Filed under: Retail, Apple, iPhoneCan't find an iPhone 3G? Well, TopMuffin has created a site that checks Apple's store inventory every 15 minutes. According to the site, Apple updates the inventory throughout the day. TopMuffin's site parses the feed (feed link) and shows iPhone 3G availability by Apple Store. TopMuffin doesn't just post availability info, they also do some statistics to find the percent available. When we checked the page, Apple had 45% availability for 8GB black iPhones, 53% availability for 16GB black iPhones, and 41% availability for 16GB white iPhones. This site does not list availability for AT&T stores, and only lists stores located in the U.S. A disclaimer is posted on the page lets viewers know that the best way to check iPhone availability is to call your local store. You can view the site by clicking the read link.[via Daring Fireball]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Bad Apple, .Mac, MobileMeHow big is one percent? If it's a surcharge on your restaurant check, not that much; if it's a point on your mortgage, ow. If it's a chunk of .Mac/MobileMe email account holders who are left hanging for a week without access to their email... well, let's just say that anyone in that select and sorry lot who used a mac.com email address for professional or vital communications is justifiably furious right now.The good news, if you can say that under the circumstances, is that the outage that started July 18 may be coming to a close. Apple has posted a tech note on the ongoing issues, launched a blog to cover the MobileMe introduction challenges, and provided some additional details about what happened. As of 10 pm PDT last night, the one-percenters should be able to log into MobileMe webmail and retrieve messages from the July 18-25 outage window, though none from before the problem started are available yet. Apple also warns affected users NOT to change MobileMe passwords, aliases or storage allocations until the problem is cleared up, so be alert. As the problem was triggered by a "serious issue" on one of Apple's mail servers, some messages got dropped in the bit bucket and will never come back (unless you have them cached in a local client like Mail.app, Entourage, Thunderbird or Outlook). Apple's statement: While the vast majority of your email messages will be fully restored, a small percentage of email messages in the affected accou

Filed under: Mac 101I've found myself using Firefox 3 more and more as of late, though there is one feature of Safari that I miss dearly. Picture it: you have a bunch of tabs loaded up in one window of your browser. For some reason you decide that you would really like to see one tab in its very own window. In Safari all you have to do is click on that tab and drag. As you can see to the right, a little picture of the website you're viewing appears and you can drop that picture anywhere on your screen. Once you drop it, the picture expands into a Safari window displaying that website.This cool feature is a little tough to explain in words, so read on for a brief video demonstration.Please note that I'm using Leopard and Safari 3.Continue reading Mac 101: Safari tab tricksPermalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Apple Corporate, iPod Family, iPhone, App Store, SDK Something is rotten in the state of Cupertino. Mr. Jobs, TEAR DOWN THIS NDA. If the new iPhone 2.1 beta firmware is anything, it's a perfect excuse to say: "I told you so." It explains why the NDA failed to disappear on schedule. Apple kept its promise -- "Ve shall delivah the 2.0 iPhone und SDK on Yuly 11th" -- while working around the fact that that SDK was half baked at best. It was certainly not ready for prime time. The NDA simply expands the beta period. It offers cover to Apple, as they scramble to finish developing ready-to-ship software. In retrospect, there really was no need for the NDA in the first place, nor this second new 2.1 NDA that just debuted. Anyone, including Apple's competitors -- even the really evil "big brother" ones -- can sign up and download the SDK for free. Apple isn't exactly keeping things hush hush on the down low. All the NDA does right now is keep developers from talking to each other and blogs, magazines and book authors from publishing how-to articles. Said articles, etc., could actually help Apple reduce its tech support overhead. It would certainly help solidify the brand and allow third parties to make better, stronger App Store entries. It made no sense then. It makes no sense now. But that's not where the grumbling ends. Our TUAW tipsters have been busy. They tell us that Apple is busy rejecting Applications from the App Store for grammar mistakes i

Filed under: SoftwareIt has been awhile since I posted about Bricksmith, it looks like Allen Smith hasn't spent all his time pining for more TUAW coverage. Nay! He has been working on Bricksmith 2.0, which brings some new features to this open source Lego modeling app. The renderings have been improved, part search has been beefed up, and new addition to the Help file will aid those looking to create nifty models.My favorite part of this app has to be the Minifig generator (which I used to create the image that accompanies this post). You can use it to create more aesthetically pleasing minifigs, to be sure, but this guy has got character I tells ya.Bricksmith is free, but if you find yourself using it often a donation would be nice.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Apple, iPhone, App StoreLet me start this post off by pointing out that I am not a lawyer, and I don't even play one on TV. I have, however, been called for jury duty a few times, so I know my way around a courthouse.Melvin Rivera isn't a lawyer either, but he and his wife own two iPhones. Melvin knew that iPhone apps are wrapped with Apple's delicious flavor of DRM called 'FairPlay' that has some fairly open terms of use. You can authorize up to five computers to access items purchased from the iTunes store (that aren't iTunes Plus tracks, since they don't have any DRM on them) and you can then play those tracks (and one assumes applications) on any unlimited number of iPods and iPhones.Melvin, being the clever man that he is, realized that he shouldn't have to purchase two copies of Super Monkey Ball: one for his wife's iPhone and another for his. FairPlay makes it clear that those apps should be able to run on multiple iPhones, so after some poking around Melvin got it to work. Check out his blog for the blow by blow account.Clearly, this approach is kosher as far as the DRM is concerned, but do iPhone apps have licenses that supersede the FairPlay wrapper? I haven't agreed to any per app licensing agreements when installing something on my iPhone (as of yet) though that doesn't mean they don't exist (as I pointed out above I'm no Perry Mason).Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: SoftwareUK web development team Clearleft has released its web site usability testing application, Silverback.In short, Silverback turns a Mac into a portable usability testing laboratory. What used to require a complicated and cumbersome set up involving several computers, a video camera, and lots of time, can now be done much faster and with less hassle. You only need a Mac with a built-in or attached camera, and a copy of Silverback.The application records video footage of the user, and combines it with recorded footage of their activity on screen. Clicks, inputs, pointer movements and the user's speech and facial expressions are all combined into a single video file that can be quickly exported. One nice touch allows the test facilitator to add "bookmarks" during a session by clicking a button on the Mac's Apple Remote. Nothing distracting will show up in front of the user, but the bookmark is still recorded invisibly in the background.The only thing that doesn't appear to be included - at least in this initial release - is the ability to edit the output video file before exporting. Even so, it looks like it could be an invaluable tool for anyone who makes software or web sites for a living. If you want to find out more, watch the five-minute demo video, which is a useful summary of aims and features.Silverback is Tiger and Leopard compatible, sells for $49.95 and can be used as a fully functional demo for 30 days. As an added bonus, 10% of all profits genera

Filed under: Retail, AppleThe rumored Apple Store, Sainte Catherine in Montréal is opening today, in grand style. If you're in the area of 1321 Ste-Catherine st west besides the Ogilvy Department Store at the corner De la Montagne st (which I totally just grabbed from the store's website, I have no idea where any of that is) you should stop on by.It looks like the store will also have a number of musical guests for the next few days to keep interest up. Amongst the musical folks stopping by the store are: The Stills on July 26th Alex Cuba on July 27th Anik Jean on July 28th David Usher on July 29th Thanks to everyone who sent this in.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Developer, iPhoneAttention iPhone developers: get ye to Apple's iPhone Dev Center. Apple released the image for the iPhone OS 2.1 and SDK 2.1 last night. You must be registered to get at these files, which means that you have to agree to an NDA (First rule of iPhone development: don't talk about iPhone development), though for those curious registering for Apple's dev center is free (as noted below, the free account won't get you access to these files).According to numerous tipsters this .1 release includes the beginnings of the iPhone notification services as well as some improvements in the location awareness area. iPhone users, this is an advanced release of the software so that devs and make sure their apps work, and start whipping up new apps. This won't be available for phone in the wild until some later date (that only Steve and his hairdresser know for sure).One thing to note: apps created using this SDK/OS combination cannot be sold on the App Store at this time, so I hope you have an extra iPhone or iPod touch laying around.Update: I was mistaken, this new files aren't available via the free Apple Dev accounts. You have to have a paid membership to get them (though I would imagine they will trickle down to the freebie accounts at some point in the near future), and be a registered iPhone developer.Update 2: Some folks in the comments are saying they are paid, registered developers and they can't see these files so your mileage may vary.Thanks to everyon

Filed under: iPod Family, Developer, iPhone, App Store, SDK digg_url = 'http://www.tuaw.com/2008/07/25/data-loss-from-app-store-updates/'; When Apple first announced that third-party applications would be coming to the iPhone, they also announced an update mechanism in the App Store. On the surface, this ability to update applications (mostly for free) is a nice feature, however, when you learn that Apple didn't include a means for developers to save the data files created by their apps, you tend to start rethinking "nice feature."I first noticed this when I updated Enigmo and lost all of my saved games. In addition, I just updated Facebook and lost my login information. Apple should have provided a way for applications to save information like this for retrieval after an update.Have you encountered data loss in after updating your iPhone's third-party applications? Be sure to sound off in the comments.Update: Judging from the comments to this entry this appears to happen on a case by case basis: sometimes updating an app will overwrite your data, other times it won't. Sure sounds like a bug to us! Though the question is: whose bug is it: Apple's or the 3rd party app dev's?Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Apple, Apple TVSaul Hansell, over at the New York Times Bits blog, takes Microsoft's recent announcement about Xbox LIVE Community Games as a jumping off point to some speculation about Apple TV (and who doesn't like speculation?). Hansell wonders what would happen if Apple were to open up an App Store for the Apple TV, and I have to admit that I think that's a brilliant idea.I've always thought that the Apple TV would greatly benefit from third party plugins (official ones, I mean, not hacks), if not full blown apps. Take, for example, the YouTube functionality. Wouldn't it be cool if you could watch videos from Viddler, Vimeo, or any of the other countless video sharing sites, in addition to those on YouTube? And let's not forget Netflix. Microsoft and Netflix have teamed up to offer the 'Watch it now' library of videos to XBox Live Gold members. Being able to watch those videos from Netflix on my Apple TV would make me one happy panda.Hansell notes that to make apps on the Apple TV viable something has to be done about that horrible onscreen keyboard. He thinks that Apple might tie the iPhone into the Apple TV as a way to control it. Luckily, Apple has already done this. As John Gruber points out, when you have Apple's Remote app on your iPhone you are able to use the iPhone to enter text into your Apple TV.Let's hope Apple stops thinking about Apple TV as a hobby and starts making an aggressive push for the living room. I like my Apple TV,

