The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)http://www.tuaw.comThe Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/feedlogo.gifThe Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)http://www.tuaw.comen-usCopyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Save URLs for later with Quiet Readhttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/07/save-urls-for-later-with-quiet-read/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/07/save-urls-for-later-with-quiet-read/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/07/save-urls-for-later-with-quiet-read/#commentsFiled under: , ,

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.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)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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]]>bambooappsinstapaperinternetquiet readQuietReadutilitiesDave CaoloSat, 07 Nov 2009 10:00:00 ESTMac share of web browsing goes up after Windows 7 launchhttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/03/mac-share-of-web-browsing-goes-up-after-windows-7-launch/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/03/mac-share-of-web-browsing-goes-up-after-windows-7-launch/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/03/mac-share-of-web-browsing-goes-up-after-windows-7-launch/#commentsFiled under: , ,

It may seem a little strange, or downright counter-intuitive, but Net Applications is reporting that Mac OS X's share of computers using the web grew from September to October this year, while Windows' share of browsers declined.

Windows (all versions of the OS) totaled 92.54% of computers browsing the web, a .25% drop, while Mac OS had a 5.27% share, up 2.73% from September. The iPhone, by the way, had a month to month increase of 5.71%.

The numbers come from tabulating visits to 160 million websites.

Windows 7 got 3% share in the daily tracking, largely at the expense of Windows XP. If Microsoft was depending on Windows 7 to quickly stop the Mac momentum, it hasn't happened yet, but at the same time, most Windows upgrades take place when new machines are bought.

Also, the general release of Windows 7 didn't happen until October 22nd, so the jump in Windows 7 on the internet wasn't available for most of October except for pre-release users.

[via Fortune Brainstorm Tech]

Mac share of web browsing goes up after Windows 7 launch originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Mac share of web browsing goes up after Windows 7 launch originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>internet shareMac OS XNet ApplicationsNetApplicationsWindows 7Mel MartinTue, 03 Nov 2009 16:00:00 ESTNew Apple Switcher-Cam ad will take over online mediahttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/03/new-apple-switcher-cam-ad-will-take-over-online-media/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/03/new-apple-switcher-cam-ad-will-take-over-online-media/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/03/new-apple-switcher-cam-ad-will-take-over-online-media/#commentsFiled under: ,






The newest Get A Mac, ad from Apple will take over the front page of a number of sites this month. Created by TBW\Media Arts Lab, the ad takes over the page as PC chases switchers through various switcher-cam displays.

Thanks to Ivan for sending it in, and Ads of the World for hosting it.

New Apple Switcher-Cam ad will take over online media originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)New Apple Switcher-Cam ad will take over online media originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>advertisingget a macGetAMactbwa media arts labtbwachiatdayTbwaMediaArtsLabDavid WinogradTue, 03 Nov 2009 09:00:00 ESTGoogle Chrome released for Machttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/10/23/google-chrome-released-for-mac/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/10/23/google-chrome-released-for-mac/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/10/23/google-chrome-released-for-mac/#commentsFiled under: , ,

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.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)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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]]>betabrowserschromegooglegoogle chromeGoogleChromeChris RawsonFri, 23 Oct 2009 17:30:00 ESTThe future of TV on your iPhone is ATSC Mobile DTVhttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/10/17/the-future-of-tv-on-your-iphone-is-atsc-mobile-dtv/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/10/17/the-future-of-tv-on-your-iphone-is-atsc-mobile-dtv/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/10/17/the-future-of-tv-on-your-iphone-is-atsc-mobile-dtv/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

If you're able to watch TV on your iPhone or iPod touch right now, you're probably having something streamed to your handheld device. That may change -- your phone may soon be equipped with a digital TV tuner to pick up the signals sent out by your local stations.

The Advanced Television Standards Committee (ATSC) announced on Friday that they've agreed on a standard that will let local TV stations broadcast directly to mobile devices on their existing frequencies. The devices that can be equipped to pick up the ATSC Mobile DTV signals include mobile phones, laptops, handheld TVs, and even in-vehicle digital TVs.

