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Pierre Igot wrote a rather long and very interesting article that lays out his impressions about the new MacBook glossy screen after a few days of usage. This is a must read for anyone contemplating about getting the MacBook.
Apple and Nike's new iPod-sneaker combination for monitoring exercise could be just the first of several activity-aware applications for the iPod -- and maybe even a new gesture interface that uses movement to select songs or adjust the volume. In case you missed it, Apple and Nike have teamed up to develop a wireless Sport Kit sensor that tucks into new Nike sneakers that will be on the market shortly. The sensor is based on a tiny, battery-powered accelerometer, similar to the deceleration sensors used in automobile airbags.
Let's say you have a cool slideshow but you need a professional touch. The first thing that comes to mind is a voiceover. The problem is, what to use in order to make one? There's so much software on the market. Don't get ahead of yourselves, there's always iMovie. It does the job well and it's really easy to use.
Apple sent out an email today announcing that it would preview the upcoming WWDC 2006 conference at special seminar events in all the Australian capitals. As well, it is likely that the attendees will get a sneak preview of Leopard, the next release of Apple’s OS X operating system, which was announced in Steve Jobs’ keynote at WWDC 2005.
Bryan Veloso shows you how to replace the icons within Mail.app using anything you might want to see in your mail client in a step-by-step tutorial that uses Pixadex and Candybar.
I came across a number of situations where I needed to access my business e-mail from an insecure environment. I am talking about conferences, exhibitions, as well as airports and open WLAN hotspots. Majority of free e-mail providers, such as Google GMail and Yahoo! have options to login by using a https connection over secure sockets layer (SSL) or transport layer security (TLS). However, in my case, a couple of business mailboxes can be accessed via a webmail that doesn't offer any kind of encryption. The solution is pretty simple - create your own SSH Tunnel.
SSH Tunnel Manager is a free Mac OS X software that offers point and click setting up of a secure connection from your computer to your mail server. We are trying to create this kind of interaction:
When using a public network, the main potential security risk is that your interactions can be sniffed by a bad guy. In this case, we will create a totally secure connection from our notebook, over a public WLAN network to a secure remote server. This should be a trusted server where you must have an SSH account. I am emphasizing that it should be a trusted server because connection from that point to the mail server isn't encrypted. Using an SSH tunnel in this scenario isn't a full proof 100% sure solution, but it helps with the most problematic part of the transfer - bypassing the insecure public wireless network.
Step 1: Download and setup the software
SSH Tunnel Manager can be downloaded from Tynsoe.org. The current stable version is 1.0.3. I came across a number of bugs while trying to get the best out of this software, but if you are using it for the stuff this article is all about, you don't have to worry about it.
In the connection setup part of the screen you need to fill in a profile name, as well as SSH and address for the trusted server. This username hasn't got anything to do with your e-mail username. We are just setting up a tunnel over which you will access your webmail. The next important thing is to setup a local port, address of your webmail and the remote port (usually port 80 as this is the default port for a web server). After setting up these things, just hit "Apply".
Step 2: Start the tunnel
If this following window doesn't popup automatically, do close and reopen SSH Tunnel Manager. Chose your tunnel profile (I have three of them) and hit start.
If this is the first time you are connecting with SSH to the remote server, the software will alert you that you need to accept the remote key. Just type in "yes". If you were already connecting to the server (usually over some kind of Secure FTP client or a SSH command line utility), you will just need to enter your password. If everything is OK, the previous window will refresh with a green dot just in front of your profile name.
Step 3: Access the webmail
Now you can access your webmail over a local address and port number.
The point of this SSH tunnel is that when you access http://localhost:2222 it creates a connection to http://e-mail.nonstopmac.com. By doing this you are bypassing any potential attackers that are sniffing the public network that your notebook is connected to.
The MacBook is very impressive, with almost everything one would need in a laptop. The Macworld review finds that there’s not much of a performance difference between the 1.83GHz and 2.0GHz models running Intel-native apps, but Rosetta does somewhat better with the faster processor. If you use non-native apps often, and prefer a SuperDrive to a Combo drive, consider one of the faster models.
