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Save URLs for later with Quiet Read

Dave Caolo — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Software, Internet, Internet Tools

Bambooapps has released a simple and useful utility called Quiet Read that has earned a spot on my Mac's menubar. With a simple drag-and-drop, it lets you save a web page for later review.

Of course, there are many apps that do this, including Instapaper and Evernote. Instapaper gets the job done via a bookmarklet; just give it a click while at the desired URL and it's saved. Evernote does pretty much the same thing, thought their bookmarklet behaves differently between Safari and Firefox. In addition, they have the Mac application for tagging and organizing.

I spent the day using Quiet Read instead of the other two. Here's what I liked and disliked. First, adding a URL is as easy as possible. Simply drag it out of your browser's address bar and drop it onto the menu bar icon. The display keeps track of how many you've collected. A tidy drop-down lets your browse the saved articles for easy selection.

What I disliked is that once an app is gone, it's gone. Instapaper saves read articles.

But Quiet Read isn't Instapaper. If you're looking for a free, simple way to save articles for later reading (and you're running 10.6 or later), Quiet Read could be the solution.

Save URLs for later with Quiet Read originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Squarespace hosting/CMS service launches iPhone app

Dave Caolo — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Software, Blogging, Internet Tools, iPhone, App Store

After a long wait, Squarespace customers finally have an iPhone app of their own. Squarespace is a hosted blogging/CMS service that competes with the likes of WordPress.com and Typepad. Having used all three, I can say that interacting with Squarespace (posting, changing your site's look and feel, etc.) is unlike the others. Instead of a separate control panel/dashboard, Squarespace previews changes in real time on the same screen. It's really nice.

The iPhone app [iTunes link] seems to be an extension of its browser-based sibling. For example, check out the live preview mode pictured at right. You can also manage multiple accounts, post, upload multiple images at once (awesome) view stats and more. The UI looks nice as well.

While bloggers on other platforms have had compatible apps in the App Store for a while now, this is Squarespace's first solution. We're eager to play around with it. Squarespace for iPhone is free and requires a paid Squarespace account.

Squarespace hosting/CMS service launches iPhone app originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone apps that bloggers will love

Dave Caolo — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Software, Internet Tools, iPhone, App Store

wpbeginner has posted a terrific list of 10 iPhone apps that every blogger will love. The first item on the list is, as you'd expect, WordPress for iPhone. Version 2.0 was released earlier this week and it's a huge improvement over its predecessor. It supports blogs powered by both WordPress.com and self-hosted WordPress.org. WordPress 2.0 for iPhone is free.

Add as many blogs as you like and manage comments, posts and pages all from the app. Adding new pages and posts is as easy as editing existing ones. Best of all, you can delete, edit approve/unapprove and spam comments with a few taps.

Of course, not every blogger uses WordPress, and the other apps on the list acknowledge this. Shape Writer aims to make it easier to enter text by letting you trace the "shape" of a word rather than type its letters. Proper names and acronyms can be "taught" to the app by typing them once. They'll be traceable from that point on. Shape Writer costs $3.99US.

Also on the list is Jott, a voice-to-text app that records your voice, converts it to text and lets you send the result nearly anywhere, including a WordPress or Blogger blog (as well as Twitter, Facebook and more). I haven't tested it, so I can't speak for how well it works. If it does what it claims (speak up if you've used it), Jott for iPhone will make it much easier to publish long posts from your iPhone (provided that it supports your preferred platform). Jott for iPhone is free and requires a Jott Assist Plan, which starts at $3.95/mo. Mel reviewed the similar Voice on the Go service last week.

Visit wpbeginner for the rest of the list. As for me, I get a lot of use out of Instapaper (for reading reference articles when I'm away from my computer) and Evernote (pretty much the same reason) among others. If you want the simplest blog-from-your-iPhone solution, check out Posterous. All you need to do to set up and maintain a Posterous blog is send an email to post@posterous.com. It doesn't get simpler than that.

