Uneasysilence created a web tool called Clipalizer which essentially allows you to create custom Webclip icons for any website for use on your iPhone/iPod touch.
With Clipalizer you can easily create your own custom webclip icons for your favorite sites. All you need to do is visit Clipalizer put in your favorite sites name and URL and upload a 5757 PNG icon. Clipalizer will then give you a shortened URL to plug into your iPhone which will then allow you to select your custom webclip. That custom link that you made will stay alive forever so you can always enjoy your custom icon.
This custom link is simply a redirect that also houses your customicon so the iPhone/iPod touch will use your custom icon. They promise that the service is free and private, with no personally identifiable information being collected.
With the release of the Penryn-based Mac Pros only two weeks ago, Apple introduced a new video card option for the Mac Pros -- the NVIDIA GeForce 8800GT. Existing Mac Pro owners saw this is an opportunity to upgrade from current cards as well as ailing 1900XT cards.
Despite an upgrade-kit becoming available on the Apple Store, Apple quickly contacted those who ordered the video cards to clarify that the 8800GT would only work on the most recently released Penryn Mac Pros. This led one user to jot off an angry letter to Steve Jobs who reportedly responded:
I suggest you calm down. Everyone knows the issue and it is being worked. Steve
Today, a statement from NVIDIA's Director of PR confirmed that a fix was on the way:
the company is "in the middle of bringing out an upgrade kit based on the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT solution for all Intel-based Mac Pros." What's more, this upgrade kit "should be out in a few weeks."
Macworld San Francisco 2008 has come to a close. The 5 day conference and expo started on Monday, January 14th and ran until Friday January 18th. MacRumors.com was there for our traditional keynote coverage as well as extended floor coverage.
Keynote coverage on Tuesday, January 15th went remarkably well, though there were some issues behind the scenes. In particular, live keynote SMS updates were not sent due to technical problems at Twitter and Spoiler free emails were inadvertently delayed a number of hours. Despite these problems, we successfully updated our MacRumorsLive site which garnered universally positive reviews: JoshBancroft.com, ForWheelers.net, Sauria.com, ImRoot.com, MathewIngram.com, MacNoob, and Scobelizer.com:
For watching a live keynote, my son and I agree, Mac Rumors Live was -- by far -- the best place to watch the keynote. You didnt need to refresh the page. Everything just came to you live.
Due to the overwhelming traffic, we are still processing log files to generate proper stats. We did, however, serve a record 535,000 unique visitors during the 90 minute keynote.
An archive of the keynote transcript is now available. Macworld 2009 takes place from January 5th-9th, 2009.
NeatReceipts showed its upcoming Mac version of its scanner/software for cataloging receipts at Macworld.
NeatReceipts for Mac scans, saves, and uses optical character recognition (OCR) to save receipt data into a catalogue. It will automatically identify key terms like total, tip, and tax lines and categorize receipts appropriately. A custom-made coverflow view for browsing stored receipts is also available.
For the technically interested, the product is a Cocoa application that uses CoreData for its database and PDFKit for receipt image storage. The company is working on business card support for integration with Address Book, and version 2 will hopefully/probably integrate with Quicken, though no promises.
The company plans to release the product at the end of March. The full version which includes the receipt scanner will ring in at $180, but a software-only version compatible with any image-capture compatible scanner will go for $80. Users of the Windows product can get the Mac version at no additional charge.
Financial software maker Intuit has been busy over the past year. Two of its major software titles for the Mac, Quicken and TurboTax, have seen or are in the process of being re-written from the ground up to make better use of modern technologies.
Quicken Financial Life for Mac Quicken for Mac has long existed as a Carbon application due to its pre-existence on Mac OS 9. However, in recent years the Quicken for Mac designers have increasingly felt that they were not bringing the product to its fullest potential. With a Carbon code base, and varying 3rd party libraries, a universal binary version of the application became impossible without a ground-up re-write.
