The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)http://www.tuaw.comThe Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.tuaw.com/media/feedlogo.gifThe Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)http://www.tuaw.comen-usCopyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Skype for Mac 2.8 Beta offers screen sharinghttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/01/06/skype-for-mac-2-8-beta-offers-screen-sharing/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/01/06/skype-for-mac-2-8-beta-offers-screen-sharing/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/01/06/skype-for-mac-2-8-beta-offers-screen-sharing/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Good news for Skype users. Skype has announced the availability of Beta 2.8 for the Mac, which offers two huge new features: Screen sharing and WiFi access for a MacBook or MacBook Pro via "Skype Access."

Screen sharing works via the Skype video channel, of course, and allows for a complete view of a participant's screen. For now, only a Mac may act as a source, though a Linux or Windows machine can view its screen. File transfer is also possible, though a lot of detail wasn't available on this.

The other major feature, Skype Access, offers WiFi access for a MacBook or MacBook Pro via any Boingo access point. These include McDonald's, hotels like Marriott and Hilton and more than 500 international airports. Skype Access will run you $0.22US (€0.16) per minute using Skype Credits.

While we haven't had a chance to play with it yet (we're a bit distracted by a little trade show today), the pitch from Skype sounds interesting. Let us know if you give this a try.

Skype for Mac 2.8 Beta offers screen sharing originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Skype for Mac 2.8 Beta offers screen sharing originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>macworldmacworld09macworldexposkypeDave CaoloTue, 06 Jan 2009 11:45:00 ESTImage Upload widget updated to 1.1.1http://www.tuaw.com/2009/01/06/image-upload-widget-updated-to-1-1-1/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/01/06/image-upload-widget-updated-to-1-1-1/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/01/06/image-upload-widget-updated-to-1-1-1/#commentsFiled under:

Up until recently, the Image Upload widget from Model Concept wasn't exactly working as designed. We described in detail a process for fixing the widget, however it was not particularly easy. The developer responsible for the widget, Tom Stoelwinder, contacted me to say that he had fixed the widget and officially released version 1.1.1.

If you were interested in the functionality of the Image Upload widget and considered the process to modify it too daunting, you can now grab the updated version here which features the fix we covered. Thanks, Tom!

Image Upload widget updated to 1.1.1 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Image Upload widget updated to 1.1.1 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>dashboardimagesimageshackuploaderwidgetAron TrimbleTue, 06 Jan 2009 07:00:00 ESTCraigsphone brings Craigslist to the iPhonehttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/01/02/craigsphone-brings-craigslist-to-the-iphone/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/01/02/craigsphone-brings-craigslist-to-the-iphone/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/01/02/craigsphone-brings-craigslist-to-the-iphone/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


Craigslist is one of my absolute favorite sites on the 'net -- it's been around for years, but kept the same simple look and feel, perfectly fulfilling the service of classifieds without ever once going off that course. Sure, there are issues with spam, but Craig and his minions have worked overtime to make the thing work, and it works well (in fact, if you see any weightlifing dumbells for sale in Chicago, let me know, I need some).

There are quite a few iPhone apps featuring Craig and his list out there (including a few with prices on them), but one that caught our eye as a useful free app is Craigsphone, made by Next Mobile Web (they make the very useful Dial Zero app as well). As you can see from the video above, it's all the features of Craigslist made mobile, and then some -- you can see your history, post and call directly from the phone, and even use the iPhone's location to see craigslist entries nearby (though unfortunately, the Nearby features only work in San Fransisco and Manhattan -- no Chicago?). NMW claims they're still working on the app, too -- they want to "take the best local site in the world and make it truly local." Who knows what that means, but it sounds good, right?

If you spend lot of time on Craiglist, or just want to while you're out and about, Craigsphone seems like a good way to do it. We're interested to see what else they've got planned, too.

