Home / tuaw.com rss archive / October-02-2007


Smudge photos with Seashore
Filed under: Tips and tricks, Odds and ends, Open SourceIf you're looking for a quick and dirty way to smudge sensitive information in photos before putting them online then give Seashore a whirl. We've written about this neat little open source Mac-only app before and think it's great for basic image editing and touch-ups. To smudge parts of a photo, simply open the Seashore toolbar, then open the photo you want to edit. Select the "finger" icon from the left side of the toolbar and right-click on the mouse while dragging the cursor across the area you want to blur. Save the photo and you're done. Be advised, however, your blurring efforts can be undone just as easily so if you need to hide extremely sensitive information, you'll need to use another method.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

notMac Challenge winner declared
Filed under: Internet Tools, Open SourceAs you may recall the notMac Challenge was a contest to produce a free method to duplicate most of the functionality of Apple's .mac, with the winner receiving upwards of $8k from various contributors. A few days ago we mentioned that Ben Spinks had posted a possible solution and that it had been released for testing. Yesterday the Challenge sponsor declared that the Ben had in fact won the challenge and would be receiving the prize. As per the rules of the contest Ben's solution, based on his commercial cross-platform CrushFTP product, will be released as open source freeware. A SourceForge repository has already been set up, and the notMac binary is available for download (dmg link).Some loose ends still remain to be tidied up (particularly in documentation and installation), but Ben's solution "appears to be functioning perfectly for most users." So if you have a spare Mac to run as a server, this looks like it could be a great way...

Path Finder 4.8 released
Filed under: SoftwareWe mentioned last week that some long hoped-for features were coming to Path Finder 4.8, including per-folder settings allowing you to specify differing viewing options on a folder by folder basis. Today Cocoatech officially released the upgrade. As expected the changelog is headed by the per-folder settings and the new Unified interface (inspired by Leopard), but there are also a long list of improvements and bug fixes.Path Finder 4.8 is a free upgrade to Path Finder 4 users. The regular price is $34.95 and a $17.95 upgrade is available for users of earlier versions; a demo is available for download.Thanks to everyone who sent this in!Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Slife updates interface, adds social networking in 1.3
Filed under: Software, Cool tools, ProductivityWe wrote about the 1.0 of Slife in February, and I thought it was a fascinating application-- there's nothing you look at more every single day than what you do with your own life, and yet here's a piece of software that lets you look at how you spend your time in a different, more objective way.And now they've sent word that Slife has entered version 1.3, with numerous additions to the interface. The program can now work in the background, and apparently it no longer has to scan your hard drive for all the different applications to track-- if a new app shows up in your usage, it'll start tracking it automatically. They've also added a few social networking options (which sounds like a better idea than an actual feature to me-- do I really want people knowing how much time I spend playing World of Warcraft?) with their Slifeshare service. You can track your friends' activities, even down to what app they're using at the moment.But...

Sapiens: mouse-centric application launcher
Filed under: Software, ProductivityWe've mentioned Donelleschi software before in connection with Sticky Windows, which allows you to shrink windows to a tab on the side of your desktop. Now they're back with a new mouse-centric launcher application called Sapiens. In contrast to keyboard launchers like LaunchBar, Sapiens is supposed to allow you to launch applications with just your mouse. Basically, you activate Sapiens by moving your mouse in a circle, and up pops a radial dial menu with various applications on it. According to the developer Sapiens "can accurately learn and understand the applications you use and is therefore able to make reliable predictions about the set of applications you are most likely to launch." So you actually have to train it for a couple of days so that it can learn what applications you use. If the application you want does not appear initially when you invoke Sapiens, you can use the keyboard to search for it. Sapiens also interacts with drag...

Community goes extremely overboard on iPhone Extreme
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Cult of Mac, Apple, iPhoneTom from iPhonebuglist.com was poking around in Apple's online feedback form, and as you can see above, he found something interesting hidden in the HTML code. There was a product tag on the form not for the iPhone, but for the "iPhone Extreme." The page has since been fixed, and there's no trace of it ever appearing.We completely agree with Apple Insider on this one: it's a stretch to say this is anything more than a coder mixup. Still, there it is, right there (in a Windows window! Tom, how dare you!). Could it be a "sport" version of the iPhone? Or a home device designed to serve as a standalone, Mac-less dock for your iPhone on your Airport Extreme network?Probably neither. I'm pretty sure a comment over at 9-to-5 Mac has it right (although the site themselves went way overboard, calling a February release on what is really an imaginary product): whoever coded the page just used the Airport Extreme template, and...

