Michael Jones
Articles by Michael Jones
The end of an era
The news that TUAW is being shut down came as quite a shock to me, having missed some of the rumors floating around the Internet about AOL's possible plans. Those of you who pay attention to author's bylines on posts will probably notice that I haven't posted here in quite a while. While I've been with TUAW for many years, I've spent the majority of my time working behind the scenes maintaining our virtual newsroom, which was comprised of a chat room, some automated bots to monitor posting activity, and various tools to make the team's blogging lives easier. I had actually made a resolution to get back into writing more this year, but unfortunately it seems that won't be happening here. For me, the demise of not only TUAW, but several other blogs (both AOL and elsewhere) marks the end of an era. I started reading TUAW back in 2005, just over a year after it launched. And, like many of you have graciously said in the comments, reading became a part of my daily routine. I especially looked forward to the smattering of tips, tricks & how-tos that were posted, as I would often find new ways to do things that I hadn't thought of before. At the time, most Apple blogs were less focused on Apple's next move (though that was still a theme) and more on teaching readers how to make the most out of their Apple product. Today, there are still occasionally some really good tips posted out there, but as anyone who builds or runs websites can tell you, running a large website (yes, even a blog) at scale is not cheap. Sure, you can host a blog on any of the number of hosting sites out there, but once you start getting a significant following and staffing up to provide content to your readers, money becomes a factor. Because of this, many blogs have become more corporatized and have generally had to "follow the money" by posting about all the latest Apple news, because with today's real-time culture, those are the kinds of stories that draw in new traffic. But I've felt -- and of course, I'm probably biased -- that we at TUAW have stayed true to our original mission of just bringing readers insightful, helpful tips, stories and opinions -- even when there were more "newsworthy" things to be writing about. I've noticed many of you have had similar comments on posts or on Twitter over the past few days. It is both humbling and inspiring to see how many people's lives we've been able to touch over the years, both in very small and even sometimes significant ways. I personally am grateful to have been a part of the TUAW community, and to have worked with the wonderful and talented writers we've had (both past and present). I've seen some amazing thoughts and ideas come from those who have graced our pages, and I can't wait to see what they'll be doing next.
Bug in CoreText allows a string of characters to crash apps
A serious bug has been uncovered in Apple's CoreText layout engine, which is responsible for laying out text in applications that make use of the Cocoa framework on OS X and iOS systems. The bug causes any app relying on CoreText to crash when a specific string of Arabic characters is displayed, meaning just the simple act of viewing a tweet or receiving an instant message is enough to trigger the crash. With apps like messaging or email clients, the problem is more severe, as the app may continue to crash repeatedly if it attempts to display previous message history or previews of email content. The good news is it appears that Apple has already addressed this bug in the upcoming versions of OS X 10.9 Mavericks and iOS 7, but as of yet, no updates have been released to correct the issue on the current versions of the operating systems that are affected (OS X 10.8 and iOS 6). This isn't the first time that innocent strings have been found to cause crashes in apps. Back in February, an odd bug was discovered which caused apps to crash whenever a reference to a local file URL (e.g., file:///) contained a capital "F." While there isn't a foolproof way to prevent exploits like this from being used, some sites have taken preventative measures. Facebook is currently blocking messages which are found to contain the string, and I'm sure as word of the issue gets around, Twitter and other sites may take similar actions. The best advice I can give for users, however, is to be cautious about viewing links and reading messages from people that you don't know or that seem otherwise suspicious. Obviously, the nature of this bug makes it difficult to completely avoid, as receiving a message or opening a page where a spammer has left the string in a comment could easily trigger a crash, and there's little that could be done to prevent it. Here's hoping that Apple picks up on this and corrects the issue before anyone finds any creative methods for taking advantage of the problem. [via TechCrunch]
Active Storage reportedly closing its doors
For those who deal with Macs in the enterprise, you may be saddened by the surfacing news that Active Storage is shutting down. Over the last four years, the company has unveiled an array (pardon the pun) of Mac-centric storage solutions, including controllers intended to bridge the gap left by Apple's discontinued Xserve line. The news comes unexpected to many, with no official word from the company regarding the shut down. If anything, a quick browse of their website shows no indication of any problems -- as recently as two weeks ago, in fact, they announced a new storage platform offering and formed partnerships with a couple of media companies to promote the new brand. The only hint of confirmation on the shutdown is a forum post from one of the engineers, which indicates that the employees were also taken by surprise, but that many of them have already moved on to other jobs and that details should be made public soon. It's at least some comfort to know that the employees have been able to recover from the blow, but I'm sure many customers will have questions about the future of their products and support contracts as word of the closure gets around.