Craigsphone brings Craigslist to the iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 02 Jan 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Craigsphone brings Craigslist to the iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 02 Jan 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>appappscraigslistcraigsphonedial-zerogpsiphonelocationnearbynext-mobile-webpostingMike SchrammFri, 02 Jan 2009 18:30:00 ESTEasy file transfer may be finally coming to MobileMehttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/01/01/easy-file-transfer-may-be-finally-coming-to-mobileme/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/01/01/easy-file-transfer-may-be-finally-coming-to-mobileme/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/01/01/easy-file-transfer-may-be-finally-coming-to-mobileme/#commentsFiled under: ,

It hasn't been all roses for MobileMe. After a rocky start in 2008 things have started to settle down in MobileMe land, and it appears that Apple is about to add at least one feature that was promised when the service rolled out.

Loyal TUAW reader Dave has noticed a little change on the Apple MobileMe page that says the ability to easily make large file transfers is coming soon. The hint is on the lower right of the page:
Soon a new feature in iDisk will make it simple to share files too big for email. iDisk will automatically send a message with a simple link. The recipient will just click the link to download the file.
As it is now, you can place things in your public folder, and other Mac or PC users can see that folder if they know your MobileMe user name. You can also give out your password (not a great idea), allowing others to cruise your private folders, then drag and drop large files to their own desktops. Users can also send files to you the same way.

Other solutions have stepped up to fill in for the feature, like FileChute which works very well. Apple isn't giving a date, but the fact that the feature is on the way should give some New Year's cheer to MobileMe subscribers everywhere.

Addenda: Some readers say the message has been there for a few months, so don't get too excited that this feature is imminent. It is, however, greatly desired.

Easy file transfer may be finally coming to MobileMe originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 01 Jan 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Easy file transfer may be finally coming to MobileMe originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 01 Jan 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>file transferFileChuteiDiskMobileMeMel MartinThu, 01 Jan 2009 13:30:00 ESTFixing the Image Upload widgethttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/29/fixing-the-image-upload-widget/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/29/fixing-the-image-upload-widget/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/29/fixing-the-image-upload-widget/#commentsFiled under:

The Image Upload widget featured here is a freeware widget by Model Concept which allows you to upload an image to ImageShack simply by dropping it onto the widget. The result is that the URL is auto-magically saved to your clipboard. The overall experience is pretty slick; it supports audio and Growl notifications as well as URL shortening with help from TinyURL ... at least it used to. Read on for my journey from widget woes to uploading bliss.

Continue reading Fixing the Image Upload widget

Fixing the Image Upload widget originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 29 Dec 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Fixing the Image Upload widget originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 29 Dec 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>dashboardimagesimageshackuploaderwidgetsAron TrimbleMon, 29 Dec 2008 10:00:00 ESTBBC iPlayer finally available for Mac, Linuxhttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/18/bbc-iplayer-finally-available-for-mac-linux/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/18/bbc-iplayer-finally-available-for-mac-linux/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/18/bbc-iplayer-finally-available-for-mac-linux/#commentsFiled under: , ,

In October 2007, the BBC said that the iPlayer would be available for Macs and Linux by the end of the 2007. Two weeks shy of the end of 2008, the BBC finally delivers. Maybe their developers accidentally took a trip in the TARDIS.

Using Adobe AIR technology, the BBC has developed a version of the iPlayer that is compatible with OS X and Linux. The press release states that the player has entered beta as of today and a final release is scheduled for February 2009.

The beta testing of the Mac-compatible iPlayer is being conducted through the BBC iPlayer Labs. The application download itself can be found here.

The beta version of the BBC iPlayer Desktop requires OS 10.4 and above. The site does not indicate if the download is a universal binary. The BBC iPlayer is only available for UK citizens.

Thanks to all those who submitted the tip!

BBC iPlayer finally available for Mac, Linux originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 18 Dec 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)BBC iPlayer finally available for Mac, Linux originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 18 Dec 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>bbciplayervideoMegan LaveyThu, 18 Dec 2008 18:00:00 ESTGift Guide for the Twitter addicthttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/16/gift-guide-for-the-twitter-addict/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/16/gift-guide-for-the-twitter-addict/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/16/gift-guide-for-the-twitter-addict/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

From applications to new friends, finding the right gift for the Twitter addict isn't as easy as it sounds. They're just so busy with all that "tweeting" nonsense. Here are plenty of ideas at a variety of price points that should make your job as the gift-giver a little more pleasant.

