The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) http://www.tuaw.com The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) http://www.tuaw.com/media/feedlogo.gif The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) http://www.tuaw.com en-us Copyright 2008 Blogsmith, LLC. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Pixelmator 1.2 "Draftsman" in the wildhttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/12/pixelmator-1-2-draftsman-in-the-wild/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/12/pixelmator-1-2-draftsman-in-the-wild/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/12/pixelmator-1-2-draftsman-in-the-wild/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

My picture editor of choice, Pixelmator, has updated to version 1.2 (as with many other applications, it's just in time for the Apple Design Awards deadline), which they're calling Draftsman. Among the new features are the much-awaited addition of rules and some guides to the UI (with a flashy little indicator as the mouse passes by), as well as the ability to edit color balance and the color curves. There's also a new Polygonal Lasso, and the Transform tool has been reworked "from scratch" to work faster and better.

Pixelmator continues to impress, and with every update, it's becoming a more and more robust little photo editor. Just recently, they laid out "a flight plan" on the blog for what they're up to for summer: the next release, 1.3, will be called Tempo, and focus on making the app just as fast as it is visually striking. And they make another bold claim as well: by the end of the summer, they're aiming to be "completely bug-free." Good luck with that.

But there's no question that development is rolling along for Pixelmator. The app is available as a free trial over on their site, or a full version for $59. If you're looking for an alternative to the 'Shop, Pixelmator is a great way to go.
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]]>bug-fixbug-fixesdraftsmanimage-editingpixelmatorpixemator-1.2tempoupdateversionMike Schramm2008-05-12T09:00:00+00:00iPhone is 'unavailable' in UK and US Apple stores; 3G release imminent?http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/10/iphone-is-unavailable-in-uk-and-us-apple-stores-3g-release-im/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/10/iphone-is-unavailable-in-uk-and-us-apple-stores-3g-release-im/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/10/iphone-is-unavailable-in-uk-and-us-apple-stores-3g-release-im/#commentsFiled under: , ,


As many of our intrepid readers have pointed out, iPhones are unavailable at the online Apple Store in both the US and the UK. As we mentioned earlier in the week, cell carrier and Apple retail stores on both continents are reportedly facing shortages as well.

With all the buzz surrounding the 3G model, the international rollout and the SDK, this is just one more sign that the release of a new device is right around the corner.

While I'm obviously not privy to any official dates (or even unofficial speculation), my past experiences in the cell phone retail world lead me to believe that an early June release seems very, very probable.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
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]]>3g iphone3g rumors3gIphone3gRumorsiphonetweet-thisChristina Warren2008-05-10T14:00:00+00:00C64 emulator for iPhonehttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/09/c64-emulator-for-iphone/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/09/c64-emulator-for-iphone/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/09/c64-emulator-for-iphone/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Unfortunately we don't have much more than a splash screen on this one, but Stuart Carnie sends word that he's used the Apple SDK to port a Commodore 64 emulator on to the iPhone. He has yet to put in a Save/Resume state mechanism, a way to browse for files and disks, or a virtual keyboard/joystiq to control it with, but the hard stuff is done, so by the time the App Store comes around, we may have a working C64 emu in there ready to go.

As long as it's ok with Apple. In point of fact, we have no idea how any emulators might work in the App Store -- actually, we have no idea how any apps will get in the App Store. Sure, it would be cool to play the original versions of Sim City or Maniac Mansion or Elite, but without Apple's OK to let any of those on the platform, we may not be able to do so without jailbreaking the thing anyway. We'll see -- if Carnie, once his work is done, can't get an official emulator in the App Store, maybe we'll be able to try it out and put it to use in some other, less official way.
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]]>app-storeapplec64commodore-64emuemulatorsgamesgatekeepermaniac-mansionsave-statessim-cityMike Schramm2008-05-09T11:00:00+00:00Digital Wrongs Managementhttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/09/digital-wrongs-management/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/09/digital-wrongs-management/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/09/digital-wrongs-management/#commentsFiled under: , ,

I don't think anybody likes DRM. Customers certainly don't like it: they want to listen to music and watch video where and when they please. I don't think it's that popular with the content providers, either, because it's not a perfect solution. It might cut down on some piracy, but by no means eliminates it entirely.