[Via Wired]

iPhone apps that bloggers will love originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 01 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bitlbee and Rooms: Accessing AIM Chat Rooms from your iPhone

Erica Sadun — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: iPod Family, Internet Tools, iPhone, App Review

We're a pretty AIM-based blog around these parts. The fact that Weblogs, Inc. is owned by AOL may or may not play a role in that. Regardless, we TUAWians spend a lot of time in AIM chat rooms. The App Store's lack of AOL chat room support has been a real burden when we're out on the road with iPhones.

I was delighted when a recent tweet put me in contact with Björn Teichmann, author of the iPhone IRC application Rooms [iTunes link]. Rooms, claimed Teichmann, could bring AOL chat rooms to our iPhones.

Teichmann sent over a promo code for his app, which normally retails for $1.99, and spent a few hours getting me up to speed on AOL chat rooms using his software. Let me explain: It's not that setting things up ended up being difficult to accomplish, but rather there weren't a lot of clear and available instructions for doing so. What Teichmann worked out over those hours was a somewhat reliable way to access AOL chat rooms via IRC.

Read on to learn more about his solution...

Continue reading Bitlbee and Rooms: Accessing AIM Chat Rooms from your iPhone

Bitlbee and Rooms: Accessing AIM Chat Rooms from your iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mac 101: Publish iWeb '09 sites to FTP

Dave Caolo — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Software, Internet Tools, .Mac, Mac 101

More Mac 101, our series of tips and tricks for novice Mac users.

Now that the winter holidays are almost upon us, we're thinking about sharing stories, photos, and movies with far-flung relatives and friends. There's a slew of ways to get this done, and this post focuses on creating a simple site in iWeb '09 and publishing it not to Mobile Me, but to your own host via FTP.

If you're unfamiliar with iWeb '09, I'll say this: It does what it does well. If your goal is to share photos, movies and stories with minimal fuss and zero coding, iWeb will work. When I travel, I typically create an iWeb gallery and movie page. Yes, there are many other options, but this one works for me.

If you'd rather not publish your iWeb site to MobileMe and have access to FTP, you're in luck. The setup is simple. First, create your site. Next, click the title of your site in the iWeb '09 sidebar (this doesn't work with previous versions of iWeb) to reveal the publishing options. In the first drop-down menu, select "FTP Server." Give your site a name and enter a contact email.

Below that, enter your FTP settings. You'll need your server address, username, and password. Next, enter the path to the directory (http://mysite.com/paris, for example). Just make sure the directory already exists on your server or you'll get an error. It won't hurt to test the connection at this point by clicking the button that's available for just that purpose.

Finally, enter your site's URL and then click Publish. Off it goes! If you set it up correctly, your iWeb-powered site will be uploaded to the proper place on your site. Subsequent updates require re-publication, so just hit that Publish button again when you're done making changes

That's it! Have fun sharing your holiday experiences with iWeb '09.

Mac 101: Publish iWeb '09 sites to FTP originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Chrome released for Mac

Chris Rawson — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Software, Internet, Internet Tools

Google has released an official developer preview of Google Chrome for the Mac. Rather than digging through nightly development builds, you can download the developer preview of the WebKit-based browser at Google's official webpage.

Chrome sports several features similar to Safari 4 in Snow Leopard, such as sandboxing - each tab runs as its own process, so if one crashes, it doesn't bring down the whole browser. It also sports the "tabs on top" interface present in some builds of the Safari 4 beta released earlier this year. Some people hated tabs on top in Safari, but others eventually got used to it and even missed the feature when it was omitted from the final release of Safari 4; if tabs on top is your thing, then Chrome has you covered.

Chrome supports importing bookmarks, settings, and history from whatever browser you're currently using, so if you're curious to see how it runs on a Mac, go ahead and give it a try. Let us know in the comments if you run into any issues.

[Via Download Squad]

Google Chrome released for Mac originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Create GrabUp-style functionality with Dropbox and Jing

Dave Caolo — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Software, How-tos, Tips and tricks, Internet Tools

Before Snow Leopard was released, we were enjoying GrabUp for super-simple sharing of screenshots. It was a great little utility: After a brief setup, it automatically sent any screenshot to its servers (or your own) and added the resulting URL to the Clipboard. It was fast and very useful.