How do you know if you've got one on your list? Just answer a few simple questions. Does s/he
  • Check Twitter immediately before going to bed? Possibly while in bed? From multiple devices?
  • Have a stagnant blog, but a bulging Twitter stream?
  • Stare at the display for hours at a time so as not to miss a landmark follower or tweet (like #500)?
  • Added his or her Twitter handle to business cards, web sites, etc?
If so, you've got yourself an addict, my friend. Here's how you can be their #1 enabler.

Apps

This one goes without saying. No self-respecting Twitter addict is going to want to load twitter.com every time the blue-winged muse strikes. There are several options. Twitterrific and TweetDeck are nice for the desktop, while Tweetsville , Twinkle and mobile Twitterrific are great for the iPhone and iPod touch.
Additionally, TwitterFox is a (free) Firefox plug-in that lets you send and receive messages from within Firefox.

Update: Several of you suggested I consider Tweetie ($2.99US) as a Twitter client for the iPhone and iPod touch, which I did. It's very snappy indeed with lots of nice features, like trend monitoring, support for several accounts and more. It's really quite nice. Of course, this isn't a reivew of Twitter clients, but I'm still happy to add another to the list.

Reference

The Dictionary of Concise Writing will help you shorten those lengthy sentences. While you're at it, grab a copy of Webster's New World Thesaurus.
Read on for more!

Continue reading Gift Guide for the Twitter addict

Gift Guide for the Twitter addict originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 16 Dec 2008 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Gift Guide for the Twitter addict originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 16 Dec 2008 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuresgiftsholidayholiday gift guideholidaygiftguidetwitterDave CaoloTue, 16 Dec 2008 18:15:00 ESTLittleSnapper 1.0 is releasedhttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/11/littlesnapper-1-0-is-released/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/11/littlesnapper-1-0-is-released/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/11/littlesnapper-1-0-is-released/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Way back in September, our friends (including former TUAW blogger Nik Fletcher) at Realmac Software started trickling out details about their newest Mac app: LittleSnapper. Now after a thorough beta process and lots of hard work, the application is finally available! I have been using the application since its first alpha and I have to say, it is a strong contender for my favorite Mac utility of the year.

LittleSnapper was developed to solve the problem of organizing, sharing and notating screenshots -- especially screenshots from web pages. LittleSnapper does this, and more, effectively and beautifully.

I'll be posting a more in-depth review soon, but here are some of my favorite features:

  • Take snaps from any browser, without installing a plugin. Regardless of the browser you use, you can take a snap by invoking the LittleSnapper keyboard shortcut or clicking on the LS menubar icon.
  • Save and view the web archive of the site you snap. You can view full web archives within LittleSnapper and access the code (using your choice of editor). This is really useful for development work.
  • Use DOM selectors to snap specific portions of a web page. Within LittleSnapper's built-in browser, you can use the DOM selector (think Web Selector for Safari) to capture a specific element. I love this feature.
  • Edit images non-destructively within the program. You can add blur, highlight specific parts of the screen, add text and callout arrows within LittleSnapper and export the image with annotations on or off. The blur feature especially is sure to save me lots of unnecessary Photoshop time.
  • Open a snap directly in Photoshop.
  • Share snaps via the web using either QuickSnapper, Flickr or your own FTP or web server.
  • Organize snaps into collections and set rules to automatically file snaps in place based on content or tags.
  • Import your existing screenshots into your LittleSnapper library

Realmac's page has more detail and case studies (full disclosure: I'm one of the users they profiled). If you take a lot of screenshots, especially of web pages, I really encourage you to give the app a try. The unregistered version lets you take up to 30 snaps to try out all the features.

LittleSnapper 1.0 requires OS X 10.5 Leopard and is $39.99 US for a single license (5-user Studio licenses are available for $129 US). All LittleSnapper licenses include full access to the QuickSnapper service.

