Apple Thoughts - News & Reviews on all things Apple

"Extensions are a great way for you to add new features to Safari 5.0.1. Built by developers, Safari Extensions use the latest HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript web technologies. And they're digitally signed and sandboxed for improved security. You can install extensions with one click - no need to restart Safari."

It certainly couldn't be any easier to get to the extensions gallery. And to see what extensions you have installed just take a look under "View" and it will show you what is and isn't active. This is also where you turn them on and off once you have them installed. Pretty easy. PC World has a list of "8 Killer Extensions" for Safari that might interest you as well, since there are over 100 of them to choose from.

"The Microsoft Mac team has posted the first in a series of videos that show off some of the new features in Microsoft Office for Mac 2011."

I'm actually interested in seeing what Outlook for Mac is going to look like and how it will function when they release this new version of Office for Mac (it's supposed to be compatible with Spotlight and Time Machine). It's due out by the end of the year, so in preparation for that release the "Mac Office Team" has been posted the first in a series of videos about the new features. This is supposed to bring the Mac version more in line with the Windows version. Do you have any plans on picking up this software or are you happy using what you have now? And what exactly are you using now?

"1Password can now sync via the cloud using Dropbox - this is a long awaited feature and is implemented really well. 1Password is a must have for any computer user - it stores all your passwords and automatically logs you in to sites. It can help you create secure passwords and even store billing addresses and credit card info making checkout really fast on sites."

A welcome update indeed! Fair warning, this only works on the 1Password Pro version for the time being, but will be available soon on all versions once approved by Apple. To enable it, once you get the new version and if you have already been syncing via Dropbox, all you have to do is update your app. Macworld has a tutorial on how Dropbox syncing in general works if you aren't familiar, and if you already have 1Password and Dropbox syncing enabled, you can find out the details at 1Password on how to set up the automatic syncing.

"Demand for HTML5 skills among developers is soaring, according to a new report released today by DoNanza, a search engine that aggregates project postings from online freelance jobs markets like Elance and oDesk."

Just how big of a demand is there? Well, according to the report done by DoNanza.com, in Q2 2010 there was a 474% increase in the demand for HTML5 developers. How was Flash faring in the same report? Down 24%. But to put it in perspective, there were 11 times as many Flash projects posted as there were HTML5 projects. It's an interesting report nonetheless.

"Fantastic. 25 years after it was first written for the Mac, Apple has chosen donate the source code of MacPaint and QuickDraw to the Computer History Museum, making one of the earliest and most efficient pieces of art software ever available to public scrutiny for the first time ever."

This program was released in 1984, and now if you want to see what's behind the screen, you can. The Computer History Museum has a page set up with interesting background information on MacPaint and QuickDraw, as well as the source code.

"Ostrich is a Twitter client made of Safari Extension stuff. You might find it useful if you like to keep an eye on your tweets while you browse the web, and especially if you like to share a lot of URLs via Twitter."

Basically Ostrich [link] works from your menu bar, so you can tweet at will, making it especially useful if you tweet links.

"taptaptap, Tapbots, and Macheist have released a very well-designed calculator app for the iPhone and iPad called Calcbot -- it's available for 99 cents right now on the App Store."

Yes, we have another calculator app. This one is from the folks that make Weightbot [affiliate link] and Convertbot [affiliate link], and while Calcbot costs $0.99 USD [affiliate link] for a limited time only, what you also get is a universal app for your iPhone or iPad. On top of that, Macheist is doing a promo so if you spread the word about Calcbot on Facebook, they will give you a free copy of Socialite for Mac. Socialite is a program to manage all of your social networking. A $29.00 USD program that you can get free for posting on Facebook? Sounds like a pretty good deal to me, if it's something you can use of course.

"When it comes to troubleshooting the Macintosh, there are many utilities available for getting the job done. Some are cheap and some expensive but for most you will have to shell out a bit of cash for a license. However, there are also some very robust free options out there for troubleshooting software problems to managing hardware issues."

There are ten listed here, all of them freeware, that can help you maintain your Mac. To be honest, I've never used any of the ones on this list. However, if you are looking for some simple tools that have specific uses, this list might be just the thing for you.

"Too lazy to cancel your $99 MobileMe automatic subscription renewal and make the jump to one of the many free alternatives? Don't worry, your lethargy has paid off this morning as Apple introduces its new MobileMe iDisk 1.2 app and a beta version of its new MobileMe Calendar."