ATSC Mobile DTV will be completely different from the existing services provided by AT&T and Verizon, which are pay-for-view services streaming national content. With ATSC Mobile DTV, you'd be able to watch local newscasts as well as network TV that is broadcast in your area.

The signal is carried alongside regular digital TV broadcasts using Vestigial Sideband modulation and the IP transport system. ATSC Mobile DTV can send H.264 video and High Efficiency Advanced Audio Coding Version 2 (HE AAC v2) audio and support interactive and subscription-based TV.

I want my Mobile DTV! Here's hoping that the next generation of iPhones, iPod touches, and future iTablets can receive ATSC Mobile DTV.

[via Macworld]

The future of TV on your iPhone is ATSC Mobile DTV originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)The future of TV on your iPhone is ATSC Mobile DTV originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>ATSCDTViphoneipod touchIpodTouchitabletMobile DTVMobileDtvSteven SandeSat, 17 Oct 2009 10:00:00 ESTBlog Action Day: Five apps to help save the worldhttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/10/15/blog-action-day-five-apps-to-help-save-the-world/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/10/15/blog-action-day-five-apps-to-help-save-the-world/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/10/15/blog-action-day-five-apps-to-help-save-the-world/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

TUAW is participating in this year's Blog Action Day on 10/15, an annual event in which bloggers around the world aim to spark discussion and awareness of serious and important issues. This year's topic is climate change, and fortunately, just like last year, we in the Apple community are in a pretty good place -- the company makes it a point to stay as green as possible, they have Al Gore on their board, and they make it safe and easy to dispose of their products in an environmentally friendly way. But there's always more we can do, from person to person -- making the earth a better place to live is going to take all of us working together.

And so, here's five iPhone and iPod touch apps you can use to find out what you can do to take action on climate change. Some are paid, some are free, but all of them will give you fun and useful ways to help find approaches to dealing with climate change in your own behavior and life.

Continue reading Blog Action Day: Five apps to help save the world

Blog Action Day: Five apps to help save the world originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Blog Action Day: Five apps to help save the world originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>al-goreapp-storeappleblog-action-dayblog-action-day-2009carbon-calcclimate changeclimate-changeClimateChangeenvironmentalgas-cubby-litegoodguidegreeniphoneipod-touchpocket-gardenpollutionproductstuawMike SchrammThu, 15 Oct 2009 15:00:00 ESTThe T-Mobile Sidekick data failure, and what it means to iPhone usershttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/10/12/the-t-mobile-sidekick-data-failure-and-what-it-means-to-iphone/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/10/12/the-t-mobile-sidekick-data-failure-and-what-it-means-to-iphone/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/10/12/the-t-mobile-sidekick-data-failure-and-what-it-means-to-iphone/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

You may not have heard about the recent loss of data for T-Mobile Sidekick users; after all, this is an Apple-focused site and there probably aren't as many Sidekick owners out there as there are iPhone users. I'll explain the situation, and how it could happen to anyone depending on cloud-based data stores for their mobile devices.

The Sidekick is made and supported by Danger, which since April of 2008 has been owned by Microsoft. As such, all of the personal information on the Sidekicks was stored on servers owned and operated by Microsoft. During the last week, Danger / Microsoft had hired Hitachi to do an upgrade to their Storage Area Network (SAN). That's usually not a problem, as the owner of the data (Microsoft in this case) performs a backup of all the data in case of an issue.

Well, something went wrong, and it appears that Danger / Microsoft did not have a backup in place. The result is a catastrophe for Sidekick users. T-Mobile sent out a statement last week explaining the situation, and placing the blame directly on Microsoft and Danger: "Regrettably, based on Microsoft/Danger's latest recovery assessment of their systems, we must now inform you that personal information stored on your device -- such as contacts, calendar entries, to-do lists or photos -- that is no longer on your Sidekick almost certainly has been lost as a result of a server failure at Microsoft/Danger."

