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Filed under: Tips and tricks, iWork

iWork secret life as ZIP file revealed, includes PDF preview

by Aron Trimble (RSS feed) on Nov 2nd, 2009

Former TUAW colleague David Chartier over at Finer Things in Mac has noted something interesting about the innocuous iWork '09 file format. What he found may surprise you.

An iWork '09 file created from Pages, Numbers, or Keynote actually lives a secret life as a ZIP archive. This trick isn't a new one; the most common example of archive trickery by Apple is probably the iPod/iPhone software bundle which uses ZIP as a container format. Previous iWork versions actually created folder-like bundle files by default, which made them tricky to upload to cloud storage or email to collaborators.

In the case of the new iWork files, changing the file extension to .zip and expanding the archive reveals the as-expected XML document and plist files (for the document and its formatting) as well as a little PDF surprise -- a preview version of the file. What this means for you is that you can send an iWork file to a friend or co-worker and regardless of their operating system choice or installed software base, they can "view" your document by unzipping it and opening the PDF.

On Windows, you would simply change the extension to .zip and open with your favorite un-archiving utility. Given the kludgy-ness of this process, it doesn't surprise me that Apple isn't promoting it. However, it would be interesting to see the folks in Cupertino release an iWork viewer for the Windows users in our lives (other than the extant iwork.com sharing service).

[Via Download Squad]

Tags: iwork, keynote, Numbers, pages, pdf, zip

Filed under: iWork, Software Update

iWork '09 Update 3 is ready and waiting

by David Winograd (RSS feed) on Sep 28th, 2009



Fresh off Software Update, it's iWork 09 Update 3 which addresses a ton of issues in Keynote, Numbers, and Pages as well as the iWork.com beta. It's recommended for all iWork 09 users.

General fixes include:
  • General compatibility issues
  • Updating help
  • Adding a link to online resources in the help menu
  • Improving image handling when reducing size with Instant Alpha applied
  • Improving file size management when inserting movies.

The full list of improvements to Keynote, Pages and Numbers, and the iWork.com beta can be found in Apple Support article HT3681

Thanks to all who sent this in.

Tags: iwork 09, Iwork09, keynote, pages

Filed under: Software, Tips and tricks, iWork

Using iWork as an image editor

by Sang Tang (RSS feed) on Sep 19th, 2009

I recently noted the image-editing functionality of Preview.app, which can act as a "good enough" image editor for many that don't have access to Photoshop. While it's difficult to argue with the free price tag, Preview is not without its limitations. Fortunately, many of these limitations are unlocked if you happen to own Apple's iWork suite, which in its own right can serve as an image editor for the budget-minded.Read on to see how to use iWork in this unconventional way.

Continue reading “Using iWork as an image editor”

Tags: cost, image editing, ImageEditing, iwork, keynote, numbers, pages, photoshop, pixelmator, preview

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends, iTunes, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch

View .cbr comics on your iPhone

by Mike Schramm (RSS feed) on Apr 24th, 2009

Of course there's an app for this, but I'd never even considered it. While I do occasionally read .cbr (Comic Book Archive files) on my desktop, the iPhone didn't really occur to me as a portable comic book reading device. But sure enough, there are apps for that. iComic is probably the cheapest, but I hear it's a little tough to get set up. ComicZeal is extremely popular, and just a little bit cheaper from the somewhat similar myComics. Pull Lists uses a desktop client to sync up comics for you, which is a little more than I need, but it seems like some people like it. There are actually lots of choices, it turns out -- I would have thought that the iPhone's screen was pretty small for reading comic book pages, but I'll have to give those apps a try.

Or, if you're too cheap to pay a buck or two for a full app, you can even do it yourself. .cbr files are really just .jpg archives, so as this tip from a while back on the iPhone Comic Book Reader says, you can actually extract out the jpegs, and then just sync them up to your iPhone via iPhoto if you want. Three dollars really isn't that much, and any of those apps listed above will give you a little more functionality (easy flipping between pages, bookmarking, and many other features per app), but if you really want to DIY, there you go.

Now it would be nice to be able to officially buy .cbr archives over the web from some of the major companies -- the closest they've come that I know of is a subscription service, but of course you've got to use their own client for that (and there's no iPhone app that I can find, though Uclick has a few apps in there for certain books). As long as reading pirated .cbr files is outlawed, only outlaws will end up reading them.

Tags: cbr, comic-book-reader, comic-books, comiczeal, icomic, iphone, jpegs, mycomics, pages, pull-lists, reading, uclick

Filed under: Software, iWork

No more serial numbers in iWork retail boxes

by Dave Caolo (RSS feed) on Jan 21st, 2009

Customers who buy iWork '09 retail boxes may be surprised by what they don't find inside. Namely, a registration code. Apple has stopped shipping iWork with a registration code starting with version '09. "Install iWork '09 from the enclosed disc and you're ready to go," says Apple.

