Google translate for the iPhone

Official Google Mobile Blog: Google Translate now for iPhone. Sweet.

Posted on August 12, 2008 11:50 PM | link to this entry

iPhone upgrade

I just updated my iPhone OS to 2.0.1. I've been having some minor issues with speed and some hangs-let's see if it gets any better.

Posted on August 6, 2008 10:30 AM | link to this entry

iPhone domain shortcut

For those with the iPhone 2.0 upgrade: Domain Shortcut Helps Type URLs in Your iPhone More Quickly. I've been waiting for this one.

Posted on July 15, 2008 8:26 AM | link to this entry

The iPhone App Store

From Forbes.com: IPhone Apps Likely To Launch Thursday. I wonder if this means they're going to provide the 2.0 software update for the iPhone today as well. I still stand by my decision to forego the 3G version, and I think in the long run it will prove itself out.

Posted on July 10, 2008 10:12 AM | link to this entry

Free iPhone Ringtones

Make Free iPhone Ringtones using iTunes 7.6, for a non-jailbroken iPhone. Scroll to the bottom, right before the comments, and use the topmost of the two tips (under "Another Update").

Posted on April 21, 2008 7:12 PM | link to this entry

Install Leopard on an iPod.

I'm waiting for the Macworld Keynote this week to see if there are any new iPhones on the way. If not, I'm going to go ahead and buy one. And then I can promote my 3G iPod to backup/utility status by installing Leopard and a pile of diagnostic tools. (bonus tip: Startup key combinations for Intel Macs.) (via)

Posted on January 13, 2008 11:46 AM | link to this entry

Open Directory and OS X

Here's a fantastic series on using Open Directory for OS X: Part 1, Part 2, and managing preferences. Essentially, it's a system to centrally set up and manage network accounts from the server instead of bouncing from workstation to workstation. Oh, if I'd only been able to set up a certain client's internal network this way...

Posted on January 4, 2008 8:45 AM | link to this entry

DVD+R DL

Note to self: Memorex brand DVD+R dual-layer discs do not work with the SuperDrive on my MacBook Pro from Disc Utility: "The attempt to burn a disc failed. The device failed to calibrate the laser power level for this media." Looks like I have to switch media.

Posted on December 13, 2007 8:25 PM | link to this entry

Region-Free DVD fix.

Hrm. Use the directions on this page to flash the ROM on a MacBook Pro and make the DVD player region free. I have not used these directions, so caveat emptor.

Posted on November 28, 2007 4:38 PM | link to this entry

Undercover

Undercover is a $49 MacBook utility that aids in recovery if the laptop is stolen. If the stories on the website are to be believed, the company is pretty involved in the recovery process—I wonder what customer service will be like with multiple thousands of stolen laptops. Related: Setting up firmware password protection via Apple.

Posted on September 19, 2007 2:00 PM | link to this entry

Office Time

From TidBITS this week: a review of OfficeTime, another time tracking app for OS X (Windows version in beta). From what the review says, it has more features than our current tracking app, On The Job, including iCal integration, report generation, expense tracking, and flexible category pricing (handy when doing tasks with different hourly rates.) The review was good, so I'm going to try it out for a while.

Posted on July 16, 2007 9:45 PM | link to this entry

Applescript and Automator

I'm doing some research on automating workflows for a client, and I figured I'd need to brush up on my Applescript. Here's a link to the Applescript Sourcebook, a fantastic collection of tips, tricks, and lists of scriptable applications. Through this page I realized I might be able to use the Automator to build my workflow—something I hadn't even considered. Automatorworld has a pile of workflows and actions, although it's weighted towards the Apple-authored applications.

Update: FontDoctor, the app I'm trying to automate, crashes with a -609 error (connection is invalid), even when I use the included scripts.

Update: This error simply means the Applescript can't run because the application crashes.

Posted on July 11, 2007 10:07 AM | link to this entry

Crashing apps when printing from OS X 10.4

I just did a major upgrade from 10.3 -> 10.4 for a client, and ran into a problem with two of ten machines: printing from any application crashed the app without getting to the print dialog. This problem affected all user accounts and did not go away after resetting the Printer Setup Utlility (hold down Option while booting, which nukes all saved printers and preferences.) The culprit: bad/old/flaky HP drivers. The solution: delete the "hp" folder in /Library/Printers/ . Go to HP's site, download the latest drivers (it'll be one package containing drivers for everything) and install them as instructed. Then go back to the Printer Setup Utility and set up the printers again. (via)

Posted on June 27, 2007 4:08 PM | link to this entry

Mossberg likes the iPhone.

