MacMost Blog Posts
Blog posts about Mac, iPod, iPhone and Apple TV from the staff of MacMost
Jun 12
Next week will mark the third major release of iPhone hardware. And with it comes controversy. Existing iPhone users, who bought an iPhone 3G less than two years ago — that’s everybody with an iPhone 3G — will have to pay an upgrade price if they want to switch to the iPhone 3GS.
One side of [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Grading Apple’s WWDC Announcements
Jun 9
In general, Apple didn’t disappoint yesterday. There were Mac and iPhone announcements, and plenty of talk about Snow Leopard and iPhone OS 3.0. But they didn’t wow us either.
I think the only thing that surprised most people was moving the 13-inch MacBooks over to the MacBook Pro name. This leaves only one “MacBook” left — [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: June 2009 WWDC Keynote Announcements
Jun 8
WWDC Keynote play-by-play:
10:00 Keynote starts with PC guy introduction.
10:01 Phil Schiller comes on and gives some basic stats about Apple developers.
10:05 Will tell us about Mac, iPhone and iPod Touch today. Starting with the Mac.
10:08 New MacBook Pro announced. 15 inch screen, unibody, built-in battery with 7-hour/5 year life. Includes an SD card slot as [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Will Zune HD Compete With the iPod Touch?
Jun 2
With new information about the Zune HD coming this fall from Microsoft, it is obvious that the new device is targeting the iPod Touch. But will it measure up? Not likely.
While the Zune HD will feature a touch screen and Touch-like interface, it really won’t be too different from existing Zunes. If Microsoft believes that [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Could Apple Enter the Game Console Market?
May 12
Lots of rumors floating around about Apple purchasing Electronic Arts or perhaps coming out with a game console of some sort. So what if they did? What would it be like?
Well, first of all, lets differentiate between console and handheld. Apple already has a great handheld gaming device: the iPod Touch (and iPhone, too, of [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Why Apple Should Buy Facebook
May 7
With rumors around that Apple is interested in Twitter or Electronic Arts, there is debate whether either purchase would make sense. Apple has plenty of cash, and the argument is strong that Apple’s stockholders aren’t investing so Apple could just accumulate cash. So Apple probably should consider some sort of acquisition, in addition to its [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: What Macs Are Missing
Apr 14
I think one of the greatest strengths of the Mac is the software that comes with a new one. Along with standard Mac OS X applications like Mail, Safari, iCal, Address Book and TextEdit, you also get the iLife suite with iMovie, iPhoto, iDVD, GarageBand and iWeb. This takes care of a lot of needs [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: New Daily Audio Podcast: MacAnswers
Apr 9
Here at MacMost we get questions all the time: questions about how to do things on Macs, iPods and iPhones, questions about the latest news and rumors, and questions about problems people are dealing with. We figured out a long time ago that we can’t answer all of the questions on the video podcast. Answering [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: iLife 09 First Impressions
Jan 29
So far I’ve spent some time with GarageBand, iPhoto and iMovie. GarageBand is mostly a face-lift, iPhoto has two major new features, and iMovie has both new features and a face-lift.
You can finally start GarageBand without having to get rid of that Grand Piano track. The music loops have moved to the right side of [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Steve Jobs Taking Time Off
Jan 14
Rumors of Apple Inc.’s CEO leaving haven’t been that far off after all. Jobs announced this week that he’ll be taking six months off in a medical leave of absence. Reportedly in a letter to Apple employees he said “during the past week I have learned that my health-related issues are more complex than I [...] (more...)
This Week In Mac: New iLife, iWork, 17-Inch MacBook Pro, and DRM-Free iTunes
Jan 7
For many of the last ten years the week of MacWorld Expo has been the biggest news week of the year for Apple fans. This year might not be as exciting as 2006 with the announcement of the iPhone, but we had some good news nonetheless.
Both iLife and iWork and all apps in them are [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: MacWorld 2009 Keynote
Jan 6
The MacWorld Expo keynote address is being given by Philip Schiller, Apple senior VP for Marketing. Apple CEO Steve Jobs has given the keynote for the last 10 years, but is recovering from an illness.
Schiller starts by mentioning how 3.4 million people visit Apple stores every week, and compares it to 100 MacWorld Expos every [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: What Walmart Selling the iPhone Really Means
Dec 30
Buy an iPhone at Walmart, save $2!
$2? What’s the big deal? Why is everyone so excited about the iPhone being at Walmart?
After all, it has been available at 250 Apple Stores in the U.S. since mid 2007. And it can be found at even more AT&T stores. But Walmart does add one very interesting aspect [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Why Apple Won’t Be Making a Netbook
Dec 23
Some rumors are going around that Apple will release a netbook next year. But there are many reasons why this simply won’t happen. The rumors are the result of wishful thinking by people who love the concept of a netbook and would naturally like to see one from Apple.
A netbook is a small ultra-portable laptop [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: It’s the End Of MacWorld As We Know It
Dec 16
The MacWorld Expo will go on next month as usual, but without Steve Jobs. Instead Apple Senior VP Phil Schiller will make an address. I’m sure nothing ground-breaking will be announced.
In addition, Apple said this is the last time they will participate in the MacWorld Expo, which is, after all, an independent event, not something [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Mac Web Market Share Up, IE Down
Dec 11
Surveys of market share come out all the time. This week, one appeared that put Mac at almost 9 percent of all the users out there. That’s a pretty high number, considering that it wasn’t too long ago we were under 5 percent.
