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Steven Sande

Highlands Ranch, CO - http://www.im4macs.com

A 50-something Apple geek, Steve has been writing online since 1986, when he started up a Mac Bulletin Board System (BBS). He's been a Mac user since '84, was a Newton Developer, and has been involved in the mobile computing space since 1993.Steve lives in Colorado with his rocket-scientist wife of 30 years, a cat, and many Apple products.

Filed under: Macworld, Peripherals

Drobo is having a "Spirit of Macworld 2010" video contest

If you're an amateur or professional videographer and you'll be attending Macworld Expo 2010 in San Francisco this week, Data Robotics has a contest just for you.

Come up with an original video (less than 60 seconds in length) that best captures the spirit of Macworld 2010, submit it to a special Drobo Flickr group by February 19, and you'll have an opportunity to win one of two Drobo S five-drive storage devices (note that non-Pro Flickr users are limited to 2 video uploads per month). The Drobo S connects to your Mac via USB 2.0, Firewire 800, or eSATA, and can be populated with up to five drives for tons of storage. TUAW has reported on the new Drobo S and Drobo Elite devices in the past, and they're a popular storage tool for anyone who needs vast amounts of expandable storage but doesn't want to hassle with administering a RAID array.

To find out if you've won the contest after your entry has been made, just follow Data Robotics on Twitter at http://twitter.com/drobo. Full contest rules and instructions can be found here.

Filed under: Enterprise, Software

Kerio Connect 7 -- A new name and powerful new features

Kerio, developers of Kerio Mail Server, announced today that a new version of their powerful enterprise-class collaboration product is now available. Kerio Connect 7, as the product is now called, is a re-branding of the venerable server application that illustrates that the package has gone well beyond just being a mail server.

John Jones of Kerio explained the details of the new release in a recent phone interview with TUAW. Kerio Connect 7 now allows distributed servers to work with one another, making it possible for large enterprises with widely-dispersed facilities to place servers at locations local to each office.

The multiple servers can behave as a single, large server, sharing calendars and global address lists, and users can be easily moved between servers for load balancing. The new release also provides web-based administration tools.

The minimum size group license for Kerio Connect 7 is 5 users, making it possible for small organizations to start out with a power collaboration server, and then scale up as they gain employees. Kerio Connect 7 also supports CardDAV and CalDAV, providing a way for organizations to share address books and calendars. The server is, of course, cross-platform (Mac OS X, Windows, Linux) and works well with all clients including iPhone and Android phones. In addition to running natively, Kerio Connect 7 can be run on a virtual machine under either VMWare or Parallels.

The upgrade is free to customers who have purchased support and maintenance from Kerio, and other pricing for the product can be found on the Kerio website.

Filed under: iPhone, App Store

TUAW Giveaway: iCamcorder for iPhone EDGE, 2G, 3G

If you don't have an iPhone 3GS, there are now apps available to enable video recording capabilities on the older phones. One of those apps, Drahtwerk's iCamcorder [US$0.99, iTunes Link], has a ton of features that might make 3GS owners jealous. Some of those features include:
  • Quad-cam, mirror, pop-art, old movie,color-flip and four more special effects
  • Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube sharing of recorded videos
  • Adjustable recording frame rate
  • Bonjour sharing for downloading videos from your iPhone

Drahtwerk wanted to give away some promo codes for this app, and now 20 lucky TUAW readers are going to walk away with a free copy of iCamcorder. Here's how to enter:
  • Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.
  • To enter, leave a comment telling us what you'd like to record with iCamcorder.
  • The comment must be left before Tuesday, February 9, 2010, 11:59PM Eastern Standard Time.
  • You may enter only once.
  • Twenty winners will be selected in a random drawing.
  • Prize: One promo code for a copy of iCamcorder (Value: US$0.99)
  • Click Here for complete Official Rules.
Good luck, TUAW-ites!

Filed under: iPhone, Road Tested

Hands-on with the OWLE bubo: Better photos and video from your iPhone

A while back, we had a product announcement about the OWLE bubo (US$129.95). That bizarre name is actually a play on words: OWLE stands for "Optical Widget for Life Enhancement" (the company's name) and bubo is the genus for American horned owls and old world eagle owls. The device, if you have an imagination, even looks like a cartoonist's idea of a horned owl.

So, now that we've got the name all figured out, what the heck is an OWLE bubo? You could call it the ultimate iPhone case for photographers, and you'd be pretty darned close. The current bubo is a sleek, machined piece of aluminum that is designed to be held with both hands for better stability when shooting photos or video with the iPhone. The bubo does a great job of making it easier to shoot video, but that's just scraping the surface of the feature set.

bubo also has a 37mm .45x wide-angle/macro combo lens that is awesome for doing close-ups of objects, taking crowd or landscape photos, or doing interviews. In fact, it's this last use case that finally convinced me to purchase a bubo. Since TUAW is going to be doing a lot of video and other photography at Macworld Expo during the this week, I want to see if I can make my iPhone 3GS my primary tool for capturing imagery since I'd prefer to pack light. The lens accommodates screw-in filters at a standard 49mm size, so UV haze or polarizing filters can be added to further improve image quality.

Read more →

Filed under: Hardware, Software, App Store

Flying Magazine blogger wants an iPad in the cockpit

Here at TUAW, we've talked about some potential markets for the iPad; for example, the health care industry. Over at Flying Magazine's website, blogger Robert Goyer is lusting after the iPad as a tool in the cockpit.

