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- MacBook Air SSD prices drop
Filed under: Deals, MacBook Air
It looks like Apple has a nice little surprise for anybody in the market for the SSD equipped MacBook Air. The price on the Apple Store for the 64GB SSD upgrade on the 1.6GHz Air has dropped to $599 from $999. Similarly the price of the 1.8GHz Air (equipped with the SSD standard) has dropped to $2598 from $3098.
Needless to say, the SSD is still a pretty penny and there's some controversy about how much it helps battery life. But if you've been waiting for one it looks like this is your lucky day.
Thanks, Keisha!Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - International iPhone pricing guide
Filed under: iPhone
On July 11, 2008, the iPhone 3G will be launching all over the world. As the release date draws near, we have been inundated with tips from readers about international 3G launch dates and prices.
In an attempt to try to keep the information organized in one place, I (stupidly, perhaps) volunteered to create a table containing the data from every country that is releasing the iPhone 3G on July 11 (plus France, which is launching on July 17). I did my best to provide the most accurate information, although some carriers have yet to release official information.
If you see any errors, please let me know -- I can update the table and the results will correct themselves immediately on this page.
Thanks to everyone who sent in links that helped contribute to this information!Переслать - Firefox 3 Download Day a huge success
Filed under: Software, Freeware, Internet Tools, Open Source
The graphic above says it all -- Firefox 3 Download Day was a success, with 8,002,530 downloads in 24 hours. Amazingly, this happened despite all of the initial download glitches that happened on Download Day. The Mozilla team is reporting that 29,116,621 copies of Firefox 3 have been downloaded as of 1:13 PM ET today.
If you signed up for Download Day notifications, you'll receive this email as well and you can get your own cheesy certificate, suitable for framing (or not).
Since I downloaded Firefox 3, I've been enjoying some of the plugins that are now residing at the bottom of my browser (Twitterfox and the Accuweather Forecastfox plugin). Firefox 3 seems faster to me, and I like the way it displays sites that are using certificates by putting a wide, clickable banner in the address bar. What are your opinions about Firefox 3?Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Finding Jobs 2.0
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Apple Corporate, Steve Jobs, Apple
Is it even possible? Forbes does a little bit of speculating on just who might take over when Jobs takes his leave from Apple, and candidates aren't exactly jumping out of the woodwork. Jobs is about as visionary as they come -- only a guy like Steve could lead Apple from the iMac to the iPod to the iPhone, breaking records and status quo the whole time. Phil Schiller and Scott Forstall are tossed out as two names currently within Apple's ranks, but Jobs is almost as much of a company mascot as he is a CEO. As consultant Patrick Sweeney says in the article, anyone who steps into the turtleneck has to fit completely into the culture of the company, or it won't work.
And forget the day-to-day and design decisions -- who's going to stand on stage and say "boom" at WWDC and Macworld? Here at TUAW, we're pretty sure the rumors of Jobs' ill health are exaggerated; he's probably not going anywhere anytime fast. But at the same time, it's hard to imagine an Apple without him at all.Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Transgaming makes deal with Ubisoft
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Software, Odds and ends
First EA, and now gaming giant Ubisoft has inked a deal with Transgaming to wrap their titles in Cider and port them over to the Mac. Which seems like great news -- Ubisoft has a huge number of quality titles, and bringing those to the Mac must be great for gamers who appreciate a better operating system. But not so fast.
First things first, Cider hasn't exactly proven itself in terms of making great games, or even ports for that matter. And apparently Ubisoft is taking it slow -- rather than bring us games like Prince of Persia, Assassin's Creed or the great Rainbow Six Vegas series, we're getting... wait for it... Catz and Dogz. Oh, and CSI: Hard Evidence, which was hardly a blockbuster on game shelves.
It's definitely good news that Mac gamers are getting more to play, but if this is all we're going to get, they can keep it. If they wanted to port us Far Cry 2 when it comes out, or maybe even the long-awaited Beyond Good and Evil 2 whenever it's done, awesome. But if all we're going to get is years-old bottom-of-the-barrel crapware, we'll stick with original Mac game developers, thanks.
[via Big Download]Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Mac 101: System Preferences
This is another entry in our continuing Mac 101 series, aimed at new Mac users. These tips are old hat for veteran Mac users, but will save some people a lot of grief.
I know several people who have switched from Windows to the Mac over the past year. While they're happy with their decision, they all tell me the same thing: "I don't know where to find anything."
Typically, the topic arises when they're looking for the "control panel" to change a system setting. Since Apple's System Preference panel looks different that the Windows Control Panel, it isn't immediately helpful.
Until they ask it what they're looking for.
There's a small search box in the upper right-hand corner of the System Preferences window. Typing a keyword or two into that field reveals just where that function lives with a "spotlight" effect. For example, if I want to adjust my alert volume, typing "volume" highlights the Sound panel.
