TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

AppTrap

Dan Lurie — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 09:00:00 EST

Everyone loves AppZapper for removing unwanted applications, and while many have called for something like it to be included in future versions of OS X, AppTrap comes closer to replicating the Mac simplicity we all enjoy so much. Expanding on the drag-and-drop workflow used to install programs, simply drag the unused application to the trash, and AppTrap pops up asking if you'd also like to delete any associated files.

AppTrap is free, open source, and installed as a system preference pane.

AppTrap originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 10 Jul 2007 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OmniFocus Plays Nice with iPhone

Dan Lurie — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 16:00:00 EST

This is awesome news, even if you don't have an iPhone. The code monkeys over at The Omni Group have announced a spiffy new web interface for OmniFocus that can be brought up remotely on an iPhone (or in any other browser). The remote service will be driven by an integrated web server built into the copy of OmniFocus running on your home machine. Users will be able to manipulate their data directly, with no syncing required.

OmniFocus Plays Nice with iPhone originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 04 Jul 2007 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Submit Your iPhone Bugs to Apple

Dan Lurie — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 21:00:00 EST

There are bound to be bugs in any first generation product, and unfortunately this has been especially true for new Apple devices. It's only been a day since the iPhone went on sale, but already we're hearing of some nagging issues. But fear not, for you the user have the power to change the iPhone world for the better. If you already have an ADC account, you're all ready to start submitting bugs to the iPhone team. Head on over to bugreport.apple.com and go crazy- just make sure you submit responsibly and stick to the official description format, because someone has to read through each bug you submit.

Submit Your iPhone Bugs to Apple originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sat, 30 Jun 2007 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gallery: Park Meadows Colorado iPhone line

Dan Lurie — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 10:15:00 EST

While Pourhardi is camped out an hour ahead of me in Chicago, and will inevitably get his iPhone first (Grr!), I'm sitting here with an Optimus Prime sized iPhone display sending out its reality distortion field from above my head. There are about 10 people in line so far, and I've been able to snap some photos of our band of merry geeks. I'll keep updating the gallery as the day goes on, so check back often to make sure you're up on all the excitement that goes on in a suburban mall.

If you're planning on stopping by this particular store, come up and say hi. I'll be podcasting off and on with various people, maybe even you! I'm first in line and wearing my Daring Fireball t-shirt.

Gallery: Park Meadows iPhone Line

Gallery: Park Meadows Colorado iPhone line originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 29 Jun 2007 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lining up for Charity

Dan Lurie — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 19:00:00 EST

Out of all of the hype surrounding the imminent launch of the iPhone, this is the first story to warm my cold socialist heart. Johnny Vulkan of NYC ad agency Anomaly is first in line at the Apple Store SoHo, and has special plans for his iPhone. Instead of coveting his precious new toy like the rest of us, his iPhone will go right up on eBay where all proceeds from its sale will go to AIDS charity Keep a Child Alive.

If game console launches like that of the Wii and PS3 are any indication, early iPhone sellers on eBay stand to make a killing, and it's nice to see that some of that money will be going to an organization working to stop a nasty virus from doing the same.

[via BoingBoing]

Lining up for Charity originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 26 Jun 2007 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mystery Solved? 10.4.10, Yahoo!, and the iPhone

Dan Lurie — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 07:00:00 EST

The addition of a Yahoo! sync framework in 10.4.10 certainly seems a bit puzzling on the surface, but after some grinding of my mental cogs, I think I've figured it out.

If you will think back to MacWorld 2007 and the announcement of the iPhone, you'll remember that Steve Jobs brought three special guests on stage. Stuffed between Eric Schmidt and Stan Sigman (of Google and Cingular, respectively) was Jerry Yang from Yahoo! who used his time to talk about the free Yahoo! IMAP "push" email that will be bundled with every iPhone.