Even more surprising is that on the Web, Internet Explorer, the main Windows-only [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Macs Still Safe From Viruses
Dec 3
Lots of news items about Mac viruses this week, despite the fact that no new virus was involved in any of the news.
It seems that an old tech note about using multiple anti-virus software on Macs was taken as an official word that Apple is now recommending the use of anti-virus software on OS X. [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Back to School at the Apple Store
Nov 25
Chaperoning elementary school field trips is something every parent should try to do. You’re pretty lucky, though, when your first call to do one is a visit to the Apple Store.
Apparently some Apple Stores offer opportunities to allow schools to bring in classes. The employees then teach something age-appropriate using the Macs in the store.
In [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: iPhone’s Promise of “The Real Web”
Nov 18
Back in January of 2007 when the iPhone was announced, many people cheered. People cheered the touch screen. People cheered the beautiful design. People cheered the fact that the rumors were right.
I cheered what Steve Jobs said about the built-in Safari Web browser: that it would allow you to surf the real Web. In other [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: New MacBook Pros Fail With Mini DisplayPort
Nov 11
So the new MacBook Pros have lots of upgrades: faster processor, better video chips, more standard memory and hard drive space, a snazzy new aluminum shell. But they have one downgrade: the video port.
The new MacBook Pros, like all the MacBooks, now use a Mini DisplayPort for external video. While this is supposed to be [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Nothing New From Apple For Rest of Year
Nov 4
Looks like we’ve been given an early holiday present by Apple: a break from the Apple rumor mill. Apple made an official statement this week that there will be no updates to product lines before the end of the year. No new iMacs or Mac Minis, which is the opposite of what we’ve heard on [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: This Week In Mac: October 30, 2008
Oct 30
This week saw some minor software updates to Mac OS X Leopard, such as iPhoto print quality fixes. Make sure you run Software Update to download and install.
On the hardware side, Apple is now shipping updated MacBook Airs, which include new new Nvidia video chip set, the same ones in the new MacBook Pros and [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: In Defense of Non-Firewire MacBooks
Oct 21
Everyone is in agreement that the new MacBooks look great. But almost everyone is also in agreement that the biggest problem with the new MacBooks is the removal of a Firewire port. The MacBook Pros have one, but not the new MacBooks.
The primary use of this Firewire port was to import digital video from a [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Apple Special Notebook Announcement Live
Oct 14
Summary: Jobs announced new MacBook Pros, a new 24-inch display, and new MacBooks. He also announced an update for the MacBook Air. The new MacBooks and MacBook Pros feature a new style of construction where the the aluminum body is carved from a single block. They include new Nvidia graphics chips for better video performance, [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: iPhone App Store Needs Improvements
Oct 12
The Apps in the Apps Store are a huge success. There has been just the outpouring of creativity and innovation that everyone expected. But the App Store itself is very inadequate.
First of all, try navigating around in it. Slow and sometimes just unresponsive. But that is par for the course when you consider the music [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: A Better Way To Find iPhone Apps
Sep 23
Since the launch of the iTunes App store for iPhone and iPod Touch apps, there has been a ton of attention given to iPhone Apps. Having so many third-party developers pour their creativity into applications that run on the little iPhone is creating a renaissance in the world of software development.
As a user, it is [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: iTunes Genius, Or Salesperson In Your Pocket?
Sep 12
When Steve Jobs announced that the big new feature in iTunes 08 was Genius, a music recommendation service, I, and many others, said: “Huh.”
First of all, this sort of technology has been around for a long long time. It was years (6, 8?) ago that I first used Amazon’s feature to find similar artists based [...] (more...)
Sep 8
So two bits of Spore news. The first is that the iPhone version will not be released until later this month. All reports previously had mentioned that it would be out the same day as the full PC/Mac game.
The second is that the game isn’t “Spore” but “Spore Origins.” It appears to be similar to [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Comcast’s Bandwidth Limit Will Limit Innovation
Sep 5
Next month Comcast cable modem customers will have to start watching their bandwidth. The large Internet provider has announced that they will limit users to 250GB per month of data transfer. Previously, users have had unlimited data transfer, although there are many reports of heavy users being kicked off the service when they hit an [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Apple Clone Wars
Sep 3
A lot of tech journalists this week are talking about computer maker Psystar’s counter lawsuit against Apple. Psystar has been making and selling Mac clones for a few months now. They put together standard PC parts and install Mac OS X on it. The only problem being that Apple doesn’t allow Mac OS X to [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Communicating With Your Community
Aug 28
I just got back from the Digg Townhall event at the Big Tent set up for the DNC here in Denver. Jay Adelson and Kevin Rose updated the community live via a video feed about upcoming changes to Digg.com and also fielded many questions submitted by the community.
This isn’t too exciting. There’s none of the [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: What Does Apple Have Up Its Sleeve?
Aug 26
So we’re fairly sure there are going to be some Apple announcements soon. Some say on September 9th. But what? Rumors hint toward a shake-up of a product line. But which line and how big of a shake-up?
We’ve got the MacBook line, rumored to be ditching the white and black plastic for aluminum. Not much [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: How To Get Free iPhone Ringtones
Aug 21
So it looks like putting our MacMost free iPhone ringtones in the iTunes store as a free podcast was a good idea. A lot of people have subscribed. I wanted to do a short blog post about how to get these ringtones on to your iPhone.
1. Go to our iPhone ringtones page at http://macmost.com/iphoneringtones/ and [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Five Things Apple Is Doing Wrong
Aug 21
I don’t mind MacMost being labeled as a “fanboy” site. I am an Apple fan. But it doesn’t mean I think everything the company does it right. Here are five things I think Apple should do differently.
