For those who are looking for converting video to iPod format. Would be just the thing for those who are iPodU beta testers...if they could just post their own stuff!
http://www.mac360.com/index.php/mac360/comments/righting_a_wrong_visualhub_is_a_good_buy/
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Tablet Mac incoming!
Tablet Mac incoming! Apple’s prepped an ultra-smart tablet Mac, and it’ll be here in just over six months. The ultimate portable mac, and a remote for your house?...
At least two Taiwanese manufacturers are now vying for the production rights to Apple’s latest product, after the Mac maker put the finishing touches to a working prototype for its much-anticipated tablet computer.
Manufacturers Quanta and Hon Hai Precision Industry are both bidding for the new device, and have both signed confidentiality agreements over the existence of a tablet Mac.
That’s according to rumour hungry home interest websites, who say the product is now on track for a mid-2007 release.
According to the latest claims, the tablet can act as the ultimate home remote, as well as a fully functional tablet computer.
In addition to controlling iTV and other Apple products, the tablet Mac has been designed to control third party devices too. That explains Apple’s remote control patents, and its recent obsession with touch screens.
As well as handling home entertainment, the new device could also master automated lighting and security systems, including video feeds from household security cameras.
According to the Apple fans over at Smarthouse, the tablet also has applications outside the home. Presentations can be delivered using the tablet to provide source material to the presenter which differs to that on the big screen, a function already supported in Apple’s own Keynote software.
Built around Intel processors, the tablet will reportedly ship with a dedicated docking station, funnelling a signal to HDMI-enabled screens.
What’s more, we understand the docking station packs memory of its own, as well as wireless capability, so content from the tablet or other computers in the house can be sent to the big screen. If that doesn’t sound like iTV, we don’t know what does, and it would explain what plugs in to its mysterious USB socket.
Fingers crossed for more info when iTV hits the stage at Macworld 2007. Will Hon Hai Precision Industry have begun production by then? Its subsidiary Foxconn has already scooped the contract for 12 million iPhones, is the Mac tablet next?
Monday, November 27, 2006
A few great Podcasts for Mac folks
iTunes > Music Store >Podcasts
Look for the following:
Ask the Techies
by D. Lee Beard
Each week we put up new podcasts explaining the latest in cool technology from Photoshop to iPods. We specialize in multimedia and although we use Macs mostly, we do deal with windows PC issues as well.
MacCast (enhanced) For Mac Geeks, by Mac Geeks
by Adam Christianson
The enhanced AAC edition of the show for Mac Geeks by Mac Geeks. We cover everything Macintosh. Keep up to date on the latest Mac news, topics and rumors. Throw in a good dose of helpful tips and listener questions and feedback and you have MacCast. Enjoy!
ScreenCastOnline: Free Mac Video Tutorials
Video Tutorials for Mac, PC and iPod
A free video podcast which publishes weekly video tutorials demonstrating how to get the most from your Mac and the Internet.
Look for the following:
Ask the Techies
by D. Lee Beard
Each week we put up new podcasts explaining the latest in cool technology from Photoshop to iPods. We specialize in multimedia and although we use Macs mostly, we do deal with windows PC issues as well.
MacCast (enhanced) For Mac Geeks, by Mac Geeks
by Adam Christianson
The enhanced AAC edition of the show for Mac Geeks by Mac Geeks. We cover everything Macintosh. Keep up to date on the latest Mac news, topics and rumors. Throw in a good dose of helpful tips and listener questions and feedback and you have MacCast. Enjoy!
ScreenCastOnline: Free Mac Video Tutorials
Video Tutorials for Mac, PC and iPod
A free video podcast which publishes weekly video tutorials demonstrating how to get the most from your Mac and the Internet.
Apple Mac Tablet PC With Docking Station In 07
Apple Mac Tablet PC With Docking Station In 07
David Richards - Monday, 27 November 2006
Apple researchers have built a full working prototype of a Mac tablet PC and three Companies in Taiwan are now costing a product for a potential launch in mid 2007.
Sources in Taiwan have said that the focus has been more on the home and the education environment than the enterprise marketplace. Several months ago I was told that Apple was exploring a neat new device that is basically a touch screen that links to various source devices including a brand new media centre that Apple is planning to launch next year.