This method also provides helpful text. For example, typing "email" produces this list
- Email faxes
- Email and chat restrictions (parental controls)
- Limiting email and instant messages
- Sending permission emails
Переслать - Renew your old iPhone with Flipswap
Filed under: iPod Family, iPhone
Yesterday, we asked iPhone owners who intend to upgrade just what they'll do with their 1st generation iPhones. Thousands of you answered, with Ebay drawing the top score.
Of course, Ebay will be flooded with iPhones soon, so consider alternatives like Flipswap. They offer cash for iPhones (and other model phones) and even pay for shipping. Once they've gotten your phone, they put it back in use.
If you're the environmentally consicous type, you'll appreciate this. Phones that cannot be put back into use are disposed of, piece by piece, in "...the greenest methods available today." Also, in lieu of cash, you can trade in your dead phone for a tree as part of their reLeaf Program. Flipswaps estimates they'll plant up to 25,000 trees this year (they take old iPods, too!).
It's free, easy and definitely worth the consideration.
[Via Lifehacker]Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Scribblet: menubar scratchpad
Filed under: Freeware
I often find myself in need of a the digital equivalent of a scratch pad: just an open text-field to jot down a phone number, save some text for a blog comment, etc. These are not really things I want to save, so I don't want to open a word processor or even use the snippet manager of my choice (Yojimbo). So Scribblet appeals to me in its focus on one basic task. (I've never been a fan of Stickies.)
It's a menubar application that does one simple thing: pop up a small notepad; that's it. It doesn't allow for multiple notes or snippet management. It's simply a scratch pad that pops up with a simple click on the menubar or by hitting a user-definable hotkey. Despite, or rather because of, its simplicity I find it quite handy and it has earned a spot on my menubar.
Scribblet is a free download from not salad.Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Australian iPhone pricing announced
Filed under: iPhone
Optus has released information on iPhone plan pricing for Australia. There are two options: post-paid and pre-paid.
The post-paid option includes what they're calling a "Cap Plan" and a "Yes Plan." The Cap Plan (all prices are Australian dollars) starts at $19 and offers 100MB of mobile internet data and $50 of calls and text, and maxes out at 1GB of data and $1500 of calls for $179.
All Cap Plans include free 20-minute voice calls to other Optus GSM mobiles in Australia (within hourly restrictions), and free 5-minute voice calls to phones on the same account, 24/7.
The Yes Plans start at $19 for 100MB of data and $14 of calls, and maxes out at 1GB of data and $144 of calls for $149. There are several text and rollover options for both.
The pre-paid options offer an 8GB iPhone for $729 and a 16GB phone for $849. These phones can be unlocked free of charge after six months, or for a $60 fee any time before then (including the time of purchase). So, totally unlocked iPhone 3G will be sold in Australia for $789 (the 8GB model) or $929 (16GB).
Thanks to everyone who sent this in!Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Found Footage: iPhone 2.0 firmware walkthrough, iTunes 7.7 screenshots
Filed under: iPod Family, Software, Found Footage, iPhone, App Store
Gizmodo has posted a video demoing the new iPhone 2.0 (build 5A345) firmware. In the video they mainly show the new features: Fetch New Data option, Parental Controls, new BCC field when you type an e-mail, and the scientific calculator.
The AppStore icon was on the home screen, but wouldn't launch because it has not been activated as of yet. In addition to the video walkthrough, Gizmodo also posted 4 screen shots of iTunes 7.7. One of the screenshots reveal a "Look for iPhone & iPod touch Remotes" checkbox in the Advanced > General section of iTunes preferences -- something we had mentioned in an earlier post.Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Wallpaper Clocks
Filed under: Freeware
I was on the hunt today for a clock application and ran across an interesting implementation in Wallpaper Clock. Basically it's a small application that dynamically redraws your Desktop every minute, to keep your time and date, well, up-to-date. The application itself is free, but requires particular artwork files in a variety of designs. Some of these clock files are available in a free, low-quality version, while others are only available to registered users (along with the free ones in higher-quality versions). It is also possible to create your own Wallpaper Clocks with your own images.
Wallpaper Clocks is a free download however there is a registration fee for subscription based access to the maker's website with artwork unavailable in the free version. Subscriptions are $8.99 for 3 months, $12.99 for 6 months, $19.99 for one year, and $29.99 for lifetime access.Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Google Talk for the iPhone
Filed under: Internet Tools, iPhone
Google has just announced Google Talk for the iPhone (and iPod touch). You won't have to wait for the App Store to use it, since this is a web app designed for the iPhone's browser (remember when Apple wanted us to believe that web apps were just as good as fully native apps? My how times have changed).
All you have to do is point your iPhone to www.google.com/talk and soon you'll be chatting away with your Gmail contacts. Since this is a web app, Google Talk for the iPhone only works when it is the active window in Mobile Safari. Close the web broswer, or switch to a different window and you'll show up as unavailable in Google Talk.
[via Lifehacker]Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Core Animation tutorial screencasts
Filed under: Developer
The Pragmatic Bookshelf has published a series of Core Animation tutorials, that are available for purchase and download. These four screencasts walk you through the process of building Xcode projects and incorporating Core Animation features into them.