With an email account comes a contact list, and in this day and age of do-everything service providers, a calendar usually comes with it. It makes sense then that Apple would make it possible to edit and sync these things from your desktop- thus the new framework. Sure, I can do all that from my iPhone, but do I really want to enter and tweak 300 address book entries on such a small device?

Obviously, this is just idle postulation, but I'd be surprised if something like this didn't get announced before the release of the iPhone later this month.

Mystery Solved? 10.4.10, Yahoo!, and the iPhone originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 21 Jun 2007 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TUAW Review: Higher Ground Shuttle

Dan Lurie — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 21:30:00 EST

As a bag geek, I'm always excited to see something new and novel kinds of cases. While walking around the show floor at Macworld back in January, I was delighted to come across something I've been looking for as long as I can remember- a soft sleeve with rigid protection. The case in question turned out to be the Shuttle from Higher Ground, and I've had the chance to use and review it for the past month or so.

Continue reading TUAW Review: Higher Ground Shuttle

TUAW Review: Higher Ground Shuttle originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 18 Jun 2007 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple Design Awards 2007

Dan Lurie — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 00:50:00 EST

Apple has announced the winners of the 2007 Apple Design Awards, and as always, the winners are a selection of the very best of OS X applications. While a good deal of the winning developers tonight received their second or even third award, it's nice to see a bunch of smaller and lesser known first time winners mixed in.

Results after the jump.

Continue reading Apple Design Awards 2007

Apple Design Awards 2007 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 13 Jun 2007 00:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WWDC Party: The Delicious Generation

Dan Lurie — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 10:00:00 EST

Those crazy kids behind MacHeist and My Dream App are at it again, this time bringing you a night of drinks, demos, and developers. The Delicious Generation party will feature live demos of upcoming software from prominent Mac developers including Austin Sarner of AppZapper and the Pixelmator team. Mac Media and Developers get in for free, and a select few of us unwashed masses will be admitted to mingle amongst the Mac digerati. For those who don't make it in, there will be a live screencast of the demos, as well as archives of the video for those of you who have more important things to do on the night of the 13th.

Scott and Victor will be there representing TUAW, and maybe even giving away some schwag. Party on!

[via Phill Ryu]

WWDC Party: The Delicious Generation originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 08 Jun 2007 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One MacBook, Well Done

Dan Lurie — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 21:00:00 EST

We've seen scorched Macs before, but nothing quite like this. After a devastating fire at their Boulder home last week, Gwen and Paul returned to find their formerly sleek white MacBook decidedly crispier.

From all of us at TUAW, here's hoping that they get back on their feet fast and back to doing whatever they do best.

[via Wandering Stan]

One MacBook, Well Done originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 07 Jun 2007 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Omni Group Unleashes OmniFocus Pre-Release

Dan Lurie — Tue, 15 May 2007 00:30:00 EST

Many of us have been eagerly waiting to get our hands on a copy of OmniFocus, and it looks like that magical moment is finally here! Starting today, The Omni Group began sending out invites on a first-come-first-serve basis starting with users who signed up for the OmniFocus mailing list early on. For those of you who haven't yet had anything hit your mailbox, know that patience is a virtue, and that you'll get your turn in the next few days. The sneak-peek is only available to people on the mailing list, so if you haven't yet signed up, do so now.

Omni Group Unleashes OmniFocus Pre-Release originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 15 May 2007 00:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Insanely Great Tees Announces iPhone Ad Contest

Dan Lurie — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 22:00:00 EST

As hinted at in David's post last week, Insanely Great Tees is holding a contest for which the grand prize is a shiny new iPhone. The details of the contest, released today, lay out a process by which entrants submit a funny 30-second iPhone ad which includes the phrase "I'm an iPhone." Readers can the vote on the entries and eventually choose a winner, who will be given a $500 gift card to the Apple Store in-leiu of the actual device, which obviously isn't out yet. The deadline for entry is 11:59PM on May 7th, so all you amateur directors and actors better get cracking. Good luck, and break a leg! (Better than breaking an iPhone, eh?)