Simon Caulkin writes: "One lesson is the importance of using the right medium, and executing it properly. The iPod is a textbook example of getting applications - for playing, organising and buying music - to work seamlessly together through the net without dropping you between the gaps. The second is simplicity. The more complicated the product, the harder it has to work to make you love it. A large part of the iPod's appeal is how easy it is to use - put another way, the fact that nothing gets between you and what you want from it."
Are programs running on your computer that you don’t know about? Could a mischievous installer have plunked an unknown application in your Login Items list and set it to hide each time it launches at startup? If you’re curious, there are a number of ways to find out.
Although AppleScript is easy to learn, and considered a high level language, it is remarkably versatile at reducing or eliminating repetitive tasks, organizing files and projects the way YOU want, or moving data automatically from one application to another. Head over to this page and start learning some new stuff.
This is certainly one of the weirdest things I've seen. Imagine waking your Mac from sleep, starting up Safari and noticing a bug on your screen. You gently wipe the precious screen to get it off. It doesn't budge. Soon you realize that the bug is inside your screen. Dang! :)
Derrick Story writes: "Many Mac OS X Tiger users don't realize that they have a powerful RAW converter bundled with their operating system. Every 10.4 Mac comes with a handy application called Preview that most folks think of only as a PDF viewer. Even Apple touts its PDF capabilities without going into much detail about its hidden powers. The most notable of these lesser known features is Preview's ability to decode RAW files and convert them to other formats."
VisualRoute is a tool aimed at networking professionals that need reliable diagnostics software. It comes in six versions that give you the power of connectivity analysis from a single computer, a remote desktop or a remote server.
Features present in all versions include traceroute, reverse DNS and Whois lookups, Ping tests as well as the display of the actual route of connections and IP address locations on a global map.
Visualware made sure that their tool is flexible and loaded with options. VisualRoute allows you to target a specific port when scanning and when it comes to monitoring you can have VisualRoute do a traceroute every X minutes and than compare the data. This can be useful in a number of situations, like when looking for packet loss for example. If you need to keep a close watch you’ll be glad to know that VisualRoute supports continuous network latency reporting from a browser.
You can save your traceroutes as well as export them in HTML format. What’s missing here are some formatting options that would allow you to make the output a bit more pleasing to the eyes of the graphics-hungry management.
If you are the owner of a Business, Support or Professional Support edition of VisualRoute you'll be able to add your own map image (such as a network topology for example) to the software. This will be of great help when analyzing connection paths on a distributed network and finding out where problems are occuring. The supported image types are BMP, GIF, JPG and WMF.
DoorStop X Security Suite puts a friendlier front end on OS X’s built-in firewall, making it an excellent solution for users who like the idea of using that built-in firewall but would like to be able to configure it more completely without resorting to the Terminal.
The question is, are you willing to pay $80 for such access? I think it’s definitely worth the ducats. But if you’re on a tighter budget, you can opt to purchase the firewall alone, without the rest of the Suite, for $49.
Tyler Hall writes: "I’m a paranoid person when it comes to backing up my files, but it took a hard drive crash of my own to make me realize how important backing up can be. Since then, I’ve gotten very good at making sure my data is secure. The setup I’m about to describe works for me. It’s based on how I prioritize my data and on the budget I’m willing to spend to keep everything safe. It’s not perfect for everyone, so take what I say with a grain of salt - an example of where to start and what’s possible."
If you have a very large screen - or use a multiple-monitor system - DejaMenu is a program you'll definitely want to use. It allows you to pop up the current application's menu directly underneath your cursor, eliminating long treks to the top of the screen to make choices from the menu bar. It's very simple, convenient, and best of all, it's free.
Xcode 2.3 is the latest release of Apple Computer's integrated development environment for Mac OS X. This release adresses many known issues and is a recommended upgrade for all Xcode users of versions 2.2.1 or earlier.
At the heart of Xcode 2.3 is a graphical workbench that tightly integrates a syntax-highlighting text editor, a robust build control system, a debugger, and the powerful GCC compiler capable of targeting both Intel and PowerPC regardless of host platform. Xcode is both easy to use, using assistants to create working projects in just minutes, and also powerful enough to build the largest Mac OS X applications. Xcode 2.3 is bundled with Interface Builder, AppleScript Studio, Java development support, and WebObjects development tools, among many others.
