| rss2email.ru | На что подписаться? | Управление подпиской |
 |  The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) http://www.tuaw.com рекомендовать друзьям >> |
- New Get a Mac ad: Sad Song
Filed under: Cult of Mac, Apple
Apple just released a new "Get a Mac" ad entitled "Sad Song." In this commercial, PC is singing a country inspired song about how Vista saddens him. This commercial was released and played during the American Idol show tonight on the FOX network. You may remember that Apple also released 2 new Get a Mac ads last night. You can watch this and other Get a Mac ads on the Apple website.Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Web2 Delight
Filed under: Software
We've looked at applications like Photonic, a Flickr client which removes the web from "web 2.0" (the web navigation, anyway) and offers a smooth desktop experience for browsing photos. It seemed likely that we'd see a similar application which would bring a blitzkrieg of media from similar sites to your desktop. Hey, look at that, we were right: Web2 Delight is here to help you while away the hours trolling YouTube, Veoh, BlipTV and your favorite photo sites for something worth all of the time you invested looking.
Web2 Delight makes it simple to search and save content, with saved searches, multiple and scheduled downloads, export capability and slideshow functionality. You can browse photos as thumbnails, lists or combination views. There's even a Cover Flow view, which I think should be put to good use making Flickr flip books. The software, of course, allows you to stream video previews before opting to download that horrifically long clip which you'll subject in-laws and co-workers to later ... watching their face intently to make them feel uncomfortable if they don't laugh, of course. And now it's on your iPod and you can share it with perfect strangers.
It's a great interface, though, and makes browsing these sites very smooth. I obviously have issues with some of the more tedious bits of content which I've personally been subjected to, but that's not the fault of this software. Web2 Delight is every bit as brilliant (or mundane) as the media you dig up with it, which I suppose means that the ultimate responsibility lies with you. Of course, f you're already losing an hour or more a day to sites like YouTube and Veoh, well, this might just get you back enough time to mow the lawn. And -- after downloading the demo and uncovering all that extra time -- you can spend the twenty bucks you won't be paying the kid next door on registering the software ($19.95).
Oh, and to be fair, we do find our share of gold on Flickr.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Today 1.1
Filed under: Software
Second Gear, the same developers who bring you the PocketTweets Twitter client for the iPhone, have announced that Today 1.1 is now available.
Today is an app that works with your iCal database and provides easy browsing of your events and tasks in an attractive and unobtrusive window. Clicking the icons at the bottom of the window opens dialogs for entering new events and tasks in a way that is much easier than entering them into iCal directly.
What's new in Today 1.1?
- Better performance for those of us with big calendaring needs
- Filtering of the calendars that appear in the Today window
- Locations can be assigned for new events
- All day events have a new, more obvious appearance
- New event and task due dates default to the day that you're viewing
- Bugs have been squashed
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Hydra 1.5: HDR and OS X beauty revisited
Filed under: Software
Back in January, the folks from Creaceed released version 1.0 of Hydra -- a Leopard-only, GPU-powered photo application for creating High Dynamic Range photos that competes with the much-renowned Photomatix Pro. Just in time for the Apple Design Awards version 1.5 of Hydra is available. With more tone-mapping options, an image-navigation HUD, RAW importing (should you wish not to convert to 16-bit TIFF before importing), a plethora of Aperture options (more on those in a moment), and many more new features it's certainly a compelling release.
As mentioned before, there's plenty of Aperture integration with this release. As well as being able to import photos from (and export photos to) Aperture, Hydra is now available as an Aperture plugin (beta) - based on the all-new Aperture 2.1 Plugin SDK - that allows you to create HDR photos from within Aperture.
Unlike the cross-platform Photomatix Pro, Hydra's UI is the epitome of OS X slickness -- replicating much of the look and feel of both Aperture and other iLife applications. We'll be taking a look at both Hydra and Photomatix Pro in the near future to see whether Hydra's charms are merely skin deep.
