productivity
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Journler 2.1 beta previews massive upgrade
Philip Dow has announced a significant update to Journler, his feature-packed writing/digital junk drawer app that topped my list of apps that help you get organized. As far as what's new, Philip stated in the beta download forum thread that there are simply too many changes to list (hopefully he means 'for now'), so he's taken the 'push some buttons and have fun!' route. At first glance, the app has obviously joined many others in the new realm of the Unified toolbar, and the rest of the UI has received a lot of polish. Unparalleled iLife integration is better than ever with a dedicated button for calling various media browsers in the bottom right of the window, and a new in-line resources panel on the right helps you to keep track of all the images, audio, video and documents you have linked and embedded in the present entry.I'm sure a lot more has been added to an already excellent app, and the discussion is ensuing in this Journler forum thread, where you can also download a copy of the beta. Lastly, Journler's license has also received an update. It's still donationware for personal use (and I highly encourage you to show Philip some love for all his hard work if you're using it), but a $24.95 license - a steal at that price, especially in comparison to Yojimbo or SOHO Notes - is now required for any institutions, businesses, organizations or individuals who are using Journler in their daily routines and/or simply making money with it. It's a pretty straight-forward request, and more information is available in either a Journler preference pane, or on the web here.Journler is an excellent app that I highly recommend if you're tired of leaving text files and images lying around. Check out its extensive feature list, and keep in mind it hasn't been updated for all the new goodies in the 2.1 beta.
Yojimbo 1.3 brings tagging, loads of new features
Late last week, Bare Bones released an update to their excellent junk drawer app, Yojimbo, bringing it up to verison 1.3. I was going to post about it, but a hiccup in my database was preventing me to use the new version (I blame recent .Mac errors, as I'm having all sorts of syncing issues with other apps). Now that I've settled everything, however, I can honestly say this is one of the most pleasing and significant updates to a strong application. In addition to the typical bug fixes and behavior tweaks (you can see the extensive list of changes here), one of the many major additions is tags - users can now tag notes in Yojimbo, complete with support for searching by tags and smart tag collections (and a new Tags management panel in the preferences. Peep the screenshot:As you can see, not only did Bare Bones add tag support, but they did it right. Tags are separated by commas as opposed to restrictive spaces (I'm looking at you, del.icio.us), and yes - that's a Tag Collection you see below my Serial Numbers group (bonus points for still allowing users to change a Tag Collection's folder icon via the Inspector). I honestly can't say enough good things about the addition of tags to Yojimbo, but I need to leave room for the other major additions I mentioned, such as list and table formatting in notes, easy link creation (for both URLs and file system links), a new UI for the Item Details bar (which you can see includes an area for tags), and much, much more. If you're a Yojimbo user, or someone who's still looking for a good junk drawer app, I highly recommend this new version, as Yojimbo is really beginning to shape up well.
KeyCue 2.1
I am a keyboard command junkie but there are only so many shortcuts I can remember from day to day. That's why I started using KeyCue a year or so ago and I highly recommend it to anyone who relies on keyboard shortcuts but has trouble remembering the many hundreds that are available at any given time - which, face it, is most of you.KeyCue gives you an instant overview of all the menu shortcuts available to whatever application you are working in. You trigger it with the Command/Apple key and there you have all the shortcuts you need at a glance.Ergonis, the developer of KeyCue, is also the dev behind PopChar, which many of you probably already know and love. KeyCue is for keyboard menu shortcuts what PopChar is for special characters.KeyCue 2.1 is the latest update and requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or newer and it's Universal Binary. It's $20 to buy, but you can try it for free. The upgrade to 2.1 is also free for anyone who bought KeyCue in the last 2 years.