DRM has come up recently in a few places, and companies have set up camps at two ends of the spectrum. Amazon.com is doing a booming business selling DRM-free music, sometimes for better prices than at the iTunes Store. On the other hand, we have NBC, who may or may not be partnering with Microsoft to create device software that (somehow) determines if a particular music or video file has been stolen.

As much as I'm sure that both Zune users would appreciate having access to NBC's video library, the problem remains of how exactly Microsoft would do that, aside from splashing giant watermarks across everything. My money's on unicorn tears.

How much more investment will there be in DRM before content providers realize it's an inefficient, ineffective way of deterring piracy? Sound off in comments.

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]]>amazondrmitunesnbczuneRobert Palmer2008-05-09T10:00:00+00:00Gamers and the faster iMacshttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/09/gamers-and-the-faster-imacs/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/09/gamers-and-the-faster-imacs/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/09/gamers-and-the-faster-imacs/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Peter Cohen over at Macworld continues his sideline analysis of Apple's gaming chances with a post about how the brand new faster iMacs are indeed faster, but still not fast enough for gamers. And to a certain extent, he's right -- gaming on the Mac is like that old beat-up, "someday I'll fix it up" convertible your father's had in the garage covered with a tarp since you were a kid. Getting it out and putting a new engine in it might help it run better, but it's still not going to turn it into a car that anyone wants to drive around.

But (and we talked about this extensively on the Talkcast a few weeks ago with Brian Akaka from Freeverse) it's a step. A faster video card, even if it isn't blazing, will run games better than before, and it'll do a little to bring not only gaming customers but developers back to the Mac. Cohen is right -- that old convertible needs an actual mechanic to take a look at it, and it needs the seats to be reupholstered, and sooner or later it's going to need a new can of paint (not that, like your Dad's actual convertible, these things aren't ever going to happen -- we continue to hear rumblings that Apple is aiming for gamers).

But something is something -- the very fact that Apple is offering faster video cards is a sign that they're interested. And, other than simple profiles of games on their website and cameos by game execs at keynotes, that's more than we've had in a while.
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]]>analysisApplecloser-than-everfaster-imacsgamersimacmacworldnew-video-cardspeter-cohentalkcastMike Schramm2008-05-09T08:00:00+00:00Even more supposed 3G iPhone shotshttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/07/even-more-supposed-3g-iphone/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/07/even-more-supposed-3g-iphone/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/07/even-more-supposed-3g-iphone/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Engadget continues to do their part in fueling the fire of rumors that we'll see a second edition of the iPhone this summer. First they supposedly touched it themselves, then they nabbed some shape and spec hints, and now they've got yet another set of "leaked" photos, from a Chinese phone forum.

As usual, we have no idea if this is the real thing, a prototype, or just a little Photoshop fakery. The most obvious difference between what Engadget saw first and what's posted here is the color on the back, but then again, why wouldn't Apple release iPhones in different colors? They've certainly done that with iPods.

None of this guarantees anything, but I will say that if I was shopping for an iPhone, the AT&T memo would be enough for me to hold off on a purchase until mid-June at least. There is an iPhone update storm coming, and the thunder and lightning seem to be getting closer together.
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]]>3gappleatTiphoneleakedphotosrumorsshotsupdateMike Schramm2008-05-07T22:00:00+00:00EETimes: Apple was an investor of PA Semi before acquisitionhttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/07/eetimes-apple-was-an-investor-of-pa-semi-before-acquisition/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/07/eetimes-apple-was-an-investor-of-pa-semi-before-acquisition/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/07/eetimes-apple-was-an-investor-of-pa-semi-before-acquisition/#commentsFiled under: , ,

It was just a couple weeks ago that Apple bought PA Semi, a custom PowerPC chip design firm. But now that a few details about the acquisition are leaking out, a new light has begun to shine on this subject. According to an EETimes post, Apple considered buying PA Semi back in 2005, prior to the Intel switch. Oh yeah, and one minor detail ... Apple has been an investor in the company since that time. When Apple started using Intel chips, that move sent a death threat to PA Semi.

