The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) http://www.tuaw.com The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/feedlogo.gif The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) http://www.tuaw.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Get your thinking caps on, MacHeist is back]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/04/get-your-thinking-caps-on-macheist-4-is-about-to-begin/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/04/get-your-thinking-caps-on-macheist-4-is-about-to-begin/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/04/get-your-thinking-caps-on-macheist-4-is-about-to-begin/#commentsFiled under: ,

Software bundles seem to be all the rage nowadays, but in my humble opinion, MacHeist is still the best. It doesn't just lump a bunch of apps together for special price, but instead, it turns getting a discount into a game.

As a recent Mac switcher, I was utterly confused by MacHeist 3, the first edition in which I participated. Someone told me to check out the MacHeist bundle, so I went to the web site to see what applications it contained. But the site didn't tell me. It soon became clear that I was going to have to work for my software!

The whole idea, if you're not familiar with MacHeist, is that you need to complete a series of challenges, labeled "heists," in order to get free software. Yes, free. As in what lunches aren't. And the software isn't anything to sneeze at (neither are lunches, by the way), as there are always some real gems to be found.

UPDATE: We took the 4 from the title as it is currently unknown whether this is actually MacHeist 4 or an early bundle offer.

Continue reading Get your thinking caps on, MacHeist is back

TUAWGet your thinking caps on, MacHeist is back originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bundlediscountfreefree softwareFreeSoftwareMacHeistMacHeist 4Macheist4MacUpdatemarketingsoftwaresoftware bundleSoftwareBundleSwitcherThe Mac SaleTheMacSaleWed, 04 Nov 2009 07:45:00 EST<![CDATA[Mouse steals cheese, iPhone 3.1 jailbreak released]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/15/mouse-steals-cheese-iphone-3-1-jailbreak-released/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/15/mouse-steals-cheese-iphone-3-1-jailbreak-released/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/15/mouse-steals-cheese-iphone-3-1-jailbreak-released/#commentsFiled under: , ,

The legendary Dev-Team has done it again. It just released the new version of the Pwnage Tool, a desktop application that's used to create custom firmware packages to jailbreak iPhones and iPod touches.

Jailbreaking is the act of modifying the official firmware in order to run applications not approved by Apple. Chief among those applications, at least for the iPhone crowd, is the SIM unlock that allows the phone to be used on unofficial cell phone service providers.

The Dev-Team has found holes in previous versions of the iPhone OS that allow this code modification and has developed tools to make exploitation easier for the average user to accomplish. Once implemented, the jailbreak process installs an app that acts an unofficial App Store of sorts. The iPhone or iPod touch user can browse and install games, utilities, themes, and general applications. Cydia, one of these installer apps, even has a store with applications for sale.

Traditionally, when Apple releases a new iPhone OS version, that software upgrade breaks any jailbreak and SIM unlock present on the device. And so, you end up with the cat-and-mouse game that Steve Jobs alluded to shortly after the first firmware loophole was exploited and the original iPhone was unlocked.

Well, the mouse has stolen the cheese once again, and the Pwnage Tool released today will jailbreak the latest firmware, version 3.1.*

The big asterisk at the end of that previous sentence is that the Tool will only work on about half of the devices that use the iPhone OS -- only the original iPhone, original iPod touch, and iPhone 3G. The iPod touch line just released, as well as the 2nd generation iPod touch and the iPhone 3GS, cannot be jailbroken at this time. That means if you've already upgraded to 3.1 on your 3GS, you still won't be able to SIM unlock it as of the time of this post.

So, if you want to SIM unlock your iPhone 3G or the original model, Pwnage Tool 3.1 should do the trick. On the 3G, you'll need to use Icy or Cydia to also install the ultrasn0w app that actually performs the software unlock; however the original iPhone should be unlocked without this additional step.

You will need a Mac to run Pwnage Tool 3.1, but a Windows version is expected in the near future. Also expected soon is redsn0w, for both Mac and Windows, that further simplifies the jailbreak process by avoiding the need to create a custom firmware package.

Keep in mind, if you've been waiting for a jailbreak solution before upgrading to the latest firmware, many users have had fairly substantial issues with iPhone 3.1. My fellow TUAW blogger, Josh Carr, has reported that lots of iPhones and iPod touches are working poorly after upgrading. You may wish to hold off and stick with 3.0 or 3.0.1 until a solution is found, either by Apple or some other group of smart people.

