Fresh Apple: The Apple Blog (7 сообщений)

На что подписаться? | Управление подпиской

The Apple Blog
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
рекомендовать друзьям >>

MobileMe Transition: July 9th
If you have .Mac already, you are no doubt familiar with the .Mac status page which lists services that are available. (Hopefully, you won’t have to be familiar with the page when MobileMe takes over because there won’t be as much downtime.) Just below the status lights, you will see that Apple warns that the transition to MobileMe will take place on July 9th, from 6pm-12am PT. Nothing will be available except for desktop email clients.

I am sure that Apple is doing all they can to make sure you don’t lose any data in the process, but it might not be a bad idea to back up everything if you have deleted it from your computer.

It looks like MobileMe will be available on June 10th for current .Mac subscribers, but July 11th is probably when Apple will start selling it officially, and add it back as an optional add-on for new computers. Or maybe it will be on sale tomorrow, since the Apple Store is down!

Apple is offering additional storage, above the standard 20GB for a very Apple-esque fee: 20 extra GB for $49/year and 40 extra GB for $99/year.

Переслать
iPhone App Preview: Exposure
Connected Flow, makers of the crunchy goodness that is FlickrExport (casts pix from iPhoto or Aperture to Flickr) has jumped the shark a bit and pre-announced Exposure, a forthcoming iPhone application that will bring Flickr to your iPhone or iPod Touch in ways that Mobile Safari just cannot.

Exposure will integrate with the built-in features of the devices, enabling you to snap a photo & send it to Flickr, use your device contacts list to explore friends’ Flickr streams, check out the “Explore” site on Flickr and see what folks are posting around you via the “Near Me” feature. It integrates nicely with the forthcoming “Twitterrific Touch” iPhone application and provides full details on all published images.

This is definitely one of the more interesting applications to keep an eye out for, especially with the dual-approach to cost. One version will be available & advertising supported (via The Deck ads that are familiar to Daring Fireball readers and Twitterrific users) and the other will be a “Pro” version that costs you $9.99 USD.

If you have any insight into other apps that may be debuting July 11th, drop a note in the comments.

Переслать
The Secrets Are Out Thanks To BlackTree
(Let me preface this post with a warning that tweaking unpublished settings can break your system and applications.)

While I am a fan of the Terminal, sometimes remembering (or Googling for) the proper “defaults write ...” undocumented setting to tweak a feature on a new build or a friend’s machine gets a bit annoying (mostly due to my increasingly old age…Hey! You, kids! Get off my lawn!). If you ever wanted the opportunity to really muck things up across your system and installed applications, then head on over to the “Secret” BlackTree page (yes, the makers of the awesomeness that is QuickSilver) and grab a copy of their preference pane.

Truth be told, I actually needed to change out the text on the login window on my Mac (for work) and did not remember the /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow.plist file or key for it and just happened to come across the Secrets update today. I was impressed at the extent of its database of settings for all sorts of apps and the fact that it figured out which apps I had installed (so it only showed relevant settings options).

An example of the non-deadly, application-usefulness of Secrets comes from its Twitterrific preferences pane:

which provides access to some of the tweaks you can make that are published by the author but not available in the actual application preferences.

You can see feedback from others in the discussion group, tinker with the source code on your own and even submit your own l33t secrets to BlackTree.

If you know of any cool, hidden preferences or have feedback on Secrets that TAB readers should know, definitely drop a note in the comments.

Переслать
Forum Activity: July 7, 2008
Переслать
View Time Capsule Movies in Front Row
I fired up front row the other day for the first time after getting a Time Capsule, and sure enough my Time Capsule movies weren’t indexing. I first tried using the settings inside of Front Row to map the folder, but there was no mapping option available. Next I tried making an alias of my movies folder on my Time Capsule, and putting it in my local movies folder…and it worked!

To play movies in Front Row from your Time Capsule (or any networked or external hard drive) follow these instructions:
1. Download and installPerian (this let’s quicktime play divx and avi’s)
2. Navigate to the folder where all your movies you want to play are
3. Right click on the folder and select “make alias”
4. Drag the alias into your local movies folder
5. Fire up Front Row, and navigate to the “Movies” section. Inside the movies section you should now see the alias folder with all your movies inside!
I took it one step further, and made an alias for my TV shows too, so I could easily find and watch. Please help me in my quest to create my ultimate mac media center and post anymore fun Front Row tricks to the comments. Thanks!