Hmm. Mossberg seems to like the iPhone. The sealed battery kind of worries me, personally. I like the ability to switch between my carrier's data network and wi-fi. I don't know if I'd want to pony up $100 for an extra 4 gigs of memory, but having only 4 gigs would probably get crowded pretty quick.

Posted on June 27, 2007 1:53 PM | link to this entry

iPhone Cost of Ownership

Gizmodo tallied up the total cost of ownership of an iPhone for the two-year minimum plan: $1974.76 for for 450 minutes a month and the 4GB iPhone. Ouch! I'll have to add up my current phone/plan cost is (it's only a 1-year) and see what the difference is.

Posted on June 26, 2007 12:02 PM | link to this entry

Senuti-getting music OFF an iPod.

I found the excellent application Senuti before I left for vacation, and just now have it set up with my backup music archive to find and pull any music I've got only on my iPod and not backed up to disc somewhere. It's probably the slickest app of its kind I've seen so far. The key feature is comparison of what's on your iPod vs. what's in your iTunes library, which makes syncing manually very easy.

Posted on June 18, 2007 11:15 PM | link to this entry

Bootable OS X on a Thumb Drive

Here are some instructions for how to build a bootable OS X install on a thumb drive. This could come in handy for a tools-only build to aid in recovery of dead drives.

Posted on May 21, 2007 3:39 PM | link to this entry

Apple's guide to installing Subversion

Apple's guide to installing Subversion. This is great, because there's a link at the bottom to a web-based interface and installation instructions for that as well. The only thing stopping me from having it running until now was having to deal with a command-line interface.

Posted on May 18, 2007 11:21 AM | link to this entry

Using an iPod as a bootable HD

This is just what I need: an article on how to boot up a Mac with an iPod. When I get the old 5GB iPod functional again, it's going to be my emergency boot disk/toolkit.

Posted on May 14, 2007 2:05 PM | link to this entry

DasBoot

Make a bootable removable drive (iPod, Flash drive, etc.) out of any Mac diagnostic CD with DasBoot. (via)

Posted on April 10, 2007 9:25 PM | link to this entry

17" MacBook Pro battery woes

Wow, Engadget has a whole lot of links about problems with 17" MacBook Pro batteries warping, expanding, and generally going kaput. Knowing just how hot this thing gets, I can't say I'm shocked, but...

Posted on April 9, 2007 10:09 AM | link to this entry

Remote Desktop Clients for the Mac

I've recently found myself needing to use Microsoft's Remote Desktop Client for a project I'm working on, and because the ThinkPad seems to hate me, I set it up in the Parallels WinXP install running on my MacBook Pro. Lifehacker wrote about two Mac RDC clients today, CORD and the Microsoft client itself. (Apparently the MS client is still PPC which means it runs slowly under emulation.) Caveat Emptor.

Posted on April 7, 2007 11:16 PM | link to this entry

Mac Backup Solutions

Complete Mac Backups free. I've been looking at rsync for a while, and having a clone of my current system is a fantastic idea. Time for another fat hard drive?

Posted on April 5, 2007 12:44 AM | link to this entry

Parallels Problem

WHOA. I almost freaked out there... I just installed the new build of Parallels (3188) and when I installed the Parallels Tools suite after booting into Windows, the whole thing went black. There is no mention of this on the Parallels site, but I found a solution here: Essentially, boot Windows into Safe Mode and then install Parallels Tools. *whew*.

Posted on March 19, 2007 1:16 PM | link to this entry

Parallels Desktop update available

Parallels released an update for Parallels Desktop today, which is great news. I hope the update is more stable than the beta I've been running (I get one good crash per session, usually), but overall I have nothing but good things to say about the app. As of 3:30EST, the server is not responding—they must be getting hammered.

Posted on February 27, 2007 3:38 PM | link to this entry

iPod repair links

Also on the radar: fixing Jen's old 1st generation iPod for a reliable backup drive. This is the first link a google search brings up: about $110 for a new battery and a FireWire repair. Here's an illustrated disassembly guide.

