When your Mac starts acting unreliably your first line of defense is Apple's Disk Utility, but that solves a small number of problems, such as permissions and disk verification and repair. A good second line of defense is Drive Genius 3 for Mac from Prosoft Engineering. Drive Genius offers repair and maintenance utilities you can use to make sure your hard drive runs at maximum efficiency.

This US$99 suite of programs includes the following modules: Information, Defrag, DriveSlim, Repair, Scan, DrivePulse, Integrity Check, Initialize, Repartition, Duplicate, Shred, Benchtest, and Sector Edit. When you launch Drive Genius you can choose any one of the available utilities from a set of icons displayed across two screens. Each module presents an option to choose a drive, volume or files and folders on the right, depending on the utility's purpose.

Options available for each utility appear in the main window with simple instructions. A question mark icon on the bottom right opens the help file. The simple Preferences offer three options. You can choose to show the custom animation of data moving around a disk as a tool works, check for updates, and turn on email notification when a tool finishes its task. This last preference is a subtle reminder that many of the functions take a significant amount of time to run.

The Modules

The Information module provides a complete description of your hard drive, probably more information than you want. The balance of the modules are best run after you backup your data, in case of unexpected problems.

Scan, Integrity Check, and Benchtest run read and write tests on your hard drive. They check for bad blocks, the health of your hardware, and in Benchtest, test the drives read and write speeds. As these tests sort of hammer on your drive, any electrical interruption or serious drive problem can result in data loss. That's one good reason to make sure you have a good backup or copy of your drive on hand. The Duplicate module can create a backup for you, but as with many of these tools, it will not copy your current start-up drive unless you start from a different drive. Duplicate creates a bit-by-bit copy of your drive, so you must use a blank drive of equal or greater size to use it. Personally, I prefer Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper! to backup my drives, but including a backup module in Drive Genius just makes sense.

It's actually best to use the Drive Genius startup disk from which to run most of the tools. These tests chew through quite a bit of time, so make sure you run the programs when you don't need the machine for a number of hours.

The problem I often solve using Drive Genius 3 is a slow drive and one that mysteriously is eating up space at a surprising rate. That's where DriveSlim and Defrag come in handy.

DriveSlim is useful to search for large files, duplicate files over 1 MB, Unused Localizations (language files you don't need), Universal Binaries, and Cache and Temporary files you no longer need. I'm not quite sure I understand how it works though. I wasn't happy with the way DriveSlim displays the information, I found that it showed duplicates that were not, but only with files over 320 MB. On one drive, using Mac OS X 10.6.8, it listed both duplicate files and on another, in OS X 10.8, it listed only one file and I had to search for the duplicate in the Finder to see where it was stored. I then manually removed the file stored in the wrong folder. I'm sure that's not the way the tool was designed to work, but I was not confident to just check a box next to the DriveSlim found file and have it decide which file to keep, where to alias that file, or where to back up the file. You can choose which of the files to locate, but if you choose to act on only one type of file, you must run DriveSlim again to work on another type of file. Time consuming to say the least.

Even though most people claim you don't need to defragment a Mac-based hard drive, the OS actually only defragments files that are less than 20 MB. If you create or edit sound, video, or photographic files, you may have some hefty sized files on your drive(s). As Apple states in one of its manpages for XSan: "There are two major types of fragmentation to note: file fragmentation and free space fragmentation." "A file extent is a contiguous allocation unit within a file. When a large enough contiguous space cannot be found to allocate to a file, multiple smaller file extents are created. Each extent represents a different physical spot in a storage pool. Requiring multiple extents to address file data impacts performance in a number of ways."

In short, if pieces of the file you want to use are scattered all over your hard drive, it is working harder to deliver that file to you, slowing your workflow, and potentially reducing the lifespan of your hard drive. In checking a couple of my hard drives I found movie files that were divided into over 2000 fragments and photo files with over 100 fragments. When you run Defrag the files are concatenated into one whole file and the free space is moved to one area. I did test defragmenting my startup drive, not a recommended action to take, but I have a current backup. Drive Genius reboots your Mac into the Command Line and runs the defrag command, which also repairs your drive and reboots your Mac when its done. It worked fine, but a bit unnerving to watch.

The Repair module seems to duplicate the functions of Disk Utility, such as verify and repair disk errors and permissions. It will also rebuild the drive's catalog file.