Snow Leopard killed it by changing the naming convention of screenshots. The developers haven't fixed it (in fact, Google now throws up a danger warning when I try to access the site) and it looks like they aren't going to. We posted a fix not too long ago, and today we found another approach on the Dropbox wiki that uses Dropbox and Jing. You get free online storage for up to 2GB of screenshots, and an easy way to get the URL of your screenshot where you need it in a hurry.

Here's how it works. First, download and install Jing (it'll work with the free version -- more on that later) and get a Dropbox account (again, the free version will work). Once your Dropbox install is all done, create a destination folder in your Dropbox's Public folder -- maybe "screenshots," for example. Now it's time to fill in the Jing preferences. Read on...

Continue reading Create GrabUp-style functionality with Dropbox and Jing

Create GrabUp-style functionality with Dropbox and Jing originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ClickToFlash makes the web a nicer place to visit

TJ Luoma — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Internet Tools

"Ever wanted to rid the web of the scourge that is Adobe Flash, but still retain the ability to view Flash whenever you want?" When it comes to sales pitches, that one is pretty difficult to beat.

Ever since Flash was unleashed on the web, it has been used for obnoxious and annoying ads. About the only web technology which has been more frequently abused is the animated GIF. For as long as I can remember I have disabled Flash, or plugins entirely, to avoid the annoyance. Firefox users have had extensions which manage flash, but Safari/Webkit users have been left out in the cold.

Several months ago someone created a now-defunct project on Google code simply called "clicktoflash". The premise was simple: replace all instances of Flash with a subtle grey box, and if you want to load it, click it (hence the name). The project was abandoned and deleted nearly as quickly as it appeared, but fortunately it had already been "forked" by Jonathan 'Wolf' Rentzsch who now maintains clicktoflash at github (which reminds me, TUAW is now on Github too).

Newer versions include the ability to "white list" a domain (meaning that Flash will always load for pages from certain sites) or load every Flash object on a page, rather than having to click all of them separately. It will also alert you of new versions and lead you through the installation process in a matter of clicks.

If you visit YouTube you will also find that if you control-click on movies, you are given a chance to load either the Flash OR H.264 versions of movies, or open the movie in QuickTime Player, or download the H.264 version. That alone makes it a great addition to any Mac. Be sure to checkout the settings under the Safari > ClickToFlash menu for additional controls.

I first learned about ClickToFlash from John Gruber who noted ClickToFlash is "a legitimate browser plugin that goes in ~/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/, not a dirty input manager hack. I can't remember the last time a piece of software made me this happy." I have to agree. ClickToFlash is a perfect example of "addition by subtraction" proving that you can make something better by taking something else away.

ClickToFlash is a free download and supports Tiger, Leopard, and Snow Leopard. It requires Safari 3 or higher.

ClickToFlash makes the web a nicer place to visit originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Chrome browser for Mac coming later this year? You can test it now.

Steven Sande — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Software, Internet Tools, Beta Beat

Despite rumors that the Google Chrome Web browser for Mac would not ship until 2010, it appears that the golden version of the new browser may be heading to Macs a lot sooner than expected.

The Wall Street Journal reported last week that CEO (and former Apple board member) Eric Schmidt and co-founder Sergey Brin had a few things to say about the new browser, including (according to 9to5Mac) that Chrome browser for Mac will ship in "a couple of months."

Apparently, the relatively slow adoption of the beta version of the browser has been due in part to the fact that development of the Mac version has lagged behind work for other platforms. To quote Schmidt, "The fundamental story about Chrome is speed. We were hurt by slowness to bring out a Mac version. People who move to Chrome have trouble moving back because of the speed."

The Mac beta version is available and can be downloaded by those who are willing to use a browser without certain privacy features that is "not appropriate for general consumer use." I've had it on my Macs for about the last week and have been impressed with the speed of page rendering, although not with the current compatibility with some sites.

So, TUAW readers -- is Google Chrome (the browser, not the OS) too little, too late? Or is it a web browser that will make a difference on the Mac platform? Voice your opinions in the comments section below.

