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/BusyMac announces BusyCalhttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/01/05/busymac-announces-busycal/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/01/05/busymac-announces-busycal/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/01/05/busymac-announces-busycal/#commentsFiled under: , ,

BusyMac, makers of the awesome BusySync, has just announced its newest offering: BusyCal. BusySync is a great way to share and sync calendars across a LAN and sync with Google Calendar. BusyCal is a calendar application with the BusySync technology baked in.

The screenshots have BusyCal looking very iCal-esque (BusyMac's website even says to think of BusyCal as "iCal Pro"), but with some additional features:

  • Display graphics, icons and themes
  • Add sticky notes to your calendar and share them across your network
  • Live weather feeds within the calendar
  • Rich text support
  • Multi-user editing/offline editing
  • Sync with the iPhone via iTunes and Mobile Me
  • Sync with Google Calendar
  • Sync with other Macs on your network with Bonjour

So the inevitable question is, "Why not just use BusySync or Google's Calaboration utility?" Because iCal's To Do lists don't work with Google Calendar. Specifically, you can't create a To Do for a calendar that is set to sync with Google Calendar. So if you are like me, that means you have to maintain separate calendars (often an identical calendar) just to keep a To Do list or have a calendar integrated with a GTD app.

The beauty of BusyCal is that you can add more stuff to your desktop calendar without losing support for MobileMe or Google Calendar or Sync Services.

BusyCal will require OS X 10.5 Leopard and will debut this Spring. Pricing is $40 US, but if you use BusySync already or buy it before BusyCal is released, the upgrade will be just $10 US.

BusyMac is at Macworld 2009 and we'll be sure to stop by the booth and take a closer look.

BusyMac announces BusyCal originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 05 Jan 2009 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)BusyMac announces BusyCal originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 05 Jan 2009 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>busycalbusysyncgcalgoogle calendarGoogleCalendaricalmacworld09Christina WarrenMon, 05 Jan 2009 21:00:00 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 ESTApple updates MobileMe web appshttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/23/apple-updates-mobileme-web-apps/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/23/apple-updates-mobileme-web-apps/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/23/apple-updates-mobileme-web-apps/#commentsFiled under:

Apple released details of updates to MobileMe services for the web. It's the second time this month Apple has noted service updates for MobileMe.

For Contacts, searching in large address books has been improved, along with better vCard-Address Book integration. You can also press Shift + Control + N to create a new contact while using the Contacts web app.

Also included in the update is sorting of To Do items in Calendar, Japanese language support for iDisk file names, and the addition of several international domains that now work with hosted iWeb pages.

A full list of the changes is available on Apple's website, along with changes from earlier this month.

[Via Hardmac.com.]

Apple updates MobileMe web apps originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 23 Dec 2008 08:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Apple updates MobileMe web apps originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 23 Dec 2008 08:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>contactshardmacidiskmobilemeupdatesRobert PalmerTue, 23 Dec 2008 08:22:00 ESTiPhone thief thwarted by MobileMe synchttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/17/iphone-thief-thwarted-by-mobileme-sync/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/17/iphone-thief-thwarted-by-mobileme-sync/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/17/iphone-thief-thwarted-by-mobileme-sync/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

To say that MobileMe hasn't made everyone happy may be a bit of an understatement. We don't generally hear from the satisfied customers, but we have received a fair amount of email from dissatisfied users of Apple's "cloud computing" solution. Given the barrage of negativity, it's nice to hear a positive take now and then. TUAW reader Rob had just the thing ...

While at the dry cleaner one day, Rob's iPhone was stolen. He immediately chalked it up as gone forever, and proceeded to purchase a brand new one that same evening. It was the next day when unfamiliar contacts began to appear on the new phone. The (not-too-bright) thief was unwittingly supplying him with names and phone numbers of his or her closest friends, via the magic of MobileMe synchronization from the stolen phone to the cloud and eventually to his new phone. "It didn't take long for me to realize that MobileMe was leading me right to the thief!" wrote Rob.

Thanks to the fact that he caught on to it before he'd had time to remotely disconnect his account, MobileMe provided the groundwork for a little social engineering. Rob made quick work of wrangling a name and phone number from the provided contacts, supplying the police with everything they needed to get Rob his phone back. By the end of the night, he had his original iPhone in his possession.

There you have it, a MobileMe success story! Sure, this doesn't make up for the problems which have plagued MobileMe, but it's a great story. The recovered phone is "pretty much brand new," according to Rob, and is currently up for auction on ebay.

