Filed under: Software, Tips and tricks, Friday Favorite
What's free, flexible, easy-to-use but powerful and can handle a wide variety of file types? Our good friend, TextEdit, an app that ships with every Mac. TextEdit is, of course, a simple text editing tool like Notepad or WordPad on Windows. But there's a lot more to "simple text editing" that you might imagine, especially when TextEdit connects to services and other apps. I'm going to show you a few cool things you can do with TextEdit: create an inbox, use it as a development tool, or grab snippets of text on the go.First, you should know that TextEdit defaults to the .rtf format. If you're not familiar with it, RTF is "rich text" and, unlike the .txt files generated by something like NotePad, RTF includes formatting, like bold or italics or bullet lists. "Plain text" .txt files are pretty much just the basic ASCII characters and paragraph breaks. So what? Well, if you want things to look pretty, you'll stick with .rtf, a format which is easy to share across platforms. Side note: did you know TextEdit will open Word documents? It isn't perfect, but it works if you don't have Word on your machine. The older .txt format is better for coding or when you don't need or can't have formatting.
To create an inbox, I suggest the simpler .txt format. What I used to do was set up Quicksilver to easily append to an inbox.txt file, and I used GeekTool to pin that .txt file to my desktop. You could also use LaunchBar to append, and I'm sure there's a way to whip up an AppleScript, but I never bothered. Instead, when I ditched Quicksilver, I started keeping the text file in the Dock, and I just open it up to add items. All this is portable, indexed by Spotlight, and fully cross-platform compatible.
Next up: munging HTML with TextEdit, and grabbing snippets of text from any app and dropping them into a file.
Continue reading Friday Favorite: TextEdit
TUAWFriday Favorite: TextEdit originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Water Sensor in iPhone/iPod not Reliable?
As you probably know it now, Apple has integrated several water/humidity sensors in its iPod, iPhone and even MacBook models. It gives Apple certified technical supports a way to check if the damaged or defective devices have been dropped into water and consequently not working anymore, as this is not cover by the warranty. It would be great in a perfect world if several reports were not questioning the reliability of those sensors, hereafter is one of them:
I sent my iPhone for being repairs as I could not receive not emit any call while SMS, data, GPS a,d gravity sensors were all working fine. According to some searches on the web, it seems that it is a rather common problem. All reset procedures have bee tried unsuccessfully before. Apple sent it back arguing that they will not repair it due to the famous water sensor that turned "red", whereas have never been in contact with water since July 2008... As they did not want to take into account my claims, I decided to reset it with the iPhone 0S 3.0 beta (I am a developer), and it is now working perfectly!!
This proves that the diagnostic seems to be only based on the color of the sensor, and the technical support is not even checking if a software problem could affect the iPhone. It does not really sound serious and it is definitely biased. It seems that Apple does not really care to pay for a UPS fast sipping both ways but does not want to make a simple software check-up as soon as one sensor is red...
In summary, if your sensors are red, and independently of the reason of the failure, the warranty will not work. This is just too much, and a really restricted way to consider claims from customers. Indeed, those sensors have a tendency to turn red without being in direct contact with water. You just need to be located for a short time in a humid area or location, and it will be enough to make the sensors turning red. This is very disappointing that Apple technical support does not try to check for other reasons for a failure as soon as they identify a red sensor...
The Shuffle's Mad Margins, AT&T's Separation Anxiety, and Visions of an $899 iMac
Conversation in the Apple-focused blogosphere is all over the map this week, but with Apple in the tech world's driver seat these days, wide-ranging activity is only to be expected. Out of dozens of news nuggets, here are three that create some interesting glimmers: iSuppli's teardown of Apple's diminutive iPod shuffle reveals a tidy profit margin; AT&T reportedly wants to keep its lock on the U.S. iPhone channel; and Apple is offering an $899 iMac -- but only to educational institutions.
Movies come to German iTunes Store
Filed under: iTS
After much time and negotiation, movies have finally come to the German iTunes Store. As of this writing, there are 500 films available to German customers (just about 100 are available in HD), including American hits like The Dark Knight (good movie, but the motorcycle is a bit over the top) and Die Fälscher from German cinema.Pricing breaks down like this:
- Older titles are sold for €7.99
- Newer titles sell for €9.99
- Brand-new releases are €13.99
[Via iPodNN]
TUAWMovies come to German iTunes Store originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 17 Apr 2009 04:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Problem with Bluetooth on New Mac Pro Models
Several reports posted on Apple discussion forum (here and there) mention a problem encountered on the new Mac Pro. From time to time, without any reason nor relation to the computer status, the Mac Pro will reboot, making all unsaved data lost.
According to the first investigation, it could be a bug linked to Bluetooth appearing when peripherals are connected (such as keyboard or mouse). To prevent any problem, it is recommended ti deactivate BT or at least, not use it. However, this can not be considered as the final solution. Apple did not officially reacted to this bug, and many unfortunate Mac Pro owners are now hoping that the forthcoming Mac OS X 10.5.7 update will fix the issue.
