utility
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Facebook inks partnership with Opower, looks to socially compare home energy usage
Google passed, and Microsoft reckoned it had better things to do, but Zuckerberg's Castle is seemingly willing to pick up where those two left off. In what may go down as the strangest Facebook decision since the rejection of Valentina Monetta's video as best in the whole wide world, the company is launching a new social energy app that'll tap into technology from the National Resources Defense Council and Opower. Initially, the app will reach some 20 million households, and it's designed to help eco-curious Earthlings compile and benchmark usage data to see how their home stacks up against others. Within territories with utility participation, people can connect their utility account directly to the app to track progress and share energy saving accomplishments with friends. Unfortunately, the whole process looks rather manual for now, and privacy overlords will no doubt question the motives for requesting even more information from Facebook users; that said, it's totally possible to engage in the Opower tracking sans a Facebook account. To get going, give those source links a look.
Daily Mac App: DragonDrop provides a Finder caddy for your drag-and-drop files
Sometimes there are problems you didn't even know you had -- and solutions that make your life so much better. DragonDrop is one of those solutions. You know when you have to drag items between folders and you end up juggling multiple Finder windows? It's such a pain getting both windows on-screen so you can grab a file from one and drag it into the other without the first window obscuring the second one. Enter DragonDrop. It creates a little virtual "caddy" where you can hold onto your file. Just wiggle the cursor while dragging the file and it appears. Drop the file onto it, and find your destination. Then drag the file from the caddy onto the target folder. Changed your mind? Just close the small floating palette window. We here at TUAW are not amused by "hit the tiny target" while dragging and dropping. Nor do we much appreciate the "drop items onto partially obscured non-focus windows." DragonDrop fixes that for us. Unfortunately, Apple passed on allowing DragonDrop into the Mac App Store, so you'll need to purchase via the website. Developer Mark Christian explained the situation via email. He writes, "The final verdict from Apple is that they will unequivocally not accept DragonDrop so long as the shake-to-activate gesture exists. They claim that it modifies Mac OS X system behaviour, which I feel is more than a little disingenuous. DragonDrop only appears when you perform the shake-to-activate gesture, and even when it does activate, it's just a window popping up - it doesn't prevent normal operation from proceeding. "The gesture itself can also be deactivated, so overall, I don't feel like they're justified in their decision. If you'd like, I'm trying to urge interested people to write to Apple at appreview@apple.com and ask that they reconsider their decision on DragonDrop (App ID: 499148234)." Having used DragonDrop for several weeks now, I can testify that the app is unobtrusive and handy. I personally think Apple should reconsider. In the end, all proceeds from the sale of the app will help fund the wedding of Mark and Nathalie, the developers who are pictured above. The license is liberal, so you can install it on all your personal Macs. DragonDrop is now available for purchase for $4.99 and I give a hearty thumbs up. It's a great utility if you do a lot of dragging and dropping of files on your Mac.
German court halts Apple's second slide-to-unlock case against Samsung
The Mannheim Court in Germany has delayed Apple's second slide-to-unlock case against Samsung, says FOSS Patents. During this pause in proceedings, the German Patent and Trademark Office is examining the validity of Apple's slide-to-unlock utility model. A utility model is a quickly-approved patent that's not presumed by the court to be valid because it hasn't been fully examined by the patent office. Now that Apple is asserting it in a lawsuit, the patent office is taking a closer look at the patent and Apple's claims. This review process takes time and other appeals could delay a final ruling in this slide-to-unlock case.
The Light and How to Swing It: Refreshing the retribution utility toolbox
Every week, WoW Insider brings you The Light and How to Swing It for holy, protection and retribution paladins. Seasoned ret paladin Dan Desmond is here to answer your questions and provide you with your biweekly dose of retribution medicine. Contact him at dand@wowinsider.com with any questions, concerns, or suggestions! I have always been a staunch supporter of the Ret Paladin DPS Equality movement. Ever since my male blood elf first picked up a two-hander and started swinging, I've been quite fixated with the entire meter-chasing DPS subculture that manifests itself in at least a small handful of raiders in each and every guild. There were a few tricks that felt too dirty to use (I'm looking at you, agility gear during Wrath), but for the most part, I have enjoyed the process of milking as much delicious damage from my character as possible. Lately, however, I have found myself examining this philosophy in a wider scope. Sure, battling for the top spot on Skada has been fun, but is that truly what we should be aspiring to? Is there more to being a ret paladin than golden combo points and a big weapon? Clearly the answer to this question is, "Of course, Dan, are you mental? We have so much utility -- get the net!" Well ... chyeah, right! Actually, you are right -- our utility spells are among the things that set us apart from other classes and keep us from being just better-looking rogues. But is their mere existence enough, or should our playstyle involve some form of active utility? What would this look like, and is it even feasible?
