News

Filed under: Hardware, OS, Hacks, Snow Leopard

There was a report this week that Mac OS X 10.6.2 will block Atom support, leaving Hackintosh owners stuck at 10.6.1. Intel's Atom processors have been used in netbooks by MSI, Dell and ASUS for their low cost and modest energy consumption. Hackintosh owners were disappointed.

Shortly after that report was published, Electronista noted that a newly-released build of 10.6.2 (10C535) brought it back. Of course, we're talking about "support" for hackintoshes in a developer build of the OS, so keep that in mind.

The moral of the story: Apple can kill this when ever they please, so have fun while you can.

[Via Engadget]

TUAWPerhaps Apple won't block Atom support after all originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: App Store

We've mentioned Logos for Mac before, but now there is Logos Bible Software for iPhone (iTunes link), a free app providing access to several translations of the Bible and other Bible study books (most of the ones available at http://bible.logos.com). That's pretty good.

If you create a free account at Logos.com, you gain access to even more free resources. That's even better.

The app also lets you set up reading lists, which is an excellent idea. I've read through the Bible twice in the past few years, and used Mobile Safari on my iPhone to keep up with online lists. This app would have been much easier to use.

Many of the free resources are older, but the English Standard Version (ESV) is a good and fairly modern translation. There are also comparison tools available, as well as dictionaries.

I'm almost hesitant to mention this next feature. Here's the good news: the new Logos version 4 will work with the iPhone app, giving you access over the Internet to books that you have purchased. That's a pretty killer feature.

Here's the bad news: the Mac version of Logos 4 is not finished. (That sound you just heard was an angry mob of Mac users grabbing their pitchforks off the wall and looking for the kerosene to light their torches.) Logos is developed both for Windows and Mac, and the Windows version beat the Mac version out the door.

The developers explain that the underlying "core" works on both Windows and Mac, and that the pre-release version "reads and indexes the exact same resources and data files as the Windows version. It synchronizes with the server and even uploads and downloads notes, settings, and other data. It can automatically update itself over the Internet. It just needs work at the user interface level, and we're doing that as fast as we can."

They go on to explain that the Windows and iPhone versions are both ready, and delaying "wouldn't speed up the Mac product, it would just delay access for the larger group of users." They describe version 4 as "a completely new product." All of which is fairly reasonable, but unlikely to soothe the nerves of some Mac users who will no doubt feel like second-class citizens.

The iPhone app still offers a lot of functionality, even without Logos 4 integration, and it is completely free.

Do you have a favorite iPhone Bible study app? If so, please let us know in the comments. I realize a lot of you are not religious and may not have any use or affinity for this particular app, but it would be appreciated if you'd let others have a chance to discuss this.

TUAWLogos brings free Bible study tools to the iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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} --> Armin http://www.underconsideration.com

I’m talking with Gavin Phillips about his new set of Lightroom presets... (posted by Jennifer Apple for www.PhotoshopSupport.com)

Visit Victoria's site to see a PDF extract of the book, and when purchasing, use our exclusive discount code - PSSUPPORT2009 - for a 10% discount... (posted by Jennifer Apple for www.PhotoshopSupport.com)

Here's the last chance to save big at lynda.com with our discount coupon codes. Remember, when you visiit a training page at the lynda.com site you'll also be able to sample some free clips from the library... (posted by Jennifer Apple for www.PhotoshopSupport.com)

Ever wonder what it would be like to get inside the head of an accomplished photographer as he chooses a subject, works the scene, selects an image, and then edits the image, resulting in a piece of photographic art? With this newest book from Rocky Nook, From Camera to Computer, you can do just that... (posted by Jennifer Apple for www.PhotoshopSupport.com)

Here's another Photoshop tip from Photoshop Daily: When you make multiple paths on a layer with the Pen tool, these paths are a law unto themselves and can be moved individually. But sometimes it’s useful to group paths into one. To do this, pick the Path Selection tool and hit the Combine button. As you may have guessed, the paths are now combined as one unit... (posted by Jennifer Apple for www.PhotoshopSupport.com)

More good rust textures from Bittbox — here's the story: Ahhh yes... the venerable rust texture. Rust can be one of the most useful textures when trying to add a hint (or a lot) of grunge to your designs or photos, very handy. Make sure you don’t miss our first installment of rust textures. Enjoy... (posted by Jennifer Apple for www.PhotoshopSupport.com)

onOne Software today announced FocalPoint 2, an Adobe Photoshop plug-in for simulating depth-of-field and selective focus. With FocalPoint 2 photographers can create realistic selective focus, depth-of-field and vignette effects that help focus attention on an area of an image in an easy to use plug-in... Enter discount coupon code PSSPPT06 during the checkout process at onOne Software for an instant 20% discount on any onOne Software product. This is a special offer exclusively for PhotoshopSupport.com visitors... (posted by Jennifer Apple for www.PhotoshopSupport.com)

creativebitsorg: Jan 1984: How critics reviewed the Mac http://j.mp/3H44NB "There is no evidence that people want to use a mouse"

Filed under: App Store

It seems to be back to status quo ante now, and we're not sure exactly what was going on, but something apparently slipped off the crazy shelf and whacked the App Store firmly in the noggin. Multiple users and developers emailed to let us know that the Top Paid rankings in the store were completely jumbled up, with unfamiliar apps taking over the rankings from long-standing champs. iGlowStickPro? 301+ Short Stories? That ain't right.