TUAW Podcast #12: Quicksilver and iCal
There wasn't much podcast-worthy news to chat about last week, so we thought it was the perfect time to do something different and bring you the first TUAW screencast evar! In this podcast (netcast!), I demonstrate that trick we covered last month of how to add iCal events and todos from Quicksilver, and I've ironed out a few details for a much more usable process. I figured this would be a great way to demonstrate some of Quicksilver's unique power with purty moving pictures, instead of the typical non-moving pictures. This screencast clocks in at 7:32, and it's 21MB of H.264 goodness.Speaking of goodness, we're soliciting feedback on this screencast (as if you need to be asked). This is my first screencast, so it's a little rough around the edges. I sound a lot better podcasting-wise, though I'm still working on picking up a Samson USB mic that reader Jules Stoop recommended, especially since I've seen it written up as *the* killer podcasting mic (I'm trying to find a good deal, since $80 is a little steep right now). But let us know what you think: too fast? Too slow? Do I sound like a muppet? I have a lot to learn about moving video between the big suites, as I have some good After Effects skills I could've used to spice this up, but I couldn't find a decent codec to preserve the quality when exporting the edited video out of Final Cut Pro (I especially am accepting workflow feedback on this topic). Rest assured, this is at the top my todos (pun intended!) for the next screencast, so I'll be able to add all sorts of flying text and 3D space aliens.But that's enough chatter for now: here's a direct link to TUAW Podcast #12, another link to our iTS podcast feed, and of course: our good ol' fashioned raw RSS feed.Update: Our iTS feed had a little bug that prevented this video from making the list, but it has since been fixed. Podcast #12 is ready to roll from the iTS Podcast Directory, so head over and grab a copy!
Packrat v0.91 now does list reordering
Packrat, for those not in the know, is the only full-fledged Backpack desktop client I've ever seen, and it's especially killer because it does offline editing for all your Backpack items and pages. Its developer, Rod Schmidt, just added a key new feature that's been on everyone's request list, including mine: list reordering. This new v0.91 has a simple keyboard shortcut (cmd-r) which presents a sheet with any and all lists on a page, offering drag-and-drop reordering goodness. Packrat is a Universal Binary and available from infiniteNIL Software for a mere $24.95. A free demo allowing the first 4 pages of your Backpack account is also available.
iBiz beta 3 available
I just noticed that my favorite freelancing app, iBiz, is now in a v3 beta phase. At first glance the most notable change is that brushed metal has been given the pink slip, but there is a veritable storm of new features under the hood, including: a Document Monitor so iBiz can keep track of project files and how much time you spend on each iCal syncing via Sync Services - goodbye to manual lifting a Billing Section for more better tracking of invoices, estimates, payments and deposits new job events to help track commute mileage, as well as 'non-billable' for the freebies AppleScript and Automator support - if they keep this up, your clients won't even need you anymore Quick Timers and an improved menu bar utility HTML templates with full-blown CSS support and a ton more. iBiz went universal a while ago, and users of previous version can upgrade to 3 for a mere $19.99, though its retail price has increased from $29.99 to $49.99 (in my opinion, from tinkering with this beta: it's still more than worth it). iBiz Server, for multi-employee and computer environments, is $89.99, which includes two client licenses.
Forget the 30 inch monitor, get multiple monitors
Remember that study which Apple commissioned that championed the benefits of using one gigantic monitor (a 30 inch Cinema Display, of course)? Well, some productivity experts are questioning the validity of that report's claims. They say that having one big monitor does increase productivity, but not as much as the report would have you believe. Furthermore, the experts contend that using 2, or more, displays is a much more effective means to enhance productivity.What does the wisdom of the crowd say?
Get that distraction-free, uncluttered desktop with latest MacBreak
It seems there are two slowly diverging schools of thought in terms of working on a Mac: to multi-task, or not to. While an independent (though Apple-commissioned) study has been released supporting the increased productivity theory via larger displays and more stuff on-screen at once, not everyone sits in the same camp. Merlin Mann of 43folders is one of those campers who is thinking different, and Russell from our sister-blog DV Guru dropped a note to say the latest episode of MacBreak (iTS link) features Leo and Mr. Mann waxing ecstatic on all things uncluttered and distraction-free. They cover techniques and tweaks for clearing your workspace in the Finder, as well as using 3rd party tools like our TUAW-favorite Quicksilver, Spirited Away (which we've covered) and MenuShade from Nullriver Software (scroll down, it's under their Open Source section).While I myself am firmly rooted in the 'more on screen = productivity' camp, I am a big fan of enabling users to work the way they need to, and I think this is a nice, quick video (it's only 4:20) to get started with the digital zen art of working clutter-free.
Midnight Inbox v0.9.5
Since we first heard about it a month ago, Midnight Inbox has been improving by leaps and bounds. One only needs to check Midnight Beep Softwork's development blog to get updated on all the changes and improvements (far too many to thoroughly list here), but put simply: a lot of performance and stability improvements have been made and the UI has received a significant update. Midnight Beep has been keeping a very open ear to user feedback, and they have a lot of cool features coming down the pipeline, such as: iCal syncing, printing of hipster PDA cards, archiving, live filters and search, support for Quicksilver, Automator and AppleScript and of course - language localizations.For beating some heavier hitters to market with what is quite possibly the first true GTD app, Midnight Inbox certainly doesn't look too shabby, and neither does its $35 price tag. Check out Midnight Beep Softwork's site for more details and to take a demo for a spin.
kGTD author enthusiastic about OmniFocus
Ethan J. A. Schoonover, author of kGTD, has exhaled enthusiastically on his blog about the Omni Group's recently announced teased OmniFocus. Apparently, the Omni ninjas actually brought Schoonover out to their Seattle headquarters (along with Merlin Mann of the ever-productive 43folders) earlier this year for some good ol' fashioned brainstormin' and idea wranglin', and from the sounds of things, he's pretty excited about what's in store. Ethan had nothing but good things to say about his experience and the Omni folk, and explains that this natural and evolutionary collaboration with the Omni Group couldn't have happened at a better time, as his next logical step was to turn kGTD into a full-blown Cocoa app anyway (as opposed to the series of bolt-on, awkwardly installed AppleScripts it is now).Ethan refrained from offering any salvation from the dark, torturous and detail-less dungeon the Omni Group has already enslaved us in, but check out his Hold breath. Exhale. Focus blog post for some more bits and pieces about his experience, and some inspiring (though still incredibly vague) details of what's in store for OmniFocus.
How To: Add a new iCal event from Quicksilver
A while ago we covered Quicksilver plugins for Gmail and Google Calendar, allowing you to send an email or create a new event (respectively) right from within Quicksilver's interface. If you aren't a Google Calendar user though, Quicksilver also offers the same kind of plugin for iCal. Somehow I lost this in my bloggable bookmarks, but last month Tim Gaden at Hawk Wings broke down the syntax for adding an event to iCal with this plugin, and it's really pretty simple. When entering text, the event is written like so: name of event - date and time name of todo - date and time !!! name of todo - date and time (exclamation points add priority. Two for 'important,' three for 'where's the panic button?!') Tim's post says to type the date and time first, but I've found that this plugin also includes the date and time in the event/todo's title. However, it can still properly place the event if you simply swap the two pieces and type the name first, which allows you to keep more legible event names. Also, this plugin has the handy ability of specifying a calendar to add the new event/todo.Here's an example of how to make this work in Quicksilver if you're a little confused. Obviously, you need to install the iCal plugin if you don't have it, and you can get it from QS's plugin preference pane. Here's how this breaks down, and I have the steps pictured above: Invoke QS, press period to get a text entry pane, and type something like: "dinner and a movie - 9/30/06 6:00 pm" (sans quotes) Tab over to the second pane where you must specify you want to turn this text into an iCal event. I type 'ic' to find an iCal event, and 'ict' for a todo, but as always with QS, YMMV Tab over once more to have your choice of calendars, and press the right arrow key to get a drop down list of all your calendars, or simply start typing to find one of their names. Fortunately, since you've already chosen a specific action in the middle pane, only your calendars are listed in the third pane That's it; if you're an appointment and todo junkie, this should take a sizable bite out of your daily mousing. The one catch so far is that it doesn't seem possible to add reminders through this method, but if you find a way, feel free to share with the class.
Calgoo "first draft" takes Google Calendar offline, sorta
Our friends over at Download Squad reviewed Calgoo, an offline Google Calendar client, last month. The reason we didn't pick it up is simply because it didn't run on Mac OS X at the time. Recently that changed, so here we go - but it is very apparent why they call this a first draft (as opposed to 'beta' or even 'pre-alpha').Calgoo appears to be a Java app, or at least need it for something under the hood, and as you can see: it isn't quite on the Mac OS X side of the GUI fence. For some odd reason, users must register at Calgoo's site (which I begrudgingly did in the name of blogging) in order to be able to download and actually use the app. The actual setup is pretty straight forward, and syncing seemed to run well (a 'Message Log' tab in the upper right lets you keep an eye on activity), but navigating Calgoo's UI is anything but intuitive. Like Jason at Download Squad, I too couldn't see any of my appointments until I figured out their obscure calendar list in the lower left corner (hint: you can select and view individual calendars, or click at the top of the list to view them all. Why it's an actual process to get even any of your calendars to appear is anyone's guess). There are various other quirks and perks, such as Calgoo running on Mac, PC and Linux, event tagging/filtering and the fact that it downloads your Gmail buddies for easy attendance listing, but I was happy to see what is perhaps the most significant feature of Calgoo work like a charm: syncing with Google Calendar. I created a couple basic events in Calgoo and one in gCal, then synced. Once the dust settled, everything was reassuringly in order across both places, so at least that's a good selling point at this 'first draft' stage - cuz that UI sure won't be winning any Apple Design Awards anytime soon.So would I recommend Calgoo? Yes and no. If you're just gaga for gCal, sure - it seems like a decent client, but there's definitely a UI learning curve. However, this seems to be the only app I've seen that has put a good foot forward in accomplishing such a task as truly synchronizing with Google Calendar, so I'll tip my hat to Calgoo and hope to see what tidings its evolution brings.
Want to be more productive? Get a 30 inch Apple Cinema Display
Whenever I go into an Apple Store I quickly locate the 30 inch displays and look at them for awhile. Silently I think, 'One day, oh yes, one day you will be mine.' It seems Apple is encouraging that kind of thing (who would have thought?). Apple commissioned Pfeiffer Consulting, an independent technology consulting firm, to look at the productivity gains that come along with using a big old monitor (specifically a 30 inch Apple Cinema HD Display).Not too surprisingly the study (PDF link) finds that a larger monitor results in a productivity boost across the board. The boost isn't just limited to more artistic pursues, people using mainly productivity apps (like Office) also saw a boost.I wonder if my blogging would benefit from a couple of 30 inch Cinema HD Displays. Where did I put that corporate card?
Strange new sidebar shortcuts in iTunes 7
A post at Mac OS X Hints lists some bizarre shortcuts that appear to be new in iTunes 7. The shortcuts apply to selecting the various content sections such as Music, Movies and the Store, but what's strange is that if you have any playlists which begin with the same letter as the shortcut, the playlist takes precedence. For example: the letter M (amongst others) can take you to your Movies section, but if you have a playlist titled "Mashups," the letter M will take you to the playlist, not the major content section.These shortcuts are very strange indeed, and it would be nice to have a more unified and universal list tucked away under a menu somewhere, so the shortcuts worked no matter what you were doing in iTunes, or what was selected. Still, if you're interested, check out Mac OS X Hint's list of shortcuts found so far.
Hazel - automated file management
Hazel is one of those rare pieces of software (with a strange name) that feels like it's filling a gaping feature void I didn't even know Apple left in Mac OS X: it's a powerful, rule-based file and folder management app that brings a little bit of Automator, AppleScript and Folder Actions to the table in a way that none of those apps and features do well on their own. Hazel installs as a System Preferences Pane and, as you can see, allows you to build a list of folders on the left with a list of toggle-able rules on the right. The on/off switch on these rules is key, as they make it easy to switch between running certain kinds of rules on a folder for different workflows, jobs, times of the day or week.
43 Folders rounds up best iCal tips
Merlin Mann of 43 Folders may be "shaking [his] hammy fist in impotent rage at iCal's numerous shortcomings," but he's still a devout user and has rounded up some of the best iCal-related tips to come across 43F to prove it. A couple of the tips, of course, center around that GTD (Getting Things Done) working philosophy that's such a hit in the nerd circles of the internets these days, but a couple others offer simple tricks for naming events and organizing tasks in more useful and creative ways, sans-GTD. If you've been looking for a little extra oompf in your scheduling workflow but aren't quite down for the full-blown systems and apps that are available, these tips might open some productivity doors for you.
