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Keynote gets some love
When you think Apple applications you think iLife, Final Cut, Motion, iChat, OS X. Those are the biggies, right? But what about poor little iWork? Well, it looks like iWork, Keynote in particular, is getting some love from the blogosphere. Tim Bray, XML geek and all around cool computer guy, penned a love letter to Keynote the other day. He declared that is it Apple's best app. Daring Fireball agrees that it is good, but probably not the best app Apple offers, while Theocacao lists some of the things that makes Keynote so gosh darned fun to use (anyone ever say that about PowerPoint?).I must admit that I haven't used Keynote all that much, since I don't find myself giving many presentations (if you would like me to give a presentation just contact me. I'm lonely, and I have a MacBook!). The few times I have found myself whipping something together in Keynote I have been impressed with how such little effort by me resulted in such a great looking presentation.So, dear TUAWers, any Keynote lovers out there? Let us know in the comments what you like about Keynote, and what Apple should fix in the next version (which I bet will be announced at Macworld '07).
Apple offers $20 iLife '06 discount to .Mac customers
In their true spirit of integration, Apple has finally decided to offer .Mac customers a small kickback on the purchase of iLife '06 (just in time for that iLife '07 sting to really get ya in January). In Apple Stores or online, the .Mac blog has announced a $20 discount (it's a mail-in rebate if you purchase from anywhere else) on the purchase of either a single or family pack of iLife '06, bringing their respective prices down to $59 and $79. Not a bad deal considering these two services are joined at the hips. You can also walk - no need to run - as they've left the discount/rebate open for (most of) the holiday shopping season - it ends December 13th.
Google maps link buried in iPhoto
Bless those brave Mac folk, who I assume have lots of free time, that delve into the source of Apple's applications to see what they can see. A MacTelChat forum user took a spin around iPhoto and discovered that it can hold GPS data for images. This isn't anything new, granted, but when combined with the fact that they found both a reference to Google Maps and a hidden button labeled 'Show' in the info pane of a picture - let the rumors commence.Could this signal the much speculated partnership between Google and Apple?
.Mac's dramatic resurrection
Yesterday, we outlined just a few of the reasons we've become disenchanted with .Mac, focusing on mail, storage space, calendaring and synchronization. Today, we're going to look at what could be .Mac's dramatic resurrection. Like a Phoenix from the ashes, we all know that .Mac will rise again, better than ever before (because Steve and Co. just can't let it stagnate forever, right?). We're going to avoid the usual and more obvious .Mac wish-list items in this post, like increased storage space, a speedier iDisk, reliable synchronization and so on, and focus on all new, would-be features that could really knock our geeky socks off. Read on, after the jump.
iLife 06 Hot Tips are actually pretty handy
I saw a del.icio.us/popular bookmark fly past NetNewsWire for the GarageBand 3 Hot Tips section of Apple's site, and wondered if Apple started posting tricks in those pages that might actually be useful. Sure enough - they have. Check out the Hot Tips sections for iWeb, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD and GarageBand. I never knew, for example, that you could simply drag a clip from iMovie's clip bin or even timeline onto the QuickTime icon in the Dock to export and re-encode said clip. How about that musical typing keyboard in GarageBand, or the app's ability to tune your guitar or bass? These Hot Tips pages probably have a little something for all levels of iLife users, but feel free to post your own hidden gems that you've found if you think Apple missed something.
Apple releases iLife video tutorials
The tireless folks on the iLife team at Apple have released a very nice set of video tutorials for each of the suite's applications. You can browse the videos by topic, and move through each step-by-step clip easily. It's a great place to start getting you hands dirty with the iApps. Check it out (and go create something!).[Via Macworld UK]
Apple updates .Mac Learning Center
Here's some news from the official .Mac blog. Apple has gone in and completely redesigned the Learning Center, from the layout to the site's functionality. It looks pretty nice, with content divided into three major categories: ".Mac Quickstarts," "Mastering .Mac" and "Mastering Mac Software." Make a selection from the drop-down menu, and you're brought to the tutorial on your topic of choice (these tutorials look the same as they have been. Am I right, TUAWers?). While most of the tutorials may not offer much for veteran users, you may be able to pick up a useful nugget here or there.
iPhoto update available
Today Apple made iPhoto 6.0.4 available via software update. According to Apple:"This update to iPhoto contains a variety of new Greeting Card and Postcard themes for use with Apple print services, including invite and thank you card designs for summer parties, weddings, birthdays, etc."Go and get it, folks! As usual, let us know if you have any trouble.