Per the EETimes story, Apple came along to purchase a new chip from PA Semi. PA Semi didn't have enough investor funding to undertake a new project. So, what does Apple do? They pay off the investors and buy the whole company. Apple bought PA Semi for $278 million -- no pocket change, that's for sure. How important could this chip be for Apple to pay that much money? Well it might just be for a new tablet Mac (remember, you heard this rumor here first).
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]]>ApplePA SemiPaSemiPowerPCCory Bohon2008-05-07T20:00:00+00:00Mac 101: External HDshttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/07/mac-101-external-hds/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/07/mac-101-external-hds/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/07/mac-101-external-hds/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

More Mac 101, our series of basic tips for new and returning Mac users. Since most Mac models don't offer extra drive bays, external hard disks are the way to go for adding vast storage capacity to your computer. External HDs are great for storing large projects, moving huge amounts of data from place to place, or backing up via Time Machine.

Hard disks are a commodity product nowadays: the market is flooded with a cornucopia of options, most of them cheap and easy to install. So which is right for you?

The trick is this: find out who makes the actual hard drive inside the external enclosure (that is, inside the nicely-designed plastic or metal box that sits on or under your desk).

It's what's inside that counts, and we'll explore after the jump.

Continue reading Mac 101: External HDs

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]]>hard-diskhard-drivemaxtorseagatewestern digitalWesternDigitalRobert Palmer2008-05-07T16:00:00+00:00iMac turns 10http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/06/imac-turns-10/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/06/imac-turns-10/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/06/imac-turns-10/#commentsFiled under: , ,

It was ten years ago today that Steve Jobs mounted the Flint Center auditorium near Apple's campus and revealed the product that would save Apple, and become the best selling computer of all time: the iMac. It is hard to believe that this cute little guy is ten years old, but it is true.

The original iMac came stocked with a 233MHz G3, 32MB of SDRAM (though you could bump it up to a whopping 128MB), a 4 gig harddrive, 2 USB ports, a CD-ROM drive (not a CD burner, Apple was late to that party), and an IrDA port. These specs might not make your heart skip a beat nowadays, but the iMac is the product that started Apple's amazing turn around. It was the first mainstream computer to break with the past and offer only USB ports, no legacy connectors here. And it is worth noting that the iMac can also be attributed as the killer of the floppy disk.

I recall the howls from the tech community about the iMac's lack of a floppy drive. 'People love their floppies!' 'This is nothing more than an expensive toy!' All charges leveled against the iMac, but the decision actually helped create a market for USB accessories as most people bought their iMac and a USB floppy drive (I know I did. I used that floppy drive twice: once to make sure it worked, and another time to copy a file).

The iMac wasn't available for purchase until August of 1998 (for the base price of $1299), but today is a date that should be circled in Bondi Blue for any true Mac fan.

Check out our gallery of screenshots that show Apple's website the day after the iMac announcement. All screenshots was taken using the Wayback Machine.

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Thanks, Shane, for reminding us of the date!
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]]>appleimacScott McNulty2008-05-06T13:00:00+00:00Broken iPod: fix it or replace it?http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/05/broken-ipod-fix-it-or-replace-it/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/05/broken-ipod-fix-it-or-replace-it/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/05/broken-ipod-fix-it-or-replace-it/#commentsFiled under: ,

There are few things worse than reaching for your iPod only to find that the screen is cracked, the hard drive has died, or that the darned thing just won't play music anymore. At that point you have to ask yourself, like someone did of the New York Times, do I fix this iPod or just replace it?

The answer is easy if your iPod is still under warranty, but if it isn't things get a little trickier. If your iPod is a few models behind what Apple is currently offering it probably makes sense to put the money you would have spent on replacement parts towards a new iPod. However, if you have an iPod that Apple doesn't make anymore (I'm thinking of the iPod mini) then you just might want to fix up your piece of consumer electronics history.

What say you, insightful TUAW reader? Would you just get a new iPod, or be more eco-friendly and get your old iPod fixed?

View Poll

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]]>ipodScott McNulty2008-05-05T19:00:00+00:00Feist on Colbert: Become an iPod artist, get citizenshiphttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/03/feist-on-colbert-become-an-ipod-artist-get-citizenship/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/03/feist-on-colbert-become-an-ipod-artist-get-citizenship/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/03/feist-on-colbert-become-an-ipod-artist-get-citizenship/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Not only does being shown in an iPod commercial lead to fame and fortune for many artists, but Canadian singer Leslie Feist apparently got something else out of the deal: she got American citizenship. We have no idea how that works, but she says as much in this clip of her appearing on Stephen Colbert's show. When he mentions that she's from the Great White North, she says that she's actually a dual citizen now. Colbert asks if Steve Jobs really stepped up to make her an American and she says yes, that's pretty much how it worked: "They offered me citizenship, that was part of it."