LittleSnapper 1.0 is released originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)LittleSnapper 1.0 is released originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>flickrlittlesnapperquicksnapperrealmacscreenshotsChristina WarrenThu, 11 Dec 2008 16:00:00 ESTBeta Beat: Firefox 3 betas add support for multitouchhttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/11/beta-beat-firefox-3-betas-add-support-for-multitouch/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/11/beta-beat-firefox-3-betas-add-support-for-multitouch/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/11/beta-beat-firefox-3-betas-add-support-for-multitouch/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Do you own one of those fanciful new MacBooks? You know, the ones with the cool multitouch trackpads? Do you envy Safari users that can take advantage of multi-finger scrolling, pinching and squeezing in their web browsing? If so, you might be a perfect candidate for the new Firefox 3.1b2 beta.

Since October, Mozilla has been releasing preliminary builds of Firefox that allow you to use the gestures that are common among the Safari browsers out there; however, they've added some special gestures that are unique to Firefox. Some of these 3-finger gestures include:
  • Swipe Left/Right to move backward/forward through browsing history
  • Swipe Up/Down to move to top/bottom of web page
  • Pinch in/out to make the text larger or smaller
  • Twist left/right to move between open tabs
If you want to get your hands (quite literally) on the newest beta of Firefox, then head over to the Firefox 3 beta download website. There's still no word yet on when the final release of Firefox 3.1 with touch support is expected.

Special thanks to Tom Dyas for sharing his early builds.

[via MacRumors]

Beta Beat: Firefox 3 betas add support for multitouch originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Beta Beat: Firefox 3 betas add support for multitouch originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>betaFirefoxMacbookMacBook airMacBook ProMacbookAirMacbookPromultimultitouchtouchtrackpadCory BohonThu, 11 Dec 2008 11:10:00 ESTHow to stream your iTunes library across the web for freehttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/10/how-to-stream-your-itunes-library-across-the-web-for-free/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/10/how-to-stream-your-itunes-library-across-the-web-for-free/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/10/how-to-stream-your-itunes-library-across-the-web-for-free/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Mac OS X users and faithful readers of TUAW know that there is great power found in the command-line, but one of the greatest advantages of OS X's UNIX heritage is the secure shell (SSH) client and server. From the Apple Matters article on SSH tunnels for the common man: "SSH is a network protocol that provides secure communication between two computers." Its power comes from the ability to create an encrypted tunnel through which a client can send many types of internet traffic.

The Lifehacker article on setting up an SSH server covers the steps necessary to roll your own SSH server whether you are running Windows or OS X. Parts one and two of the Apple Matters series on SSH tunnels provide a lot of useful information on SSH as well as creating an SSH tunnel for encrypting traffic. One such use that has not yet been covered is how it is possible to stream your iTunes library across the internet while using software that is either built-in or available for free.

This tutorial will get pretty technical and assumes that you already have an SSH server and you know how to access it from a remote location (e.g. from work). If you are already past the point of just setting up an SSH server and are asking yourself "what now?" then read on to find out how you too can listen to your tunes at work even though they are trapped at home.

Continue reading How to stream your iTunes library across the web for free

How to stream your iTunes library across the web for free originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)How to stream your iTunes library across the web for free originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>itunesremotesshstreamingAron TrimbleWed, 10 Dec 2008 12:00:00 ESTBackblaze beta launches for Mac: We have invites!http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/09/backblaze-beta-launches-for-mac-we-have-invites/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/09/backblaze-beta-launches-for-mac-we-have-invites/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/09/backblaze-beta-launches-for-mac-we-have-invites/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Update 4:
Backblaze worked out the registration server issues and is now taking more users for the beta! If you already downloaded the program and had problems logging in, try again. If you want to try it out, visit http://www.backblaze.com/tuaw_mac to sign up!

/update

Backup your data. It's the one piece of tech advice that just can't be given enough. Backup your data. At this point, I think most computer users know that it is important to backup. Mac users running Leopard have it even easier, thanks to Time Machine and devices like the Time Capsule. Still, for whatever reason, there are plenty of people, smart people (though we hear Scott is finally backing up properly now) -- who don't have an adequate backup solution. If the geeks can't do it, how can we expect our parents to?