The rest of the modules are aimed at setting up your drives. You can Initialize a drive and format it for GUID (recommended for Intel Macs) or use the old Apple Partition Map. You can also Repartition a volume, but not your start up drive-unless you start off the Drive Genius 3 disc. Partitioning lets you divide one drive into multiple volumes. I seem to be one of the few people who still partitions my drives and use this function when I first use a new drive. Explanation of initializing, partitioning, and Sector Editing your drive are beyond the scope of this review, but you can find more information on the Drive Genius site and in the Help file. One word of caution, if you do not know exactly what you are doing, never use Sector Edit, because it can corrupt the drive and render files useless.

Last is the newest module, added in Drive Genius 2, DrivePulse. This module loads into your Apple menu bar and monitors your drives in the background. I found it unnecessary on my new iMac, but have used it in the past on older machines. It checks for fragmentation, and file and physical drive problems. On my new iMac most of the drives I loaded yielded a Pending status. It checks drives when the machine is idle, so it doesn't interrupt your work. You can turn it off from the menu item or within Drive Genius.

Conclusion

The one thing Drive Genius will not do is run any tests on a drive that has serious physical problems, which is a shame. I started my tests using a 160 GB Iomega Ego that had trouble mounting. Anyone who deals with drives knows that clicks means ensuing death, but usually you have a little time to remove your files before the drive goes belly up. Well, this drive with three partitions fell off my desktop within 5 minutes. Drive Genius could see it initially, but would not run any tests and I couldn't recover anything from it.

Drive Genius 3 is especially useful if you create or edit very large files. For this review, I tested version 3.2.2, but have also used version 1 and 2 in the past. The price of Drive Genius pales against the cost of a new hard drive. At about $7.60 per module, it helps you keep your machine lean and mean and working at peak efficiency.

Requirements:

Ailing Mac? Try Drive Genius 3 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 24 May 2013 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ailing Mac? Try Drive Genius 3 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 24 May 2013 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It's dock o'clock, thank goodness, as Belkin's long incubation period of the Thunderbolt Express Dock closed out last month. The US$299 expansion peripheral is now shipping to customers; is it worth your attention? We've had a week to put it through its paces.

The most direct product comparison for the Express Dock is Matrox's $249 DS1, which we reviewed a few weeks ago. Like the Matrox unit, the Belkin dock requires but does not include a Thunderbolt cable -- so you should mentally add at least $30 to the price of each unit if you don't already have one. (Kanex sells Thunderbolt cables in lengths ranging from three meters down to one-half meter.)

Design

The Express Dock's industrial design went through several iterations after its original "stapler-style" preview first appeared in January of 2012. Since then the unit has gained a passthrough Thunderbolt port, lost its HDMI port, and seen an eSATA port added, then dropped, from the configuration. The unit comes with an external power brick that uses a standard three-prong plug, rather than an outlet-hogging adapter.

With the Express Dock you get all the ports you need, and more. Dual Thunderbolt ports (one in, one out) line up with three super-speed USB 3 ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port, analog audio in and out, and a Firewire 800 port. Compared to the Matrox DS1, Belkin has delivered quite a bit more flexibility and speed, particularly for Firewire users; being able to chain several FW800 drives off the dock means one less adapter to manage, and one less Thunderbolt port on the computer tied up.

I'd tag maxing out the USB 3 ports versus the Matrox unit "nice but not a blockbuster," as there's always the option of attaching a USB 3 hub to the DS1's single superspeed port if you need that expandability; I would expect that users with a lot of USB 3 devices have probably already invested in a hub to cover that need.

The passthrough Thunderbolt port, on the other hand, is a big deal, and good on Belkin for sticking with this design choice through the process. Yes, you're most likely going to terminate the chain with a Mini DisplayPort adapter or connecting to a Thunderbolt monitor; still, if you have other Thunderbolt devices that can sit mid-chain (like LaCie's eSATA hub) you are going to get more mileage out of Belkin's dock than you will from the DS1.

The final shipping instance of the Express Dock is low and lean, with a convenient cable passthrough that lets you run your Thunderbolt cable through the front of the device to the ports in the back. This may reduce wire clutter compared to the DS1, where the only TB connection is in the front.

The rounded, unobtrusive case design on the Express Dock would be at home on most desks. It's noticeably lower-profile than the Matrox, and quite a bit less boxy and industrial-looking. I do miss Matrox's front-facing USB port a bit, as it's convenient for plugging in flash drives and other quick-use devices.