Further: How to run OSX off your iPod. This seems to shorten the life of the iPod's hard drive, however. I think I'll just stick with using it as a backup drive.

Posted on February 22, 2007 6:23 PM | link to this entry

When a Mac portable won't start up

Apple technote 50959:When a portable Mac won't start up. Resetting the PRAM; How to identify iBook models. (I have a client with an iBook that appears to be taking a dirt nap.)

Posted on February 15, 2007 9:41 AM | link to this entry

Sharing iTunes (Windows)

This is a Windows-only article on sharing one iTunes library among many networked machines. I'm sure there's a Mac version of this out there somewhere, but I don't have it handy right now.

Posted on January 23, 2007 5:15 PM | link to this entry

FTP via the OS X Finder

I hate command-line FTP, so I gravitate towards apps that can do things visually. I use Transmit for my day-to-day FTP needs, but I just found a tip that allows for bargain-basement FTP access via the OS X Finder: Use the Go > Connect to Server function. In the server address field type ftp://username@ftp.server-address.com, substituting your information as appropriate.

Duh. I feel stupid.

Posted on January 19, 2007 12:10 PM | link to this entry

Rebuilding an iPhoto Library

Rebuilding an iPhoto library. Summary: back everything up before you do so, because apparently, bad things can happen.

Posted on January 6, 2007 10:59 PM | link to this entry

iTunes Power Tips.

iTunes Power Tips, from Lifehacker. Of special interest: this link to tips on managing multiple libraries, which is, unfortunately, Windows-oriented.

Posted on December 20, 2006 1:40 PM | link to this entry

Archival CD/DVD information

How to choose CD/DVD archival media. DVD+R is supposed to be the best. Then why doesn't my Mac recognize (or like) the DVD+R media I've got?

update: Looks like it might have been the Superdrive in my old iBook that didn't like the media I bought; I just burned a DVD+R in the new MBP and it worked like butter.

Posted on December 15, 2006 11:30 AM | link to this entry

Windows and OS X with parallels

How to run Windows and Mac apps side-by-side with Parallels. This may come in handy in a couple of days...

Posted on December 13, 2006 5:40 PM | link to this entry

Photon for iPhoto

Attempting to find a better way to post pictures here via iPhoto, I came upon Photon, which is supposed to use the mt-xmlrpc.cgi interface. I'm still having problems with the export process, and Daikini's website is minimal at best, which means there's no documentation, and I'm getting errors during export with no return values.

I'm also trying out a 30-day demo of Flickrexport for iPhoto -> Flickr posting. More later, so stay tuned. Nevermind. Any software that freezes my whole application until it gets a serial number and won't let me demo gets uninstalled.

Why does this have to be so hard?

Posted on December 5, 2006 3:50 PM | link to this entry

Setting up Parallels on OS X

Here's a handy guide for setting up Parallels on OS X from Lifehacker.

Posted on November 7, 2006 12:06 PM | link to this entry

Pricing a MacBook pro.

This week we met with a client who has a 17" G4 Powerbook, and I fell in love with it. Hrmm. A BTO 17" MacBook Pro with a 100GB 7200-RPM drive (minus $99 from the stock price, but a faster drive) with the educational discount is $2509, vs. $2699 at the regular price. That's a lot of clams. (a 2.3Ghz 15" with the standard 120GB drive is $2499. Would I pay $10 for more screen size? Hell yeah.)

Posted on November 4, 2006 11:43 PM | link to this entry

Eudora and Thunderbird.

Eudora is going to be based on the Thunderbird platform beginning in 2007. I say: too little, too late. As someone forced to use Eudora because it supports one feature I need, I'm happy to leave it behind. It's a throwback to choppy OS9 development, with a counterintuitive UI, kitchen-sink style preferences, and strange redraw bugs that never get fixed. I'll be moving to Mail.app in a week or two, and I can't wait.

Posted on October 11, 2006 10:16 AM | link to this entry

Take Control of Your Fonts

I get a bunch of e-newsletters each week, and one of them recommended the Take Control of your Fonts in OS X eBook. We've had headaches with fonts over the last year, and I haven't found one good repository for repair advice; this one seems to be pretty thorough. I'll have a better review after I finish it.

Posted on October 9, 2006 11:00 PM | link to this entry

OS X Time Tracking/Invoicing

I've been using a nice little app called On The Job for the past couple of weeks, and it makes keeping track of work much easier. Daring Fireball mentioned Billable this morning, and after I watched the demo, I'm considering a switch—plaintext exporting, editable HTML for the generated invoice and Address Book integration are three things which have me very interested.

