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Filed under: Accessories

Filed under: Accessories, Gaming, Hardware, Ask TUAW, iPhone, Snow Leopard

Ask TUAW: iTunes libraries, Mac data recovery, Snow Leopard on older Macs and more

We're back with another edition of Ask TUAW. This time around we've answering questions about iTunes libraries, Mac data recovery, Snow Leopard on older Macs and more.

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Questions for next week should be left in the comments. When asking a question please include which machine you're running and which version of Mac OS X (we'll assume you're running Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions.

Daneel asks:

I'm running OS X 10.5.7 and Windows Vista (via Bootcamp) on my iMac 24". I was wondering if there was any way in which I could make the iTunes apps in both Windows and Mac use the same iTunes library. File access is not a problem as I've got the ntfs-3g driver on the mac side and mac drive on the PC side.

I have my iTunes library on an external hard drive. To make iTunes use this particular folder, I create an alias of the folder on the external drive and replace my iTunes folder located in Users> "User Name" > Music with the alias. iTunes has no problem with this setup.

You should be able to do the same thing in both the Mac and Windows versions of iTunes. Just set an alias of the iTunes folder you want to use in Windows pointing to your Mac iTunes library and you should be good to go.


Continue readingAsk TUAW: iTunes libraries, Mac data recovery, Snow Leopard on older Macs and more

Filed under: Accessories, Hardware, Video, Found Footage, iPhone

Found Footage: Inexpensive do-it-yourself tripod mount for iPhone


iPhone Savior featured this short video clip this morning by Scott Patrick showing how to use an inexpensive Contour iPhone case and some common hardware to make an iPhone tripod mount.

There are two impressive points about this mount; first, by using the Contour case, you know that the iPhone is going to be held securely (my wife used one for over a year and never had it inadvertently open up), and second, Scott made it so it will work with any standard tripod camera mount head.

With the tripod Scott is using, it would be simple to flip the camera 90° to put it into a landscape configuration. This should work well for both still photography with any iPhone or video work with the iPhone 3GS.

[Thanks to TUAW reader Michael for pointing us to this video]

Filed under: Accessories, Hardware, iPhone

Apple supporting universal European handset chargers

Last week I ordered my iPhone 3GS from the AT&T Store (no Apple Stores out here in the boonies). Five days later it was ready to be picked up and I drove out to the mall to get it.

While the AT&T employee activated it and performed the soul-stealing voodoo that accompanies a new sale, a woman at the next counter was exchanging her own AT&T phone (not an iPhone). I only heard a part of her conversation, but it went something like this:

"Can I use my old adapter with this one?"

"No, m'am. You'll have to buy a new one."

"What about my car charger?"

"No, that will need to be replaced, too."

"Ugh. OK. I'll just throw them away."

What a nuisance. She's got to spend extra money and those plastic and electronic doodads will occupy the bottom of a landfill until The End Of Days. The problem is even worse in the Europen Union. Fortunately, a group of manufacturers, including Apple, is working to change that. Apple, Nokia and Research in Motion have agreed to support a European Union-backed initiative to standardize these devices across the EU. It's a good idea that would benefit consumers and the environment.

The agreement is limited to smartphones for now, but if all goes well, will be expanded in 2012. Good luck to everyone involved.

Filed under: Accessories, Peripherals, Internet Tools, Security

Pogoplug adds journaled HFS+ support

When I wrote about Pogoplug earlier this month, journaled HFS+ support was missing in action. That was a shame, since it's the most common drive format for Mac users.

Pogoplug is a network drive adapter coupled with a web service that allows you to access a personal drive from anywhere on the Internet without having to worry about firewalls and other security issues. You plug a drive into the Pogoplug, connect the unit to power, and you can securely access that data no matter where you are, from your laptop, another computer, or from an iPhone.

Today, Pogoplug has announced support for journaled HFS+ formatted drives. You can now plug in almost any drive formatted for use on the Mac and it'll work with Pogoplug.That's great, because the last few times I dredged up Disk Utility (from /Applications/Utilities), it was to re-format drives to use with the Pogoplug system. (You can also turn off journaling from the Terminal, if you're so inclined, via the 'diskutil' command.)

