Software developer Information Appliance Associates (IAA) leaps to the head of a line of design entrepreneurs helping Blackberry smartphone users “Macintoshify” their handhelds with the release of PocketMac Mac Themes for Blackberry. Counting on the likelihood that there are many, many Mac users who have and intend to keep using Blackberry mobile phones, the San Diego-based software maker is selling what the company claims is the first tool to transform the look and feel of a BlackBerry into a miniature Macintosh.
Available for a number of models of the Research in Motion (RIM) smartphone (with support for the Blackberry Bold on the way), PocketMac replaces the standard icons and images of the BlackBerry with those of original, yet very familiar Mac-like icons, complete with familiar colors and backgrounds, to create what some are calling a MacBerry.
“I’m a passionate Mac user. I love my Mac and I love my BlackBerry,” says IAA CTO Terrence Goggin. “We created the PocketMac MacTheme [because] all of our customers love the BlackBerry but they preferred something that reminded them of home… their Mac.”
Apple’s App Store, the online distribution channel for applications being developed for the iPhone by third-party software makers, will presumably open its virtual doors with the release of iPhone’s 2.0 firmware and the debut of the 3G model hardware on July 11. Phone users and developers alike are understandably excited about possibilities on the horizon, but as developer Paul Kafasis writes for Inside iPhone, many aspects of the way forward remain uncharted.
With Apple having no previous experience in the role of software publisher for outside developers, Kafasis is concerned about uncertain protocols on issues including support, free trials, review copies, refunds, discounts, bulk sales, and upgrade pricing. On behalf of consumers he wonders if software will be tied to a single device, if it will be able to be backed-up and recovered later and what will happen when a user gets a new iPhone.
Most importantly, perhaps are unanswered questions about who will have and control the all-important customer information. “When we sell software to a customer, we can track visitors, hits, downloads, and more. We also get a name and email address we can use to contact the customer later, if needed,” he writes, and then wonders, “will [developers] get any of this from the App Store? If so, what pieces of it?”
Many people felt the initial release of the iPhone last year was badly hobbled by the restriction against native third-party applications. The emergence of such applications soon, and their distribution through the App Store, are thus as likely to be roundly welcomed as it is certain the roll-out will encounter bumps in the road. With a future all three parties – Apple, developers and consumers – would like to see as fulfilling, whether and when that might be the case will depend on the answers to some of Kafasis’ questions.
Increasingly cartoonish rap star Kanye West has been savagely bashed for showing up two hours late to his own 3 a.m. set at the giant Bonnaroo music festival the other weekend. He finally responded to his critics via his blog last night, and in so doing, coined the wimpiest tough guy catch phrase ever:
But this Bonnaroo thing is the worst insult I’ve ever had in my life. This is the most offended I’ve ever been… this is the maddest I ever will be. I’m typing so f***ing hard I might break my f***ing Mac book Air!!!!!!!!
Oh! Run for your lives! He has a MacBook Air and he’s typing REALLY HARD on it! But not hard enough to break it, thanks to Apple’s superior design and engineering!!!!
I’m seriously trying to come up with a wimpier way to express rage as expressed through communication style: “I’m tapping my index finger so hard against my iPhone that I am probably going to misspell some words!!!1!” “I’m so furious that I may just wait a few days to confirm the details of our acquaintance on Facebook!!!!!” “I’m writing you this Christmas Card in such a rage that I might forget to include my BEST WISHES TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY!!!!!!1!”
Congratulations, Apple. You just set the benchmark.
Dell is launching a new mid-range line of portable computers called Studio Laptops with a Mac-like “Dock” designed to give Vista users an illusion of the OS X experience.
Studio Laptops’ desktop GUI takes Windows’ traditional application icon layout and organizes it into a “Dock” similar to the one familiar to Mac users, though questions remain as to whether users will be able to customize the Dock layout and place it on either side or at the bottom of the desktop.
In an additional concession to the proposition that Apple may be winning the OS war, Dell will offer cases in seven colors, a significant change to the company’s predominantly industrial look.
Gizmodo has nice before and after screenshots of the desktop.
Kevin McLaughlin writes for Channel Web, an IT Channel News source, Microsoft’s biggest hiring spree in eleven years has been looking to fill spots in its Mac Business Unit.
In a recent post to the Office for Mac Team blog, Craig Eisler, general manager of the Mac Business Unit, announced the hiring campaign and highlighted the unique place the group occupies within the Microsoft galaxy. “We are the brightest, coolest, and most interesting business unit at Microsoftif we do say so ourselves,” Eisler said in the blog post.