Therefore, Quicken 2007 for Mac will be the last in the current line of Quicken for Mac products and a brand new Quicken for Mac product, currently called "Quicken Financial Life for Mac" is being written. This product will use a slew of Mac OS X technologies. Here's a quick preliminary technical specification rundown:
- Cocoa based - CoreData for information storage - Universal Binary - Mac OS 10.5 Leopard Only - Coverflow and other Mac OS specific views
Because the application is being built from the ground-up, it will initially contain only a subset of what is currently found in Quicken 2007 for Mac. While it will fully support cash-flow accounts (cash, checking, savings, credit cards), it will start with extremely limited support for investments, though you will be able to track your balances and holdings and calculate your net worth. However, TurboTax and DirectConnect/WebConnect support are all to be expected in the 1.0 product.
Pricing hasn't been ironed out yet, but the final version is expected to ship in fall of 2008. Quicken was good enough to supply us with these exclusive high-quality screenshots of the application, but note that the application is still in pre-alpha, so the screens are subject to change.
TurboTax 2008 For Mac TurboTax has also seen a ground-up rebuild this year. While the changes may not be quite as drastic as Quicken, Intuit says that several highly requested Mac-specific features have been added to this year's product.Features shared by the Windows product include life change questions that are placed earlier in the preparation process, a help system tied into Intuit's user community, an improved audit risk meter, and a free audit support tool in the unlikely event you are audited.
Mac-only features include: - A form view that is always accessible and flips into view. Users who are used to filling out paper forms can switch between the interview and the form at any time. - Save returns to iDisk - Archive return and TurboTax 2008 to CD - Create multiple returns (good for figuring out if you want to file jointly or separately)
The TurboTax guys
One More Thing... Unfortunately, while Intuit has made its strides this year, it has also had its setbacks. In the wake of a very public data loss issue involving QuickBooks 2006, I asked Intuit for an update on the incident and the product.
Intuit was frank that they definitely had encountered a nightmare scenario, and that they took the incident very seriously. Unfortunately, the solution for 2006 users was to turn off automatic updates; however, a fix has been put in place for the 2007 product to ensure that such a scenario does not occur in the future.
As for QuickBooks: users can expect an update this fall with new and improved features, but no it isn't a rewrite.
Despite early concerns that the MacBook Air battery is unaccessible to end users, Appleinsider claims that there are no special tools or knowledge required to swap out the MacBook Air's battery.
A standard size-0 type philips is all that's required to open the MacBook Air. The replacement process is described:
Once flipped upside down, the MacBook Air's bottom cover is easily unscrewed and removed, providing immediate access to the battery cavity. From there, the battery can be unscrewed from the chassis with the same screwdriver and unplugged from the circuit board with a simple tug -- it's not soldered to the board.
Given the history of iPod battery replacements, there was some concern that users would be unable to easily replace the MacBook Air battery. Apple has said that a $129 replacement will be available but will require the MacBook Air to be sent in from Apple. If the battery replacement is this easy, however, 3rd party batteries will certainly also be available.
H&R Block showed off its updated tax preparation software at Macworld this week. The software is a universal binary and compatible with Mac OS 10.3.9 through Mac OS 10.5.
Tax Cut includes standard features that you'd expect from a tax preparation program, such as the ability to import data from Quicken, TurboTax, or TaxCut in windows or mac flavors. In addition, the premium edition includes one free question to a tax advisor. Of course, all data is encrypted via 128-bit AES.
H&R block has included several mac-specific features in this year's version to sweeten the deal, including the ability to import address book information, iDisk backup or restore from another user's iDisk, and subscribing to iCal calendars with tax related dates (filing deadlines, etc).
TaxCut starts at $19.99 for the Federal version, $39.99 for the Federal+State edition, and $69.99 for the Federal+State+e-file edition.
