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Posts with tag copy

iCopy brings rudimentary copy and paste to iPhone Safari

Everybody wants copy and paste on the iPhone, but this seemingly obvious computing functionality has been unaccountably missing since the iPhone shipped. Unlike the rest of us however, Preston Monroe decided to do something and produced iCopy, a javascript bookmarklet that lets you copy and paste text and URLs between browser windows in Mobile Safari and even email text or URLs. Basically it works by adding the selected text to a URL which is sent over the internet, so it's definitely not secure. But it nonetheless looks like it could be handy in a pinch.

iCopy is free and available from Preston's site.

[via Just Another iPhone Blog]

Why isn't C&P on the iPhone yet?


A site called Sven on Tech claims to have word straight from an Apple "source" as to why there isn't cut and paste on the iPhone. Apparently, and get this, they just haven't figured out how to implement it yet. In other news, the Apple TV will be a success, as soon as Apple figures out how to implement that, too.

Yeah, in case you haven't guessed yet, I don't buy it. I'm not sure who this "source" is (and there should be an unwritten rule of journalism that anyone who wears a nametag at a convention booth doesn't get to count as a "source," unless they're talking about nametag news), but if someone from Apple says that implementation was the only reason they haven't put copy-and-paste on the iPhone, then either they're lying, or they're just plain too full of themselves. Let's not forget, despite their achievements, that this is the company that created the worst error message implementation known to man -- the iPhone won't be a failure if the copy and paste is a little more complicated than most other functions. They haven't figured out how to implement it? Surely they've seen this-- they know it's possible.

But here's why my reasoning falls down: I can't think of another reason Apple would keep it off the iPhone. Do they think people don't need to cut and paste? Is the RIAA expanding their fight against copying music to copying and pasting everything? Does Steve just never visit any sites besides Apple.com and thus never have to copy and paste anything? I don't buy the "implementation" argument but I don't, unfortunately, have a better one to put in its place.

[Via Mac Rumors]

Mac Automation: image tweaking plug-in for Finder

Here's a task that most computer users run into on a daily basis: cropping and dealing with small image tweaks. This could be a daunting task if it were not for the Mac and Automator. In this how-to, I will show you how to make a small Finder plug-in that will allow you to manipulate images quickly. Please note, some of the actions required for this how-to are dependent upon Pixelmator being installed.

For this automation, you will need the following Automator actions (in the same order):
  • Get Selected Finder Items
  • Transform Images (this action is only available when you install Pixelmator)

Continue reading Mac Automation: image tweaking plug-in for Finder

Found Footage: CNN asks Bill Gates about copying Mac OS X


Who's copying who in terms of OS design is quite the topic for a long session of coffee talk, but CNN recently put Mr. Gates on the hot seat by tossing him an on-air zinger. Currently, Bill is on a media blitz to help promote this month's release of Windows Vista. He was on the Daily Show Monday night (check out the re-dux Bill Gates Crash they did for a laugh too), and in this embedded clip, CNN seems to surprise Bill with a question about Vista's resemblance of Mac OS X. While Mr. G did offer some good points in his rebuttal, this seems like it might have been an unexpected curve ball during what I'm sure Microsoft was hoping to be a routine promo interview.

[via digg]

Camino build optimized for Intel

For Intel Mac users who are just ga-ga for Camino, a helpful MozillaZine Forums user by the name of heronstalker has posted a build of Camino optimized for Intel Macs - but only for Intel Macs. This is not a Universal Binary, it's a... Singular Binary, er something.

I ran my old 'n busted copy of Camino against this new hotness Intel build on my 2.0 Ghz MacBook Pro, and I *think* it feels zippier. Of course, it could just be the fancy new Intel shine, so YMMV. For those users interested in saving some disk space, however, this build shaves 17MB off Camino's footprint; my Universal Camino is 39.9MB, while the Singular Binary Camino (yes, I know that isn't a real term) is only 22.3MB (this is a great example of why apps like Monolingual exist).

This Intel build, which is the latest 1.0.2 version, btw, can be had from this MozillaZine Forum post.

Thanks Jason Piper

iClip Lite 2 Dashboard widget released


iClip Lite, as we've mentioned in the past, is a free, widgetized version of the shareware iClip. The Lite widget version is "a multiple clipboard & scrapbook widget designed to improve your efficiency and productivity for most tasks you do on your computer". New in version 2 is:

    •    universal binary
    •    automatic Clipboard recording
    •    smooth widget resizing
    •    increased number of bins from 20 to 25
    •    all new, stylish design

iClip Lite is free and available from Inventive.



Access iPhoto and iTunes libraries with a simple Automator action

You could also file this under "fantastic Automator actions that Apple should've advertised when Tiger was being released."

A post at macosxhints has discovered a simple Automator action you can use to open panel containing your entire iPhoto or iTunes library (pictured), complete with albums/playlists, DnD and even search abilities. This is for all those times you groan at having to start iPhoto just to grab an image or two. Bonus points for the iTunes library action: songs are playable from this panel.

Check out the macosxhints post for the drop-dead simple 3-step process (it's really only two steps) for creating this handy panel.

Easy iPod/PSP movies with Instant Handbrake

When it comes to turning a DVD into a movie file, Handbrake's name is hailed far and wide for its ease of use, speed and overall quality. Recently, Handbrake's developer took these praised aspects and raised the bar by releasing Instant Handbrake (beta), a one-stop, brain-dead-easy app for converting a DVD to iPod/PSP-compatible video.

By default it's set to crop the video when necessary (4:3 for iPod, 16:9 for PSP), depending on which device you specify, but you can elect to maintain the video in its original size. Video formats are MPEG-4 or H.264 for the iPod, and MPEG-4 for the PSP.

Like its big brother, Instant Handbrake is free and available here.

iPod as a catalyst for DMCA reform?

CNET News has a really interesting perspective piece highlighting the video iPod's potential for being a catalyst for DMCA reform, specifically: the (outlandish) portion that makes it illegal to sell or distribute DVD-ripping software.

The idea behind the article is that, until now, these measures of the DMCA haven't really hit the radar of an audience outside the comparatively small segment of digital-rights advocates. Declan McCullagh, the articles author, believes that the video iPod could finally be the spark large enough to get a much greater portion of consumers interested in (and angry about) the non-DVD-ripping limits on today's software. While McCullagh mentions a few DMCA-reform bills that are already floating around, he's also quick to point out that none of them, at present, have a very bright future.

The video iPod, according to McCullagh's logic, might be able to help all of this. With its wide popularity, he thinks more and more users are going to start questioning why it's so easy for iTunes to rip a CD to their library (and iPod), and yet the software balks at a DVD movie. Yes - before you start firing up the comment form, there are still ways of getting a DVD off a plastic disc and onto your favorite media player, iPod or otherwise. But for the greater community of users out there, DVD ripping is still a thing of mystery and magic.

I recommend you check out the full article as I think it's a really interesting read, but there's one thing I want to add to the discussion; a factor that neither the industry nor these politicians seem to examine: price. I wholeheartedly believe that if these companies cleaned all of their "market research" and "value perception" statistics out of their ears, they would realize that people are stealing content because they know the providers are taking them for a ride - and they won't put up with it anymore. Everyone knows CDs cost pennies on the dollar, and DVDs cost even less than VHS tapes to produce, yet they retail for a far higher price. The rampant (and as-yet unstoppable) success off the iTMS is real world proof that people will pay for the content, maybe even more content, as long as it has a fair price.

But alas, as with all other political affairs, our ability to copy DVDs that we own will only change at the speed of bureaucracy.

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