But, if you're so inclined, you may find links to download Pwnage Tool 3.1 on the Dev-Team's official blog. Make sure to read the instructions thoroughly, and take heed of all of the warnings. They are there for a reason.

TUAWMouse steals cheese, iPhone 3.1 jailbreak released originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cydiadev-teamicyiphoneiphone 3giphone 3gsiphone osIphone3gIphone3gsIphoneOsipod touchipod touch 2gipod touch 3gIpodTouchIpodTouch2gIpodTouch3gjailbreakpwnagepwnage toolPwnageToolSIM unlockSimUnlockunlockTue, 15 Sep 2009 23:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Think different? You bet I do!]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/09/think-different-you-bet-i-do/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/09/think-different-you-bet-i-do/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/09/think-different-you-bet-i-do/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

It's a common theory that Apple is a "hardware company" not a "software company." What does that mean? Doesn't it actually sell both?

The idea is that Apple uses software to push more hardware sales. If Apple was a software company, you wouldn't see the fantastic and very useful iLife bundle of applications included for free on every new Mac, including the el-cheapo Mini. Instead, they might decide to charge $99 for it, or worse, break it up into pieces and distribute it as separate packages, each with its own price.

Snow Leopard's price also seems to support this theory, especially when contrasted to Microsoft's pricing model. Any "dot-oh" operating system upgrade priced at $29 is simply amazing. And given the fact that you can upgrade a whole home or small office full of Macs for less than the price of an Xbox 360 game...well, that's just a special kind of awesome. The main OS competitor, however, has graciously offered its upgrade, similar in "just fixing stuff and making it run better" nature to Apple's update, at the low, low price of $129. Ouch! At least you can save a substantial amount by buying Microsoft's family pack at a tick under 150 bucks, but that discount will only get you three copies instead of Apple's five. And it's still three times the price of Snow Leopard's bundle!

But I realized something interesting about the whole "hardware company vs. software company" argument. As a Mac convert, I've noticed that I think quite a bit less about the hardware than I do the software. In the PC world I still live in, we talk about processor benchmarks, motherboard options, frontside bus speeds, and other Ambien replacements. However, when I talk Mac, I'm often concerned much more with the software it's running, what OS version is installed, and where I can find a free app to do what I need.

Continue reading Think different? You bet I do!

TUAWThink different? You bet I do! originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>appleilifemac minimac os xMacMiniMacOsXmicrosoftoperating systemsOperatingSystemsopinionpcregistrysnow leopardSnowLeopardwindows 7Windows7Wed, 09 Sep 2009 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[What new goodies await us on the 9th?]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/31/what-new-goodies-await-us-on-the-9th/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/31/what-new-goodies-await-us-on-the-9th/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/31/what-new-goodies-await-us-on-the-9th/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

So, Apple has confirmed that there will indeed be an event next Wednesday, September 9th. The image on the invitations indicates iPods, or at least "music", will be the focus of the shindig.

Will we see new iPods with cameras? How about iTunes 9 with some whiz-bang new social networking features? And what about that bright yellow underwater elephant in the room?

While the date is almost too tasty to pass up, I can't imagine (pun intended) that The Beatles will even be mentioned during the event. Why? The slogan the iPod silhouette girl is rockin' to is "It's only rock and roll, but I like it." Now, I'm a little younger than the relevant time period, but I've heard that neither The Rolling Stones nor The Fab Four would be thrilled with the mix up.

So, what do you think? What kind of magic are we likely to see next week?

View Poll

TUAWWhat new goodies await us on the 9th? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ipoditunesmusicpollpress eventPressEventsocial networkingSocialNetworkingMon, 31 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Snow Leopard: Find what you're looking for]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/29/snow-leopard-find-what-youre-looking-for/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/29/snow-leopard-find-what-youre-looking-for/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/29/snow-leopard-find-what-youre-looking-for/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

One of the little frustrations in my everyday use of Leopard was the way it searched in folders. When in a Finder window, there was a handy-looking search box in the upper right-hand corner. I would place the cursor, type my query, and be annoyed by the fact that OS X searched my entire Mac.

Nooo. If I wanted to search the whole thing, I would have asked to search the whole thing.

Thank goodness Snow Leopard fixes this minor workflow speed bump. Now you can choose what you'd like to use as a default: Search This Mac or Search the Current Folder. You can even say "I'll have another" by choosing to Use the Previous Search Scope.

