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All posts tagged "osx"


Thursday, February 16, 2012

Messages for OS X

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "Apple Software (OS X)" @ 08:17 PM

http://www.insanely-great.com/news....nely+Great+Mac)

"Apple today released a beta version of Messages for OS X. The application takes over for iChat and allows Mac users to send instant messages to iOS users."

I downloaded and tried this out today, works pretty slick. If you prefer to read your walk through versus watching it on YouTube above, then head over to MacLife where they have done a first look of the new program from Apple.


Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Will iOS Merge with OS X?

Posted by Joe Johaneman in "Apple Talk" @ 07:00 AM

http://www.9to5mac.com/35716/jean-l...uture-of-mac-os

"Jean-Louis Gassée is back, making his predictions for the future of Apple's operating system plans, which he sees as heading inexorably to a combined form of iOS becoming Apple's OS inside all Apple devices."

It seems inevitable that some of the ideas that Apple created for the iPhone and iPad would make their way over to OS X. I think it is unlikely, however, that there will be one universal Apple OS running on all of their devices. A laptop/desktop OS has to be different than a slate/phone OS. Much of that has to do with user interface issues. It's much harder, for example, to use a touch screen all day if it is sitting vertically in front of you. It's easier to use a touch screen if you can look down at it and it is almost horizontal. And Apple can't possibly lock down OS X in the same way they lock down iOS. For one thing, they need developers to be able to compile code on OS X. That fact alone makes it impossible to lock down. I think there will be cross pollination between both platforms, but they will remain distinct.

Tags: software, rumor, osx, ios

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Snow Leopard Up to Date Program Announced

Posted by Vincent Ferrari in "Apple Software (OS X)" @ 01:00 PM

http://www.apple.com/macosx/uptodate/

"Mac OS X Snow Leopard refines the elegant Mac OS X user experience with lots of little touches and performance improvements that will make using your Mac even more enjoyable. It also includes a few big foundation technologies designed to tap the power of today’s computer hardware and provide a strong base for innovation. If you’ve purchased a qualifying computer or Xserve on or after June 8, 2009 that does not include Mac OS X Snow Leopard, you can upgrade to Mac OS X Snow Leopard for $9.95."

Lost in all the iPhone 3GS hullabaloo is Snow Leopard, and frankly it's gonna be pretty sweet. The Now Up To Date program has always been one of my favorite Apple programs because you never get that "Damn, I just bought that!" feeling. I'm looking forward to Snow Leopard. I'm singularly focused on iPhone OS 3.0 and the 3GS at the moment, but when that's over, I'll need some other toy to play with.


Wednesday, May 13, 2009

10.5.7 Is Here...

Posted by Vincent Ferrari in "Apple News" @ 09:00 AM

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3397

"The 10.5.7 Update is recommended for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility and security of your Mac. For detailed information about security updates, please visit this website."

Nothing in this update too compelling for me; for the most part I'm not needing any of the fixes offered. I'll upgrade anyway, but this one seems like a relatively minor one to me. Maybe I'm missing something?

Tags: software, osx, 10.5.7

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Change Your Login Background (Finally)

Posted by Vincent Ferrari in "Apple Software (OS X)" @ 01:00 PM

http://lifehacker.com/5249015/login...ackground-image

"We've written previously about a manual hack using some terminal commands to change your login wallpaper, but Loginox takes all the guesswork out of the process-just drag the image you want to use into the window, click the Set new login image button, enter your password, and you are done. The application requires a 2560x1600 resolution wallpaper image, so you might have to resize your wallpaper to the right dimensions-but it's still a handy tool."

Okay this is undeniably cool. No matter how many times I've changed my background, I've always wanted my login screen to match it. I have no idea why Apple makes it that difficult, but c'est la vie I guess. I'll be downloading this later once I resize my current background to a fitting gigantic size!


Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Rumor: 10.5.7 Coming Friday

Posted by Vincent Ferrari in "Apple Software (OS X)" @ 11:00 AM

http://www.maclife.com/article/news...our_macs_friday

"If you've been champing at the bit for the magic of 10.5.7, according to a super-secret Apple source, your champing can cease on Friday. The newest version of Leopard is slated to fix a slew of networking, syncing and bluetooth issues."

I'm not really having a lot of issues with the current build of Leopard aside from a weird freeze up issue on occasion when I plug and unplug the mini DisplayPort adapter, but other than that, I'm not dying for 10.5.7. Anyone out there hoping it drops before the weekend?


Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Rumor: QuickTime for Snow Leopard to Support Youtube

Posted by Vincent Ferrari in "Apple Software (OS X)" @ 01:00 PM

http://www.appleinsider.com/article...ow_leopard.html

"Apple will further its endorsement of YouTube and open video standards by building support for the Google-owned video sharing service into one of its flagship applications due to ship later this summer as part of Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. On the heels of screen recording discoveries in the upcoming version of QuickTime X Player, people familiar with betas of the media player software say a handful of video sharing options will also be rolled into the release. In particular, the application will let users take any supported video file and upload it directly to YouTube. Users will be prompted to enter their YouTube username and password, and QuickTime X Player will take care of the rest. This includes converting the movie into a file optimized for the video sharing service and then uploading it to the appropriate user account."

