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New Packrat version adds true list and note creation
A new Packrat version (version 0.84 build 220) has enabled 100% edit-ability of lists and notes on pages, including the create of new lists and notes on pages that previously had none. To facilitate this, a new 'Action' button has been added to Packrat's toolbar, containing 'create new note/list' commands for your productivity pleasure.To find out more about the update, check the blog of Rod Schmidt, Packrat's developer.
iPod.iTunes: powerful library synchronization
iPod.iTunes offers 8 different ways of synchronizing your iTunes library and playlists between both devices, giving you powerful control over what files are moved where and how. All formats are supported, including MP3, AAC, protected AAC (iTMS purchases), Audible books, and video files. PC-formatted iPods are compatible, and all metadata such as your song ratings, play count and album art are preserved in the transfer. This is a great utility for anyone in need of an easy method to clone an iPod, keep iTunes libraries on different Macs in sync or simply back up your iPod's library if it's the only place you keep all your media (Apple sadly doesn't provide a way of doing this).Check out the full list of features of everything iPod.iTunes is capable of. Another handy trick this app performs is that it can live and run directly from your iPod, in which case your registration ($35 USD) travels with you. A demo is available from crispSofties.
FoldersSynchronizer v3.6 goes Universal
FoldersSynchronizer, the backup and sync utility from softtoBe, has been updated to version 3.6, with the addition of Universal Binary status. This is one of the first backup utilities I ever found - I subsequently bought a license way back in the day and it's always done the trick for me since. I've never seen it appear on any 'best utilities' lists, but its extensive feature set seems to match most of the other similar apps I've seen. Users can back up an entire Mac OS X volume and make it bootable. In addition, FoldersSynchronizer has extensive support for multiple backup sessions and configurations, synchronizing directories as well as backing up, setting backup timers, automounting volumes, filtering files and much more.A demo of FoldersSynchronizer is available, while a full license will cost $40.
Packrat update brings more Backpack editing, bug fixes
Packrat, the offline editing and syncing client for Backpack, has been updated to version 0.83 build #206 (I know, it isn't as pretty as 'Packrat 2.0', but you'll live). More editing abilities have been added, as you can now delete emails you have sent to Backpack pages, edit the page title and body and rename pages simply by double-clicking them in the page list on the left. For more details of what's new and fixed, check out Rod Schmidt's blog (the developer).A demo that allows you to view and edit four of your Backpack pages is available, while a full license will cost you $24.95 from infiniteNIL Software.
JungleDisk offers a far cheaper, cross-platform, encrypted iDisk
JungleDisk is quite possibly the first serious, easy to set up alternative I've seen to Apple's .Mac iDisk. Using the power of WebDAV, JungleDisk allows you to mount an online, syncing hard drive (with various size options available) on Mac OS X, Windows and Linux, and save and access data to and from it as if you were working with files in a local folder on your desktop. This is all run through Amazon's S3 online storage web service, which is "based on the idea that quality Internet-based storage should be taken for granted". As an extra kick-in-the-pants to .Mac's iDisk, data sent to and from your JungleDisk is encrypted. A software package is available for each OS to make installation and setup a snap.Pricing is spectacularly low, though I'm slightly confused as to how billing works. They truly mean: "pay only for what you use" - there isn't a flat monthly or yearly fee for your storage and bandwidth. Instead, on their pricing page, they state that you are charged $0.15 USD per gigabyte of storage per month, and $0.20 USD per gigabyte of data transfer. They offer a convenient pricing chart on their main page to compare with other services.I'm already a .Mac customer right now, as I like the integration of all their other services. But JungleDrive sounds like a great alternative for those who only want the ease of use of an iDisk. If you have already used this service or will try it out soon (bonus points for more than one platform), please feel free to comment on your experience.[via ~stevenf]
NetNewsWire 2.1b36 fixes server/network, news updating issues
As if Ranchero employed hundreds of little coder gnomes who work around the clock, the company has cranked out yet another beta release of NetNewsWire 2.1 to fix news updating issues. Turns out NNW's ability to grab news might experience some quirks if NewsGator syncing became flaky, so this release is targeted at fixing the issue.By now you probably know the drill; you can grab your copy at their beta page.