HP acknowledges complaints about the HP Envy 15's color calibration, will release a tuning utility in the 'coming weeks'
If you remember, we had some mixed feelings about the HP Envy 15's IPS display when we took the laptop for a spin earlier this year. On the one hand, it offers wide viewing angles, deep contrast and rich saturation. (Not to mention, when are we ever going to complain about 1080p resolution on a 15-incher?) Still, as many disgruntled forum posters have pointed out, the color calibration seems off against other displays, with reds skewing orange and purples veering into bluish territory. At the time, we reached out to HP for comment and were told to sit tight while the company investigated the issue. Well, today we got an answer, and while the outfit is stopping short of admitting any sort of defect, it is willing to concede the color tuning is different, to say the least. Better yet, it's promising a fix for those incapable of un-seeing it. In a statement, HP's PR team said: HP understands that some customers have expressed concern regarding the appearance of the color red in the ENVY 15 full High Definition (HD) panel, and we wanted to reassure our customers that this panel is functioning properly. HP ENVY Series notebooks use optional premium LED-backlit display panels that have a higher color gamut (range of viewable colors), brightness and viewing angles than many display panels. This means that some colors may appear differently than they do on other displays. A company rep added that over the "coming weeks" HP will release a tuning utility that will allow users to adjust the color settings, making those reds redder, et cetera. It's still unclear how extensive these options will be (after all, HP is still steering the most discerning customers toward its DreamColor offerings), but something's most likely better than nothing, right?
Daily Mac App: Gemini finds and removes duplicate files
After years of buying hard drives and moving files around, digital hoarders like myself eventually wind up with duplicate files all over the place. A few gigabytes here and there can add up, so Gemini aims to help you find and delete duplicate files across devices. It's a beautifully designed app, and if you're doing basic directory comparisons, is fast as lightning. To start, you just drag a few folders onto Gemini. It'll start scanning with a big circular progress bar moving around. One of the awesome features I've not seen elsewhere is the ability to see the results of a scan and do something about them while the app continues to scour your folders. Gemini is fast even though you can be impatient, which is a plus if you scan a really large set of folders. One issue I did run into was scanning a nearly-full 500 GB drive that had my Time Machine backups on it. The machine using Gemini only had about 5 GB of space available on its drive, and after about an hour of Gemini checking the external drive, my system locked up as it ran out of drive space! This is an oddball issue, according to MacPaw, and they are looking into it. That said, all the other scans of large folders I attempted worked great and went quickly without eating up HD space. Gemini's speed is really impressive. As a bonus, Gemini offers a delightfully designed interface. When you are shown duplicates, you can easily see where they are located, pick the ones you want to delete, then view a receipt of what you want to remove before you delete it. Then, when you are sure, Gemini "shreds" the receipt (and files) before your eyes. Taking something rather tedious (file management) and making it fun turns Gemini into a must-have app if you have years of files stored on external drives around your home.
It's okay to peek: phone size comparison tool reveals how your equipment stacks up
See any trend emerging here? Yes, we agree that Google's phones are getting hotter with each generation, but that's not the answer we're looking for. Here's a hint: if you examine the above image really closely, you might also discover a progression toward larger handsets. In all seriousness, the above comparison was generated by phone-size.com, a website that's quite useful to study the relative proportions of different smartphones. But wait, it gets even better. At the top of the webpage, you'll also find a toolbar to plug in the size and aspect ratio of your display. Once you jump through this minor hoop, the utility produces accurate, life-size depictions of the smartphones -- go ahead and hold your slab up to the screen, it really works. Before you dive in, however, be sure to hop the break: we've put together an entertaining look at the Xperia Mini, Titan and Streak 5 that you won't want to miss.
1Password Pro grabs the TUAW Best of 2011 iPad utility app award
The latest TUAW Best of 2011 award should come as no surprise, particularly since the winner also topped the iPhone utility app voting. 1Password Pro (US$14.99) was voted by TUAW readers as the best iPad utility app of 2011, pulling in a whopping 56.6 percent of the votes. Why has this app captured the attention of TUAW readers? It's because 1Password works consistently on all platforms, keeps information securely stashed away, and is constantly being updated to stay in tune with OS upgrades and provide new functionality. The runner-up, in a distant second place with 17.1 percent of the votes, was Apple's own AirPort Utility (free). It's a very useful tool for anyone who owns an Apple AirPort Extreme or AirPort Express. Congratulations to the AgileBits team for their cross-platform wins with 1Password Pro, and stay tuned tomorrow as the TUAW editors pick their cream of the 2011 crop.