Slowly but surely I've realized that YouTube is the only place you really need to put your videos if you want them noticed (in spite of the absolutely maddeningly dumb comments) and Apple's continued partnership with Google and YouTube is definitely going to push it even further toward being the number one choice for hobbyist video producers.

I for one look forward to some sharing capabilities being put into QuickTime. It's one part of OSX that desperately needs an update, and a major one at that.


NeatDesk for Mac Now Available

Posted by Vincent Ferrari in "Apple Software (OS X)" @ 09:00 AM

http://www.neatco.com/products/neatdesk-for-mac

"Once your paper is digitized, NeatWorks for Mac uses "Intelligent Text Recognition" technology to extract key data from your documents and populate key fields automatically in this robust digital filing system. By eliminating much of the data entry, you can turn a pile of receipts into an expense report in mere minutes. Or turn that stack of business cards into digital contacts and import them directly to Address Book. You can even scan any kind of document to produce a fully-searchable PDF file."

Okay... Simply put, this looks flat out awesome. I've always been interested in NeatReceipts, but I don't deal with enough receipts to make a receipts-only solution worth it for me. I do, however, have a ton of paper floating around all over my desk and this kind of digital filing system is something I might actually use. It's a tad pricey at $399, but if it works anywhere near as well as I've heard NeatReceipts does, it should be a huge hit with the Mac faithful.


Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Apple Making Inroads in Enterprise Computing

Posted by Vincent Ferrari in "Apple Talk" @ 09:00 AM

http://www.macsimumnews.com/index.p...the_enterprise/

"A group of enterprise-class software developers have launched a new organization to help IT departments integrate Macs into the corporate environment—has conducted a survey of over 300 IT administrators and found that more Macs are coming to the enterprise."

It won't be an overnight rousing success for Apple, but it's good news for them that corporations have finally gotten over the "computers run Windows" thing to some extent. There are lots more operating systems appearing both in server racks and on end users' desktops and there's no way to look at that as a bad thing. Read the study for some interesting stats about the future of Macs in the corporate world.


Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Capture All of Your Windows In Layered PSD

Posted by Vincent Ferrari in "Apple Software (OS X)" @ 01:00 PM

http://the.layersapp.com/

"Don't waste time capturing each window separately, importing them in your favorite PSD editor, naming the layers, positioning the images, etc. Do it with Layers in no time! Press the capture hotkey or customize your capture in the inspector. You'll obtain a full fledged PSD file with one layer per window, including menu and desktop icons, dock and menubar."

This app would be great for someone who writes for a website that utilizes screenshots a lot. You could move windows around to get the optimal arrangement after you take the screengrab to ensure your readers get the most out of them. I grabbed it to get in on the $15 intro offer and it does exactly what it says it does. This one is going to have a permanent place in my repertoire of reviewing apps!


Monday, January 19, 2009

Old Argument Redux: Apple Should License OSX

Posted by Vincent Ferrari in "Apple Talk" @ 10:00 AM

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-1...l?tag=mncol;txt

"Let's face it: Apple isn't happy that it needs to deal with Psystar. And why should it be? The company is a costly nuisance that needs to be dealt with swiftly. But if the court battle lasts too long--or worse, if Psystar finds a way to win, Apple will be forced to deal with a slew of similar Mac clones that will only make maintaining its stranglehold on Mac OS X that much harder. That's why Apple should license Mac OS X to Hewlett-Packard and Dell, the world's top PC manufacturers. By doing so, it will be able to eliminate the threat Psystar and its clones create, since no one will trust an Open Computer from a no-name compared to Dell and HP. More importantly, it will expand its presence in the PC business and finally get to a place where it can compete on the same level as Microsoft."

In the year 2009, it's a miracle to me that people are still making this ridiculous argument. Folks, here's the deal. It isn't going to happen, and the reason is very simple. Ready?

Apple is a hardware manufacturer, not a software company!

I really figured people would get over this idiotic licensing idea, but it keeps coming back again and again and again by people who are supposedly known and respected in the industry. Reisinger's argument amounts to "this is the best way to get rid of Psystar." As one commenter notes:

"Apple IS a hardware company. Microsoft is a software company. Apple only has OS X to sell their hardware, along with software like Final Cut Pro and Aperture. Please understand that it is all TO SELL THE HARDWARE. There is a reason it is a bit more expensive. Does apple sell software? Yes. Does Microsoft sell hardware? Yes (zune and xbox). Does staples sell food? Yes but it is an office supply store, not a grocery store.Apple is a hardware company."