Valve extends Steam store beyond games
Adding to the growing list of companies providing storefronts for selling apps, Valve Software has announced its plans to expand the Steam distribution platform beyond selling games. Starting September 5, users will be able to purchase apps from a growing selection of software titles, including photo editing, multimedia & productivity applications. Similar to the App Store, the Steam platform offers functionality to app developers to enable automatic software updates & cloud-based data storage. Because of this, independent developers who have fallen out of favor with the App Store & Apple's iCloud offering may find this to be an intriguing development. [via Joystiq] Show full PR text STEAM EXPANDS BEYOND GAMES Launch Set of "Software" Titles Coming Sept 5 Aug 8, 2012 -- Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such as Counter-Strike, Half-Life, Left 4 Dead, Portal, and Team Fortress) and leading technologies (such as Steam and Source), today announced the first set of Software titles are heading to Steam, marking a major expansion to the platform most commonly known as a leading destination for PC and Mac games. The Software titles coming to Steam range from creativity to productivity. Many of the launch titles will take advantage of popular Steamworks features, such as easy installation, automatic updating, and the ability to save your work to your personal Steam Cloud space so your files may travel with you. More Software titles will be added in an ongoing fashion following the September 5th launch, and developers will be welcome to submit Software titles via Steam Greenlight. "The 40 million gamers frequenting Steam are interested in more than playing games," said Mark Richardson at Valve. "They have told us they would like to have more of their software on Steam, so this expansion is in response to those customer requests." For more information, please visit www.steampowered.com.
Invalid Keynote document? Calm down and try this fix
Let's set the scene: It's Monday morning, and you've been working tirelessly all weekend, tweaking and putting finishing touches on a big Keynote presentation that you'll be using at today's board meeting. Now that it's finished, you decide to run through it one last time, just to be safe. So you fire up Keynote, and your heart sinks as you stare unbelieving at the message above. "WHAT?! I just opened it this morning! What do you mean it's not valid?" You're practically screaming at your computer now, and repeatedly trying to open the file to no avail. After taking a few moments to calm down and avoid tossing your Mac out the window, you suddenly remember the Versions feature in Lion & Mountain Lion that automatically saves versions of your file as you work. You jump into Finder, restore an older version, and... it doesn't work either. Keynote still tells you that the file is invalid. So you try another version, and another, but Keynote remains adamant that your attempts are futile, and now you begin to panic as the realization sets in that your presentation starts in 15 minutes and your work is gone. But before you give in to despair, here is something you can try that just might work. It's no secret that many "files" in OS X are, underneath the surface, actually folders or other archives that themselves contain many more files. You can easily see this in action by right-clicking (control-click or two-finger-click) on an application or an archive in Finder and choosing the Show Package Contents... option. A Keynote presentation file is really no different, and if you're working with a Keynote '08 file, you can easily see the contents of the package using that option. But starting with Keynote '09, the packages are zipped into archives to make them easier to share and upload to websites. This makes getting to their contents a little bit trickier, as Finder doesn't see the file as an archive, so it keeps trying to open the file with Keynote, rather than unzipping it for you. So, how do you get at these files, you might ask? It's actually deceptively simple -- but before we begin, I can not stress enough to you to make a backup copy of your file. Sure, it might be "invalid" and already broken, but you still should make sure you have an untouched copy somewhere should you need it. Once you've got a copy, continue on with the instructions below. Step 1: Rename the file to a .zip file. Now that you've made a copy, you need to locate your file in Finder, highlight it, and then press the Enter key to rename the file. If the file name ends with .key, change it to .zip. Otherwise, just add .zip to the end of the filename, and press Enter again. When Finder asks, tell it to Use .zip. Step 2. Open the zip archive. Your file should now be named something like Presentation.zip. Go ahead and double click on it, and