Continue reading The T-Mobile Sidekick data failure, and what it means to iPhone users

The T-Mobile Sidekick data failure, and what it means to iPhone users originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)The T-Mobile Sidekick data failure, and what it means to iPhone users originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>backupcloud computingCloudComputingdangeriphonemicrosoftSANsidekickt-mobileSteven SandeMon, 12 Oct 2009 17:00:00 ESTA collection of iPhone home screens from your favorite Apple celebritieshttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/23/a-collection-of-iphone-home-screens-from-your-favorite-apple-cel/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/23/a-collection-of-iphone-home-screens-from-your-favorite-apple-cel/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/23/a-collection-of-iphone-home-screens-from-your-favorite-apple-cel/#commentsFiled under: ,



With over 75,000 applications to choose from, it's no secret that every iPhone or iPod touch user has a different set of "favorites". A new website, First & 20, is shedding some light on the mystery of home screens starting with some popular website designers, developers, and writers you may have heard of.

The website's concept is pretty simple - get a glimpse of the home screens of popular Apple or online notables such as Joe Hewitt, John Gruber, or Jason Snell. The creator hopes that the website will help you "see something you've never heard of" and discover some apps that are so good that they made it on the phones of top developers, writers, engineers, and bloggers in the Apple world. The reason behind just featuring the home screen is also simple. While many people may have the same applications, the question is "how many love it enough to have it on their home screen, one of their first twenty apps."

In my experience, the website has opened me up to a few new applications and even some new ways to organize them. Leave a comment if you find someone's home screen to be of particular interest to you.

A collection of iPhone home screens from your favorite Apple celebrities originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)A collection of iPhone home screens from your favorite Apple celebrities originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>appsappstoreDevelopersHome ScreenHomeScreeniPhoneJohn BurkeWed, 23 Sep 2009 15:00:00 ESTAT&T poised to roll out 3G MicroCell servicehttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/22/atandt-poised-to-roll-out-3g-microcell-service/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/22/atandt-poised-to-roll-out-3g-microcell-service/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/22/atandt-poised-to-roll-out-3g-microcell-service/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

For many iPhone owners in the U.S., the fact that you're tied to AT&T as the wireless carrier has been a serious problem. As an example, until this week, I was lucky if I got 2 bars of signal strength on EDGE at my house and I never had 3G service. Now, for some inexplicable reason, I'm able to get a full 5 bars on 3G on the top floor of my house and about 3 bars on the lower floor.

Unless you're fortunate enough to have a similar miracle take place near your home, you may need to take advantage of AT&T's upcoming 3G MicroCell service. This service literally puts a tiny Internet-attached cell tower in your home or office, blasting out 5 bars of 3G goodness to about a 5,000 square foot area.

The 3G MicroCell comes at a price, of course -- the device is rumored to cost $150 and there will be no monthly charge if you wish to use your existing minutes. You can also add unlimited phone calls through the device for an extra $20 per month, so if you primarily use your iPhone in one location, it might be cheaper to get the minimum service plan for the iPhone and just use the 3G MicroCell unlimited plan for your calls.

AT&T's rollout of the 3G MicroCell service will make the iPhone available to a wider audience of potential users, and may also benefit the overstressed AT&T network by decreasing the number of voice and data calls using the regular cell towers.

At the present time, AT&T is testing the 3G MicroCell service in Charlotte, NC. You can check availability of the service by visiting the AT&T site.

AT&T poised to roll out 3G MicroCell service originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)AT&T poised to roll out 3G MicroCell service originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>3GattEDGEfemtocelliphonemicrocellwirelessSteven SandeTue, 22 Sep 2009 15:00:00 ESTApple store is down... and now back uphttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/20/apple-store-is-down/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/20/apple-store-is-down/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/20/apple-store-is-down/#commentsFiled under: , ,

The online Apple store is currently down. Considering it's the middle of the weekend for folks in the Western Hemisphere, and considering that we haven't heard much in the way of rumors concerning new products or product updates, this is more than likely just a maintenance update. We'll be monitoring the store's status and try to determine what, if anything, has changed when it comes back up.