Each tutorial runs for about a twenty to thirty minutes and includes a live voice over by developer Bill Dudney. They take you step-by-step through the development process for several projects.
Don't look for a general overview of Core Animation and the technology behind it in these videos. They take it for granted that you know the vocabulary (such as layers and timing functions) and that you understand what Core Animation should do. The videos help you to move that knowledge into Xcode. These videos are best for the self-reliant programmer who's looking for a little bit of low-cost hand-holding while getting started. Each of the four tutorials cost five dollars and are available in both full-screen and iPod-compatible resolutions.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - A low cost guide to making music with your Mac, part three
Filed under: Audio, Multimedia, Tips and tricks
Here we are with the long-awaited third part of my series on how to make music with your Mac. In the first installment, we looked at audio hardware; in the second installment, we discussed digital audio workstations. Today we're going to look at useful DSP (or digital signal processing) plugins and software synthesizers to help aid in your music making.
Again, a disclaimer: these are only a small handful of the options open to you. There are thousands of Mac-friendly synths and plugins out there, and you can spend as much time playing with demos and tweaking presets as you can making music. Having said that, these are a few tools I've personally found useful in my quest to become a halfway-decent digital producer.
More after the jump.Continue reading A low cost guide to making music with your Mac, part three
Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - iPhone app submission deadline: July 7th
Filed under: iPod Family, Developer, iPhone, App Store, SDK
We've been receiving tips all day about an e-mail some iPhone developers got from Apple today. In the e-mail, Apple is asking developers to submit their iPhone applications to the AppStore in order to be available for the iPhone 2.0 firmware / iPhone 3G launch. The deadline? July 7th ... as in this coming Monday.
World of Apple received a screenshot of the e-mail which reads, "To ensure your application can be considered for the exciting launch of the App Store, submit your application by 12 PM PDT, on July 7, 2008. We will continue to accept applications after this time, however your application may not be available until after the launch of the App Store"
So, for all the iPhone developers out there: get your apps out by July 7th (especially for the Twitterrific and Super Monkey Ball folks).Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Solid-state hard disks don't help battery life
Filed under: Hardware
In an interesting test by the folks over at Tom's Hardware, solid-state drives (SSDs) suck more power than their platter-based counterparts. Why should you care? Because the MacBook Air features an SSD in its higher-end configurations.
Tom's looked at four different SSD models, and compared them with a 7,200 RPM disk of the same size. One disk, from Crucial, touted its "low power consumption" in marketing materials. However, the disk reduced its test laptop's battery runtime from seven hours to six hours. Ouch.
SSDs are significantly faster, of course, but the idea that they consume less power appears to be false. As manufacturers develop thinner and thinner sub-notebooks, power consumption can only become more and more important.
Update: Many commenters are pointing out problems with how Tom's Hardware conducted the test. Peter cites a comment from our sister blog Engadget that says "The TH article was, as usual, significantly flawed. The benchmark they used to test battery life restarts itself after each completion, doing so until the battery is dead. However, the article did not report how many times the benchmark was able to run on the SSD vs. the mechanical HD." Commenter Greg recommended this Anandtech article as a counterpoint to this one.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Ive scores another design award for the iPhone
Filed under: iPhone
Apple's Senior VP of Industrial Design Jonthan Ive has won yet another design award, this time for the iPhone. The Mobile Data Association recognizes "those UK companies and individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the uptake and success of mobile data over the last 12 months." Ive won the MDA Personal Achievement Award for the physical "design of the Apple IPhone and its user interface" which "sets the bar very high for all present and future competitors and as such, is shaking the mobile phone industry."
You've got to figure by this time Ive is using things like this as doorstops, but it is yet another (completely unsurprising and thoroughly deserved) testament to Apple's design leadership.
[via Infinite Loop]Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Cornerstone passes Versions on the way to yesterday's finish line
Filed under: Software, Developer
Cornerstone made a dashing premier as a full release recently, outpacing the much-anticipated Versions in its development cycle and leaving many of us wondering: why couldn't we have had such polished Subversion clients back when Subversion really mattered? With friendlier and more flexible version control systems like Mercurial and (my recent favorite) Git taking center stage, it just seems odd that two applications devoted to last year's RCS are vying for the spotlight.
After a 10 minute tryout, I have to say that Versions, though still in beta, was more intuitive in general. I really, really like the timeline feature in Cornerstone, though, which allows you to Command-click any two points on the timeline and see a diff with the built-in viewer. For basic Subversion-related tasks (and probably more advanced tasks that I didn't delve into yet), both clients are far ahead of what currently exists, both in usability and aesthetics.
For those who still have a strong interest in Subversion, and who haven't already sworn allegiance to Versions at some point in the year (plus) we've been waiting for it, Cornerstone just crowded the playing field. You can read more on Cornerstone at the Zennaware website.
Addendum: As noted in the comments, my impression that Subversion is being relegated to obscurity (and the bias which that impression created in this article) is entirely without basis. I concede and would like to say that, given the stats, it's great to see some clients with real polish coming out.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать
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