Unfortunately the default out-of-the-box action is still set to look everywhere on your Mac. But don't worry, it's easy to change.
  1. Make sure Finder is your active app (either click on the Finder icon in the dock, click the desktop or a visible Finder window, or cmd-Tab to switch to the Finder).
  2. Choose Preferences in the Finder menu. Or you can just use the Command-comma key combo to invoke Preferences.
  3. In Finder Preferences, click on the Advanced tab.
  4. Choose your desired search scope from the drop-down menu under the heading "When performing a search."
  5. Close the Preferences and enjoy a search or two.
That's it. Just one example of the many little changes in Snow Leopard that make life with the OS easier and more efficient. I hope you find what you're looking for!

TUAWSnow Leopard: Find what you're looking for originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 29 Aug 2009 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After years of being thrown table scraps in the way of a few bucks off the price of Windows for the "upgrade" versions, I happily paid the $49 for my Family Pack of Snow Leopard earlier this week.

Sure, there are a few people that say things like "Why should I have to pay Apple to fix the mistakes they made in Leopard?" On some level, that might be a valid argument, but let's set that aside because there's a better point to be made.

The handful of new features in Snow Leopard are well worth the price Apple is asking. Included are most of the QuickTime Pro features, text substitution, more expansive Spotlight integration, Expose in the Dock (sounds like a band name... hehe), and a host of other little improvements. Some of these can be added today via third-party apps, but those apps (*gasp*) cost money. Bundle all of those up, and $30 for the whole slew of apps would be a sweet deal in and of itself. I know I would spend half that just to get the new slider in Finder windows that changes the size of thumbnail previews!

Heck, the reported speed improvements make the shipped price of $29 per machine price (which, remember, drops to below $10 with a Family Pack) a bargain. Even if the overall increase turns out to be low, say 5% or so, the price of the OS upgrade turns out to be a good deal. Where else are you going to spend so little money for such a similar boost in speed and snappiness?

And remember, that $49 lets me upgrade five Macs, not just the one PC I can update to Windows 7 for over two and half times the price! (Microsoft is asking $129 for the Windows Home Premium Upgrade.) A friend of mine was excited to find out that he only needed to spend $150 to upgrade his three Vista machines to Windows 7, using Microsoft's family pack. I understand his enthusiasm: I'd gladly pay $150 to get rid of Vista, too!

Seriously, Apple did a very smart thing when it priced Snow Leopard below the cost of a typical family visit to the movies. If it would have asked the normal going rate of $129, I would probably have still upgraded, but I, along with millions of other users, would not have been happy about it.

Keeping the iPhone 3G around at $99, lowering the prices on new Macs, and now the awesome deal on Snow Leopard... I think Apple may, just may, be "getting it" when it comes to pricing lately.

TUAWSnow Leopard: The price is right! originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>operating systemOperatingSystemopinionpricesnow leopardSnowLeopardwindows 7Windows7Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:15:00 EST<![CDATA[iPhone 101: Don't forget to wipe... your iPhone's data]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/23/dont-forget-to-wipe-your-iphones-data/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/23/dont-forget-to-wipe-your-iphones-data/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/23/dont-forget-to-wipe-your-iphones-data/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Stepping up to a shiny new 3GS? Thinking about selling your old iPhone on eBay or craigslist? Don't forget to wipe!

I buy iPhones from time to time to unlock and offer to our local customers. One such phone arrived today and I eagerly opened the box to get things prepared. After charging the dead iPhone for a while, I powered it on and was greeted with tons of personal information about the previous owner.

The phone was loaded up with three accounts full of literally thousands of emails, 107 contacts, 974 songs, a few dozen photos and a handful of apps -- all still happily filling the 8GB. There were faxed checks related to the previous owner's sales position, visual voicemails available to anyone's ears, and a huge log full of text messages.

The previous owner hadn't deleted anything before sending his iPhone off to a complete stranger! While I was taking care of that important step for him, I thought "This is a perfect opportunity to save some TUAW readers from this sort of embarrassment, not to mention potential ID theft, with a quick reminder."

Clearing all of the data from your iPhone was made simple with the 2.0 firmware update last year.
  1. Go to Settings
  2. Tap on General
  3. Scroll all the way down and tap Reset
  4. Choose Erase All Content and Settings
  5. Confirm (twice) that you REALLY want to lose everything
Make sure you have it plugged in, as the process will take quite a long time, "about an hour" according to the warning. But, believe me, it is time well spent!