This is why online backup systems are so intriguing. With internet access being pretty much ubiquitous and getting faster and faster and data storage getting so cheap, it makes sense to consider backing up to the cloud. Not only does it free you from having to be connected to a hard drive, in the event of a true data disaster, the data is someplace else. As someone who backs up her backup drives, this is an enticing possibility.

Today, Backblaze, who has already had a subscription backup service available for Windows users (see Download Squad's take) is launching a private beta for its Mac backup service. For $5 a month (or $50 a year), you get unlimited backup space. And unlimited is really unlimited. I asked Gleb Budman, the co-founder and CEO of Backblaze, and he assured me that there are no arbitrary data limits.

Although the service is in private beta, Backblaze was nice enough to give TUAW readers 300 invites so that you can try out the service for yourself. Just go to http://www.backblaze.com/tuaw_mac and you can try the service for free for two weeks. If you decide you like it, it's $5 a month (or $50 a year).

Read on for more details about the service and my take on it as a backup strategy...

Continue reading Backblaze beta launches for Mac: We have invites!

Backblaze beta launches for Mac: We have invites! originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Dec 2008 14:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Backblaze beta launches for Mac: We have invites! originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Dec 2008 14:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>backblazebackupmozyonline-backuptime machneTimeMachneChristina WarrenTue, 09 Dec 2008 14:05:00 ESTFileChute to the rescue for sending large fileshttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/08/filechute-to-the-rescue-for-sending-large-files/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/08/filechute-to-the-rescue-for-sending-large-files/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/08/filechute-to-the-rescue-for-sending-large-files/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

FileChute from Yellow Mug Software has been kicking around for awhile, but has been pretty much under the radar for most people. Some of our readers mentioned it when we reviewed YouSendIt last January. FileChute is powerful because it can send any size file, as long as you have space on your iDisk, FTP site, or WebDAV web server.

Using FileChute is a really simple operation. Just drag a large file (or a small one) to a target on the application and it uploads that file, allowing you to specify if you want to zip it and provide a short URL. FileChute will automatically create an email with the URL in it, ready to send to anyone. I take a lot of astronomical images, and they won't fit in an email at their native size. So when I want to share the high quality versions, onto FileChute they go and the person I send them to only has to click on a URL to download the file, or see it displayed in a browser, depending on what type of file you have sent. You can send applications, movie files, anything really.

Before Leopard came out Apple was making some noise about providing a similar feature in Mobile Me, but it never appeared, and in the messy launch of Mobile Me I think it was forgotten.

Recently, Yellow Mug added an iPhone and iPod touch version of the application, and it can see your files stored on the web server of your choice, and initiate a file transfer just as if you were sitting at your desktop or laptop mac. It's free for FileChute owners.

Sure, there are lots of ways to transfer files, but this application makes it drop dead easy. I find myself using it several times a week. It's the kind of thing that should be built into the Mac OS, but you can have the feature now for less than 20 bucks.

FileChute to the rescue for sending large files originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Dec 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)FileChute to the rescue for sending large files originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Dec 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>dataemailfile transferfilechuteFileTransferiphoneMel MartinMon, 08 Dec 2008 08:00:00 ESTDrowning in a sea of spam? Spamsweep can helphttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/05/drowning-in-a-sea-of-spam-spamsweep-can-help/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/05/drowning-in-a-sea-of-spam-spamsweep-can-help/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/05/drowning-in-a-sea-of-spam-spamsweep-can-help/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

First things first: as a new blogger around here, let me introduce myself. Hi, I'm Mel Martin. I spent most of my life as a journalist, then moved over to the technology side. I spent 4 years at the BBC working on creating a content management system.

I'm an avid amateur astronomer and have published many images taken from my home observatory. I've also written a book about film producer Samuel Bronston, who created epic films like El Cid, Fall of the Roman Empire, King of Kings and 55 Days at Peking. I participated in the recent DVD releases of two of the Bronston films, and shared in doing the commentary on the Fall of the Roman Empire DVD released in April. I've had Macs since 1984, the Apple II before that. Glad to be here, and hope I can share some interesting posts with you. And here we go....

There are lots of applications out there to deal with spam, but many run within or alongside the mail client itself, and that can be problematic when you are away from home and using limited bandwidth -- you still have to download all the mail in order for your local filters to process it. My ISP offers POP mail, and does some filtering on the server side, but 30-40 spams still get through every day.

