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Filed under: Internet, Internet Tools

Google Gears beta for Safari

by Cory Bohon (RSS feed) on Aug 28th, 2008


Google Gears has been around for Firefox on the Mac for quite a while. However, Safari users have been left in the cold. Google Gears allows you to access certain Google services, most notably Docs and Reader, offline (as well as other offline-enabled web services like Remember The Milk). This week, a beta for Safari has become available.

With Google Gears, for example, you can view all of your Google Docs offline -- and even edit them (word processing docs only, spreadsheets and presentations are viewable but not editable). When you connect back to the internet, you will be able to sync the changes back to Google.

We're glad that Google has finally seen the light and released a version for our Safari-using counterparts. To make Google Gears work with Safari, you will need to download and install the Google Gears package for Mac OS X. Once installed, navigate to a "gears enabled" page, you will be able to use the Google Gears system. Remember, this is a beta and we've heard there might be issues if you've tweaked Safari in certain ways.

Oh, and there appears to be limited support for Fluid, which is nice.

[via the Apple blog]

Tags: Google, Google Gears, GoogleGears, Mac, offline, Safari

Filed under: App Store

Byline: Google Reader for your pocket

by Robert Palmer (RSS feed) on Jul 16th, 2008

As someone who manages whole metric scads of information in Google Reader, I was excited to see Byline, from Phantom Fish software, in the App Store.

Byline, as you might expect, fetches all your subscriptions from Google Reader and displays them for you to read. It also keeps track of the items you've read and starred.

The greatest thing, though, especially for iPod touch owners and subway riders is this: Starring or Noting an item saves it on your iPhone or iPod for offline reading. If you star an item either using your desktop browser, Mobile Safari, or Byline itself, it saves it for later. Noting an item is even better, because you can save pages that aren't even in your RSS subscriptions for offline reading with Byline. They mention you can do this very easily with a bookmarklet.

Now -- I can hear you screaming: NetNewsWire does all this, and it's free! Without boring you with detail, it's worth ten bucks to me to keep my Google Reader workflow the way it is, rather than spending time changing the way I work. Agreed: it's probably too steep for people who aren't heavily invested in Google Reader already.

Additionally on the downside, Byline doesn't allow you to browse by tag, instead opting to lump everything together in one list by date. Phantom Fish says this is for performance reasons, as people with many feeds would experience sluggish behavior. They're looking into it, though, and I personally hope they figure it out.

Byline is $9.99, awesome, and available through the App Store.

Tags: browser, byline, google, offline, reader, rss

Filed under: Retail, Apple

Apple Store down

by Cory Bohon (RSS feed) on Jul 8th, 2008


The Apple Store just went offline. The site has been updated to show the yellow sticky note that we've all come to love. What could it mean? Might it mean that MobileMe boxes will be available and ready for shipping? One could only hope.

If you notice anything new, be sure to send us a tip! Stay tuned here as we keep you updated.


Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

Tags: Apple, MobileMe, offline, online, retail, store, update

Filed under: Internet Tools, Widget Watch

Widget Watch: Stikkit widget

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Apr 17th, 2007



Last week, Mat Lu found a Quicksilver plugin that plays well with Stikkit, the online personal info organizer that thinks so you don't have to, but there's also another method for all you Dashboard junkies out there: a full-on widget from James Adam. This widget, like its Quicksilver plugin cousin, is great for getting your stuff into Stikkit, but it also has the advantage of being a compact window into your Stikkit world. You can create or edit any number of Stikkits and sync them when you want, making this widget a sort of offline, syncing client for Stikkit.

Adam is providing this widget free of charge, and you can grab your copy from his interblah.net site (love the domain Adam!).

[via Stikkit's Values of n Blog]

Tags: dashboard, offline, organizer, pim, stikkit, widget, widgets

Filed under: Software, Productivity, Internet Tools

PackRat 0.94 introduces Backpack reminder editing

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Dec 4th, 2006


Rod Schmidt has released an update to PackRat, quite possibly the only offline Backpack client, that brings a major new and much-requested feature: the ability to add, edit and delete reminders. Now I've mentioned PackRat once or twice before here at TUAW, and this rockin' new feature almost completely rounds out what I think is the killer offline and syncing app for working with Backpack. About the only thing missing now is calendar editing, and in a blog post announcing this latest version (0.94 to be exact), Rod and gang offer a glimpse of PackRat's future, with a promise to take your Backpack data into a realm of Mac OS X integration that 37Signals could never accomplish (due to their service being 100% web-based). Coming down the pipeline are features like Spotlight and AppleScript support, Address Book and iCal integration, iPod syncing, and "whatever else makes sense." Sounds like this handy little app is in for quite a ride.

PackRat has a fully-functioning, non-expiring demo that allows you to edit up 4 pages of your Backpack info (the free default Backpack account offers 5 pages), while a license costs a mere $24.95 which unlocks full editing of all pages in any of the paid accounts that offer more pages.

Tags: backpack, backpackit, edit, editing, offline, packrat, sync, syncing

Filed under: Software, Productivity, Internet Tools

Packrat 0.87 released with page link editing, creation

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Aug 4th, 2006

Packrat, an offline Backpack client that I just can't say enough about, has been updated to version 0.87. Though it is another minor version point update, it features the ability to edit links, including dragging one page onto another to create a link. With all its other abilities of editing pages, tags, lists, and notes, as well as being able to create new lists and notes, Packrat is becoming a more powerful client by the day.

Packrat is a Universal Binary, with a demo available, while a licenses costs $24.95.

Tags: backpack, client, information, offline, packrat, PIM, productivity

Filed under: Software, Productivity, Internet Tools

New Packrat version adds true list and note creation

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Jun 5th, 2006


A new Packrat version (version 0.84 build 220) has enabled 100% edit-ability of lists and notes on pages, including the create of new lists and notes on pages that previously had none. To facilitate this, a new 'Action' button has been added to Packrat's toolbar, containing 'create new note/list' commands for your productivity pleasure.

To find out more about the update, check the blog of Rod Schmidt, Packrat's developer.

Tags: backpack, client, edit, editing, list, lists, note, notes, offline, online, Packrat, page, pages, sync

Filed under: Software, Productivity, Internet Tools

Help shape Packrat's development

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Apr 15th, 2006


The author of Packrat, the app that lets you download your Backpack information for offline viewing, is requesting feedback on his blog as to Packrat's development. Specifically, he's working on adding editing features to Packrat, and he's wondering whether users would like to see the app released with editing support as he's baking it in, or if we'd all like to wait until it's completely polished and ready for prime time.

If you're at all interested in (what I believe to be) the only full-featured offline client for 37signals' fantastic Backpack service (no, the widget doesn't count), swing on by Rod Schmidt's feedback post and toss in your two cents.

Tags: 37signals, Backpack, DLS, edit, editing, offline, Packrat

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