1. The iPhone should be on more carriers. They shouldn’t have an exclusive deal with AT&T. We should have [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Free iPhone Ringtones Through iTunes
Aug 18
So we’ve had a collection of free iPhone ringtones for a while. The idea is that we think it is ridiculous to have to pay for new and interesting ringtones — they are just ringtones!
We’ve added a feature to that page where you can subscribe to the ringtones as a podcast feed.
There’s a trick to [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Added New Games to the iPhone Games Section
Aug 12
We just added two new iPhone Games to the free iPhone games section of the site: Poker Solitaire and Astro-Blobs.
Poker Solitaire is a card game where you place 25 cards in a 5×5 grid to make 10 vertical and horizontal poker hands. You get points based on how good the hands are.
Astro-Blobs is a version [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: MobileMe Not For Me
Jul 21
Setting aside MobileMe’s launch problems, I have to say I’m very disappointed with MobileMe.
Sure, it is push email to the iPhone. But only for me.com email addresses. As a business owner with my own domain(s), I want to use my own email address. There are several ways to do this with MobileMe, such as forwarding [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Apple’s Future: Digital Downloads?
Jul 17
Playing around with the iPhone App Store this week got me thinking about Apple’s revenue streams. It seems that now, in addition to hardware, Apple makes a lot of money through digital downloads: music, movies, TV shows and now software.
In fact, Apple started digital distribution of iPod games a while ago in the iTunes Music [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Old iPhone: Alive and Kicking
Jul 15
So I still have my old iPhone. As I have plans to develop some iPhone Apps, it seems to make sense to keep it around. I could use it to test my Apps, without causing any problem in my new iPhone, which I rely on for communication.
Once you write off the phone as “worthless” it [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Missing iPhone Apps
Jul 14
So, with about 500 iPhone Apps available, you’d think we’d have a little of everything. But there are plenty of duplicate applications, like Sudoku, and tons of Apps that just mimic what we already could get from Web sites.
Here are some iPhone Apps that I thought someone would make for the launch, but they just [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Long iPhone Lines Made Up Of Only New Users?
Jul 11
When I started making the video today about the iPhone lines, I wanted to find both people that were upgrading from an existing iPhone and people that were getting their first iPhone. I thought it would be hard to find the later. I mean, if you find it worthwhile to wait in line for an [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: First Impressions of First iPhone Apps
Jul 10
So I spent some time this afternoon playing Super Monkey Ball, Band, and trying out some of the other apps. Super Monkey Ball looks great and runs smoothly. It is a tough game because of the way you control movement. As a gamer, I’m not so sure I like the idea of the challenge being [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Check Out the iPhone App Store — Now!
Jul 10
Breaking news: once you have downloaded iTunes 7.7, which is available via software update, click on this special link in Safari and iTunes should launch and take you right to the app page for the iPhone Remote application. You can even download it, though I guess we will have to wait for iPhone 2.0 software [...] (more...)
Jun 9
1. Headphone jack. The new iPhone will have a flush headphone jack. This means you can plug in any standard headphone or speaker device without a $10 adapter. You know, the adapter you discover you left at home just after you get to the airport.
2. 3G. Well, this is a given. You should get twice [...] (more...)
Jun 9
Live Updates, local San Francisco times:
10:05 — Steve Jobs takes the stage as the keynote speaker. Al Gore is in the audience (Apple board member).
10:08 — Announced that the new version of Mac OS X will be called “Snow Leopard.”
10:10 — Talking about iPhone 2.0, starting with the success of the SDK beta program.
10:10-10:25 — [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: What I Would Like In a New .Mac Service
Jun 6
One of the rumors for next week is a re-launch of .Mac, Apple’s ISP-like service. While there isn’t much fuel behind this rumor, it does make sense as .Mac is ripe for change.
So, basically, here is what .Mac currently does:
Email: Use a @mac.com email account.
Web Hosting: Set up your own Web site, blog, podcast, or [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: OtterBox To Help Tornado Victims
May 27
We’ve mentioned and reviewed products from OtterBox at MacMost before. I like them, not just because their product protects my iPhone on a daily basis, but also because they are located just north of Denver, the home of MacMost.
You’ve probably heard of the tornadoes we had last week. Nasty. And not too far from OtterBox, [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Science Podcast Using Mac OS Interface
May 13
After blogging about a music video that used the Mac OS interface, MacMost viewer Ian wrote in about Scientific American’s 60 Second 60 Second Science video podcast which also uses Mac OS in an interesting way.
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Blog Posts: iPhone Out Of Stock? What is Apple Up To?
May 13
Most of the news in the Apple world in the last few days has been about the iPhone being out of stock both online and in Apple stores. The general wisdom points to this being an indicator of a new iPhone model coming out soon. For weeks now, there have been rumors that a new [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Fun Music Video Using Mac Desktop Elements
May 11
Here’s a fun music video someone made completely using images from the Mac Desktop like Dashboard Widgets, iMovie, iTunes, text windows, and so on. The song is “Again & Again” by The Bird & the Bee. The artist that made the video is Dennis Liu. I particularly like how the video ends.
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Blog Posts: Pystar Success Hinges on Community
May 5
I was thinking about the new Pystar Apple clone computer. I guess the only advantage I can think of for buying this machine is price. Nothing is offered that you couldn’t get from Apple for a few more bucks. And the price is only marginally better. I think the low-end machine is about $400, but [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: What Is My IP Address?