Spamsweep from Bains Software offers a nice solution that has largely gone unnoticed, although there was a brief mention of it here in 2005. Now, for people with iPhones or other smartphones, it is even more useful. Spamsweep is a small app that displays an icon in your menu bar. In my situation, it runs on my Mac Pro desktop at home, checking my mail account(s) once a minute. It downloads the spam, and leaves the good mail alone, ready to pass it on to any device while I am on the road, connected via a laptop or cell phone. The spam gets trapped and goes to spam heaven (or hell).

You can train it, of course, and go back through the list of spam to correct any errors, but there are darned few of them. A nice side benefit is that it keeps the spam off my iPhone. It works with several mail clients including Apple Mail, Eudora, Entourage, Mailsmith, Powermail and Thunderbird. Those connections to your mail app are important only if you want Spamsweep to launch your mail client after it checks for spam. I don't use it in that mode, so Spamsweep quietly spends the day obediently checking my POP mail account and cleaning out the garbage. It is great when I travel, and when I get home I can check to see if there are any good messages (false positives) that got trapped. That almost never happens; if Spamsweep is unsure, it passes the mail through.

Support from the company has been very good, and there are usually a few updates per year adding some features and tightening up the code. It's a great solution for keeping spam vanquished when you travel, and really keeps your iPhone (or lesser device) clean.

Of course, a spam message could sneak in if your phone checks your mail server right before Spamsweep has done its check, but in the real world I only see that happen a couple of times a week, and of course during that week Spamsweep has snagged hundreds of messages I never want to see.

Drowning in a sea of spam? Spamsweep can help originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 05 Dec 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Drowning in a sea of spam? Spamsweep can help originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 05 Dec 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>emailiPhonenew bloggerNewBloggerSpamSpamsweepMel MartinFri, 05 Dec 2008 20:00:00 ESTEasy Wi-Fi for iPhone simplifies logging onto free AT&T wifihttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/04/easy-wi-fi-for-iphone-simplifies-logging-onto-free-atandt-wifi/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/04/easy-wi-fi-for-iphone-simplifies-logging-onto-free-atandt-wifi/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/04/easy-wi-fi-for-iphone-simplifies-logging-onto-free-atandt-wifi/#commentsFiled under: ,

Devicescape has released Easy Wi-Fi for AT&T (iTunes link) a new iPhone application designed to streamline logging onto the now free AT&T wifi hotspots. The old way required you to join the network, which would then bring up a page in mobile Safari to enter your AT&T phone number. A few seconds later you receive a (free) text message from AT&T containing a link. Click on the link and you're connected to the internet.

With Easy Wi-Fi apparently all you have to do is launch the app and it will log you on without going through the text message rigmarole. They're offering it for free at the moment, though apparently it'll be jumping up to $1.99 on Friday. So if you make a habit of visiting places with AT&T wifi (e.g. Starbucks) grab it now at the iTunes Store.

[via Gizmodo]

Easy Wi-Fi for iPhone simplifies logging onto free AT&T wifi originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 04 Dec 2008 14:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Easy Wi-Fi for iPhone simplifies logging onto free AT&T wifi originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 04 Dec 2008 14:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>attiphonewifiMat LuThu, 04 Dec 2008 14:11:00 ESTNetflix Streaming officially comes to the Machttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/04/netflix-streaming-officially-comes-to-the-mac/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/04/netflix-streaming-officially-comes-to-the-mac/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/04/netflix-streaming-officially-comes-to-the-mac/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



Update: As the commenters have noted -- this service is currently only available for US customers. I truly apologize for my US-centric slant.

Last month, Netflix finally started to roll out its Watch Instantly service to Mac users. You needed to opt-in to use the feature, but it was available for those who wanted to access it. Today, Watch Instantly is available for Mac users without having to opt-in -- as long as you meet the minimum system requirements (Intel Mac running OS X 10.4.8 or higher, and at least one GB of RAM).