Keep it Simple with GarageBand
Keep it Simple with GarageBand promises to teach you the ins and outs of Gargageband through a series of simple musical tasks. You start off my 'laying down of fresh tracks,' as people in the biz say, and you end up adding your vocals to the project. The best part is that each segment of the project is available for download, so you can compare what you have with what you should have. You'll be ready to rock out in no time flat. Watch out, Chemical Brothers!The books clocks in at 96 pages and will set you have $14.95 ($19.95 CAD).
Supposed MacBook ad accidentally posted to Apple site
See that pic up there? Word around the Internet is that it shows an ad for the upcoming MacBook laptop that Apple "accidentally" posted to its website before quickly taking it down. Nothing in this supposed screencap -- which shows a starting price of only $999 and black or white case options -- immediately screams fake to us (they gotta release the darn thing sometime), but then again, it wouldn't be very difficult to mock up something like this in Photoshop, either. Real, fake, we surely can't tell -- but if Apple doesn't show us the goods sometime this week, they're gonna have some serious 'splaining to do to their legions of anxious fans and weary tech bloggers.Update: Ah oui, comments on French site Mac4Ever confirm what most of you have already concluded, which is that this is no screencap but another Photoshop hoax.[Thanks, Phlash65]
iLifeStuff releases additional iWeb templates
A few weeks ago, we pointed to iLifeStuff, a site that creates alternate templates for Apple's iWeb. At the time, they had three templates available and they've since added three more: "Pink," "Light" and "Green." You can buy any individual template for $12.99US, or get all six for $29.99US.You can also find some great templates (and all-new page layouts) for iWeb at 11 Mystics (I really like this one).
Apple to release new in-store brochures, t-shirts
I'm delighted to see ifoAppleStore reporting that Apple will be releasing a new series of brochures and employee t-shirts in their retail stores to advertise the wide range of creative capabilities their Macs and software offer to consumers. The cover of the 12-page brochure (pictured) seems largely focused on advertising all the content-creating doors their award-winning iLife suite opens, while the inside of the brochure features various Apple Store employees wearing t-shirts with help-related slogans such as "I can help you go from shutterbug to photocaster."Other strong Apple Store advantages that the brochures boast are the various Creative, Genius and Mac Specialist employees staffed at the stores who are trained to accommodate the various interests, hobbies and professions that Mac users have. The brochures advertise many more unique facets of the Apple Store and Mac-buying experience, such as their free workshops and on-line Concierge appointment scheduling service. While I haven't been in an Apple Store in a while, all I remember from my past experience is advertising that was almost entirely focused on making me buy an iPod. It's great to see Apple putting their best foot forward with a campaign like this.[Thanks Benjamin Bowles]
iLifeStuff offers iWeb templates
If you're like me (impatient and easily distracted), you've already grown bored with the default iWeb templates. You should visit iLifeStuff. They've got three original iWeb templates for sale, namely, "Water," "Wood" and "Yellow." You can buy any individual template for $12.99US, or get all three for $29.99US.As for me, I'd love a design that says "kids" without the "cutesy."[Via MacMinute]
iWeb update simplifies URLs
The iLife Updates Apple released yesterday fixed a gripe some users (including myself) had with the new URL scheme that iWeb employed. With its original release, an iWeb site's URL was http://web.mac.com/username/iWeb/. Leaving that last /iWeb/ off the URL would result in a 404 error. While this isn't a big deal to some, it's just one extra quirky name to add to a URL. To those unfamiliar with the internets however, .Mac and iWeb could mess up, resulting in that exponentially increasing frustration that usually leads to users simply giving up on the endeavor.After installing the 1.0.1 update last night and making changes to some of my iWeb pages, I was pleased to see the URL in the "announce your site" confirmation window chopped down to simply http://web.mac.com/username. This not only makes the URL a little easier to remember and pass around, it also adds a bit more credibility to the URL, especially over the previous http://homepage.mac.com/username scheme.