May 5
Sometimes it is useful to know what IP address you appear to have to the outside world. For instance, to use Leopard screen sharing, you usually need to know the IP address of the machine you wish to connect to. Or, someone may restrict access to a Web site or file sharing service to only [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: The Three Origins of Apple Rumors
Apr 24
It’s no big revelation that Mac fans love rumors. There are several sites dedicated to Apple rumors that get more traffic than sites dedicate to actual Apple news. I guess we just like to daydream about the computers and gadgets in our near future.
But this obsession with rumors makes it easy for lots of bad [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: NBC Wants iTunes to Police Your iPod
Apr 17
So in news today, NBC Universal chief digital officer George Kliavkoff said he thinks that Apple should have iTunes checking your iPod for pirated content.
As an engineer and programmer, I’m scratching my head at this. How is this supposed to happen?
Recognizing that a piece of media has DRM on it is easy. DRM is additional [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Whose Software Is It, Anyway?
Apr 16
The whole Psystar $399 Computer to run OSX, brings to light an interesting issue about software ownership. The Psystar spokesman is reported to have said “What if Honda said that, after you buy their car, you could only drive it on the roads they said you could?”. This is a straw man argument. When [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: A “Mac” For the Price Of An iPhone (Nice Try)
Apr 15
If you want a visit from Apple’s lawyers, one way to get their attention, is to announce that you’re selling a $399 Computer preloaded with Mac OSX 10.5 Leopard. That’s just what a company named Psystar did this weekend. Pystar is selling a standard PC tower called “Open Mac” and is using the EFI [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: iPhone v2 and AT&T Plans
Apr 15
So, with the rumors of an iPhone v2 with 3G capabilities and maybe some other bells and whistles, what will this mean for existing iPhone owners. I assume many of us will be waiting in line again and “upgrading” to a new iPhone when the time comes. But what about our 2-year commitment to AT&T? [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: When Good Programs Go Bad
Apr 8
I remember a time when the thought of a Web browser crashing was unheard of. I mean, it’s only a Web browser, what is there to crash? When Firefox was launched back in 2004 . My first thought was why does the world need another Web browser? Windows users have IE and Mac users have [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Why I Love/Hate iTunes
Apr 8
Of all the applications that come as part of the Mac OS, iTunes is without a doubt the oddest creature in the zoo. First off like the blind men describing an elephant, if you ask ten people what iTunes is, you’ll get ten different answers.
For podcasters, it’s the place to subscribe to and sync [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: iTunes is Number 1, Now What?
Apr 3
Reports say that Apple has data saying the iTunes music store is now the top retailer in the U.S. So, where do they do from here?
Well, the answer is obvious: they need to use their top position to get rid of DRM.
Steve Jobs has commented before that he doesn’t like DRM. iTunes introduced DRM-free music [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Testing New Safari 3.1 Features
Mar 31
The following is a test of the transitions feature new to Safari 3.1. Here is the style tag that makes the first test possible:
<style>
div.FadeTest {
border: 2px solid black;
width: 100px;
height: 40px;
opacity: .25;
-webkit-transition: opacity 1s linear;
}
</style>
div.FadeTest {
border: 2px solid black;
width: 100px;
height: [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Safari and Toolbars
Mar 26
Now that Apple is pushing Safari for Windows, it must be listed as a legitimate competitor to Internet Explorer and Firefox in the browser wars. While it is far behind both of its competitors, for some sites (like this one) it is actually used by a majority of users. And being the only browser on [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Adobe Releases Shockwave for Intel Macs
Mar 25
(Note: Adobe has not yet updated their main Shockwave link, but you can download Shockwave 11 for Intel Mac here: http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/alternates/)
Adobe, which bought Macromedia some years back, has finally released a version of the Shockwave browser plug-in for Macs with Intel processors. You can get Shockwave version 11 here. Shockwave is a browser plug-in like [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Fresh Start Macs?
Mar 24
If you have never bought a Windows machine, then you have missed out. That is, you’ve missed out on getting a machine packed with trial versions of software that you most likely don’t want.
Windows users frequently complain about this. They get a new machine that already has lots of desktop icons linking to Internet services [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Ten Reasons I Love the Mac Mini
Mar 23
There is a rumor that the Mac Mini will get a refresh later this year. I love the Mac Mini. I don’t really use one but I love it. Here’s why:
1. It fills an important sub-$1000 niche in the Mac world. Not everyone can afford an iMac or MacBook. But for $600 you get a [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Problems With iPhone Flash via SDK
Mar 19
So Adobe announced today that it wants to bring Flash to the iPhone using the new SDK. But this presents several problems.
First, the SDK allows developers to create applications, not browser plug-ins. So this is not Flash as most people think of it. It may allow me to create stand-alone applications that run inside Flash [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Safari 3.1 Pushing the Edge
Mar 18
So with the Safari 3.1 update today, it moves ahead of the other browsers in a few ways. Safari has had an interesting 12 months. First, it came out for Windows. Not that anyone besides developers are using it on Windows, but it means that sites with special Safari-only abilities can be viewed by Windows [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Test Out Our New iPhone Ringtones
Mar 14
We’ve just completed a new section of MacMost: free iPhone ringtones. We’ve got a dozen categories with several ringtones in each. They are all in .m4r format, and can be easily downloaded and added to your iPhone. We’ve also got a special feature where you can subscribe to each category as a podcast. This will [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Review: Scrabble on the iPod
Mar 13
I was excited when I saw there would be a Scrabble game for the iPod. It works on the iPod 5th generation, the new iPod Nano and the iPod Classic. I have a 5th gen, so I bought it and downloaded.