Thanks for sending this in, Rob!

iPhone thief thwarted by MobileMe sync originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 17 Dec 2008 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)iPhone thief thwarted by MobileMe sync originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 17 Dec 2008 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>breaking newsBreakingNewsiphonemobilemetheftBrett TerpstraWed, 17 Dec 2008 21:30:00 ESTMobileMe updates alongside 10.5.6http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/15/mobileme-updates-alongside-10-5-6/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/15/mobileme-updates-alongside-10-5-6/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/15/mobileme-updates-alongside-10-5-6/#commentsFiled under:

Alongside the OS update to 10.5.6 released today, Mobile Me has also undergone a service update.

The Mobile Me improvements includes the following:
  • Contacts, calendars and bookmarks sync automatically within a minute of the changes being made on a computer, another device or at www.me.com.
  • Resolved issues causing contacts to temporarily disappear on the iPhone and iPod Touch, along with inconsistent data.
  • Improved startup time and reliability
A complete list of changes can be found at the update's support page. You must upgrade Leopard to 10.5.6 and your iPhone to 2.2 before taking advantage of some of the fixes.

Thanks for the tip, Jonathan!

MobileMe updates alongside 10.5.6 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)MobileMe updates alongside 10.5.6 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>mobilemeupdateMegan LaveyMon, 15 Dec 2008 19:00:00 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 ESTMobileMe silently filtering email to spamcop.nethttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/05/mobileme-silently-filtering-email-to-spamcop-net/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/05/mobileme-silently-filtering-email-to-spamcop-net/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/05/mobileme-silently-filtering-email-to-spamcop-net/#commentsFiled under: ,

According to Mac OS X Hints, if you're trying to send an email to someone with a spamcop.net email address with your MobileMe account, chances are the message will never arrive, and you won't be notified.

What's worse, apparently if you're sending the message to a distribution list, and only one of those recipients has an address at spamcop.net, nobody will receive the message.

Apparently the problem has been happening for months, since Apple moved everyone from .Mac to MobileMe. A participant in the Apple Discussions thread notes that it's common for service providers to filter their outgoing mail by domain in order to avoid being blacklisted. So far, only spamcop.net appears to be affected.

A workaround for now would be to try to send the message using a different email account. We'll let you know if Apple offers a fix in the meantime.

Update: Friendly reader Jason sent me a detailed explanation about why this might be. In a misguided attempt to control their individual load of spam, some users choose to forward all their MobileMe mail to a spamcop.net address. Spamcop, unfortunately, thinks the "spam" originated at MobileMe, not the actual origin of the spammy badness. So, MobileMe, to combat this, forbids forwarding to domains like Spamcop in order to avoid being blacklisted. There's nothing sinister going on here, just honest network administrators doing what they can with what they've got. Thanks, Jason!

MobileMe silently filtering email to spamcop.net originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)MobileMe silently filtering email to spamcop.net originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>dotmacemailfilterispmacosxhintsmobilemespamcopRobert PalmerFri, 05 Dec 2008 15:00:00 ESTLive Mesh now available for Mac OS Xhttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/11/26/live-mesh-now-available-for-mac-os-x/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/11/26/live-mesh-now-available-for-mac-os-x/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/11/26/live-mesh-now-available-for-mac-os-x/#commentsFiled under: ,

[Editor's Note: Several comments objected to the comparison between Dropbox and Microsoft that implied Dropbox's reputation was less than ideal; we also heard directly from Dropbox founder Arash Ferdowsi on this point. The post has been edited to clarify the sense Cory intended -- while Dropbox's service is well-regarded and its backers are notable, some may feel comfortable with a more-established vendor for cloud storage. Our apologies to Dropbox and its users for the unintentional slight.]

While many Mac users use MobileMe for file synchronization, there are the a few (*raises hand*) who think it's overpriced. Therefore, I have been looking for alternatives. Dropbox is nice, but I wanted more storage, and I wanted it from a reputable company with a longer track record. I had heard about Live Mesh, Microsoft's up and coming synchronization service so I decided to check it out.

While there are plenty of anti-Microsoft Mac users, I tend to like some of their products (i.e. Microsoft Office). Their Live Mesh service just recently came to the Mac platform, and is well built. Once you create/sign-in with your Windows Live ID, you can add new devices for file synchronization, including Macs and PCs (phone support coming soon). To add a Mac to your Mesh account, you'll need to download a small application. This menu bar application will upload your specified folders to Mesh, and keep them in sync.