Google Chrome browser for Mac coming later this year? You can test it now. originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FarFinder remote access tool: on sale and iPhone savvy

Steven Sande — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Software, Odds and ends, Internet Tools, Deals

I'm a sucker for anything that allows me to get secure remote access to my home machine, so when I saw that FarFinder, the remote access tool from FlyingMac, was on sale for US$20, I jumped on the chance to buy it. It'll be on sale until October 22nd, so if you want to get the application for US$15 less than the normal price, you'll want to head over to the FlyingMac site right now. The family license is US$20 off during the sale, and is available for US$45.

The last time someone at TUAW wrote about FarFinder was back in 2008, when blogger Mat Lu referred to it as "your Finder on the web." That's a perfect way to describe FarFinder, since it makes your Mac's files and folders (plus any network-attached or external drives that are mounted) available to you from most web browsers and your iPhone (see screenshot at right).

FlyingMac offers a 20-day free trial of the application. One thing I really like about FarFinder is that once you've purchased it, there are no extra subscription fees. That means that US$20 price will give you service forever...or at least until there's a major upgrade you need to purchase.

Continue reading FarFinder remote access tool: on sale and iPhone savvy

FarFinder remote access tool: on sale and iPhone savvy originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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At Bat ramps it up for the playoffs

Dave Caolo — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Software, Internet Tools, iPhone, iPod touch, App Review

Major League Baseball's At Bat for the iPhone and iPod Touch is one of my all-time favorites. I've sung its praises before, so I'll spare you the details. Just know that At Bat brings real-time stats, streaming audio and video of pro baseball games to your iPhone and iPod touch. Last month they added in-app purchases that let you grab a live game for $0.99US.

Now that the post season has begun, they've improved the app again. You can watch live post season games through the World Series with 7 camera angles to choose from. Or you can watch a split screen of four camera angles simultaneously. Admittedly, those four screens are tiny on an iPhone's screen but it's still fun. Switching from one angle to another is quick and simple.

At Bat costs $9.99 per season and is completely worth it. I use it every day to watch games, get stats, read stories, check standings and more. There's a free "lite" version as well [iTunes link], which provides real-time scores and schedules.

At Bat ramps it up for the playoffs originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Five Apps for leaf-peepers

Dave Caolo — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Software, Features, Internet Tools, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch

It's autumn here in the northern hemisphere, and where I live, in New England (and elsewhere around the US too), that brings leaf-peepers. What's a leaf-peeper? It's a tourist, typically from New York or New Jersey, who visits rural New England to observe the beautiful autumn leaves. It's a big deal for us. Each year we New Englanders take a break from eating cranberries, disavowing the Red Sox and pahkig the cah in Harvard yahd to view nightly news reports on peak leaf-viewing projections, which states are changing first and at what rate, etc.

Fortunately, there's an app for that. Five, in fact, and here they are.

Rest Area

If you're traveling from out-of-state, you could encounter unfamiliar highways ... not good when you got to go, if you know what I mean. Is the next rest area 5 miles away or 35? Rest Area [iTunes link] knows the answer. It displays the nearest pit stops as well as what facilities each one has, like bathrooms, vending machines, restaurants, etc. Rest Area costs $0.99US.

Gallery: Autumn Apps

Continue reading Five Apps for leaf-peepers

Five Apps for leaf-peepers originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skype 2.8 for Mac gets update for Snow Leopard

Mel Martin — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Software, Video, Internet Tools

Skype 2.8, with hot fixes for Mac OS X 10.6, is available for your downloading pleasure. It's a micro update of the summertime release of Skype 2.8; the version number is now up to 2.8.0.722. The release date is listed as September 17.

Version 2.8, originally released in July, included features like screen sharing & improved audio codecs that had been around in the Mac beta and the PC version of Skype for awhile. Version 2.8 also included Skype Access, which is a pay as you go public Wi-Fi service based on the Boingo network.

This latest update adds a bunch of fixes for Snow Leopard. Skype has very detailed release notes if you are so inclined.

Skype is a very popular solution for free audio and video chatting and instant messaging. The app also provides many paid services to allow you to call cellular and wired phones anywhere in the world at low rates, and to forward calls to your chosen phone when you are offline.