Is she joking? Or has Jobsy actually got the ear of the government now and is giving out citizenships as part of Apple contracts? Either way, we know this: Leslie Feist rocks. We'll have her as a citizen any day, via a backroom Apple deal or otherwise.
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]]>citizencolbertcommercialipodleslie-feiststeve-jobsMike Schramm2008-05-03T07:00:00+00:00Google releases Visigami, open source image browserhttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/02/google-releases-visigami-open-source-image-browser/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/02/google-releases-visigami-open-source-image-browser/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/02/google-releases-visigami-open-source-image-browser/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



The guys over at the Google Mac blog have dropped a new little open source application called Visigami, which serves as a more "interesting" and "fun" way to browse and play around with images online. Basically, after installing the app, you can then pull in pics from Picasa, Google Images, or Flickr (iPhoto is just a suggestion so far), and then search, animate, zoom in or out on them, and even turn them right into a screensaver.

It's a pretty neat little application -- not exactly the kind of thing that anyone has probably been hoping for (it seems more fun than utilitarian), but if you find yourself often browsing photos online, this definitely seems like a more fun way to do it. And it's one more reason to praise all the great developers working on our platform -- it's little apps like this that make the Mac user experience so much better.
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]]>codeflickrgooglegoogle-imagesmacpicasapicturesvisigamiMike Schramm2008-05-02T21:00:00+00:00MIT uses Macs to learn how children gain speech skillshttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/02/mit-uses-macs-to-learn-how-children-gain-speech-skills/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/02/mit-uses-macs-to-learn-how-children-gain-speech-skills/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/02/mit-uses-macs-to-learn-how-children-gain-speech-skills/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Apple's Science page has a profile up for the folks over at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology -- apparently two MITers, Deb Roy and Rupal Patel, are using Macs, including "five Apple Xserves and a 4.4TB Xserve RAID," to record and track every single moment of their son's early childhood.

Not only are they assured to get his first few steps on tape, but they're also studying early development and how young children gain the skills to interact with other human beings. In order to do this, they're dealing with huge amounts of audio and video data -- about 250TB. And they're also building an analysis application on the platform called TotalRecall to scan through all the audio and video and pick out interesting parts and patterns (creating the kind of image seen above -- apparently that means something to them).

Of course, there is one thing they do that Apple can't -- when the time came to figure out how to transfer 200GB a day from the home environment to work, they eventually settled on a "sneakernet" approach, packing up the digital tapes in a case and carrying them to work. Here's hoping Apple will announce their own proprietary version of iSneakernet at the next WWDC (with a stylish design and a reasonable pricetag, of course).
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]]>applechildrendevelopmentmitresearchscienceMike Schramm2008-05-02T18:00:00+00:00BusinessWeek examines Mac inroads in big businesshttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/02/businessweek-examines-mac-inroads-in-big-business/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/02/businessweek-examines-mac-inroads-in-big-business/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/02/businessweek-examines-mac-inroads-in-big-business/#commentsFiled under: , ,

This week's BW cover story puts Apple's approach to business users squarely in the spotlight, as Peter Burrows captures both the remarkable surge of employee-driven Mac purchasing for the enterprise (often triggered by staff who are Mac users at home, or as I sometimes refer to them, "iMullets" -- business in the front office, party in the home office) and what he characterizes as the mostly-benign neglect of the corporate market by Apple's sales force and support infrastructure.

More and more companies are letting Mac installations out of the creative/graphics and video gulag walled garden, some comparatively large concerns like Juniper Networks are implementing 'open choice' on platforms for employees, and a very few biggies have even declared a new all-Mac era in desktop deployments. Though marketshare gains for the Mac have been driven overwhelmingly by consumer purchasing, at some point that platform choice begins to leak back into the 9-5 window.

While Burrows hits it right on the nose with the factors that are accelerating Mac deployment (beyond employee choice and the iPhone + iPod halo effect, the Intel platform, Vista's lackluster prospects and virtualization are key drivers) and on some of the reasons companies might hold back (hiring additional Mac-centric IT resources and a lack of extensive choice in the product line), I think he overstates the degree to which Apple plays it hands-off with enterprise users. Yes, some of the most critical resources for Mac IT are external communities and not Apple-managed, but the sales force and professional consulting arms at Apple have been quietly toiling away for years to improve the standing of Macs at the office. Big-iron vendors like Centrify & Likewise are helping Macs integrate into corporate networks, and even the Microsoft Mac BU is working hard to make Entourage a best-of-breed Exchange client for the Mac.