Filed under: MobileMe David Pogue, the New York Times tech columnist, posted his review of MobileMe last week and despite its problems he thought the service itself showed promise. It looks like a little of that promise is wearing off. The latest post to David's New York Times blog, titled 'MobileMess,' isn't exactly the kind of press coverage Apple is used to as of late. In his post Pogue dings Apple for marketing MobileMe in the wrong way, and for failing to be up front with MobileMe users during all the 'rough patches.' Apple declined to comment for the story.Macworld has also taken MobileMe for a spin, and they give it 3.5 mice out of 5. The good include push to the iPhone, the web interface, and lots of storage. The bad points should look familiar by now: push doesn't work for everything and the service isn't reliable.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Odds and ends, Flickr Find The words pinewood derby may be meaningless to you, that is unless you were a boy scout. Then, no doubt, the pinewood derby will conjure up many happy memories (I lost miserably at my boy scout troop's pinewood derby, though I only worked on my car for 15 minutes). Now, imagine if a bunch of talented grownups got together and had a pinewood derby. You would get something like the event that the Columbus Society of Communicating Arts just held. Above you see one participant's pinewood derby car all decked out as an iPhone. I hope it is an iPhone 3G, since those are twice as fast (see what I did there?). Check out the full Flickr set that Jaime Santillan posted, or see the iPhone car here, here and here. And I think you'll recognize some Apple products in this picture as well. [via MAKE]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, iPhone When I first heard that the iPhone WordPress app was open source I thought that was cool, but what about the SDK NDA (that's nondisclosure agreement, which means you won't share any information you're told with anyone)? It would seem that the fine folks at WordPress aren't too worried about that bothersome NDA because they are now sharing the source code of the app via their SVN server. It'll be interesting to see if Apple releases the legal hounds upon WordPress or not. If they do it means that Apple is still considering the iPhone SDK NDA serious business, but if they just let WordPress distribute the code I wage we'll see plenty of other devs posting iPhone code of their own.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: iPhoneThe iPhone 3G is a hot commodity, as you may have noticed by reading every other post here at TUAW. These things are selling like hot cakes, which I assume sell very well, and are hard to keep in stock. AT&T has posted a note letting people know that they are plum out of iPhones at their retail stores. You can snag one from AT&T by using their 'direct fulfilment' option which means you order the iPhone and AT&T will ship it to the store when it is ready (and then you can just stroll in to pay for it). If you go that route be prepared to wait 14 days or so, depending on the model, to get your iPhone. At least you don't have to stand in line!O2 has all been moving iPhones like nobody's business. The iPhone is in short supply in the O2 shops, though this website will be updated with stores that have them in stock. If you like to shop online, you're out of luck as the O2 online store is out of iPhones. O2 expects a shipment of iPhones on Friday, so if you're in the UK you just have to hold out a little longer.[via Engadget]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: MobileMeMobileMe has been off to a rough start. The mail outages aren't good and giving people free time to use a service that doesn't work is a cold comfort. Sadly, the bad news just keeps coming for MobileMe.Walt Mossberg, Personal Technology columnist for the Wall Street Journal, is generally an Apple fan but he isn't gaga for MobileMe. Even discounting the amount of trouble Apple has been having keeping MobileMe up, Mossberg points out that even when fully functional the service doesn't work well.He points out the push that isn't really push, the sluggishness of the web interface, and a host of issues with syncing data with Outlook on a PC. Walt suggests you wait before buying MobileMe.How has MobileMe been treating you? Let us know in the comments.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: SoftwareRiftVault, which we covered when it was in a pre-release state, is now a full 1.0 release. $39.95 will get you this snazzy app which stores your important information the way it should be stored: using encryption. RiftVault is designed to hold credit card information, passwords, banking info, and even files that you want secured (using the very clever 'Safe Deposit Box' feature).Everything that RiftVault stores for you is encrypted using 256-bit AES encryption. When you open an item it is unencrypted and cached for fast access only to be flushed from RAM when you close the item. Check out our gallery to get a glimpse of what this app has to offer.RiftVault is available now for $39.95 and there is a free 30 day demo.Gallery: RiftVault 1.0Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Retail, AppleThe last time that we looked into the Charleston, South Carolina Apple Store, they were only in the construction/hiring process. Well, the time has finally come: some South Carolinians will rejoice, while others (like me) will want more. Apple has announced that the first South Carolina store will open this Saturday, July 26, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. The King Street Apple Store is located at 301 King Street in the downtown district.What do you think about the first Apple retail store coming to South Carolina? Do you support their (belated) efforts? Will you be attending the grand opening? Do you have pictures of the store? Thanks to everyone who sent this in!Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Accessories, Apple TV, Mac 101If 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.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Apple, iPhone Apple has finally posted three new iPhone 3G commercials on their website. In these ads, Apple seems to be pushing (quite literally) the features of the new iPhone 3G/2.0 firmware. Push, half the price, twice as fast, and other Jobsian quotes are in these new ads. Just in case you were wondering, the song playing in the background of the new commercials is You, Me and the Bourgeoisie by the Submarines (iTunes link). You can watch Everyone, Unslow, and Work Friendly on the iPhone ads website.Thanks to everyone who sent this in!Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: iPod Family, iPhone, App Store, SDK digg_url = 'http://digg.com/apple/Ad_Hoc_and_the_Washington_Post'; This Washington Post article, suggesting that a beta arrangement for App Store developers is right around the corner, just hit the Digg front page. TUAW wants to clarify a few points raised in that article: The so-called "Beta Program" refers to ad-hoc distribution. This was announced at the SDK keynote and is not a secret. It's a method to distribute apps outside of App Store channels. The "Beta Program" will not be released in the "next few days." Ad-hoc distribution is already available and working. Developers can create ad-hoc provisions through the iPhone Developer Program site today. Developers and users need not use the App Store for testing. Ad Hoc distribution goes directly between the developer and the user. The user needs to supply their iPhone's unique device identifier. The developer then sends a specially compiled version of their app along with a mobile provisioning file. Users drop these into iTunes and they're good to sync. There are several ways to recover UDIDs from iPhones or iPod touch handhelds. In iTunes, open the device Summary tab, tap Serial Number (it changes to "Identifier"), and press Command-C (Mac) or Control-C (Windows). You can then paste the UDID into an email. From the device, you can download Ad Hoc Helper, tap the icon and then address the pre-filled email to a developer. Developers can take advantage of these technique

Filed under: Education, iPhone, SDKPrecious little information is available just now, but Stanford appears to be offering a course in the Autumn entitled "iPhone Application Programming." Award-winning iPhone app developer Craig Hockenberry wonders aloud if Apple will even allow such a course to be taught, presumably thanks to the ongoing NDA mummalum that Erica wrote about earlier today. If anyone has any more information about the course and its instructor, we're all ears: please feel free to tip us. Update: Tipsters Quinn and Dave helpfully inform us that the course will likely be taught by one (or more) of the same Apple employees that teach a Cocoa Programming course on campus. Apple and Stanford have shared a close relationship: Whether or not that gets them around the NDA restrictions probably will require a lawyer to understand and explain. Thanks, guys!Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Software, Hacks, Tips and tricks, Apple, iPhoneIntoMobile has a few good tips on how to extend your iPhone's battery life, and most of them involve the most obvious thing you can do to keep your iPhone running: cut down on any and all extra functions. They actually recommend to turn off 3G, but you don't have to go that far -- just by holding down the Home button, you can close any background applications sucking up juice. And by resetting your phone, you can do the same thing -- clear out anything running that you're not using.Actually, while I was in Los Angeles last week, I heard the great Leo Laporte mention a great tip on his radio show: turn off the "Ask to join networks" feature in the WiFi settings. If you're like me, you almost always know when there's a WiFi network around that you can use on your iPhone, and so it's pointless (and a waste of battery life) for the iPhone to be constantly searching for one. You can always flip it back on if you do want to do a little poking around, but leaving it off will significantly help battery life.In fact, when in extreme trouble, you can go even farther and just switch the whole thing into Airplane Mode. It'll make your phone useless, but when you really need it -- out on a trip, or waiting to make an important call -- the extra battery time might make all the difference.[via Apple Enthusiast]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Apple Corporate, iPod Family, Apple, iPhone, App Store, SDK On July 11, the iPhone SDK emerged from beta sparkling with dew. Trumpets sounded and a few frolicking nymphs danced in joy. The dawn shone bright, the sky offered the blue promise of a new day. And there in the meadow of newly released products stood a mass of grumpy developers shouting: "What about the *@!$%ing NDA?" For the happy blue release fairy had granted the developers' wishes but had neglected one teeny tiny detail: the restrictive, regressive NDA still ruled over iPhone-land from its dark menacing tower in far-off Cupertino. The hard-working developers could not bring forth their coding jewels from the mines of iPhone Mordor. Instead, they labored under the cruel chains of confidential information and non-specific release clauses. Moreover, their inability to talk freely with one another about their challenges and successes hampered the advancement of the platform. And then voices rose up: "We're mad as heck! And we're not going to take it any more!" And thus was born, Effing NDA.com. (Yes, that has been bowdlerized and the link is NSFW). Developers started tweeting their rage -- from the high hills of Oz to the depths of Silicon Valley. And how does this little fairy tale end? We don't know for sure. It all rests in Apple's hands. Let's hope for a happy ending.