Because life is too short to do Windows.
Fetch 5.1 is available now, and is (finally) a Universal Binary. Additonally, Fetch now comes with a dog bone dashboard widget for easy uploading. Fetch is available for $25, with upgrades from Fetch 4 for $15. Fetch Softworks also features an affiliate program. Advertise Fetch on your site and receive a 10% commission for each sale.
Category: News
Talk about a great find. This weekend I was looking for a good OS X Color Picker plug-in that produces Hex values (necessary to define colors for XHTML). A quick search through MacUpdate yielded the result of Hex Color Picker from Lucky Software. The tool does exactly what I need it to, however, it hasn’t been updated since 2004, and isn’t a Universal Binary. Just about that time I was reading Daring Fireball by John Gruber, and he posted a link to a new Hex Color Picker (same name), from a different developer, Waffle Software. Oh, and this one is a Universal Binary and donation ware. Additionally, it is available under the BSD license with source code freely downloadable. If you are doing web development on an Intel Mac, you need this tool.
Category: News
If you have heavy duty disk space/access time needs and wanted to use a portable Mac, you were limited to Firewire. Not any more. Now, thanks to FirmTek, you can use Serial ATA (SATA) drives with your Macbook Pro. FirmTek has released their SeriTek/2SM2-E ExpressCard adapter, which allows you to connect SATA drives to your Macbook Pro and achieve transfer rates up to 3 gigabits per second per port (the adapter contains 2 ports).
This makes the possibility of doing high end video on your Macbook Pro a reality. The SeriTek/2SM2-E ExpressCard adapter is available now for $119. The adapter works with Mac, Windows and Linux.
Category: News
Google has taken the wraps off of its Video Player for the Mac. Google Video Player (beta) is available now, and lets you download videos from Google and play them back on your desktop. The application is a Universal Binary, and requires a graphics card with at least 16MB of RAM and a 1ghz CPU.
Category: News
Apple has released an updated iPod U2 Edition. Based upon the 30GB iPod “Video”, the U2 Edition iPod features a black exterior with a red click wheel, and the signatures of all the band members on the back. In addition, the buyer receives a coupon for a video download containing footage of the band in various videos and live events. The iPod U2 Edition is $329 and available now.
Category: News
Several overlays ship with the application, from the simple “flashlight” to the super cool “sonar”.
OmniDazzle is currently in beta. Free temporary licenses are available from the OmniDazzle product page. Once the final version is released, OmniDazzle will be a paid product.
Category: News
According to The Times of India, Apple has pulled back from it’s plans to open a large call center in India. Apple had 30 employees already hired for the call center, all of which were terminated at the end of May. All employees earned a severance package of 2 months salary. No immediate word was given on why Apple pulled out of the Indian operation, but a statement was given to the Times that said Apple has “decided to put its planned support centre growth in other countries.”
Category: News
Pixel is lightweight and suprisingly fast (the PowerPC app ran quite fast on my MacbookPro). The application is still in development, but you can download a copy and purchase a license if you like what you see. Pre 1.0 purchases are $32. The price will go up in the $70-$100 price range once the app reaches 1.0. (more…)
Category: News
The Macsimum news site is reporting that during the Adobe Live conference, Robert Raiola of Adobe Systems France said that Adobe will halt the development of Freehand and GoLive.
It was long expected that Adobe would either cease development of Freehand or sell it off. Apparently, Adobe feels it’s in its interest in keeping the program but ceasing development.
GoLive was a bigger question mark. Dreamweaver came with the Macromedia acquisition and has a large installed base. But GoLive had extremely tight integration with the Creative Suite. Professional web developers can now breathe a sigh of relief that Dreamweaver will be now be part of the Creative Suite. It was also noted that Dreamweaver will see an interface overhaul to bring it more in line with the rest of the Adobe applications.
Update: Adobe has issued a “clarification” to the MacObserver, who also ran this story yesterday. “Adobe plans to continue to support GoLive and Freehand and develop these products based on our customer’s needs. Clearly Dreamweaver and Illustrator are market leading when it comes to web design/development and vector graphics/illustration. Customers should expect Adobe to concentrate our development efforts around these two products – with regards to future innovation and Creative Suite integration.”
OS X Factor Translation: We don’t want to completely rule out updating either Freehand or GoLive for our current customers, or possibly repackage them as entry-level stand alone products. However, they will not be part of the Creative Suite and will not get the attention that Illustrator and Dreamweaver will get.
Category: News
I spent a few minutes today at the Lenox Apple Store looking over the new Macbooks. My main area of interest was the glossy screens and the new keyboard. Here’s my impressions.
The glossy screens didn’t look quite as glossy as some of the other glossy screens I’ve seen on PC laptops. At a head on viewing angle, the screen looks sharp and saturated, and there is virtually no glare. This came as a surprise to me, since the glare on glossy screens is usually pronounced when displayed in a retail atmosphere, where the lights are usually cranked up. Overall, they look great. If you are designer who is concerned about color, you will obviously want to pass on them though.
Next, the keyboard. I was concerned when I saw the first pictures of the Macbook’s keyboard that Apple had ruined a great machine with a horrible keyboard. It looks a lot like the keyboard that adorned the infamous TRS-80 Color Computer from back in the late 70′s. Having spent a few minutes typing on it, I can say that not only does it not suck, it’s actually quite comfortable. More comfortable in fact, than the keyboard on the last iBook G4. The real test will come in a few months. With the TRS-80 CC keyboard, the issue popped up after months of usage of the keys getting stuck. Since the Macbook keyboard shares the same type of design, I would be concerned that this might happen too.
Category: News
Holy shit. http://bit.ly/aqDnBw
yesterday
Coda Notes - http://zbl.me/bs
2 days ago
Safari 5.01 - http://zbl.me/br
2 days ago
Firefox 4 is shaping up to be a great release. I might be tempted to switch.
2 days ago
Magic Trackpad - http://zbl.me/bq
2 days ago
So, no price on the 27' LED Cinema Display? Not seeing it in the store, and the product page just says 'coming soon'.
3 days ago
So, looks like today's updates are all about hardware. No iWork or iLife upgrades.
3 days ago
OK - so you can order the new iMac with a Magic Trackpad and Magic Mouse, but not in place of the Magic Mouse? Weak.
3 days ago
The Apple Magic Trackpad is a reality: http://bit.ly/aDl4pJ
3 days ago
A user of Macs since they had silly names like Performa and Centris, Theodore Lee is a techie who prides himself on his vast knowledge of all things Apple. OS X Factor was started in 2001 (originally as macosxcentric), and continues to churn out tips, tutorials, reviews and commentary on the tech sector.
WWDC is fast approaching, and I'll be attending my first conference, courtesy of the Apple Student Developer Scholarship program...
Waterfall Software (makers of Wallet, the best password storage utility available), are soliciting beta testers for a new application they have developed...
Steve Jobs will once again be passing on the Apple Expo. Last year the keynote was presented by Apple VP Phil Schiller. This year, however, the keynote has been canceled all together. Steve Jobs will still apparently be attending the Expo, but we are unable to confirm this...