Dustin MacDonals writes: "It shouldn't be a secret that Apple quietly integrated a "Resolution Scaling" feature into 10.4 for developers. (For those who aren't aware, if you have the Developer Tools installed, simply go to Developer/Applications/Performance Tools/Quartz Debug.app). On the basis that "Apple may use a similar feature in future releases of Mac OS X," it gave us developers a chance to prepare for the vague future Apple has described to us. However, toying with the tools provided, this stuff is actually in the OS already."
This website has an impressive panoramic photo of the crowd outside the new Apple Store in NYC. Also available are other panoramas from all over the world. Well worth a look!
The Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) can be traced back to 1998 to the Intel Boot Initiative (IBI) program. The EFI specification, which was developed and maintained by a consortium of companies (including Intel and Microsoft), defines a set of APIs and data structures to be exported by a system's firmware, and to be used by a variety of clients such as the following.
Researchers have claimed that "chip-level threats" pose a potential vulnerability for Intel-powered Mac systems. A chip-level attack targets a feature or vulnerability in a chip instead of attacking software as is the case with nearly all of today's security threats. Examples of chip-level attacks are rare. The last known serious outbreak dates back to 1998, when the CIH/Chernobyl virus embeded itself into the flash-BIOS of infected systems.
Charles Jade writes: "Most of the interview was about the new store and the retail initiative, which Jobs described as being a "success beyond our wildest dreams." When queried over the expense of flagship stores, such as the SOHO store in New York, Jobs responded that Apple has "never believed in the philosophy that flagship stores don't make money," and they do."
Here is a list of short tips on using various UNIX tools under Mac OS X. Some of them are also applicable to other flavors of UNIX.
Apple's new consumer level laptop is full of new features (iSight, widescreen display, MagSafe power connector, optical audio connections, etc.) and the prices are reasonable. The machine's value is increased exponentially by Apple's foresight to sanction the installation of Windows XP alongside the venerable OS X.
This page has a good comparison chart for all of you that are considering getting the new MacBook and are already iBook owners. Check it out to see what the extra $100 gets you.
According to sources, the first external pre-release copies of the update, Mac OS X 10.4.7, began making their way into the hands of Apple developers on Monday. It will deliver improvements to the company's Mail.app and Safari Web browser applications, AppleInsider has learned.
Apple today released Final Cut Express HD 3.5, a significant upgrade to its award-winning software solution for video enthusiasts. New in Final Cut Express HD 3.5 is Dynamic RT for real-time playback of multi-stream effects, Soundtrack 1.5 with a complete suite of professional level audio production tools and LiveType 2.1 with even more exciting animated text and titles.
Final Cut Express HD 3.5 provides a complete set of advanced editing tools for DV and HDV video formats with support for multiple video layers, real-time special effects and transitions, and powerful color correction and matting filters for professional-looking results. New Dynamic RT enables users to view even multi-layered HDV video in real-time which dramatically speeds up the editing process by eliminating the need to render and re-render clips. In addition, all effects, transitions and motion parameters can now be keyframed, providing complete creative control over special effects that can be saved as favorites for use in other projects.
Complementing Final Cut Express HD 3.5 is a new version of Soundtrack with over 4,000 professional-quality, royalty-free instrument loops and sound effects that can be mixed and matched to instantly create a custom score precisely timed to each project. New features in Soundtrack 1.5 include improved multitrack audio editing and recording tools with tracks, busses, outputs and real-time effects processing just like a professional recording studio. Improved single and multiple take recording provides a way to record, audition and edit dialog or other recorded performances with expert precision.
Also included in Final Cut Express HD 3.5 is a new version of LiveType that lets users add high-impact excitement to movies with dynamic animated text and hundreds of royalty-free backgrounds and animated textures—all customizable to match the look and feel of projects. New features in LiveType 2.1 include a host of exciting new animated graphics, including 70 new animated objects, 15 new textures and 60 new customizable preset effects for animated text and titles. With new vector-based LiveFont technology, animated text styles like Tremor, Script, Ribbon, Cool and Blueprint can be scaled to any resolution including HD with blazing rendering performance, especially on the new generation of Intel-based Macs.