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Software, Internet ToolsMarsEdit, the blogging client we've written about frequently in the past, has just been updated to version 2.2. MarsEdit is a favorite for many of us at TUAW (myself included) and supports a variety of publishing platforms.The newest version adds support for AtomPub, which like XML-RPC, is a protocol for connecting blog software to your blog itself. Daniel Jalkut, MarsEdit's developer, says to consider AtomPub support "introductory" -- but if you are using a custom blogging platform that uses AtomPub, you can now use MarsEdit to create content.MarsEdit 2.2 also adds customizable image markup in addition to the built-in macros for image alignment. So if you frequently like to have images aligned in a certain way, you can create your own custom macro. MarsEdit 2.2 is also significantly faster (I was pleased to see this myself, as start-up time was much quicker than the previous version). There is also now support for removing media items from the media catalog, a pull down editor for selecting the date, and improved MIME type generation for uploaded files.Mobile fans take note -- Daniel is working on an iPhone version of MarsEdit, and it will be released as soon as he is satisfied with the quality of the final product.MarsEdit requires Tiger or Leopard. The update is free for current users. You can try MarsEdit for free for 30-days or buy it for $29.99.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Apple, iPhoneApple's Q3 Financial call may or may not have pointed to a new Mac tablet offering but that doesn't really matter. The Mac tablet isn't a rumor any more, Robert. It's right here sitting in my pocket. If the iPhone isn't a Mac tablet, I don't know what is. It runs OS X. It has a full touch interface. OS X + touch == Mac tablet, any way you look at it. The computing world is changing. We're no longer tied to desktops. We move around, we take our computing with us. Holding a computer in the crook of our arms isn't just a nice idea, it's practical. When you're walking through hospital halls, sitting in on a University lecture, attending business meetings, or specing out a project at a construction site, the tablet computer makes sense. If anything, the iPhone which has been pushed far beyond its original design specs, has proven that people want truly mobile computing. No keyboard, no standard screen -- true portability. And it's not just about people who spend their lives away from their desks. Drawing directly on a screen beats the heck out of drawing on a Wacom tablet. Tablet computing brings the artist directly to the canvas. And it doesn't stop at drawing. How do traditional laptops and computer screens integrate meaningfully in any way into creating music. Sure, we're used to the standard tools but isn't a piano keyboard or a guitar a more natural interface into music? Let musicians jot notes into a portable tablet rather than f

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, AppleSince Apple's third quarter conference call, the rumor mill has been grinding its latest batch of corn: or what natives call "the MacBook tablet." The endless list of features, the bad Photoshop: It's already here. Every time Apple has whetted our appetites for new products, the same people keep predicting a tablet-style device, and, since the Newton, they've yet to be right. digg_url = 'http://www.tuaw.com/2008/07/23/a-mac-tablet-not-just-no-but-heck-no/'; I know tablets are useful to some, but is Apple going to make one? Not just no: Heck no. Picture trying to drive with your hands in front of your face the whole time. If you design with a computer, a tablet of any kind just isn't for you. Join me for a medium-sized rant about this Mac tablet, why it's a bad for Apple, and why they won't sell it.Continue reading A Mac tablet? Not just no, but 'heck no'Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: OS, Mac 101Switchers and new Mac users may hear veterans refer to "performing a get info." Here's what that means, and exactly what you'll get.Single-click a file or folder in the Finder and select "Get Info" from the File menu (or hit Command-I on your keyboard) and a new window appears. This is the Info window, and it provides a lot of information.First, you'll see the file's name, size and most recent modification date. Below that is a field for storing comments or keywords to improve Spotlight search results. For instance, you might add "Colorado," "Map" and "Vacation" to a PDF you'll need for that upcoming trip.Next you'll see the file's kind, size (again), location on your hard drive, creation date and most recent modification date (again). You can also add a color-coded label to any files you want to group visually.Two checkboxes follow. Selecting "Stationery Pad" will force that file to open a copy of itself when double-clicked, and selecting "Locked" will prevent future changes (as well as deletion).The "More Info" display depends on file type. For instance, an image will list data like dimensions, color space, etc. A Pages document will list last time opened or edited."Name and Extension" lists a file's name as well as an option to display or hide its extension. You'll also find an option to determine a file's parent application (the one used to open it), a preview of that file and finally sharing and permission information.If you're new to the Mac, "pe