The Mac tablet has been designed to handle third party applications such as home automation software that will allow users to control lighting, audio, entertainment devices and security feeds. It also acts as a full blown PC has wireless linking for a new generation of Wireless Hi Fi speakers that are currently being tested by Apple.
One set of speakers which are similar in size to the small Bose speakers have been developed by an Australian Company.
Also taken into consideration was the use of the device in educational environments where presenters often want to walk around while having access to source material being presented to a screen or auditorium speakers.
The new MAC tablet has Intel processors as well as a docking station that allows the device to link to screens with HDMI input. The docking station also has additional memo0ry capability so that users can stream content to either the tablet PC or the docking station or directly to a media centre if one is being used.
During the past year Apple has lodged several touch screen patents. They have also lodged patents for wireless devices. However three patents according to sources have been lodged by third part Companies who are licensing technology to Apple.
During the last two weeks, Apple's stock price has soared to record highs, as investors bet on the success of the new iPhone which will be launched early in 2007.
On November 16, the US Patent & Trademark Office published Apple's patent application titled ‘mechanical overlay' which was originally filed in May 2005. Apple's patent relates generally to overlays for touch sensing devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to mechanical overlays that include one or more mechanical actuators that provide touch inputs to the touch sensing devices. This powerful patent provides several great examples of mechanical touch screen overlays which could be used with a future iPod, cell phone, PDA, remote control or gaming device. Furthermore, the patent provides us with a unique glimpse into how touch screens will eventually replace traditional MacBook keyboards in addition to providing users with the ability to transform the new keyboard-GUI into being a piano keyboard amongst other applications.
Quanta and Hon Hai Precision Industry are Taiwanese Companies that make notebooks and other devices for Apple. Both have signed confidentiality agreements with Apple for the Tablet Mac.
Posted by Cyndi but provided by JackWednesday, November 15, 2006
The Mac OS X Keychain
This week we have a high-quality excerpt from the new ebook, "Take
Control of Passwords in OS X," written by Joe Kissell. The blurb
reads "If you've ever found yourself confused by all the passwords
your Mac asks you for, or anxious about your level of password
security, you should read this book." So, without further ado, read
away!
The Mac OS X Keychain
by Joe Kissell
[Excerpted from "Take Control of Passwords in OS X]
Since the days of Mac OS 9, Apple has provided a systemwide
repository for each user (identified by Mac OS user name), in which
all of that person's user names and their associated passwords are
stored; this repository is called a keychain. The idea is that
instead of having to remember (and manually enter) dozens or hundreds
of user names and passwords individually, you let the keychain
remember (and enter) them for you. The keychain itself is encrypted
and protected by a password. By entering just that one password, you
unlock all the passwords inside the keychain; the system then hands
them to applications, network servers, or other resources as
necessary. Not all applications that use passwords are designed to
support the keychain, but most do.
(Although I use the word keychain in the singular - as does Mac OS X
in most cases - you can have more than one keychain. I discuss the
variety of keychains, and issues involving the use of multiple
keychains, in the full ebook.)
Whenever someone creates a user account, Mac OS X creates a keychain
named "login" for that account. (In some earlier versions of Mac OS
X, this keychain was given a name matching the user's short name -
for example, johnsmith. If you had such a keychain in the past and
either updated Mac OS X or copied your user data from one machine to
another, your current keychain may still have that name.) Normally,
this is your default keychain, and the only one you'll interact with
regularly.
Here's an example of how a keychain can work: Suppose you have two
Macs networked together, and one of them has Personal File Sharing
turned on. When you go to the other Mac, you click the Network icon
in your Finder's sidebar and the first Mac appears in the list. You
select its icon and click Connect. An authentication dialog appears.
After selecting Registered User and entering a valid user name and
password for the computer to which you're connecting, you select
Remember Password in Keychain and click Connect.
Behind the scenes, Mac OS X makes a new keychain entry containing the
address of the Mac you're connecting to and the user name and
password you need to connect to that Mac. Assuming your keychain is
unlocked, the next time the authentication dialog appears for this
server, it's already filled in; you need only click Connect. (Had you
not selected Remember Password in Keychain earlier, you would have
been presented with blank Name and Password fields to fill in manually.)
By default, your keychain password is the same as your login
password. Upon login, if your keychain is named "login" (or has the
same name as your user name) and your login password is the same as
your keychain password, your keychain is unlocked automatically. Of
course, by default, Mac OS X also logs you in automatically when you
turn on your computer. In other words, unless you change those
default settings, your keychain is unlocked every time you turn on
your computer - not a terribly secure situation! Therefore, unless
you use your computer only in a setting where other people can't
physically access it, I recommend changing your keychain password so
that it's different from your login password and turning off
automatic login.
Note that your keychain interacts with most parts of Mac OS X, but
since you can't access it until you've logged in, it can't
automatically fill in your login password or firmware password. You
can enter those passwords in your keychain manually if you want to,
simply to have a secure place to keep them.
**Choose and Set a Keychain Password** -- Because your keychain
protects all your other passwords, your keychain password should be
the strongest one you have - in other words, at least as strong as
any other password in the keychain. If your keychain password is less
secure than it should be, you can change it in either of two ways:
* Change your login password. If your keychain password is identical
to your login password, changing your login password also changes
your keychain password to match.
* Change your keychain password independently.
**Use Your Keychain Password** -- Mac OS X adds user names and
passwords to your default keychain every time you enter them when the
Remember Password in Keychain checkbox is selected. You can also add
them manually.
At login, Mac OS X tries to unlock your default keychain. If you've
created other keychains and the default keychain is not "login" (or
the one matching your user name), a prompt appears asking for the
default keychain's password.
Even if your keychain unlocks automatically at login (because its
password is the same as your login password), you can still lock or
unlock it manually at any time, in either of the following ways:
* If the Keychain ( ) menu appears in your menu bar, choose Lock
Keychain "keychain-name" (or Lock All Keychains) from that menu to
lock it; choose Unlock Keychain "keychain-name" to unlock it. If this
menu does not appear in your menu bar, you can add it.
* Open Keychain Access (in /Applications/Utilities). If the Keychains
list is not showing on the upper left in the window, click the Show
Keychains button at the bottom left. Select your keychain in this
list; then choose File > Lock Keychain "keychain-name".
You can also set a keychain to lock automatically after a given
period of inactivity, when your computer goes to sleep, or both. In
either case, Mac OS X prompts you to unlock the keychain the next
time it's required to access some resource.
Most of your interaction with your keychain will involve locking or
unlocking it, and agreeing (or not) to have various passwords stored
there. However, you can do a great deal more with your keychain using
the Keychain Access utility, which I cover in the full ebook in detail.
Purchase the entire "Take Control of Passwords in OS X" ebook here:
http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/passwords-macosx.html
See all Take Control ebooks here:
http://www.smalldog.com/takecontrol.html
Remember, when you buy a Take Control ebook from Take Control, you
will get a $5.00 coupon good for any purchase from Small Dog
Electronics!
Posted by Cyndi
Control of Passwords in OS X," written by Joe Kissell. The blurb
reads "If you've ever found yourself confused by all the passwords
your Mac asks you for, or anxious about your level of password
security, you should read this book." So, without further ado, read
away!
The Mac OS X Keychain
by Joe Kissell
[Excerpted from "Take Control of Passwords in OS X]
Since the days of Mac OS 9, Apple has provided a systemwide
repository for each user (identified by Mac OS user name), in which
all of that person's user names and their associated passwords are
stored; this repository is called a keychain. The idea is that
instead of having to remember (and manually enter) dozens or hundreds
of user names and passwords individually, you let the keychain
remember (and enter) them for you. The keychain itself is encrypted
and protected by a password. By entering just that one password, you
unlock all the passwords inside the keychain; the system then hands
them to applications, network servers, or other resources as
necessary. Not all applications that use passwords are designed to
support the keychain, but most do.
(Although I use the word keychain in the singular - as does Mac OS X
in most cases - you can have more than one keychain. I discuss the
variety of keychains, and issues involving the use of multiple
keychains, in the full ebook.)
Whenever someone creates a user account, Mac OS X creates a keychain
named "login" for that account. (In some earlier versions of Mac OS
X, this keychain was given a name matching the user's short name -
for example, johnsmith. If you had such a keychain in the past and
either updated Mac OS X or copied your user data from one machine to
another, your current keychain may still have that name.) Normally,
this is your default keychain, and the only one you'll interact with
regularly.
Here's an example of how a keychain can work: Suppose you have two
Macs networked together, and one of them has Personal File Sharing
turned on. When you go to the other Mac, you click the Network icon
in your Finder's sidebar and the first Mac appears in the list. You
select its icon and click Connect. An authentication dialog appears.
After selecting Registered User and entering a valid user name and
password for the computer to which you're connecting, you select
Remember Password in Keychain and click Connect.
Behind the scenes, Mac OS X makes a new keychain entry containing the
address of the Mac you're connecting to and the user name and
password you need to connect to that Mac. Assuming your keychain is
unlocked, the next time the authentication dialog appears for this
server, it's already filled in; you need only click Connect. (Had you
not selected Remember Password in Keychain earlier, you would have
been presented with blank Name and Password fields to fill in manually.)
By default, your keychain password is the same as your login
password. Upon login, if your keychain is named "login" (or has the
same name as your user name) and your login password is the same as
your keychain password, your keychain is unlocked automatically. Of
course, by default, Mac OS X also logs you in automatically when you
turn on your computer. In other words, unless you change those
default settings, your keychain is unlocked every time you turn on
your computer - not a terribly secure situation! Therefore, unless
you use your computer only in a setting where other people can't
physically access it, I recommend changing your keychain password so
that it's different from your login password and turning off
automatic login.
Note that your keychain interacts with most parts of Mac OS X, but
since you can't access it until you've logged in, it can't
automatically fill in your login password or firmware password. You
can enter those passwords in your keychain manually if you want to,
simply to have a secure place to keep them.
**Choose and Set a Keychain Password** -- Because your keychain
protects all your other passwords, your keychain password should be
the strongest one you have - in other words, at least as strong as
any other password in the keychain. If your keychain password is less
secure than it should be, you can change it in either of two ways:
* Change your login password. If your keychain password is identical
to your login password, changing your login password also changes
your keychain password to match.
* Change your keychain password independently.
**Use Your Keychain Password** -- Mac OS X adds user names and
passwords to your default keychain every time you enter them when the
Remember Password in Keychain checkbox is selected. You can also add
them manually.
At login, Mac OS X tries to unlock your default keychain. If you've
created other keychains and the default keychain is not "login" (or
the one matching your user name), a prompt appears asking for the
default keychain's password.
Even if your keychain unlocks automatically at login (because its
password is the same as your login password), you can still lock or
unlock it manually at any time, in either of the following ways:
* If the Keychain ( ) menu appears in your menu bar, choose Lock
Keychain "keychain-name" (or Lock All Keychains) from that menu to
lock it; choose Unlock Keychain "keychain-name" to unlock it. If this
menu does not appear in your menu bar, you can add it.
* Open Keychain Access (in /Applications/Utilities). If the Keychains
list is not showing on the upper left in the window, click the Show
Keychains button at the bottom left. Select your keychain in this
list; then choose File > Lock Keychain "keychain-name".
You can also set a keychain to lock automatically after a given
period of inactivity, when your computer goes to sleep, or both. In
either case, Mac OS X prompts you to unlock the keychain the next
time it's required to access some resource.
Most of your interaction with your keychain will involve locking or
unlocking it, and agreeing (or not) to have various passwords stored
there. However, you can do a great deal more with your keychain using
the Keychain Access utility, which I cover in the full ebook in detail.
Purchase the entire "Take Control of Passwords in OS X" ebook here:
http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/passwords-macosx.html
See all Take Control ebooks here:
http://www.smalldog.com/takecontrol.html
Remember, when you buy a Take Control ebook from Take Control, you
will get a $5.00 coupon good for any purchase from Small Dog
Electronics!