Переслать

Software Updates & New Release Highlights For Week Ending 2007-07-05
I’m trying to get back on track with these posts and, as always, do not hesitate to post your top picks from the previous week in the comments, especially if I missed something major (usually an app that I do not use or did not have time to try since I at least grab and tinker with anything I’ve posted if not regularly use).
- VirtualHostX - 1.0.11 - A handy little app that lets you configure Apache virtual hosts (Apple-install or “MAMP” stack) via a GUI (as opposed to gnarly config files). Works with 10.4 & 10.5 and provides the ability to backup & restore configs. This update fixes a DocumentRoot bug and includes the author’s new OpenFeedback Cocoa framework which allows for submitting bug reports & feedback from inside apps. Well worth the $7.00 USD if you work with web sites on your Mac.
- TrailRunner - 1.7v240 - Summer is a great time to kick-start your fitness routine and TrailRunner is a great way to gauge your progress. This update enhances the track merge functionality, enhancements to the Workout History view and weblog publishing features, new compatibility with the Nike+ Sportband (no need for the iPod version) and the ability to integrate with nikeplus.com to retrieve workout, goal and competition data. Leopard-only, but free!
- Bee Docs Timeline - 3D Edition - 2.1.3 - Primarily a bug-fix release to this timeline-designer. Full version cost is $65.00. Leopard-only.
- Adium X - 1.2.7 - The best, multi-platform chat client for OS X had two updates which, when combined, fixed numerous bugs including ones in XMPP, ICQ and MSN compatibility. 10.4/10.5 & free!
- TrueCrypt - 6.0 - This awesome security/encryption tool added parallelized encryption/decryption on multi-core processors (operations are now “n” times as fast according to the number of processors or cores). Other enhancements include an improved volume format and the ability to create hidden volumes. 10.4/10.5 & free!
- Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection - 2.0 - Microsoft finally updates their Mac RDC client with an improved OS X look & feel and a ton of features. 10.4/10.5 and free!
- MacFuse - 1.7.1 - Mostly bug-fixes to this free tool which allows your Mac to use all sorts of other filesystems. 10.4/10.5
- Apple Time Capsule & AirPort Base Station - 7.3.2 - If the blinky, yellow light did not coax you into finding out what was going on, note that there is a very slight point update to the firmware on these Apple WLAN devices that fixes issues with poor throughput, the inability to connect to devices, some AirTunes dropout issues, and errors with “double NATting”.
- Stanza - 10.0 Beta - This is an interesting e-book reader that supports a large number of formats and exporting numerous devices including the iPhone. 10.4/10.5 and beta (check site for pricing)
- Shatner Facts - 1.0 - For some reason, I couldn’t resist this rather silly little widget. Everything you wanted (or never wanted) to know about William Shatner. If you download this, post your favorite bit of Shatner-trivia in the comments. 10.4/10.5 compatible and (of course) free.
Переслать
AT&T: Pay full price for the iPhone 3G; Use it with another mobile carrier
In the WWDC ‘08 keynote addressSteve Jobs announced that the iPhone 3G would be available for $199. Naturally this was a cause of excite for many who were looking to purchase the iPhone. The news also caused speculation because many believed that it would be difficult to get an iPhone to use with another carriet. AT&T went out of its way, and rightfully so, to make sure that the iPhone 3G would be extremely difficult to unlock. In-store activationwas a requirement for those looking to purchase the low priced iPhone.

If you’ve been wondering how you can score an unlocked iPhone 3G your worries are over. According to the Washington Post, If you want to use the iPhone with your own mobile provider all you have to do is pay the price of an unsubsidized iPhone. You can purchase the iPhone 3G without a contract. How much will the iPhones cost. The 8GB is available for $599 and the 16GB will be available for $699.

Some consider the price high, but It’s not if you really think about it. Most mobile phone in the U.S. are subsidized phones which cost you less up front. Mobile carriers monthly make up the difference through monthly subscription fees. My LG was free when I signed my two-year contract with Verizon. AT&T users who upgrade to the iPhone 3G can expect to pay a minimum of $70 per month for the life of the two-year contract. You pay less up front, but you end up paying more over the life of the contract. I’d rather pay the full price up front.

I wasn’t happy when Apple decided to use AT&T as the only mobile carrier for the iPhone here within the U.S. Sorry Apple, as much as I like the iPhone I’m not switching to AT&T. I vacation in South Carolina several times each year. The area I vacation is rural, and the connection AT&T offers in this area is poor. I rely on phone calls, and the internet for my business so switching to AT&T is not an option.

The recent announcement changes things considerably although the iPhone 3G is still locked AT&T users who would like to unlock the iPhone to use with their preferred mobile carrier won’t have to go through as many obstacles.

Would you pay full price for an iPhone 3G? Let us know in the comment section.

Переслать