Skype [iTunes link] also runs on the iPhone, but only works on Wi-Fi. (Thanks AT&T and Apple.)

You can download the update to Skype by using the 'check for updates' feature built into Skype, or go to the Skype Mac web page and grab it there. It's a 44 MB download.

Thanks to Ben for the tip and additional information from Skype Journal

Skype 2.8 for Mac gets update for Snow Leopard originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Found Footage: New & improved TankedCam, now with even more iPhone

Steven Sande — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Hardware, Humor, Video, Odds and ends, Internet Tools, Found Footage, iPhone, iPod touch

Remember Pete's FishCam? Just before Christmas of 2008, we did a short post about Pete Raumann's web app that he developed that allowed him to watch his fish tank, turn the light on and off, and even open and close a treasure chest in the tank.

Pete's now presenting the newly renamed TankedCam to the world, and you get to be in control! While he still won't let you feed his fish (he doesn't want them floating upside down in the tank), you can now get in on the fun of watching and annoying the tank population by heading to either http://www.tankedcam.com or the iPhone / iPod touch-friendly http://m.tankedcam.com.

In his latest hit video, Pete uses an iPod touch and the latter link to control the tank that's in the background. I was playing with this last night while watching TV and trust me, the fish tank was much more interesting than the show. Pete has added an air stone that you can turn on and off, a dinosaur tank ornament with a mouth you can open and close, and one cam that you can pan left and right. A tap on your iPhone screen brings you to a stationary upper camera with a scuba diver that you can control in real time, another air stone controller, and a water pump that you can use to add water to the tank.

If you think that the latter control is going to let you flood Pete's office from your iPhone, you're wrong -- the system is set up with a level controller so you won't be able to add water beyond a certain level in the tank. This is a fun demonstration of remote control via iPhone, so be sure to give it a try. I've included some screenshots from last night's eerily-lit iPhone fish-bothering session, as well as some shots in the light of day. Enjoy!

Gallery: TankedCam

Found Footage: New & improved TankedCam, now with even more iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BuzzVoice reads aloud to you almost anywhere

David Winograd — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: iPod Family, Internet Tools, Podcasting, iPhone, iPod touch, App Review

BuzzVoice can most simply be described as a talking reader for over 1400 blogs, but saying that doesn't begin to do it justice. It's not just an iPhone/iPod touch app, although BuzzVoice provides one [iTunes Link]. It's a platform that can be enjoyed on a variety of devices including any iPod or mp3 player, your computer, Blackberry (upcoming) or with added functionality on the iPhone/iPod touch running OS 2.0 to use the basics, or OS 3.0 or better, to use in-app email.

BuzzVoice is the butterfly that emerged from chrysalis of the now defunct PimpMyNews app, a talking reader with far less functionality. What it grew into is a full system that starts on your computer at the BuzzVoice site. There you can sign up for a free account and explore the 1400 different blogs that BuzzVoice can read to you. The site allows you to listen to individual stories and to email a story that, when received, contains an audio file of the story, as well as the ability to visually read the story either on the site or by being transferred to the originating blog.

The BuzzVoice site lets you create a list of MyFeeds in where you build a list of the blogs you are interested in hearing by either searching, browsing or picking a ready made playlist based on specific interests. This is handy and becomes quite important when we get to the iPhone app.

The site also lets you put together a Buzzcast, which is a grouping of blogs that you like, and have that grouping transform into a 10 minute (for the free version) or 30 minute (for the pro version) personal podcast that, after a click, will be added to iTunes and update daily, so it can be heard throughout the iPod line. A feed is also displayed for use with a non-iTunes powered device.

How does it sound? I was expecting to be disappointed since I have had enough of the 'take-me-to-your-leader' type vocal stylings of many talking apps, but I'm very happy to report that the voice implementation is nearly perfect. It sounds quite natural with great attention paid to punctuation. You can choose a male voice or female voice or have BuzzVoice mix it up, using the pro version. For free you get one voice. The sound was good enough to allow me to stop paying attention to the player and start giving my full attention to the story being read. This is not a small thing if you're going to listen to more than a story or two.

