If you're like me, then you have multiple Macs with IR sensors in the same room. What happens when you push the menu button on your Apple remote? Chances are it will launch Front Row on every Mac in the room. I had this problem until I discovered Apple remote pairing.
To pair your remote with a specific Mac or Apple TV, just hold down the menu and the next (fast forward) buttons for 5 seconds making sure you're within 5 inches of the IR sensor on the device.
You can unpair a remote by going into System Preferences (Apple menu > System Preferences) and click security. From the Security System Preference pane, select the "Unpair" button at the bottom the preference pane.
Lastly, you can disable the use of remotes all together. To do this, head back to the Security System Preference pane and click the check box labeled "Disable remote control infrared receiver." This will keep rogue remotes away from your Mac.
Mocha VNC Lite allows your iPhone or iPod touch to connect to your Mac or PC via VNC. For those of you who don't know, VNC is a protocol that allows you to screenshare/control other computers via a VNC client (which is what Mocha VNC Lite is). It is amazing to see this working right on my iPhone. I remember back when I used a Palm device to do this sort of thing and it was very kludgy, but this seems to work rather smoothly.
When you are connected to the computer via VNC, you are able to control pretty much everything on the screen, with the exception of special keys (i.e. command, option, F keys, etc.). You can, however, "pinch" the iPhone's screen to zoom in or out the viewing area.
Now for the gripes. Mocha VNC Lite uses left-clicks on the screen (which can be quite annoying after a few minutes use). You are also unable to change the refresh rate (however, if you click the "+" button, you're given a "refresh option.")
Mocha VNC also offers a paid version which gives you more useful features like extra PC keys, cursor keys, text macros, and a right mouse key. However, the lite version will give most users everything they need for casual VNC management.
You can download Mocha VNC Lite from the App Store for free. At the time of this writing the paid version has not yet been placed on the App Store. Feel free to look at our gallery of screenshots before you download.
To commemorate the launch of MobileMe, Apple has updated the Apple TV to work with the new service. The new update includes a new MobileMe sub-menu in the Photos menu.
MacRumors is reporting that you will also be able to control your Apple TV using the free Remote app from the iTunes Store. You can download this update by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
If you notice anything that we haven't, be sure to leave a comment!
While the iPhone is specifically restricted from piloting the drones themselves, the team uses Mobile Safari on the iPhone to enter coordinates and select tasks for its airborne fleet. A web server then relays the tasks to the aircraft mid-flight.
The video shows, in real time, an exercise where a remote-controlled airplane is instructed to photograph a particular area underneath it. The photo is then transmitted wirelessly back to a workstation at ground control.
While not quite James Bond-level technology yet, it's certainly an extreme study in using the iPhone as a remote control.
Last week I talked about controlling your Mac with an e-mail; this week, as promised, I am going to show you how to apply this same idea to iTunes. So, without further ado, let's get started with writing some AppleScripts.
One of the good things about the "very sweet solution" of iPhone development is that you don't need any special tools or too much knowhow to create neat applications-- if you know a little HTML, a little PHP, and have access to a text editor, you can come up with some pretty cool stuff. This tutorial from IBM's DeveloperWorks is about as simple as it gets, and yet it shows you how you can use your iPhone as a remote for iTunes, Keynote, or any other AppleScript-able applications on your Mac, with no jailbreakin' necessary.
Of course, as he mentions at the end, Telekinesis did most of this stuff early on, so if you've got something standard that you want to do (like control iTunes), you don't need to write the code yourself any more. But combine the tutorial with any other custom AppleScripts you've written (or might write), and a lot of possibilities open up in terms of what you can do with your computer, straight from your iPhone.
We have a pretty wide array of choices when it comes to controlling our Mac, but Dockables adds even one more way to do things like shut down, start a screensaver or sleep the display. More of a collection of tiny apps than a full-blown utility, Dockables simply installs a folder in your Applications folder that contains 12 separate one-trick-pony apps (they're actually just packaged AppleScripts with pretty icons) that can perform the following actions: Shut Down, Start Default Screen Saver, Restart, Empty Trash, Eject Media, Sleep, Log Out, Close Applications, Hide Applications, Mute Sound, sleep display, and take a screenshot. The idea is that you drag just the Dockables that you want to your Dock, thus providing one-click access to the actions you use most. A few Dock dividers and alternately themed Dockables are even provided for yet more options for controlling your Mac with style and organizing everything just the way you need it.
Dockables is provided as donationware from COCOApps.
While poking around at my favorite new app for getting a lot of my writing done, I found a way to enable a bit more control when creating new entries. By default, Journler has this 'Use quick entry creation' preference checked under the Advanced pane, which allows you to create a new entry using the date as a title and the cursor inserted in the body of the entry, ready to rock 'n roll. Unchecking this pref, however, will instead present you with the dialog you see pictured, prompting you to edit the title, category, tags and other aspects of the entry before you get down to work. It all depends on how you want to get writing, but toggling this option can definitely give more power over creating entries to those who are using Journler for more than, well, a daily Journal.