Readers in our MacRumors forums, along with some other websites, are beginning to identify hidden features of the latest iPhone software, released this week. Among them:
We've spent another long day combing the floors of Macworld San Francisco 2008 and posting some of the best of what Macworld has to offer. Here is a quick rundown of what the day brought:
There were a lot of great products that we've seen on the Macworld floor, but there are some that especially catch your eye. Sometimes it's the display, sometimes it's the product itself. I'll let you be the judge for these two that caught our eye.
Zap! Copter A green modified Volkswagen with a propeller on top and a jet-pack on the back? At Macworld no less? Hmm...
Zap! is a company that sells electric cars, and in all reality, the purpose of the display was to demonstrate the company's new initiative to incorporate iPod integration with its cars. But everyone who was stopping by the booth just couldn't get over the fact that this thing looked like it was a hybrid car/jet helicopter.
The Zap! spokeswoman attending the booth stated that while the model on the floor was a "prototype" and not capable of flight, if enough pre-orders were received, they'd make it get off the ground. My thoughts? Using a crane, maybe. Still, if you're in the market for an electric car that works with your iPod, check out Zap's website.
iPod Stereo Dock and Toilet Tissue Dispenser Some people take the newspaper. Some like magazines. Perhaps a good romance novel is your fancy? Whatever you do to pass the time while using the lavatory, wouldn't it be nice to have some background music?
The "iCarta", made by Atech Flash Technology, combines a toilet tissue holder with an iPod speaker system. It is compatible with all iPods with dock connectors and beyond due to its USB port for 1st generation iPod shuffles and line-in port for other devices. There are 4 speakers: 2 woofers and 2 tweeters, and in my quick listening in the noisy hall, it actually sounded pretty decent for what it was (mind you, this is no Bose system).
Ambrosia Software hosted a booth at this year's Macworld Expo to promote some of their new and upcoming software titles for the Mac.
Their most recent utility launch was of WireTap Studio which we've previously previewed ahead of the official launch. WireTap Studio provides some unique tools for anyone who needs to record or manage audio on their Mac. LivePreview remains the most dramatic feature, allowing you to preview different audio encodings in real time to find the best balance of quality vs. size. I'd expect that podcasters in particular would have an interest in this $69 tool.
iToner is an easy-to-use $15 utility that allows you to convert existing songs (MP3, MP4, AIFF or WAV) into custom iPhone ringtones. The just-announced iPhone 1.1.3 firmware breaks iToner functionality, however, but Ambrosia tells us that version 1.0.6 of iToner is in beta testing and will address the iPhone 1.1.3 incompatibility.
Finally, Aquaria is a new game that Ambrosia will be releasing in "Q1 2008" which is a port of a PC game originally created by Bit Blot. The PC version of the game was only recently released in December of 2007 and well received. Aquaria is described as an "action-oriented, non-linear side-scrolling game that uses an innovative and intuitive mouse control system". Pricing has not yet been announced, but a downloadable demo will be available upon release.
in celebration of Macworld, Ambrosia is offering a 10% discount Macworld Special on all products which remains good until January 31, 2008.
Startup company Ntractive gave attendees of Macworld San Francisco a glimpse at its upcoming product Elements SBM.
Elements SBM tackles an old problem (small business management) in a new and rather innovative way: by creating a hybrid desktop/web application. The result promises to be a solution that gives users the accessibility of web applications with the power, look, and feel of a desktop application. Features planned for 1.0 will include an administrative interface, home screen, calendar, email, in/out, contacts, notes, sales, service, marketing, developer, projects, internet, images, and document modules.
The first installment of Elements SBM will be for Mac OS X, and will feature integration with iChat, Address Book, iPhoto, the Dock, and will support Drag and Drop, amongst others. However, because the application is built utilizing WebKit, versions for the iPhone and Windows are also in the pipeline.
Ntractive says that it already has over 550 companies signed up for a beta coming this Spring.
RAGE Software, maker of a suite of tools to assist webmasters in optimizing their websites, announced updates to two of their most popular applications, SERank and Domainer, at Macworld this week.