The main problem with the game is the small screen. That and the lack of [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: The Obsession with the Beatles on iTunes
Mar 11
So yet another rumor this week that the Beatles catalog will finally be available in downloadable format, on iTunes. But it seems to be another false rumor. There seems to have been hundreds of such stories since the launch of iTunes, and yet still no Beatles. Meanwhile, other bands go online without so much as [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Why We Won’t Really See Spore on the iPhone
Mar 7
At yesterday’s press conference, developers from Electronic Arts demoed Spore on the iPhone. But was it really Spore? No. It was a game using Spore elements, yes. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that this won’t actually become a real game. We’ll never see it again.
Now don’t get me wrong, [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Apple Announces SDK for iPhone Developers
Mar 6
Today Apple announced it will be releasing their internal SDK (Software Development Kit) for 3rd parties to use to build iPhone applications.
This SDK includes similar pieces to the Mac SDK, but replaces the top level Cocoa used on Macs, with Cocoa Touch, specifically designed for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
The SDK includes many core services, [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: iPhone To Be Updated For Enterprise
Mar 6
The first announcement at today’s special press conference concerns using the iPhone for enterprise. So, basically, it means a new way to connect to a Microsoft Exchange server. Apple has licensed ActiveSync, the technology that allows mobile devices to do all sorts of things with Exchange. So, soon iPhone users will be able to get [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: MacBook Keyboard Problem
Mar 4
I received some sort of keyboard firmware update today. I was restarting my MacBook Pro and was in a rush, so when I saw a message about a keyboard update, I just accepted. I have a MacBook Pro, 15 inch, 2.33 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, for those keeping score at home.
To my surprise, when [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Apple Needs to Add More Rental Titles
Mar 4
When Steve Jobs announced movie rentals for iTunes and Apple TV, he promised 1,000 titles in the first month. We’re at less than 400 and it is easily apparent to anyone with an Apple TV that you need probably more like 10,000 to make it a decent service.
The whole idea of being able to have [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: An Astronomer in your Pocket?
Mar 3
You might look into your iPhone and discover that it’s full of stars. That is, if you download one of these cool astronomy apps for your iPhone.
iSkygaze provides backyard astronomers with information on where and when objects will be viewable from their location. It provides rise/set times, current location in sky and basic brightness, as [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Not Trombone, iPhone!
Mar 3
It didn’t take long before somebody turned an jailbroken iPhone and turned it into a musical instrument. Moo-Cow-Music did just that, in fact, they created not one but three virtual instruments for the iPhone: a Guitar, a drum, and a piano. The best part is that the applications are donation-ware. Call your friends on [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Goodbye Desktop, Hello Cloud.
Feb 28
I was talking to one of my students and she said that she would switch to a Mac. But she didn’t want to have to buy all of her apps over again. I asked what apps she was talking about and she said, her office apps, Word, Excel and Powerpoint. My first thought was [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Be Scared, Be Very Scared.
Feb 28
While Macs are relatively free of viruses and spyware and malware in general there is one area that isn’t as secure as you may think. That area is identity protection. And one way criminals steal your information is from phishing.
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Blog Posts: Second Life On An iPhone… Sort Of
Feb 27
The Second Life virtual world generally requires some serious computer power to run, mainly for it’s real-time 3-D graphics. So being able to run SL on an iPhone, requires some trickery.
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Blog Posts: Hot Lap
Feb 27
It’s cold here. So very cold. A dreadfully chilly, finger numbing cold. Oh. It’s not cold outside. I’m talking about inside. During the winter months my wife prefers the thermostat to be set in the minus 30s - even if that means a crust of ice in the toilets. As a loyal non-complaining hubby I [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Pixel Creep
Feb 27
I was on the phone with a friend, trying to help him solve a Web design problem, and he said, “The client wants it to work on an 800 by 600 screen,” and I said, “What? Nobody designs for 800 by 600 anymore,” And then I realized that pixel creep had happened to me. That’s [...] (more...)
Feb 27
With Apple’s release of iPhone update 1.1.4 we get exciting new, um, well, nothing. Looks like it is just a bug fix release. I wish I knew what the bugs were, but they don’t say.
But anyway, it is a free release, so no big deal, right? But even though the release is free to us, [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Upgradable iMac Graphics Card?
Feb 26
Okay The new MacBookPros came out today and three of the four models sport the NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT 512MB graphics card. and I say card because these reportedly use the NVIDIA MXM graphics card connector. I remember a while back that I read in a Gizmodo article that the new 24″ iMacs used the [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Apple TV, A Bird In a Cage.
Feb 26
Hardware-wise the Apple TV is super-fly. 802.11n, component and HDMI or even DVI (with an adaptor) video output, Toslink digital audio, and USB 2.0.
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Blog Posts: New MacBook, MacBook Pros Today
Feb 26
Lets take a look at the new features:
Penryn processors: larger Level 2 cache, SSE4 media instructions, less power consumption.
MacBook Pros get multi-touch trackpad, like the MacBook Air.
MacBook Pro 17-inch gets LED backlighting like the MacBook Pro 15-inch had already.
Better video cards: GeForce 8600M GT 256MB in the 15-inch Pro, 512MB in the high-end 15-inch and [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: What is a Penryn Processor?
Feb 25
At the center of rumors about new MacBook Pros this week is the Penryn processor, a new Intel processor. What this will mean is a smaller, cooler, slightly faster processor that is a little easier on battery life as well.
The Penryn processor is already in other machines, such as the HP Pavilion.