Daily Mac App: Typingstats
Typing- whether it's writing a blog post or responding to an email, almost everyone with a computer has to type. So why not make it fun? One way to liven up your typing experience is to use the small utility Typingstats. Typingstats is an OS X app that sits in your menu bar and keeps track of your keystrokes. It counts them for you and calculates your words per minute while you type. If you don't like words per minute, you can choose words per second, keystrokes per second, or keystrokes per minute. It's system-wide, so it tracks your typing in your web browser, email client and text editor. The app keeps a history of your keystrokes and produces a nice graph that shows your typing count each day. As expected, my graph is steady during the week and drops off during the weekend. Besides keystroke count and words per minute, the app also tracks which key you press most often. For me, it's the spacebar and sometimes the letter "a". You can keep your keystroke count to yourself or upload it to an online leaderboard where you can compete to become the typing king (or queen). Uploading does require you to sign up for an online Typingstats account. The app isn't 100% accurate. It only counts keystrokes and not words. The app assumes each word is five characters, so your word per minute count is an approximation. Typingstats also counts every keystroke, including command, option and control, so a simple copy and paste can be calculated as a word. For me, a close approximation is good enough. I enjoy watching the keystroke count go up each day and the wpm count fluctuate as I type. Typingstats is a fun utility for people who make their living typing or are just interested in knowing how much they type. If you're concerned about privacy (the app does track your keystrokes), you can open the app only when you're typing information that's not sensitive. The app is available in the Mac App Store for 99-cents.
CyanogenMod Compiler project allows Android tweakers to easily make custom blends
Ever wish that building your own personal ROM was as simple as placing an order at Starbucks? Well, an intrepid coder known as lithid-cm has taken that vision one step closer with the CyanogenMod Compiler (CMC), a command line utility that allows armchair mixers to remove unwanted features and then compile their own special blend of CyanogenMod. While CMC's functionality is currently rather limited -- which allows users to eliminate languages, wallpapers and tweak themes -- the developer will introduce new installation / removal features and additional plug-in support in future releases. The software is early alpha stage, which means its creator needs the help of others to identify and resolve the rough edges. So, if you aren't afraid to get your hands a bit dirty, CMC seems quite worthwhile. Just don't blame us when you break something.
HTC updates bootloader unlock utility to support latest Android lineup
It wasn't long ago that HTC's bootloader unlock utility hit the masses, thereby righting the company's silly decision to lock its phones down in the first place. Now, continuing its commitment to mod-lovers and those who appreciate freedom, The House of Chou is announcing that its latest lineup of Android phones can find a similar (and proper) fate. The company has released an updated bootloader unlock tool that supports all Android devices released after September of this year. Naturally, this includes such handsets as the HTC EVO Design 4G, Rezound, Rhyme and Vivid. The company has yet to release an updated list of supported devices, but promises to do so in the coming days. While we're still not crazy about users losing their rights to a warranty, for the moment, that seems to be the price of freedom.
WindowBreak Project seeks universal developer unlock tool for Windows Phone (video)
The developer known as Jaxbot is becoming quite familiar around these parts, who's known for bringing instant app resuming and multitasking to Windows Phone -- long before these features had gone mainstream. Now, he's back at it with WindowBreak, a project that seeks to deliver an interop unlock tool that can be used on any Windows Phone. As you can see in the video after the break, his tool already works on Samsung phones, and now, Jaxbot needs the help of like-minded hackers to perform similar feats with HTC and Nokia handsets. If you're willing to give 'er a go during the holiday weekend, just check the source links below.