TiVo Desktop for Mac v1.9.2
Hold on to your hats, Mac users. TiVo has released TiVo Desktop for Mac v1.9.2. According to TiVo, this update "...provides compatibility with Mac OS X 10.4." TiVo Desktop for the Mac lets you view the photos in your iPhoto library and listen to your iTunes music (mostly) on your TV via a networked TiVo. The requirements are: A networked TiVo Series2 DVR iTunes 3.0.1 or later required for music; iPhotos 5 or later required for photos; 400MHz G3 processor or better recommended 256MB RAM or more recommended There's still no official way for Mac users to transfer content from their TiVos to their Macs, but TiVo says that's forthcoming. Probably. Maybe. At a later date. Probably.[Via PVR Blog]Update: TUAW reader Dave Zatz has posted a couple nice screenshots of this new version. Thanks, Dave!
Stream iLife media to your Xbox 360
If you're one of the Crazy Ones who fought their way through hordes of game-addicted line-dwellers at Best Buy to get their hands on one of those swanky new Xbox 360s, this may interest you: Nullriver -- the same company that brought you Amaryllis and PSPWare -- has developed an app called Connect360 that actually lets you stream music and photos from your Mac to your Xbox 360. It automatically indexes your media, which you can then access over the network via your Xbox Dashboard. (But while it does index your iTunes library, I don't think it will play music purchased from the iTMS.) You can download a trial of Connect360 from Nullriver's website -- or you could purchase it for a measely $10. Give it a try and let us know how it works, ok? [via Gizmodo]
PictoGrab 1.1 supports photocasting
So you want to take part of the photocasting fun but you don't have a copy of iPhoto installed? Then check out RadicalBreeze's PictoGrab. It lets you subscribe to photocasts published with iPhoto '06. Just identify the feed you're interested in, designate a folder to hold the contained images and you're all set. You can also use PictoGrab to quickly grab all of the photos from a website, like a photoblog.PictoGrab costs $14.95 and requires Mac OS 10.4 or later. A free demo is available.
Integrate Aperture and iLife projects
If you are a photographer who works mostly in Apple's Aperture, you may have wished that you could access your projects from within the iLife applications instead of your iPhoto library. Aperture2iLife lets you do just that.Aperture2iLife takes care of converting your images from RAW files to JPEGs that the iLife apps (like iMovie and iDVD) can hand more easily. I don't have a copy of Aperture installed, so I couldn't try it out, and Aperture2iLife's site is a little scant with the details. Still, it looks pretty interesting. Aperture2iLife requires Mac OS 10.4 or later, iPhoto 6 and Aperture 1.0.1. There is a demo available, and a single license will cost you $19.95US.[Via Macsupport.ca]
Apple Pushing iLife '06 on Customers?
Imagine my dismay after getting a fat little pop-up ad for iLife '06 when launching iPhoto today. I really hate it when companies push non-free software updates on their customers. Yes, I know I can just shut up and click the "don't tell me again" button, but it still irks me.When I uncheck "Check for Software Updates" in my System Preferences -> Software Update, I naively hope that Apple doesn't bother me with software updates. While I'm on this topic, I feel like iTunes bugs me for updates too often as well, even though they are free. Perhaps I need to work in a different operating system today to counter my grouchiness.
Poking around with Photocasting
I've been playing around with the new photocasting feature of iPhoto '06 recently. Sadly, no one in my family has a copy of iLife '06, so I'm unable to take part of the fun. Not wanting to be left out, I've grabbed the RSS feeds of some of my Flickr contacts to add to iPhoto. It worked...kind of.For some reason, the Flickr feeds only display a user's ten most recent photos. Dave Chartier and I were messing around with this the other night, deep in the hermetically sealed TUAW offices, and we confirmed this suspicion when he updated his own Flickr pool (to which I had subscribed. Scary thought). You can try it out by subscribing to our "Rigs of the Day" Flickr feed [link].Subscribing to our TUAW news feed [link] pulls the twenty most recent photos from our posts, which is kind of weird because it leaves you with a bunch of out-of-context images.When publishing a photocast, your outgoing images end up in web/sites/iPhoto/ on your iDisk, and the images from subscribed photocasts land in home/Pictures/iPhoto Library/Data on your Mac (I'm glad to see that iPhoto's method of arranging its library is no longer a labyrinth of nested folders).It's definitely a cool thing, and if I were using it for its intended purpose (the grandparents in Florida) I'd probably love it. Are you publishing/subscribing to any 'casts?