Finder should decompress the .zip archive into a folder of the same name. If you open the folder, you should see a bunch of files there, including any images you've added to your presentation, similar to the screenshot below: Step 3. Rename the folder back to a .key file At this point, if everything has gone well, you should be feeling somewhat relieved, as you can at least see that your work is not completely lost, just hidden. So, how do you get this back into Keynote, you might ask? No, you won't have to redo everything. Simply highlight the name of the folder, press Enter to rename it again, and add the .key extension to the end: Step 4. Cross your fingers and open the file with Keynote Here's where you have to cross your fingers and hope for the best. If all went well, you should be able to just double click on the file and Keynote should fire up with your presentation, in all of its glory. If it doesn't work, go back and double check that you didn't miss anything above. If you've checked and it's still not working, then sadly, there's a good chance that something really is wrong with the presentation. If this is the case, hopefully you still might be able to salvage some of your work out of the file by digging through the folder you get in step 2 and extracting the graphic assets. If it did work, congratulations! Now you can relax... after you go give your presentation, of course. #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
Apple releases iOS 6 beta 4 to developers
We are receiving word that Apple has released beta 4 of the upcoming iOS 6 software, which is expected to be released this fall. As with previous updates, this update is expected to deliver bug fixes for developers who are testing their applications with the new operating system. As this is the fourth beta of iOS 6, a look back at previous iOS beta runs tells us that we should be nearing a final release as Apple refines the next version of its mobile operating system. The update is available to developers at Apple's developer site and includes Xcode 4.5 beta along with device-specific builds for supported iOS devices and the Apple TV. Developers can also update their devices over-the-air from the Settings app; however, there are reports that the update servers are not responding when attempting to check for updates, so YMMV.
Find My Mac not working for you? You're not alone
If you're having trouble getting Lion to let you enable Find My Mac, you're not the only one. It seems at least a few people are running into a problem where they see the above message in the iCloud preference pane, but clicking the update button (or running System Update manually) yields no updates to install. If this describes your situation, the good news is that there is a solution -- the bad news is that it might require a little bit of patience. Before getting too worked up over the problem, though, it's a good idea to try the simplest methods first. Go to System Preferences, go to the Security and Privacy preference pane, and click on the Privacy tab. Check to make sure that Location Services are enabled: If that didn't do the trick, head on over to Apple's support site and download the Lion Recovery Update package manually, and install it. It's approximately 832 MB, so it may take a while to download if you're on a slower Internet connection. Once installed, reboot your Mac and go back in to the iCloud preferences (under the Internet category in System Preferences) to see if you can enable Find My Mac now. If you can check the box, you're all set! If Find My Mac is still greyed out, however, then the problem is likely that your Mac is in need of a couple of housekeeping tasks to get things in order. This next step works best if you close any apps you have open. Open your Applications folder, then open the Utilities folder and select Disk Utility. You should be presented with a screen similar to the following: From here, select the volume that Lion is installed on from the list on the left side of the menu as shown above. Then click the Verify Disk button on the bottom right of the window, and Disk Utility will scan the volume for any problems. The process usually takes about five minutes, but might take longer depending on the size of your hard drive. If you're still with me at this point, I'm betting that you will probably receive a message similar to the following: What this means is that somewhere along the line, the part of the system that keeps track of where files are stored on the hard drive recorded some information incorrectly. My guess is that this probably happened during the upgrade to Lion, and affects a specific part of the disk that is used by the recovery system. Luckily, it's not necessarily anything bad, and it's relatively easy to fix, though the process might be a bit complicated if you're unfamiliar with