Apparently it is obvious, at least to some people.


Friday, December 19, 2008

Apple Updates Raw Compatibility and Trackpads for Windows

Posted by Vincent Ferrari in "Apple Software (OS X)" @ 12:00 PM

About the Multi-Touch Trackpad Update for Windows XP and Vista 1.0

"This update improves Multi-Touch trackpad responsiveness and performance when running Windows XP and Vista using Boot Camp on MacBook Air (Late 2008), MacBook (13-inch, Aluminum, Late 2008), and MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008) computers."

More information

About Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update 2.4

"This update extends RAW file compatibility for Aperture 2 and iPhoto 08 for the following cameras:

  • Canon EOS 5D Mark II
  • Canon PowerShot G10
  • Pentax K2000/K-m
  • Leaf AFi-II 6
  • Leaf AFi-II 7
  • Leaf Aptus-II 6
  • Leaf Aptus-II 7
  • Leica M8.2

It also addresses issues related to specific cameras and overall stability."

Available via Software Update


Thursday, December 18, 2008

Boing Boing Gadgets Creates Mac Netbook Guide

Posted by Vincent Ferrari in "Apple Talk" @ 04:00 PM

http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2008/...k-compatib.html

"Apple says it's had "pretty interesting ideas" for a Mac netbook, but it's everyday users who've already taken action. Due to their similar technical underpinnings, most of the popular netbooks can run OS X, but there are plenty of caveats: non-functioning components which lack drivers and need to be replaced-or which simply can't be gotten to at all."

I'm glad someone put this together! Apparently the two nicest Netbooks on the market, the Wind and the Mini 9, run OSX perfectly. It's good to know because next year I'll be buying another Netbook expressly for this purpose. Right now, the Wind is in the lead but I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Mini 9. Boing Boing Gadgets has promised to update this chart to complete and correct the data based on reader feedback.

Who needs Apple to announce one at Macworld?

Tags: mac, netbook, osx

Monday, December 15, 2008

OSX 10.5.6 Now Available

Posted by Vincent Ferrari in "Apple News" @ 12:44 PM

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3194

"The Mac OS X 10.5.6 Update is recommended for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard versions 10.5, 10.5.1, 10.5.2, 10.5.3, 10.5.4, and 10.5.5. It includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility and security of your Mac."

So... Yeah... Those rumors that this update would have a lot of bug fixes? All true. This 668 megabyte (that's the Combo Updater of course!) update is packed with all kinds of updating goodness.

There are a lot of good fixes in here, most notably a few AirPort fixes that might save a few of you from pulling out your hair, and even a few updates for Address Book and iCal that make it push and pull data from MobileMe more quickly.

Me? I'm most excited about this nugget:

"Improves the performance and reliability of Chess."

Thank GOD they fixed that, huh?


Monday, November 24, 2008

Handbrake 0.9.3 Released

Posted by Vincent Ferrari in "Apple Software (OS X)" @ 02:00 PM

http://handbrake.fr/

"Handbrake, the popular multi-platform transcoding tool, has officially released version 0.9.3 to the public today. New in this version is the ability to transcode other sources of video besides DVDs. On the flip side, there is no longer any more built-in DVD decryption. While this may seem like bad news to users on the surface, it isn't really that bad. If you're a Mac user, and you install VLC in your applications folder, it will transparently use VLC's decrypting engine. Cool, huh?"

In the absence of Visual Hub, the idea that Handbrake could be my one stop shop for converting video and ripping DVD's is very comforting. Handbrake has always been a good piece of software and this seems like a worthy release. It's important to note for you bi-platformular people that the Windows version still won't decrypt a DVD even if you have VLC installed, but I imagine that can't be too far off now that they've got it working for OSX.

Tags: osx, handbrake

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

iLife Support 8.3.1 for Tiger

Posted by Vincent Ferrari in "Apple Software (OS X)" @ 10:34 AM

http://www.apple.com/support/downlo...support831.html

"iLife Support 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."

Just a note: If you have Leopard, this update doesn't happen for you, so don't be alarmed if you run Software Update and nothing appears. If you'd like some more detail about what it fixes, you can find it here.


Monday, November 10, 2008

OS X Snow Leopard vs. Windows 7

Posted by Vincent Ferrari in "Apple Software (OS X)" @ 12:00 PM

http://www.theonion.com/content/inf...pard_vs_windows

"Microsoft announced it will be releasing a new edition of its operating software, called Windows 7, while Apple is working on its new OS X Snow Leopard. How will they stack up against each other?"

Of course this is totally tongue-in-cheek, but it's definitely entertaining; particularly if you're a Mac fanboy (present company excluded, of course).

Before the flames begin, I can truthfully say I've only had minor issues with every Vista install I've done / worked wiht so far, so I'm definitely not one of those types. Just wanted to get that one in there to save you all the trouble of shredding me mercilessly.


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