[via Amit Gupta]

Insanely Great Tees Announces iPhone Ad Contest originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 26 Apr 2007 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Quicksilver Trigger, Strip Clipboard Formatting

Dan Lurie — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 18:30:00 EST

Sometimes even the best intentions of developers can't account for user preference, and after speaking with many other Mac users, this certainly seems to be the case with OS X's habitual tendency to preserve the formatting of text copied to the clipboard. For example:

I copy text from OmniWeb:

Pasted text before running the trigger:

Pasted text after running the trigger:

Quicksilver maven Dan Dickinson has figured out a sneaky way to strip out this formatting, and has turned the method into a handy Trigger. The trick works by pasting the contents of the clipboard into a terminal shell (where it loses all formatting), and then re-copying the text to the clipboard. For the trigger to work, you must have the Terminal Plugin installed. A full how-to is available on Dan's website.

Quicksilver Trigger, Strip Clipboard Formatting originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 25 Apr 2007 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Transmisison 0.71 Fixes Announce Issue

Dan Lurie — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 15:00:00 EST

One of the things I love about OS X is the fact that for pretty much any conceivable task, there are multiple applications to choose from with which to do it. Unfortunately, this hasn't really been the case when it comes to BitTorrent clients. Yes, there may have been multiple native clients out there, but only two of them were really any good- BitRocket and Transmission- and for the longest time, Transmission was banned on many private torrent trackers. This left only BitRocket, a client lacking some key features such as the ability to view and set upload/download ratios. Until Today.

Transmission 0.71 fixes the much hated multiple-announce bug which caused it's banning by many trackers. The new version also includes some other small bug fixes and interface updates. Transmission is Open Source and available as a free download.

Goodbye BitRocket!

[via CrunchGear]

Transmisison 0.71 Fixes Announce Issue originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 24 Apr 2007 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Schoolhouse 2

Dan Lurie — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 17:00:00 EST

School is a lot of work as it is without having to worry about how you're going to remember that you have an essay due next Monday for your Sub-Aquatic Fiber Arts class. Some people swear by the tried-and-true paper notebook, while others can't cope without their fancy PDA. While there are a few software options for those hardcore geeks (like me) who take their computers everywhere with them (including class), Schoolhouse is far-and-away my personal favorite. In addition to an almost totally redesigned interface, version 2 introduces some really handy new features including the ability to attach files to assignments, sub-tasks for multi-step assignments such as research papers, and a way to store all your class notes directly inside Schoolhouse. Schoolhouse is available as a free download- all the developer asks is if you enjoy and use the software, that you consider donating (unfortunately, the donate link is currently down).

[via Lifehacker]

Schoolhouse 2 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 04 Apr 2007 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ars: 'Leopard will be late'

Dan Lurie — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 16:30:00 EST

Everyone seems to have that "reliable inside source" feeding them tasty morsels of information about possible release dates for Leopard. For most other rumors, these disparate (and in most cases non-existent) sources would all be saying wildly different things. It gives credence then to both the validity of the tipsters and their rumors these days that they all seem to be saying the same thing; Leopard will be late- at least relative to earlier estimates of when we'd see it.

Infinite Loop over at ArsTechnica breaks down some of the logic behind these new predictions of a later (can you say WWDC?) release, including an analysis of the normal ramp-up to Gold Master production and where Apple seems to be in the process on this cycle. According to one Ars tipster, current builds are "Barely beta."

Ars: 'Leopard will be late' originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 22 Mar 2007 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jobs Using iPhone Already?

Dan Lurie — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 18:00:00 EST

Could Steve Jobs already be using the iPhone as his personal mobile device? Flickr user thane seems to think so after seeing our favorite tech executive at his kids' soccer game over the weekend. Jobs was apparently holding a device with the same form factor as the iPhone, and was using his finger to navigate and make calls. This of course is all still rumor, and I'm not even sure if this sort of thing would be legal if the phone hasn't yet been approved by the FCC.