it, so I've outlined it below. Power off your Mac completely. Use the Shut Down command from the Apple menu. Power on your Mac, and immediately press and hold the Option key on your keyboard. Once you see the boot menu appear, you can release the key. In the boot menu, select the Recovery HD item with your mouse, or the arrow keys on your keyboard. You may need to press the Enter key to confirm the option if clicking with your mouse does not seem to work. After a few moments, you will be presented with a screen labeled Mac OS X Utilities. This menu allows you to perform tasks like restoring a Time Machine backup or reinstalling Lion on your Mac. The option we want, however, should be the last item in the list -- Disk Utility. This will open the same screen we saw before, but this time you might notice that the Repair Disk button (in the bottom right, under the Verify Disk button we clicked last time) is now enabled. Go ahead and click the repair button, and Disk Utility will automatically find and fix any problems that are found. Once the repair has finished, close Disk Utility, then restart your Mac by selecting Quit from the OS X Utilities menu. When your Mac is finished restarting, you'll need to head back over to the Apple support site to download the 10.7.2 Update (or download 10.7.2 Server Update if you're running Lion Server). When the download finishes, go ahead and install the update, which will require a restart when the installation has finished. Finally, you'll want to go to your Downloads folder and install the Lion Recovery HD update that we downloaded earlier. If all went well, you should be able to go into your iCloud preferences now and enable the Find My Mac option:
iPhone 4 prototype sellers charged in California, plead not guilty
The San Jose Mercury News is reporting that two people involved in last year's "iPhone 4 prototype found in a bar" fiasco are being charged in San Mateo County Superior Court for their respective roles in the incident, which led to numerous photos of the upcoming iPhone model being posted online months ahead of its official release. Brian Hogan, the individual who is credited with finding the iPhone, is being charged with one count of misappropriation of lost property, a misdemeanor in the state of California. Sage Wallower, Hogan's friend who assisted him by contacting a number of tech blogs and offering to sell the device to them, is also being charged with possession of stolen property. Neither of the two individuals appeared at the hearing regarding the charges, and the attorneys for both men entered not guilty pleas on their behalf. A second hearing on the case is expected on October 11th, and a trial date has been set for November 28th, although Hogan's attorney has indicated that his client has taken responsibility for his actions, and he plans to work with prosecutors to strike a plea bargain. It was reported earlier this month that the blog responsible for purchasing the iPhone and releasing the pictures, Gizmodo, will not be charged in the incident. Jason Chen, the blogger who facilitated the exchange and wrote the post, will also not be charged. Chen's house was searched early in the investigation, and several items were seized, but later returned. [via KSL News]
TestFlight helps developers to prepare their apps for takeoff
I remember the good old days of software distribution for mobile phones, when having an "app" on your phone meant you had to scour the depths of the internet to find and download the app that you wanted -- most of which were written in Java and built for specific groups of devices. For a developer, distributing your software meant hosting downloads and instruction guides on your own website, or partnering up with a distributor like Handango in hopes of better exposure. Fast forward to today, where the App Store has opened the doors for independent developers and installing apps on your device is as simple as tapping a button. Well, at least installing regular apps from the App Store is simple; installing beta versions of an app that is not quite ready for prime-time is usually more complex and reminiscent of the antiquated installs of yore. That is, until now. Enter TestFlight, a very interesting project with a simple goal: to make distributing and installing beta versions of apps as simple as tapping a button. In short, and to coin a phrase that is often synonymous with Apple products in general, "it just works." TestFlight is one of those rare utilities that is able to evoke a feeling of magic when you first use it. This feeling is not just because it does exactly what it advertises, or because the process is so simple, but because it does all of this just by loading a simple web page from your device. Sound interesting? Read on to find out how TestFlight is making the testing process better for everyone.