Posted on September 26, 2006 12:08 PM | link to this entry

Apostrophe information

Apparently, on the PC, to set a correct apostrophe, use the NumLock key, and type alt+0146. It doesn't look like it works in Flash MX though. Use this link and the popup instead. I wish I had MX on my Mac, which is smart enough to do this automatically.

Posted on September 19, 2006 10:24 PM | link to this entry

Battery Recall

Chicken Little! Chicken Little! It's funny how Dell got slammed last week with this story, and now Apple's getting front page news about it. Seems to me like Sony is the company who should be getting a kick in the ass. Luckily, my battery is not in the affected serial range.

Posted on August 24, 2006 3:26 PM | link to this entry

SanDisk Cruzer Titanium

Gizmodo reviews a SanDisk thumb drive and it sounds pretty nice. Except for that Mac-incompatible part.

Posted on August 22, 2006 11:15 AM | link to this entry

Skype Beta for OSX.

Hey, this is cool. Skype Beta for OSX, finally. Talk to your family and friends for free over the internets. Almost makes the Cisco IP phone here on my desk obsolete.

Posted on July 27, 2006 12:09 AM | link to this entry

TechTool Protege

This little gizmo is a Firewire-based bootable flash drive which runs TechTool Pro. Genius.

Posted on July 26, 2006 10:06 AM | link to this entry

Overlapped Extent Allocation Errors

Handling "overlapped extent allocation" errors reported by Disk Utility. One file overwrites another and the whole thing goes boom. Basically, if you're not on 10.4.2 or better, you're hosed, buddy.

Posted on July 14, 2006 4:50 PM | link to this entry

iCal publishing, take 72

Publish calendars without .Mac in iCal. I haven't tried this particular solution, but I'd wager it works. I'd rather have webDAV working on a local server here at the office, but I've never had luck getting it to work. Not for lack of trying, though. This could be cool, if it works.

Posted on June 16, 2006 1:46 PM | link to this entry

18 Hours?!!

Fit 18 hours of video on one DVD. Sounds a little too good to be true...

Posted on June 9, 2006 12:15 AM | link to this entry

MacBook Comparison Chart

MacBook comparison chart
Gotta love Apple for spelling it out well.

Posted on May 30, 2006 5:15 PM | link to this entry

Preview Vs. Acrobat

Preview Vs. Acrobat
Worth its weight in gold. I hate the fact that Acrobat Reader takes 15 minutes to start up and another 15 to shut itself down, after it's gummed up my system looking for web updates.

Posted on May 23, 2006 4:32 PM | link to this entry

MacBook Review.

MacBook Review.
This looks like a VERY nice update to the iBook line, something I could easily purchase to replace my 2005 iBook (1920 x 1200 external monitors with true spanning is enough to sell me. The Core Duo processors are a nice bonus.) I'll have to see how I like a 13-inch display running 1280x800 though.

Posted on May 22, 2006 5:04 PM | link to this entry

Replacement iBook Batteries.

Replacement iBook Batteries.
Good to know.

Posted on May 7, 2006 11:48 AM | link to this entry

iPhoto Viewer.

iPhoto Viewer.
A handy way to see and select photos in your iPhoto library without having to wait around to open the whole damn program. This is very, very slick. I need to play with Automator a lot more, too. Tiger only.(via, via)

Posted on May 3, 2006 11:00 AM | link to this entry

I Thought I Had A Lot Of Macs.

I Thought I Had A Lot Of Macs.
DAMN. They have me beat by, well, a thousand or so.

Posted on April 21, 2006 8:14 AM | link to this entry

iBook Screen Spanning Hack.

iBook Screen Spanning Hack.
I'm very nervous to try this, but I'd also like to try it. I could use the extra desktop space.

Posted on April 12, 2006 9:27 PM | link to this entry

Hidden iPod Commands.

Hidden iPod Commands.
In a nice clean package, too.

Posted on April 11, 2006 11:34 PM | link to this entry

Font Management In OS X, part 177.

Font Management In OS X, part 177.
This ain't over yet, kemosabe.

Posted on March 28, 2006 12:57 PM | link to this entry

System 7 Today.

link to this entry

VHS to DV to DVD.