Two things about the Live Mesh service that I really like are: (1) You have the ability to sync up to 5 GBs of data. (2) You can access your files anywhere with the Mesh.com website. However, you'll be presented with a Windows Vista theme, which can be unfamiliar for some Mac users. Overall, I have really liked using this service, but there are a couple of complaints. While the desktop Mesh client is a menu bar application, the Dock icon remians visible -- I found this annoying. Also, the web service is somewhat buggy, and I had problems deleting some older files. However, if you're looking for a good, cheap solution to MobileMe file synchronization, then you might want to give Mesh a try.

Live Mesh now available for Mac OS X originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Live Mesh now available for Mac OS X originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>.MacDropboxLiveMacMeshMicrosoftMobileMeCory BohonWed, 26 Nov 2008 12:30:00 ESTPingdom posts insight into latest Mobile Me outagehttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/11/04/pingdom-posts-insight-into-latest-mobile-me-outage/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/11/04/pingdom-posts-insight-into-latest-mobile-me-outage/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/11/04/pingdom-posts-insight-into-latest-mobile-me-outage/#commentsFiled under: ,

Despite the server-side updates Apple detailed last week, the company's beleaguered Mobile Me service is still problematic for many users. Yesterday, we received a number of e-mails complaining that Apple's Me.com domain was reporting 404 errors. Today, the fine folks at Pingdom.com (which monitors website uptime), posted some details about what was going on.

It appears that there was an issue with the Me.com redirect. If a user directly typed in http://me.com/mail, he or she could successfully access the server. Trying to access the Me.com domain, however, led 404 HTTP error response with the words "Not Found: Resource does not exist," appearing on the page. This outage lasted nearly seven hours, from 2:29 AM EST - 9:25 AM EST on November 3, 2008. Because the outage occurred at night in the continental United States, most affected users were from Europe, where the outage lasted for most of the work day.

If this was a simple redirect error (which it appears to be), why did it take seven hours to fix? My guess is that no one at Apple was alerted to the problem until someone came into work at 6:00 AM PST and started seeing error request e-mails or had problems accessing the domain.

This is a problem. If Apple is truly dedicated to making Mobile Me a service it can be "proud of by the end of this year," the company should really consider having either dedicated 24-hour Mobile Me IT support (or more support) or figure out a way to resolve errors like this in a more timely matter. Redirect errors or glitches are not uncommon, but any company trying to run an international communications service needs to get on the ball.

Despite my vocal misgivings about the service, before it even launched, I signed up for a 60-day trial in early July -- so I could "eat my own dogfood" -- as they say. And even though my service was extended for free until December, I canceled in September. Why? Because the service proved it wasn't reliable enough for any sort of e-mail communication, its calendar syncing was complete junk, and it seemed like every time I tried to access the service, it was either slow as all get out or unavailable. Free or not, that just isn't worth the hassle. At least with Google, it apologizes when it has an outage and if you pay $50 a year, you get actual phone support that doesn't just go to a random Apple Care person with no knowledge or information about the issue.

Are you still a Mobile Me subscriber? Sound off in the comments!

Pingdom posts insight into latest Mobile Me outage originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 04 Nov 2008 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Pingdom posts insight into latest Mobile Me outage originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 04 Nov 2008 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>failmehmobilemeoutageChristina WarrenTue, 04 Nov 2008 12:30:00 ESTBetter late than never: Apple details late-Sept. MobileMe updateshttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/10/30/better-late-than-never-apple-details-late-sept-mobileme-update/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/10/30/better-late-than-never-apple-details-late-sept-mobileme-update/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/10/30/better-late-than-never-apple-details-late-sept-mobileme-update/#commentsFiled under:

Yesterday, Apple released a support document detailing changes that were made to the MobileMe web services to improve stability and browser compatibility.

The article noted that since "server-side updates are a bit more innocuous than a standard software update to Mac OS X or Microsoft Windows, it's easy not to notice that updates are occurring. Usually the only hint of these updates is that things just 'work better.'"

Several improvements to Mail, Account services, Calendar, Contacts and Gallery are mentioned in the document, including better support for Internet Explorer 7 and Firefox 3.

What's interesting is the timing of the document: The support article was posted nearly a month after the improvements apparently took place. Apple's culture of "reluctant transparency" could be coming into play here, with information about MobileMe updates arriving several weeks after implementation.

Alternatively, Apple could be getting itself in the routine of releasing information about MobileMe updates on the 29th of the month. The question then becomes: Why isn't the information timely? The only other example we have is information about an update during the middle of September was posted on the 29th of that month. I suppose we'll find out in November: two is a coincidence, three is a trend.