There is something new [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Tuesday, Good News Day?
Feb 25
The rumors are pretty strong that we’ll see three new models of MacBook Pros tomorrow as well as Time Capsules shipping.
The Time Capsules are reportedly in this weeks Best Buy printed flyer, and the stock numbers for the new MacBook Pros have been entered into Best Buy’s Point of Sale system, according to multiple forum [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Toothless: iPod Touch Blues
Feb 25
I was drooling over the features of the 32GB iPod Touch, and thinking to myself that it may be the most perfect portable media device in the world. At 32GB it can hold most of my music and a couple movies. I was dreaming of kicking back on my next plane flight and watching [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: iPhone SDK Brings Up Distribution Issues
Feb 24
If you believe the rumors, the iPhone SDK is going to be delayed until March. But the SDK is more than just a “development kit,” it will most likely also come with a distribution method.
Two worlds collide here: the mobile phone world and the computer software world. In the mobile phone world, you get your [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: The Borg: now accepting new members
Feb 22
My Plantronics .Audio 910 completes me. I cannot say enough about this magical little device. I’ve owned nice headsets before, but all have been wired. If I had known the joyous sense of freedom a Bluetooth headset provides, I would have gotten one a long time ago.
The .Audio 910 is [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Most Critical Mac Software
Feb 22
My friend Dave Taylor posted his list of critical Mac software at his blog today. While I like his choices of Firefox and SnapzPro, and agree that the rest are all useful, my list would be quite different.
First, I wouldn’t recommend Microsoft Office to anyone, unless they had a critical need for something that was [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Twitter More, Fight Cancer
Feb 22
Each Friday, you may notice Twitter gets quite a bit greener. No, not Al Gore green, but pea green! Many Twitter users incorporate peas into their avatar in honor of Frozen Pea Fridays, and to raise awareness for the Frozen Pea Fund.
It all started when Susan Renyolds, who is currently fighting breast cancer, wrote a [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Idol On iTunes: Why You Should Care.
Feb 21
Okay, say you’re NOT an Idol fan, but you’re a Mac fan, Why should you care that the iTunes store is selling the performances from this years American Idol?
It means there are going to be about a bazillion PC users that are going to be installing iTunes and Quicktime on their PCs. And they [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: A Peek Under The Hood: Activity Monitor
Feb 21
Maybe it it’s the geek in me, But I like dials, gauges, graphs, and blinking lights. Whether it’s my car or my computer I like to pretend I know what’s going on with it.
I like deciphering the blinking lights of my OBDII reader to learn that, yes, I am going to have to buy [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Xbox 360 Camera NOT An iSight Replacement
Feb 21
I’ve read in a few places how the “Xbox 360 Live Vision Camera” might be a good replacement for the no-longer-sold stand-alone iSight camera. With Leopard (and Tiger 10.4.9) you can now use a variety of standards-based Web cameras with Macs. Just plug-and-play. And at $33 at Amazon.com, this Xbox camera seems like a bargain, [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Flock and Roll! Dude, It’s a Web 2.0 Browser.
Feb 20
The Web browser market is starting to look like the stock market. Currently Firefox’s stock seems to be going down and Safari’s is going up. Opera seems to just hang in there and IE for Mac is trading as a penny stock.
It’s got to the point that I have both Safari and Firefox open most [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: DJay Deal! Half Price, Today Only.
Feb 20
Okay, I usually don’t blatantly promote software. Nor would I usually steer you to another Mac site. But this is too good of a deal to pass up, if you are at all interested in DJ software.
There are several good DJ mixing applications out there, the big three are Tracktor DJ Studio, Ultramixer and [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Neverwinter Nights 2 Finally Coming to Mac
Feb 20
It seemed like “never” was when Neverwinter Nights 2 for Mac would be released. First it was November, then December, then January, then March. But now it looks like we’ll get it a bit earlier than March as Feb. 26 has been set as the date.
Neverwinter Nights is the successor to the Baldur’s Gate series [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: The Mac Bucket List
Feb 19
You might think that the staff of a big Mac site like MacMost would get all the new Apple products for free. I only wish it were so. So in the grand scheme of the tech ecosystem, I have to decide how much of my paycheck I’m going to recycle into Apple [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: iPods For Everyone!
Feb 19
Apple announced that they had dropped the price of the 1 Gig iPod Shuffle to $49. $50 is the price point that technology essentially becomes affordable to anyone. That means that kids are going to get real iPods for their birthdays instead of cheap knockoffs from companies like Creative and SanDisk. That in [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Shockwave Back On the Mac
Feb 19
Adobe announced Director 11, which is the software that allows developers to make Shockwave content. Shockwave is the browser plug-in that is used in multimedia and gaming. It is considered more powerful than Flash, mostly because of its 3D engine that uses OpenGL on the Mac to present real 3D — the type you see [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Time Running Out for Windows
Feb 18
So I’ve got Leopard and so I have Boot camp, and I bought a copy of Parallels to run Windows on my Mac Mini. The only thing I haven’t bought is the Windows OS. I want to get XP Pro But I’m having a hard time finding a boxed copy for less than $130, the [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Podcasting: So Easy a Third-Grader Can Do It
Feb 18
I must admit I did a spit take when my 9 year old granddaughter looked over my shoulder while I was doing some work in GarageBand and said “That what we use to make our podcast, Pa-Jay, do you want to see my Podcast?”
“Actually, it’s a Vodcast. Go to my school’s website and I’ll [...] (more...)