Hydra 1.5 costs $59.95, and is a free update for those we already have a license.Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - TUAW Hands On: Trying out the $20/month contract-free unlimited data iPhone
Filed under: iPhone
Yesterday, I wrote about AT&T's new $20/month unlimited data feature pack. Today, my daughter was home sick from school. Why is that important? Because we gave her a cheap AT&T Pay As You Go phone, which she uses to keep in touch when her bus is late or if she needs to contact us for some reason. Pay As You Go plus idle phone = Data Plan Experimentation!
Read on for details...
Continue reading TUAW Hands On: Trying out the $20/month contract-free unlimited data iPhone
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - TUAW Faceoff: Low-cost vector design apps
Filed under: Graphic Design, TUAW Faceoff
While I'm not a hard-core professional illustrator or cartoonist, I do use vector design tools almost every day. Designing logos, playing with type, and creating quick layouts are things every vector design tool should do well.
Adobe Illustrator CS3, of course, is the 800-pound gorilla in this field, and it's my tool of choice. But there are plenty of people who don't need the extensive functionality that Illustrator provides. Plus, Illustrator is something of a resource hog (right now, it's using 176MB of real memory and 1.21GB of virtual memory on my system).
Today, I'm going to review four leaner, lower-cost (or free) options from four high-powered indie Mac developers: DrawBerry, EazyDraw, Lineform, and VectorDesigner. Unlike Illustrator, all of these use Mac OS X's built-in Core Image foundation, which makes them very easy to compare to each other.
It's high noon for vector apps, after the jump.
Continue reading TUAW Faceoff: Low-cost vector design apps
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Safari AdBlock Frees Hulu
Filed under: Multimedia, Internet Tools
TUAW reader Eric F sent in a note letting us know that "Safari Adblock allows you to watch Hulu programming completely commercial free!" I gave it a try. I downloaded a copy of Adblock from its SourceForge repository, installed it, activated it, and fired up Hulu. A nearly complete episode of Buffy later, I can confirm that I wasn't shown commercials.
I haven't give this enough of a test obviously, to be able to say decisively one way or another -- especially since I don't regularly use Hulu -- but the news is promising enough that I thought I'd share. Let us know in the comments if this solution works for you.Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - RapidoWrite 3.1
Filed under: Software, Freeware
Do you ever get frustrated with writing redundant blocks of text? Have to copy and paste text every minute? Well, RapidoWrite hopes to solve this problem by allowing you to create a keyboard shortcut for text, dates, or anything you want to include -- anywhere, anytime. Just install RapidoWrite, enable access for assistive devices (System Preferences > Universal Access) and set your keywords.
For instance, you could be typing a document and want to insert your contact information. You could enter this text by hand or create a keyword in RapidoWrite and type something like "MyContactInfo" and RapidoWrite would automatically insert your text. When you start typing the keyword, a little bubble will pop-up and allow you to auto complete the keyword (as well as list your keywords).
The best part of RapidoWrite is that it is absolutely free. That's right, you can download RapidoWrite for free from the App4Mac website.Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Evernote Mac 1.1
Filed under: Software, Internet, Beta Beat
The beta just got bettah!
TUAW recently featured an interview with Phil Libin, the CEO of Evernote, who stated that the ultimate goal of the application is to be a "universal human memory extension." I've been using Evernote for over a month now and love it -- I've sucked all of my business cards into Evernote with my iSight or iPhone camera, and use the program instead of a card file. Evernote's text recognition simplifies tagging the cards, and I can use either the Mac app, the web client, or my iPhone to look through my database. Evernote's unique focus on images makes it quite different from other information managers like Together or Yojimbo.
The update has some great new features based on customer feedback:
PDF support -- Evernote can now store PDFs and you can print into Evernote from any Mac application. Image-recognition isn't working for PDFs at this time, but they're working on it.
- Encryption -- Included in the last release, but not announced, encryption works with the Mac or Windows clients only, not with the web client.
- Spotlight integration -- Evernote "memories" are now searchable, and you can create Finder "smart folders" that include Evernote content.
- Mixed View Mode -- In addition to List and Thumbnail view, Evernote 1.1 has a Mixed view that shows small thumbnails with metadata for each note.
- Vertical Preview Pane -- In Mixed and Thumbnail modes, provides a big preview pane with live search results.
Want to give Evernote a try? I have 19 Evernote invitations for the first 19 commenters who ask for one politely.
