I grabbed myself the Alfred Powerpack over the weekend, and so far it’s looking very promising.
Alfred, you may remember, is a fast little app launcher, web searcher and doing-stuffer for OS X. Clearly inspired by the likes of Quicksilver, it offers basic features for free and now, with the Powerpack, adds a few extras for a fee.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcIORhb8NfQ&feature=player_embedded
iOS4’s “multitasking” isn’t really anything of the sort, although it’s a sublimely elegant illusion: a handful of API calls for the most common multitasking functionality like VoIP and background uploading married to a sophisticated, built-in app save state functionality which gives both the effortless appearance and (for most intents and purposes) practical advantages of true iPhone multitasking.
For the most part, I’m pleased, even if I yearn for the ability to update apps like Instapaper and Reeder in the background… but one thing I’ve never really cared for is the new multitasking menu, brought up with a double click and stretched across the home row. For me, that’s where the illusion breaks down: instead of a list of truly running apps, it largely functions as a “most recently used” app list. It also makes accessing the media player controls one swipe further away than they once were.
So I really like MultiFl0w, a new interface for iOS multitasking that represents open apps with fluid, Expose-like elegance. Working in coordination with the free Cydia backgrounder app, MultiFl0w not only allows apps to truly run in the background, instead of simply access a few API calls, but it gives a beautiful and effortlessly Apple-like way of navigating between and closing those apps as well.
Unfortunately, Apple is right at the end of the day: if you have a jailbroken iPhone and run backgrounded apps, your battery life will suffer dramatically. But I can’t help but hope that someday, Apple will figure out a way around this, and something like MultiFl0w will be baked into iOS on the system level.
[via 9to5Mac]
Elements is a fantastic new app for iOS devices that doesn’t really do anything new, except for how well it does it: it is a lovely and versatile text editor for iOS that deftly integrates with Dropbox and TextExpander to allow you to create and edit documents across multiple devices, from your iPhone to your Mac.
As a fiction tinkerer, I love it: Elements will slurp in any document in your Dropbox folder and allow you to easily edit it, versioning any changes every thirty seconds. It even gives you statistics on what you’re writing, like word and line count. The interface is just the way I like my text editors, devoid of any fancy rich text formatting. I’ve been using it in conjunction with my favorite OS X text editor, WriteRoom, and it’s like the two applications were umbilically entwined from birth.
Another fantastic feature? A scratchpad: a pop over panel where you can jot a note or paste some text for easy use later. As Gadget Lab’s resident hungover bike poloer Mr. Charlie Sorrel agreeably writes, this feature “should be standard in any app, mobile or desktop, which uses text.”
Elements is a fantastic program for any iOS writer. It can be purchased from the App Store now for just $4.99.
With the iPad and iPhone’s increasing popularity in enterprise environments, Apple might finally be ready to take serious steps to beef up iOS device security: a new patent titled “Systems and Methods for Identifying Unauthorized Users of an Electronic Device” describe future iPhones and iPads that could bond with its owner and initiative security measures if an unknown person was trying to access it.
According to the patent, future iOS devices cold use voice print analysis, face analysis and even the rhythm of a user’s heartbeat to determine whether or not the current user was the one that device has been paired to. It would also be able to detect suspicious activity like hacking attempts, or “particular activities that [indicate] suspicious behavior.” Presumably, that could be anything, from the order in which apps are launched to the speed and staccato of a user’s typing.
If an unauthorized user was detected, the iOS device in question could then go into lockdown mode, taking a FaceTime snapshot of the user’s face while simultaneously logging all keystrokes and phone calls made, as well as the GPS location of the device at the time of the unauthorized entry. Furthermore, a warning could be pushed into the cloud to the user’s authorized owner, as well as the automatic uploading of sensitive data and then a complete, spontaneous device wipe.
It’s an interesting patent, and it would certainly go a long way to satisfying the security misgivings many corporations have about iOS devices. Unfortunately, Apple patents just as often as not flow forth from Cupertino like corporate fever dreams; until we actually see these features in action on a real-world device, there’s no telling how serious Apple is taking this parent.
[via Ars Technica]
Remote control of your Macintosh allows you to access a distant computer across a network or the Internet. The screen of the remote Mac appears locally, and you use your mouse and keyboard to control the distant system. This capability can be helpful for tech support, system administration, finding missing information or more informed parenting (to the chagrin of many offspring).