Performance

The best thing that can be said about a Thunderbolt dock is that you don't really have to think about it once you plug it in; that's certainly true of the Express Dock. It's completely plug-and-play, with no device issues that I could see. File transfer performance on Firewire, USB 3 and Thunderbolt was pretty much indistinguishable from directly-connected devices; I tested with a Buffalo TB/USB3 drive, an Elgato SSD and a LaCie Firewire 800 drive and didn't see any substantive differences between docked and directly-connected performance. Macworld's lab testing showed similar performance parity on file transfers.

Display performance was also remarkably unremarkable, with the dock immediately syncing up to my external display via my mDP to DVI adapter. Although the Matrox DS1 dock has shown some rare loss-of-sync issues where external displays needed to be reset or reconnected to show up, I haven't seen that at all in a week of testing the "pure Thunderbolt" path on the Belkin.

The Ethernet port on the dock requires no additional software or driver install to be recognized; it just shows up, as you'd expect. Since it's recognized as a new network adapter, if you want your Mac to use it as the primary connection rather than WiFi or USB Ethernet you should make sure to move it to the top of the network connection priority list. The dock does require OS X 10.8.3, so if you don't get every port behaving properly at first you might check your system version.

Wrap-up

Thunderbolt docks may not be the sexiest peripheral sector, but Belkin's done a solid job delivering the Express Dock to the market with enough standout features to make it worth a look. With Firewire, plenty of USB 3 ports and the flexibility of passthrough Thunderbolt, it's packing plenty of value to cover that $50 premium versus the competition.

Pros

• Plug and play performance
• Thunderbolt passthrough port for flexibility
• Firewire 800, 3x USB 3

Cons

• Not inexpensive
• No front-facing convenience USB port

Who is it for?

• Thunderbolt Mac owners starved for expansion ports, especially those with investments in Firewire or USB 3 devices.

Here's a quick promo video from the Belkin team:

Belkin's Thunderbolt dock delivers plug-and-play flexibility originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 09 May 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Belkin's Thunderbolt dock delivers plug-and-play flexibility originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 09 May 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I didn't know what to think about the ElementCase Sector 5 (SE) iPhone 5 "case." I had been using my iPhone 5 for a while, and I really appreciated the fact that it felt like it didn't need a case. I've lauded ElementCase in the past because the craftsmanship and quality were outstanding. But previous iPhones, with the glass on the back, really did need a case of some kind. I know too many people who have cracked back plates to recommend not getting one. The iPhone 5, in my opinion, rarely needs a case at all. Yet I found myself enjoying the Sector, despite the feeling it may not be completely necessary.

Design

As usual, the ElementCase used its knowledge of machining and has produced a lightweight and beautiful case -- except it's not so much a case as an aluminum bumper. The Sector needs you to remove only one screw to open it up (what ElementCase calls a multilink connection), and it wraps around the sides of the iPhone. The kit includes an adhesive-backed suede backing and a screen film, both of which I chose not to use. However, with all the included parts you could really protect your iPhone while keeping it looking very sharp.

One unfortunate bit is a "road rash" protector, basically a collection of vinyl stickers you'll put around the edges of your iPhone to "protect" it from the Sector's rubber feet. The rubber feet are inside the four corners of the case, giving the shock absorption you want but having the nasty side effect of leaving some bits of rubber behind after prolonged use (see pic below). While I object to the vinyl, it's a good idea for ElementCase to have included these. That said, it makes the easier-to-remove case itself somewhat less easy to remove as you'll need to remove the non-reusable vinyl off your iPhone before ditching the Sector completely (if you choose to).

The "road rash" vinyl sticker after over a week of use under the Sector 5

The Sector bulges out at the corners a bit, and adds a little visual interest to the iPhone. There are a couple of inadvertent issues with the Sector, however, and while they stem from the design, I'll detail them in the functionality section. Suffice it to say the "trussed" design (meaning there are a lot of cutouts) is a blessing and a curse, keeping weight down but also causing potential problems for big fingers.

The review unit I got was a nice dark gray gun metal color. The weight is negligible, and that's really amazing. Still, this does add enough weight to the already crazy light iPhone 5, so you will definitely notice the iPhone is a bit heavier. Since I'm not covered in replacement iPhones, I did not perform a drop test. It's possible the shock absorbers will protect the phone, but it's also possible the added weight could be a problem.