Update: All of the invitations were swallowed up quickly by a group of very polite readers! Thanks for your comments and have fun with Evernote!
Update 2: Thanks to Evernote, I have a huge number of invitations available for TUAW readers. Leave a comment and try out Evernote.Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Time Machine update will offer battery-saving feature
Filed under: OS, Rumors, Software, Software Update
Time Machine is the backup software built into Mac OS X Leopard that people either love or hate. It already saved my backside on the night before a report was due, so I'm a hands-down fan.
For now, the available options are limited. According to AppleInsider, that's going to change with the release of Mac OS 10.5.3. It seems that the latest OS build seeded to developers (9D29) features a version of Time Machine which lets laptop owners suspend backups while running on battery power.
This is good for two reasons. It eliminates a power draw on the battery, and prevents incomplete backups (should your battery die before a backups session finished).
Our only question is ... May we have 10.5.3 now?!?Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - iTunes: Free Tuesday
Filed under: iTS, Features, Deals
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 Tuesday
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Photoshop and trackpad gestures
Filed under: Portables, Software
I'm not a trackpad fan, but I will admit that gestures are cool. Ivan at Creative Bits has identified the gestures available in Photoshop, including
- Alt (Option) key + double finger track to zoom and out within a document
- Hold the Apple (Cmd) key to zoom the whole screen
Ivan also wishes for user-defined gestures, something that only seems logical for Apple to implement.
What's on your "Gestures Wish List?"Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Flickr Export for Acorn
Filed under: Software
I mentioned an update to Acorn yesterday, which got me to poking around with the app. I noticed the release notes had something about Flickr Export moving from one menu to another, but I couldn't find it. I turned to Google and quickly found the Flickr Export Plugin for Acorn by Coding Robots. This free plugin, pictured above, lets you export a picture from Acorn directly to Flickr, Yahoo!'s photo sharing site. It also lets you tag your picture, set a title and description, and tell Flickr who can view your photo.
Not too shabby for a free plugin.Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Mac 101: The desktop in dialog windows
Filed under: Tips and tricks, Mac 101
You want to open a file on the desktop from within a given application. Let's say Microsoft Word (it could happen). So, you select "Open" from the File menu. However, it selects the directory you last accessed with this method - the Documents folder. Don't reach for that mouse! A simpler solution is to hit Command-D to jump to the Desktop's files. Note that this works in Save dialog windows, too.
"How long does it take for me to move to and from the mouse?" you ask. The answer is just a second or two. But those seconds add up over the course of a day, a week, a year.
Now, what will you do with all the extra time?Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - deviantArt brings maverick media to iPhones
Website deviantART has been the source of quite a bit of eye candy for Mac users. Mike from deviantART informs us that they are "huge" fans of Apple products, so it's no surprise that -- as of quite recently -- visiting the site on your iPhone will yield a new, iPhone-friendly browsing experience.
Feel like checking out the latest or most popular work by the deviantART community while you're on the go? Point your iPhone (or iPod touch) to http://www.deviantart.com.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Celebrities and their Apple goodies
Filed under: Humor, Odds and ends, iPhone
Recently, several of you tipped us on this video of US Senator Barak Obama quickly checking something on his iPhone (it happens around the 1:00 mark). It got us thinking of our favorite celebrity Apple product sightings.
- Back in July of 2006, it was reported that Pope Benedict XVI had received an iPod nano from employees of Vatican Radio. The phrase "To His Holiness, Benedict XVI" was engraved on the back.
- Britain's Queen Elizabeth II purchased an iPod mini back in July of '05.
- U.S. Presidential adviser Karl Rove was seen using his iPhone in August of last year.
- Actress, singer and all-around role model Lindsay Lohan whipped out her iPhone shortly after they were first released in the U.S.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Together updates to 2.1
Filed under: Software, Productivity
Together 2.1 is a major upgrade for this ever-evolving information management application. Steve Harris, author of Together (and Feeder), has listened very carefully to user feedback and is turning up the heat with features that I've personally been waiting anxiously for. I'm a fickle suitor of many apps in this genre, constantly switching amongst the likes of Yojimbo, DEVONthink, Evernote, EagleFiler, SOHO Notes and some of my own concoctions. I've always liked Together's interface ... it just lacked certain functionality in some key areas of my workflow. Version 2.1 makes great strides to fill those gaps.
