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Filed under: Features, Troubleshooting, Ask TUAW

Ask TUAW: Case-sensitive file system, writing apps, universal remotes, and more

by Mat Lu (RSS feed) on Jul 15th, 2009

Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly Mac troubleshooting Q&A column! This time we've got questions on using a case sensitive file system in OS X, applications focused on writing, controlling a Mac with a universal remote control, push email, using a MacBook with an external display, and more.

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. 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 (we'll assume you're running Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions.

Continue reading “Ask TUAW: Case-sensitive file system, writing apps, universal remotes, and more”

Tags: ask tuaw, AskTuaw, gmail, harmony remote, HarmonyRemote, imap, mobileme, scrivener

Filed under: Internet Tools, iPhone

iMapIdle simulates push email on the iPhone

by Mat Lu (RSS feed) on Nov 7th, 2007

The IMAP IDLE protocol allows an IMAP email server to send out notification of new emails to a client. This means its a great way to implement a "push" email system that automatically sends messages out, instead of having to wait for the email client to poll the server (this is what happens, for example, when you set the "Check for new mail" interval in Mail.app). A new application called iMapIdle partially brings this functionality to the iPhone. Basically iMapIdle sits in the background listening for the IDLE commands ("even if you are in sleep/standby mode") and pops up an alert to tell you that email has arrived. You can then use the iPhone's built-in email application actually to get the mail.

Needless to say, this requires a hacked iPhone, and since it uses more data transfer it may negatively affect battery life (that said, the IDLE protocol is very bandwidth efficient). The other consideration is that not all IMAP servers are set up with the IDLE protocol enabled. Many are, however, and I've used IDLE based push email on my Treo for quite some time via ChatterEmail. Furthermore, iMapIdle has specific support for Gmail. I should note, however, that I have not actually tested this myself.

iMapIdle is a free download (donations requested).

[via UNEASYsilence]

Tags: email, IDLE, IMAP, iMapIdle, iPhone, push email, push-email, PushEmail

Filed under: How-tos, Productivity, Tips and tricks, Odds and ends, Internet Tools, iPhone

The perfect iPhone email setup

by Mike Schramm (RSS feed) on Aug 15th, 2007

As you may have read previously, I haven't taken the plunge on an iPhone yet (although I heard McNulty did the other day, which means I might be the only one left at TUAW). But I have been considering it a lot (more than is healthy, probably), and one of my considerations is email. Just a few months ago, I switched completely to Gmail, because I wanted one inbox for all my addresses that I could check and send from anywhere. And with an iPhone, I worry how reading messages will work-- I know I can log right into my Gmail account, but sometimes I have hundreds of messages, and I suspect things will get lost in the mix.

Catcubed had the same problem with his iPhone, and now has worked out what he calls the perfect solution. He's written up a tutorial to get Gmail, IMAP, and his iPhone all working together nicely. Basically, he's got it set up so that Gmail archives and checks everything, and then forwards messages that make it through the filter onto his iPhone via a special address that's IMAPped to Mail. Outgoing messages from the iPhone are synced back into Gmail (to be archived), and look like they're coming from the Gmail address. So while he's on the road, Cat can send and check directly from his email address via his iPhone, without having to wade through everything that comes in, and everything will still be kept in his Gmail when he gets back.

It sounds darn complicated to set up. But once it gets rolling, it sounds like I won't have any problem getting my iPhone email right. Now, I just need to come up with the $500 for my cell phone budget...

Thanks, SFSlim!

Tags: email, gmail, imap, iphone, mail, smtp

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Software, Open Source, Developer

Kiwi IMAP email client goes closed source

by Mike Schramm (RSS feed) on Jul 11th, 2007

Developer (and sometime TUAW commenter) Matt Ronge has announced he's closing the source of the upcoming IMAP email client Kiwi he's been working on. It's a decision that's been a long time coming, he says, and most of the feedback he's gotten has been positive towards closing the source, so he's going ahead with it. MailCore and libetpan, the two code frameworks Kiwi is built on top of, will both remain open source, so the possibility of someone else building an open source client off of MailCore is still there.

The question is, will Kiwi be worth paying for? The answer, as usual, is "depends." Ronge has some great ideas for how a well built IMAP client could work, but the proof is in the pudding, and right now, all we've got are some screenshots. Kiwi promises Address Book and Spotlight support, LUA customization, and good performance and scalability. If Ronge can make his app do all that, most users will be happy to pay for his hard work.