Final Cut Express HD 3.5 is available now for a suggested retail price of $299 (US). Owners of previous versions of Final Cut Express can upgrade to Final Cut Express HD 3.5 for just $99 (US).
Although Apple Computer's machines are more expensive than PCs, one Wall Street researcher says the price of a Mac isn't that much more than a comparable Windows-based computer. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said that his research shows an average price difference of only 13 percent for desktops and 10 percent for laptops, once you factor in the same components that Apple uses.
If you're interested in an overall first impression of the MacBook I suggest you read this article. As live photos go, check this page at Flickr.
John Siracusa writes: "The new MacBook comes with what Apple calls a "13.3-inch glossy widescreen display." The key word there is "glossy," and it serves as a warning to the scant few Mac users who immediately know what it means in this context. So, what's the big deal? Consider some synonyms for the word "glossy." Gleaming. Shiny. Reflective. Now you're getting it."
Thanks to pirates, or rather the fear of them, the Intel edition of Apple’s OS X is now a proprietary operating system. Mac developers and power users no longer have the freedom to alter, rebuild, and replace the OS X kernel from source code. Stripped of openness, it no longer possesses the quality that elevated Linux to its status as the second most popular commercial OS.
Apple's iPod Hi-F certainly has garnered its share of headlines, but it's not the only game in town.
Here's a few speaker systems that will still deliver quality sound without breaking the bank.
This chart is the perfect place to check out if you're wondering what MacBook to get. Are you a Pro or not? Well, I think it depends on your wallet, otherwise everybody is a Pro :)
What do you get when you put up to 2GHz of pure Intel Core Duo power, an iSight camera, Front Row, iLife ’06, and a 13-inch glossy widescreen display into a sleek case? The new MacBook comes in black or white and starts at $1099.
Naturally, some lucky bastards already got theirs, this guy posted his unpacking session over at Flickr.
New Macs, new versions of Mac OS X, new software, and new school years all translate to one thing for Mac IT staff: determining the best way to roll out the new computers, software, classrooms, or configurations. Ryan Faas gives you an overview of the variety of tools available from Apple and third parties, and tells you how to roll out with less hassle and fewer headaches.
If you have a copy of Adobe Photoshop CS2 than this tutorial is going to get you closer to your own OS X style desktop.
The Intel-based iMac is impossibly energy- and space-efficient, giving far more than it takes in both regards. Pushed to the performance red line and with the monitor cranked to full brightness, iMac never consumed more than 95 watts of power -- one-third to half what a comparable desktop with a high-quality 20-inch LCD panel would use.
Apple released its third major patch this year for the OS X operating system on Thursday, fixing 31 software vulnerabilities in a range of products that could be used by remote attackers to compromise Mac OS systems. But independent security researcher Tom Ferris told InfoWorld the latest patch doesn't cover other critical holes he reported to Apple, and that he may soon publish the details of those flaws, too.
With the release of Skype for Mac 1.4.0.49, Mac users now have the ability to show Skype status on the Web or email signature. It turns out that Mail.app’s signature editor isn’t HTML friendly and just pasting in HTML to the signature editor will not work as you might expect.
Here is a crash course to get you up an running with a presence enabled Skype button in your signature in Apple Mail so your friends can Skype you back instead of replying in email.
By now, you've probably heard that Adobe's new Lightroom application simplifies your photography workflow, especially if you shoot Raw. In this seven-minute podcast, O'Reilly editor and photographer Derrick Story interviews Julieanne Kost, and they discuss how Lightroom could change photography as we know it.
The file we’ll need to edit is the Apache configuration file. It is located in ‘/Library/Apache2/conf’ and is called ‘httpd.conf’. For this configuration example, we’ll assume that you have your web sites located in separate folders in the ‘/Library/Apache2/htdocs’ directory. Read the entire tutorial here.