If it really was an iPhone, then why wasn't Steve using the bluetooth capability instead of the ungainly wired earpiece?

[via Cult of Mac]

Jobs Using iPhone Already? originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 07 Mar 2007 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple Store Marina, San Francisco Details Emerge

Dan Lurie — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 11:00:00 EST

Valleywag is reporting that the trendy-yuppified Marina district on the north end of San Francisco will soon be graced with what will be the third Apple Store in the already high-tech city. The store will replace the Walgreens at 2102 Chestnut (there's another 24 hour location 2 blocks away), a block down from Peet's, and neighboring the Gap. The location will be 6,600 square feet, and is being designed by the same architects (Bohlin Cywinski Jackson) who designed the 5th Avenue cube. A plan for the exterior of the structure will be presented to the city planning commission on March 22nd.

Say what you will about the Marina (and those who frequent it!), it's about to get a lot more interesting.

Apple Store Marina, San Francisco Details Emerge originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 02 Mar 2007 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Clipboard Killer

Dan Lurie — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 10:00:00 EST

We've all been there- intending to paste a link to that hot new social network but instead exposing your social security number. Indeed, the clipboard can be a fickle and unforgiving mistress. After an unfortunate incident last night (which he won't elaborate on), my buddy Emory decided to pull out of the dangerous game of clipboard copy/paste. He whipped up a neat little AppleScript by the name of Clipboard Killer which will wipe the contents of your clipboard every 25 seconds and replaces it with ...

For those readers new to AppleScript, it's easy to turn this into a background application that you can set to launch on login. Simply open Script Editor (found in your Applications folder), copy and paste the code, and save the script as an application.

Clipboard Killer originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 02 Mar 2007 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fire.app Closes Shop

Dan Lurie — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 15:00:00 EST

After almost 8 years in production, the open-source instant messaging application Fire has come to an end. Pre-dating even iChat, Fire was the first multi-protocol client on the platform, and has long had a dedicated user base. The loss of multiple key members of the development team and a reliance on legacy frameworks which were no longer being updated caused key members of the development team to reconsider their future plans and cease active development. Fortunately for fans of the software, two of Fire's developers have joined the Adium team, and the two applications are already integrating features. Users switching from Fire to Adium can choose to have all of their contacts, logs, away messages, and groups transferred to the new software.

Fire.app Closes Shop originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 25 Feb 2007 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hang Your Mac - Sonnet MacCuff Pro

Dan Lurie — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 18:30:00 EST

It's common knowledge that Mac Pro is one of the most powerful pre-configured desktop computers out there, but who knew it was hung? With a little help from Sonnet Technologies, your Mac Pro or PowerMac G5 can hang elegantly from under your desk instead of taking up valuable floor real estate. The MacCuff Pro is made of solid steel and retails for a pricey $129.

While the idea of hanging a tower is cute, I'd be cautious to try it on anything but the sturdiest desks, and definitely only those made of solid wood instead of particle board.

[via CrunchGear]

Hang Your Mac - Sonnet MacCuff Pro originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 21 Feb 2007 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Don't Be A Sucker- Rumor Mill Cheat-sheet

Dan Lurie — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 12:00:00 EST

I've been covering Mac news for over two-and-a-half years, and I've been keeping a close eye on the rumor mill for at least twice that long. While I'm certainly not the most experienced reporter in the field- especially when compared to some industry veterans, I have a pretty good grasp on how to stay sane in a system which is constantly throwing information at me.