And... it's back up. Nothing much appears to have changed, aside from some reports of pricing changes on refurb iPods and the 'new' badges on some products.

Thanks to the many readers who sent this in.

Apple store is down... and now back up originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 20 Sep 2009 03:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Apple store is down... and now back up originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 20 Sep 2009 03:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>apple storeAppleStorestore downStoreDownChris RawsonSun, 20 Sep 2009 03:02:00 ESTiPhone usage metric for Flickr drops big timehttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/15/iphone-usage-on-flickr-falls-big-time/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/15/iphone-usage-on-flickr-falls-big-time/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/15/iphone-usage-on-flickr-falls-big-time/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

We've posted before how popular the iPhone is as a camera on Flickr, with people uploading tons of photos, both shot by and straight from the iPhone. But now, The Next Web has covered a huge drop in photos referencing the iPhone over on the popular photo sharing site. The suspected culprit? Flickr themselves.

TNW suggests that the problem is the Flickr iPhone application, which will upload pictures straight to the service -- but not include metadata information like the fact that the pictures were taken with the iPhone. Still, even they sound a little skeptical: not all of that drop can be attributed to just the Flickr app's shortcomings. They also suggest that the iPhone is wearing out its welcome -- lots of people jumped to use it as a camera when the 3GS introduced a better lens and the video capability, and now in day-to-day use, they're not using it as much. Other commenters to the post suggest that the vastly improved Facebook app may be eating away at the use of the built-in Camera app.

I know that my photo habits for the phone haven't changed -- I use the iPhone quite a bit to take pictures, but looking at my own usage, I don't use Flickr nearly as much these days, as I use services like Twitpic and other sites built up directly around the iPhone. A drop in usage on Flickr doesn't mean people aren't using their iPhones to take snapshots -- they could just be sending their photos and media somewhere else.

Update: One of our commenters, echoed by our old friend & past colleague Barb Dybwad at Mashable, notes that Apple's change to the EXIF data recording for iPhone photos (breaking out the different iPhone models to indicate which specific phone took the picture) may be partly responsible for the drop.

iPhone usage metric for Flickr drops big time originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)iPhone usage metric for Flickr drops big time originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>appcameraschangesflickriphonemetadatareportingservicesmartphonesuploadingusageMike SchrammTue, 15 Sep 2009 12:30:00 ESTLost your favorite Safari plugin after upgrading to Snow Leopard? Try 32-bit modehttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/03/lost-your-favorite-safari-plugin-after-upgrading-to-snow-leopard/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/03/lost-your-favorite-safari-plugin-after-upgrading-to-snow-leopard/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/03/lost-your-favorite-safari-plugin-after-upgrading-to-snow-leopard/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Snow Leopard has brought a host of improvements to OS X, but Safari has been changed in one way that could ruin your day if you're used to using third-party plugins. Support for Input Managers has been removed in 64-bit Safari, which means that popular Safari plugins like Saft won't work.

Getting these plugins to work again in Safari is easy, but there is one tradeoff to keep in mind.

Re-enabling plugin support for Safari is as simple as forcing Safari to start up in 32-bit mode. When you choose "Get Info" on Safari, you'll notice a checkbox in the window that says "Open in 32-bit mode." Check this box.

That's it. Safari will now open in 32-bit mode, and any Input Manager plugins you were using before upgrading to Snow Leopard, like Saft or PithHelmet, should work just fine. Additionally, running Safari in 32-bit mode allows Multiclutch's custom trackpad gestures to work; these weren't working for me when I ran Safari in 64-bit mode, probably because Multiclutch is a 32-bit prefpane.

There's one caveat to running Safari in 32-bit mode: there's a tradeoff in stability. One of the features you gain by running Safari in 64-bit mode is that Safari will "sandbox" plugins like Flash, so if (when) Flash Player crashes, it doesn't take all of Safari down with it. This is because when Safari runs in 64-bit mode, plugins actually run as their own separate processes rather than being bundled up with Safari. But when Safari is run in 32-bit mode, Flash and other plugins work the old way, which means if (when) Flash crashes, so will Safari.