Posted by Cyndi
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Apple Reports Preliminary Fourth Quarter Results
Apple announced preliminary fourth quarter financial results, with revenue of $4.84 billion and a net profit of $546 million, or $.62 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $3.68 billion and a net profit of $430 million, or $.50 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 29.2%, up from 28.1% a year ago. International sales accounted for 40% of revenue. http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2006/oct/18results.html
posted by Cyndi
posted by Cyndi
Wall Street Journal: Boss Puts iPod to Work
“People used to hide their iPods from their bosses, if they used them in the office at all,” writes Anjali Athavaley for the Wall Street Journal. “Now the bosses are passing them out to their employees. Companies from health-care suppliers to fast-food chains are handing out free iPods so that employees can download audio and video files of CEO announcements, training courses and sales seminars.” To read complete articel go to:
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB116173887200102825-u6E2elCR8OOVB6LUsdyY_0RdTvs_20061101.html?mod=blogs
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB116173887200102825-u6E2elCR8OOVB6LUsdyY_0RdTvs_20061101.html?mod=blogs
From EPS to PDF in No Time Flat
Handy Tip : From EPS to PDF in No Time Flat
This trick is pretty much just for graphic designers who work with EPS images from applications like Adobe illustrator, Coreldraw for Mac, Freehand, and Photoshop. If you want to convert your EPS image instantly into a PDF (ideal for emailing), just drag it onto Apple’s Preview application icon in your dock (or in your Applications folder) and Mac OS X automatically converts your Postscript file to a PDF on the fly. When you choose save from the File menu, it will save as a PDF.
http://www.apple.com/pro/tips/epstopdf.html
Posted by Cyndi
This trick is pretty much just for graphic designers who work with EPS images from applications like Adobe illustrator, Coreldraw for Mac, Freehand, and Photoshop. If you want to convert your EPS image instantly into a PDF (ideal for emailing), just drag it onto Apple’s Preview application icon in your dock (or in your Applications folder) and Mac OS X automatically converts your Postscript file to a PDF on the fly. When you choose save from the File menu, it will save as a PDF.
http://www.apple.com/pro/tips/epstopdf.html
Posted by Cyndi
Interesting Article: Perfecting a Life Saving Blood Pump
Perfecting a Life-Saving Blood Pump
With the help of Apple technology, Professor Marek Behr and his team at RWTH Aachen University have helped improve a four-ounce pump to help prolong the lives of tranplant patients waiting for a heart. http://www.apple.com/science/profiles/aachen/
With the help of Apple technology, Professor Marek Behr and his team at RWTH Aachen University have helped improve a four-ounce pump to help prolong the lives of tranplant patients waiting for a heart. http://www.apple.com/science/profiles/aachen/
How to Create a Digital Signature
I found this little tip in my Wacom Tablet newsletter (http://wacom.com/index2.cfm). But I discover you can create a digital signature the same way even if you don't have a tablet, you just have to be skilled with the mouse and pen tool in photoshop. I happen to have a Wacom Tablet, so if you really want to do this it using the table, give me a call and you can use mine!!
Digital Signatures by Matt Kloskowski
“It’s really easy to create your signature with a pen tablet. Best of all, you can save it in Photoshop so you don’t have to keep redoing it. In Photoshop, just select the Brush Tool and choose a small hard-edged (the kind without the faded edges) brush from the Brush Picker in the top Options Bar. Then write your signature with the Wacom pen on a white layer just as you normally would. Once you have it the way you like, select the Rectangular Marquee Tool from the toolbox and drag a selection around the entire signature. Go to the Edit menu and go down to Define Brush Preset. Give your brush a descriptive name, press OK and you’re ready to go. That’s it! Now your signature is saved as a custom brush in the Brushes palette ready to use whenever you want.”
posted by Cyndi
Digital Signatures by Matt Kloskowski
“It’s really easy to create your signature with a pen tablet. Best of all, you can save it in Photoshop so you don’t have to keep redoing it. In Photoshop, just select the Brush Tool and choose a small hard-edged (the kind without the faded edges) brush from the Brush Picker in the top Options Bar. Then write your signature with the Wacom pen on a white layer just as you normally would. Once you have it the way you like, select the Rectangular Marquee Tool from the toolbox and drag a selection around the entire signature. Go to the Edit menu and go down to Define Brush Preset. Give your brush a descriptive name, press OK and you’re ready to go. That’s it! Now your signature is saved as a custom brush in the Brushes palette ready to use whenever you want.”
posted by Cyndi
A cool Web Browser Widget
Art's Widget of the Week
This OS X Tiger Dashboard Widget is by Dave Pedu and is called
WidgetBrowse.