Recently, especially the past 6 months or so, I've noticed a dramatic increase in the number of sites purporting to have solid information about upcoming announcements. Naturally, most of the rumors turn out to be false. What surprises me though is how many of the big-name experienced news sites pick up on these stories. It's obviously impossible to fact-check a rumor, but that doesn't mean one can't carefully examine a story before hitting the publish button. These are a few of the things I consider before deciding whether to put my faith in and publish a rumor:

Common Sense - Does the info sound too good to be true? If it does, it probably is.
Strategy - How well does the information jive with Apple's current product-line and business strategy?
History - Has Apple done anything like this in the past? Have we heard previous rumors about this?
Detail - How much detail does the story provide? Am I presented with hard data, or just broad generalizations.
Source - Does the site say where they got the information, or does it just seem to have appeared out-of-the-blue?
Site - This is the most important factor. Is this the first time this site has published this kind of information? If not, how reliable have they been in the past? Are they big enough to be the site-of-choice for would-be tipsters? Look for the original source of the information, not just who is re-reporting it.

These six simple criterion can make weeding through the rumor cruft tremendously more easy, and has the added bonus of making you sound smarter when you discuss the information with others.

Keep your wits about you, and happy rumor-mongering!

Don't Be A Sucker- Rumor Mill Cheat-sheet originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 19 Feb 2007 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 1.0 now available

Dan Lurie — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 10:30:00 EST

It is mid-February, and you know what that means: Adobe today announced the immediate availability of it's competitor to Apple's Aperture, Photoshop Lightroom. Version 1.0 includes the updated Camera Raw 3.7 framework which adds support for a number of new cameras including the Nikon D40 and Pentax K10D. Lightroom is available at a special discounted introductory price of $200 until the 30th of April, after which the price will increase to $300. Current users of the Lightroom beta can continue using the software until the 28th of this month.

I've been using Lightroom since I picked up a Pentax K100D back in December, and I absolutely adore it. The interface is beautiful, it runs pretty darn well on my aging PowerBook, and it seamlessly integrates with Photoshop CS2. Now I just have to figure out how to work the automated processing features and I'll be golden... once I find the cash to pay for the full version.

[via MacNN]

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 1.0 now available originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 19 Feb 2007 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iChat 4.0 Voicemail

Dan Lurie — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 08:00:00 EST

A trusted source has provided TUAW with a screen-capture of an iChat 4.0 preference pane which hints at an as-yet-unannounced new feature- voicemail. Such a feature would round out the programs VoIP offerings and create a more complete communication experience for users.

Now if only iChat could integrate with Skype and SIP, I wouldn't need a phone at all!

Update: Can it be exclusive if Mac Rumors covered it in Dec? Ah well, here's hope we both don't get matching nastygrams from Apple legal (hey, we love your work!).

iChat 4.0 Voicemail originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 15 Feb 2007 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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An Open Letter From Yellow to Apple

Dan Lurie — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 14:00:00 EST

Apple has historically been - and to a certain point sill is - a pretty darn colorful company. True, Jobs and Ive seem to prefer to stick to grayscale for their flagship products (iMac, iPod, MacPro, MacBook/Pro, mini, etc), there is always a dash of color to be found somewhere in the Apple product lineup. All of the colors in the old logo (plus some extras) have graced the outside of at least one Apple device; all, that is, except for Yellow.

As one would expect, Yellow isn't too thrilled that he's been left out of all of the fun, even if there were good reasons for doing so. As a way of expressing his distaste with the way things have been going, Yellow has published an open letter to Apple in which it makes arguments not only for itself being used in upcoming products, but a few of it's chromatic friends as well.

An Open Letter From Yellow to Apple originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 11 Feb 2007 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Beta Beat: Cha-Ching 0.5.1

Dan Lurie — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 13:00:00 EST

Cha-Ching is a fantastic app, one of the very best out there for simply and elegantly managing your money on the Mac. I use it all the time! Erm... well, I would use it all the time, if I had any money to manage. No reason you can't enjoy manipulating your money with this great app though!

Version 0.5.1 brings mostly bug fixes, but bug fixes are important in beta apps, where a single bug sometimes mean a broken feature. Fixes include:

.Mac uploading issues.
Startup crash when iPod is connected.
Interface bugs.
QIF importing.

The developers are saying that 0.6 will include some big new features and larger updates, but aren't giving specifics.