Safari in 64-bit mode: Flash runs as its own process.
Result: far fewer four-letter words in your workflow



Safari in 32-bit mode: Plugins work, but Flash makes it crash


If you can't live without your plugins (and I can't - Safari without Multiclutch or PithHelmet is like a day without sunshine), then the small sacrifice in stability you'll suffer by running Safari in 32-bit mode is probably going to be worth it to you.

Note: if you're running anything that runs off the SIMBL input manager plugin like Saft or PithHelmet, you might have to take a few extra steps to get things running properly in Safari on Snow Leopard. This procedure is specifically tailored toward getting PithHelmet running, but the steps for Saft should be similar (Procedure courtesy of versiontracker.com user tech.bear).

- Edit the file "/Library/Application Support/SIMBL/Plugins/PithHelmet.bundle/Contents/Info.plist" using either TextEdit or another editor (If you're dealing with Saft, substitute as needed); you can find this file by finding PithHelmet.bundle, right-clicking on it, and choosing "Show Contents" from the contextual menu.

- Look for "<key>MaxBundleVersion</key>" down towards the bottom of the .plist file; now look at the next line. It's the <string> line.

- Change the number to 9999.9

- Save the file
What happens is there's an identifier string that checks against the version number of Safari; by changing that value to 9999, you shouldn't have to deal with that incompatibility error ever again. Of course, this is at your own risk -- this version check is designed specifically to prevent SIMBL plugins from "breaking" Safari when Safari gets updated, but if you don't want to or can't wait for the developer to update the plugin, this procedure shouldn't really give you any problems. I've been doing something similar for four years of using PithHelmet, and I haven't run into any major issues.


Lost your favorite Safari plugin after upgrading to Snow Leopard? Try 32-bit mode originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 03 Sep 2009 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Lost your favorite Safari plugin after upgrading to Snow Leopard? Try 32-bit mode originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 03 Sep 2009 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>input managersInputManagersmulticlutchpithhelmetsafarisaftsnow leopardSnowLeopardtips and tricksTipsAndTricksChris RawsonThu, 03 Sep 2009 07:00:00 ESTRoad Tested: the Verizon MiFi portable broadband routerhttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/02/road-tested-the-verizon-mifi-portable-ev-do-router/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/02/road-tested-the-verizon-mifi-portable-ev-do-router/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/02/road-tested-the-verizon-mifi-portable-ev-do-router/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

For the last couple of weeks, I've been testing the Verizon MiFi portable WiFi hotspot. After writing about the MiFi, a few months back, I was placed on a waiting list to receive a test unit. Could the MiFi enhance the iPod touch experience to bring it into the realm of the iPhone? A unit finally came free and I finally got my hands-on experience to discover whether my assumptions would be proved right or wrong.

The MiFi, which is a portable EV-DO router, provides a 3G connection through an absolutely tiny unit. All plastic, it's about as thick as an iPhone and about two-thirds as large as its front face. The MiFi's entire user interface is its single button (seen at the bottom right of the image here). When pressed, the button switches on and glows green. Pressed again and held, the unit turns off and the green glow disappears. Sprint offers a near-identical unit, except it's finished in brushed metal instead of black.

Read on to discover how my MiFi testing went...

Continue reading Road Tested: the Verizon MiFi portable broadband router

Road Tested: the Verizon MiFi portable broadband router originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Road Tested: the Verizon MiFi portable broadband router originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>broadbandevdoipod touchIpodTouchmifimobilereviewroad testedRoadTestedverizonwi-fiwifiwirelessErica SadunWed, 02 Sep 2009 11:30:00 ESTFive useful Apple accessories for students heading off to collegehttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/16/five-useful-apple-accessories-for-students-heading-off-to-colleg/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/16/five-useful-apple-accessories-for-students-heading-off-to-colleg/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/16/five-useful-apple-accessories-for-students-heading-off-to-colleg/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Whether you're on your way back to college, or you're the parent or friend of a college-bound Apple fan, there are a lot of great items on the market this summer that are both functional and fashionable.