The US store was definitely fritzy, but other tipsters report that the Australian store was affected as well. Now that things seem to be returning to normal, it's interesting to note how quickly everyone reacted to send a heads-up about the problem... when your monthly revenues depend on that Top Paid ranking slot, even a few minutes of confusion will get your attention in a hurry.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in.

TUAWDevelopers report a moment of upside-down app rankings, now returning to normal originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Humor

Holiday time is drawing near, with Black Friday just over the horizon. So have you started thinking about what to get your favorite gal? You might want to subscribe to a Monoprice e-mail alert to catch the latest restocks for your beloved's iPhone or iPod touch. Last night, they sold out of their 2200 mAh charge boosters within minutes. I snagged mine just in time.

Because, gentlemen, you need to face it: cables, remotes, and batteries are made of holiday win. Why not consider a miniDisplay cable to give your lady that second Mac mini monitor she's been dreaming about? Those redesigned Apple remotes make the perfect accompaniment to the treadmill, when watching "The View." Or, for that matter, when watching the morning financial news. Whatever floats your boat.

One of my female TUAW colleagues writes, "Last year I got earrings and returned them for a MacBook. My husband also knows that on Black Friday morning, in the dark, I will be at Radio Shack or MicroCenter -- elbows out to fend off other customers -- hissing at the sunlight and hoarding hard drives, enclosures, and spindles of DVDs."

Face it: Chicks love technology. Trust me. I'm a woman.

Results are not typical or representative of all real women's buying habits. Please check with a lawyer before deciding whether purchasing Mac peripherals are right for you. Side effects, including being kicked out of your home and/or marriage, may occur. Peripherals are not a substitute for fine jewelry. Do not attempt to offer technology when the spouse is pregnant or nursing. Consult a physician should a piece of technology make an accelerated impact with your head. In case of technology overdose, seek professional assistance, or contact a family counselor immediately.

TUAWTUAW Gift Guides: Gifts for tech-savvy women originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Snow Leopard

Reports of an odd bug affecting downloaded files in Snow Leopard have been circulating Apple's discussion boards recently. As reported by TidBITS, the issue appears to be affecting all computers running Snow Leopard.

While different users have reported varying symptoms and differing circumstances, it essentially boils down to this: if you download a group of files, and then attempt to open the entire group of files at once (rather than opening each file individually), chances are either some or all of the selected files will not open.

My initial response to this was that it could possibly be one of those "it's not a bug, it's a feature" ordeals. We have already seen some indications that Apple is working on enhanced security and virus protection in Snow Leopard, so it stands to reason that the operating system may be simply trying to prevent what it thinks is malicious activity by imposing restrictions on what you can and can't do with a newly downloaded file.

Of course, that's just my theory, but I'm apparently not the only one who has explored that possibility -- a reader on the Mac OS X Hints forum discovered some hard evidence supporting that theory. In OS X, newly downloaded files are flagged with a "quarantine" attribute, which remains until the file is opened. If this attribute is set when the file is launched, and the file is an application, you would receive the typical "This application was downloaded from the Internet" confirmation before the application is allowed to continue launching. This is nothing new in Snow Leopard, but it would seem that the additional protections and scanning that were added to Snow Leopard most likely prevent opening multiple files so that each file can be individually checked before it is launched.

Whether or not this is a serious bug or a minor inconvenience depends entirely on your workflow. Personally, I find that I don't often open multiple files from Finder, as most of the applications I use have the ability to select multiple files from their Open dialog. I can easily see where this might pose significant problems, however. For example, if you do a lot of work with graphics, you might download a several photos from a client, highlight them and open them with a custom tool that automatically resizes and processes for you. With this bug in play, that task would become much more difficult if you had to open each file individually.

So what about you? Is this bug bugging you, or is it a non-issue? If you are affected, feel free to chime in with your experiences on the discussion boards, and be sure to let us know in the comments!

TUAWSnow Leopard quirk prevents opening groups of recently downloaded files originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This tutorial gets you started with importing 3D objects from third-party programs into Photoshop CS4’s 3D layers. Look for Parts 2, 3, and 4 coming soon!