Beta Beat: Cha-Ching 0.5.1 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 08 Feb 2007 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: How to Install Windows Vista

Dan Lurie — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 17:00:00 EST

Just a quick little video to brighten up your dull Monday- Anthony Cumia from the Opie & Anthony Show demonstrates the correct method to ensure a successful Windows Vista installation.

[via CrunchGear]

Video: How to Install Windows Vista originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 05 Feb 2007 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big News: Adium Hits the Big 1.0

Dan Lurie — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 17:30:00 EST

After 4 years of hard work by almost 30 volunteers, instant messaging application Adium has finally reached version 1.0. The most significant update to the program in over a year and a half, the update brings with it a slew of new features, bug fixes, and added functionality. I've been using the 1.0 since it hit beta on July 4th of last year, and it is truly a treat to interact with. As for the new features, here's the shortlist:

Working Direct Connect and file transfer.
Global user profile and buddy icon.
Xtras manager.
Completely overhauled interface and icons.
Redesigned log viewer.
Major privacy enhancements.
Full changelog here.

Adium is open-source and available as a free download.

Big News: Adium Hits the Big 1.0 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 02 Feb 2007 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iConcertCal

Dan Lurie — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 10:00:00 EST

I'm normally not a huge fan of iTunes plugins- I was scarred on the whole idea of media player plugins back in my Windows days, but iConcertCal might just get me to re-evaluate that opinion. The free plugin scans the artists in your music library and presents you with a calendar of upcoming concerts in your city by those performers.

Unfortunately I haven't been able to get iConcertCal to work perfectly on my machine- the calendar only fills the bottom-left 2/3 of my iTunes window, the calendar over-flows the bounds of the visualizer area a bit, and there is something wrong with the mouse rollovers that causes me to have to mouse about an inch above the item I want to see information about. Your results may vary.

Technical note: Now I'm no programmer or expert on the intricacies of iTunes plugins, but it seems to me that having a plugin that essentially uses the visualizer as a browser is a bit of a hack.

[via Josh Spear]

iConcertCal originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 01 Feb 2007 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tip: Quicksilver Without the Enter Key

Dan Lurie — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 06:00:00 EST

Hawk Wings links us to a thread on the Quicksilver forums regarding a neat little tip for the application no OS X power user can live without. You're probably familiar with the standard Quicksilver workflow for launching an application- Hit Quicksilver key-combo, type the first few letters of the application name, and hit Enter. Pretty darn simple if I do say so myself- yet this tip dares to make the entire process even simpler!

Instead of going to all the hard work of pressing Enter, simply hold down the key corresponding to the first letter of the application you want, and Quicksilver will open it. ~~Unfortunately this tip only works if you have Quicksilver to display your desired application as the first result when searching with only the one letter.~~

Now all I have to do is figure out how I'm going to exercise my pinky to make up for all the keystrokes this will save.

Update: Matt points out that this works if you need to type more than one letter, just hold the last letter. So for OmniWeb I'd type o-m-n-i-w, and hold W.

Tip: Quicksilver Without the Enter Key originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 01 Feb 2007 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone Will Not Allow User Installable Applications

Dan Lurie — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 22:00:00 EST

While I was back taking pictures of the iPhone for a second time, I got chatting with one of the security/information attendants guarding the device from our grubby little fingers. The impression I got from the information coming out of the keynote was that the device would feature a full install of Mac OS X, and would run any and all desktop-based applications, as indicated by Apple asserting that the device "Runs OS X." You can imagine my surprise when while talking to the booth attendant I was informed that users will not actually be able to install any applications. This is a point of utter confusion with me. Why would Apple refer to the software running on the device as "OS X," when in reality, it will be running the long rumored stripped-down version of the operating system.

The inability for users to install additional applications of their choosing certainly makes me think again about my intentions to purchase the device. While the iPhone is certainly revolutionary and exciting, why should I buy it if I won't be able to install additional applications such as a terminal/IRC client or Skype, as I would do with competing devices such as the Palm Treo.