The iPhone has become a pilot's toolkit since the App Store opened, with apps like Flight Plan - Pilot's Toolbox [iTunes Link] and CoPilot - Flight Planning [iTunes Link] making it into the cockpit for private and commercial pilots alike.

Goyer loves the idea that the iPad will have a much larger display than the iPhone and, most importantly for the quick pace of flying, that it's an instant-on device unlike many laptops. He thinks that the 3G models will be most useful for aviation since they'll provide online access to a plethora of aviation, regulatory, and weather-related data sources.

What Goyer is looking forward to the most about the iPad is that extra screen real estate. As he says in his post, he'll likely go with a netbook for situations when he's not in the cockpit. But while flying, the iPad's "brilliant display" and GPS capability should make it "supremely easy to use" for pilots needing map apps. We can't wait to see what flies into view.

[Thanks to @RyanACash for the Twitter tip]

Filed under: Hardware, Apple

Company that owns iPad trademark in EU wants Apple's business

While Apple appears to be the rightful owner the iPad trademark for the U.S., there's a bit of a problem in the E.U. A French-Italian company, STMicroelectronics, currently owns the rights to "iPad" in two different classifications -- "electronics and components" and "using the name in print." ST has held the trademark since September 14, 2001, but it is set to expire on September 1, 2010.

So what does ST intend to do? Possibly try to get Apple as a customer in return for trademark rights. The president and CEO of STMicroelectronics, Carlo Bozotti, is currently meeting with customers in Taipei, and when asked if the company would make some sort of deal with Apple, he replied "Our ambition is to have a great customer named Apple."

It's a possibility. The existing ST iPad (Integrated Passive and Active Devices) trademark covers chipsets for cell phone manufacturers, so Apple could theoretically use the company's products in future devices. Apple's other choices could include paying ST a license fee for rights to use the trademark, or legal action to gain rights to the name.

This isn't Apple's first run-in with trademark difficulties. The day after the iPhone was announced in 2007, Cisco sued Apple for infringing on the iPhone trademark name. The two companies eventually came to an agreement and both use the term iPhone for their products.

Filed under: Developer, SDK

iPhone dev to make an app in one week -- live on the web

It sounds like the premise for a new reality show -- a developer writes an iPhone app in one week while the world watches.

That's exactly what Sahil Lavingia is planning to do starting on Sunday, February 7th. Lavingia is the developer behind Color Stream and the Twizzle Twitter client [iTunes Links], and he'll be posting updates to keep us all apprised of his progress at his One Week App blog.

On the blog, Lavingia will be posting screenshots of his coding, timelapse movies (sorry, no streaming video of Lavingia at work), and other notes about his work as he moves forward. Lavingia is a realist -- he knows that he could create an amazing new app, or he could fail to finish his work in the allotted time. We don't know what he's planning on coding, either. Perhaps it will be a game, maybe a design tool, or something else altogether.

If you are fascinated with what happens behind the scenes in the app development process, be sure to follow Lavingia's one week app experiment.

Filed under: Humor, Odds and ends, Macbook Pro

Do you, MacBook Pro, take this Hermione to be your lawfully wedded wife?

We're not sure about the authenticity of this video or if this is truly love at first iSight, but Macenstein featured the story about this young British woman, 24 year-old Hermione Way, who unofficially married her MacBook Pro "Alex" on January 31st.

Yes, that's correct. Unofficially married, because the U.K. (and probably every other country on the planet) refuses to recognize the legality of human / computer marriages. Hermione, who just happens to be the bloggess behind Techfluff.tv, would love to change all that. Her video blog entry shows both Hermione and Alex, a fascinating treatise on human / computer relations, and even has her Mum saying that she "...just wants Hermione to be happy." There's even talk of children in the future; the flesh and blood type, not little iPads running around.

Whether you're a romantic at heart who would love to marry your computer -- and let's face it, we spend more time conversing with them than we do many of our human relations -- or if you think this is just a prank, the video is worth a watch.

Filed under: Video, Podcasting

TUAW TV Live: the pre-Macworld, post-iPad edition

Welcome back for another edition of TUAW TV Live with your host Steve Sande.

We'll be starting at about 5:00 PM ET today with a special guest, Aaron Vronko, service manager for Rapid Repair in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Aaron provided TUAW with some insights into possible iPad hardware options a few weeks ago. Now we're following up the discussion with Aaron, and you get to listen in on the conversation. We'll also send some of your questions along to Aaron to get his opinions and answers.

Since this is the last TUAW TV Live before Macworld Expo next week, I'll also talk about what our plans are for the show, and where you can find us. To watch the live show and join in on the chat, click the "Read more" link below.

Read more →

Filed under: iPhone, App Store

Adobe updates Photoshop Mobile app for iPhone

If you're one of the people who has, according to Adobe's John Nack, run the total number of downloads of the Photoshop.com Mobile [free, iTunes Link] app to 6.5 million, then we have information you need to know. Of course, you may have already checked the App Store app to find the update to version 1.1.021 of Photoshop Mobile for iPhone, but if you haven't then you should mosey on over to the App Store Updates and it should magically appear for you.

The new version of the Photoshop.com Mobile app adds a new sharpen tool, more photo borders, and (for U.S. users only) playback of videos hosted on Photoshop.com.

You'll need to be running iPhone 3.0 or later on your device to enjoy using Photoshop.com Mobile.

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