• Disk image installers
• Disk image drag-and-drop
• Archive drag-and-drop

Read on for an in-depth look into the current installation methods, and why they need to change.

The Pixelmator team has released another update to my favorite little photo editor. Pixelmator 1.5 Spider brings a host of web exporting and sharing options, including a new "Save for Web" feature and the option to send a picture straight to Mail or iPhoto. Additionally, there's a new Trim tool that will cut off transparent or background pixels, and a new Slice tool that will let you cut an image up into pieces and optimize each for the 'net. There's also the usual round of bug fixes, including support for full compatibility with Snow Leopard.

As usual, the new version is available for update from right within the current app. For new users, Pixelmator is available for $59 over on their website, complete with a free trial if you want to check out this photo editing powerhouse before buying. I really enjoy using Pixelmator -- it's lightweight and easy to use, and while it's not quite as full-featured as Photoshop (though with every big version release like this, they get closer), it's a great app to do a little image editing in.

Ahhhh, there's nothing quite like the feeling of knowing that tomorrow I will be spending much of the day upgrading the Macs in my house to Snow Leopard. I received an email from Apple this morning telling me that Snow Leopard had shipped, so now I just need to be available to sign for the package tomorrow.

Regardless of how many Mac OS upgrades I've done over the years, there are always one or two drivers, application enhancers, or full applications that just don't run properly on the newly installed OS. With Snow Leopard, these situations should be rare as many developers have already done compatibility checking and worked out the bugs. Before you slip that Snow Leopard DVD into your Mac tomorrow and start doing the upgrade, there are a few things you may want to consider.

Since I often listen to music while falling asleep (especially on trips -- maybe it makes me feel more at home), I was happy to see this tip, sent to us by reader Mark S. He points out that there is a sleep timer on the iPhone, but it's not in the iPod app. It's hidden over in the Clock app -- once you've got your music playing, you can then exit out and go over to the Timer app in there, and under the "when timer ends" option (where you usually choose a ringtone), you can choose the "Sleep iPod" choice.

Then, when your timer stops (and you're off into dreamland), it'll stop the iPod for you. Very nice. Of course, there's still the issue of headphones, if you're wearing them, but I usually am able to push those off in a fit of dreamless sleep (or, of course, you could just use the external speaker on the iPhone).

All of the sleep tunes, much less worry. This tip's been going around for a while, but it's the first I'd heard of it. Thanks, Mark!

MacRumors reports that the developer of the "Pull My Finger" iPhone application was finally accepted by Apple. You may recall that Apple banned the application from the App Store a few months ago due to "Limited Utility." It looks as though Apple has changed its mind about the application, and has decided to finally allow it into the Store.

The developer told MacRumors, "[Apple] told me that they are going to start approving a whole new "genre" of apps, and that Pull My Finger will be the first to be accepted in this genre. As of now Pull My Finger is available in the app store."

If you would like to download this once-banned application, you can purchase it for $0.99US from the iTunes App Store. Do you have a theory about Apple's change of mind? Tell us in the comments!

Are you looking for good iPhone application recommendations? While you could look at our App Store section to find reviews, you can also turn to a new section on Apple's website. "iPhone Your Life," as it's called, allows you to see applications as they relate to different parts of your life.

Apple has sections for: Around Town, World Travel, At Home, Getting Things Done, and Fun and Games. They have staff picks, top downloaded apps, and descriptions of featured applications. You can take a look for yourself by clicking here.


[via Mac|Life]

Our sister site ParentDish has posted an article on their favorite iPhone/iPod touch applications for parents. As an iPhone-toting dad, I've used mine to keep the little nippers busy with cute applications, but Sarah James has found even better options, including

1. Baby Monitor Did you forget to bring Jr.'s monitor to Grandma's house? Put your iPhone next to his crib and launch Baby Monitor. When he starts to wail like a banshee, Baby Monitor calls a pre-determined number, like Grandma's landline. Baby Monitor costs $0.99US.
2. Baby Tracker: Diapers I remember the days of The Diaper Pail* and anxious trips to the pediatrician's office. If that's still a part of your experience, check out Baby Tracker: Diapers. It lets you note the consistency, color and contents of Jr.'s waste. Giggle if you like, but I see exactly how this could offer peace of mind. Baby Tracker: Diapers costs $0.99US.

There are more, of course, so check out the full article. In the meantime, here are a few suggestions from this old dad:

1. iChalky When my 3-year-old is out of patience, I hand over iChalky. Jiggle the phone and drag your finger to flip little Chalky all over the screen. The preschool set loves it. iChalky costs $0.99US.
2. Jirbo Match My 5-year-old likes matching games, and Jirbo Match is challengeing enough to engage her. Jirbo Match costs $1.99US
3. iTalk Think of something while you've got your hands full? Just launch iTalk and record that thought. Later, you can sync recordings with the desktop companion, iTalk Sync. iTalk is free.

While we're on the topic, I've got a request for the iPhone and iPod touch. The problem with letting the kids use them is that they sometimes navigate away from the application or video and get into other stuff (plus that whole "throwing and dropping" thing). Recently, my daughter deleted some photos I hadn't exported to my Mac.

That's hardly the end of the world, but it would be nice to put the phone in "Kid mode" and prevent them from navigating away from a video or application.

*Only today do I realize the insanity of having what amounted to a miniature cesspool in my bedroom.

There are many iPhone applications geared towards helping you shop at the grocery store, but none of them can track how old your food in the fridge is. A new application called Shelf Life [iTunes link] hopes to help you out in this area.