It has been suggested by some that the inclusion of Widgets in the device would allow this kind of expandability, but it doesn't make much sense to me to try and fit full-fledged applications into something designed to hold a few lines of JavaScript.

iPhone Will Not Allow User Installable Applications originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 09 Jan 2007 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone: Up Close and Personal Gallery

Dan Lurie — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 20:19:00 EST

I was able to sneak back through the crowd and grab a few more pictures of the new iPhone, including detailed shots of the innovative interface. This is about as close as we're going to get to the device until launch.

iPhone: Up Close and Personal Gallery originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 09 Jan 2007 20:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ModBook Unveiling Gallery: First Looks

Dan Lurie — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 20:00:00 EST

OWC this afternoon unveiled its answer to a Macintosh tablet. Going by the moniker of ModBook, the device was specially engineered by OWC and Axitron (a company created just for this purpose). When all is said and done, the ModBook is essentially a MacBook with a Wacom Graphire digitizing tablet built over the screen, a few select shareware titles to better the tablet experience, and for some reason foreign to this blogger, integrated GPS. The ModBook is available in multiple configurations starting at a special Macworld Expo discount of US$2199.

Check out the gallery for more pics.

ModBook Unveiling Gallery: First Looks originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 09 Jan 2007 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Software Not Addressed In Macworld Keynote

Dan Lurie — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 14:47:00 EST

Today was certainly exciting day for everyone following the Macworld Expo. The announcement of the iPhone and the Apple TV, the latter more so than the former, certainly blew this blogger away. The one category of products expected by almost everyone, but missing from the keynote, was Apple's lineup of software, including the iLife suite and Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. This begs the question about what Apple's plans are for the perennial update to the software suites, and when they plan to announce the release date and feature set for Leopard.

Software Not Addressed In Macworld Keynote originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 09 Jan 2007 14:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone Announced at Macworld Expo 2007

Dan Lurie — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 14:00:00 EST

Steve Jobs just dropped a bombshell on the audience attending his Macworld Keynote Address. Jobs at first announced the product as three separate products; a widescreen video iPod, a phone, and a mobile internet communicator. This was exciting enough, but I'm sure I'm not the only person who was a bit disappointed to think about carrying three devices. According to Laurie who is listening to the feed from the expo floor, the crowd went absolutely wild at this announcement.

The iPhone will use a revolutionary interface called MultiTouch, first seen in Apple patent filings over a year ago. The iPhone will run a mobile version of OS X, and will be capable of running applications.

The Nitty Gritty:

Single front button.
3.5 inch widescreen display featuring the highest pixel density ever shipped in a portable device.
2 megapixel camera.
iPod dock.
Proximity sensor which switches between modes and screen orientation based on how a user holds it.
11.6 mm thick.
Syncs with iTunes
GSM/EDGE
Wi-Fi
Bluetooth
Cingular only.
Visual voicemail - shows a list of your voicemails like you see a list of emails.
Error correcting on-screen keyboard.
Gestural interface
Mail.
Safari.
Google Maps.
Widgets.
Switches seamlessly between EDGE and Wi-Fi for data connections (not voice).
Free Yahoo! IMAP email to all iPhone customs.
GPS
5 hour video battery life.
16 hour audio battery life.

The 4GB costs $499 and the 8GB $599 (includes a 2 year contract). It is shipping in June.

[Photo via Engadget]

iPhone Announced at Macworld Expo 2007 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 09 Jan 2007 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Greenpeace Greens Apple Store San Francisco

Dan Lurie — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 05:00:00 EST

Greenpeace today, as part of its GreenMyApple.org initiative, "greened" Apple's flagship San Francisco retail store to raise awareness of toxic substances present in electronics manufactured and sold by the Cupertino, CA company. Greenpeace members handed our flyers while a large-scale projector was set to RGB 0,255,0 and pointed at the iconic glowing Apple on the stores facade. This TUAW reporter was there, camera ready, to document the dramatic display. Click through to the gallery.