Covert Chirp offers camouflaged Twitter for the workplace
You're in an important meeting. The voices are droning on about procedural nonsense and forward looking outlooks. No one is paying attention. You're dying for any kind of mental stimulation. You reach for your iPhone. You launch Twitter. Then, Dwight the worker bee sitting next to you decides to gain some status points by outing your mental absence to the entire division. You are SO BUSTED. So how do you look invested in the strategic outlays for the next two quarters while secretly checking your feed? CovertChirp. For just $0.99, you will appear to be a highly dedicated and meticulous employee, using the built-in Notes app to log the highlights of your briefing. In actuality, you'll be surfing your Twitter feed, tweeting snarky comments about your colleagues (Dwight in particular), checking your mentions, and sending DMs. Achievement unlocked. Covert Chirp provides a camouflaged Twitter interface with a built in boss key that instantly hides your Tweets on demand. The GUI (complete with authentic Marker Felt and yellow lined background) feels so Note-like that casual glances won't uncover your actual activity. Okay, sure. As Twitter clients go, it's a bit clunky. The Help screen interface, for example, really could use a few tweaks -- allowing back and forth page-by-page scrolling instead of the More... and Done... buttons it now provides. But seriously, you're going to worry about GUI perfection on a stealth Twitter app? While I really can't recommend it for normal Tweetage outside of the office, for providing in-work cover it's brilliant. Covert Chirp adds the "hey look I'm really serious about my job" gloss to your daily activities. It does exactly what the label says -- provides covert access to Twitter. I can't wait for developer Garrett Heath to build a version for RSS feeds and Web Surfing, stripping pages and converting them to office-friendly presentations. %Gallery-142206%
Daily iPhone App: Nixie Clock
I'm probably a little weird, but sometimes I love listening to police scanners and various chit chat as I'm going to bed. I also like analog devices, so a Nixie Clock Radio seemed like a neat idea: the look of the classic Nixie clock merged with streaming radio and an alarm/sleep timer. It works as advertised, but there's always room for improvement.The Nixie Clock app is simplicity itself. You start it up, and it takes a brief moment to "warm up" with a few flashes of the numbers, just like a real Nixie would do. Below the time readout (which has no AM/PM, using military readout only) are three functions: the radio, the alarm and the sleep timer. Tapping on each will dissolve into the options to the right of the button. It wasn't entirely evident that you could tap on these at first, but I rather like the minimalist approach. The alarm works fine, and you set the time by tapping each number using a HH:MM format. The sleep timer also works great, and gives you a sort of countdown on the minutes (nothing moves too fast in Nixie, so there are no seconds shown). Tapping the radio icon logically brings up radio controls and will show you what channel is playing. Speaking of channels, the selection is a little thin and made up mostly of news and talk radio stations, but the developer says he plans to allow you to add channels later. Nixie Clock is a nifty, limited-purpose but attractive radio alarm. For a buck it's worth it for the nostalgia alone, but add to that the app is compatible all the way back to iOS 3.1.3 and your nostalgia can even extend to older iDevices not capable of running iOS 4. I have a first-generation iPhone and iPod touch which could use this app with a dock and become little radio alarm clocks on their own.
Daily Mac App: Mi-Fi Monitor
I don't travel a lot, but I do have a MiFi which I use during the frequent power outages that seem to plague the area where I live. To help monitor my connection and the battery life of my MiFi, I use a Mac utility called Mi-Fi Monitor. It resides in the menu bar and displays both a battery level and a signal strength indicator pulled from your MiFi hotspot. All it takes is a quick glance to make sure your MiFi is charged and connected to your mobile broadband connection. You can click on the Mi-Fi Monitor app if you need more information about your connection. The app will tell you the amount of data you've used in this current session, the network to which you're connected and the connection type. As you can see from my screenshot above, I have a stable, but slow Verizon Wireless connection where I live. The app works with the Novatel MiFi hotspots including the MiFi 2200 which is what I use, the LTE 4510, and the WiMAX 2082. It'll also work with the MiFi 2352/2372 for AT&T. If your device isn't listed or you're not sure it will work, you can contact the developer and he will help you run a 30 second test that'll check to see if your MiFi is compatible this software. Mi-Fi Monitor is available for US$0.99 from the Mac App Store. If you own a supported device, it's well worth the buck to be able to monitor your MiFi from your Mac.
Friday Favorites: Using Little Snitch to stop apps from phoning home
One thing that drives me mad is when applications try to phone home with information. Usually, these requests are benign; the app is either looking for the latest update or making a serial number verification request. If it's a rogue app, though, it could be sending back information you'd rather not share. To find out which apps are phoning home, you can install Little Snitch. It's a US$30 app that alerts you whenever a program tries to establish an outgoing Internet connection. You can choose to block this connection, or let it through on a case-by-case basis. You can also specify a rule to handle this connection attempt in the future, so you don't have to be alerted each time the app phones home again. Little Snitch gives you fine control over these connection attempts. Besides permanently blocking a connection, you can also choose to stop it for a single session. This session-based blocking is convenient for travelers who are using a cellular connection and want to limit their data consumption. Little Snitch is an excellent app for tracking your outgoing Internet connection. You'd be surprised by the number of apps that try to phone home and how often they do it. Google Chrome is one of the worst offenders in this group as it tries to connect to the Google mothership several times a day. If you want to try it out yourself, there's a limited time trial of Little Snitch that runs for a 3 hours at a time. The full, unlimited app costs $30 and is available from Objective Development's website.