Packrat 0.8 - edit Backpack lists, display images
In mid-April, Rod Schmidt asked for feedback as to whether he should release editing features in Packrat, his Backpack syncing client, as he develops them. From what I saw, the response was largely in favor of doing so, and yesterday Rod announced on his blog that Packrat 0.8 has taken the first step in this direction. Users can now edit lists in Packrat, then sync up the changes to their Backpack account. This new version can also display inline images (but not linked images) as long as you've already downloaded them, of course. This is a pretty big deal if you're a Backpack fan, especially since I'm fairly certain Packrat is the first app that has this kind of potential to become a true, offline-capable Backpack client.Swing on by infiniteNIL Software to grab a demo of Packrat, a license will cost $24.95. If you want to get involved or offer some feedback, be sure to check out the Packrat discussion group and and Rod Schmidt's blog for development updates.
Tips on removing apps from the Sync Services database
If you've ever installed an app that can take advantage of .Mac syncing services and then stopped using it or removed it for one reason or another, you might have noticed that its listing in the .Mac System Preferences pane still lingers. This could be a nuisance to neat-freaks, but it could also cause complications in some cases.Fortunately, a post at macosxhints has done some digging into the matter and revealed a few clues to cleaning up the mess. It turns out that Panic, makers of Transmit, offer a Terminal tip for removing Transmit from the .Mac sync services list. This inspired the macosxhints poster to do some digging to see about other services, so check out their post if you're looking to do some .Mac sync services spring cleaning.
Latest NetNewsWire beta enables 2-year Newsgator subscription
The latest beta of NetNewsWire, 2.1b32, enables the two-year Newsgator Online Premium account that comes with purchasing a copy of NetNewsWire. Once you install/upgrade your copy of NetNewsWire to this latest beta, you will be prompted with a dialog about this new account, offering to create one or, if you're already syncing with a basic Newsgator account, simply notifying you that your account has now been upgraded to the Premium version, which includes all sorts of extra features such as: NewsGator Mobile HTML Reader NewsGator Email 20 Keyword search feeds 2 URL search feeds 2 Email feeds Along with this highly-anticipated premium syncing goodness is a fix that makes sure you don't receive an error message when Newsgator can't be contacted if you're offline. After all, being offline isn't really an error... or is it?
.Mac syncing UI silliness
Today's "what were you thinking, Apple?" is brought to you by the .Mac System Preference pane, iSync and that "Sync Services wants to sync more than X% of your items" popup window.In case you can't figure out the silliness that is the image I've included with this post (and I don't blame you), it's a combination of the .Mac System Preference Pane (on left), the .Mac tab of iSync (bottom right), and iSync's preferences that allow me to chose the Data Change Alert percentage threshold (top left).I recently added about 200 notes to Yojimbo on my iMac that I exported out of an old copy of StickyBrain a while ago. On my PowerBook, this obviously triggered the .Mac Sync warning of "you're about to change more than 5% of your data, are you sure you want to do this?" dialog. I then thought to myself: "hmm, since I change a lot of my .Mac stuff on a regular basis, maybe I should increase that percentage so this dialog doesn't bother me again." I haven't done this in a while, but since I came up through Jaguar and Panther I was used to tweaking .Mac stuff in iSync. So I strolled on over to the .Mac tab in iSync to - oh but wait! As you can see in the bottom right of my screenshot, it sounds like iSync is no longer used to manage .Mac information. Woops, my mistake. Maybe I should open up the .Mac System Preference pane to - wait a minute... I don't see any place in that preference pane to tweak the Data Change Alert setting!By now you probably get where I'm going with this, so I'll just leave you with a question: how on earth did this happen, Apple? With Tiger, you said that you unified and improved the .Mac user experience... by sending me to three different locations and preference systems to get this figured out?Here's hoping Leopard brings with it the Mac-daddy (haha) of updates to one of your most-pimped features of OS X.