TUAW review: Daylite 3.9, Daylite Server, and Daylite Touch
Filed under: Enterprise, Software, Features, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch
Marketcircle's Daylite is a popular business productivity management application for the Mac platform, and it was recently updated to version 3.9. While this sounds like it might have been just another version upgrade, it was actually a major update to Daylite. Coinciding with the release of Daylite 3.9, Marketcircle also released Daylite Server and Daylite Touch, two new components that bring the power of Daylite to the iPhone and iPod touch platforms.We'll be talking with Marketcircle CEO Alykhan Jetha (AKA A.J.) this Sunday, April 19th, at 10 PM EDT on the TUAW Talkcast, so be sure to listen in and bring any questions that you'd like to ask A.J. about Daylite.
Continue reading TUAW review: Daylite 3.9, Daylite Server, and Daylite Touch
TUAWTUAW review: Daylite 3.9, Daylite Server, and Daylite Touch originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 17 Apr 2009 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
A standard for the Femtocell
Femtocell are 3G mini antennas whose power does not exceed that of a Wi-Fi terminal and that allows, for example, a reliable relay of the signal inside. Already SFR and AT&T have tested these products with view to marketing them.
One of the main obstacles to mass usage has just been lifted. The 3GPP who enact the standards of 3G mobile telephony has just published a standard to ensure compatibility and inter-operatively of all the solutions that manufacturers start to propose. Better still, this standard will make it possible that millions these cells can cohabit and run with true relays. Thus, it will be possible to create a tight grid which could for example be used for the fourth 3G operator that we wait to be created, which would be less expensive and make use of its customers Internet.
Orange Switzerland Activates Visual Voice Mail
Thanks to Julyan to report that Orange Switzerland has now activated Visual Voice Mail on swiss iPhone.
You will however need to call the customer service to launch the activation procedure.
iPhone 3.0 Beta Galleries Illustrate New Features
Over the past couple of days, users have been digging through the latest iPhone OS 3.0 beta for signs of new features, and World of Apple and AppleInsider have put together some nice screenshot galleries illustrating a number of the findings.
...
New discoveries turn up in betas of Apple's iPhone 3.0 software [u]
Developer sources familiarizing themselves with betas of Apple's iPhone 3.0 software have uncovered a handful of additional tweaks and improvements to the system in recent weeks, including changes to Safari's window handling, new battery status indicators and notification preferences, as well as the advent of data detectors in certain apps.
Friday Favorite: TextEdit
Filed under: Software, Tips and tricks, Friday Favorite
What's free, flexible, easy-to-use but powerful and can handle a wide variety of file types? Our good friend, TextEdit, an app that ships with every Mac. TextEdit is, of course, a simple text editing tool like Notepad or WordPad on Windows. But there's a lot more to "simple text editing" that you might imagine, especially when TextEdit connects to services and other apps. I'm going to show you a few cool things you can do with TextEdit: create an inbox, use it as a development tool, or grab snippets of text on the go.First, you should know that TextEdit defaults to the .rtf format. If you're not familiar with it, RTF is "rich text" and, unlike the .txt files generated by something like NotePad, RTF includes formatting, like bold or italics or bullet lists. "Plain text" .txt files are pretty much just the basic ASCII characters and paragraph breaks. So what? Well, if you want things to look pretty, you'll stick with .rtf, a format which is easy to share across platforms. Side note: did you know TextEdit will open Word documents? It isn't perfect, but it works if you don't have Word on your machine. The older .txt format is better for coding or when you don't need or can't have formatting.
To create an inbox, I suggest the simpler .txt format. What I used to do was set up Quicksilver to easily append to an inbox.txt file, and I used GeekTool to pin that .txt file to my desktop. You could also use LaunchBar to append, and I'm sure there's a way to whip up an AppleScript, but I never bothered. Instead, when I ditched Quicksilver, I started keeping the text file in the Dock, and I just open it up to add items. All this is portable, indexed by Spotlight, and fully cross-platform compatible.
Next up: munging HTML with TextEdit, and grabbing snippets of text from any app and dropping them into a file.
Continue reading Friday Favorite: TextEdit
TUAWFriday Favorite: TextEdit originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Water Sensor in iPhone/iPod not Reliable?
As you probably know it now, Apple has integrated several water/humidity sensors in its iPod, iPhone and even MacBook models. It gives Apple certified technical supports a way to check if the damaged or defective devices have been dropped into water and consequently not working anymore, as this is not cover by the warranty. It would be great in a perfect world if several reports were not questioning the reliability of those sensors, hereafter is one of them:
I sent my iPhone for being repairs as I could not receive not emit any call while SMS, data, GPS a,d gravity sensors were all working fine. According to some searches on the web, it seems that it is a rather common problem. All reset procedures have bee tried unsuccessfully before. Apple sent it back arguing that they will not repair it due to the famous water sensor that turned "red", whereas have never been in contact with water since July 2008... As they did not want to take into account my claims, I decided to reset it with the iPhone 0S 3.0 beta (I am a developer), and it is now working perfectly!!