Mac 101: Adjusting your mouse and trackpad speed
More Mac 101, our series of tips and tricks for novice Mac users. If you've ever used the trackpad on a PC laptop connected to an external monitor and noticed how many times you have to swipe your finger across the pad to get the mouse cursor from one screen to the other, the end result can be quite frustrating and tiresome. Of course, the same thing can easily happen if you hook up an external display to your MacBook or iMac, although it usually is not as obvious thanks to the larger surface area that Apple has designed into recent trackpads. Luckily, this can be easily corrected on any Mac in just a few simple clicks. Before we dive into the settings, though, let's talk about what is causing this to happen in the first place. Although we often take it for granted, one of the most astonishing aspects of using a mouse with a computer is the fact that you only have to move your hand by a couple of inches, while the pointer on the screen moves from one end of the screen to the other -- even if the screen is over 20" wide. This feat is accomplished by a simple mathematical conversion being done in the background that measures the distance the mouse (or your finger, if using a trackpad) moves and multiplies that by a specific factor to determine how far -- and in what direction -- to move the cursor on the screen. Read on to find out how to give your mouse (or trackpad) a speed boost.
Rumor: AirPrint support for Mac and PCs canceled
Some things, as the saying goes, are not meant to last. Apparently, that is the case with the new AirPrint feature in the upcoming iOS 4.2 for the iPad that was set to allow users to print wirelessly to any printer connected to their Mac or PC. I say "was" because it is becoming increasingly apparent that Apple has pulled some of the AirPrint functionality off the table, at least for now. Developers are reporting that references to printing via a Mac or PC have been removed from online documentation, and the downloads that Apple had provided for beta versions of OS X 10.6.5 and iTunes 10.1 -- specifically so that developers could test AirPrint from their apps -- are no longer available. Support for printing directly to a limited set of new HP network-connected printers that support AirPrint natively are unaffected, but this is of little comfort, as most end users do not have these printers yet, and the ability to print via a desktop would have allowed printing to any brand or model of printer that was connected. Many developers have raised questions concerning the change on Apple's developer forums, and while an official response or announcement has not been publicly made by Apple as of yet, one developer reports that they contacted support via e-mail and received the following reply: "Support for AirPrint on Windows and Mac has been canceled. We will be in contact with you if another opportunity arises in the future." While this would not be the first time that Apple has pulled or changed a significant feature prior to release, it is frustrating for developers who have spent time, money, and other resources developing an app that relies on that feature to have it suddenly removed. Further, the lack of notice or official communication from Apple on the matter adds to the uncertainty, as developers are left not knowing whether the functionality will ever be released, leaving some very promising apps in limbo until an announcement is made.
Joystiq goes mobile with new iPhone app
Joystiq, our sister site and favorite stop for gaming news, is celebrating the release of their long-awaited app for the iPhone and iPod touch this weekend. The new app gives you quick and easy access to catch up on the latest news while on the go, and the category view gives you the ability to focus on reviews, interviews, contests, or updates for your favorite gaming platform. In addition to reading the site, you can use the search feature to find something specific, share your thoughts using the built-in comment feature, browse through the image and video galleries, send in news tips to the Joystiq team, and listen to recent podcasts for both the Joystiq Podcast and the Xbox Fancast. The app is available for free on the App Store. For more information, check out the screenshots in the gallery below, or head on over to Joystiq to check it out. Oh, and have you seen the TUAW app yet? It's not out for iPad (yet), but the iPhone version is excellent for reading and browsing your favorite TUAW posts on the go. %Gallery-97686%
Five little-known features in iOS 4
Whenever word gets out about a potential software update, as it did for iOS 4 back in January (then called iPhone OS 4), you don't have to look far to find speculation about features or functionality the new version will include. This is especially true for major revisions of the OS, which is ironic when you consider that developers get access to beta versions of the OS for testing purposes -- most smaller updates are kept under wraps right up until they are released. When Apple does officially announce a major update, it usually is quick to list the big changes that the update brings as a way to persuade developers to get in and start updating their apps to make use of the new features. Quite often, everyone focuses their attention on these main features, and discussion moves to whether or not the new OS will support things like dashboards and today screens or whether or not Feature X will live up to expectations. This discussion usually continues well after the OS has been released, and it tends to overshadow many of the smaller changes that have been made throughout the OS. Whether these changes are minor tweaks in how something works or the addition of new functionality that subtly enhances the users' experience, they often go unnoticed for one of two reasons: either they "just work" so well that the user doesn't need to know they exist, or they require the user to do something extra to enable or locate the feature. Since both of these involve the user not being aware of something, we think it's safe to assume that bringing these little-known features to light will help. Read on for a list of five little-known features in iOS 4 that we think deserve more attention.