Script to start iSync, sync devices, then quit
This Synchronize with iSync, Then Quit script is yet another one of those handy utilities that is so obvious it makes me say "geeze, Apple really should have done this themselves." Then I realize I'm talking to myself out loud, but I don't have enough money for therapy.Moving along, this script is another great one-trick pony for all you iSync users with phones and PDAs that you keep in tune with OS X. When run, the script automatically starts iSync and then quits it once all the magic is finished.One word of caution: Fraser Speirs, who created this and other goodies like the Flickr Export iPhoto plugin, has a couple of specific build instructions to follow to make this script work properly. As a final tip: Fraser also recommends (and I agree) that if you're a Quicksilver user, this is a great script to tie to a trigger for hotkey-enabled goodness.
The Office upgrade ate two Address Books, or: why I don't touch Microsoft products
So y'know that Office update that came out a few days ago? The one that Spotlight-ified Entourage and added syncing abilities with iCal and Address Book? Yea um, it ate not only my Address Book but my fiancé's which I was subscribed to through .Mac.Syncing setup is brainless and painless - there's a new preference section in Entourage in which you can individually enable syncing with iCal, Address Book and/or Notes through .Mac. Simple enough. A little while after I checked those options, the .Mac syncing engine offered a dialog asking if I would like to merge items between Entourage and Apple's apps, or if I would like to overwrite Entourage. I chose to overwrite, since I didn't have info in Entourage's database and I was simply curious about the app.Somehow, some way, even though I told the engine to overwrite Entourage, my Address Book magically increased to 499 contacts after the first sync operation. Maybe it picked up all those extra friends from MySpace or something during the sync, because last I checked I only had 326 contacts in Address Book. Upon investigation, some of my contacts had split into separate cards, with information either duplicated or obliterated. Even better: I am subscribed to my fiancé's Address Book (with editing rights) through .Mac, as we're helping to keep each other's contacts up to date in preparation for sending out invitations. The Entourage sync not only mangled a seemingly random collection of her contacts, but it blew away all of her groups.Now before you fire off a snarling comment: yes, we have backups. I've turned into quite the backup nazi - but this post is more of a complaint and a warning about this new Entourage feature. Who knows if the mishap was the result of a .Mac syncing error or bug, but - call me biased if you gotta - I have a sneaking suspicion this had to do with an Office update that wasn't quite finished. I've never had an issue syncing anything else through .Mac, and that includes a lot of 3rd party stuff like Yojimbo, SOHO Notes and Transmit favorites.So, boys and girls, the moral of the story is a classic: back your stuff up - and often (sub-moral: don't trust Microsoft, even if it is software from their Mac Business Unit).
NetNewsWire 2.1 public beta offers Newsgator syncing, more enhancements
It's been a long time coming boys and girls, but Ranchero has unveiled a public beta version of their much-anticipated 2.1 update to the most popular RSS reader out there: NetNewsWire. As Scott's preview earlier this month mentioned, the most buzz-worthy new feature by far is headline syncing with Newsgator (the app's new overlords). However, the change notes for the update list a whole new set of features that I find more interesting like posting to del.icio.us, emailing headlines and an interesting new ability to sort subscriptions by "attention." This means NetNewsWire can sort headlines according to statistics like how often they are opened, posted to del.icio.us and more. The overall performance and responsiveness of NetNewsWire has dramatically increased from a number of enhancements, one of the most notable being that it is now a Universal Binary.The NetNewsWire beta is at 2.1b17 as of this writing, and it is a free upgrade for registered users. As far as I know, the free Newsgator account compatible with syncing is not available yet. One final word of caution if you decide to make the jump: back up your NetNewsWire support folder just in case something goes wrong. After all, it is a beta.I played around with the beta on my PowerBook and must say: NetNewsWire has gotten a lot zippier. Things like marking large amounts of headlines (600-1000 or more) as read are much faster, and the UI has received some welcomed polish. Even with these updates, however, my newsreading still belongs to endo. At the end of the day though, it's great to see newsreading apps as a whole pushing the medium and offering useful features that get everyone's RSS feeds flowing.