The Sector comes with a handy screwdriver for removing the case itself (and you can even attach it to your keys), but with that vinyl tape I doubt you'll be doing it often.

Functionality

OK, it's a case. As I said, I'm unwilling to throw my iPhone at the ground, but let's take this just as a sort of backup insurance. It's light, it's barely there, what's not to like?

Unfortunately the deeper wells around the volume buttons make it much harder to access them if you have big fingers. I have relatively small fingers and often found myself having to squeeze in to flick the mute or change volume. That's not good. Apple puts those above the "surface" of the edge for a reason.

Also, the lower left bulge is just big enough to where I really have to stretch my left thumb to access the upper right corner. While the 5 is taller, this additional distance was just enough for my smallish hands to have a problem where there was none before. Your mileage may vary.

And lastly while the hole cut for the headphone port is ample, I found it was not ample enough for a generation of plugs made before smartphones became our music players. My old Sony desktop speaker plug barely fit, and seemed to pop out regularly. If you use EarPods or any of the more recent audio cables, changes are you'll be OK. My Sony MDR headphones were not OK, however. The plug fit, but so barely it kept popping out. The ports otherwise (mic, speakers, Lightning cable) all were fine thanks to the extensive trussing going on for weight purposes.

The power button is accessed with a push button atop the case, so that worked fine. You also have access to the SIM slot, for what that's worth (in owning 4 iPhones I have yet to touch my SIM tray). One small problem with the stainless steel screws is that, in my review unit, they were painted black and after some use that paint came off. I actually like the patina look and it's not obvious at all, but if you're the kind of person who inspects cases with a jeweler's loupe, you'll see it for sure.

Conclusion

The build quality of the Sector is incredible. What's amazing to me are all the chambers and edges on the Sector, the trussing to keep weight low, and how it feels in your hand. When I first added the Sector to my iPhone I wasn't sure it was such a great idea, but after a week I have come to really enjoy it, and feel like I've got just enough added protection to my 5 that I can keep slapping it down on tables as I did before the case. I can imagine that with the additional suede backing it would be even more protected.

The problem is that the price, US$139.95 may not justify the protection and the minor aggravations (specifically access to those volume buttons). If you have small hands or feel like your iPhone 5 is the perfect weight, you'll also have problems with having it on there.

So is the Sector a great case? Yeah, it's a good case. I'm not sure it's worth the money, but if you are into status symbols, and the ElementCase lineup is mostly that, it's probably the coolest iPhone 5 case you can get right now.

Pros:

• Provides some protection
• Looks cool
• Easier than ever to remove or put back on

Cons:

• Vinyl stickers are a bummer
• Some usability issues with volume
• The iPhone 5 doesn't feel like it needs a case, so this can feel extraneous at times

Who is it for?

Anyone who wants their iPhone 5 to look different and can afford a luxury case which offers modest protection.

Road tested: ElementCase's Sector 5 case for the iPhone 5 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 29 Nov 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Road tested: ElementCase's Sector 5 case for the iPhone 5 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 29 Nov 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I've been using Runmeter GPS for years as my primary walking and biking tracking tool. Today, Abvio announced its new 5K to Marathon Runmeter GPS (US$2.99), which adds run/walk training to this popular app. Training options include 5K, 10K, half-marathon, and full-marathon plans.

The app is a build-on to the existing Runmeter GPS app, and will offer all the same features shipped in the original Runmeter. Your three dollars buys you all that plus the 5K training on top.

The 5K version installs as a new app. Will data transfer? An Abvio spokesperson stated, "You could transfer your database between apps, it's not a limitation, it's just that you don't need to. Once you have one of our apps, you don't need another."

Runmeter stores all your workout data, plus it can interface with biometric sensors. Audio alerts and announcements help you pace yourself; sharing options let you send your workout info to friends, and import tools allow you to bring in routes. If you're looking to get off the couch and get on the track, give the new Runmeter a go.

Abvio Runmeter 5K enters Couch to 5K arena originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Abvio Runmeter 5K enters Couch to 5K arena originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Independence Day holiday week is upon us, and millions of American families are heading out on the open road. Where past generations depended on paper maps and Mad Libs, the march of technology has given us new tools for kids and parents alike. Our five-plus apps for road trips are accompanied with standbys and alternates to match up with your specific travel needs. Got other favorites or recommendations? Give them a shout out in the comments.