iMovie for iPhone 4 is now available
iMovie for iPhone 4 arrived on the App Store tonight, just hours before the official 7:00am launch of the iPhone 4. As promised during the WWDC keynote, the iMovie app brings the ability to edit and share videos directly to the iPhone. From transitions to titles, to adding background music to your clips, iMovie promises to offer powerful editing features that you don't typically find on a mobile device. Along with the release of the app, Apple has posted a list of frequently asked questions, as well as instructions for exporting videos from iMovie. Curiously, while the instructions detail how to export your videos in full HD (at a resolution of 720p), the summary at the top of the page suggests that your video will be scaled down to 568x320 if uploaded to YouTube, MobileMe, or sent via e-mail from the phone. A third support document posted this evening further confirms this to be the case. Since I'm not one of the lucky customers who already have their iPhone 4 in hand, I can't directly test this, but it seems that Apple has spelled it out pretty clearly in their support pages. While this won't be a deal breaker for everyone, I'm sure that many HD aficionados out there will be longing for the ability to directly upload HD video to YouTube from their phones. As it stands now, you would have to sync the video to your computer, and then upload it from there for maximum quality. It is worth noting, however, that this limitation only applies to using the sharing functionality in the Camera Roll on your iPhone; any third-party apps that can upload video should be able to take advantage of the full resolution copy. So aside from the resizing, iMovie for iPhone 4 looks promising. And at US$4.99, it is an inexpensive way to extend the video capabilities of your phone, allowing you to quickly create and share movies of friends, family, or special events while on the go. If you're picking up a new iPhone tomorrow, this is definitely something to check out.
iOS 4: Updating woes with iPhone 3G
It is for you, the faithful Apple consumers whose upgrades have gone awry, that we post this little tidbit and attempt to help you maintain your sanity. While we can't help much with the activation errors that some of you have had (potentially due to overloaded communications between Apple), we can help with the infamous error 3002 that many iPhone 3G owners are seeing when attempting to update their devices.
First Look: Byline 3.0 for iPhone
The folks over at Phantom Fish software have released version 3 of their popular Byline feed reader app for the iPhone. The update brings with it several new features, including integration with Instapaper, gesture-based navigation, and improved performance. Byline works by fetching a list of feeds from your Google Reader subscriptions, and caching a copy of the articles on your iPhone for easy reading or viewing while offline. Now I'll admit, while Google Reader does simplify feed management by keeping all of your subscriptions and updates in one place, it's not my cup of tea. Personally, I prefer to manage feeds directly from my reader app, rather than having to go somewhere else to do it. That aside, Byline 3 keeps the process simple by asking for your Google login, and then quickly going straight to your list of feeds without requiring any additional steps or setup. Each item is displayed right in the app, allowing quick navigation between stories and feeds. Want to view the link in Mobile Safari or send it to Instapaper? That can be done by tapping the forward menu icon on any item. Starring an item or adding notes is also simple and intuitive. Since I'm a big fan of flexibility when it comes to iPhone apps, I was pleased to see the number of options offered in the settings panel. Viewing thresholds for several of the feed lists are easily configurable, so you can choose to limit or hide things like starred items or notes if you don't use those features. Other options include manual sync, portrait orientation locking and a few options to fine-tune the caching of stories. Overall, the app is well done and easy to use. Ironically, the only complaint I really have had with it is sync speed, which is one of the things that were said to be improved in the new version. It's not unreasonably slow, but still slower than I'd have liked. In all fairness, though, I'm pretty sure my less-than-stellar internet connection was a contributing factor. A few posts on the developer's twitter feed suggest that a few minor bugs are already known, and will be fixed in an upcoming update. Byline 3 is US$3.99 in the App Store, and is available now. Head on over and check it out! %Gallery-92705%
Friday Flickr Find: Unboxing an iPad, LEGO style
For many of us Apple geeks, unboxing your new product is *almost* as much fun as actually using it. And while there are several ways to show off the event, having the box opened entirely by LEGO minifigures photography is probably one of the most creative and interesting ones I've seen. Enter the world of "ntr23", a TUAW reader and Apple fan who has an apparent affinity for taking pictures of minifigures performing various tasks, the most recent of which was unboxing his new iPad. At 1.5 inches tall, the iPad reminds me more of an iFloor, but that doesn't stop the figures from putting on a good show. From receiving the package to syncing with iTunes, the minifigure team has you covered. If you're thinking this looks familiar, you're probably right. This same team of LEGOs used ladders to scale the box of the original iPhone a couple of years ago, and one of the minifigures was recently spotted attempting to load OS 4 on the original iPhone. I'm thinking someone might want to let him know that's not how it's done :-) If you like what you see, be sure to check out ntr23's Flickr page for more.
