never do. For years now, people have been hoping for an update to these things-- an installed iSight (that one's actually been "a lock" for years) and even a touchscreen display. But Apple hasn't budged-- the last time they updated the Cinemas, it was to drop the prices two years ago.

    Yup, it's been since then that a Cinema update has seemed to be just around the corner. You can only think of so many ways to update monitors, but it seems that Apple hasn't, so far, liked any of the ideas enough to put them on sale.

    Thanks, Jacob!
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  • 16 GB iPhone: Is the speaker louder?

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    TUAW reader Navarro P. traded in his 8GB iPhone for a slick new 16GB model -- and noticed that the speaker seemed much improved. He writes, "I have to say the speakerphone is dramatically louder. Or at least it seems louder. I had real trouble hearing conversations in the car with the window down and now it's not a problem." I'm sticking with my 4GB model for the time being ,but Navarro wonders if any other TUAW readers have noticed improved playback volume on the just-introduced models. Let us know in the comments.

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  • Thoughts on iPhone Security

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    This morning I was having a light hearted conversation about all the iPhone features developers have been able to harness and add to their apps. The back and forth was telling. We can now use Google Maps to tell us where you are. We can use Core Telephony to send out SMS messages. We can read your contacts database and look through your phone history. We can grab your microphone and listen to what you're saying and use your camera to shoot pictures without you even knowing and...

    Holy freaking cow.

    And then I thought for a second and concluded: "...it's exactly like programming for a Mac".

    Security concerns are not unique to the iPhone and its full featured capabilities are nothing new for computing. What makes the iPhone seem different is that it fits in your pocket. Mobile WinCE never did all this stuff.

    So it's up to developers to program responsibly. Just like Macs. Just like Windows. Just like Linux.

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  • 10.5.2 in Software Update right now

    Filed under: , ,

    Apple has dropped a 10.5.2 update out on Software Update. The patch has a number of different bugfixes all across the OS, from Dashboard and Airport improvements all the way to a menubar option in Time Machine and the disabling of GrowlMail 1.1.2 or earlier "to avoid security issues fix 1.1.2 from crashing growlmail."

    My Software Update is apparently taking its sweet time downloading the patch, but other TUAWers have already grabbed it and gotten rolling. Welcome to 10.5.2!

    UPDATE: Chris Forsythe from Growl notified us that it wasn't a security issue with Growl.
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  • New hybrid ARM CPU/video chip debuts

    Filed under: , , ,

    Yummy news on the chip front today. (Not so much on the fish front, but Apple's never been big on the iCod.) Samsung recently introduced the S3C6410, a hybrid processor that merges a sweet 667MHZ ARM CPU with a cool multi-format video decoder that handles H.264, MPEG-4 and VC-1. By offloading all that video work from the main CPU, you get increased performance and you can do other fun things with your CPU while the video is recording or playing back. This baby can handle 640x480 full-speed video, possibly both sending and receiving, with little demand on your system.

    The iPhone and iPod touch use an earlier sibling of this chip. Now pass me the vinegar and mayo.

    [via Electronista]

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  • Got AT&T? Starbucks delivers Wi Fi

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    Good news, iPhone lovers. Starbucks is dumping T-Mobile and serving you up a fresh heaping venti of Wi-Fi goodness. And what's the crema on that espresso? Why, it's this: "AT&T will soon extend the benefits of Wi-Fi at Starbucks to its wireless customers". The press release says spring 2008 -- still a little ways away, but soon "millions of AT&T and Starbucks customers will get Internet access free from the comfort of their neighborhood Starbucks."

    I'll drink to that. In a short, no-fat, green-tea hold the syrup way. Meanwhile, T-Mobile Hotspot customers will still be able to use Starbucks' WiFi, thanks to an agreement between the two providers.

    Update: Several commenters have asked for clarification on the 'free' part of the arrangment between Big Blue and Big Coffee. Here's the relevant section of the press release: "Beginning this spring, Starbucks Card holders can enjoy up to two hours of free Wi-Fi service per day at Starbucks locations offering Wi-Fi access, while more than 12 million qualifying AT&T broadband and AT&T U-verseSM Internet customers will have unlimited free access to the Wi-Fi service. In addition, more than 5 million of AT&T's remote access services business customers will be able to access Wi-Fi service at Starbucks locations. AT&T will soon extend the benefits of Wi-Fi at Starbucks to its wireless customers." The likely scenario is 2 hours of free online time per visit for Starbucks Card holders, but we don't know yet what it means for iPhone owners (the "wireless customers" of the last sentence).

    Thanks Christopher Li

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