Once the process is complete, you'll be left with a "factory fresh" installation of the iPhone OS with no trace of you or your data, and you can safely sell it and upgrade to the latest and greatest model. Oh, and do me a favor -- if I'm the auction winner, include a working sync cable this time!

TUAWiPhone 101: Don't forget to wipe... your iPhone's data originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 23 Aug 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There's no shortage of Twitter apps in the App Store. Even more surprising is the number of GOOD apps that connect to the popular microblogging platform. I like each for a different reason: Tweetie has a clean user interface, TweetDeck offers multiple columns that sync with its desktop counterpart, and TwitterFon has ReadItLater integration. There are countless others that have unique features, and many of us end up with at least a couple on our iDevices.

But I have a new favorite, qTweeter, developed by the folks at Efiko Software. You won't find it in the App Store, though, because this app requires a jailbroken device. Multitasking isn't officially allowed (yet?) on the iPhone OS, yet qTweeter relies on this capability to perform its best trick.

Say you're checking the weather and want to tell everyone of the approaching hurricane. Normally, you would close your weather application, swipe through pages of apps, tap on and wait for your favorite Twitter client to open and load all of the tweets that you really don't care about right now, and finally type your warning to get the heck out of town. By the time you do all of that, the highway is going to be grid-locked with fleeing residents and you'll be stuck boarding up windows and sweeping up the debris!

Instead, you could have just "pulled" qTweeter down from the status bar, typed your tweet, and went back to the app still running in the background.

In fact, per the recent trend, you could have also posted that same message to your Facebook status with just a tap of a checkbox. It's a much quicker way to get your message out of your head and onto the Net, a fact that you'll appreciate as you get older and those thoughts become more fleeting.

Continue reading Quicker tweets with qTweeter

TUAWQuicker tweets with qTweeter originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 22 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple has just released a patch to the AirPort client to remedy the wireless performance problems stemming from the recent Mac OS X update to 10.5.8. Some users had been forced to downgrade or replace the wireless-specific kernel extensions to clear up the issues.

The update, weighing in at a svelte 1.4MB, purports to solve an issue found on certain MacBooks and MacBook Pros. Affected machines suffered from significantly slower wireless network speeds while operating on battery power.

Here's the official description from tonight's Airport Client Update for MacBooks and MacBook Pros, version 1.0:
This update is recommended for some Intel-based Macintosh computers running Mac OS X 10.5.8 and addresses an issue with AirPort performance while running on battery power. It may only be installed on:

MacBook (13-inch, Late 2007)
MacBook (13-inch, Early 2008)
MacBook (13-inch, Late 2008)

MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2008)

MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2008)
MacBook Pro (17-inch, Late 2008)
While I do own a potentially affected MacBook Pro, I did not experience the performance issues, so I can't vouch for the update's effectiveness.

Have you installed the patch and noticed an improvement (or not)?

TUAWApple issues patch to speed up Airport after troublesome 10.5.8 update originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>10.5.8airportleopardmacbookmacbook proMacbookProoperating systemOperatingSystemsoftware updateSoftwareUpdateupdateWed, 12 Aug 2009 00:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Best iPhone cellular plan... ever?]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/09/best-iphone-cellular-plan-ever/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/09/best-iphone-cellular-plan-ever/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/09/best-iphone-cellular-plan-ever/#commentsFiled under: ,

I like to joke that "Iowa is a great place to live, but I wouldn't want to visit." Residents often complain that there's nothing to do (other than milk cows and shuck corn). One can only stand so much antiquing.

But we do have a few things going for us: clean air, relatively light traffic, lots of space, and perhaps the best cell phone plan for the iPhone.

Recently, reader PC Drew, a US Marine living in Japan, sent us a note to let us know about the challenge he had in finding an iPhone plan while visiting his wife's family. A contract plan was out of the question, of course, because of his length of stay and the fact that he's still under a two-year Softbank agreement in Japan. And due to AT&T's, shall we say, "perplexing" lack of a prepaid plan for the iPhone, the official carrier in the States wouldn't help him.

He could have stopped by a Best Buy and picked up an O2 Universal SIM Card for less than $10. That would have provided the ironically-named PC with $0.17 per minute calls but that's it -- no data, no included text messages, and no tethering ability.

After searching a bit for a prepaid solution, he stumbled across the MEGAtalk Nationwide plan from regional GSM carrier, i wireless. This no-contract, no-credit-check offering gives the customer 30 days of unlimited calling, with roaming and long distance, for $49 plus taxes.