Shelf Life keeps an inventory of your perishable groceries and, based on the date each is added to the list, displays either a green or red bubble beside it. The color will let you know if the item is okay to eat or not. Adding an item to the application is as easy as taping the "+" button in the upper right-hand corner -- once you start typing a name, the application will predict what you are trying to add. The predictive typing is based on other user input, as are the expiration times.

Overall, this application is extremely solid, and allows the user to quickly input items and see what food is about to expire. With the economic times we're in, everyone is trying to save, and this application could definitely help you achieve this goal. Shelf Life is now available on the App Store for $1.99. You can also check out our gallery of screenshots.

Don't you hate it when an application becomes unresponsive and crashes? Are you even more tired of reading annoying application crash dialog boxes? A simple Terminal hack allows you to never see these dialogs again. Just open Terminal (Applications > Utilities) and type:

defaults write com.apple.CrashReporter DialogType none

This will disable the "...unexpectedly quit" dialog that normally appears when an application crashes. If you ever want the dialogs to start appearing again, just replace "none" with "prompt".


Like tips like these? Try out TUAW's Mac 101 and Terminal Tips sections.

Reader Julius wrote in with an annoying problem: Whenever he tries to open a file by selecting "Other" from the "Open With" contextual menu item in the Finder, he's presented with a list of "Recommended Applications" that (more often than not) has the app he wants grayed out.

Ideally, there would be some preference to automatically show "All Applications" instead of just "Recommended Applications," but that doesn't seem to be the case. Sorry.

The best option for you comes from our own Erica Sadun, who says to drag the file onto any application icon with the Command and Option keys held down. That way, the Finder will force the app to open the file. This works with items in your dock, or just with an open Applications folder in the Finder.

Otherwise, every application maintains a list of the kinds of files it can open. Launch Services, a part of the Mac OS X system, reads these lists, and compiles the set of "Recommended Applications" that you are presented with.

As such, many users recommend keeping your Launch Services tidy by rebuilding it using the Terminal, or a utility like RCDefaultApp. It will at least remove the cruft from your list of available applications.

Thanks and good luck, Julius!

Rearranging the icons on the home screen of your iPhone is a part of the customization fun that Apple built in. However, if you rearranged your icons and want them back to factory specifications, it is as easy as a simple tap. Just navigate to Settings > General > Reset. Once there, select the "Reset Home Screen Layout" button. A dialog will pop-up asking for a confirmation.

Once you return to the home screen, you will notice that all the icons are placed just like they were when you first turned on your iPhone! Third-party applications' icons will follow the default applications.

Want more iPhone tips and tricks like this? Just visit the TUAW iPhone 101 section.

A few App Store apps have already gotten the public browbeating for tweaking their prices, and here's another: as Johnathan notes, there's a new app on the top of the heap in the paid pile, and apparently the only reason "Units Convertor" (sic) is there is because it used to be free.

We can't necessarily call them out for switching just to sit on top -- what would you do if you had a free app that was being downloaded like crazy and decided you wanted to make some money from it? But being that free apps far outweigh paid apps in terms of distribution, even the #21 free app can quickly jump to the top of the paid pile. We've already posted about how developers might be getting a raw deal out of the App Store (and some publishers have told us personally that they agree), but the economics are very interesting in there right now -- you've got a basically free economy, and considering that most of the apps out now are easy to make, it's just as likely that you'll see a free version of an app that does the same thing as a paid app.

Of course, what's happening in there actually mirrors what's happening out here with software: some of the best applications around are actually being given away for free. We're still in a strange place with the App Store and its pricing, and you have to think that eventually things will settle down and the developers who deserve to get paid will.

I've seen a lot of fun accelerometer uses in the App Store so far, but this is probably the coolest -- Dynolicious will actually use your iPhone's accelerometer to determine all kinds of stuff about how awesome your '92 Subaru is, from 0-60 and 1/4 mile time up to lateral Gs and horsepower. Just throw your iPhone somewhere secure in the car, hit go, and Dynolicious will track all that hardware stuff for you (even over multiple runs). Very awesome -- it's in the App Store right now for $12.99, which is pricey, until you see what an actual GTech meter will set you back.

What? Gas is super expensive right now, and you want it even cheaper? Wish granted: our friends at Autoblog have also dug up an app called g-tac, which will track your times and even graph them out for you. Unfortunately, g-tac won't do the cool accelerometer stuff, measuring out your lateral gs and horsepower for you, but you know the old saying: you can have things fast, good, or cheap, and you only get to pick two.

When the App Store went live on the 10th, I went a little nuts and downloaded a bunch of apps. Some I fell in love with. Some I launched once. Others lingered a for a few days while I decided their fate.

Now it's nearly two weeks later, and I've identified the keepers. Here I'll list each one as well as why and how I use them. As a bonus, I'll identify the three that have made the cut to my main screen -- what I'm calling my "front page apps."

Read the list after the jump.

Early this morning, Apple officially released iTunes 7.7. After launching the application for the first time, I saw the little "Applications" icon in the sidebar. I clicked it as quickly as my little mouse would move, only to find a list of the iPod applications I had previously bought and nothing more. Looks like it's not up.

Not so fast.

The folks at MacRumors noticed that is up, just hidden. All you've got to do is search for the name of an application and you'll be brought right to it. Super Monkey Ball, for instance [App Store Link]. They can't be transferred to an iPhone or iPod touch as of this writing, but expect that to change soon.

Have fun poking around, and stay tuned to TUAW for more in-depth coverage.