The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)http://www.tuaw.comThe Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/feedlogo.gifThe Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)http://www.tuaw.comen-usCopyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Mac OS X 10.6.2 rumored to block Atom support, foil netbook OS X bootinghttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/02/mac-os-x-10-6-2-rumored-to-block-atom-support-foil-netbook-os-x/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/02/mac-os-x-10-6-2-rumored-to-block-atom-support-foil-netbook-os-x/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/02/mac-os-x-10-6-2-rumored-to-block-atom-support-foil-netbook-os-x/#commentsFiled under: Hacks, Apple, Beta Beat, Snow Leopard

In a move sure to rile up the crowds of people (including our very own Erica Sadun) who have converted cheap Intel Atom-powered netbooks into tiny MacBook-like hackintoshes, several sites are reporting that Apple will kill support for the battery-sipping CPU in the next release of Snow Leopard.

For most netbook manufacturers like MSI, Dell, and ASUS, the Intel Atom line of energy-efficient microprocessors has been the perfect CPU due to its low cost. Cheap prices on these netbooks, often below US$300, have made them the choice of many Mac users who want a very portable and affordable laptop solution that they're not currently getting from Apple.

The word from many developers who are testing the most recent build of Mac OS X 10.6.2 Snow Leopard is that support for the Atom CPU is gone. Either the hackintosh owners will have to run Mac OS X 10.6.1 for the foreseeable future, or some enterprising hacker will build a patch to add Atom support back to the upcoming OS release.

Like the current syncing struggle between iTunes 9 and the Palm Pre, this may turn into a tit-for-tat battle between Apple and the hackintosh community -- or it might be the end of the road for Mac OS X on the featherlight PCs.

[via Engadget, OS X Daily]

Mac OS X 10.6.2 rumored to block Atom support, foil netbook OS X booting originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Mac OS X 10.6.2 rumored to block Atom support, foil netbook OS X booting originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>hackintoshintel atomIntelAtommac os x 10.6.2MacOsX10.6.2netbookSteven SandeMon, 02 Nov 2009 11:15:00 ESTBeta version of Firefox 3.6 for Mac now availablehttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/10/31/beta-version-of-firefox-3-6-for-mac-now-available/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/10/31/beta-version-of-firefox-3-6-for-mac-now-available/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/10/31/beta-version-of-firefox-3-6-for-mac-now-available/#commentsFiled under: Beta Beat

Want to see something scary this Halloween? Like, perhaps, a browser that doesn't coddle you with all that silly stability and reliable performance? Feel like spending a little time on the bleeding edge? You too can taste the future (which, I am told, has a distinctive metallic tang) by downloading the first public beta of Firefox 3.6, now featured over at the Mozilla developer blog.

The next release of the open-source browser includes more flexible video options, better Javascript performance, updated font support and single-click appearance customization through the Personas skinning system. You can read more about the 3.6 changes from a web development perspective here.

The Mac version requires Mac OS X 10.4 or higher, and you can get it from the beta download page. Happy surfing!

Beta version of Firefox 3.6 for Mac now available originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Beta version of Firefox 3.6 for Mac now available originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>betabrowserfirefoxMichael RoseSat, 31 Oct 2009 13:45:00 ESTBeta Beat: Gruml brings GReader to the Mac desktophttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/10/27/beta-beat-gruml-brings-greader-to-the-mac-desktop/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/10/27/beta-beat-gruml-brings-greader-to-the-mac-desktop/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/10/27/beta-beat-gruml-brings-greader-to-the-mac-desktop/#commentsFiled under: Software, Reviews, Beta Beat

I discovered Gruml a while back, but didn't write about it right away because there were too many glitches in the first beta to make it really interesting. Thankfully, recent releases have smoothed out the vast majority of the kinks, and I can now present -- with gusto -- a great RSS reader that interfaces with Google Reader.

NetNewsWire switched to syncing with Google Reader back in July, and I was pretty excited. Google Reader has been an amazing tool for me in the RSS world, and the more apps I have that all sync with it, the happier I am. However, despite seemingly endless trials and searches, I haven't really found the app that can top a Fluid SSB with a good userstyle. Gruml comes the closest so far, and it's free (at least right now, I'm not sure what the future holds after beta).