Family Guy appears on iTunes
Filed under: iTS, Retail, Video, iTunesWe've heard many times before that Fox was interested in getting on iTunes, and now it seems a deal has been worked out-- Family Guy has appeared on iTunes. Now you can watch the Griffins (including Stewie, definitely my favorite) on your Apple TV, iPod, or iPhone.There's only one episode up as of this writing, however, and a little birdie tells me that the episode is "b0rked" in technical terms-- apparently the quality isn't very good, and it may have simply been a test to start getting the show online. Unfortunately, while the episode posted is pretty good (it stars Drew Berrymore as Brian's dumb girlfriend), we have no idea what else is going to show up in iTunes-- if they're going to do full seasons, or a "greatest hits" of downloads.Either way, Family Guy is on iTunes. Welcome, Griffins.Thanks to everyone who sent this in!Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

iTunes: Free Tuesday
Filed under: iTS, Features, DealsOnce again, it's Tuesday and TUAW is pleased to present you with a selection of free songs and videos from around the world. Many of these iTMS items won't be free for long--so grab your copies before the week is up.Continue reading iTunes: Free TuesdayRead | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Mac Lover: Bringing Mac love to your Facebook Profile
Filed under: Cult of Mac, Odds and ends, Internet Tools, AppleIf you're on Facebook, you're likely aware of the plentiful Apple-related groups you can join (as if discussions in the comments here at TUAW and other sites weren't enough). Of course, there's more recently been the ability to add 'Applications' to your Facebook Profile, and that's where Mac Lover comes in. File it under 'wacky' or 'for the fanboys' if you will, Mac Lover (Facebook login & account required) allows you to show your geek pride and show off your Apple kit collection directly within your Facebook profile - and allows you to organize it with Apple style too.Featuring some slick and snazzy Apple-esque effects, you simply build up an iWant and iHave list and then save it to add it to your Profile. There's also a forthcoming feature to 'Give your friend a Mac' (and offer contacts an electronic 'glass of ice water to people in hell' if you will) to send your friends the iMac you've always wanted to...

Sharp discounts on VMware Fusion at buy.com
Filed under: Software, DealsWith version 1.1 just around the corner, it's a perfect time to pick up a VMware Fusion license, and Smith Micro (friendly publisher of many Mac utils) wants to sweeten the pot by offering a $20 rebate on Fusion purchases. Nice enough, but what if you wanted an extra $10 off the purchase price? Well, for new Google Checkout customers, scootch over to buy.com and take that $10 off; you can pick up Fusion for a cool $31.11, free shipping included. Academic users can probably find comparable discounts at the campus computer store.If you do buy Fusion, be sure to fill out your rebate forms carefully, and don't forget to check the little box telling Smith Micro not to bother you with promotional mailings and email. Otherwise, you're liable to get weekly offers for Stuffit Deluxe and FAXstf.Thanks JohnERead | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Rig of the Week: Newton as telephone
Filed under: Hardware, Portables, Apple HistoryWho needs an iPhone when you've got a Newton 2100?Using a Nokia Card Phone 2.0 he got on Ebay for 10 Euros, a HDC-6D headset (Cost: 1 Euro), a prepaid T-Mobile SIM card (10 euros) and NewtSMS+ 1.10a beta (free), Marcus Hammerschmitt (original post in German and Google-translated) was placing calls with his Newt -- shades of 1997. He explains:"I installed [NewtSMS+ 1.10a beta] on my Newton MP 2100. I put the SIM card into my Nokia Card Phone. Plugged the card phone into my Newt. Let NewtSMS+ know the PIN of my SIM card, and was ready to go...For my money (exactly 35 euros / about 48 USD in this case), the Newton does a brilliant job."He goes on to note that the Phone Card also works with his eMate, old Compaq laptop and Nokia 6310i. Nicely done!Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Gear Live reviews Starbucks on Wi-Fi iTunes
Filed under: iPod Family, iTS, iTunes, iPhoneToday is October 2nd, the official launch of the Wi-Fi iTunes Store for Starbucks in Seattle and New York City. The folks at Gear Live live in Seattle, and were among the first to try the new service.It seems to work well. Upon launching iTunes on a laptop, they were automatically connected with full access to the iTunes Store (Plus some additional Starbucks content). A prominent "currently playing track" banner is updated dynamically, and the ten most recently played tracks are a click away.They had similar luck with an iPhone. The Starbucks logo was in place in the Wi-Fi iTunes store, and clicking it displayed the same content as the laptop version.If you're in Seattle or New York, please share your experiences. The rest of us can only wait.[Via MacDailyNews]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Steve Jobs shows up at a Yahoo! meeting
Filed under: Steve JobsYahoo! CEO Jerry Yang invited Steve Jobs (whom Kara Swisher calls "...Silicon Valley's equivalent of Oprah") to make a surprise appearance at a meeting of top executives last week. Yang called Jobs "...one of his heroes," and Steve told the group that Yahoo! has the assets, they just need to focus on execution. Steve as motivational speaker? We hadn't considered that before. Let's hope he warned them about living in a van down by the river.[Via MacNN]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments