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Christmas gifts Apple could give me
It's the Holiday Season, and over the years I have happily spent a lot of my XMAS money with our favorite fruit named company. My love affair with Apple products goes back to the venerated Apple II. I do have a couple of PC laptops in the house, and of course I can also run Vista on VMWare Fusion, but I'm pretty much a Mac guy through and through. Always have been. Always will be.Nevertheless, I'd like to find some gifts from Apple under my tree this year. They are not big deals, but would be greatly appreciated. So Kris Kringle, if you're listening, pass these on to Mr. Jobs and friends. How about some documentation? I know Steve thinks books are dead, but in the old days Apple documentation was really first rate. Remember that old MacWrite manual? Apple, I know you are in the electronics business, but reading help files on a laptop screen that covers up the application I am trying to learn is a bit of a pain. When you release an update to an iPod, iPhone or OS X how about telling me what the update really does. I know you have gotten better at this, but why should people have to guess all the features and fixes that you have put in? Just own up to it and trust your customers. Find another partner in addition to AT&T for the iPhone. My phone is a great product that is significantly damaged by an inferior, unreliable network. To me, "more bars in more places" means I'm looking for bars to find a stiff drink so I can recover from my frustration with dropped calls, poor signal strength, and sporadic 3G coverage. A lot of your products get really warm. My MacBook Pro can be a sizzler on my lap. My Mac Pro keeps my office pretty warm, and I don't need those high temperatures since I'm in Arizona. Don't get me started on the Apple TV. I do think it is a great product, but I'm thinking I could make a fondue on that top surface. There is no fan in the Apple TV and when I put it in standby to spin down the hard drive it wakes up by itself paying no attention to my command. If I want to be ignored, I can walk into any Home Depot. (Update: Some users say the Apple TV does have a fan. I regret the error. It's still too darned hot!) OK. it's not a big list, but it's a list just the same. What's on yours? And to all, a good night!
Microsoft signals some improvements in Windows Vista SP2, still not moist and chewy
It hasn't been too awfully long since Windows Vista SP1 hit the intertubes for real, but the Vista team is already talking up SP2. Granted, we all know Redmond is focused on moving beyond all of this Vista hoopla and forging ahead with Windows 7, but there's apparently still some work to do on the outfit's current OS. Unfortunately, the latest update isn't exactly enthralling, as we're given no set time frame for launch and we're not shown any forthcoming changes that really get our juices flowing. For instance, Vista SP2 will add Windows Search 4.0 for faster and improved relevancy in searches, the Bluetooth 2.1 Feature Pack, ability to natively record data on Blu-ray media and Windows Connect Now (WCN) to simplify WiFi configuration. Wait, did you just yawn? You did. We saw it.
Bungie acceptance video teases new Halo goodies
Bungie could have strutted all the way back to home base with the "2nd Annual Halo 3 award for Interactive Innovation" without saying a word, but the developer was graceful enough to record an extremely cool acceptance video taped somewhere within the Halo universe. And it looks like it's filled with some new Halo goodness.Are these some teasing tidbits about a possible Map Editor? Check out that last shot when our soldier pal lobs a plasma grenade towards the camera. Verrrrrrrry interesting. It's definitely a lot more robust-looking than Halo 3's Forge editor. Also, those look like new AI models of past cast members ... including Cortana. Playable models? In-game NPCs that'll be on your squad? Cats and dogs, living together? Who knows. What's for sure is that Bungie is saying "the ride isn't over yet."
Major changes to TR PvP in the works
It's a PvPers delight today, as Tabula Rasa's Feedback Friday features a cameo from designer Chris Strasz. He's stepped in this week to reassure players that the design team is paying attention to the complaints about TR's fragmented PvP system, and there are fixes on the way that he hopes will improve the experience considerably. A big portion of the fixes he talks about have to do with the way that clans function. They're looking to fix many of the smaller problems that have plagued clan participation in the past, such as fixing the problem of leaderless clans and improving the clan roster window to allow players to see when clanmates were last active, as well as providing new incentives to participate like passive buffs.They're also looking to overhaul the nature of PvP itself. They're hoping to roll out a new system of "PvP contracts" where players, squads, and clans can map out a set number of rules before engaging in Wargames. As the system exists now, squads had to sort of amiably agree to rules before fighting, and with this new system, hopefully they'll be able to write the rules in stone instead of relying on voluntary cooperation. And of course, they're looking to more ably integrate PvP into the main part of the game with clan-captured CPs and the like. While I welcome these sorts of changes, the PvP crowd is notoriously hard to please, and one wonders whether their efforts might not be better directed somewhere where they're more likely to be appreciated... like, I don't know, PvE?
City of Heroes server improvement details
The City of Heroes team announced in their 2008 "State of the Game" post that there we some server upgrades coming soon in preparation of double experience weekend and Valentine's Day events. Considering that the end of January is nearly a week away, you may be wondering just exactly when all these upgrades are going to happen. The answer is soon, very soon. Beginning today (on January 22nd) the server upgrades start. Keep in mind that with each server getting an overhaul it's no normal weekly maintenance. You can expect server downtime to be spread out over different servers for the next two days as well. Champion, Guardian, Justice, Protector and Virtue (also, the training server) are all going down for the first round of upgrades today. Then, tomorrow all servers not upgraded today go down as well. Thankfully, there's a handy forum post concerning all downtimes this week. Expect some more upgrade downtime next week as well, according to the NCsoft Norcal developer post.
MailTags 2.2 public beta 3
MailTags has received some attention at TUAW. If you're already a fan, you'll be very excited about the MailTags 2.2 Public Beta 3 that was released today. If you're not a current user, this might be a great time to check out a plugin that improves on Mail.app by allowing comments, tags, projects and other metadata to be attached to any message (among other perks). Version 2.2pb3 introduces "MailTags Extras", which appears to be a plugin architecture for MailTags. It comes bundled with a first round of these extras, which include functionality for iCal Events and Todos and a quick way to color messages with a swatch palette in the sidebar. And as extras, these features can be individually disabled or uninstalled. Throw in some fixes for things like tagging issues, working with preferences and conflicts with other plugins and this is a release worth talking about. With a final release scheduled for this month, this beta is maturing an already great plugin. MailTags 2.2 (Leopard) will be a free upgrade for registered 2.0 and 2.1 users, and the beta is available now.
Leveling improvements for Patch 2.3
Are you in the midst of leveling a character between 20 and 60? Well right now is the time to stop everything, rush over to this forum post from Blizzard, and sing a happy song while you hurry up and wait! That's right, in answer to the crying pleas of casual alt-oholics everywhere, Blizzard is finally speeding up the tedious leveling curve for old world content in patch 2.3, adding in a bunch of new quests, nerfing a lot of the nastiest bad guys, and buffing a whole bunch of the items they drop.Here's a summarized list of the changes, with the full post by Vaneras copied for you beyond the link below. Amount of experience needed to level reduced by 15% per level between 20 and 60. Experience gained from completing quests increased between levels 30 and 60. Outdoor elite quests will now now be soloable, with the same (or better) rewards. About 60 new quests and a new goblin town based in Dustwallow Marsh (levels 30 to 40) Level ranges for old dungeons to be narrowed down a bit (so that if you are high enough to start them, you are high enough to finish them too) Increased questing experience for dungeon quests. Buffed up item drops from dungeon bosses. As Vaneras says, "Though we've given you a few examples of the things to come, we think everyone will pleasantly surprised when they see the full extent of the changes discussed above." Keep reading to see all the juicy details.
MailTags 2.1.1 available now
Scott Morrison sends word that MailTags, the Mail plugin that lets you both tag your emails and connect them directly up to iCal, has hit 2.1.1. The 2.1 release came a few days ago, and introduced incoming reply tagging-- whenever you sent out a message with tags on it, the reply that came back automatically received the same tags-- and the 2.1.1 update improves that feature. You can now tag an outgoing message as "expect reply," and MailTags can notify you through Growl and with highlighting that the reply has arrived.The release also includes an example AppleScript that lets you use a "killed" tag to mark a message and any incoming replies to it as read-- if a thread has ceased to be important to you, you can ignore it completely. Bugfixes involving iCal interaction have also been implemented, and a column sizing interface improvement has been added.The 2.1.1 update is a maintenance update and available for free to MailTags users over at the website. If you haven't bought the plugin yet, you can get it here for $29.95.
iPhone's latest update improving WiFi and camera?