One of the things I like about desktop clients (when it comes to RSS readers) is scriptability. Gruml currently lacks the AppleScript dictionary that, say, NetNewsReader has, and I'd love to see it implemented. The keyboard navigation is decent, but not yet up-to-par with Google Reader's web interface, which can be navigated entirely with the keyboard. It might not make a difference to a lot of folks, but when I'm cruising through headlines I like to be all-keyboard when possible. The "Send Article to ... " menu is fantastic, covering 12 services ranging from Delicious to Twitter, and including Facebook, Ping.fm and Posterous. Note-taking, starring and sharing are all very well done, and sync perfectly with Google.

Continue reading Beta Beat: Gruml brings GReader to the Mac desktop

Beta Beat: Gruml brings GReader to the Mac desktop originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Beta Beat: Gruml brings GReader to the Mac desktop originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>betaGoogle ReaderGoogle-ReaderGoogleReaderGrumlrssrss readerrss-readerRssReaderBrett TerpstraTue, 27 Oct 2009 15:00:00 ESTGoogle Chrome browser for Mac coming later this year? You can test it now.http://www.tuaw.com/2009/10/12/google-chrome-browser-for-mac-coming-later-this-year-you-can-te/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/10/12/google-chrome-browser-for-mac-coming-later-this-year-you-can-te/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/10/12/google-chrome-browser-for-mac-coming-later-this-year-you-can-te/#commentsFiled under: Software, Internet Tools, Beta Beat

Despite rumors that the Google Chrome Web browser for Mac would not ship until 2010, it appears that the golden version of the new browser may be heading to Macs a lot sooner than expected.

The Wall Street Journal reported last week that CEO (and former Apple board member) Eric Schmidt and co-founder Sergey Brin had a few things to say about the new browser, including (according to 9to5Mac) that Chrome browser for Mac will ship in "a couple of months."

Apparently, the relatively slow adoption of the beta version of the browser has been due in part to the fact that development of the Mac version has lagged behind work for other platforms. To quote Schmidt, "The fundamental story about Chrome is speed. We were hurt by slowness to bring out a Mac version. People who move to Chrome have trouble moving back because of the speed."

The Mac beta version is available and can be downloaded by those who are willing to use a browser without certain privacy features that is "not appropriate for general consumer use." I've had it on my Macs for about the last week and have been impressed with the speed of page rendering, although not with the current compatibility with some sites.

So, TUAW readers -- is Google Chrome (the browser, not the OS) too little, too late? Or is it a web browser that will make a difference on the Mac platform? Voice your opinions in the comments section below.

Google Chrome browser for Mac coming later this year? You can test it now. originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Google Chrome browser for Mac coming later this year? You can test it now. originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>betabrowserchromegooglemacSteven SandeMon, 12 Oct 2009 11:00:00 ESTSecond build of Mac OS X 10.6.2 seeded to Apple developershttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/10/11/second-build-of-mac-os-x-10-6-2-seeded-to-apple-developers/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/10/11/second-build-of-mac-os-x-10-6-2-seeded-to-apple-developers/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/10/11/second-build-of-mac-os-x-10-6-2-seeded-to-apple-developers/#commentsFiled under: OS, Software Update, Surveys and Polls, Beta Beat, Snow Leopard

In the last few days, two builds of Mac OS X 10.6.2 Snow Leopard have been seeded to the Mac developer community. The latest build, 10C591F, is 456.8 MB in size and adds about a dozen changes to the fifty or so tweaks in the prior build.

Apple has asked developers to test nearly 150 specific areas in order to make the new version of Snow Leopard as clean as possible. Known issues that are outstanding and have yet to be addressed include Core Data output, video corruption, and occasional hangs within System Preferences.

With another release of Snow Leopard pending, I thought we could have a little fun with a poll. Given that it took 88 days for 10.5.2 to hit Software Update after the initial release of Leopard, it may be too soon for another Snow Leopard cub to show up (November 24th would be 88 days). Of course, the past isn't any indication of future Apple OS release dates, so your guess is going to be as good as mine. If we don't have a date range listed that's you think is plausible, let us know what your guess is in the comments.

Second build of Mac OS X 10.6.2 seeded to Apple developers originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 11 Oct 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Second build of Mac OS X 10.6.2 seeded to Apple developers originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 11 Oct 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>Mac OS XMac OS X 10.6.2MacOsXMacOsX10.6.2pollsSnow LeopardSnow Leopard 10C591FSnowLeopardSnowLeopard10c591fsoftware updateSoftwareUpdateSteven SandeSun, 11 Oct 2009 15:30:00 ESTGet your notifications: experimental Mac app from Facebookhttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/10/get-your-notifications-experimental-mac-app-from-facebook/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/10/get-your-notifications-experimental-mac-app-from-facebook/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/10/get-your-notifications-experimental-mac-app-from-facebook/#commentsFiled under: Software, Internet Tools, Beta Beat

Mac-using Facebook fans are going to be happy to learn about Facebook's experimental Desktop Notifications app. Desktop Notifications sits in the menu bar, and pops up notifications (using Growl if you have it) when they occur. It also gives you quick access to your news feed, profile page, and quick ways to update your status or start a new Facebook email message.

There are two things about Desktop Notifications that are compelling, yet have nothing to do with the app itself. The first is the fact that it's a native Mac application, rather than yet another Facebook client written on Adobe Air. The second is that it was actually ~~developed by Facebook themselves~~ [Update] Thanks to Raul and Nate for pointing out in the comments that the application is marked as "not developed by Facebook", though one of the developers listed works for Facebook. It's unclear at this point how serious this project is; it's clearly marked as experimental, which is clearly becoming the post-Gmail way of denoting that something is beta.

In terms of raw functionality, Desktop Notifications is pretty barebones, since most of what it does is take you to a particular Facebook page. Personally I kind of like it that way. It's relatively light in terms of memory usage, and uses virtually no CPU cycles at all unless you are actively interacting with it, which is exactly what I want from a utility that is running all the time.

My one beef is that the built-in hotkey that pops up a status update dialog box conflicts with another utility on my system, and there is no way to modify it. Since Desktop Notifications is still in the experimental stage, that's a pretty small complaint.

[Update] Commenter Scott points out that there is a preference setting to change the hotkey.

[via TechCrunch]

Get your notifications: experimental Mac app from Facebook originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Get your notifications: experimental Mac app from Facebook originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>cpu cyclescpu-cyclesCpuCyclesdesktop notificationdesktop-notificationDesktopNotificationexperimental stageexperimental-stageExperimentalStagefacebookmemory usagememory-usageMemoryUsagenews feednews-feedNewsFeednotificationnotificationsJason ClarkeThu, 10 Sep 2009 11:15:00 ESTWondering what's in iPhone OS 3.1? There's a YouTube video for thathttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/14/wondering-whats-in-iphone-os-3-1-theres-a-youtube-video-for-t/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/14/wondering-whats-in-iphone-os-3-1-theres-a-youtube-video-for-t/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/14/wondering-whats-in-iphone-os-3-1-theres-a-youtube-video-for-t/#commentsFiled under: Rumors, Video, Beta Beat, Developer, iPhone, SDK, iPod touch

So here's something interesting, if you're curious to know what features might be in iPhone OS 3.1. It seems YouTube is chock full of videos shot in what seems to be defiance of Apple's NDA for 3.1 features. A couple of gems hint at expanded copy/paste functions, and there's one video which we could swear might hint at a real-time zoom... perhaps not just for photos but for framing video?

Anyway, it's a bit of a mining expedition, as searching for specific [REDACTED] methods or properties yields best results, so don't get all hot and bothered thinking you'll peep an iPad by searching for "setAppleTabletSize" or something. In fact, all of these could be fake, although the sheer number of videos seems to suggest something other than a grand deception.

Wondering what's in iPhone OS 3.1? There's a YouTube video for that originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Wondering what's in iPhone OS 3.1? There's a YouTube video for that originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>3.1betaiphoneiphone osiphoneosrumorsdkvideoyoutubeVictor Agreda, Jr.Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:30:00 ESTCamtasia coming to Mac on August 25thhttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/08/camtasia-coming-to-mac-on-august-25th/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/08/camtasia-coming-to-mac-on-august-25th/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/08/camtasia-coming-to-mac-on-august-25th/#commentsFiled under: Multimedia, Software, Video, Odds and ends, Podcasting, Beta Beat, Deals

If you're wavering on the edge of switching to the Mac as a consequence of the impending release of Windows 7, this may be news that will push you over that edge. In the Windows world, there's an extremely popular app for recording, editing, and publishing screencasts. That application is Camtasia Studio, and today developer TechSmith finally let the world know when the Mac version of Camtasia is going to see light.

Beginning August 25th, you'll be able to purchase Camtasia for Mac for only $99. TechSmith plans on keeping this introductory price until the end of 2009, after which the price will bounce up to $149.

Details of the Camtasia for Mac release are still extremely sketchy, but TechSmith promises to spill more beans about what the app will do over the next couple of weeks. You can sign up for email updates on the website, or follow the Visual Lounge Blog to get more info.

It'll be interesting to see how Camtasia for Mac fares against the existing screencasting champ, ScreenFlow, also available for US$99 and much more established in the Mac community. While we're waiting for Camtasia, why don't you tell us about your favorite screencasting application? Leave a comment below.

Camtasia coming to Mac on August 25th originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 08 Aug 2009 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Camtasia coming to Mac on August 25th originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 08 Aug 2009 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>camtasiascreencastsoftwarevideoSteven SandeSat, 08 Aug 2009 22:30:00 ESTTUAW Sneak Preview: Doxie scanner from Apparent Corporationhttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/05/tuaw-sneak-preview-doxie-scanner-from-apparent-corporation/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/05/tuaw-sneak-preview-doxie-scanner-from-apparent-corporation/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/05/tuaw-sneak-preview-doxie-scanner-from-apparent-corporation/#commentsFiled under: Hardware, Peripherals, Portables, Beta Beat, Snow Leopard

Apparent Corporation, makers of the popular Intelliscanner barcode scanners, has announced that their new Doxie document scanner is in private beta-testing and on track for release to the public in November, 2009.

Doxie is a USB-powered 600-dpi photo, document, and receipt scanner designed to integrate with a number of undisclosed Web and Mac apps. While I'm personally disappointed that Apparent didn't go with the pink and white Good & Plenty candy color scheme, the Doxie is heart-friendly and comes emblazoned with a number of pink hearts. The biggest heart is on the single scan button, which is just visible in the top right of the photo above. I was shocked to find a mistake in the press release, in which they said there were 9 hearts on the device. There are actually 10: one above the "i" in the logo, 8 after the logo, and one on the scan button.

A cool thing about Doxie is that it will automatically know when you're trying to scan a photo, clean up the photo (straighten it and trim if necessary), and then politely offer to put the photo into your iPhoto Library, Flickr pool, or other web apps. As an Apparent spokesperson noted, the company isn't interested in coming out with yet another piece of software to store your receipts and documents. Instead, they want Doxie to work with as many existing Mac, Windows, and Web apps as possible.

One comment from the developers that may point to some rather unique functionality is that they recommend using Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. Doxie will retail for $129, and you can sign up for updates and early release information at the new website, which went live today.

TUAW Sneak Preview: Doxie scanner from Apparent Corporation originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 05 Aug 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TUAW Sneak Preview: Doxie scanner from Apparent Corporation originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 05 Aug 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>documentsintelliscanneriphotophotosreceiptsscannerSteven SandeWed, 05 Aug 2009 11:30:00 ESTBeta Beat: BusyCal from BusyMachttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/27/beta-beat-busycal-from-busymac/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/27/beta-beat-busycal-from-busymac/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/27/beta-beat-busycal-from-busymac/#commentsFiled under: Cool tools, Productivity, Beta Beat

The BusyCal public beta is out! I got a preview of BusyCal while at WWDC this year, and have been anxiously awaiting the chance to put it into action. As the developers state on the homepage: "Think of it as iCal Pro." The next step from the makers of BusySync, BusyCal offers a full calendaring system with Bonjour and Google Calendar sync, iPhone sync via iTunes or MobileMe, full read-write access for multi-user calendars, and a plethora of other features and goodies.

Dated to-dos are embedded in the calendar, optionally carrying forward if not completed on their due date. You can add recurring to-do items with the same carry-forward functionality. There are customizable views, including sortable list views, plus shared sticky notes, customizable graphics, live weather and forecasts (with sunrise/set times and moon phases), all in an easy-to-grasp, iCal-like interface.

If you've ever thought, "Gosh, I like iCal, I just wish it had about 20 more useful features and could sync across my LAN and the internet," take the public beta of BusyCal for a spin. BusyCal will cost $40US per computer, or $10/computer for BusySync owners. Doing the math, BusySync is $25, plus the $10 upgrade is $35, so you could save yourself $5 taking the upgrade path, even with a new purchase of BusySync.