When I was young, in the pre-cellphone days, our road trips with other families included walkie-talkies or CB radios to help coordinate bathroom stops or route changes. Even with iMessage and hands-free headsets, there's something to be said for the one-button convenience of push-to-talk -- just ask the crowd of satisfied and loyal Nextel users who depend on the technology every day. Three popular apps that simulate the PTT experience on the iPhone are Voxer, HeyTell and Zello (all free).

All the walkie-talkie apps offer one-to-one or group voice chat at the press of a virtual button. Voxer's got Facebook integration and a rapidly growing userbase, plus photo and text sharing (and some hefty funding); Zello's got a simple UI including "one big button" for PTT conversations with the other cars in your convoy; and HeyTell's got geographic indicators for your chat partners plus in-app purchases for fun items like voice changers. Any one may save you some dialing and phone calling while you're looking for your next pitstop, so consult with your fellow vacationers and settle on the one you like.

Eyes on the road, please! If you want to automatically alert your friends or family at your destination that you're making progress, check out the free En Route! or the $0.99 just-released iETA. Both apps will automatically update your selected contacts with your expected arrival time and optionally share your location as you go. Other options in this vein: Glympse, Google Latitude or Apple's Find my Friends app. Want to make sure you've got solid 3G or LTE coverage where you're headed? Reader Chris suggests his $2.99 Coverage! app, which consolidates multiple carrier maps into one convenient view.

Getting there is half the fun, and getting distracted along the way is at least 15% of the fun. Roadside America for iPhone ($2.99 + IAP) delivers a mapped guide to the silly and serious attractions that make a road trip memorable. Buying the app unlocks a single region of the US & Canada, with a $1.99 option in-app to purchase additional regions or $5.99 to unlock them all permanently. You can track your attraction visits, upload photos, get sunset alerts to time your visits to scenic sites, and of course get directions/hours and phone numbers. Not to be confused with the one and only Roadside America miniature village in Shartlesville, PA, which is absolutely mandatory if you're taking I-78 through southeastern Pennsylvania.

Speaking of I-78, I'm positive that my wife and I have made the same mistake at least four times on that highway -- taking an exit for lunch at Friendly's only to find that it's a five-mile winding drive to get to the restaurant, when there's one right off the highway two exits further on. The solution may be iExit for iPhone and iPad (now on sale for $0.99, usually $1.99), which gives you a list of all the amenities and dining options for up to 100 exits on down the road.

You can sort your iExit results by type (hotels, gas, fast/slow food, coffee) or identify favorite outlets for more filtering choices. iExit also comes in $0.99 Food and Hotel versions (not much point in buying them while the main app is on sale, though) plus a free Lite version; the Lite version only shows what's coming up at the next exit. There's a similar free app called RoadAhead that Mel reviewed last year; on my next highway drive I'll compare it to the Lite version of iExit and see which one stacks up better. Hat tip to CNN for Roadside America and iExit.

Of course, the king of the American road guide castle is the venerable AAA Triptik. Readers of a certain vintage may remember the paper strip maps from AAA with manually highlighted routes, mileage indicators and approved motels & restaurants marked along the way. Triple-A has also changed with the times, as seen in the AAA Triptik Mobile app (free).

Integrating maps and navigation details from NAVTEQ, the app simulates the experience of the old paper Triptiks by letting you shake your iPhone (or press an onscreen button) to announce the next navigational maneuver; not exactly turn-by-turn, but not bad. It also lists AAA-approved hotels, restaurants, campgrounds and more. You can also get navigational help and geosearch from the built-in Maps app, naturally, and from apps such as Mapquest (free) and MotionX GPS Drive ($0.99 plus subscriptions). AAA's separate, free Roadside app is also a must-have for members, as it ties into the complimentary roadside service and towing options from the association.

If you'd rather document your journey with a photo journal, there are apps for that too. The latest entry is the free Rough Guides Trip Lens, incorporating technology from the HipGeo trip journal app. Trip Lens gives you an Indiana Jones-style map path with your photos along it, even if you took them far away from WiFi or cell towers -- the geocoded photos are cached and uploaded when you're back in range. You can share or send photos, see other shots taken nearby, and give family or friends a custom URL where they can follow along with your travels.