Mac 101: Navigating OS X with your keyboard
Let's face it: unless you're just casually surfing the Internet or playing a game, chances are pretty good that your hands are on the keyboard most of the time when you're at the computer. Sure, the mouse is only a few inches away, but wouldn't it just be easier if you didn't have to keep going back and forth from the mouse to the keyboard? Enter the world of keyboard shortcuts. A keyboard shortcut is exactly what the name implies: a way of using the keys on your keyboard to quickly perform tasks that typically would require multiple steps using a mouse. Before we dive in to the magic keystrokes, let's take a quick look at how shortcuts work on the Mac.
Rumor: Beta version of iPhone SDK with tablet simulator to be unveiled on 1/27
In yet another drop of information from the firehose of tablet rumors, French blog Mac 4 Ever claimed earlier this week [English translation] that a beta version of the iPhone SDK -- used by developers to create applications for the iPhone, iPod touch, and now possibly Apple's new tablet device -- could be unveiled during the upcoming event to be held on January 27th. What I find interesting about this tidbit is the timing: most of the rumors we have heard concerning which operating system the tablet might run have generally pointed towards a newer build of the iPhone OS. So, if the tablet will be running a new build of the iPhone OS, and that build is only expected to be in beta stages by the end of this month, then it stands to reason that the tablet may not actually hit the market until later this year. I'm thinking somewhere around March, maybe? Then again, it is possible that the device might ship with a preliminary version of the OS which doesn't make immediate use of the App Store, buying some time for developers to get their feet wet using the beta SDK and giving Apple the chance to ramp up a good selection of apps to be ready for sale when the App Store becomes available. Either way, the idea that Apple may release a beta version of the SDK more than a month ahead of schedule serves as an indication that Apple has indeed learned from past mistakes, and hopefully developers will be able to get their hands on the SDK sooner, rather than later. [via AppleInsider]
Hey! Lego my Apple!!
No, I'm not talking about any of these Lego Mac mods, A relatively new startup called MacSlaps brings us some personalization goodness in the form of custom vinyl stickers for your MacBook and MacBook Pro. Using stickers (or even laser engraving) to customize your MacBook is nothing new, but what I think sets MacSlaps apart from some of the others I have seen is the designs are simple and creative. In addition to the Lego design pictured here, their site showcases a few other interesting designs, such as Mario, PacMacMan, and my favorite, Tic-Mac-Toe. The stickers come on a square sheet of vinyl, ranging from about 4 to 8 inches, so most of them will even fit on the 13-inch MacBook. I know they say these are custom made for MacBooks, but I'm tempted to order one and try it on the back of my 24-inch aluminum iMac, since I'm guessing the effect would be about the same. They also offer custom designs, so if you've got a crazy idea in mind, they can probably help you get it onto your Mac. Although the selection is pretty sparse, their designs are original and interesting. Plus, it looks like they've just recently started up, as their Etsy store opened in October, and some of their designs haven't shown up on the store yet, so I hope this means we will be seeing more from them in the near future. All in all, these stickers would make a great stocking stuffer for your favorite Mac geek. Not to mention, if you're picking up a new MacBook for the Holidays, they are a great way to add a personal touch, especially with the custom design offer. [via iPhoneSavior]