Filed under: SoftwareCall me crazy but I bet there are a few would-be, and some actual, novelists out there who read TUAW. Am I right? Thought so. If you are amongst that august group then you might be tickled by the Blue Technologies Group's text editor: Ulysses. It was built from the ground up with writers in mind with features that include: Grouping of files Semantic Text editing (this allows you to create your own markup language. You can mark up your document in a way that makes sense to you and then export it and see those words that you marked as bold show up as bold in the resulting document. Trust me, this is cool stuff) A single window for all your documents Powerful search And that is just scratching the surface. Read the full feature run down to find out all the details. Ulysses now comes in two flavors: Ulysses is the full featured application which costs 79.99 € (half off for EDU buyers) and Ulysses Core which has a subset of features (check out this chart to see what the Core version leaves out) and will set you back 39.99 € ( 25.99 € for education buyers).Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: iPhoneUnclutterer is one of my favorite blogs. They offer practical advice and tips on keeping your work, home and life tidy and clutter-free.This week, they've posted an article on using the iPhone for increased productivity and clutter reduction. There are several great tips, including my favorite -- photograph the bar codes of your membership cards (gym, Staples, etc.) and store them in an appropriately named album. Most scanners should have no trouble reading the bar codes (test this before ditching your cards, of course). They also mention apps like Jott and Evernote. It's definitely worth a read. Check it out.Update: Their website seems to be having a bit of trouble this morning, folks. We're sure they're working on it. Sorry for the inconvenience.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Software, iPhone, App StoreFileMagnet (mentioned briefly by Dave in his iPhone apps I actually use post yesterday) is a low-cost wireless file transfer tool for iPhone and iPod Touch. It requires you to install a companion desktop application, also called FileMagnet, which acts as the conduit for file transfer. Usage is simple enough: drag files you wish to copy into the desktop app's window. Then open FileMagnet on the iPhone, and as long as the two machines are on the same WiFi network, they will find each other over Bonjour, and wirelessly connect. Then your files are smoothly and wirelessly transferred over. Transfer will also happen every time you sync the device, if the desktop app happens to be running. FileMagnet is a handy place for reference materials, such as Word docs, spreadsheets, PDFs and images, that you're likely to need to carry at all times. It handles entire folders full of files, too. There are a few problems right now, all of which are addressed on the official FileMagnet FAQ, mostly with a promise that they'll be fixed soon: FileMagnet cannot display iWork files (yet) The desktop app requires Leopard (but a Tiger version is on the way) You can't email files, or indeed do anything with them except view them (an email feature is coming) Like a lot of iPhone and iPod touch apps, it's in its early days. Some features are lacking, or not as perfectly functional as you might like. But the developers are aware of the limitations and

Filed under: Retail, AppleDon't let the summer heat get you down, Arizona. A new Apple Store is going to open this weekend in Glendale. At 10:00 AM on July 26th, Apple Store Arrowhead will open at Arrowhead Towne Center (75th Avenue & Bell Road). The store is located next to Sephora and Naturalizer on the bottom floor below the food court. You can get full travel directions here.If you visit the store on opening weekend, please send us your stories and photos. This will be Arizona's fifth Apple Store.Thanks to everyone who sent this in!Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: iLife, Software Update, MobileMeAs Scott already posted, iLife '08 just released a slew of updates. Although Software Update says that over performance and general compatibility issues were addressed in most products, the biggest change is MobileMe support for all iLife '08 applications.iPhoto, iWeb and iMovie are now properly linked with the MobileMe service. This should be welcome news to iWeb customers who have been unable to maintain or update elements of their MobileMe (nee .Mac) pages since the transition earlier this month.Likewise, galleries and movie can now be published directly to the newly branded mobile offering. You know, assuming you can get the service to work.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: SoftwareIndie developer Rory Prior expects to release version 1.0 of his iKanji application this coming Thursday, he announced today.iKanji is a tool for anyone learning Japanese, and combines meaning, reading and writing training and tests. Over 2,000 Kanji characters and 20,000 example words are included. This is an app for advanced learners who already have a grasp of the hiragana and katakana characters (which are covered in Rory's existing iKana app). Until release, iKanji is still in beta and Rory is still accepting beta testers, with priority given to students. If you're interested, let him know sharpish. Pre-orders are also being taken, and they qualify for a 10% discount on the standard price of €20 (about $30).Rory also makes photo gallery maker InstantGallery, and news reader NewsLife.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: iLife, Software Update, AppleLots of folks are writing in to let us know about the iLife '08 update waiting in Software Update. The iLife Support 8.3 update, 'provides system software components shared by all iLife '08 applications. This update improves overall stability and addresses a number of other minor issues. It is recommended for all users for iLife '08.'At the moment this update is only available via Software Update, but we'll update this post when Apple posts the update on their site.Thanks to everyone who sent this in.Update: You can grab the installer here.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Humor, Odds and ends, iPhoneSome have said that the iPhone 2.0 software is buggy. We say, "Bugs? What bugs?"Today, reader Alfred has identified one that you can try for yourself. Open up Notes and attempt to type "Flickr." You'll find that you can't. The 2.0 software replaces "Flickr" with "flicke" or "flickt". Here's the weird part: you can't even select the "r" button. Sliding a finger from "e" to "t" skips "r" entirely.Here's the obvious, inelegant workaround: delete the "e" or "t" and type again. For more odd (and useful) iPhone tips, check out our iPhone 101 series.Thanks, Alfred!Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Software, Internet ToolsKarelia Software announced the availability of Sandvox 1.2.8 this week. If you're unfamiliar, Sandvox is a very nice and lightweight WYSIWYG web editor for Mac OS X (we've written about Sandvox before) that makes publishing easy. With iLife integration, attractive themes and more, you'll be happy to use it for that quick and easy site you want to publish with a minimum of fuss.Karelia has always offered .Mac integration, and version 1.2.8 offers compatibility with MobileMe. Other changes include an updated iMedia Browser which supports iPhoto Events and multiple Aperture libraries.Sandvox requires Mac OS 10.4 or later, is universal and comes in both pro ($79US) and standard ($49US) versions. Version 1.2.8 is a free upgrade for registered users.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Apple FinancialApple posted record earnings yesterday, yet the stock still dropped amid concerns over Steve Jobs' health (I'll refrain from speculating because I find it tasteless and it's none of my business) and lower projected gross margins for the September quarter (Q4). Although Apple is famous for under-promising/over-delivering, especially when it comes to projected sales and gross margin performance, during yesterday's call, CFO Peter Oppenheimer offered up a very interesting explanation for Apple's lower estimates: new products!Although Apple historically has a lower gross margins in the September quarter because of the Back-to-School promotion, Apple also added that a "new product that [it] [couldn't] discuss" would also result in lower gross-margins. Throughout the call, Oppenheimer kept throwing out phrases like "product transition," "new additions to the product line" and a little mantra that went something like, "Apple makes state of the art new products that the competition just can't match. When we do that earlier in an introduction, costs are higher."We had a good time speculating what new products/changes to the product line will appear in September (or in the 4th quarter, more accurately) in the liveblog and the press has joined in that speculation today. ZDNet thinks that products will be brought out at lower prices, so that Apple can drive volume and gain marketshare. Over at eWeek, they are guessing everything from a shif

Filed under: RetailApple will open a new store at 9 a.m. this coming Saturday, inside the Liverpool One shopping development. There will be the obligatory opening day fun and games, including T-shirts for the first 1,000 people through the door and sweepstakes prizes (MacBooks, iPods and the like). Liverpool One is still under construction; a full Grand Opening is expected in October.Thanks to everyone who sent this in.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Software, Internet ToolsThe Iconfactory's Anthony Piraino has just released the latest version of his domain management tool, DomainBrain. If you aren't familiar with DomainBrain, it is a really, really slick way to keep track of all of your domain information, like various logins, directories, passwords, in one nice and tidy place.We've covered DomainBrain in the past and although I initially rebuked the idea of a program for domain management, I can honestly say it has turned out to be incredibly useful. Instead of sifting through e-mails or keychain files to find the specific login for something that has a common username, I have a nice looking repository for all my information.The newest version of the software introduces the ability to make duplicate domains, which is really helpful if you are anything like me and have 12 domains associated with the same account. DomainBrain makes it easier to just change the necessary details and not have to recreate the whole template. My favorite new feature is the integrated WHOIS information, which will show you what nameservers your domain is on and when the domain expires. This makes it super easy to check when all of your domains are up for renewal, without having to manually do a WHOIS search for each address. I better make sure my domain is on auto-renew! DomainBrain is free for up to four domains. If you need to store the information for more than four domains, it's $14.99. DomainBrain is compatible with Mac OS X

Filed under: App StoreiPhoneApps.org, currently the top Google result when searching for "iPhone apps," offers 10 apps for $25, including much-sought-after MMS and video recording capability. But hold on there, pardner, because it looks like they make you jailbreak your phone to get the apps to work. According to a post by a disgruntled customer at Yahoo! Answers, the site is only selling ZiPhone, and instructions on how to install the apps shown on their homepage. If this post is correct, this reeks of scamminess, since nothing mentions ZiPhone anywhere on their site before purchase. ZiPhone is also freeware. Not cool. Apple and The Jobsmeister also made it pretty clear that the App Store (via iTunes) was the only place to get apps for your iPhone or iPod touch. Now, we all know that's not necessarily the case, but to base a business around breaking the rules historically hasn't worked. [Via PC World and Gedeon Maheux, the latter with NSFW language.]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: MobileMeFor our friends and neighbors in the UK (and elsewhere: see the update below), the MobileMe quagmire continues to fester. Infinite Loop is reporting that some users were erroneously charged to the tune of £121, and Apple is offering those users another free month of service. Apparently, when someone tries to create a trial account in the UK, a 50p pre-authorization is placed on the user's credit card. (Not unlike buying fuel and paying with a credit card.) Unfortunately, instead of 50p, someone mashed the keypad, and users were billed £121 instead. For debit card users, it's worse: the money is actually removed from your account, of course. Once the mistake is corrected it takes as much as a month for the funds to reappear. Apple is, of course, refunding the charges for credit cards, and "working to have these holds removed earlier" for debit card users. These users now have four months to try the service. Update: According to some of our commenters, this affects users in Germany, France, Switzerland, Belgium, and Canada too. Wow.