What's particularly cool is that Pogoplug is currently working on developing remote backup assistance. They don't support Time Capsule yet, but the Pogoplug developers say they're working on having "the Pogoplug play nice with [Time Capsule and other remote storage devices] and allow our users to back up to their home drives automatically and regularly."

Being able to set up off-site backup drives with just a simple plug-and-go sounds like an awesome business opportunity for anyone with a central router and a whole bunch of USB hubs. But even if you're setting up your off-site backup at your sister-in-law's ("Sure, go ahead and plug in that...um...thing. Can I take it out if I need to vacuum?"), that's a fine way to keep your backups physically remote from your primary computing space. At just $99 plus the cost of a hard drive (the lifetime service is included free), a bargain.

Filed under: Accessories, iPhone, iPod touch

Charge your iPhone wirelessly

Do you have Pre-envy due to the Touchstone and wireless charging capabilities? Well, good news then. A company called WildCharge has stepped in to give you similar charging capabilities with your original iPhone or iPod touch. The bundle is just shy of $80 and includes the charging pad and a gel skin that needs to be attached to your phone. Once installed, just lay your phone on the pad and get your charge on.

The skin unfortunately adds an unsightly hump at the base where the dock connector is, but that may be a small price to pay if you really need your iPhone charged sans wires.

The iPod touch version is available now with the iPhone version coming next month.

Filed under: Accessories, Analysis / Opinion, Apple Corporate, Airport, Apple, .Mac, App Store, App Review

WWDC Quick/Cut: Dave Teare of Agile Web Solutions on 1Password

We, of course, had lunch with our favorite Canadian developers at WWDC. Talking with Dave, Roustem and the rest of the crew from Agile Web Solutions is something I look forward to anytime we're all in San Francisco. I didn't film the whole lunch; being filmed eating is almost as awkward as eating alone in the cafeteria, I think. So here's a quick -- but very interesting -- clip of Dave Teare explaining how cut-and-paste in iPhone OS 3.0 is going to be used in 1Password. If you're a 1Password user, you'll probably want to check it out!

Continue readingWWDC Quick/Cut: Dave Teare of Agile Web Solutions on 1Password

Filed under: Accessories, Audio, iPhone

The iPhone: most dangerous cell phone ever? (No.)

Is the iPhone the most dangerous cell phone ever?

Dr. Joseph Mercola thinks so. He's concerned about that great modern boogeyman, cell phone radiation. But lucky for you, he's got a solution he can sell you: the Blue Tube headset.

The Blue Tube headset looks to be a 2.5 mm plug hooked into a tiny speakerbox at the other end. That speaker box then emits sound up a long, hollow tube (similar to how a stethoscope works) and into an earpiece similar to those found on higher-end headphones from Shure and Etymotic.

What exactly makes an iPhone more "dangerous" than other cell phones? Well, Dr. Mercola helpfully points out that the iPhone emits radiation way more often than other cell phones, mostly because of what he calls "data waves."

Hookay. Let's be real for a second: cellular phones do emit low-level electromagnetic (EM) radiation. I used to work as a radiological health physics technician, so I know a fair bit about radiation (which is why I used to be in that field. Not anymore). Without getting too science-lecturey about it, let's just say there's two basic types of radiation:

1. The scary kind that can turn you into a sewer mutant and/or kill you. This is called ionizing radiation. It comes from nuclear weapons, nuclear reactors, nuclear waste, nuclear medicine (I'm sensing a pattern here), x-rays, and Cleveland.

2. The not-so scary kind that doesn't do much of anything to you at all. This is called non-ionizing radiation. Sources include power lines, your computer's display, cell phones, and the North Korean government's secret mind control rays.

It seems like every other week we get to hear about how the microwave radiation from cell phones is going to cook all of our brains like popcorn, and yet over decades of cell phone use by hundreds of millions of people, it hasn't happened yet. In fact, the U.S. National Cancer Institute has said, "Studies have not shown any consistent link between cellular telephone use and cancer." If anybody should know, I think it'd be those guys.

At any rate, it's kind of unnecessary to shell out close to $30 for the Blue Tube anyway, since the iPhone comes with a perfectly decent set of headphones already; and unlike the Blue Tube, they have a built-in microphone as well. If you're really as scared of iPhone-induced brain cancer as Dr. Mercola seems to think you should be, just use the free pack-in headphones instead.