VHS to DV to DVD.
Gotta keep this one in mind for later.

Posted on March 20, 2006 9:07 AM | link to this entry

iMac shutdown-restart.

iMac shutdown-restart.
Your iMac restarts as soon as you shut it down. Sez here you hafta replace the clock battery and reset the CUDA switch.

Posted on March 1, 2006 11:55 PM | link to this entry

Font Explorer X.

Font Explorer X.
I'm testing out an alternative to Suitcase-a free utility from Linotype for managing fonts on OS X. More to follow.

Posted on January 22, 2006 11:34 AM | link to this entry

Intel/Mac FAQ.

Intel/Mac FAQ.
Good information on the switch. I'm going to have to read up on all this stuff...

Posted on January 19, 2006 10:26 AM | link to this entry

Holy Fucking Crap.

Holy Fucking Crap.
!!!!!!!!!!

Posted on January 10, 2006 4:07 PM | link to this entry

iPhoto Crashing During Disc Burning?

iPhoto Crashing During Disc Burning? back up your existing library, then hold down the apple & option keys when you open up iPhoto to rebuild your library.

Posted on January 6, 2006 3:34 PM | link to this entry

Skype Driver For OSX.

Skype Driver For OSX.
Nice. If I didn't already have a free VoIP phone on my desk, I'd peep this out for sure.

Posted on December 15, 2005 9:41 AM | link to this entry

Photo Mosaics with OS X.

Photo Mosaics with OS X.
I could see this working perfectly with our Italy pictures..! (via)

Posted on December 8, 2005 10:00 AM | link to this entry

Sending Faxes From OS X.

Sending Faxes From OS X.
With an eFax account (free) and a phone line, who needs another stupid machine in the office?

Posted on November 14, 2005 4:33 PM | link to this entry

Rip DVD's to your iPod Video.

Rip DVD's to your iPod Video.
Like I'll ever be able to afford one of these, but it's good info. (via)

Posted on November 14, 2005 12:49 PM | link to this entry

iDoom for the Nano

iDoom for the Nano.
Another reason to get a Nano, besides all that music playing stuff.

Posted on November 10, 2005 9:37 AM | link to this entry

Backup Your DVD's.

Backup Your DVD's.
This is the software combination I use. To backup the DVD"s that I own. Um, yeah.

Posted on October 25, 2005 5:29 PM | link to this entry

iCalShare Links

iCalShare Links
A good repository of iCal links.

Posted on October 14, 2005 3:31 PM | link to this entry

Tiger OS Secrets.

Tiger OS Secrets.
More good info. (via)

Posted on September 29, 2005 1:33 PM | link to this entry

Getcher Music Of'n Yer iPod.

Getcher Music Of'n Yer iPod.
Good info.

Posted on September 26, 2005 3:06 PM | link to this entry

I Want To Lick This.

I Want To Lick This.
Pretty. The new phone? Yawn.

Posted on September 7, 2005 3:14 PM | link to this entry

Tiger Tips

Tiger Tips.
For when my new iBook gets here.

Posted on September 6, 2005 3:15 PM | link to this entry

Mac Serial Numbers

Mac Serial Numbers
Find out about your Mac.

Posted on May 31, 2005 4:29 PM | link to this entry

OS X supported scanners

Scanners supported under OS X
We need a better scanner by the middle of next month.

Posted on April 28, 2005 4:27 PM | link to this entry

551 Confirmed.

Moto 551 Confirmed.
It's official; I'm upgrading OSX and my phone as soon as I get paid.

Posted on April 28, 2005 1:59 PM | link to this entry

iTunes/MP3 volume adjustment

iTunes/MP3 volume adjustment
I always thot it was a lossy process. Hmmm...

Posted on April 8, 2005 5:11 PM | link to this entry

Life and OSX Hacks

43 Folders
General hacks with an OSX bent. I don't know why I didn't find this before today.

Posted on April 6, 2005 11:34 AM | link to this entry

Sharing 1 iTunes library with two users

Sharing 1 music library with 2 iTunes clients
Mostly common sense, but file under "good checklist."

Posted on March 25, 2005 12:19 PM | link to this entry

Mac OS Firewall primer

Mac OS Firewall Primer
Includes some good UNIX info and shell scripts.

Posted on March 21, 2005 5:32 PM | link to this entry