Beta Beat: BusyCal from BusyMac originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Beta Beat: BusyCal from BusyMac originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>busycalbusymaccalendarsicalBrett TerpstraMon, 27 Jul 2009 13:00:00 ESTLet's do the Time Warp again! Offsite Time Machine backupshttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/20/lets-do-the-time-warp-again-offsite-time-machine-backups/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/20/lets-do-the-time-warp-again-offsite-time-machine-backups/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/20/lets-do-the-time-warp-again-offsite-time-machine-backups/#commentsFiled under: OS, Leopard, Beta Beat

Apple did the world a great service when they introduced Time Machine backups to OS X. Suddenly, anyone could attach an external disk drive to their Mac and have a constant set of backups at their fingertips with little or no intervention required.

However, there was one very big, hairy fly floating in the soup of backup contentment -- if your backup drive was destroyed or stolen, your backup was gone. Many of us who are paranoid about backups started doing a second level of backups to offsite services such as Mozy, Carbonite, or my personal favorite, BackBlaze.

There's a new kid on the block with a different approach to offsite backup -- Time Warp. This US$25 Mac application (free during the beta period) takes your Time Machine backups, compresses and encrypts them with 256-bit AES encryption, and then uploads them to your personal Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) account.

How does the cost of storage on Amazon S3 compare with the other services? The current costs are $0.15 per GB per month for storage, $0.10 per GB to backup data into S3, and $0.17 per GB to restore data from S3. The Jumping Bean Software team says that backup up 20 GB of personal data would cost about $1.50 per month, which is in line with costs for the other services. Time Warp does intelligent filtering to keep "dumb files" like cache, trash, and temporary files from being uploaded and costing you money.

If you take a glance at the sample screenshot at the top of this post, you'll notice that Time Warp does its best to give you a handle on your storage costs, so there's no guesswork involved. Leopard users who have been on the fence about whether or not to invest in an offsite backup solution might want to take advantage of the Time Warp beta.

Let's do the Time Warp again! Offsite Time Machine backups originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 20 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Let's do the Time Warp again! Offsite Time Machine backups originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 20 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>Amazon S3AmazonS3backupdataoffsite backupOffsiteBackuptime machinetime warpTimeMachineSteven SandeMon, 20 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EST1Password 3 beta nears, TUAW readers get a chance to participate http://www.tuaw.com/2009/06/09/1password-3-beta-nears-tuaw-readers-get-a-chance-to-participate/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/06/09/1password-3-beta-nears-tuaw-readers-get-a-chance-to-participate/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/06/09/1password-3-beta-nears-tuaw-readers-get-a-chance-to-participate/#commentsFiled under: Software, Internet Tools, TUAW Business, Beta Beat

Update: The Agile Web Solutions guys have been nice enough to extend beta invites to another 100 TUAW readers. Those that don't make it into the first round, don't worry, the guys said they will be putting you on a waiting list and accessing that over the next couple of months, so with any luck, everyone can get in on the fun! Check out http://switchersblog.com for details in the coming weeks. Once again, send an e-mail with the subject "I want my 1P3 beta!" to 1P3Promo [at] agile [dot] ws!

I am a huge fan of Agile Web Solutions's 1Password. It's always one of the first applications I install on a freshly formatted Mac, and I use it countless times a day to manage my logins to various web sites, forums, shopping sites and more. I used to be really, really bad about using the same few passwords for every login, but the strong password generator coupled with support across browsers (and on the iPhone and iPod touch) makes it easy for me to have distinct and secure logins all over the web.

Last night, the Agile Web Solutions team released the 2.9.19 beta (with support for Safari 4), and if you subscribe to the 1Password newsletter, you know that 1Password 3.0 is gearing up for testing before being released later this year.

We've got some juicy details about what to expect in 1Password 3.0 and a chance for current 1Password fans to get in on the private 1Password 3.0 beta! Read on...