My current workflow -- one that's lasted long enough for me to call it my system -- is heavily based on Spotlight comment tagging for gathering project-related information. This is rapidly becoming a universally-accepted method and is supported by many applications which can read and write their internal tags to and from Spotlight comments. Together has added both read and write functionality for such tags with a user-definable prefix, as well as the option to import keywords as tags. This means that the system I use in applications like Leap, Mail.app (with Mailtags), FileSpot and directly in Finder (with Spotlight) work hand-in-hand with Together now. You can even define default tags for groups and folders to assign to imported items, and Together can now automatically import files saved by external programs into its Library folders. The new support for external linking to internal items and a complete AppleScript dictionary kick off the highlights of the extensive release notes.
A few other highlights include:
- Smart groups can now be based on other groups (including other smart groups)
- Recording of the date items are imported
- The option to create visually accurate Web PDFs instead of web archives
- A system-wide import hotkey
- A more useful Shelf that can tag and sort quick notes
- Quick Look in the Shelf
- Performance improvements in multiple areas
- Text highlighting in notes and documents
- Extensive preview options
- Text in imported emails is now selectable
One deciding factor for me in choosing a system is the database vs. file system debate. It's a debate that spurs quasi-theological discussion, but ultimately it's a personal choice and somewhat dependent on your particular needs. I like file system storage as found in Together and EagleFiler because of its automatic integration with the rest of my applications. Files edited in an external application from Together are treated just like regular Finder files (because they are) and will show up in Recent Files menus and your Spotlight index. Yes, Yojimbo and DEVONthink have Spotlight plugins, but they have to go the extra step to write out their metadata. Together is also quite adept at dealing with filetypes it doesn't necessarily understand, letting the system handle default applications and Quick Look handle the previews. And lastly, all of my files are easily accessible outside of Together and not locked into a proprietary database.
Together 2.1 is a free upgrade for current users. A new license will run you $39 and there's a demo available. And if you're thinking of switching from Yojimbo, there's an importer just for you on the downloads page.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - The 25-year-old BSD bug
Filed under: Humor, UNIX / BSD
Today in 1983, "Beat It" by Michael Jackson may have topped the charts, but a slight bug in the *dir() library was found only a few days ago by OpenBSD developer Marc Balmer (no rela -- oh, wait). OS News has the entire amusing tale of the bug in BSD (the UNIX foundation of Mac OS X) that's been alive and kicking for nearly 25 years. Balmer contacted Marshall Kirk McKusick, the original developer of the *dir() library, who confirmed the error.
Thankfully, the fix was simple, but Balmer kidded, "[s]orry that it took us almost 25 years to fix it."
Thanks, Cameron!
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - HBO just added to iTunes, some episodes cost $2.99
That was quick. Just yesterday I wrote about the rumored addition of HBO shows to the iTunes Store and today they show up on iTunes. The following HBO shows are now available on iTunes, though some of the episodes cost more than $1.99:
Episodes of the Sopranos, Rome, and Deadwood all cost $2.99 while the rest of the series are priced at the typical $1.99. Looks like Apple is a little more open to flexible pricing on television shows than they used to be.
Thanks, howie.Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - $45 credit for Canadian iPod owners
Filed under: iPod Family, Apple Financial
Canadian owners of first-, second- or third-generation iPods may want to keep an eye on their email boxes (provided that they purchased said iPod(s) before June 24th, 2004). The Montreal Gazette is reporting that up to 80,000 Canadians (including 11,310 Québécois) could be eligible for a $45 credit from Apple as the result of two class action lawsuits. The suit involved the iPod battery's dramatic decrease in capacity after two years of use.
Though the deal is still tentative, it is expected to be finalized by a Montreal court on May 26th.
[Via iPodNN] Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать
| rss2email.ru | отписаться: http://www.rss2email.ru/unsubscribe.asp?c=6894&u=24004&r=484673635 управлять всей подпиской: http://www.rss2email.ru/manage.asp |