Of course, those using the downloaded trial version will have to enter a serial number if they want to activate their trial version. While iWork has traditionally required users to enter a registration code, iLife has not. Some have implied that this is a tacit invitation to piracy -- install our software on random machines, get hooked then pay for an upgrade, but we're unconvinced. Also, we have no indication (as of this writing, at least) that the iWork apps don't phone home to verify that they're validly installed.

[Via Ars]

Tags: iwork, iwork 09, Iwork09, keynote, numbers, pages, pirate, registration

Filed under: Software, iWork

As expected, Apple releases iWork '09 at Macworld Expo

by Aron Trimble (RSS feed) on Jan 6th, 2009


During today's Macworld Keynote Phil Schiller announced the immediate release of iWork '09. We previously reported this was fairly likely given the slip-up over at Apple.com. The updated version of iWork is definitely more evolutionary than revolutionary.

Keynote
The first new feature of Keynote are the "Magic Move" transitions. Essentially, you set up your slides and Keynote automatically animates your objects and moves them from slide-to-slide. Additional text and object transitions have been added as well. For example, the text from one slide can morph into the text on the following slide.

The Theme Chooser has been updated as well. It now allows you to easily and quickly view and apply a theme as well. The Theme Chooser also makes it easy to quickly apply a particular slide size. The 3D charts and graphs have been updated as well to include additional textures and new animations.

The killer new feature in Keynote is the introduction of the Keynote Remote application for the iPhone or iPod touch. Using Wi-Fi you can view your slide as well as notes on the slide wirelessly from your iPhone or iPod touch. If you rotate your device into a landscape orientation you can view the current slide as well as the next slide. In true touchscreen form you can swipe your finger across the screen to advance to the next slide.

Click the read link for more information about iWork '09.

For full Macworld Expo coverage, bookmark the TUAW Macworld Expo 2009 landing page. If you missed our liveblog coverage, you can review it here.

Continue reading “As expected, Apple releases iWork '09 at Macworld Expo”

Tags: iwork, iwork 09, iwork.com, Iwork09, keynote, macworld 2009, macworld expo, macworld09, Macworld2009, MacworldExpo, numbers, pages

Filed under: Mac 101

Mac 101: Shorten text using the Summarize Service

by Cory Bohon (RSS feed) on Nov 19th, 2008


Have you ever been reading a long article and wished you could somehow magically make it shorter? With a Mac OS X service called "Summarize," you can do with a few simple clicks. In many applications such as Safari, Pages, and TextEdit, you can select a block of text and click the application name in the menu bar > Services > Summarize.

Once you're in the summarize service, you can quickly and easily shorten the selected text by moving the slider between 1% and 100%. As you move it, the text will magically get shorter, while at the same time keeping the basic meaning of the text that you originally selected. The service is so accurate that it's sometimes scary.

When you're done, you can save your summarized text by closing out the window -- you will be asked to save or discard. The result is a .rtf file.

Want more tips and tricks like this? Visit TUAW's Mac 101 section today!

Tags: Mac 101, Mac101, Pages, Safari, Summarize, text, TextEdit

Filed under: iWork, TUAW Tips

TUAW Tip: How to disable automatic hyperlinks in Pages '08

by Cory Bohon (RSS feed) on Jun 23rd, 2008


Do you find it annoying when you go to type in an e-mail address or hyperlink into Pages and it automatically thinks you want the text turned into a hyperlink? Well, you can easily change this setting in the preferences.

Just open Page's Preferences (Pages > Preferences, or use command + , (comma) to open preferences). Once there, select the "Auto-Correction" tab and un-check the box labeled "Automatically detect email and web addresses." Now when you start typing a link or e-mail address inside of Pages it will appear as text.

[via New Mac User]

Tags: addresses, e-mail, hyperlink, iWork, iWork 08, Iwork08, Pages, TUAW Tip, TuawTip

Filed under: Software Update, Apple

Apple posts iWork updates

by Nik Fletcher (RSS feed) on Jan 29th, 2008

If you're an iWork 08 user, then you may want to run a software update, as Apple has just pushed out updates for all three applications. As ever, there's hugely informative release notes: for Pages 3.0.2 and Numbers 1.0.2 "[t]his update addresses compatibility with Mac OS X" while the Keynote 4.0.2 update "primarily addresses performance issues while playing or exporting presentations."

On the TUAW Intel testbed here in the UK, the updates weigh in at 32.4MB, 29.3MB and 27.4MB for Keynote, Pages and Numbers respectively.

Keynote 4.0.2 at Apple.com
Pages 3.0.2 at Apple.com
Numbers 1.0.2 at Apple.com

Thanks to all those who sent this in!