John Gruber writes: "I’m never quite sure what to make of Rob Glaser, CEO of Real Networks. As his company’s digital media technologies fall further behind Apple’s and Microsoft’s (at least in terms of popularity), he frequently pipes up in the press with ridiculous statements about Apple and its products — statements so patently false that I’m always left with the impression that he’s either a moron or a liar. (My money is on liar.)"
Sony is moving to make its music management software compatible with Apple's audio file format. The system will allow iPod users to swap some of their music to a Sony Walkman but only songs they ripped from CDs. Read more at Silicon.com.
Dave Girard writes: "I have to admit, I was very skeptical that Apple could whip together professional-quality RAW conversion for numerous camera models in a few months. Their competitors have been honing their technology for years and reverse-engineering your way into the subtle differences in manufacturer's RAW formats is not a matter of ticking the "unsuck" radio button."
Get instant access to the job postings on the 37Signals job board. Choose to view ads from specific categories or all the ads currently available using this small Dashboard widget.
Robert Daeley writes: "Last year, I worked out a method to create custom Mail.app announcement sounds by using the say program on Mac OS X, a CLI utility that converts text to speech and can output aiff sound files. And while nowadays I’m of the opinion that a totally hidden email program is a better way to go, it occurred to me earlier this week that it would be cool to have the equivalent of cellphone ringtones for Mail."
TechWrap reports that Fox TV shows have been added to iTunes. Available shows include Unan1mous, Prison Break, 24, Stacked, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly and Lost in Space.
Apple won the right to keep its logo on the iTunes digital music store when a British judge rejected a claim by Apple Corps, guardian of the Beatles' musical interests, over the use of the bitten-apple symbol. The judge said that Apple Corps had failed to prove that the use of Apple Computer's rainbow-colored logo on iTunes infringed on a 1991 agreement with Apple Corps in which the two companies agreed to stay out of each other's respective businesses.
When it comes to your workstation, one of the things you certainly want to be aware of is what’s happening with your outgoing network connections. If you’re curious to find out if a program is sending information about your machine to a remote server or just want to see exactly what’s happening in the background during your usual surfing activities, Little Snitch will promptly tell you all about it.
Unlike other tools, Little Snitch does not have a standard interface that you have to work in and it does not take any space in your Dock. After a very simple installation, Little Snitch will be available in Applications > System Preferences ready to be used at once.
It was the logical place to put this application since it hooks right into the OS kernel while you are logged in and monitors what’s happening until you decide it should stop.
Every time an application tries to establish a network connection, Little Snitch pauses it and tells you about it in the form of an alert panel.
The panel contains all the connection details and then it’s up to you to decide if you’re going to allow it or not.
Since many of us use a variety of software that needs to make network connections it would be a pain to click every time you want to allow your e-mail client to check for new messages or your RSS reader to find out what’s been happening with your favorite websites. This is why at the moment of a connection alert, Little Snitch allows you to create a permanent rule for similar future connections where you can permanently allow of deny future connections. In order to customize your work experience completely you can also manually add your own rules to Little Snitch.
This handy tools is a good complement to your firewall. While the firewall covers outside attacks, Little Snitch gives you all the information about what originates from your machine. If you want full control over your Mac OS X environment than this is definitely a program that will get you there.
For more information on Little Snitch and a demo download, visit the Objective Development website.
This new release features many improvements, including MacIntel support, a statistic system, the support of DV inputs on Linux, improvements in the Audio CD playback (CDDB), many new and improved video filters, a new AJAX HTTP interface, Winamp 2 Skins support, a Mozilla plugin on Mac OS X (PowerPC only), a new default skin, and more. Get your copy of VLC today!
Tim Gaden writes: "The developer of StickyBrain is either feeling the heat from Bare Bones’ competing product, Yojimbo, or is just inspired by it. A new StickyBrain beta (4.1b3) released today introduces at least three new features found in Yojimbo and offers a number of other significant new functions including a full-screen view, a post to blog option and new “Daily Notes†and “Journal†formats."
Thanks to a stupid law, every DVD player is sold being able to play only discs with the same region as the country it was sold in. That includes Macs too, sort of. On a new Mac, the DVD drive is automatically locked to the region code of the first DVD it is used with. From then on, this can only be changed four more times. Here's a solution to this problem.