With the Mac’s increasing popularity there are now an increasing number of options available for Mac Remote Control, many of which are free. Choices include Apple’s built in Screen Sharing and Remote Desktop software, web based services like LogMeIn and GoToMyPC, and old standards like VNC.
ThinkMac has just released iKana 2, a tutorial app covering the Japanese Hiragana and Katakana characters.
The reworked app can teach over 740 common words using a repetition learning system. It has a new user interface, combining elements of OS X and iOS in a hybrid that I’m starting to notice elsewhere too.
Apple keeps plugging away at getting their iOS-oriented social gaming network, Game Center, and the latest version in developer builds of iOS 4.1 include new parental features to the mix.
Joining other parental features like turning off access to Safari, YouTube, in-app purchases or location services, the new option will allow users to restrict multiplayer game settings per device. Given the amount of homophobia, racism and downright vile smacktalk that takes place in multiplayer games on other services like Xbox Live, it’s probably a wise addition.
Game Center’s probably nearing launch: Apple has tended to heavily tout the iPod Touch as a gaming device over the past year, and with a hardware refresh of that device likely to happen in September or October, we can probably expect Game Center to drop simultaneously, bundled in iOS 4.1.
[via Apple Insider]
Stuck using Windows Vista or 7 on your work machine? You poor sucker. Luckily, though, you’ve got a new option: the freeware Snow Transformation Pack will make your Windows install look like OS X.
The pack’s transformative effect is quite remarkable: it will change the appearance of your system from the login screen, wallpapers, sounds, dock and even dialog boxes. You’ll have to turn off UAE to install it, though.
Overall, the Snow Transformation Pack looks pretty good, but let’s call a spade a spade: as decent an operating system as Windows 7 is, this is the equivalent of printing Angelina Jolie’s face on a paper bag and slapping it over the head of a gross street walker. Unless you have no choice, you can do better.
I like to keep my todo list nice and simple, so for a while now it has been a plain text file that sits inside Dropbox.
That still meant that remote edits of the file using my iPhone were tricky and fiddly. They won’t be any more, though, because I’ve just spent a dollar on Nebulous Notes, a new text editor for iOS devices that’s designed for dealing with documents stored in the cloud.
Specifically in this case, documents stored inside Dropbox. You have to tell Nebulous Notes your Dropbox sign-in credentials, and it offers to remember them for you (with added protection of a four-digit PIN for security’s sake).
The editor itself offers a choice of a handful of fonts and colors (including green-on-black for you green-on-black text editor fans).
There are a few other basic Dropbox-level functions, too: the app can create new folders and text files, as well as delete stuff you’ve already got in your Dropbox. It is strictly limited to displaying and editing plain text, though: it can’t handle rich texts, and it won’t display images or PDFs. But if – like me – the main thing that matters is the words, that’s not going to be a problem.
Good news! You can now have H.264 hardware-decoded Flash on your Mac without resorting to installing beta software… just like Windows users have been enjoying for years!
Yep, Adobe Flash Player 10.1 is now official and available for download. But it doesn’t work on all Macs. The new video acceleration API is only available in Mac OS X 10.6.3 or later and it’s limited to Macs with GPUs like the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, GeForce 320M or GeForce GT 330M.
More specifically, here are the Macs that can take advantage of the new Flash player’s hardware decoding:
• MacBooks shipped after January 21st, 2009
• Mac Minis shipped after March 3rd, 2009
• MacBook Pros shipped after October 14th, 2008
• iMacs which shipped after the first quarter of 2009
For the record, we loved the earlier Adobe Flash 10.1 beta: it’s a huge leap forward for Flash performance on Macs, specifically when it comes to streaming high-definition video. If you’re rocking one of the supported Macs listed above, you should install the latest Flash update now.
[via Hard Mac]
Phone Disk, from Macroplant, is a utility for Mac OS X (and Windows) that runs quietly in the background on your computer until you plug-in an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad using a USB sync cable. Plugging in your favorite iDevice causes Phone Disk to seamlessly mount the iOS file system on that device to your computers file system. Once mounted you can directly access the files on that device using Finder (and Windows explorer) or any other program.
You’ll be interested in this application if you’re an IT Ninja looking for another good troubleshooting utility to carry around or you’re simply curious about the data that resides on your favorite iDevice.