Keeping pointed in the right direction is one thing; keeping everyone from boredom-induced road coma is another thing entirely. BoingBoing points out the social trivia app Trivi.al, available in ad-supported or paid ($2.99) versions. Compete against other quizmasters around the country to see who's got the fastest finger and the sharpest recall... and watch the miles fly by.

Being on the road means being away from your familiar -- and presumably secure -- home and work WiFi networks. To keep your mobile connections protected on Random Truck Stop Network, a VPN is a good idea. The commercial VPN service Hotspot Shield secures your data with a bonus; compression routines squeeze your data requirements down so that if you're stuck using your 3G or 4G connection, you can minimize the amount of your quota that gets chewed up. Hotspot Shield subscriptions for a single iOS device run $0.99 a month or $9.99 per year, but there is a current deal via Parallels that gets you protection for up to five computers and five iOS devices for a year for $39.95.

Finally, when you do step away from the car for a few minutes of sunbathing, you'd better know how much UV you're absorbing before you burn (sticking to the car seat = an uncomfortable ride). Katie Couric's blog, of all places, points to the UV Safe Timer app (free). This tool takes the actual weather at your location into account when computing your sun exposure, along with your activities and skin type. A timer alerts you when you're due for a reapplication of sunscreen. And wear a hat!

Photo by C.G.P. Grey | flickr cc

Five apps (and more) for the summer road trip originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 04 Jul 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Five apps (and more) for the summer road trip originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 04 Jul 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Maybe someone in Apple's new mapping department is a fan of the automotive antics featured on The Dukes of Hazzard. As tweeted this weekend by James Mountain and featured on the financial site Minyanville, the new icon for the Maps app in iOS 6 features a slight change to emphasize the turn-by-turn directions upgrade: a blue routing path making a left turn with the familiar Interstate 280 shield in the upper right corner. The routing chevron replaces the red pin, but still holds pride of place right outside the gates of Apple's Cupertino headquarters.

There's only one teensy problem with this attractive icon: the blue path, if taken as a literal GPS routing, would be decidedly illegal and almost certainly fatal. The northbound lanes of De Anza Boulevard don't allow you to go west that way -- you'd have to cross over the highway and take a ramp instead. If Siri told you "turn left now" and you listened to her in Allstate mayhem fashion, you'd be cutting across oncoming traffic and taking a 20-foot plunge off the side of the elevated roadway onto I-280, headed west (well, mostly headed down, but a little bit west).

Below is the view from the highway looking up towards De Anza, courtesy of some other company's mapping solution. As for the beta icon for the iOS 6 beta Maps, all we can muster is a Monday No Comment.

No Comment: iOS 6 Maps icon not to be taken as literal routing advice originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 18 Jun 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

No Comment: iOS 6 Maps icon not to be taken as literal routing advice originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 18 Jun 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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For every gadget that claims to charge an iPhone on the go, there's sure to be a constituency that swears by it (or quite possibly at it). With external battery packs from HyperMac, Zagg, Kensington, Newer and Monoprice, you can dangle a cable; with battery-equipped cases from Exogear, Boost and Kensington you can keep your extra joules right next to your phone. We've seen some clever inventions (the RichardSolo 1800, the PowerEZ) and too-clever ones (the X-Power charger-in-a-cable), but precious few options that give you power when you need it without adding weight, aggravation and charging hassles.

Since Macworld Expo this year, I've been happily using the US$79.99 mophie juice pack air with my iPhone 4 when I need extended power. It's light (about 68 grams), packs a solid 1500 mAh battery and charges reliably and simply with a Micro USB cable. It's a great product, but it does bulk up the phone substantially; if you carry the iPhone in a pocket, you'll notice the difference in weight and size (mophie's 2000 mAh product, the $99.95 juice pack plus, adds even more bulk and mass). I also don't need extra power most of the time; it's only when I've got a busy day on the road, and I can't charge here and there. If there were a way to get the all-in-one convenience of the juice pack without having to carry the battery all the time, I'd love it.

That's why I was excited to check out Third Rail Mobility's new battery and case system for the iPhone 4, developed by a family of entrepreneurs who say they aren't afraid to touch the 'third rail' of mobile consumer electronics in addressing poor battery life. The system, on sale today, pairs a slimline 1250 mAh battery with a light protective case. But this battery comes off, attaching firmly when you need it and staying out of the way in your bag or jacket when you don't. I've been testing a prerelease unit for the past week, hoping to figure out if it truly is the best of both worlds.

