Safari 4.0 DP2 has a build number of 40A12. Just like the last build, this edition scored a perfect 100/100 on the Acid3 test. Developers with access to the Apple Connect website can download Safari 4.0 preview 2 for Mac OS X Leopard, Tiger, and for Windows.
The new version gives users the option to save web pages as an application that can be launched independently of Safari (similar in concept to the SSBs Prism and Fluid). There is no word on when Safari 4.0 might be released to the public.
3G performance is slow almost all over, especially in cities where the 3G service is getting overloaded. If you want to have fast speeds, hang out in Germany and the Netherlands -- those folks had the fastest speeds (and it's no coincidence that the 3G network there has three extra development years on its American counterpart). The worst reception is apparently in Australia, as Optus and Virgin users had their iPhones chugging along at just 759 Kbps.
Blogger Thomas Ricker over at our sibling site Engadget posted an interesting blurb early this morning. Curious about whether or not iPhone 3G is as bad as urban legend seems to make it out to be, engineers at Bluetest in Gothenburg, Sweden, tested it against a Nokia N73 and a Sony Ericsson P1.
The results? Although the P1 was slightly better at receiving signals and the N73 a little bit better at sending signals, the difference between these two popular 3G phones and the iPhone 3G was negligible. The degreed antenna engineer performing the tests pronounced the 3G's capabilities as "completely normal."
This testing equipment is similar to that used by the FCC and mobile phone manufacturers to make sure that their phones are able to properly send and receive signals without interfering with other devices. These tests only tested the iPhone 3G hardware. There are other factors involved as well, including the device firmware and software.
I personally haven't found the iPhone 3G's reception to be any better or worse than my original iPhone. How about you? Leave a comment!
Have you ever wanted your screen saver to appear as a background image? Probably not. But if you like to show off to your Windows-using friends, then this tip can definitely help you out. By typing the following command into Terminal (Applications > Utilities), all on one line, and hitting enter, you will instantly see your screen saver displayed as a desktop background:
To get things back to normal (which you probably will want to do, as many screensavers will put undue load on your processor), either close the Terminal window, press control + C, or restart your computer. If you are running Leopard and have the clock overlay active, it will appear above all windows, which can get a little annoying.
Want more tips and tricks like this? Visit TUAW's Mac 101 and Terminal Tips sections.
According to our sister site, Engadget, a leaked iPod nano case shows a new design that is completely different than the current nano. All this comes after Kevin Rose, of Digg fame, created a rumor that among other things, a new iPod nano might be coming in September.
Beelan, a Chinese accessory maker apparently has a case ready for shipping via Alibaba. The design of the 4th generation iPod nano would appear to have a curved face and might return to its roots with a long, slender design.
What do you think? Is this real, or fake? Be sure to sound-off in the comments.
Last week's talkcast featured host Mike Schramm, Robert and Steve shooting the breeze on the latest Mac news including a back-to-school review and notes from the Carlsbad, CA store opening; listen in with the widget below or download in iTunes or via RSS.
iPhone developers! Do you need to make a quick mockup of your iPhone app for a presentation to venture capitalists?
Don't struggle with creating your own UI elements. Geoff Teehan and crew have come up with a Photoshop PSD library full of UI assets that you can use to whip up a mockup of that killer app in time for the meeting with Mr. Moneybags.
The PSD file is now at version 1.1, with the following improvements over the 1.0:
changed document to 160ppi
added number and symbol keyboard views
added key press
added address book alphabetical navigation widget
added plus icon
added new checked and unchecked elements
Thanks to Geoff and friends for making this available to the iPhone development community at no cost.
You know those movie trailers that begin with the narrator intoning the familiar words "In a world...."? Beau Weaver, a Hollywood narrator and diehard TUAW reader who does a lot of those trailers, was asked by his friends to create an iPhone ringtone that played on the same phrase. He did, and he'd like to share it with TUAW readers for free.
If you thought the new Get a Mac ads were spot-on or funny, then you will definitely get a kick out of this. On Microsoft's Photosynth website, they admit something that we've known for years: They're not cool enough to run on Macs.
"Unfortunately, we're not cool enough to run on your OS yet. We really wish we had a version of Photosynth that worked cross platform, but for now it only runs on Windows. Trust us, as soon as we have a Mac version ready, it will be up and available on our site," reads the website.
Photosynth is a technology Microsoft has designed to create 3-D "worlds" with your photos. This technology is definitely cool, and we actually would like to see it come to the Mac, but the way they worded the install page just makes us laugh. Meanwhile, VMware Fusion's Pete Kazanjy told us that the warning about Photosynth not working in a virtual machine isn't quite right; he got it running just fine in Fusion 2 Beta 2, and has the video to prove it.