Gallery: 1Password 3 beta

Continue reading 1Password 3 beta nears, TUAW readers get a chance to participate

1Password 3 beta nears, TUAW readers get a chance to participate originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Jun 2009 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

1Password 3 beta nears, TUAW readers get a chance to participate originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Jun 2009 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>1password1password 31password3passwordsafari 4Safari4Christina WarrenTue, 09 Jun 2009 11:45:00 ESTGoogle Chrome developer preview (unofficially) releasedhttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/06/05/google-chrome-developer-preview-unofficially-released/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/06/05/google-chrome-developer-preview-unofficially-released/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/06/05/google-chrome-developer-preview-unofficially-released/#commentsFiled under: Internet Tools, Beta Beat

Digg's Kevin Rose, perennial purveyor of information that just "fell off the back of the truck" shared a link early this morning to Google's new, supercharged, Webkit-based browser -- for Mac.

The new browser, Chrome, is clearly marked as a developer preview, and not meant for general browsing. In fact, as a good Mac citizen, it will refuse to set itself as your default browser.

It scores a 100 on the Acid3 test straight out of the box, but doesn't pass: it fails something called the linktest, which involves interacting A tags and IFRAMEs. A little research suggests that it could be a bug with Webkit. If that's true, then it's a bug that Safari 4 beta has fixed.

Chrome appears to have Flash (and other plugin) support disabled as well. JavaScript support, however, is fully functional. While Chrome performed much better than Firefox on this cursory test, it still didn't beat Safari 4 by a long shot. While only a beta, its performance is respectable and sure to improve.

Again, Google Chrome isn't for everyone, but if you're a web developer who needs to keep up with the bleeding edge of browser development, then this preview should be stable and reliable enough for you to test what you need to.

Read through for the full JavaScript test details.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

Continue reading Google Chrome developer preview (unofficially) released

Google Chrome developer preview (unofficially) released originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 05 Jun 2009 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Google Chrome developer preview (unofficially) released originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 05 Jun 2009 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>betabrowserchromedeveloperfirefoxgooglejavascriptkevinrosepreviewsafariRobert PalmerFri, 05 Jun 2009 11:15:00 ESTEvom beta takes up iSquint's mantle, effortlessly converts video formatshttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/06/01/evom-beta-takes-up-isquints-mantle-effortlessly-converts-video/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/06/01/evom-beta-takes-up-isquints-mantle-effortlessly-converts-video/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/06/01/evom-beta-takes-up-isquints-mantle-effortlessly-converts-video/#commentsFiled under: Multimedia, Software, Beta Beat

While still in beta, Evom (from The Little App Factory, makers of iPodRip) looks ready to pick up where iSquint left off. It easily and quickly converts videos to formats compatible with iTunes, YouTube, your iPod, and Apple TV.

It couldn't be a simpler drag-and-drop operation: drop the video on the Evom window, and select a destination. After that, Evom does the heavy lifting and (optionally) adds the finished video to iTunes. The output quality is good -- it uses the same technical foundation as ffmpegX. You get the same high quality without all the fiddly controls of ffmpegX.

Evom also includes a bookmarklet that lets you save off YouTube videos to your computer with a single click. The quality of the output there mostly depends on how good the source video is, but it couldn't be easier.

iSquint, my favorite "as if by magic" video conversion tool, was discontinued after Techspansion (also the makers of iSquint's bigger brother VisualHub) shut their doors last October. The VisualHub codebase is still being developed, however, in a new project called Video Monkey that Aron covered in March, which is also well worth a look.

Evom is in beta, but unlike iSquint, it appears like it may cost something when the final version is released. It also appears limited to converting 60 items until it's registered, and trying to register the app leads to a non-existent shopping cart area. Even so, the simple interface and easy installation will be worth a few bucks to me.

[Via Daring Fireball.]

Evom beta takes up iSquint's mantle, effortlessly converts video formats originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 01 Jun 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Evom beta takes up iSquint's mantle, effortlessly converts video formats originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 01 Jun 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>appletvbetaconversionevomffmpegipodripisquinttechspansionvideoyoutubeRobert PalmerMon, 01 Jun 2009 12:00:00 ESTNew Safari beta updatehttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/05/12/new-safari-beta-update/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/05/12/new-safari-beta-update/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/05/12/new-safari-beta-update/#commentsFiled under: Software Update, Leopard, Beta Beat

Gee, quite a day for Apple software updates. Apple has put out an update to Safari beta 4, and the Leopard version requires OS X 10.5.7 which was just released today. There is also a version for Tiger that requires OS X 10.4.11 and security update 2009-002.