Thanks to reader Chuck Cooper for sending this in!

Filed under: Accessories, Hardware, iPod Family, Peripherals, Internet Tools, Reviews, iPhone

Pogoplug: Your data, wherever you are

When word about the Pogoplug hit TUAW central, we debated to see who would luck out and and cover the device. Apart from a few cuts and bruises, nearly all of which will mend in a matter of weeks if the doctors are to be believed, I won. The past few days, I've had the pleasure of road testing a unit. And it's awesome.

The Pogoplug offers a USB NAS adapter, i.e. a network-attached storage system, that gives you network access to your data from home and on the road. With NAS you can use common protocols like AFP and SMB to connect to a remote disk. And you can do so easily. That's a big win, because choosing and setting up these remote devices has been a deal killer for many otherwise interested people. As Brad Dietrich, Pogoplug's CTO, told TUAW, "[Until now], the state of home networking has been too complicated and geeky for most people." Pogoplug provides a simple solution.

What Pogoplug brings to the party is a remarkable ease of use that crosses past any issues of firewalls and port setup and delivers remote storage to normal (i.e. read "non-geek") humans. It transforms remote file access into a consumer device. And best of all, it provides this for just $99.

Continue readingPogoplug: Your data, wherever you are

Filed under: Accessories, Odds and ends, iPhone, Graphic Design, iPod touch

iPhone artists: paint your way to $500 in the Pogo Stylus art contest

The iPhone is designed to work with your fingers, but those stubby appendages aren't the best for doing detailed work. That's why Ten One Design developed the Pogo Stylus (US$14.95), an aluminum stylus with a special tip that allows it to work on the capacitive display of the iPhone and iPod touch. It's also handy for operating your iPhone with gloves on, or for anyone who has trouble working with the touchscreen directly.

Ten One Design is holding an art contest through July 1st, 2009. The rules are simple; you must use a Pogo Stylus to create a work of art on an iPhone or iPod touch. You can use whatever software you desire, although most of the artwork seen below was created with the help of Brushes [App Store]. The winner will have $500 paid to his or her PayPal account.
What are you waiting for? Get your Pogo Stylus and get to work!

Filed under: Accessories, Reviews, iPhone, Road Tested

Road Tested: Mophie Juice Pack Air

iPhone 3G and 3G S owners now have an attractive, lightweight, and functional way to provide extra juice to their power-hungry devices -- the Mophie Juice Pack Air. Available in black, white, and purple, the Juice Pack Air is a slightly more svelte version of Mophie's Juice Pack. Compared to the original Juice Pack, the Juice Pack Air is .1" (2.54 mm) thinner and a full third of an ounce (9.44 grams) lighter.

I had a chance to try out the Juice Pack Air, and my impressions are quite positive, albeit with one exception. Read on for a TUAW road test of Mophie's latest battery pack.

Continue readingRoad Tested: Mophie Juice Pack Air

Filed under: Accessories, Developer

Sketch an iPhone app UI with a special stencil

This is really neat. The folks at Design Commission have produced a stencil to assist with the iPhone/iPod touch UI prototyping, brainstorming sessions, flows, interaction techniques, etc. that you'll do before you begin coding.

Of course, it includes all the standard iconography and buttons. Doesn't it make you want to just break out a fresh sheet of paper and set to work? If you want one, act fast, as they've only produced 100. Each kit ($16.95US) comes with the stencil and a Zebra mechanical pencil. A matching letter-sized template can be downloaded from the website as a PDF.

Now go and make the next killer app!

Filed under: Accessories, Mac mini

Simple fix for the USB monitor black screen of doom

If you use a USB display adapter to add a 2nd screen to your Mac, you may have noticed that ever since Mac OS X 10.5.7 came out, they have been mysteriously failing. This morning, after logging out and logging back in, the black-screen-of-doom scenario happened on my Mac mini's second monitor. By searching around, I came across a DisplayLink FAQ that seemed to provide answers.

Mind you, I don't own a "DisplayLink". I use an eVGA UV Plus on my mini. Like many other external monitor devices, however, my eVGA uses the DisplayLink chipset and drivers. So even if you think this solution doesn't apply to your USB monitor solution, it very well may.