Not knowing your Mac’s password is like locking yourself out of the house; it’s inconvenient (at best) and always happens at the worst possible time. In our efforts to shield information from others we often wind up just blocking access for ourselves. Fortunately there are several ways to reset your Mac password when amnesia strikes or relevant information isn’t available.
Some methods of resetting your password can affect access to the keychain, however, where many of your other passwords are stored. Nothing in life is free…
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PH0zasBkNX8&feature=player_embedded
Games maker Blizzard has always had sympathy for Mac gamers: not only do native Mac ports exist for most of Blizzard’s titles, but they have exclusively shipped hybrid Mac/PC installation DVDs of their titles since World of Warcraft.
Their latest blockbuster title, Starcraft II, follows suit with the Mac love… but the game’s content also includes another fond pat on the head for fans in this in-game ad for the iPistol, a space marine spoof of Apple’s famous “dancing silhouette” iPod ad campaign.
Not that anyone’s seen those ads in a while, mind, but cut Blizzard some slack: given Starcraft II’s ten year development cycle, we should count our blessings that they aren’t parodying “Think Different.”
If you’re an Aperture user frustrated with your Mac’s inability to read your new camera’s RAW shots, Apple has just sent their latest Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update slaloming down the Software Update chute, emblazoned with the version number 3.3.
Most of these cameras are micro four-thirds or similarly mirrorless cameras. The update adds native OS X RAW support to the following models:
• Canon PowerShot SX1 IS
• Olympus E-PL1
• Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2
• Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10
• Samsung NX10
• Sony Alpha DSLR-A390
• Sony Alpha NEX-3
• Sony Alpha NEX-5
The update extends RAW compatibility to Aperture 3 and iPhoto ’09 users, and weighs in at just 5.6 MB.
Ever since Apple bought the web-streaming music service Lala, our teeth have been aching in anticipation of our iTunes libraries vaporized from our hard disks and existing in the Wonkavision like ionosphere of the cloud.
According to CNET, though, we may very well have a while to wait before Apple truly capitalizes upon its Lala purchase… and when it does come, it might be a far more modest proposal at first than even Cupertino would like.
In talks with the four major labels, Apple is apparently downplaying expectations, saying that if they launch their cloud-streaming iTunes functionality in the next few months, it will be “modest in scope” when it comes to streaming music.
DVD to iPhone Converter for both Mac and PC is a handy application that allows you to transfer your DVD movies in to MP4 files optimized for your iPhone 3G, 3GS or 4.
It’s incredibly simple to use: just stick your favorite DVD in to your computer, select the appropriate movie file and then click “convert.” When it’s done, drag the MP4 file in to your iTunes library and sync it to your device.
This application is a must for any movie fan, and the giveaway which will last just over a week will save you $29. All you need is a Facebook account.
Visit iSkySoft’s Facebook page, and click on the “like” button to become a fan. Fill in your name and email address and then download the application. Be sure to click on the “get keycode” link to get the serial key sent to you via email.
Get it before the offer ends and enjoy your movies on the move without buying them again on iTunes!
Wisely, Apple has always been adverse to using other people’s technology to drive its business, so with competitor Google supplying the tech for so many Apple services, it’s only common sense that Cupertino’s interested in taking the reins back.
Back in April, Apple managed to do just that, replacing its previous location service partners Google and Skyhook in favor of their own location databases… but only on iOS 3.2 or above.
Apple has released Safari 5.0.1, the latest version of its browser that adds support for the Safari Extensions Gallery and it includes a patch for the recently discovered Address Book bug.
According to Software Update on my Mac the update includes these new features:
With Office for Mac 2011 launching later this year, Microsoft is giving a sneak peek of the productivity suite.
Above is the first in a series of highlight videos, showing off several new features, including Outlook for Mac (with Conversation View and Spotlight integration), a new Template Gallery and the Ribbon UI nav scheme.
Mactopia: Office for Mac 2011 Behind-the-Scenes: Conversations, Templates and more!
Amid all the new product news on Tuesday Apple quietly shipped a driver update titled: Magic Trackpad and Multi-Touch Update 1.0. I discovered the 78.6MB update last night via Software Update on my Macbook Pro and promptly installed it.