Last night, Apple issued an update for the MacBook Air. With the oh-so creative title of "MacBook Air Update," this update is recommended for all users and fixes "issues with video playback and processor core idling."
According to Apple, this update should not be installed until applications that modify processor operating characteristics (i.e. frequency and voltage), like CoolBook, are removed from the system. Apple says that these applications are not supported.
You can download this update by visiting the Apple support download website or by opening Software Update (Apple menu > Software Update). Apple has published a support note with extra information about this update.
This time in Ask TUAW we have questions on Mac anti-virus options, upgrading RAM in a white iMac, syncing a laptop and a desktop, emulating Windows file management and more.
As always, your suggestions are most welcome, and 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, as certain answers will vary between different Macs and Tiger vs. Leopard, etc. (we'll assume you're running Leopard if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions!
There are a couple of three new iPhone ads showing tonight, "Lonely Planet,""Cro Mag" and "Vicinity." All are available on Apple's ads page now (that is, if your Friday night needs a shot of pure excitement). The ads focus on the App Store and the ease of downloading new iPhone applications wherever, whenever you like (and again I refer you to the Friday night possibilities for fun). [We missed "Vicinity" on the first look, but thanks to Alan for following up.]
"Lonely Planet" features a Lonely Planet phrasebook for Mandarin Chinese, which ties in nicely to the current Olympic festivities. "Cro Mag" shows Cro-Mag Rally, recently reduced to $5.99US, and actually demos the gameplay briefly before showing one of the interesting challenges of iPhone gaming -- the phone call that interrupts your game.
A few TUAW readers have reported receiving a text message from AT&T on their 3G iPhones. Specifically, it prompts users to upgrade to iPhone software 2.0.2.
"An important software update for iPhone 3G has been available on iTunes since this past Monday," the message reads. "To get it, simply sync your iPhone 3G with iTunes and click the 'Check for Update' button."
Thanks for nagging, AT&T. Since I own an original iPhone that's fully up to date, I haven't received the message. So, dear readers, have you been nagged by Auntie AT&T today?
Despite issues with the iPhone 3G -- less-than-stellar battery life, dropped calls, crashes, etc. -- stock market analysts are very bullish on Apple's product.
BusinessWeek reported that Piper Jaffray tech analyst Gene Munster is forecasting sales of 13 million iPhone 3Gs in 2008, and a whopping 45 million on 2009. That's considerably higher than what other analysts are proposing, which is in the range of 11 million in 2008 and "only" 26 million in 2009.
The BusinessWeek article also mentioned Apple's new production goals point to 40 to 45 million handsets between now and August of 2009, which fits into Munster's forecast nicely. Of course, supply is only half of the picture. Demand for the 3G depends on Apple and carriers fixing issues quickly, decent rate plans from carriers, and killer apps in the App Store.
As Apple rolls into large and previously untouched markets such as Russia and China, forges deals with other retailers such as Best Buy, and works with developers to bring hot applications to the App Store, we'll see how the forecasts compare with reality.
How accurate do you think the projections are? Share your opinion in a comment.
The government of China has blocked access to the entirety of the iTunes store, and the publishers of a single new Tibet-themed album are claiming responsibility.
The album, Songs for Tibet [iTunes link], is a compilation of music by Sting, Alanis Morissette, Garbage and others, plus a 15-minute lecture by the Dalai Lama. The album is being released by the New York City-based Art of Peace Foundation, whose spokesman Michael Wohl said he believed the album was responsible for the outage, but couldn't prove it.
Wohl said the foundation issued a press release claiming 40 Olympic athletes downloaded the album as a display of solidarity, which he suspects triggered the shutdown.
Apple acknowledged that they are "aware of the log-on problems," but wouldn't say how many customers were affected nor comment further. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which regulates Internet use in China, did not comment either.
Apple has started seeding developers with Safari 4.0 preview 2. You may recall that the last developer preview was issued in June after the WWDC.
Blogger Thomas Ricker over at our sibling site 
According to our sister site, 
Last week's 
This time in 
A few TUAW readers have reported receiving a text message from AT&T on their 3G iPhones. Specifically, it prompts users to upgrade to iPhone software 2.0.2.
Despite issues with the 
The government of China has blocked access to the entirety of the iTunes store, and the publishers of a single new Tibet-themed album are claiming responsibility. 