But wait, there's more! Not only did PC get unlimited voice minutes, but he also had unlimited SMS texting and, here's the kicker, unlimited data usage. And, with the proper hack, i wireless customers can tether their iPhones for free. Yes, you read that right... free tethering on an unlimited data plan!

Of course, getting a service plan from an unofficial carrier (read: non-AT&T, at least in the United States) requires your iPhone to be SIM-unlocked. This has become much easier over the past two years and most cell phone shops can perform the procedure if you're too nervous. PC had already performed the necessary steps, as he often finds himself in areas that aren't exactly covered by his Softbank contract.

Okay, now for the downer. Because it's a T-Mobile affiliate, i wireless doesn't offer iPhone-compatible 3G service. In fact, they only offer EDGE speeds in their Iowa-based footprint, unless you're traveling to an area with T-Mobile 3G. As a result, that unlimited data is a bit crippled speed-wise, but it's still a heck of a deal.

So, if you're planning on traveling to Iowa -- say, to Fort Madison for the 62nd Annual Tri-State Rodeo in September -- or if you're "lucky" enough to be stuck living here, you might want to take advantage of what's probably the most economical cell phone service plan available for the iPhone anywhere in the USA.

UPDATE: Quite a few readers asked if this plan is available outside of Iowa, so I contacted i wireless directly to find out more about its policy. Yes, you can sign up for this plan, even if you don't live in the i wireless footprint area, however, the representative I spoke with pointed out that this plan may expire at any time, which would seriously affect the customer's ability to use his or her phone effectively. If you are interested in further details, please contact i wireless directly.

DISCLAIMER: I own a computer and cell phone store that sells this particular prepaid plan. But the above story is absolutely true; PC Drew did contact TUAW to brag about his bargain find, without knowing me or my connection to the product.

TUAWBest iPhone cellular plan... ever? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 09 Aug 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cell phonecell plansCellPhoneCellPlanscellularcontractdataEDGEiphoneprepaidSIMSMST-MobiletetheringtextingtravelSun, 09 Aug 2009 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Kevin Harter, Switcher]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/18/kevin-harter-switcher/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/18/kevin-harter-switcher/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/18/kevin-harter-switcher/#commentsFiled under: ,

I'll bet you're just dying to know exactly who this "Kevin Harter" fella is that has tarnished the pages of your favorite blog lately. And just what in the heck does he know about Macs, anyway?! Well, let me fill you in.

Hailing from Fort Madison, a town of about 10,000 in rural Southeast Iowa, I'm the father of two, the husband of one, and the owner of Backslash Technologies, a local computer sales and service center. The funny thing is, we don't do much with Macs at all; it's almost entirely Windows-based.

My love affair with all things Apple began with some flirting about 14 years ago. I was hired to develop the Windows side of a primarily-Mac store. I performed my duty and PC sales grew, but I was soon was sucked in by the relatively slick interface of System 7. So my first Apple purchase, ever, was a PowerMac 7300/180 that I used as a second computer.

When I left that job over 11&frac12; years ago to start my own business, I used the Mac to develop our first logo, first web site, and a series of forms and flyers to run and promote the business. Soon after opening the doors, the Mac found its home on a shelf in the back of the store, where it still sits to this day. I concentrated on solving my customers' Windows problems. And there were lots of them.

Years went by and I read a bit about Macs here and there, always with a lot of curiosity but never with enough guts to buy another. I was the guy that said "because it's a Mac, dummy" when asked why something didn't work on an Apple computer. I made fun of Mac owners as being snobby and slow. I couldn't believe people would spend so much money on a computer that could run so little software.

I had firmly closed my mind.

Continue reading Kevin Harter, Switcher

TUAWKevin Harter, Switcher originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 18 Jul 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google just announced they are indeed developing the long-rumored Chrome OS.

Expected to be web-focused with a minimal user interface, the lightweight open source operating system will appear initially on netbooks running either x86 or ARM processors. Expansion to the desktop and full-powered laptops will most likely follow. According the Official Google Blog, Chrome OS will be available to consumers in the second half of next year.

"Speed, simplicity and security are the key aspects of Google Chrome OS," wrote Sundar Pichai, VP Product Management and Linus Upson, Engineering Director. "We're designing the OS to be fast and lightweight, to start up and get you onto the web in a few seconds."

Not surprisingly, the OS will be based on a Linux kernel and should run all current and future web-based applications.