Synchronize Firefox bookmarks with Foxmarks
Remember that Bookmark Synchronizer extension for Firefox that synchronizes bookmarks between computers? Well it broke in Firefox 1.5, hurling me back into the Safari/Firefox dilemma as I really, really need that synchronizing goodness - I just have far too many bookmarks (over 1000 ) to keep track of between two Macs.Well Eureka! Foxmarks to the rescue! In fact, it brings a couple new tricks to the table besides allowing for basic FTP/HTTP bookmark synchronizing: if you don't have your own hosting space, they provide hosting for you (for free) to sync your bookmarks with. If that wasn't already nice enough, they also offer the .Mac-like ability to sign into your account and access your bookmarks from any computer through a web interface - allowing almost anywhere-in-the-world access to your bookmarks.While I just found this extension last night, their bookmark hosting service unfortunately suffered a power outage on Dec. 31st which, at the moment, means you can only use the extension to sync bookmarks with your own hosting service. Rest assured, they're working diligently to open the doors for hosted bookmark syncing, but if you're like me and you have your own space you'd like to use, I can verify this extension works like a charm. Sync away!
Ask TUAW: how to sync between Address Book and Gmail
Hawk Wings has an interesting roundup post covering a number of individuals who are dumping Apple's Mail in the name of Gmail for various reasons. While I've been experimenting with the same thing over the last couple of weeks, I've run into a hangup that I felt worthy of an Ask TUAW post. Since more and more of us are adopting web services for daily operations, I thought y'all might have some thoughts on my situation: I love web services, especially ones like Gmail, but now that I own a Motorola RAZR that can sync contacts and events with OS X, I'm on the hunt for an easy way to keep my contacts synchronized between Address Book and Gmail. I know there are basic export apps that are handy for that initial dump from Address Book to Gmail, but I don't know if using that same method a second time will simply double-up all my Gmail contacts. A two-way solution would be ideal, allowing Address Book, Gmail and my RAZR to dance in perfect geeky harmony.So what say you, TUAW readers? Have any of you found a way to keep all this software in sync?
iPod.iTunes offers song and playlist synchronizing
Now here's a novel idea: keeping songs and playlists synchronized between Macs. While it's possible to do it manually, or with jury-rigging your favorite backup system, I really think Apple should offer a far better, OS X-injected way of doing this.Enter iPod.iTunes, an app that tries to fill this gap by using the already established iTunes and iPod system, offering 8 different ways to synchronize playlists and songs between your Macs. It offers a fairly robust feature set for customizing the syncing process, but the obvious catch here is that - in my understanding - what you synchronize is limited to the size of your iPod. I haven't given this a real shot yet as I have a 30 GB library of music and only a 4 GB nano, but this sounds like one of the best solutions I've seen for keeping multiple iTunes libraries in sync thus far.[via MacNN]
Fix for .Mac sync errors with Mail and random signatures
I recently set Mail on both of my Macs to chose a random signature. From time to time during a .Mac sync, I'll receive an obnoxious sync error claiming that a 'default' signature on one Mac is conflicting with the other. No matter which signature I choose to resolve the conflict, the sync process will lock into a loop, repeatedly offering me a sync error with new choices on either end for resolving the conflict. Obviously, this has lead to an increase of Advil in my regular diet.If you're nodding your head right now, you'll be happy to know we all can cut back on the pain killers. For the first time in a while, I actually received a helpful message from Apple's email support that said something more than "try rebooting." Turns out that, unfortunately, if you enable Mail's random signature feature on one Mac, Mail can't be running on other registered Macs for the first sync after this new feature. I replied to the support rep's email to find out what is up with such an odd quirk, but I didn't receive a very useful answer.Nevertheless, after getting back to square one by resetting my signature data on both Macs, I can verify that this fix works. Hopefully, this issue is on the list of updates coming in 10.4.4.