This video requires Adobe Flash Player.

Filed under: Cult of Mac, iPhone

My beloved fiancé,

It is with great sadness that I write you at home to your Gmail account to inform you that I am intending to sell your ring on Ebay and we will part ways. You see, ours was a mixed relationship to begin with. You have your Windows 7, your Linux, your original Android phone from T-Mobile in the UK. I have my iPhone, my iMac and everything good that's Apple (and even a few pieces that aren't).

That's why I know it'll never work out between us. According to a recent study from Retrevo, iPhone owners believe that a "cool gadget" makes a person far more attractive than the measly doctorate you've spent years studying for. Every time we are together, I can't help but shudder over the fact that your Android phone is not of the latest generation.

So forget the four years of history between us, the months of separation due to our being in two different countries, and the fact that you are a wonderful, kind, sweet, and intelligent man with a bright future ahead of you. I have someone else I think the world of, and it is my iPhone. Now if you'll excuse me, I must go watch adult material and post up an ad at Match.com for someone with a 3GS.

Much love,
Your dear departed Megan

P.S. This letter is satire, I'm not dumping my fiance over his gadget preferences. Love you, honey!

TUAWiPhone user survey gives excuses to dump gadget-undesirable romantic partners originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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-An update from today's Chrysler telethon: the Dodge Viper will die again and be replaced by an all-new sports car in 2012 using Fiat parts for internal organs. link

-Chrysler update #2: The company promises better quality at launch, adds 200 engineers. link

-180 LA promoted Amir Farhang to creative director of digital and innovation. link

-Kolle Rebbe in Hamburg unveiled the frisky ad above for KY. link

-Charges have been dropped in NYC against the G20 "Twitterists". link

-Microsoft cuts 800 more jobs. link

-AOL ad revenue continues to slide. link

-Seniors yell "Don't Cut Medicare!" at Congress in a national TV ad. link

-Dr. Mehmet Oz will be accepting an Honorary CLIO at the CLIO Healthcare Awards on November 13th. link

-Vaseline, ESPN and BBH want men to love lotion, too. link

-TechCrunch bans Microsoft PR "forever" for blowing an embargo about the MSN.com redesign. link

More: "Tuesday Odds and Ends"

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Filed under: Gaming, Software, iPhone, iPod touch

There's an exciting announcement at All Tech Related this week that has us saying, "We can't wait!"

ZodTDD, the developer behind GpSPhone (a Nintendo Gameboy Advance emulator for the iPhone and iPod Touch), announced the development of an N64 emulator for the iPhone and iPod touch. Zodttd believes that the current generation iPhone and iPod touch have the graphic CPU horsepower necessary to run those games. "...I can't promise it will run games top notch just yet, as things are too early to say. There's hope though, with a 3D accelerated graphics plugin, as well as an ARM dynarec."

As iPhone Savior points out, the toughest challenge could be fitting the controls onto the screen in an unobtrusive yet usable way. That was my main complaint about Resident Evil for iPhone [iTunes link] -- my hand is often in the way of what I'm trying to see.

Note that this will require an jailbroken iPhone or iPod touch.

[Via iPhone Savior]

TUAWN64 emulator for jailbroken iPhones on the way? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Today we're hearing that the agency is abuzz with the latest high-level departure, this time from the strategy side. Director of Digital Strategy Jeremiah Knight is apparently heading to Team One, though neither TBWA nor Team One were immediately available for comment.

Departures are becoming so common "its practically a punch line" says a person familiar with the matter. At a time when the agency is trying to show off its digital savvy, losing Knight is a big loss. He's known around the shop as "the cleaner", which means Team One is getting someone who can ease client woes.

It's another big loss for TBWA. Knight began as an account supervisor, working his way up through direct and interactive marketing before the directorial strategy position. Other losses include interactive CD Jason Nichols, Al Kelly and Hashem Bajwa, among others.

More: "Lee Clow's 'Not Going Anywhere'"

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends, iPhone

Let's file this under 'really bad ideas done poorly.' Sony would like to sell you 1,000 ringtones, sound effects, and comedy voices on a data DVD that's just oh so ready to import into iTunes. Sony doesn't seem to offer a comparable product for other cellphones, like maybe the Sony Ericsson brand, so I can only conclude this is a plot by Sony to make iPhone owners look dumb when a call comes in.

I listened to some of the samples on the Sony website, and the DVD seems to be a collection of bad and unmemorable production music, obnoxious sound effects, and jokey voices saying things like "Dude -- everybody keep your voice down, I think it's my Dad calling."

Continue reading Sony offers 1,000 ringtones for iPhone for 20 bucks. Pass.

TUAWSony offers 1,000 ringtones for iPhone for 20 bucks. Pass. originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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