Two UK based hospitals (St. Johns, Sussex Hospital) have created small mp3 files to carry around that teaches you how to perform CPR, treat burns, shock, fractures and other basic first aid. Now you can carry with you an audio equivalent of a first aid guide wherever you are.
John Gruber writes: "Last week when I wrote “Aperture Dirtâ€, regarding Think Secret’s scoop regarding the dispersal of the Aperture development team and the future of Aperture, I emphasized that the sources for my own information were second-hand. Since then, I’ve heard from additional sources at Apple, including a first-hand source: one of the developers from the original Aperture engineering team."
MySQL is a widely-used database with a great reputation for speed and reliability, and Mac OS X has proven to be an ideal platform for developing MySQL-based solutions. In fact, the development team at MySQL AB uses the Mac platform for developing the MySQL server software itself. The combination of elegant development tools like Xcode, UNIX compatibility, and architectural innovations makes Mac OS X an outstanding choice for developers.
Apple Computer's Korean online store has been defaced by an intruder. The attack, apparently carried out by someone working under the name "Dinam," who claimed in his online posting to be Turkish, was brought to the attention of Silicon.com last Thursday. The defacement was removed from Apple's Web site shortly after Silicon.com alerted the company, which has subsequently declined to comment on the matter.
Much has been written about future, potential problems with OS X security, but so far no widespread documented issues have occurred. On the heels of Monday's report from The SANS Institute that Mac OS X vulnerabilities are on the rise, The Mac Observer took a look at some of the recent rhetoric surrounding the operating system's security.
Peter Cohen writes: "The Mac conversion of Quake 4 has been a long time coming; if you’re a first-person shooter fan, it’s been well worth the wait. The game has the highest production value of any first-person shooter I’ve seen since Doom 3 (4 mice) and terrific single-player gameplay. Unfortunately, multiplayer modes left me wanting more."
How does ssh work with kerberos in a directory environment (like Active Directory)? Can it be restricted to specific network groups, perhaps via use of Mike Bombich's saclutil script? Read this article and find out.
Andrew Escobar writes: "Enabler is back online and available for download. I no longer believe the email from Apple is legitimate. Now, if the email was legit and Apple can communicate with me through a more verifiable method (am I the only person who digitally signs emails?) then I would be willing to straighten this matter out."
Two Pilots has released Spool Pilot for Mac, a Macintosh application that allows you to save printouts from arbitrary applications in several popular graphic formats as easily as in a PDF file. From the point of view of the user, the procedure of saving printouts is very much the same.
Mac OS X made PDF into a kind of virtual electronic paper by allowing users to either directly print onto a printer or into a multi-page PDF file. PDF is a great format. It is flexible but memory hungry. It is platform independent but hard to modify. It is very efficient but incredibly complex inside. As everything in this world, PDF has both advantages and disadvantages.
With the help of Spool Pilot, users can now choose among several different sorts of virtual paper as additional ways to store their output: JPEG, JPEG-2000, TIFF, PNG. The only absolute advantage is your ability to choose.
More information on Spool Pilot can be found here. The program works on Mac OS X (10.4 and higher) platforms and is priced at $44.95 for a single-user license.
It’s an unwritten law that you can’t write about personal privacy without quoting Sun Microsystems CEO Scott McNealy’s infamous 1999 statement: “You have zero privacy anyway. Get over it.†But the fact is, McNealy was wrong. Although protections in this country are not exactly plentiful, this isn’t 1984 or The Trial—at least, not yet. Here’s how to avoid some of the most annoying invasions of your online privacy.
Apple is planning to use Sun Microsystems' Zettabyte File System (ZFS) for its OS X operating system, Sun employee Eric Kustartz said on an opensolaris mailing list. "Chris Emura, the Filesystem Development Manager within Apple's CoreOS organization is interested in porting ZFS to OS X," Kustartz wrote in a posting last week.
This page is a repository of plug-ins and tools that extend the functionality of Apple's Mail.app. Also interesting is a large list of things the author thinks Mail.app should incorporate in the near future.