Greenpeace Greens Apple Store San Francisco originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 09 Jan 2007 05:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OmniFocus Sneak Preview

Dan Lurie — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 02:00:00 EST

OmniGroup today hosted a special event at the flagship Apple store in San Francisco to give users a sneak peak into their upcoming GTD productivity software OmniFocus. TUAW was there and brings you this special bulleted report!

OmniFocus, unlike its predecessor KinklessGTD will feature an instant data propagation across the app, thus doing away with the need for a "sync button," and ensuring your data is always where you expect it to be.
OmniFocus will have a simpler and more streamlined interface than OmniOutliner, on which KGTD was built.
Users will be able to view multiple or individual projects and contexts in either a single window or multiple separate windows.
OmniFocus will support existing KGTD QuickSilver inbox-entry actions.
OmniFocus will also feature a standalone proprietary quick-entry method via keystroke, similar to Yojimbo.
Future versions will support user definable smart folders.
The first version of OmniFocus will not require 10.5 Leopard, but all following versions will due to the use of Leopard only technologies.
Like KGTD, OmniFocus will support syncing with portable devices through iCal.
OmniFocus will be fully applescriptable.
Future versions will support integration with OmniPlan.
Future versions will support universal action creation from other applications (such as turning an email message or iCal to-do into an action).
Future versions will support attaching or tying of files to actions and projects.
OmniGroup is planning to release OmniFocus within the next few months.

OmniFocus Sneak Preview originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 09 Jan 2007 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Macworld IRC Backchannel

Dan Lurie — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 14:45:00 EST

Backchannel, noun
The practice of using networked computers to maintain a real-time online conversation alongside live spoken remarks.

In other words, a backchannel is a conference specific chat-room which provides a virtual round-table at which conference attendees can chat and make snarky comments. In my experience, the backchannel is often one of the most enjoyable parts of any given tech conference. Additionally, for those unable to attend a conference, the backchannel provides a digital analogue to actually being there which allows users to get a feel for whats going on, even if thousands of miles away.

For this year's Macworld, Chris Forsythe of Adium and Perian fame has set up a dedicated IRC backchannel on the freenode network. Whether you're here at the conference, or stuck at home at your computer, I invite you to open up your IRC client of choice and join the conversation.

/server irc.freenode.org
/join #mwsf2007

Macworld IRC Backchannel originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 08 Jan 2007 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mark Your Calendar: Mac Mashpit Thursday Afternoon

Dan Lurie — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 12:00:00 EST

Blake Burris from CocoaRadio has picked up the MashPit torch and organized a little get-together for any and all Mac geeks and greek-etes who will be in San Francisco this Thursday. If you're not familiar with the concept of a Mash Pit, it's traditionally a chance for geeks and hackers to get together and work on a few interesting code projects, but the idea has long ago been co-opted into an excuse for food, drink, and casual socializing.

So if you're in the area Thursday afternoon (12 till 4) come on down to South Park and join in the fun. Admission is free, and so is the pizza (if you get there early enough).

Mark Your Calendar: Mac Mashpit Thursday Afternoon originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 08 Jan 2007 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Beta Beat: TwitterPost

Dan Lurie — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 09:00:00 EST

Maury McCown over at RAILhead design, one of my favorite sources for custom icons, has just released a piece of companion software to my very internet addiction du jour, Twitter. If you haven't heard of Twitter, it's a real-time presence sharing site that allows users to quickly and easily tell their friends what they're up to.

TwitterPost allows you to update your Twitter status and view the status of your friends without having to keep Twitter open in your browser. While, ideally, I'm looking for a Dashboard solution for my Twitter needs, TwitterPost will certainly be enough to hold me over until a stable Widget is released. TwitterPost is available as a free download.

Beta Beat: TwitterPost originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 05 Jan 2007 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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