Watch Instantly is a great way to catch up on a movie, TV show or documentary without having to wait for the movie to come in the mail. You don't get the extra features or super surround sound, but it's fast, the quality is good and it is free to use. If you have a Netflix Unlimited plan, you can watch as many movies a month as you want. If you have a limited plan, the number of films you can stream is also limited.

You can access Watch Instantly from the tab on the main Netflix page and browse through the selection of movies and TV shows. You still need to install the Microsoft Silverlight plugin, if you don't already have it installed. Watch Instantly works in Firefox 2 or higher and Safari 3 and up.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

Netflix Streaming officially comes to the Mac originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 04 Dec 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Netflix Streaming officially comes to the Mac originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 04 Dec 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>macmoviesnetflixrentalssilverlightvideowatch instantlyWatchInstantlyChristina WarrenThu, 04 Dec 2008 10:00:00 ESTYazsoft updates ShareTool, launches Monster Holiday Giveawayhttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/02/yazsoft-updates-sharetool-has-monster-holiday-giveaway/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/02/yazsoft-updates-sharetool-has-monster-holiday-giveaway/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/02/yazsoft-updates-sharetool-has-monster-holiday-giveaway/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Fearless TUAW blogger and all-around nice guy Brett Terpstra wrote about Yazsoft's ShareTool in a Friday Favorite post a couple of weeks ago. Just to review, ShareTool allows you to easily access your Bonjour services on a remote machine as if you were still on your home network -- iPhoto and iTunes sharing, printer access, just about everything you could do if you were sitting at your kitchen table with your laptop.

Version 1.2.5, announced yesterday, has some key new features:
  • ShareTool automatically configures routers supporting NAT-PMP or UPnP
  • Remote services automatically appear in Finder, iTunes, and other applications
  • ShareTool enables remote access for any application or service that advertises itself using Bonjour and runs over TCP/IP
  • All network traffic is strongly encrypted. Access to your services requires your Mac OS X username and password
  • Dynamic domain name support
  • On the fly compression: Transfer large files quickly
Between December 1st and December 31st, 2008, you can buy ShareTool licenses for 20% off. Yazsoft is also inviting TUAW readers to enter their Monster Holiday Giveaway -- they're giving away 4 packages each containing a new MacBook, a 24" LED Cinema Display, and an 8GB iPhone. No purchase is required to enter the giveaway -- just click on the graphic at the top of the entry page.

Yazsoft updates ShareTool, launches Monster Holiday Giveaway originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 02 Dec 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Yazsoft updates ShareTool, launches Monster Holiday Giveaway originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 02 Dec 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>giveawaysharetoolsoftwareupdateSteven SandeTue, 02 Dec 2008 10:00:00 ESTGoogle Calendar CalDAV/iCal syncing now officialhttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/02/google-calendar-caldav-ical-syncing-now-official/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/02/google-calendar-caldav-ical-syncing-now-official/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/02/google-calendar-caldav-ical-syncing-now-official/#commentsFiled under:

Although the plumbing has been in place since the summer, it's always nice to have an official announcement, and now we do: Google has gone on the record with its support for CalDAV syncing from iCal to Google Calendar. You can now gracefully sync your editable Google calendars with your (Leopard-only) iCal, keeping a local copy of those events in the cloud.

Granted, both BusySync (which adds Bonjour-based iCal synchronization between Macs) and SpanningSync (which includes Address Book --> Google contact sync) have been handling this task with aplomb for some time, and they offer something Google hasn't -- a nice GUI for picking your sync options. That too has been addressed: Google Code is hosting the Calaboration sync setup tool, a basic checklist of calendars to add to your iCal setup.

If you are syncing your iCal and gCal data via Google's support for CalDAV, let us know how it's going.