It is simply a web browsing tool, for use within the Dashboard.
Here is a link to this straightforward web browsing widget tool;
http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/networking_security/
widgetbrowse.html
Enjoy!
Posted by Cyndi
This OS X Tiger Dashboard Widget is by Dave Pedu and is called
WidgetBrowse.
It is simply a web browsing tool, for use within the Dashboard.
Here is a link to this straightforward web browsing widget tool;
http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/networking_security/
widgetbrowse.html
Enjoy!
Posted by Cyndi
What is a Kernel Panic?
Hopefully you have never experienced a Kernel Panic, but if you do...
What is a kernel panic:
A kernel panic is an error that occurs you guessed it, in the kernel
of the system. For those not familiar with UNIX based operating
system the kernel is the core of the system and such errors tend to
be rather severe and will interrupt that game of solitaire that you
were playing. When an unexpected instruction to the processor is
received it sends you a message in a black (or grey) box telling you
to restart your computer. It also includes other languages just to
keep you in practice with the german you learned in grade 12. Some
times it gives you strings of white text with a black background
across the top of your screen.
What to do when you get one:
Unlike the name, you should not be the one panicking. Whenever a
kernel panic happens it generates a log that includes the error
message to help in diagnosing the problem. It is called Panic.log
and is found in /library/logs/ The one real benefit of this log is
it date stamps every time it happens so you can see the frequency of
it. Frequent kernel panics is a sign of a hardware issue that should
be resolved. I have had a random kernel panic in my processing of
ipods but not every kernel panic is a sign of the apocalypse as there
are many causes for a kernel panic. Simply restart and see if it
happens again.
How can you fix a kernel panic:
As I mentioned there is many causes for that pesky black box of death
(System crashes: Not just for Windows anymore). The most common (and
easiest to fix) is caused by bad ram. One of the first steps in
isolating the problem is to take out any 3rd party ram and swap for
good ram. Also, disconnect peripherals such as that used ipod you
bought on ebay. A kernel panic at startup could be a sign that there
are bad sectors on your hard drive. If the system can boot off a CD
or an external drive you isolated it to the hard drive. If ram,
peripherals, and the hard drive are all ruled out the logic board is
the culprit and that is a pesky repair in your future.
Thanks to Todd@smalldog.com for this information
Posted by Cyndi
What is a kernel panic:
A kernel panic is an error that occurs you guessed it, in the kernel
of the system. For those not familiar with UNIX based operating
system the kernel is the core of the system and such errors tend to
be rather severe and will interrupt that game of solitaire that you
were playing. When an unexpected instruction to the processor is
received it sends you a message in a black (or grey) box telling you
to restart your computer. It also includes other languages just to
keep you in practice with the german you learned in grade 12. Some
times it gives you strings of white text with a black background
across the top of your screen.
What to do when you get one:
Unlike the name, you should not be the one panicking. Whenever a
kernel panic happens it generates a log that includes the error
message to help in diagnosing the problem. It is called Panic.log
and is found in /library/logs/ The one real benefit of this log is
it date stamps every time it happens so you can see the frequency of
it. Frequent kernel panics is a sign of a hardware issue that should
be resolved. I have had a random kernel panic in my processing of
ipods but not every kernel panic is a sign of the apocalypse as there
are many causes for a kernel panic. Simply restart and see if it
happens again.
How can you fix a kernel panic:
As I mentioned there is many causes for that pesky black box of death
(System crashes: Not just for Windows anymore). The most common (and
easiest to fix) is caused by bad ram. One of the first steps in
isolating the problem is to take out any 3rd party ram and swap for
good ram. Also, disconnect peripherals such as that used ipod you
bought on ebay. A kernel panic at startup could be a sign that there
are bad sectors on your hard drive. If the system can boot off a CD
or an external drive you isolated it to the hard drive. If ram,
peripherals, and the hard drive are all ruled out the logic board is
the culprit and that is a pesky repair in your future.
Thanks to Todd@smalldog.com for this information
Posted by Cyndi
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