I didn't just upgrade to 10.5.7 yesterday. It's been running on my system for ages. So why did everything fail after my log-out/log-in? I seriously have no idea. Following the suggestions on the DisplayLink site and on several Mac support boards, I re-installed the 1.1 drivers and rebooted. My monitor is now back to life.

So, bottom line, if you are using an external USB-powered display on your Mac and it stops working, try re-installing drivers. You'll find the latest Mac drivers here, plus the newest beta releases. You'll need to agree to the DisplayLink EULA before you're permitted to download the software. And you will need to reboot. However, on an annoyance scale between 0 (everything working) and 10 (losing access to your second monitor), a simple reinstall & reboot clocks in at about a 3.

Filed under: Accessories, WWDC, iPhone

Turn by turn navigation coming with TomTom for iPhone

It's been a gap in the functionality of the GPS-enabled iPhone 3G for months, and one that was promised for the 3.0 software update (even though third parties have been trying to get it working for a while now): turn-by-turn navigation. Finally, the light at the end of the tunnel has been conclusively demonstrated not to be an oncoming train; it's the faint guiding glow from TomTom for iPhone, the first announced TBT navigation package for the 3.0 software (X-Road is already in the store for 2.1 devices).

There's no cost information yet (Engadget speculates 'pricey' so as not to cannibalize TomTom's hardware business), and the launch date is only noted as after the June 17th 3.0 software availability, but it certainly looks cool: a software app combined with a custom bracket & charging cable, hands-free calling and 'enhanced GPS performance' included. For iPhone owners who don't yet have in-car GPS, this could be a fantastic offering, if the price is right.

Video of the TomTom solution in the second half of the post. I already own a TomTom ONE, and just ponied up the $79 for a year of map updates... probably should have waited.

Continue readingTurn by turn navigation coming with TomTom for iPhone

Filed under: Accessories, Peripherals, Software, Odds and ends

Parliant PhoneValet 6.0 now available

In the world of Mac telephony software, there's one leading product -- Parliant PhoneValet. Parliant today released version 6.0 of PhoneValet with some new features that make it even more attractive to small business owners. Those features include:
  • Live receptionist -- Want to have a real person answer and direct calls? PhoneValet now allows a receptionist to perform those functions.
  • Call out to deliver voice mail -- To keep employees in the loop when they're on the road, PhoneValet will call their cell phones to deliver important voice messages.
  • Change greetings remotely -- Prior to version 6.0, PhoneValet users had to be sitting at a computer to record new outgoing voice mail greetings. Now they can do this from any phone.
  • Mailbox privacy -- Messages for others on a shared PhoneValet server are now hidden.
  • Network dialing -- Desktop dialing is now available to any PhoneValet or PhoneValet Anywhere user on the network.
  • Shared phonebook / call log editing -- PhoneValet Anywhere users can now edit phonebook entries or trim call logs.
PhoneValet 6.0 is available for US$169.95, which includes a USB phone adapter, or to existing owners of PhoneValet for US$39.95. PhoneValet Anywhere, which allows users to access their PhoneValet messages from Windows PCs and iPhones among other features, is an available add-on for US$59.95.

Filed under: Accessories, Road Tested

Road Tested: Tom Bihn Checkpoint Flyer laptop bag

After I traveled to Africa in February with a Tom Bihn Western Flyer bag loaded with geek gear, I wrote a post talking about how I packed that bag for the trip. It was the perfect bag on that vacation, as it allowed me to pack all of my gear into various little nooks and crannies, and it converted to a backpack for easy lugging through airports. However, it wasn't the best bag for my many business trips in the USA.

Happy with the products that Tom Bihn makes, I decided to get their Checkpoint Flyer briefcase for my business travel. What makes this bag so special is that it is specially designed to take advantage of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) rules that allow you to keep a laptop inside a case as it's going through the x-ray machine, provided that case contains nothing else. That, of course, can be a huge problem if you're carrying backup drives, cables, backup cell phones, an Amazon Kindle 2, and other digital effluvia.

Continue readingRoad Tested: Tom Bihn Checkpoint Flyer laptop bag

Tip of the Day

Holding the Command key (aka the Apple key) and pressing Tab will cycle through your open applications. It's easier to Cmd-Tab if you are Copy (Cmd-C) and Pasting (Cmd-V) to and from various applications.


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