Feb 18
Rumors of blu-ray drives on Macs starting way back in mid-2006, but so far nothing official from Apple. You can get a 3rd-party blu-ray drive for your Mac, and Toast already supports Blu-ray drives. Also, look to Steve Jobs’ other company, Disney, to see that they have been all into Blu-ray for some time. Plus, [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Apple TV “Valid Address” Error
Feb 17
So I went to rent my second movie on Apple TV. This time sticking with a standard definition movie. But as I went to purchase it, I got an error message stating that I needed a valid address to purchase a movie with store credit. Weird, since I purchased a movie a few days ago [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Predam iPhones
Feb 16
I’ve been coming across this term “predam iPhone” recently. If you do a Google search for Predam iPhone you quickly get this idea that it is an unlocked iPhone. Sometimes it is spelled “prodam iPhone.” It is a strange word, at any rate.
Apparently you can buy them on eBay, or from all sorts of weird [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Limbaugh Asks Jobs To Fix His Macs
Feb 14
It may be surprising that Rush Limbaugh has Mac Pro computers, but it’s not so surprising that he would think that he deserves concierge service from Apple CEO Steve Jobs.
Limbaugh appealed to Jobs during his radio program on February 12th.
“‘Mr. Jobs, please help me.’ I know we don’t agree on anything. [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: iPhone Tethering: Why It Should Happen
Feb 13
There is a rumor based on a leaked AT&T document that we may soon have the ability to tether our iPhones to our laptops. The rumor looks pretty weak, so I won’t go into it here. But tethering is something that Apple and AT&T should consider.
A lot of my business friends have either a mobile [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: iTunesU: Tuition Free
Feb 13
Do you want to sit-in on lectures from some of the most prominent professors at the most prestigious universities? You can at Apple’s iTunes U. iTunesU harnesses the power of podcasting for education.
By simply going to the iTunes Music Store in iTunes and clicking on the iTunesU link you can access courses and lecture [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Apple Takes Another Bite Out Of The Music Biz
Feb 13
Okay,they did the iTunes Music Festival London last year too, but that doesn’t make this years iTunes Live: London Sessions any less provocative.
According to Apple:
“Over 11 magical evenings, starting on Thursday February 21st, 2008, iTunes will host a series of unique recording sessions. More than 25 of the world’s most talented musicians — including [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Flash on iPhone, Really?
Feb 13
So you may have heard that there is a rumor going around that the Adobe Flash Player is coming for the iPhone very soon. But I’m inclined to doubt it.
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Blog Posts: Apple TV Take 2 Review
Feb 12
I updated my Apple TV the moment I got home tonight. The update was fast and went without a hitch. Take 2 includes a new menu interface that seems simpler, but otherwise has the same functionality. But of course there are the new parts: renting movies, Flcker and .mac photos, getting podcasts directly from the [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Apple’s Nod To Mods
Feb 12
Apple has never encouraged anyone to modify their computers in the slightest way, in fact, dire threats of warranty violations abound at every turn. So that’s why its strange to see Apple actually linking to mod sites on the Mac Mini page.
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Feb 12
Apple released a major upgrade to its Aperture professional photo editing software. Some of the new features are; highlight recovery, color vibrancy, local contrast definition, soft-edged retouching, vignetting and RAW fine-tuning as well as smooth publishing workflow to a .Mac Web Gallery for viewing on the web, iPhone, iPod touch and Apple TV.
Another new [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: New Stacks List View a Welcome Change
Feb 12
With Leopard 10.5.2, the Stacks feature of the dock now has a more sensible, “List” view. Rather than the fancy “Fan” view that is nothing more than a list with icons on a curve, or the “Grid” view, which is just a grid of icons, the “List” view is a nice space-optimize list. But even [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Apple Releases Mac OS X 10.5.2
Feb 11
Starting now, you can use Software Update to get version 10.5.2 of Leopard. There are some bug fixes for iCal, Mail and iChat. In addition, we’ve also got some improvements.
One is a new list view you can use with Stacks. This looks like the way folders in the dock used to work. You can also [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: A NAB without Apple, say it ain’t so!
Feb 11
The Mac blog site Macenstien reported last week that Apple would not be purchasing a booth at this year’s National Association of Broadcasters convention. Apple has traditionally had a huge presence at the annual event which is held the first week of April in Las Vegas. The NAB is the largest convention for broadcasters, [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: New iPhone Games
Feb 11
We’ve just added two new games to our iPhone Games collection. The first is a Pyramid Solitaire game. This is a pretty easy and fun card game. The second is a version of a game at the free online games that is also affiliated with MacMost. It is Add It Up, a number puzzle game. [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Photos from MacMost at MacWorld
Jan 17
I just posted some photos of Eve and I at the MacWorld Expo. You can find them at our MacMost Facebook Page. While you’re there, sign up to be a “fan” of MacMost on FaceBook. Thanks!
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Blog Posts: MacWorld Steve Jobs Keynote Live Update
Jan 15
8:25: We’ll be updating this post live while the keynote progresses. We’ll stick to the important information, like new products and services, as well as details like prices and launch dates.
9:20: Announce Time Capsule, an Airport Extreme base station with a hard drive that works with Time Machine. $300 for 500GB version, $500 for 1TB.
9:30: [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Something in the AIR? Apple Buying Adobe?
Jan 14
Just a crazy theory that I thought I’d post on. There has always been speculation about Apple buying Adobe. With the new banners above the Moscone Center reading “There’s Something in the Air,” and AIR being the desktop development environment that Adobe is currently pushing, could this be the surprise announcement at MacWorld?