Here is a download link. As is often the case with Apple, no details on what this brings. I installed and used it for awhile and nothing new jumped out at me. The installer also comes with an uninstaller in case things get ugly. Let us know what you see, or don't see.

Thanks to Barry for spotting this update.

New Safari beta update originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 12 May 2009 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

New Safari beta update originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 12 May 2009 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>Safari 4 betasoftware updateMel MartinTue, 12 May 2009 20:30:00 ESTPrism single-site browser goes 1.0 betahttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/05/10/prism-single-site-browser-goes-1-0-beta/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/05/10/prism-single-site-browser-goes-1-0-beta/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/05/10/prism-single-site-browser-goes-1-0-beta/#commentsFiled under: Cool tools, Internet Tools, Open Source, Beta Beat

The concept of a single-site browser or site-specific browser (SSB, either way) is simple: give me a window with one website in it, preferably a desktop application replacement like Gmail, RTM, Basecamp or Zoho, and let that window behave like a regular application with its own Dock icon, notifications, etc. If you're spending a lot of your time on a particular site, this can simplify your life quite a bit; if you're mixing up GTD with ADD (as so many of us seem to be), an SSB can help limit your distraction horizon while you're trying to maintain focus and flow.

The inspiration for many SSB offerings was the Firefox offshoot Webrunner, and the descendant of that project has now earned a 1.0 beta designation and its own website: Prism, from Mozilla Labs, gives you a power tool for creating your own SSBs at will, either via a Firefox extension or by launching the Prism config app and typing in the target URL.

Aside from having a dockable icon for each website you convert, you can also set your SSBs to launch at login, or assign mailto: links to open your web email client (similarly achievable for Gmail with the Gmail Notifier tool). If you have to keep separate sets of credentials for work & personal accounts for web services, no need to log in and out repeatedly -- just set up a Prism SSB for one of the accounts, and the passwords & cookies will stay as they need to be. In my brief testing this morning, several sites worked just as expected; the only sticking point is that the Choosy extension gets confused about whether or not Firefox is running when an SSB is open.

Safari 4 developer seeds had offered a "Save as Web Application" feature for creating SSBs, which has been stripped from the File menu in the current public beta but still looks to be part of the final release; meanwhile, you can still make WebKit-centric SSBs with the excellent and free Fluid.

What site or webapp would you put in a single-site browser?

Thanks to everyone who sent this in.

[H/T to Lifehacker]

Prism single-site browser goes 1.0 beta originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 10 May 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Prism single-site browser goes 1.0 beta originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 10 May 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>firefoxfirefox extensionfirefox-extensionFirefoxExtensionfluidgmailmozillaprismssbweb applicationweb-applicationWebApplicationwebrunnerMichael RoseSun, 10 May 2009 12:00:00 ESTBeta 5 of iPhone OS 3 downloadablehttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/05/07/beta-5-of-iphone-os-3-downloadable/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/05/07/beta-5-of-iphone-os-3-downloadable/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/05/07/beta-5-of-iphone-os-3-downloadable/#commentsFiled under: Beta Beat, iPhone, SDK

Version version, who's got the new version? iPhone OS 3.0 beta 5 is now downloadable, along with a new build of iTunes 8.2 -- log into developer.apple.com to pick up the latest build.

What's tweaked and changed? Well, editing the carrier file in iTunes to enable tethering is now apparently blocked, and MMS support on AT&T is also 'hidden' per the iPhone Blog. It's not 100% clear whether these feature drops are deliberate, as some reports say a clean install preserves the capabilities. Parental control features for apps now seem to be visible... and yes, the new beta has already been jailbroken.

Got more observations and tidbits? Let us know below.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in.

Beta 5 of iPhone OS 3 downloadable originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 07 May 2009 11:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Beta 5 of iPhone OS 3 downloadable originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 07 May 2009 11:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>3.0betaiphonesdkMichael RoseThu, 07 May 2009 11:05:00 ESTBeta Beat: Dropzone for Mac OS Xhttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/05/04/beta-beat-dropzone-for-mac-os-x/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/05/04/beta-beat-dropzone-for-mac-os-x/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/05/04/beta-beat-dropzone-for-mac-os-x/#commentsFiled under: Software, Beta Beat

The Mac OS X Dock is a great UI invention, but it doesn't have all the functionality that it could have. That's why one developer is looking to expand the functionality and make it even better with an application that he calls "Dropzone."