Google admits that there may be some overlap between its operating system for mobile devices, Android, and the newly introduced Chrome OS. The blog announcement explains, "Google Chrome OS is being created for people who spend most of their time on the web, and is being designed to power computers ranging from small netbooks to full-size desktop systems."

What does this mean for the Mac community? Sound off in the comments!

TUAWGoogle Chrome OS under development originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 08 Jul 2009 02:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ChromeChrome OSChromeOsGooglelinuxoperating systemoperating systemsOperatingSystemOSWed, 08 Jul 2009 02:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Manage your iPhone's clipboard with Snippets]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/06/manage-your-iphones-clipboard-with-snippets/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/06/manage-your-iphones-clipboard-with-snippets/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/06/manage-your-iphones-clipboard-with-snippets/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

The cut, copy, and paste features (finally) included in version 3.0 of the iPhone OS greatly improve the productivity of the iDevices. However, there is room for improvement. Enter Erich Bratton with his clipboard manager app, Snippets, available now in the iTunes App Store [iTunes link].

Snippets offers a way to organize bits of text that can be accessed quickly to paste into emails, text messages, notes, and other places. The clips can be categorized into a number of pre-determined or user-created folders as well. To help get new users comfortable, the app comes with a variety of canned responses and other text pieces, some of which are hysterical.

The real power of Snippets lies in the ability to paste or create text in the app for later use. Think of it as boilerplates for your iPhone. If you find yourself writing similar things over and over, simply create an entry in Snippets. When you need to write that same text next time, visit the Snippets app first, view the desired text block (which automatically copies it to the clipboard), and then paste it into whatever app you'd like. It really couldn't be much simpler.

The canned responses included with Snippets are worth its price of $.99 alone, in this blogger's opinion. But even if you are wittier than I and appreciate original pieces of text, Snippets is a great app with a very easy-to-use interface that I plan to use again and again. In fact, I might just start using it to write some generic paragraphs that I can use in every review. What a time-saver!

TUAWManage your iPhone's clipboard with Snippets originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>app reviewapp storeapp store reviewAppReviewAppStoreclipboardclipboardapplicationscopy pasteCopyPasteiphoneiphone 3giphone 3gsIphone3gIphone3gsipod touchipod touch 2gIpodTouchIpodTouch2greviewMon, 06 Jul 2009 14:45:00 EST<![CDATA[Create unique avatars and contact pics with Persona]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2009/06/26/create-unique-avatars-and-contact-pics-with-persona/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/06/26/create-unique-avatars-and-contact-pics-with-persona/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/06/26/create-unique-avatars-and-contact-pics-with-persona/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Some people like to have unique avatars for forums and instant messaging clients. I don't. My avatars usually end up being silly pictures of myself because I'm a shallow narcissist...and a bit lazy.

However, for those more creative than I, Persona [iTunes link] is a nice iPhone app in which to invest the price of a quarter-pounder. It allows the user to create a cartoon face by choosing from a variety of facial features. Hair style, eyes, nose, beard, and more are all up for grabs.

When you're done creating a mini-you (remember my personality issue described above), you can set it as the contact picture for any of your iPhone's contacts. You can also save your creation to the Camera Roll where you'll be able to export it via email or MMS (assuming you have the new 3.0 firmware and don't have AT&T), publish it to MobileMe, or use it as your wallpaper if you did a particularly good job. Once on your computer, you'll be able to use it as the avatar for that cute-cat-picture forum you visit eight times each day.

Persona is simple enough; in fact, perhaps too simple. The faces tend to look very similar as the options are quite limited for a dedicated app such as this. Also, what's going on behind my left shoulder? Every avatar I create is staring in that same direction!

Choosing from the available options isn't very intuitive. You choose the "parts" category and then pick the individual attribute, but no moving or resizing of the facial features is allowed. And very few accessories are presented, other than odd inclusion of a plethora of choices for nicotine deployment. (Note to self: see if the folks at Persona are sponsored in any way by Philip Morris.)

Overall, it's a nice idea for an app that will have moderate appeal to the forum crowds. I doubt you'll be using it again and again, though, because the app just doesn't offer much depth. But it's the user interface and lack of extensive options that tend to make the $2.99 $.99 a bit hard to swallow.

[NOTE: Thanks to those readers that pointed out the incorrect price. The developer's web site showed $2.99 when I wrote this, however the iTunes store had it at $.99. I have talked with Alfonso Bozzelli, the app's author, and he is changing the site to reflect the correct price -- $.99.]

TUAWCreate unique avatars and contact pics with Persona originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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