Back in the prehistoric 1970's when I was a civil engineering student at the University of Colorado Boulder campus, I made the mistake of rooming one year with two high school buddies. One of them, Chuck, was a real stoner and was impossible to wake up (even a stereo with the volume turned up to 11 didn't work). His 2009 counterpart would hopefully wake up on time every morning with an iHome iP9SR iPhone alarm clock (US$99 MSRP).
It's an iPhone charger with shielding to prevent that annoying buzz from GSM transmissions. It's an alarm clock that can play tunes from your iTunes library, AM/FM radio, or just blast out an annoying noise to wake you up. It also has some pretty nice speakers for listening to your music while charging your iPhone prior to your next class.

Continue reading Five useful Apple accessories for students heading off to college

Five useful Apple accessories for students heading off to college originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 16 Aug 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Five useful Apple accessories for students heading off to college originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 16 Aug 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>alarm clockAlarmClockb2sback to schoolback-to-schoolbackpackBackToSchoolbicyclecasecollegeiphoneipodmacbook proMacbookProSteven SandeSun, 16 Aug 2009 08:00:00 ESTSeeClickFix for iPhone helps communities help themselveshttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/14/seeclickfix-for-iphone-helps-communities-help-themselves/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/14/seeclickfix-for-iphone-helps-communities-help-themselves/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/14/seeclickfix-for-iphone-helps-communities-help-themselves/#commentsFiled under: ,

One of the oft-unsung but quite awesome things about living in New York City is our urban help line, NYC 311. Whether it's a leaky hydrant or a burnt-out streetlamp, a missing manhole cover or a mixed-up parking sign: there's only one number to call for any non-emergency question, and they will track down the information you need. I'm pretty sure that the only time I've stumped the 311 team was when I called to ask who could help evict the family of stray cats that had set up housekeeping in our backyard-the verdict was that I had to trap the whole colony before they could come and collect the furry trespassers.

A centralized helpline and problem reporting infrastructure is great for megaburgs like New York, but what kind of resources are smaller communities turning to when they need to know what's broken? One website is trying to leverage the power of citizen self-organization to help cities keep things working: SeeClickFix. Founded in New Haven and inspired by fixmystreet.com, the site allows participants to report issues and concerns, define 'watch areas' where they can be notified of problems, and generally help their towns help themselves.

The SCF team has just released version 1.0 of the site's iPhone app [iTunes link], which allows participants to report issues right from their phones, complete with geotag to provide the map location of the problem. Version 1.2, in the works, will let iPhone users vote on problems and close them out without going to the website.

How have you used your iPhone or your Mac to do something positive for your community today?




SeeClickFix for iPhone helps communities help themselves originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)SeeClickFix for iPhone helps communities help themselves originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>communityiphonesee click fixSeeClickFixurbanMichael RoseFri, 14 Aug 2009 13:45:00 ESTDeposit checks with your iPhonehttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/10/deposit-checks-with-your-iphone/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/10/deposit-checks-with-your-iphone/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/10/deposit-checks-with-your-iphone/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Update: This app is now available.

Earlier this summer I took a paperless vacation abroad, thanks to my iPhone and Evernote. I could have done a digital boarding pass for extra efficiency, but I was happy enough with my experience. The digital boarding pass is a matrix code sent to your phone or PDA via online check-in, saving time and benefiting the environment and those without a printer (also, printers just love to run out of ink at the most inopportune time). Continental, American and Northwest offer the digital boarding pass option (here's a good run-down on how they work).

Now, the privately-held USAA Bank intends to let customers deposit checks via a pending update to the bank's iPhone app. According to the New York Times, the feature will require customers to photograph both the back and front of the check with their iPhone's camera. From there, they simply send the images to the bank via the app and presto, the check is credited to that customer's account. They can then void and destroy the paper check; it's no longer needed.