[Via MacRumors.]

Better late than never: Apple details late-Sept. MobileMe updates originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Better late than never: Apple details late-Sept. MobileMe updates originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>kbmobilemeupdatesRobert PalmerThu, 30 Oct 2008 11:00:00 ESTApple updates MobileMe control panel for Windowshttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/10/02/apple-updates-mobileme-control-panel-for-windows/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/10/02/apple-updates-mobileme-control-panel-for-windows/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/10/02/apple-updates-mobileme-control-panel-for-windows/#commentsFiled under: ,

Today, Apple updated the MobileMe control panel for Windows. Update 1.2 "provides better support for syncing a large number of contacts (more than 2,000) and prevents syncing of data between Microsoft Exchange Server and MobileMe, a configuration that is not supported."

This control panel is required to use MobileMe syncing/iDisk on a Windows computer. This update requires Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 2, or Windows Vista SP1 or later. You must have iTunes 8.0.1 or later installed.

You can download this update from the Apple Support website.

Apple updates MobileMe control panel for Windows originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 02 Oct 2008 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Apple updates MobileMe control panel for Windows originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 02 Oct 2008 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>MobileMesoftware updateSoftwareUpdateWinWindowsWindows XPWindowsXpCory BohonThu, 02 Oct 2008 22:30:00 ESTEye-Fi adds MobileMe supporthttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/09/24/eye-fi-adds-mobileme-support/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/09/24/eye-fi-adds-mobileme-support/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/09/24/eye-fi-adds-mobileme-support/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Eye-Fi has announced that their eponymous SD memory card with built-in WiFi is getting faster and adding MobileMe support. The Eye-Fi allows you to automatically upload photos from your SD card compatible camera to your Mac or a variety of online services like Flickr, SmugMug, and now MobileMe. The update will be available on October 5 and is also backwards compatible to existing Eye-Fi cards with upgrade fees. Other additions include Eye-Fi's own web gallery, geotagging support (via a similar mechanism to the original iPhone), and Wayport / open hotspot support, each for additional annual fees.

The Eye-Fi cards come in three flavors: Home, Share, and Explore. Home ($79.99) is limited to uploads on your home WiFi network to your home computer; Share ($99.99) allows broader WiFi access and uploading to web galleries; Explore ($129.99) also adds geotagging.

[via Engadget]

Eye-Fi adds MobileMe support originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Eye-Fi adds MobileMe support originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>eye-fimobilemeMat LuWed, 24 Sep 2008 15:00:00 ESTQuicktime 7.5.5 is availablehttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/09/09/quicktime-7-5-5-is-available/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/09/09/quicktime-7-5-5-is-available/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/09/09/quicktime-7-5-5-is-available/#commentsFiled under: ,

As expected, an iTunes update is followed (or preceded, depending on how you download things) by a QuickTime update. Today, Apple has released QuickTime 7.5.5, citing "...changes that increase reliability, improve application compatibility and enhance security."

How typically Apple. Soon these release notes will simply say, "Stuff." Update: If you haven't installed QT 7.5.5 prior to installing iTunes 8, you'll get a warning from iTunes that movies won't play, etc. -- so you might want to do both at the same time.

The download is about 65MB. You'll find info on recent Apple updates here.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

Quicktime 7.5.5 is available originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Quicktime 7.5.5 is available originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>quicktimesoftwareupdateDave CaoloTue, 09 Sep 2008 16:45:00 ESTApple offers MobileMe 60-day extensionhttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/08/18/apple-offers-mobileme-60-day-extension/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/08/18/apple-offers-mobileme-60-day-extension/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/08/18/apple-offers-mobileme-60-day-extension/#commentsFiled under: ,

For the second time in so many months, Apple has offered MobileMe subscribers a free extension of their current subscription. Earlier today, an email was delivered to customers stating that they'd receive a 60-day extension of their MobileMe subscription, in addition to the 30 days offered in July.

"We are working very hard to make MobileMe a great service we can all be proud of," the message reads. "We know that MobileMe's launch has not been our finest hour, and we truly appreciate your patience as we turn this around."

Thanks, Apple! Three months of free service is definitely a decent compensation. And for those of you spooked by the recent MobileMe-themed phishing scam, we assure you that the link in the email is legit.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in.

