mangement
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iPhoto '08 does tagging right
I've been waiting (impatiently) for a tagging UI like this to come to iPhoto for some time now, and I'm generally happy to say that iPhoto '08 finally does tagging well (for the sake of this post, however, I'll be using the terms 'tags' and 'keywords' interchangeably, since iPhoto refuses to adopt the web 2.0 terminology). If you display keywords beneath your photos (View > Keywords or shift-command-K), you can simply click below your photo in that field (even if it doesn't have any keywords yet) and begin typing. iPhoto will attempt to auto-fill from your keyword library, or it will add new keywords you create on the fly. For keyword ninjas this still might not replace powerful plug-ins like Keyword Manager, but it's definitely a step in the right direction for the general iPhoto user. Since it's barely been 24 hours, Keyword Manager understandably hasn't updated yet, but I don't find myself gasping for breath without it. Thanks to this improvement and others which I'll explore, iPhoto has gained respectable features that finally allow users to manage their library with the power of tags. Read on to see what else is new with iPhoto's keyword features.
TUAW Tip: Aperture can download videos, just not catalog them
Well shiver-me-timbers: while Aperture doesn't catalog anything but images, it at least helps you download 'non-image files' off your camera so you can manage them some other way. When I performed the initial import from iPhoto (using Aperture's handy File > Import > iPhoto Library command), a notification appeared at the beginning of the import letting me know that Aperture found a few files it wouldn't import. I realized the files in question were probably a few movies I shot with my point 'n shoot camera, which led me to assume that Aperture simply doesn't handle or even touch those files to begin with. Apparently, my assumption was a bit off.As it turns out, plugging a camera or card into Aperture that contains either audio or video files (and possibly other types) will generate the dialog you see in this post, allowing you to download the files Aperture isn't designed to handle to another location on your Mac. This is great because you can set up another location to, for example, store all the home movies you've been shooting and manage those files with the Finder or another app like yFlicks once you're done working in Aperture.As for those home movies in iPhoto, I guess I'll still need to dig those out some other way. Fortunately, iPhoto automatically applies the keyword 'movie' to all movies it imports, which should make this task a bit easier for anyone else making the upgrade to Aperture like I did.
iBiz updated, goes Universal
iBiz is a great time and billing management app for those who are self-employed or otherwise might have a need for keeping track of their projects, right down to the minute and dime. It integrates well with Address Book and iCal for all your contact and todo needs, which is great, for example, if a client would like to see a published calendar of the time you've spent on their project.iBiz also acts a bit like a file/project management dashboard, as you can associate files with a project in iBiz and automatically start timing you work when you open the file from within the app. Once a project is done, iBiz also offers a healthy array of invoice options, ready for print, PDF and/or email. Networking capabilities are also baked in, with an iBiz Server edition available, but I don't work in that environment so I don't have much to say on that end.It looks like we haven't mentioned iBiz on TUAW before, but I can personally vouch for it as a great app since I've been using it for a couple years now. This latest update brings it to version 2.5 with better iBank integration and bug fixes, and also adds Universal Binary goodness. A 10-day demo is available, while a single user license will run you a mere $29.99.