Domainer 1.5 is an update to RAGE's domain administration application. Previously functionality included integration with iCal to alert for domain name expirations and keychain to securely store FTP login details. Domainer 1.5 is a free update to current users and adds additional popularity statistics including blog popularity, RSS feed subscribers, and popular Digg.com submissions. Domainer website
Also released was SERank 1.5, which adds over a dozen new search engines and the ability to check up to 100 search engine results to SERank. SERank already had the capability to track where their websites appear on many other search engines automatically, including Google, Yahoo, and MSN. SERank website
At Macworld, one of the speciality programs was a lecture series called iPhone Supersession given by Ben Long and Christopher Breen.
The iPhone Supersession takes you way beyond the basics, exploring areas including converting the media you own to an iPhone compatible format, contact and event organization, the best of Web-based iPhone applications and accessories, and power management. Need more? We'll explore popular (and not so popular) hacks for turning your iPhone into a portable entertainment and information powerhouse.
Christopher Breen has kindly posted his slides to download in PDF format.
The presentation is a remarkably comprehensive overview of iPhone usage and the most important tips and tricks to effectively use your iPhone. Even power users might find some excellent information, and it's certainly a must-read for new iPhone users.
The presentation is broken down into the following sections:
Text and typing, Sync or swim, Smarter about playlists, The portable information manager, Email matters, Picture this, Content connection, Third-party applications, Web apps, Travel tips, Custom ringtones, Accessories, Troubleshooting
Update: Slides removed, not intended for distribution.
With the introduction of the MacBook Air, Apple has introduced a full multi-touch trackpad into their laptop line. Now, this has actually been a more gradual introduction than has been suggested, since the MacBook trackpads have long been able to recognize two points of contact. A very popular short-cut available to MacBook owners is the two-finger scroll. By placing two fingers on the trackpad and moving up/down or left/right, users have been able to quickly scroll through Mac OS X windows. Apple also offers various trackpad tap and drag options, though these are disabled by default.
With the introduction of the MacBook Air, Apple has added three brand new gestures to the MacBook trackpad. The gestures include:
And reintroduced us to the more advanced trackpad tap and drag features that are available on current MacBooks:
The new gestures work in existing Apple applications such as Finder, iPhoto and Safari, but carry slightly different functionality in each application. This Youtube video is one of the best demonstrations on how to use these new gestures in these applications, including showing how one can use the "swipe" gesture to drill down and up different folder levels in Finder. In my brief time playing with the new MacBook Air, it became clear that you would quickly become used to these useful shortcuts.
The basis of Apple's multi-touch trackpad is the gesture language pioneered by Fingerworks for their multi-touch devices. Fingerworks was acquired by Apple in July 2005, and has been continuing their work. Apple has clearly simplified the number of available gestures to shorten the learning curve, but it opens up the possibility for Apple to add more gesture shortcuts for common tasks, such as copy, paste, expose, and spaces.
The availability of multi-touch input on the Mac also opens up the possibilities for innovative new applications and games, such as this concept multi-touch skateboarding game. We have also heard that Apple is planning on incorporating the multi-touch trackpad in future MacBooks, such as the impending MacBook Pro revisions. It's unclear if existing MacBooks and MacBook Pros trackpads can be upgraded to incorporate this new behavior.
A new Mac web ad has appeared on the New York Times. Similar to the Don't Give Up on Vista web ad, the Flash-based advertisement crosses over two distinct ad components (skyscraper and leaderboard).
Electronista cites an anonymous source saying that AT&T will begin offering the iPhone to business accounts on January 21st. Among the details includes the continuity of corporate discounts and the requirement of having a data plan at or above $25/month. There will also reportedly be no equipment discounts, and users will be required to pre-activate via iTunes.
Apple's first foldable iPhone, with a book-style design featuring a ~5.5-inch outer display and a ~7.8-inch inner display with a minimal crease down the middle.