Google Calendar CalDAV/iCal syncing now official originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 02 Dec 2008 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Google Calendar CalDAV/iCal syncing now official originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 02 Dec 2008 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>busysynccaldavcalendargoogleicalleopardspanningsyncsyncMichael RoseTue, 02 Dec 2008 07:00:00 ESTuTorrent for Mac beta officially releasedhttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/11/26/utorrent-for-mac-beta-officially-released/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/11/26/utorrent-for-mac-beta-officially-released/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/11/26/utorrent-for-mac-beta-officially-released/#commentsFiled under: ,


Way back in June of 2007, rumors of a beta version of uTorrent for the Mac first started making waves. For the uninitiated, uTorrent is a super-lightweight BitTorrent client which is widely considered the best in the business. Sadly, it has remained a Windows-only option. A few months ago, an alpha version was leaked (appropriately, on a BitTorrent tracker), but it was alpha, buggy and had a minimal UI (even by uTorrent standards).

Today, uTorrent has officially released its first Mac beta for Intel Macs running OS X 10.5 Leopard. It doesn't have all the features of its Windows counterpart (it's missing the RSS downloader, for instance) but it has a nice interface and the signature uTorrent low-memory footprint.

The only real question will be, is this too little too late? When uTorrent for the Mac was first announced 18 months ago, the BitTorrent client landscape was very different. Transmission was still new and buggy and Vuze (nee Azureus) suffered from significant problems with Tiger and Java. Today, Transmission is a full featured client and Vuze, although still a memory hog, is signicantly faster and more stable in Leopard.

This doesn't mean that it isn't great to finally have uTorrent for OS X -- it just means that the client will need to do more than just exist to get many users to switch over.

uTorrent for Mac is free. It is beta software and it will have bugs, but it is available now.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

uTorrent for Mac beta officially released originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 26 Nov 2008 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)uTorrent for Mac beta officially released originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 26 Nov 2008 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>bittorrenttransmissionutorrentChristina WarrenWed, 26 Nov 2008 22:30:00 ESTTransmit 3.6.7 is availablehttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/11/26/transmit-3-6-7-is-available/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/11/26/transmit-3-6-7-is-available/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/11/26/transmit-3-6-7-is-available/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Earlier this week, one of the applications that I use every day, Panic's Transmit, was updated to version 3.6.7. Since the previous version was 3.6.6, this seems like a minor update, but it does bring some welcome bug fixes, including

  • Re-worked preview drawer to avoids possible transfer stalls
  • Fixed S3 uploads with files greater than 2 GB
  • Fixed a problem in which files may be deleted when moving them into a subfolder
  • Improved S3 copied URLs when connecting to the EU S3 server
There's more, of course, and you can read the full change log here. We've written about Transmit several times, but I'll briefly tell you why it's my choice for an FTP application. First, changing permissions is ridiculously simple. The droplets are great as well. If you're unfamiliar, Transmit will let you create shortcuts to often-used directories on your server and save them as "droplets" on your desktop.

I also appreciate the tight integration with another Panic product, Coda. Simply right-click on a html or PHP file, for instance, and select "Edit with Coda."

Finally, the UI is so friendly and Mac-like that even a person who has never used an FTP app before will feel comfortable.

Thanks, Robert!

Transmit 3.6.7 is available originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 26 Nov 2008 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Transmit 3.6.7 is available originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 26 Nov 2008 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>codaftppanictransmitDave CaoloWed, 26 Nov 2008 07:00:00 ESTTiVo launches mobile sitehttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/11/25/tivo-launces-mobile-site/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/11/25/tivo-launces-mobile-site/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/11/25/tivo-launces-mobile-site/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Earlier this week, TiVo announced their new mobile site, m.tivo.com, and it's OK. Definitely not the solution I've been wanting from TiVo, but good at what it does.

I tested it out on my iPhone and was able to find and schedule a recording easily. In fact, the process should be very familiar to anyone who has used TiVo's online scheduling service. You can also browse popular shows, recommendations based on your preferences and browse the help section. The whole thing was put together by Mobui Corporation.

TiVo's lackluster Mac support has been a thorn in our side for years. Heck, you've got spend $80US on Toast 9 Titanium to transfer shows from your TiVo to your Mac (something Windows users can do for free). While m.tivo.com is convenient and easy to use, it still seems like a consolation prize.

Thanks, Anne!

TiVo launches mobile site originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 25 Nov 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)TiVo launches mobile site originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 25 Nov 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>iphonemobile appsMobileAppstivowebDave CaoloTue, 25 Nov 2008 15:00:00 EST