The iPhone app (selling now for $US1.99) ties in nicely to the site and provides additional goodies. On the bottom of the screen are four buttons. MyPlaylist displays all the blogs that you put into MyFeeds on the site. Tap one and you'll see the current story list, tap a story and it will be read to you. If you tap the blue arrow to the right of each story a second screen lets you share a story via Facebook to Reddit (plus 4 others) or email. You can tap Listen to hear the story, or tap Source to read the story in BuzzVoice, which doesn't present in landscape mode, or Safari, which does. Tapping My Buzzcast will play the Buzzcast that you created on the site without having to go to iTunes.

The third button, BuzzRadio, is interesting. Tapping it brings up a listing of topics ranging from Apple Radio to Politics Radio to Sports Radio. There are currently eight stations to choose from. When you pick one, a grouping of top stories from various subject-specific blogs gets built, which BuzzVoice then reads; perfect for any time your hands should be somewhere else (driving, running or whatever). You don't get this on the site.

I'd like to see a non-variable, or user designated playing time for the stations. As it is now, I've found that playing time can vary from 4 minutes to 30 minutes. I can see that being a problem when driving and expecting a longer read. Once that is fixed, I'd like to be able to stack stations so if I know that I'll be in the car for 90 minutes and I know that each station plays for 30 minutes, I would be able to stack 3 topic-oriented stations which would then be sequentially read to me, filling up my 90 minute drive. The fourth button is 'Info' which doesn't really provide any. Instead, it opens up an email where you can report mispronunciations, suggest blogs or ask for help. It would be nice to see a little tutorial on this page.

In the iPhone app, when you receive mail sent from BuzzVoice, either from the site or from another iPhone, you get a link bringing you to a BuzzVoice-formatted Safari page with a big Listen to this story button on top and the full story with graphics displayed below. This is a very nice feature.

Continue reading BuzzVoice reads aloud to you almost anywhere

BuzzVoice reads aloud to you almost anywhere originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple bought mapping service company Placebase

Dave Caolo — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Apple Corporate, Software, Internet Tools

Seth at Computerworld has noticed Apple's purchase of Placebase, the former mapping service company that GigaOm was praising last year. Of course, this begs the question: Will Apple be rolling their own maps?

As Gizmodo says, Apple uses the technology they buy (Coverflow, for example). We were unfamiliar with the service, but GigaOm describes some sweet features like PushPin, which provided developers with an API that could layer commercial information, crime data, etc. on a map. For a nice example of PushPin at work, check out PolicyMap.

Now for the baseless assumptions. Google maps appear in a number of Apple products, like the iPhone, iPhoto and iWeb. Perhaps Apple plans to stuff their own solutions into those slots. Or perhaps they're after a certain technology from Placebase and not the whole enchilada.

Note that the purchase went down back in July. Seth has also discovered that PlaceBase's founder and former CEO, Jaron Waldman, is now a part of Apple's "Geo Team," which sounds like the Justice League but with Al Gore in charge.

Apple bought mapping service company Placebase originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 01 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iWork.com receives an update

Joachim Bean — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 23:45:00 EST

Filed under: Internet Tools, iWork, Software Update

iWork.com, Apple's service for sharing documents from iWork '09 to the Internet, which our own Dave Caolo posted about it's shortcomings just last week, received an update a few days ago along with iWork '09. It added a few new features and improvments to the service, which is still in beta.

They include:

Automatic email notification. Now the iWork.com beta lets you stay up to date whenever viewers add new comments or notes to your posted documents. You can choose to be notified immediately, hourly, or daily.

Enhanced security. Automatic 128-bit SSL encryption now safeguards communication between you and your viewers via iWork.com. You can also password-protect documents you share on iWork.com-so even if someone has a link to your document, they won't be able to view it without the password you supply.

Refined user interface. The redesigned Shared Documents page includes thumbnail previews so you can more easily identify your shared iWork files. You can also organize your shared documents by date, name, size, or comments received. And you can now access all your shared documents by signing in at www.iwork.com.