[ via Brent Simmons ]

Tags: client, closedsource, email, features, imap, kiwi, mailcore, opensource, promises, ronge, software

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, iPhone

Mystery Solved? 10.4.10, Yahoo!, and the iPhone

by Dan Lurie (RSS feed) on Jun 21st, 2007

The addition of a Yahoo! sync framework in 10.4.10 certainly seems a bit puzzling on the surface, but after some grinding of my mental cogs, I think I've figured it out.

If you will think back to MacWorld 2007 and the announcement of the iPhone, you'll remember that Steve Jobs brought three special guests on stage. Stuffed between Eric Schmidt and Stan Sigman (of Google and Cingular, respectively) was Jerry Yang from Yahoo! who used his time to talk about the free Yahoo! IMAP "push" email that will be bundled with every iPhone.

With an email account comes a contact list, and in this day and age of do-everything service providers, a calendar usually comes with it. It makes sense then that Apple would make it possible to edit and sync these things from your desktop– thus the new framework. Sure, I can do all that from my iPhone, but do I really want to enter and tweak 300 address book entries on such a small device?

Obviously, this is just idle postulation, but I'd be surprised if something like this didn't get announced before the release of the iPhone later this month.

Tags: apple, email, imap, iphone, push, yahoo

Filed under: Software, Tips and tricks, Internet Tools

Access Gmail through IMAP in Mail.app

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Aug 12th, 2006

Hawk Wings is at it again, and this time Tim Gaden has tracked down a method for using Gmail with IMAP in Mail.app. It might not be pretty - it's a Perl module that needs a little bit of finagling - but it apparently works. I can't even begin to fake that I know a lick about Perl, so I'm just going to have to point you to the original post to have at it yourself.

If any TUAW readers get this to work, feel free to post your thoughts on this most sought-after of (wholly necessary) Gmail features.

Tags: email, gmail, IMAP, mail, mail.app, perl

Filed under: Software, Productivity, Internet Tools

WiLMa - location-based settings

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Aug 3rd, 2006

WiLMa is a utility for adjusting various settings like Mail servers, default printers and even desktop wallpaper based on which Location you're using (check your Apple menu if you're unfamiliar with the Location menu). WiLMa can even open and close applications and set a default network to join. If you're a nomad who bounces from places like work, school, home and who knows where else, this could be quite a handy utility, though it isn't without at least one disadvantage: it runs as an application, which means you need to have it in your dock if its corresponding menubar item will be accessible. Location X, by comparison, is more of a daemon that runs in the background, watching which Location you're using and automatically adjusting these settings to your preferences, without the need for an app to run in the dock.

Of course, with WiLMa's more attractive $12 price tag (Location X is $20), Universal Binary status and unique features, WiLMa definitely has a good thing going for it. A demo is available from Codehackers.

Tags: desktop, IMAP, location, mac, os x, OsX, preferences, server, settings

Filed under: Software, Internet Tools

Thunderbird 1.5 RC2 released, gets shinier

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Dec 27th, 2005

Ok so I lied: Thunderbird isn't really any shinier, I just thought that headline might make C.K. download it faster on his quest for a Mail replacement. But seriously, it sounds like they've made some significant updates with RC2, when I thought release clients were simply about squashing bugs. Among the list of updates: better automatic updates, spell checking as you type (how 'bout it Firefox??), redesigned options UI, improvements to podcasting and RSS, built-in phishing detection and more. These sound like nice upgrades to an app that reportedly (and I agree) beats the pants off of Mail in the IMAP department. Still, as Hawk Wings points out, Thunderbird's inability to play well with lots of other OS X apps, lack of applescript support and just plain "butt-ugly" UI can tarnish the Thunderbird experience for some OS X users.

Me? In my journey for Mail alternatives, I'm slowly settling into the Gmail way of things. It's certainly a new experience going from a desktop app to a web-app, especially for something as intensive as handling the army of email I collect in a day's time, but Gmail does most of the things that I was using Mail plugins for, such as MailTags. Plus, since Gmail went mobile, I don't necessarily need to keep my PowerBook glued to my head 24/7 to keep on top of things, so it's been working out so far.

At the end of the day though, it's nice to see another large choice in email clients besides Mail and *shudder* Entourage, especially since Thunderbird has a few unique tricks like RSS reading up its sleeve.

Tags: email, IMAP, RC2, release candidate, ReleaseCandidate, Thunderbird

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