I highly recommend this update for most recent Macbook and Macbook Pro notebooks since it adds support of the new $69 Multi-Touch Trackpad as well as adding gestures for inertial scrolling and three-finger dragging. The three-fingered gesture is my favorite since it allows me to quickly drag windows around.
A complete list of notebooks that support the new gestures can be found in this Apple support document https://support.apple.com/kb/ht4254.
Also Tuesday, Apple released updates for Windows that add support for the Magic Trackpad hardware. A 6.62MB update is available for 32-bit versions of Windows and another for the 64-bit versions of Windows is 3.98MB. It works with Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 as well as Macs running the operating system via Boot Camp.
The fantastic Mac and iOS password managing application 1Password has just gotten a fantastic little upgrade, finally bringing cloud synchronization between 1Password for Mac and 1Password Pro for iOS.
While 1Password has long been able to sync your passwords between your Mac and your iPhone, the process was a bit convoluted: you needed to use WiFi, and you needed to make sure the 1Password app was open while near your computer to suck down your data.
However, the new 3.3 update to 1Password for Mac and the 3.5 update to 1Password Pro for iOS brought Dropbox support to the mix, and the syncing process has become a lot more straight forward.
It’s a fantastic update. It’s just too bad that 1Password Pro is so expensive. 1Password is one of the easiest ways to keep your various online accounts secure, but the $14.99 price on the Dropbox syncable “Pro” version is probably a pretty big barrier to entry for most.
Many of the most vocal critics of jailbreaking — a group which includes Apple itself — have been quick in the past to cite the fact that hacking your smartphone is a violation of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, and thus illegal.
It wasn’t a bad argument, all things considered, but if you’re used to relying on it, you’re going to have to ditch it: the Copyright Office has just issued a new set of exemptions to the DMCA, making jailbreaking and unlocking your iPhone officially legal.
MacRumors have picked up on some claims this morning by Mac4Ever that give details on Apple’s next update to the iLife suite.
It’s rumored that the update will happen on August 7th, 2010, and will introduce a whole host of new features including a new “mystery” application:
– iLife ’11 will be sold for $79
– Release Date of 08/07/2010
– All applications will be 64-bit
– Improvements in iPhoto faces & places
– Improving the integration of social networks
– iWeb will be totally renewed
– New application (mystery!)
– Disappearance of iDVD
– MobileMe gallery in beta (with faces & places)
Several rumors have circulated recently regarding an update to iLife, some of which claim the new update will be labelled iLife ’10. However, as MacRumors points out, the iLife ’11 name would be more consistent with Apple’s previous behavior; iLife ’08 was introduced in August, 2007.
If you use Safari as your main web browser, you might want to open your preferences, switch to Autofill and untick the option to autofill web forms using info from your Address Book card: a serious vulnerability in Safari allows websites to steal information from your Address Book without any user input at all.
The exploit was discovered by Jeremiah Grossman. Here’s how it works:
All a malicious website would have to do to surreptitiously extract Address Book card data from Safari is dynamically create form text fields with the aforementioned names, probably invisibly, and then simulate A-Z keystroke events using JavaScript. When data is populated, that is AutoFill’ed, it can be accessed and sent to the attacker…
As shown in the proof-of-concept code… the entire process takes mere seconds and represents a major breach in online privacy. This attack could be further leveraged in multistage attacks including email spam, (spear) phishing, stalking, and even blackmail if a user is de-anonymized while visiting objectionable online material.
Grossman submitted the exploit to the attention of Apple over a month ago, but decided to publicize it after failing to receive a non-automated response about the matter.
For now, no need to panic, just shut off autofill until Apple works out a fix.
[via Cult of Mac]
Microsoft’s had some good look with garnering interest in Office for Mac by giving away free MacBook Pros in the past, and now they’re at it again.
This time, Microsoft doesn’t want you to merely shill their warez or spread word of mouth: instead, they want you to share an interesting personal anecdote about PowerPoint with them on their official blog. Deliver one of the most interesting anecdotes and you might just win one-of-two ugly MacBook Pros repainted in the garish official colors of the Office for Mac logo.
Full rule details are here. Like most of you, I’m definitely going to enter, but also like most of you, the real challenge is trying to figure out which of the dozens (if not hundreds!) of witty, urbane and engaging personal anecdotes about my experience using PowerPoint for Mac to relay.