Fraud is an obvious concern, but one of the bank's executive vice presidents, Wayne Peacock, says they've got the necessary security measures in place. Specifically, the service will be limited to customers who are both eligible for credit and insured by the bank. All told, about 60% of current customers meet the threshold for acceptance, according to Mr. Peacock.

I think it's a fantastic experiment and look forward to seeing how it goes. This further confirms my conviction that the iPhone is an amazing portable computer that affects our lives in tremendous ways. Some may chose to ditch their iPhones, but mine isn't going anywhere.

Deposit checks with your iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 10 Aug 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Deposit checks with your iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 10 Aug 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>app storeAppStorebankingdeposit check iphoneDepositCheckIphoneiappsiphoneusaa bankUsaaBankDave CaoloMon, 10 Aug 2009 12:00:00 EST3D animations coming to Safarihttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/17/3d-animations-coming-to-safari/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/17/3d-animations-coming-to-safari/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/17/3d-animations-coming-to-safari/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Charles Ying over at satine.org has put together an impressive demo using Safari's forthcoming CSS 3D transform features. There is a YouTube video of the demo (you can watch it in the 2nd half of this post), as a nightly build of WebKit or the Snow Leopard version of Safari is required to render it.

The demo, titled Snow Stack, displays a wall of photos in three dimensions and allows you to navigate across the wall using your arrow keys. The wall of photos seems to go on into infinity while it dynamically loads the photos from Flickr as you travel across it.

The animation style is similar to the browser plug-in Cooliris (formerly known as PicLens), but it was written entirely in HTML and CSS, with some JavaScript to pull in the photos from Flickr. The animations are so amazingly smooth animations it's hard to believe that only CSS was used to create them. Surprisingly, Safari on iPhone has supported CSS 3D transforms for sometime now, but the animations have yet to make an official debut on the desktop.

If you are running Leopard and want to see the demo running on your Mac you will need to download the nightly build of WebKit to render it in all of its 3D splendor. If you have a pre-release copy of Snow Leopard installed you can simply use the built-in version of Safari to view it. Until Apple releases a public build of Safari with these features those are your only options.

A post today on the Surfin' Safari blog over at WebKit features another demo of CSS 3D transforms called Poster Circle. I've posted a video to YouTube of this demo in action.

Some of the options developers will be able to use with the new CSS 3D tranforms include: scaling, perspective, rotation, and standard 3D positioning. Apple has submitted a specification detailing these features to the W3C. Hopefully as time progresses other browser vendors will implement the spec as well. In the meantime Safari users will have these beauties all to themselves.

Continue reading 3D animations coming to Safari

3D animations coming to Safari originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 17 Jul 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)3D animations coming to Safari originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 17 Jul 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>3danimationcsssafarisafari 4webkitJoshua BricknerFri, 17 Jul 2009 10:00:00 ESTTUAW First Look: Comcast Mobile for iPhone and iPod touchhttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/15/tuaw-first-look-comcast-mobile-for-iphone-and-ipod-touch/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/15/tuaw-first-look-comcast-mobile-for-iphone-and-ipod-touch/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/15/tuaw-first-look-comcast-mobile-for-iphone-and-ipod-touch/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Cable, broadband, and phone giant Comcast has joined the ranks of companies jumping on the iPhone bandwagon with a helpful and free new app: Comcast Mobile [App Store].

Let's get one thing out of the way right now; this app will not let you stream video from your Comcast set-top box to your iPhone. So what does it do?
  • Provides a unified inbox for Comcast email and voicemail
  • Lets you sync your SmartZone contacts with your iPhone or iPod touch
  • Shows call logs for Comcast Digital Voice, and allows call forwarding and control of voicemail.
  • Gives you detailed TV listings in The Guide, complete with reminders and favorites
  • Allows viewing of On Demand movie trailers
How does this compare with the AT&T U-verse and DirecTV apps? The AT&T app doesn't provide any email or voicemail features, nor does it provide a way to sync with an online address book. Both apps do provide the capability to remotely schedule a DVR, a feature missing in Comcast Mobile that the company says will be available in the next release. DirecTV doesn't provide phone service, although they do provide HD television for some traditional telecom firms like Qwest.

I had a chance to work with a pre-release version of the app loaded on an iPod touch, and I was impressed with the stability, speed, and functionality of Comcast Mobile. Read on for more details about the app.

Continue reading TUAW First Look: Comcast Mobile for iPhone and iPod touch

TUAW First Look: Comcast Mobile for iPhone and iPod touch originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)TUAW First Look: Comcast Mobile for iPhone and iPod touch originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>broadbandcomcastemailfeaturediphoneipod touchIpodTouchon-demandSteven SandeWed, 15 Jul 2009 19:00:00 ESTSafari 4.0.2 releasedhttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/08/safari-4-0-2-released/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/08/safari-4-0-2-released/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/08/safari-4-0-2-released/#commentsFiled under: ,

Fire up Software Update, Apple just released Safari 4.0.2!

As usual, the release notes are extremely informative (laugh), stating:

This update is recommended for all Safari users and improves the stability of the Nitro JavaScript engine and includes the latest compatibility and security fixes.

Looking a the actual security announcement, this is is one update you're going to want to install. One of the security fixes addresses potential cross-site scripting attacks, via WebKit's handling of parent and top objects. The other fix addresses memory allocation for numeric character references, which if exploited, could allow arbitrary code execution or application termination after visiting a malicious site.

These issues affect Mac OS X and Windows XP and Vista, so everyone, download your Safari updates!

As usual, you will have to restart your computer after installation.

Safari 4.0.2 released originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 08 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Safari 4.0.2 released originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 08 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>safarisafari 4.0.2Safari4.0.2Christina WarrenWed, 08 Jul 2009 17:00:00 ESTiPhones ahoy! Making calls on cruise ships, updatedhttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/04/iphones-ahoy-making-calls-on-cruise-ships-updated/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/04/iphones-ahoy-making-calls-on-cruise-ships-updated/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/04/iphones-ahoy-making-calls-on-cruise-ships-updated/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

TUAW reader Troy sent an email the other day stating that he'd found one of our posts from last August to be very helpful. In Using your iPhone on a cruise ship we talked about Cellular At Sea and getting your iPhone to send and receive pricey calls from many cruise ships. How expensive are they? Last year, they were running about US$0.79 per minute. This year, they cost about the same.

Troy's email got me thinking about how to make cheaper phone calls on cruises, since I'll be on two cruise ships next year. Since last August, we've seen Skype for iPhone / iPod touch [App Store] appear, and for US$2.95 a month you can make unlimited calls to the USA and Canada over a Wi-Fi connection. That's great, but you're going to need to pay anywhere from $0.30 to $0.75 per minute for that Wi-Fi! And another big dead fly is floating in that soup -- the bandwidth on cruise ships is so incredibly low that your calls may not even go through using Skype or another VoIP app.

Unfortunately, things haven't improved much in this realm since last year. My recommendation? Buy the biggest onboard Wi-Fi account you can afford (more minutes = cheaper per minute) and use it with your iPhone or iPod touch for emails, Tweeting your friends, using IM, and checking TUAW. If you want to send voice messages to your pals, record them in the new iPhone OS 3.0 voice memos app or (if you have a 3GS) with video, and then email the messages over Wi-Fi. Your friends can respond the same way.

If you absolutely must have a two-way conversation, your cheapest alternative is going to be to wait until you're in a port, then use one of AT&T's international calling plans (or another carrier's plan if you're not in the US) or see if you can use Skype at a portside bar with free Wi-Fi. You probably don't want to use the ship's on-board satellite phone service at the US$6.99 to US$10.99 per minute rate!

Do you have any other hints for cheap communications afloat, other than sending postcards from ports? Let us know in the comments.

Thanks to Troy for reminding us about cruise ships and iPhones

iPhones ahoy! Making calls on cruise ships, updated originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)iPhones ahoy! Making calls on cruise ships, updated originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>cruiseiPhoneipod touchIpodTouchskypetravelwi-fiSteven SandeSat, 04 Jul 2009 14:45:00 EST