Dropzone is a small application that you can install on your Mac, and as the app name suggests, drag stuff onto. When you drop a file on the icon, you will get a list of options depending on what type of file you just dropped. For instance, you could drop a picture onto the icon and get an option to email, send to Flickr, or upload to an FTP server.

Different applications can "register" to work with Dropzone by using a simple API, the documentation for which can be found on the Aptonic website. The more applications that decide to work with Dropzone, the better (developers, did you hear that?). There is currently no shipping date set for this handy little Dock tool, but you can check out a teaser video on the Aptonic website, and also apply to be a part of the beta program.

Beta Beat: Dropzone for Mac OS X originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 04 May 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Beta Beat: Dropzone for Mac OS X originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 04 May 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>AptonicBeta beatBetaBeatdockDropzoneMac OS XMacOsXCory BohonMon, 04 May 2009 11:30:00 ESTRumor: iPhone OS 3.0 to include video editing toolshttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/04/05/rumor-iphone-os-3-0-to-include-video-editing-tools/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/04/05/rumor-iphone-os-3-0-to-include-video-editing-tools/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/04/05/rumor-iphone-os-3-0-to-include-video-editing-tools/#commentsFiled under: Rumors, Beta Beat, iPhone, SDK

It might seem like a big leap from a phone with no real video capabilities to one that will trim and clip your creations on the fly, but that's the implication of a few graphic elements sussed out of the iPhone 3.0 firmware by Ben at benm.at (original site in German, translation here). He's spotted some art resources that seem to show editing, scrubbing and clip functions in the next version of the iPhone's firmware.

Note that Engadget Mobile pointed out an "Upload my Video" button in the MobileMe area of a 3.0 iPhone last month.

Even though there are jailbreak apps now that leverage the iPhone's camera for video use (ustream and Qik, in particular), Apple hasn't yet shown its hand on video directions in 3.0. Giving users the ability to edit their video on-device before uploading, emailing or MMS-ing would be a spectacular feature, and there's a lot to like about the idea of a pinch/stretch UI for managing a video timeline. iPhone, meet iMovie? Still, if you planned to do a lot of video work on your phone, a 32 GB model with a faster processor and better camera would be ideal...

Thanks, Ben

Rumor: iPhone OS 3.0 to include video editing tools originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 05 Apr 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Rumor: iPhone OS 3.0 to include video editing tools originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 05 Apr 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>3.0iphonerumorsvideoMichael RoseSun, 05 Apr 2009 11:00:00 ESTBeta Beat: Twitter app Loungehttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/03/25/beta-beat-twitter-app-lounge/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/03/25/beta-beat-twitter-app-lounge/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/03/25/beta-beat-twitter-app-lounge/#commentsFiled under: Software, Internet Tools, Beta Beat

In the history of marketing battles, The Cola Wars have nothing on the Twitter App War that's currently raging online. Twitterrific, TweetDeck and others (popular with commenters: Pwitter and DestroyTwitter) are waging the ground battle, while Twitterrific (mobile), Tweetie and TwitterFon (to name a few) are fighting it out in the air.

Today we got our hands on a beta of Lounge, a new client for Mac OS X (and iPhone/iPod touch). It's definitely got a way to go (I saw more beach balls than Memorial Day at Hilton Head), but I see where they're going and I like it.

First off, there's support for multiple accounts, and switching between them is easy. A series of buttons appear horizontally in the left of the window, including "My 2 Cents" (which displays just your tweets), Favorites, Friends, Replies and my favorite, Vanity, which finds all occurrences of your Twitter handle.

Mouse over a user's tweet to see options to re-tweet, copy the URL, open in a browser and more. I really like the option to view user details, which lets you see just that user's tweets, his followers, those being followed and profile and URL.

It is kind of wide (wider than Twitterrific but not TweetDeck, of course) so those with small displays be warned. Also, some may be put off by the pastel-colored icons. Still, it shows promise. Check it out if you're up for it, and provide some feedback to make Lounge better.

Beta Beat: Twitter app Lounge originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 25 Mar 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Beta Beat: Twitter app Lounge originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 25 Mar 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>betabeta beatBetaBeatloungetweetdecktweetietwiterrifictwitterDave CaoloWed, 25 Mar 2009 13:00:00 EST