Despite the fact that we had a bit of trouble with the latest iPhone update, some users are reporting drastically improved WiFi reception and camera performance since installing v1.0.2. Although Apple didn't exactly go into detail about what "bug fixes" were being addressed, a number of posters on various forums are apparently thrilled with the boost in WiFi reception and the "vast improvement in the camera's live video update." Of course, it's very possible that these betterments are simply due to differing circumstances in use before and after the update, so we'll leave it up you: have you noticed any drastic meliorations since the update, or is this stuff just all in our head?[Via MacNN]Read - Latest iPhone update boosts WiFi reception, say ownersRead - iPhone WiFi improvementsRead - iPhone camera improvements
Verizon planning Q4 update to FiOS TV 2.0
Though some of you may still be more comfortable referring to FiOS TV 2.0 as the Interactive Media Guide (IMG), Verizon will reportedly be dishing out a "maintenance release" at the end of this year to whichever you decide to call it. According to John Czwartacki, users can look forward to seeing a number of enhancements to the IMG come Q4, several of which include: Scaled video while you are in the menus finding the next show or movie to watch. Better program information with richer descriptions. New reminder system, for future TV shows or PPV events. Efficient way to flip through your favorite channels while hiding others. Better management of your DVR settings and schedule. Expanded help topics, and more video tutorials. Also of note, 2008 could hold in store "games and the ability to program the DVR remotely," and for those who have been waiting patiently in Massachusetts for the IMG to hit home, your wait is dangerously close to ceasing.[Via ZatzNotFunny]
Transmit 3.5.4 released
Transmit, Panic's FTP client that I firmly believe was coded by angels, has been updated to version 3.5.4. They offer detailed release notes, but the cliff notes include SFTP error improvements, upload/download error and Growl notification fixes, navigation tweaks and much more.Transmit 3.5.4 is a free update and available from Panic's site.
Firefox 1.5.0.4 released
I swear, if developers keep adding decimals to their versioning systems, I might just have to start a petition or something. Firefox 1.5.0.4.3.2.1.12 is available with "improvements to product stability" and several security enhancements. I believe it should be available via Firefox 1.5's built-in updating system, or simply from Mozilla's Firefox page.[note: extra '.3.2.1.12' added for humor. Not intended as a real software versioning system - yet]
Weekend Review: this week's software
Grab a cup of coffee and get your downloading mice ready ladies and gents; this week's software review is coming at you:Shareware AppZapper 1.5: minor fixes and improvements ChatFX: spice up your iChat video conferences TextExpander 1.3 (formerly Textpander): an essential utility gets even better QuarkXPress 7 (yawn): but the Universal is still in beta SubEthaEdit 2.5: the much loved collaborative text editor and code-ninja tool receives AppleScript-ability, bug fixes Videator: be careful when using it to spice up your videos iComment 4.1: maintenance release and compatibility with iWeb 1.1.x DivX 6.5: Universal (and free) player along with a retail price encoder for indie video codec Donationware/Freeware Bricksmith (donationware): virtual legos on your Mac. I dare you to name something cooler Safari Tidy (free): plug-in to check sites for XHTML compliance CoreDuoTemp 0.8 (free): maintenance fix for utility to keep track of temp, CPU usage and frequency on Intel Macs MappingService (donationware): get a map from any app SmackBook (free): hilarious hack for multi-desktop management utility Proxi 1.0 (free): broader app support for application automation utility from Griffin Open Source Maintenance 3.5: minor updates to fantastic Automator action/AppleScript Password Assistant: hook into Keychain Access to easily create complicated passwords Books: feature-rich book catalogging Free Updates iWeb 1.1.1: hopefully those publishing woes have been vanquished Xcode 2.3: Apple's premiere code-ninja tool receives enhancements and bug fixes Logic Express 7.2.1: maintenance release Universal Binary Delibar 0.8 (donationware): My personal favorite del.icio.us menubar bookmark utility
Software Update: Pages and Keynote (iWork '06)
If you're an iWork '06 user, Software Update has a couple of presents for you: Pages 2.0.1 and Keynote 3.0.1. About the Pages update (direct link): "addresses issues with charts and image adjust. It also addresses a number of other minor issues."About Keynote's update (link): "addresses issues with three-dimensional charts and textures. It also addresses a number of other minor issues. This update should be installed on all computers that share your Keynote 3.0 files, so that textures display properly."Enjoy.