Office 2008 for Mac has been selling “really well” since its launch in January, according to Sonny Tohan, CEO of Mac Business Solutions, an Apple specialist based in Gaithersburg, Md.
“Microsoft finally started taking advantage of some of the core technologies and user interface features in OS X,” Tohan said, and Apple partners worldwide see the changing landscape in Redmond as evidence of the robust health and continued emergence of their preferred platform.
The addition of support for Exchange in the iPhone and the coming proliferation of 3rd party iPhone apps should keep Microsoft’s Mac Business unit busy for the foreseeable future. “Microsoft needs to compete in a space of growth since the PC market is in a state of decline, and I’m sure they’re looking at writing applications for the iPhone,” according to George Swords, marketing manager at PowerMacPac, an Apple solution provider in Portland, Ore.
Cory Bohon at The Unofficial Apple Weblog reports on skuttlebutt concerning the next update to OS X. 10.5.4 is said to have no known issues. Beta testers were asked to focus on AirPort, networking with Windows, Spaces and other frequently used (and often problematic) aspects of OS X.
The update is likely to also include support for Apple’s new Mobile Me service, which will replace .Mac and incorporate web services designed for the iPhone 3G. Perhaps as a consequence of these preparations, the company’s .Mac service experienced some downtime yesterday.
Ford & Lincoln / Mercury cars are now shipping with a voice activated technology they call “SYNC”, which proudly proclaims “Powered by Microsoft” on all the adds they’re running. My first thought was: ‘Now what the heck would anyone willingly admit that?‘
My second thought was: ‘Why isn’t Apple just OWNING this space?‘ Click through, and we’ll chat about this after the jump.
For years, one of the more compelling arguments in the debate between PC and Mac users held that Macs are more secure. With hackers worldwide dreaming up viruses and Trojan horse programs designed to crash hard drives and compromise personal data, Microsoft and security software manufacturers struggled to keep PC users safe by constantly releasing software updates and security patches for Windows operating systems.
Mac users surfed happily along the Internet’s boundless realms, content in the knowledge that Apple’s tiny OS market share was little incentive for hackers and malicious social engineers. As the universe of Mac users continues to grow, however, that sense of security may begin to prove false.
I’m a fan of both Firefox and Safari and regularly use both on my Macs. I like Firefox because it lacks some of Safari’s “Squirrely-ness” with some websites –particularly those using scripting, and I like Safari for private browsing, and because it is so fast. So after a day of use, am I prepared to drop Safari forever for the Fox? Click through, and lets discuss.
Mac users seem split on whether Mac OS X’s Dashboard is the Best Thing Ever or a mildly irritating component that’s accidentally accessed when fingers stray on to a function key. Opinion appears to be drifting towards the latter option, but there are a few Dashboard widgets that are staggeringly useful.
For some, the Dashboard mechanism itself is the main barrier to working with widgets. Although Vista didn’t win fans by grabbing a chunk of desktop space for its Dashboard wannabe, having the option for widgets to remain on-screen would doubtless be handy for many Mac users, and it’s this functionality that shareware application Amnesty Singles provides.
The interface is pretty much idiot-proof. You drag a widget from Finder to the whopping great arrow in its sole window, decide whether you want to create a standalone bundle or an application with a dependency on the original widget (as in, nuke the original and your Amnesty application won’t work), and click ‘Build’. Once Amnesty Singles does its thing, your app will be sitting wherever you saved it, ready for use.
When the application is launched, it should work like the original widget, but free from Dashboard. (Quick caveat: not every widget we tried worked and a few simply aren’t suited to being outside Dashboard; most, however, work fine.) Using your new application’s menus, you can force it to desktop or ‘on top’ level, along with defining a refresh rate. With some widgets being more akin to mini-applications, chances are you’ll get more use from them in this form than if they were hidden behind F12 (or F4 if you’ve a shiny new Apple keyboard).
Mac OS X ninjas will no doubt start bellyaching that Amnesty Singles doesn’t really offer anything you can’t do yourself. And, yes, if you’re keen to muck about with Terminal, you can toggle Dashboard’s dev mode and detach widgets from Dashboard. However, you don’t get the flexibility that Amnesty offers, nor the ability to hide and quit widgets like regular apps, nor the ease of use.
If you can’t figure out how Amnesty Singles works, there’s really no hope for you.
Amnesty applications can be created as standalones or by loading the widget from disk.