[Commenter beq points to a similar system from Tekkeon, which I had not heard of before; the $79.95 myPower case puts the battery into the top half of the case, allowing you to swap that out for additional charges. It does not include the stacking or third-party device charging features of the Third Rail system. -MR]

Continue reading Third Rail zaps iPhone case market with detachable battery pack

Third Rail zaps iPhone case market with detachable battery pack originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 11 May 2011 00:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Third Rail zaps iPhone case market with detachable battery pack originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 11 May 2011 00:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I cannot imagine using my iPad without a case. It's not that I'm paranoid about protecting it so much as I just find it very difficult to type on without some sort of prop. Perhaps how I use my iPad is unusual: I draft blog posts on it, use it to keep notes in meetings, and use it a lot in the kitchen for recipe display. Since I first bought the official Apple case mere days after getting the iPad, I haven't used my iPad naked for more than a few hours without missing the ability to stand it up.

The official case was (a rarity for Apple) both highly practical and incredibly ugly. The seam around the edge might have helped with impact absorption, but it also made the iPad feel like a cheap novelty. Over the last year of iPad ownership, I've looked at multiple options, but have never found one I really wanted -- mostly due to analysis paralysis, I suspect. I ended up sticking with the official case, as much as I disliked it.

As such, the new Smart Cover for the iPad 2 looked highly relevant to my interests, but after deliberation, I decided not to upgrade, so that wasn't an option for me. Then our sister site Engadget pointed out that the Smart Cover is remarkably similar to Incase's Convertible Magazine Jacket for iPads (Extra Capital Letters Unwieldy Name Edition). So, naturally, I ordered one immediately, and having used it non-stop for the last week, these are my thoughts.

Continue reading Incase Convertible Magazine Jacket for iPad review: Smart Cover without the iPad 2

Incase Convertible Magazine Jacket for iPad review: Smart Cover without the iPad 2 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 20 Mar 2011 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Incase Convertible Magazine Jacket for iPad review: Smart Cover without the iPad 2 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 20 Mar 2011 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gallery: The Mac and iPhone in Photography

Continue reading The iPhone 4 and a Mac on a photography trek

The iPhone 4 and a Mac on a photography trek originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The iPhone 4 and a Mac on a photography trek originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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.

Update: The OWLE bubo has been completely redesigned with a composite case and new name, and now works with the iPhone 4 and 4S. You can take a look at the Phocus for iPhone 4/4S here. Please note that the OWLE bubo is no longer available but is replaced by the Phocus.

Continue reading Hands-on with the OWLE bubo: Better photos and video from your iPhone (Updated)

Hands-on with the OWLE bubo: Better photos and video from your iPhone (Updated) originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 07 Feb 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Hands-on with the OWLE bubo: Better photos and video from your iPhone (Updated) originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 07 Feb 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Road Tested: the socially-developed Quirky PowerCurl originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 28 Dec 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Road Tested: the socially-developed Quirky PowerCurl originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 28 Dec 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Road Tested: Newer Technology NuPower Charge & Sync +

Road Tested: Newer Technology NuPower Charge & Sync + originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Road Tested: Newer Technology NuPower Charge & Sync + originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Road Tested: Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 from Sprint

Road Tested: Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 from Sprint originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Road Tested: Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 from Sprint originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I suspect many TUAW readers find themselves in the same situation that I am in: I use a desktop and a laptop. I often find myself wanting to move files between these two machines, so here's what I do: switch to Finder, click on the shared Mac I want, navigate to the folder I'm looking for, and then track down the file I want to copy there and drag it over. I could drag a folder from the other computer to my "Places" sidebar in Finder, but honestly, I just never do.

What I wanted was something quick and painless. I tried to whip something up using Automator and Folder Actions where it would copy/move files saved in one folder to the other machine, but even that would get messy. Most often I don't want to move the file, I just want to copy it. I could put the files in Dropbox, but some of these files are sizable (i.e. the 30+ MB iMovie update). To use Dropbox for this would take a long time.

Turns out that Dropzone offers the perfect solution: by enabling FTP on both Macs (System Preferences > Sharing > File Sharing, then click the "Options" button, and check the box "Share files and folders using FTP") I now have a drag & drop solution to copying files between computers. Simply drag the file to the Dropzone icon on the dock and then drop it onto one of the many "dropzones" which I have defined, and Dropzone does the rest. Two folders that I added almost immediately? The "Automatically Add to iTunes" folder in the iTunes folder and the Auto Import folder from inside my iPhoto Library (you will have to control-click your iPhoto library and choose "Show Package Contents" to find the "Auto Import" folder).