Tags: keynote, numbers, pages, software-update

Filed under: Software, iWork

Keynote, Pages and Numbers updates available

by Dave Caolo (RSS feed) on Sep 27th, 2007

Apple keeps the updates coming with new versions of Keynote (version 4.0.1), Pages (version 3.0.1) and Numbers (1.0.1). The description of each is typically cryptic. According to Apple...
  • The Keynote update primarily addresses issues with builds and performance.
  • The Pages update primarily addresses issues with change tracking and performance.
  • The Numbers update primarily addresses issues with tables and performance.
Sound good? If you've purchased iWork '08, launch software update.

Tags: iwork, keynote, numbers, pages

Filed under: iWork, Apple

Pages '08 opens Word 2007 documents

by Scott McNulty (RSS feed) on Aug 7th, 2007

We reported that Office 2008 for the Mac has been delayed until January 2008, which means you'll have to use the beta file converter before you can open Word 2007 for Windows documents on your Mac (Office 2007 introduced a new file format called Office Open XML which Office 2004 for the Mac doesn't support. The converter dumbs down the file so Office for the Mac can open it).

Sure, you could do that, or you could use the first word processor for the Mac that supports that file format natively: Pages '08. That's right, Apple's little word processor that could can open Word 2007 documents (and earlier). It doesn't just open them either, Apple says that styles, tables, and other parts of the document are intact as well.

That sound you just heard? The MacBU screaming in frustration.

Tags: apple, iwork, iwork 08, Iwork08, pages, pages 08, Pages08

Filed under: iWork, Apple

iWork '08 30 day demo available

by Scott McNulty (RSS feed) on Aug 7th, 2007



Are you chomping at the bit for iWork '08? Chomp no more (I mean, that can't be good for your teeth)! Apple has just made available a free 30 day trial for download. Take Pages, Keynote, and Numbers for a spin before you plunk down your hard earned cash for it. Now, if only Apple would do the same for iLife '08.

Thanks, Robert.

Tags: iwork, keynote, numbers, pages

Filed under: Software, Productivity

Pages Templates 1.0

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on May 20th, 2007

Despite its baby-app shortcomings, I'm finally beginning to warm up to Pages. It's a very Apple-esque word processor (surprise surprise) with all the power I need without having to deal with the behemoth that is Microsoft Word. That said, I've been finding Pages a bit short on templates lately, and the iWorkCommunity Template Exchange is coming up just isn't doing it for me. Thankfully, I just caught Jumsoft's Pages Templates 1.0, a collection of 20 snazzy lookin' new templates for books, brochures, business cards, invitations, resumes, sales posters, portfolios, catalogs, menus, and even business reports and invoices. Even better, nearly every template offers multiple pages with alternate layouts from the screenshots you see at Jumsoft's site.

Since these are mere templates, it appears Jumsoft doesn't offer any kind of downloadable demo for obvious reasons (I should also note that these templates only work with iWork/Pages '06, not '05). Fortunately, they do include multiple screenshots on the templates that offer more than one layout, so you can at least get a good look at everything the $39 price will get you.

[via MacMinute]

Tags: design, iwork, layouts, pages, templates

Filed under: Rumors, Internet, Apple

insideapple.apple.com?

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Oct 2nd, 2006

The promotional email for the .Mac webmail refresh that went out over the weekend might have been a bit more revealing than we originally thought. Reader Harry noticed the address Apple used to send it was a bit different than the standard 'noreply@apple.com' (and honestly, I'm signed up for so much promo stuff these days I don't pay attention to who it's from with stuff like this anymore). The email was sent from an inside.apple.com domain, and following it redirects you to an apple.com/chatterbox 'we'll be back soon!' maintenance page - not the typical 'Looking for something at Apple?' page.

Some googling revealed that others have seen this /chatterbox/ link used before, especially with images that are linked in newsletters, so this might be nothing more than some internal system for site and/or email and newsletter management. The 'we'll be back soon' bit simply makes it a little more interesting, as that sounds like it could actually be something public. In all likelihood it's nothing, and you can simply move along.

Tags: apple, chatterbox, insideapple, page, pages, site, webpage, website

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion

.Mac's slow death

by Dave Caolo (RSS feed) on Aug 23rd, 2006

Somebody call the ambulance, because .Mac is dying...and Google is the assassin (with a little help from his sidekick Firefox). Now I've been using .Mac since it was free and called "iTools." I was initially lured in by the convenience of iDisk, the mac.com email address and so on. Web bookmark and contact syncing are also super-convenient, and as time passed I made use of some of the other .Mac services, like iCal publishing and so on. Everything was fine. Not free anymore, but fine. Then Google introduced (free) Gmail with oodles more storage than .Mac offers, calendars and so on. To make a long story short, I'm about to give .Mac the boot for good. After the jump, a breakdown of why.


Continue reading “.Mac's slow death”

Tags: .mac, dot mac, DotMac, gcal, gmail, google, pages, spamsieve

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