Apple offers MobileMe 60-day extension originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Apple offers MobileMe 60-day extension originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>applemobilemetweet-thisDave CaoloMon, 18 Aug 2008 21:26:00 ESTA month later, it's still Mobile 'Meh'http://www.tuaw.com/2008/08/12/a-month-later-its-still-mobile-meh/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/08/12/a-month-later-its-still-mobile-meh/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/08/12/a-month-later-its-still-mobile-meh/#commentsFiled under: ,

Yesterday, Mobile Me was down again, underscoring how little the service has improved since its introduction last month. Pockets of users have been affected regularly by outages and slowness since the service first came online. MacRumors calculates that Mobile Me has been up 96 percent of the time (that is, down for 13.5 hours) over the last two weeks.

As a Mobile Me subscriber, I wonder if the opening-day trial subscriptions will matter in yet another month: that's when, for many (but not all) the 60-day trial period expires. If those disappointed with the service choose to flee, then perhaps the server load will decrease, and performance will improve for the rest of us.

Of course, we all read Steve Jobs' leaked email, and surmised that he gave many more expletive-laden tirades before the memo was released. We have a promise from the top that service will improve by December, and that's some solace, but what of the meantime?

And what of the blog? Your friend and mine, David G., hasn't posted a thing since July 29, promising an update post that never arrived.

Until then, I suppose all we can do is watch the support page, keep calm, and carry on.

A month later, it's still Mobile 'Meh' originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 12 Aug 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)A month later, it's still Mobile 'Meh' originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 12 Aug 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>downtimemehmobilemeRobert PalmerTue, 12 Aug 2008 12:00:00 ESTArs: Jobs agrees MobileMe not up to Apple's standardshttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/08/05/ars-jobs-agrees-mobileme-not-up-to-apples-standards/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/08/05/ars-jobs-agrees-mobileme-not-up-to-apples-standards/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/08/05/ars-jobs-agrees-mobileme-not-up-to-apples-standards/#commentsFiled under: ,

How often does Apple admit a mistake? It's a once-in-a-blue-iMoon occurrence, but now that Ars Technica is reporting the contents of an internal Steve Jobs all-hands email regarding the MobileMe launch challenges we can add one more instance to the tally board. Jobs apparently acknowledges that trying to rush the MobileMe migration while pushing iPhone 3G hardware and iPhone 2.0 software out the door (not to mention the iTunes App Store) may have been too much to bite off at once.

The money quote from the letter (yet to be confirmed by TUAW sources) is here:

"The MobileMe launch clearly demonstrates that we have more to learn about Internet services," Jobs says. "And learn we will. The vision of MobileMe is both exciting and ambitious, and we will press on to make it a service we are all proud of by the end of this year."

Ars also notes that MobileMe management will now be centralized under iTunes exec VP Eddy Cue, who will be leading the charge for all Apple internet services across the board. We've all been through the MobileMe ups and downs during the first weeks of the service; it's nice to know (belatedly) that Apple top brass is clued in.

Ars: Jobs agrees MobileMe not up to Apple's standards originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 05 Aug 2008 00:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Ars: Jobs agrees MobileMe not up to Apple's standards originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 05 Aug 2008 00:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>mobilemesteve jobsSteveJobsMichael RoseTue, 05 Aug 2008 00:15:00 ESTThe wrong kind of 1%http://www.tuaw.com/2008/07/31/the-wrong-kind-of-1/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/07/31/the-wrong-kind-of-1/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/07/31/the-wrong-kind-of-1/#commentsFiled under:

Chat now buttonMobileMe account holders trying to contact Apple's email outage chat support service have been promptly and brutally cut off if they're not on Apple's list of the "1%" of users affected -- and in one case, even if they are.

Some TUAW readers have been in touch to tell us that when they tried to get chat support for MobileMe email, they were quickly given this automated (or hastily pasted-in) response:

"I'm sorry, according to our records, you were not one of the members affected by the email outage that began on July 18th. MobileMe Mail 24-hour chat support is a temporary measure designed specifically for users whose accounts were affected by that outage. For help, please visit http://www.apple.com/support/mobileme/ww for access to all of our support resources. I apologize for any inconvenience."

But one of our correspondents was doubly displeased, because he insisted he had been one of the 1%. But here was Apple telling him he hadn't -- and not giving him any chance to argue the matter.

It's that "according to our records" bit that seems to be the problem. What if Apple's records are wrong?

Thanks to Bill and Dom for the tip.