This proves that the diagnostic seems to be only based on the color of the sensor, and the technical support is not even checking if a software problem could affect the iPhone. It does not really sound serious and it is definitely biased. It seems that Apple does not really care to pay for a UPS fast sipping both ways but does not want to make a simple software check-up as soon as one sensor is red...
In summary, if your sensors are red, and independently of the reason of the failure, the warranty will not work. This is just too much, and a really restricted way to consider claims from customers. Indeed, those sensors have a tendency to turn red without being in direct contact with water. You just need to be located for a short time in a humid area or location, and it will be enough to make the sensors turning red. This is very disappointing that Apple technical support does not try to check for other reasons for a failure as soon as they identify a red sensor...
The Shuffle's Mad Margins, AT&T's Separation Anxiety, and Visions of an $899 iMac
Conversation in the Apple-focused blogosphere is all over the map this week, but with Apple in the tech world's driver seat these days, wide-ranging activity is only to be expected. Out of dozens of news nuggets, here are three that create some interesting glimmers: iSuppli's teardown of Apple's diminutive iPod shuffle reveals a tidy profit margin; AT&T reportedly wants to keep its lock on the U.S. iPhone channel; and Apple is offering an $899 iMac -- but only to educational institutions.Movies come to German iTunes Store
Filed under: iTS
After much time and negotiation, movies have finally come to the German iTunes Store. As of this writing, there are 500 films available to German customers (just about 100 are available in HD), including American hits like The Dark Knight (good movie, but the motorcycle is a bit over the top) and Die Fälscher from German cinema.Pricing breaks down like this:
- Older titles are sold for €7.99
- Newer titles sell for €9.99
- Brand-new releases are €13.99
[Via iPodNN]
TUAWMovies come to German iTunes Store originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 17 Apr 2009 04:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Problem with Bluetooth on New Mac Pro Models
Several reports posted on Apple discussion forum (here and there) mention a problem encountered on the new Mac Pro. From time to time, without any reason nor relation to the computer status, the Mac Pro will reboot, making all unsaved data lost.
According to the first investigation, it could be a bug linked to Bluetooth appearing when peripherals are connected (such as keyboard or mouse). To prevent any problem, it is recommended ti deactivate BT or at least, not use it. However, this can not be considered as the final solution. Apple did not officially reacted to this bug, and many unfortunate Mac Pro owners are now hoping that the forthcoming Mac OS X 10.5.7 update will fix the issue.
TUAW review: Daylite 3.9, Daylite Server, and Daylite Touch
Filed under: Enterprise, Software, Features, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch
Marketcircle's Daylite is a popular business productivity management application for the Mac platform, and it was recently updated to version 3.9. While this sounds like it might have been just another version upgrade, it was actually a major update to Daylite. Coinciding with the release of Daylite 3.9, Marketcircle also released Daylite Server and Daylite Touch, two new components that bring the power of Daylite to the iPhone and iPod touch platforms.We'll be talking with Marketcircle CEO Alykhan Jetha (AKA A.J.) this Sunday, April 19th, at 10 PM EDT on the TUAW Talkcast, so be sure to listen in and bring any questions that you'd like to ask A.J. about Daylite.
Continue reading TUAW review: Daylite 3.9, Daylite Server, and Daylite Touch
TUAWTUAW review: Daylite 3.9, Daylite Server, and Daylite Touch originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 17 Apr 2009 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
A standard for the Femtocell
Femtocell are 3G mini antennas whose power does not exceed that of a Wi-Fi terminal and that allows, for example, a reliable relay of the signal inside. Already SFR and AT&T have tested these products with view to marketing them.
One of the main obstacles to mass usage has just been lifted. The 3GPP who enact the standards of 3G mobile telephony has just published a standard to ensure compatibility and inter-operatively of all the solutions that manufacturers start to propose. Better still, this standard will make it possible that millions these cells can cohabit and run with true relays. Thus, it will be possible to create a tight grid which could for example be used for the fourth 3G operator that we wait to be created, which would be less expensive and make use of its customers Internet.
Orange Switzerland Activates Visual Voice Mail
Thanks to Julyan to report that Orange Switzerland has now activated Visual Voice Mail on swiss iPhone.
You will however need to call the customer service to launch the activation procedure.
iPhone 3.0 Beta Galleries Illustrate New Features
Over the past couple of days, users have been digging through the latest iPhone OS 3.0 beta for signs of new features, and World of Apple and AppleInsider have put together some nice screenshot galleries illustrating a number of the findings.
...
New discoveries turn up in betas of Apple's iPhone 3.0 software [u]
Developer sources familiarizing themselves with betas of Apple's iPhone 3.0 software have uncovered a handful of additional tweaks and improvements to the system in recent weeks, including changes to Safari's window handling, new battery status indicators and notification preferences, as well as the advent of data detectors in certain apps.
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