You should be able to use these new improvements once you've updated to the latest version of iWork '09, if you haven't already done so.

Also, Apple has set up a new iWork.com news page, where you can get updates on iWork and the iWork.com service.

Hopefully, these improvements will further advance the iWork.com service.

iWork.com receives an update originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 23:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Auto refresh any web page

David Winograd — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Tips and tricks, Odds and ends, Internet Tools

Last night when the Apple store went down, I got tired of hitting refresh in Safari every few minutes while waiting for it to come back up, and went searching for something that would do the job for free.

Now, this is not for coders who will laugh hysterically at my incompetence, but for those of you that are either lazy or don't program at all. I fit both categories.

Back in 2005 someone going by the moniker of Biovizier posted the solution on Macosxhints.com. It's a little html snippet that will refresh any web page as frequently as you'd like, and its easily customizable for any page at all.

Here it is:

 



<**** **********="refresh" content="60">

Copy this into TextEdit and save it with an .html extension. Then just double click it.

You can change the refresh time from 60 to the amount of seconds you want to wait before the page refreshes, and you can change the URL to anything you want. I was using: http://apple.com/store and having it refresh every 20 seconds which must make me a certifiable fanatic.

Since I saw this I've found a ton of uses for it, like refreshing eBay auctions in the last few minutes, or just leaving it set for TUAW to see new stories coming up when I'm doing something else. At present I have four or five of these snippets in a folder on my desktop for different purposes.

Give it a try and see if you don't find a handful of uses for it.

Okay, you coders can stop laughing now.

Note: TJ Luoma just let me know that this tip won't work with Twitter which intentionally blocks this sort of thing.

Thanks to macosxhints.com and Biovizier wherever you are.

Auto refresh any web page originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mac 101: Auto-join rooms in iChat

Dave Caolo — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Software, Internet Tools, Mac 101

Welcome back to Mac 101, our series of tips for new and novice Mac users.

Earlier today we saw a tweet that inspired this post. Patrick Burleson asked how he can stop iChat from automatically joining chat rooms he visited during an earlier session. It's possible, but you won't find the fix in the preferences.

First, I'll describe how to join a room automatically whenever iChat is launched. From the File menu, select Go To Chat Room.... A window appears. From there, select the correct account and add your room to the Room Name field. Next, click the "+" in the lower left-hand corner to add it as a favorite and select the "Autojoin" check box. Now, iChat will join that room each time it's launched.

To disable the autojoin, simply de-select that box. Why would a person want to automatically join a chat room, you say? Some folks collaborate with far-flung coworkers via AIM all day.

There you have it, Patrick (and TUAW readers). I hope this helps.

Mac 101: Auto-join rooms in iChat originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 23 Sep 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Credit card terminals for iPhone

John Burke — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Retail, Internet Tools, iPhone, App Review

It's no secret that the iPhone is much more than just a smartphone. Apple has even started giving iPhones to Apple Store Concierge employees to schedule appointments and manage the store.

The ability to complete mobile transactions with credit card terminals is a great use of the iPhone for employees on the go or companies that do home or office calls. Like most applications in the iTunes App Store, there is no shortage of alternatives available for you to try. Here's a roundup of some of the most popular credit card terminals for iPhone.

Credit Card Terminal [iTunes Link] - $0.99
This app is pretty awesome. So awesome in fact, that it was featured internationally in an Apple commercial. The 99 cent application offers a (very) cheap alternative to expensive terminals and hardware. With a clean and easy to use interface, users can enter credit card information, complete transactions, and even view and refund past sales. The app also gives you the ability to collect customer information. The developer even offers telephone and email support and will walk you through setup.

Billing: Credit Card Terminal [iTunes Link] - $19.99
Another "easy to use" credit card terminal that is guaranteed to help make transactions easier. Sporting a pretty cool, and somewhat different kind of interface, the $20 application makes setting up a sale as simple as tapping a button. One cool feature offered in this version is the ability to get a customer's signature.

Some screenshots from the featured applications:

Gallery: Credit Card Terminals

Continue reading Credit card terminals for iPhone

Credit card terminals for iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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