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: iPhone, App StoreIt seems like only yesterday that I was posting about the soon to be released WordPress app for the iPhone. Ah, right, it was only yesterday. A lot can happen when I'm sleeping, it would appear, because sometime last night the WordPress app went live on the App Store.This free app, which works with WordPress.com blogs as well as any self hosted sites running version 2.5.1 or higher, let's you post to your blog easily. As you can see in our gallery, the application is straightforward and pretty easy to use.At the moment this app is all about posting to your WordPress blog, not managing it. You won't be able to access comments from this app, nor can you add users, activate plugins, or anything along those lines.That being said, this is a must have app for all you iPhone toting WordPress bloggers out there.You can find out more about this app on the WordPress for iPhone website.Gallery: WordPressRead | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, iPhone, App StoreWhen 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.Continue reading 2 weeks later: iPhone apps I actually useRead | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: iPhone, App StoreI'm the first to admit that I am no financial whiz. I know very little about stocks, bonds, and money in general (I'm a blogger after all), however, I do know a thing or two about iPhone apps. Imagine my surprise that one of my favorite iPhone apps is the Bloomberg app (shocking, I know!).Bloomberg, in case you aren't aware, is one of the leading sources of financial news. The company's reputation was built upon the Bloomberg Terminal, which is leased to traders, libraries, and the like for a high monthly fee. The thinking is that by having a wealth of knowledge about the market at your fingertips the terminal will pay for itself.The Bloomberg app, in stark contrast, is free but does still offer you a deep look into your stocks. You can keep track of your portfolio, see news related to the companies you invest in, and get lots of performance data at a glance.Take a look at our gallery to see what this app has to offer (keep in mind that I took these screenshots last week, so the stock info is out of date).Gallery: BloombergRead | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Blogging, Internet Tools, iPhone, App StoreJust a little while ago I wrote about Typepad's native iPhone app, which I quite liked. Many folks thought it looked neat, but they were either running their own WordPress blogs, or using Wordpress.com's hosted service neither of which are compatible with the Typepad app (for obvious reasons). Luckily for them, the good folks at WordPress have posted some information about the forthcoming WordPress iPhone application.The app is ready, and pending addition to the App Store. It will work with both self hosted WordPress installs and blogs hosted on WordPress.com. You can do all the things you would expect: upload pictures, write blog posts, and edit existing posts.The app should be available soon on the App Store for free. Once it is available I'll be taking it for a spin and posting my thoughts.Thanks to everyone who sent this in.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

For this edition of Ask TUAW we've got questions on password management software, writing to a NTFS external drive in OS X, autofilling an iPhone with smart playlists, mighty mouse problems, using Lingon, and more.As always, your suggestions are most welcome, and 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, as certain answers will vary between different Macs and Tiger vs. Leopard, etc. (we'll assume you're running Leopard if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions!Continue reading Ask TUAW: using Lingon, Mighty Mouse problems, replicating Autofill,Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Apple Corporate, Hardware, OSA few years ago, I was walking through downtown Boston with my Burger King bag and Coke. I ran into a friend in Kenmore Square who was on his way into a pizza joint. He asked me to join him and we both sat down.As I unwrapped my Whopper, anticipating the greasy goodness that would undoubtedly shorten my life, the owner began shouting from behind the counter."Hey!" he said with a heavy Boston accent. "You cahhn't eat that in here. Go pahhk it someplace else!" You see, I was eating the competitor's food in his shop. Or, in geeker terms, running their software on his hardware. That's a no-no in some circles.Someone tell Open Tech.Unfettered by Psystar's recent run-in with Apple Legal, Open Tech has announced their new hardware lineup, including a desktop able to run XP, Vista, OSX Leopard and Ubuntu, featuring Intel Pentium D 945 3.40GHz Dual-Core Processor 500 Gb Hard Drive 3 GB of DDR2 Ram (667 MHz PC 5400) CD burner 802.11g Wi-Fi. Pricing and availability has not been announced. The main difference between Open Tech's model and Psystar's is that Open Tech is not selling computers with Leopard pre-loaded. Instead, they provide an OS-free machine and instructions for installing the OS of your choice.Still, we are talking about Apple's Whopper in Open Tech's pizza joint.Personally, I don't see why I shouldn't be able to run whatever OS I please on my own machine. Sadly, that's not the way things are.[Via MacNN]Read&

Filed under: Accessories, Mods, iPhone Two intrepid users have found a simple way to mod their old iPhone docks to work with iPhone 3G: a rotary tool. All it takes, apparently, is grinding away about a millimeter of the plastic where the back of the iPhone 3G rests against the dock. A rotary tool with a tapered grinding bit appears to work the best, as it avoids touching the dock connector. It might not have exactly the fit and finish of a new dock, but hey, the price is right if you already have the tools. iPhone 3G docks are $29 at the Apple Store. Dremel grinding bits are about $10 for a five-pack. [Via Digg.]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Apple Corporate, Features, Apple Financial, LiveblogThis liveblog will be relaying and discussing Apple's Q3 financial results. Apple's third fiscal quarter encompassed sales between April 1, 2008 and June 30, 2008. Apple reported a record-breaking quarter, with revenue up 38% year over year and Mac sales at an all time high!You can listen in live here. Please join me in the blog to discuss the results, speculateContinue reading Apple Q3 2008 results liveblog, 5 PM EDTPermalink | Email this | Comments