The wrong kind of 1% originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)The wrong kind of 1% originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>bad appleBadApplechatmobilemesupportGiles TurnbullThu, 31 Jul 2008 09:30:00 ESTMobileMe update: mail restored to 1% of users, syncing issue resolvedhttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/07/29/mobileme-update-mail-restored-to-1-of-users-syncing-issue-res/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/07/29/mobileme-update-mail-restored-to-1-of-users-syncing-issue-res/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/07/29/mobileme-update-mail-restored-to-1-of-users-syncing-issue-res/#commentsFiled under: ,

Good old David G., the mysterious author of Apple's MobileMe Status blog, has good news for that unfortunate 1% of MobileMe users who couldn't use their email accounts. All email services, including 'historical messages,' have been restored (it is unclear if this means all messages are back in their right place).

Apple has set up a special MobileMe Mail Dedicated Chat Support to help those folks who had email issues sort everything out. If you were one of the chosen few, head on over there to discuss what happened with a friendly, and helpful, Apple support tech.

In addition to resolving the email issue, David G. says that nasty syncing issue (you remember, the one that was wiping people's iPhones of any and all contacts) has been corrected as well. Most MobileMe users didn't see this issue, and for the few that did it seems to have sorted itself out, however, if you're still having this issue check out Apple's KB article for the solution to your syncing woes.

Hey, David G., since it looks like you have MobileMe under control can I report a bug about the MobileMe Status blog? Thanks! There is no way to link directly to a post, like the post I'm talking about right this second, which makes it hard to make sure people see the entry I'm talking about. I'm sure you just forgot to click a button in iWeb or something.

MobileMe update: mail restored to 1% of users, syncing issue resolved originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 29 Jul 2008 23:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)MobileMe update: mail restored to 1% of users, syncing issue resolved originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 29 Jul 2008 23:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>mobilemeScott McNultyTue, 29 Jul 2008 23:57:00 ESTMobileMe: the case of the vanishing iPhone contacts (Update)http://www.tuaw.com/2008/07/28/mobileme-the-case-of-the-vanishing-iphone-contacts/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/07/28/mobileme-the-case-of-the-vanishing-iphone-contacts/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/07/28/mobileme-the-case-of-the-vanishing-iphone-contacts/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Another day, another new way for MobileMe to anger folks. Today we are hearing lots of grumbling about people seeing their contacts and calendars disappearing from their iPhones after a sync with MobileMe. Luckily, it looks like it is only the iPhone that is wiped, the contacts/events are still on their Macs.

Wyn called Apple support and they suggested disabling automatic syncing and manually syncing to clear up the problem. That gives a new definition to push.

This seems like a good time to remind people to back up your data before you enable any sort of automatic syncing. Read on after the jump to see how to backup your Address Book and iCal events, just in case.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in and thanks to FailMe for the graphic.

Update: It is 8:30pm on the east coast of the US, and Apple has just posted this note on the MobileMe System Status: "Some MobileMe members may be unable to sync new, edited, or deleted contacts, calendars, and bookmarks over the air between computers and mobile devices (iPhone and iPod Touch). Service will be restored ASAP. We apologize for any inconvenience."

Continue reading MobileMe: the case of the vanishing iPhone contacts (Update)

MobileMe: the case of the vanishing iPhone contacts (Update) originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)MobileMe: the case of the vanishing iPhone contacts (Update) originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>mobilemeplease-dont-pushsyncingScott McNultyMon, 28 Jul 2008 20:00:00 ESTUnlucky 1 percent of MobileMe email users may get reliefhttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/07/26/unlucky-1-percent-of-mobileme-email-users-get-some-relief/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/07/26/unlucky-1-percent-of-mobileme-email-users-get-some-relief/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/07/26/unlucky-1-percent-of-mobileme-email-users-get-some-relief/#commentsFiled under: , ,

How 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 accounts have regrettably been lost. This includes approximately 10% of messages received between 5:00 a.m. PDT on July 16 and 10:20 a.m. PDT on July 18. We sincerely apologize for any email messages you may have lost.

Apologies are well and good -- but considering the MobileMe terms of service, that's about all you can expect to see, as Apple isn't liable for lost business or damages due to the outage. If there's a lesson in this, maybe it's that mission-critical users should own their own domains and public-facing email addresses, so that they can redirect incoming mail in a crisis. Depending on a single provider for mail (even ones with a reputation for reliability) can bite you.

Written by Michael Rose. Thanks to everyone who sent this in.

Unlucky 1 percent of MobileMe email users may get relief originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 26 Jul 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Unlucky 1 percent of MobileMe email users may get relief originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 26 Jul 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>emailmobilemepainMichael RoseSat, 26 Jul 2008 09:00:00 EST