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Flock updated, for real this time
Last week we thought the Firefox-based Flock browser had updated their developer preview to 0.60, adding a slew of new and updated features. A TUAW reader noted a slight mix-up in the actual version that was available for download, and everyone was left scratching their head.Over the weekend, I noticed that they actually have updated the developer preview - to version 0.5.11. While the version numbers are different, I'm pretty sure the added/updated features are still right on the money, and there's quite a few of them. As you can see in the release notes, new features include: Firefox-like auto-updating, a second online bookmark service, Shadows.com (which adds some neat ideas to the del.icio.us bookmark sharing paradigm), the ability to keep some bookmarks private, spell checking (c'mon, Firefox!), drag and drop Flickr uploading, better blogging and RSS engines, and much more.Once again, while this is still a developer preview (which means it will act funny and crash from time to time), I highly recommend checking out Flock if you'd like to see what a "social web browser" is all about.
NetNewsWire to iWeb applescript
I think I've finally found the last reason I need to move my personal blog over to iWeb, thanks to a Ranchero blog post. The NetNewsWire to iWeb Applescript app bundle is pretty simple to set up: download the script and place it wherever you want. In NNW, simply chose this script (NOT iWeb) as your external weblog editor, and *bam* - you can now use Apple's slick new WYSIWYG iLife web app to blog NNW headlines to your heart's content.At the bottom of the post, the script's author mentions the possibility of creating similar scripts for Blogger.com and iBlog, just in case iWeb isn't your blog tool of choice.
Check out the official .Mac blog
What's this? An honest-to-goodness blog from within Apple? Are you serious?Well, sort of. The .Mac blog is really just a promotion for iLife '06 and all of the swell things you can do with it as a .Mac subscriber. Still, it's the first iWeb-generated site I've laid my eyes on, and it's not bad. It would be nice to add a photo gallery, just so we could check it out. While it may not be especially informative, it is a decent demonstration of the product. I'll keep it in mind for when people ask, "So, what exactly does iWeb do again?"
Warlock fan fiction
Are you a big fan of WoW fiction and world lore? I ran across this little gem while surfing the warlock forums (*cough* I know I spend all my time there) and I wanted to share this with you. I combed the thread for all the stories until I made it to the post where he noted he was making a blog for the stories. This guy is pumping out some grade A material, imo.We have been kicking around the idea of doing something like this for WoWInsider... A weekly piece of fiction about our characters expliots on Akama. Would you guys be interested in reading that?
Search the blogosphere with Bloglight
T-Squared software has announced the availability of Bloglight, an application for quickly scouring multiple blog search engines for precisely the information you're looking for. Simply enter your target word or phrase, hit return and you're off. You can fine-tune your results by entering an exact phrase, a list of words to ignore or a collection of words or phrases to include. Bloglight uses Feedster, Google BlogSearch, IceRocket and Technorati as its sources. You can sort your results by relevance or date, and a single click brings you to the target page in your browser. If you've found a new site you like, you can add it to your RSS reader from within Bloglight.A demo version is available (limited to 30 searches) and a single license will cost you $13.95US. [Via Ranchero]
Favorite Blog client
The Apple Blog wants to know what your favorite blog client is. I have made no effort to hide the fact that I enjoy using MarsEdit for a number of reasons. It is fast, the UI is well thought out, and it just gets out of your way.Ecto, for my money, has a tendency to over power you with the number of windows and choices that you have. MarsEdit gives you less in the way of options, but I think that actually makes the product much more usable. What do you use to blog?
20% discount on Ecto
There's plenty of us here at TUAW who are big Ecto fans for our personal blogging needs, so I thought any of you TUAW readers nodding your heads in agreement might want to know that Ecto is going on sale. Between Dec. 23-26, the developers of Ecto are offering a whopping 20% discount off the regular price of a mere $17.95. All you need to do for the discount is check out their announcement post between the sale dates and click on the big ol' discount badge image that's included. This should take you straight to their store where you can place Ecto in your shopping cart, and you should find that the discount code of “CHRISTMAS2005” has already been applied. That's all there is to it.If you're unfamiliar with Ecto, check out our previous posts on this fantastic, full-featured blogging app or just head straight to the horse's mouth. For a quick run-down: Ecto is a robust blogging client with support for boatloads of blog systems. I think one of the app's main shining strengths is its customizability and media functionality. Ecto can pull images from iPhoto, song titles from iTunes, and you can easily enter affiliate information for link and revenue programs like Amazon's Associates system. Definitely go check it out if you've been looking for a better way to blog.
Digital Hollywood Fall starts today
Digital Hollywood Conference is the place where the various companies that bring us much of the content we'll be experiencing on our HDTVs, cell phones, game consoles, and iPods get together and talk about the best ways to do it. Your next home server-mediacenter-xbox720-ps4-RSS parser-cell phone-breadmaker? Yeah they've got that. You can watch for updates here, as well as via a live blog of the event if you're interested (and we know you are) and a podcast; although several companies have already made notable announcements, and we'll keep you updated as it progresses.I'll be keeping a definite eye out for information from today's "Transforming Television" seminar, because HDTV, PVR, OnDemand and Interactive TV all touch me in my special place. Also at the conference will be our own Shawn Gold, speaking on Alternative Media & Advertising: Personalized Consumer Broadband, RSS Feeds, Blogging and Podcasting
ecto for Mac OS X 2.3
ecto has just been updated to version 2.3, which is a free upgrade. Tiger is a definite influence in this release, and so gone are the drawers that were previously used in the interface. They have been replaced with 'panels' that Tiger applications seem to favor.That's not the only change though:New toolbar iconsKeeps track of Technorati, flickr, and del.icio.us tagsLonger Trail period (21 days, up from 14)Status messages appear in the footer of the entries window Not too shabby considering the price.