One of the major things I miss about switching away from a Windows Mobile or even Sony Ericsson mobile phone is Salling Clicker - just about the best darn software I've ever seen for controlling your Mac with a mobile phone or PDA. Clicker offers a wide array of customizable controls with which you can enable your device to control everything from iTunes to Keynote, and even do things like pause music when a call comes in or lock your display if you walk too far away from your Mac. While I cross my fingers that Salling Software can create a BlackBerry client sooner than later, the rest of you can enjoy today's v3.5 update which ushers in a slew of new features and wider support for yet more devices.
At the top of the feature list is support for Front Row, potentially eliminating the need to pack an Apple Remote when venturing out. Other new features include: improved iTunes functionality with quick access to current playlists and more browsing options, support for Windows Mobile 6 and Symbian 9.x devices, much easier Wi-Fi connections for Symbian and WinMo devices, improved Keynote and PowerPoint functionality and much more (I should also note that Salling Clicker for Windows now supports Vista as well).
Check out the main product page of Salling Clicker for Mac if you're new to the possibilities of this excellent software, or take a look at the v3.5 press release to get a look at what's new for you seasoned clickers. A demo is of course available, while a license costs a mere $23.95.
These days, there is absolutely no shortage of apps that let you control iTunes in one way or another. You can use your PSP, tiny menubar controllers, countless iTunes widgets and now - CoverSutra. Featuring a stylish bezel with loads of control feedback and album art display, CoverSutra aims to give you complete control over iTunes without invading your space. It can even work with the Apple Remote, offering visual feedback without the need to enter something like Front Row.
A 10-day demo of CoverSutra is available, and it sells for just under $13 USD (€9.95). While CoverSutra is a brand new 1.0 app, the developer is promising "plenty of new things in [the works] for you," and upgrades are free until version 2.0. If other controllers such as the über-everything Quicksilver don't quite float yer boat, CoverSutra looks like a great solution for controlling iTunes without interrupting your flow.
It's nice to see more developers making use of the Apple Remote that comes with so many Macs these days, and Sofa Remote is a great example. This handy app from CASE Apps (whose tagline is 'Applications that should have been in the box' - nice) uses the power of AppleScript to allow you to control your Mac with your Apple Remote, providing a Front Row-esque file browsers as well as an application switcher. However, since this is all just AppleScript, Sofa Remote is very user-extensible, and CASE Apps has provided a script download page for users to exchange their scripts, as well as an RSS feed for the ultimate in notification convenience.
A demo of Sofa Remote is available that works for 30 minutes each time you start it up, while a 'lifetime license' costs $9.99 USD.
Honestly: I'm always down for some competition; it keeps (some) companies innovating and (hopefully) on their toes.
But wow... if you're going to openly take on a device like Apple's beautiful and simple 6-button Remote, it might be a good
idea to make sure you're firing on all cylinders.
Check out this video at CNET of Don McDonald, Intel's VP and general
manager of their digital home group, demoing a voice-activated remote for Windows Media Center. Mr. McDonald brags that
the remote has absolutely no buttons, but forgets to mention it has almost no functionality either. Watch, as he tries
not once, not twice, not thrice - but a whopping four times (with some serious lag on his last attempt) to ask the
remote "what time is Family Guy on TV." Also, note how much they trust the abilities of their 'zero button
remote'... with all the buttons it actually contains.
I'd say you and your team earned an A for effort Don,
but you might have to whip out those tablet PCs and get back to the drawing board on the voice-activation bit. Just be
careful the next time you try using it to dictate your product design notes.
Ah the
beautiful irony: last Tuesday, as many of us were getting ready for family and the holidays, Symantec admitted
that a serious security flaw has affected about 40 of their products, including all versions of Norton Anti-Virus (NAV)
for OS X. Symantec calls this a 'high risk' vulnerability that could allow a remote user to gain control of a computer,
even a Mac, that's running any of their affected software. I haven't
seen anything about a solution for either side of the fence yet, so if you're crazy for security I don't envy the
dilemma a situation like this might put you in. An up-to-date and patched copy of OS X is widely hailed to be pretty
secure these days (so run Software Update - regularly!), but the ZDNet
Australia article that we found this in poses the important security question pretty well:
"As the owner of a Powerbook I am faced with a dilemma. Do I pay AU$118.15 for a flawed
'security' application that is designed to protect me from threats that do not seem to exist; or do I take sensible
precautions like keeping my computer behind a firewall and staying up to date with OS X patches?"
No matter which side of the OS X security/virus/malware debate you stand on, a situation like this undeniably brings
these topics back into light with a new perspective. Feel free to discuss in the comments, but keep it clean; don't
make me come in there and separate you.
If you're like me, then you have multiple Macs with IR sensors in the same room. What happens when you push the menu button on your Apple remote? Chances are it will launch Front Row on every Mac in the room. I had this problem until I discovered Apple remote pairing. 
To commemorate the launch of 
Last week I talked about 
One of the good things about 
One of the major things I miss about switching away from a Windows Mobile or even Sony Ericsson mobile phone is 
It's nice to see more developers making use of the Apple Remote that comes with so many Macs these days, and 
Honestly: I'm always down for some competition; it keeps (some) companies innovating and (hopefully) on their toes.
But wow... if you're going to openly take on a device like Apple's beautiful and simple 
Ah the
beautiful irony: last Tuesday, as many of us were getting ready for family and the holidays, Symantec 