Just the fact of IT conference tracks at WWDC and Macworld Expo for the past couple of years, featuring Apple engineers and product managers alongside their customers, shows that on some level Apple has been grappling with the needs of the enterprise market even if it's not the top priority at One Infinite Loop. With the planned introduction of the iPhone 2.0 firmware -- which tackles nearly every pain point of enterprise customers with a vigor worthy of the Other Steve -- it does seem that some Apple execs have begun to drink the Big Business Kool-Aid.

Thanks to Arik + everyone who sent this in
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]]>businessweekenterprisetweet-thisMichael Rose2008-05-02T12:00:00+00:00Why I don't use the phone in iPhonehttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/01/why-i-dont-use-the-phone-in-iphone/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/01/why-i-dont-use-the-phone-in-iphone/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/01/why-i-dont-use-the-phone-in-iphone/#commentsFiled under: ,

Yeah, yeah, I love the iPhone. At the same time, I haven't exactly been shy about not using the iPhone as much of a phone. Today I googled across this post at PC Magazine called "Great i, Lousy Phone" that called me out on the issue, saying that I didn't seem to talk on my iPhone much. It's a fair cop and I haven't gone on the record yet except during the TUAW talkcast aftershows. So here are five six seven reasons why I don't actually use the iPhone for calls:

1. It's the wrong size. I have small hands. Side-to-side, the iPhone is just too wide compared to my Kyocera slider. I can easily hold the slider while doing other things--making dinner, *kof* driving *kof*, attending to children, and so forth. The iPhone has such a large form factor that it's just not physically possible to leave two or three fingers free for other tasks.

2. It's uncomfortable. This boils down to one phrase: face sweat. Holding that glass up to your cheek for any length of time is, well, ick.

Continue reading Why I don't use the phone in iPhone

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]]>From Your Pocket To The WorldFromYourPocketToTheWorldPants-based ComputingPants-basedComputingThe Internet In Your PantsTheInternetInYourPantsErica Sadun2008-05-01T14:00:00+00:00Calling shenanigans on MacUpdate Parallels vs. VMware linkhttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/25/calling-shenanigans-on-macupdate-parallels-vs-vmware-link/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/25/calling-shenanigans-on-macupdate-parallels-vs-vmware-link/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/25/calling-shenanigans-on-macupdate-parallels-vs-vmware-link/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Imagine you're trying to sell a bundle of Mac applications that includes Parallels. It's an obviously appealing deal for anyone in the market for Windows virtualization, since the bundle is priced below the retail cost of Parallels alone. Might you choose to place a teensy promotion of your bundle someplace that would-be virtualization customers would see it? Someplace, I dunno, associated with a Parallels alternative? Hey, waitasec -- you've got this handy site where people come to see updated and reviewed Mac software... now you've got something going!

Sorry, MacUpdate Promo team, but this kind of internal cross-promotion strikes me as being more than a little disingenuous, especially in the wake of a recent VMware update that is bound to drive readers to the VMware page. Lose the sales pitch and regain some editorial dignity.

Update: To clarify for our commenters, I couldn't care less if MacUpdate advertises the bundle at the top of every page on the site (as they do), including the VMware page. The issue here, however, is the specific contextual ad right next to the update listing for VMware (and ONLY there). You can call it valuable consumer information for someone who might otherwise purchase VMware at full price; I call it advertising/promotional interference with the editorial content of the site. Having it say "Editor Note" implies that the editors of MacUpdate judge the value and worth of applications by whether or not they choose to participate in a promotional bundle; so much for editorial judgement and independence. Tomato, tomahto.

Thanks to J. Carlos de Pinho for the heads-up.
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]]>Michael Rose2008-04-25T15:30:00+00:00TUAW previews Hahlo 3: the Legendary Editionhttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/25/tuaw-previews-hahlo-3-the-legendary-edition/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/25/tuaw-previews-hahlo-3-the-legendary-edition/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/25/tuaw-previews-hahlo-3-the-legendary-edition/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

John Gruber's (and my) favorite Twitter web app for the iPhone is about to get better -- if you've been on the Hahlo for iPhone homepage lately, you'll have seen that Dean Robinson is working on version 3 of Hahlo (titled, hilariously for us gamers, the Legendary Edition).