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Blog Posts: Photo Booth Problems
Dec 13
Since upgrading to Leopard I’ve been systematically shuffling through the new features of my favorite applications, including my favorite application of family-fun, Photo Booth.
During last season’s family Christmas the hodgepodge of family members at Grandma’s house, having stirred themselves from lounging in front the brazier’s crackling fire, gathered round the yule laptop. Thereafter Photo Booth [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: What’s My Password
Dec 10
My computer has afforded me the convenience of shopping and banking from the comfort of my own bathroom. As such it’s loaded with all sorts of important personal information which, according to experts, should be kept from others.
Nine out ten experts agree that your credit card and bank account numbers are things that identity [...] (more...)
Dec 6
Being an Apple fan boy means a life living in Steve Jobs’ reality distortion field where we live on rumors of new Apple Products, For a true-to-life Parody of this cycle of despair visit Misterbg’s post about the Apple product cycle.
Color me a zealot.
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Blog Posts: Customizing Your Dock
Dec 5
If you tire of the standard Leopard dock and would like to customize it into something new and you, read on. You’re on your way customizing heaven.
First thing - find or create some dock graphics. Anything you like. There’s no limit to the amount of style or weirdness that you can install as your dock. [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Smart Quotes in TextEdit
Dec 2
File this post under things you can discover when playing around with a program’s preferences.
This might interest the typographically alert regarding apostrophes in TextEdit: You’re not limited to rigid typewriter quotes when separating out extracted groups of words. Believe it or not you also have the option to use curvy and professional looking Smart Quotes [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Good Morning from the Winnies!
Dec 1
Breakfast at the Magic Castle is pretty nice, and as I’m feeling like
the only one on the west coast awake, I’ll fill you in on Winnies stuff
I forgot to mention.
In case you didn’t know, the Winnies is the awards ceremony for internet
video producers, where everybody wins! Actually, it’s like secret
santa, and everyone is assinged [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Winnies Part 1
Nov 30
I’m hanging out with seesmic’s vinvin!!! The ninja just played a
pre-recorded video. Irina is rapping her arse off at this very moment.
–evepark
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Blog Posts: Geek Girl reporting from Hollywood!
Nov 30
I just cheched into ‘the Magic Castle Hotel’ right in the heart of
Hollywood. I had a very senic drive here, via shuttle. I suspect the
driver got a little lost, but since it wasn’t a taxi and I have the
time, I found it quite enjoyable!
I’m quite nearby Hollywood Blvd, and would love to walk [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Big List of Leopard Keyboard Shortcuts
Nov 22
The Using Mac Blog has a nicely-compiled list of keyboard shortcuts for different parts of Leopard.
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Nov 20
Just read an interesting blog post from Bill Clementson’s Blog. His 2-year-old PowerBook had a bad line in it and Apple didn’t have a replacement ready to go. So they just gave him a new MacBook Pro.
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Blog Posts: There Is No Away: Recycling Your Old Macs
Nov 13
As cool as Macs are, eventually they become obsolete or give up the the ghost. They also tend to acquire peripherals and accessories that also cease to function and/or become obsolete. This is an environmental concern because a landfill is no place for consumer electronics of any kind. Unless you prefer your drinking water with [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Become a Fan of MacMost at FaceBook
Nov 12
If you’ve got a FaceBook account, you can now join MacMost at FaceBook! Just go to http://macmost.com/facebook and then click on the “Add to my Products” link on the right to become a MacMost fan. We’ve got some behind-the-scenes photos there, and will post some more soon.
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Blog Posts: Review of Leopard
Oct 26
by Gary Rosenzweig
Let me start by saying that I was very unimpressed by Tiger (Mac OS 10.4). As an OS, it was great, but it didn’t offer me anything I needed that wasn’t already in Jaguar (10.3). Maybe a little more stable. Maybe a little faster. But for $129 I wanted more.
But Leopard is a [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: Free iPhone Ringtones From MacMost
Sep 12
So we’ve been having fun adding ringtones to our iPhones. We’ve created some unique and original ringtones, drawing on our library of game music, and Molly’s voice. We thought we’d share them with you.
What makes these ringtones different than some you may find is that they are completely legal. That’s because we haven’t sampled or [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: iPhone Line Progress
Jun 29
We’ve been here 5+ hours. Not too much going on. The Apple Store itself looks oddly normal. The line starts about 20 feet away. The first person here showed up at 2:30 a.m. and played cat and mouse with mall security to secure his space in line. So far, everyone we talked to is actually [...] (more...)
Blog Posts: In Line at the Apple Store!
Jun 29
MacMost is in line at the Apple Store in the Cherry Creek Mall, Denver. We arrived at about 8:30 and were about 50th in line. Here are some pictures. We’ll be reporting all day, and posting video as well.
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Blog Posts: Looking for iPhone Owners to Test our Games
Jun 27
We’ve posted a few games up at our iPhone Games section. We don’t know if these will work with the iPhone or not, as we don’t have one to test with. They use a couple of different technologies. If you have an iPhone, please test and give us some feedback. Thanks.
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Blog Posts: Basic Audio Recording On Your Mac
May 17
This article will introduce you to basic audio recording on your Mac.
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Blog Posts: Apple TV Review
Mar 27
After playing with Apple TV, I have to report that it is a mixed bag. There are some things to really like, and plenty left to be desired.
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Blog Posts: iPod Game Cheat Codes
Mar 22
Apple recently released several cheat codes for the Texas Holdem and Vortex games for the 5th generation iPods.
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