There are several plugins available to extend Dropzone to other services such as ImageShack, TwitPic, Flickr, and more. For Internet services, not only will the file get copied to where you want it to go, but the URL will be placed on the clipboard so you can paste the URL wherever you want it to go. I often FTP files to my website, and files Dropzone FTPs to a website can also support putting the URL on the clipboard.

There are several other nifty options, Dropzones for starting the screensaver, putting your Mac to sleep, or drag & drop printing a file to the default printer. You can also zip files (or zip and email them) and many other conveniences.

The biggest feature of all was one that I almost overlooked until I watched a screencast from macosxscreencasts.com about Dropzone. A built-in Dropzone called "Install Application" will allow you to drag a .dmg onto Dropzone and have the DMG mounted, the app installed to /Applications, the DMG moved to the recycle bin, and the app launched (it also works with applications which have been .zip'd instead of put into a disk image).

If you are anything like me, the "install a new app" process is several steps that you repeat a lot. Dropzone's handling of it is incredibly fast and works really well. If it opens a DMG it cannot handle (such as an installer), it will simply open the folder. Great, start stuff that saves you time and frustration. Remember how computers were supposed to make our lives easier? Dropzone does just that.

Continue reading Dropzone makes it easy to copy files, install apps

Dropzone makes it easy to copy files, install apps originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Dropzone makes it easy to copy files, install apps originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Upon learning that the Oxford English Dictionary was going to be released on CD-ROM for the Mac, I pre-ordered it from Amazon.com for $244 back in December (list price $295, currently $212). Due to Amazon's "pre-order price guarantee" the final price was just under $200. This should be considered a bargain.

The printed version of the two-volume Shorter Oxford English Dictionary sells for $350,The Compact Oxford English Dictionary "in slipcase with reading glass" sells for $400, and the 20 volume complete dictionary set sells for $995. Since I am-and hope to remain-married, I did not even consider spending $1000 on the complete 20 volume set (for very long). But a CD-ROM? That doesn't take up any space at all, and it's at a fraction of the price!

(I should probably note that Mac OS X comes with the "New Oxford American Dictionary" which is not the same thing as the OED, despite the similar sounding name.)

The CD-ROM lists itself as "version 4" but this is the first version to be "native" on the Mac. If there was a way to emphasize the quotation marks around the word "native" I would do so, because as I quickly learned, the OED puts the "ugly" in "butt ugly Windows port." The image you see above is the application icon. Have you ever seen an uglier icon? Have you ever seen an uglier icon for a $300 Mac application?

Continue reading Oxford English Dictionary is the very definition of an ugly Mac port

Oxford English Dictionary is the very definition of an ugly Mac port originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Oxford English Dictionary is the very definition of an ugly Mac port originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The MiFi, which is a portable EV-DO router, provides a 3G connection through an absolutely tiny unit. All plastic, it's about as thick as an iPhone and about two-thirds as large as its front face. The MiFi's entire user interface is its single button (seen at the bottom right of the image here). When pressed, the button switches on and glows green. Pressed again and held, the unit turns off and the green glow disappears. Sprint offers a near-identical unit, except it's finished in brushed metal instead of black.

Read on to discover how my MiFi testing went...

Continue reading Road Tested: the Verizon MiFi portable broadband router

Road Tested: the Verizon MiFi portable broadband router originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Road Tested: the Verizon MiFi portable broadband router originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Road Tested: Dexim Dual Dock Charger originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Road Tested: Dexim Dual Dock Charger originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Road Tested: Ecamm BT-1 Bluetooth webcam (& we're giving one away!)

Road Tested: Ecamm BT-1 Bluetooth webcam (& we're giving one away!) originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Road Tested: Ecamm BT-1 Bluetooth webcam (& we're giving one away!) originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Road Tested: AT&T Navigator for iPhone

Road Tested: AT&T Navigator for iPhone originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Road Tested: AT&T Navigator for iPhone originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Road Tested: Mophie Juice Pack Air

Road Tested: Mophie Juice Pack Air originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Road Tested: Mophie Juice Pack Air originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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