TextExpander 1.4 released
SmileOnMyMac has released TextExpander 1.4, an update to their customizable typing utility that allows users to assign keywords to snippets of text, ultimately saving gobs of time in re-typing things like phrases, websites, signatures and more. New features in this indispensable tool include: User-specified delimiters ("Set Delimiters..." button in Preferences tab) Import comma and tab-delimited text, RTF, and RTFD files Choose TextExpander or Textpander style menu bar icon in Preferences Sort snippets by date created (helps when locating import groups) Sort snippets by date modified (helps when tracking recent changes) Also of note on TextExpander's new features list at VersionTracker is 'Mac OS X 10.4 required,' but I don't know if that's a new feature in this particular version or of the actual product switchover from the old Textpander.Either way, this is a free upgrade and is available from SmileOnMyMac, as is a fully functional 30-day demo.[UPDATE: Jean from SmileOnMyMac let us know in the comments that this new 1.4 version is, in fact, Tiger-only. The 1.3.1 version which still works on Panther (10.3.9) is still available from their site. Thanks Jean!]
TUAW Tip: enable the AppleScript menu
As I was working on an AppleScript-related post this morning, I couldn't seem to find any TUAW Tips in our vast archives that explained how to enable that AppleScript menubar item (pictured) that is mentioned so often in Mac software circles. This, of course, called for just such a tip.So: the AppleScript menubar item. It's a very handy tool for accessing all those AppleScripts you hear about that automate this or toggle that. As long as you save those scripts in ~/Library/Scripts (where ~ is your Home folder), they'll appear in this AppleScript menu - once you've enabled it. I personally think this menu item should be included in the default set of every Mac, but I'd wager that Apple sees this as a little too nerdy of a feature to drop on brand new users. Fair enough.To enable this menu (nerd) in Tiger, go to /Applications/Applescript and open the AppleScript Utility. It offers a few options for handling AppleScripts, including turning on this menu and the order in which the menu displays scripts from both the default system level /Library/Scripts (in your main hard drive) and your personal ~/Library/Scripts folder. If you're on 10.3 (Panther), I *think* you have an /Applications/AppleScript folder, but instead of a full-blown AppleScript Utility app, it's an AppleScript called 'Install Menu' or something similar. Back on Tiger in the AppleScript Utility - you don't worry about the GUI Scripting option unless you come across a script that specifically needs it, though I don't think enabling this for simplicity's sake can harm anything either.If this process went according to plan, you should now have your very own AppleScript menubar item like I have in the screenshot here. clicking it will offer a simple menu of all the scripts you have between the two directories you chose to display. As long as you enabled your personal Home script directory, any scripts you save there should appear in this menu immediately after saving, ready to carry out your bidding.With that said, why not check out some of our past AppleScript posts, such as one of my personal favorites: an AppleScript from Fraser Speirs that opens iSync, syncs all your devices (such as a phone or PDA), then quits iSync. If you use an application launcher such as Quicksilver, you can tie handy scripts like these to Triggers (system-wide keyboard shortcuts) for even more convenience.
Packrat 0.87 released with page link editing, creation
Packrat, an offline Backpack client that I just can't say enough about, has been updated to version 0.87. Though it is another minor version point update, it features the ability to edit links, including dragging one page onto another to create a link. With all its other abilities of editing pages, tags, lists, and notes, as well as being able to create new lists and notes, Packrat is becoming a more powerful client by the day.Packrat is a Universal Binary, with a demo available, while a licenses costs $24.95.
TUAW Tip: shortcuts for display, audio and keyboard preferences
This simple tip was actually sent to us by TUAW reader Zoli Honig. It works on my MacBook Pro, and I assume other portables: if you hold the option key while pressing any of the F-key shortcuts for display brightness, keyboard brightness or audio volume settings, System Preferences will open and take you straight to the relevant preference pane. I don't know if this is Mac OS X Tiger only, and I don't have desktop machine to test with, so if you're still on Panther or using some kind of desktop Mac, feel free to share whether this tip works on your machines in the comments.