TUAW got to take a look (along with all of the other beta users) at the new software, and here's a short preview running through what the new Hahlo will look like, as well as updates to the system, including a brand new Settings page, inline replies, hashtags and searching, and lots of other cool tweaks and updates.

Our preview starts right after the jump.

Continue reading TUAW previews Hahlo 3: the Legendary Edition

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]]>graphicshahlohashtagsiphoneiphonerpreviewscreenshotssearchingtuawtweetstwitterupdateMike Schramm2008-04-25T09:00:00+00:00MySpace web app on the iPhonehttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/24/myspace-web-app-on-the-iphone/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/24/myspace-web-app-on-the-iphone/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/24/myspace-web-app-on-the-iphone/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Jake Marsh sent along this neat screencast of an iPhone web app for MySpace that he's working on. Facebook basically seems to be the gold standard of social networking web apps these days, and this looks basically just like that one. It is cool that you can look up people right away, but the real improvements are on MySpace's Music pages -- not only can you subscribe directly from the profile, but he's also got it working to play all the music there (usually trapped in Flash, though there is a less easy way around it already). He also says that it might eventually be possible, for songs that are available for download, to get them with one click into the iPhone's iPod library.

Yes, it looks just like Facebook (in fact, it looks like a rip of the mobile site), but why fix something that's not broken? Unfortunately, Marsh is just showing off -- he says that it's just for him right now and he's aiming for an open beta in August. He should probably aim for a little sooner than that: after June, we might all be saying "what web apps?"
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]]>developerdevelopmentdownloadiphonemusicmyspacestreamweb-appMike Schramm2008-04-24T10:30:00+00:00SuperSync adds support for TiVo Mp3shttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/23/supersync-adds-support-for-tivo-mp3s/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/23/supersync-adds-support-for-tivo-mp3s/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/23/supersync-adds-support-for-tivo-mp3s/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

We posted about SuperSync last year, and we just posted about another iTunes library syncing app, Syncopation. But just in case you've been waiting to sync your music libraries not just across iTunes but also to your TiVo, the wait is over -- SuperSync version 2.3 now does just that. You can connect to a shared library with any series 2 or series 3 TiVo, and even use the remote to browse and play music.

And of course, SuperSync will still let you do all the other stuff other sync tools will let you do -- browse multiple libraries and copy music between each, transfer whole playlists, and even browse and play music over the 'net. A two-machine license (the app has to be running on both computers you use the transfer the music to and from) costs $29.

TiVo support is all well and good, but I can haz Xbox 360 support, too? Connect360 is great, and Rivet seems interesting, but if we could roll up the sync tool and the sharing tool into one app, all the better.

[Via Macworld]
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]]>mediamp3smusicsharingsupersynctivoxboxMike Schramm2008-04-23T14:30:00+00:00MBP vs. MBA benchmarking showdownhttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/21/mbp-vs-mba-benchmarking-showdown/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/21/mbp-vs-mba-benchmarking-showdown/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/21/mbp-vs-mba-benchmarking-showdown/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Bare Feats continues to pit Macs against each other in a no-holds-barred, up-against-the-wall benchmarking breakdown, and this time around it's the MacBook Pro and the MacBook Air in the octagon together. And things go about as planned -- while the solid state drive in the MBA has its advantages, the processor and GPU (what little there is of it) in the MBA don't even really compare to the MBP. Sure, it's a small, super thin, super portable computer, but not only are you paying in cash for the portability, you're paying in performance, too.

This doesn't mean the MBA is a bad computer at all -- for most tasks, it'll work just fine. But complicated 3D graphics (both Halo and Unreal Tournament 2004 were tested) will be almost unplayable in games, and there will be a substantial wait, sometimes up to minutes more, for certain processor intensive tasks. If speed is a high priority (at least higher than portability), the MBA isn't for you.

I would like to see how the MacBook compares, though. It's not surprising that the MBP is a fast machine, but where does the MBA line up compared to the cheaper model?

[Via IMG]
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]]>barefeatsbenchmarkscpugpugraphicsintensivemacbook-airmacbook-proteststimingMike Schramm2008-04-21T16:30:00+00:00