Quickly share website addresses to your iPhone with AirLink
Last week, Erica and Victor shared a hack for transferring the URL of an open webpage from your computer to your iPhone via the intermediary of a QR code. It's easy and quick, but as is often the case our astute commenters pointed to a slew of alternative solutions to tackle the same problem. The suggestions were wide-ranging and clever. There's Ansible, Handoff and MyPhoneDesktop; there's NotesForLater, SendTab and SiteToPhone. All are worth checking out, and depending on how you like your content shared (in an app, in email, with or without push notifications, using a browser extension or via a bookmarklet) you'll find a solid fit. But the one that specifically caught our eye -- and had the most commenter recommendations -- was the AirLink bookmarklet. AirLink is dead simple to set up and use. Just visit the site to install; you'll get a pair of bookmarklets, one for your desktop browser and one for your device. These bookmarks are 'twinned' to each other permanently, so at any time thereafter all you need to do is activate the bookmarklet (on either side) to send the active URL to your device or to your computer. On your iPhone, you can bookmark the URL or add it to the home screen for instant access. It's free, it's easy and it works great. The AirLink bidirectional bookmarklet is the work of the young German developer Phillip Schmitt. You can follow the ongoing development of AirLink on the tool's Twitter feed. Photo: Flickr CC via Cliff1066™
Android Design Preview simplifies app mockups, developers' lives (video)
A new Java utility should help Android developers and designers who need to rapidly prototype application layouts. The appropriately named Android Design Preview mirrors part of your desktop on an Android device over USB -- just select area on your computer screen and it'll show up remotely using the Android Debug Bridge. It's more lightweight than a VNC app and doesn't require a lot of mucking with settings, whether you're coding on Windows, Mac OS X or Linux. In other words, it's perfect for dealing with indecisive project managers who don't know what they want until you show it to them, and since it's free, you won't even need their budgetary approval.
Daily Mac App: iClip
I missed out on iClip during its initial heyday a few years ago, so I was pleased to see it make a comeback. The OS X utility keeps a copy of almost anything that can be sent to the clipboard. It'll also organize those into scrapbooks or however you want. iClip sits off to the right side of the screen and acts like OS X's dock. It's normally hidden by default, and the preference options are robust and allows you to customize how big the iClip dock is and where on the screen it is. If you have a second display hooked up, you also can set iClip up to be used just on the main display. When you copy an item to the clipboard, it immediately gets sent to iClip. I had a little trouble distinguishing among the different clips at first. Right clicking an older clip will send it back to either the program you have active or the clipboard so it can be used immediately. Double-clicking on saved URLs automatically takes you back into Safari. If you select an item and click the arrows next to the individual bubble in iClip, the down arrow will copy it to iClip and the up arrow will send it to the program you're working in. With text, you have the ability to open the clip and edit it as well. You can create a text clip from scratch in this manner as well. You're also supposed to be able to drag and drop clips from one bin to another, but I wasn't able to do that, and that's pretty frustrating. A program such as iClip can be very useful, and I see myself using it in my design work to keep basic elements at my fingers that aren't always stored in an InDesign library. Some might balk at the price. It runs US$9.99 as an introductory price, and those who are using older versions of iClip will have to pay to upgrade. I think it should probably stay around this price level, if not go down a couple dollars to compete with other programs such as Clipboard History, which is $4.99.
iClip makes a comeback, now on the Mac App Store
It's always fantastic to see a good app make a comeback, and iClip is one of those apps. Developer Steven Audette of Irridated Software acquired iClip from its original developers and has released version 5.0 nearly five years after the software had its last major upgrade, now officially supporting Snow Leopard and Lion. iClip is a clipboard and scrapbook utility that allows the user to keep a copy of almost anything that's sent to the clipboard, instead of the last item. iClip is hidden off the side of the Mac's screen, so when the cursor is moved to the side of the screen, iClip pops out right away. It also utilizes hotkeys, drag and drop and 1-click shortcuts. It's now available on the Mac App Store for an introductory price of US$9.99, and a demo will be available through the developer's site soon. We'll be featuring it Tuesday as our Daily Mac App, so check out TUAW to see iClip in action and how it's held up over the years.