The MobileMe Calendar Beta design follows the calendar design of the iPad, and also adds enhancements such as sharing, event invitations and publishing a calendar to groups. The best upgrade in my opinion is the adoption of the CalDAV standard. If you decide to give MobileMe Calendar beta a try, Apple has set up a page on how to prepare for it [link]. As far as the iDisk update, it is now optimized for the iPad screen, supports iOS 4 multitasking and gives you the option to open your iDisk docs in apps that are compatible with it, such as iBooks.

"LittleFin Software, LLC today is pleased to announce the release of Compartments 1.2 for Mac OS X, an easy-to-use home inventory application."

There are several inventory programs out there, but this one just added something new. Warranty Guard is now part of Compartments 1.2, which gives you the option to add warranty information for all your stuff, even keeping track of warranty expirations. Now it's on sale for $9.95 USD [iTunes Link], down from the normal price of $24.95 USD, but only until July 4th.

"One of the best parts about traveling is sharing your experiences with friends and family back home."

One way to document all your adventures is to create your own blog, or go to a site like everlater where they help you create one. Or any number of apps and web-based tools. If you get lost in the choices, have a look at this article where they narrow it down to a few of what they consider some of the best travel tools. After all, it is travel season yes?

"Last week MobileMe underwent a complete redesign. With only 2-hours notice, members didn't really know what to expect other than the service was just going down for regular maintenance. But when MobileMe came back online, it had a completely redesigned user interface that's fresh and inviting, and a few new features were thrown in as well."

The revamped interface that greets you is pretty nice, but the best part of the update, in my opinion, is the ability to set rules for your mail so you can keep it organized, as well as the ability to now archive your mail. I wish you could add IMAP instead of just POP, but at least they have also given you the option to add other accounts. Overall a pretty good overview of the new features.

"Apple has issued the following announcement regarding scheduled MobileMe maintenance: Maintenance - 6/17/2010, 22:00 - 6/18/2010, 00:00 PT"

With the following additional info in their notice:

"Due to scheduled maintenance, MobileMe members will be unable to access MobileMe applications at me.com. Access to MobileMe will still be available on desktop applications, iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Normal service is expected to be restored at the end of the maintenance window. We apologize for any inconvenience."

That is all.

"Developers, developers, developers: Now you can submit your Safari extensions to Apple's appropriately-named, Safari Extensions gallery."

All you have to do is log on at the developers website at Apple and fill in the form, as well as provide the necessary icon, category and product description. Of course, Apple reserves the right to decline to use your submission, but nothing ventured nothing gained as they say. Can't wait to see what they come up with!

"Apple's Safari browser remains an incredibly popular choice for Mac users everywhere, and is highly regarded for keeping up to date with the latest advances in web technology. Personally, I use and love it for the simplicity offered - it's fast, lean, and feels like a clutter-free window to the web."

Announced at WWDC, Safari 5 has been getting a lot of press lately, but what is all the fuss about? Well, first of all, the Reader function is new. Go to a website, click on any article so it's the only one loaded and click the "reader" button in the address bar. You can also use the "view" menu or shift-command-r to access it. As long as the web site has the standard div tags to keep the main content separate from single articles this should work on pretty much any web page. CNET has a pretty good article on how it all works in case you are curious.

Read more...

"Apple has published an extensive showcase of HTML5-based websites designed to show how the Web standard works across its software offerings and devices. 'Every new Apple mobile device and every new Mac - along with the latest version of Apple's Safari Web browser - supports Web standards including HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript. These Web standards are open, reliable, highly secure, and efficient. They allow Web designers and developers to create advanced graphics, typography, animations, and transitions.'"

What is funny is they talk about open standards yet to see what they have done here, you have to have a Safari browser?? Chrome and Firefox are both HTML5 compliant so they should work too don't you think? If the "standards aren't add-ons to the web. They are the web" as Apple state, you should demonstrate it by making it visible on any browser that is capable! That aside, I do like what you can do with HTML5, and it is much faster and more responsive. If you want to use Chrome or Firefox and see the examples, you can go to this site and view them in your browser of choice. Also, if you want a crash course in HTML5, head on over to OSX Daily for a quick read on it.

"It may not be a love-fest between Google and Apple these days, but internally at least, the search giant is showing Cupertino some love by phasing out Windows-based systems and replacing them with Macs."

This was based on a Financial Times story, that gained info from a Google memo outlining the reason for the change was for security reasons. As a side note, they also mentioned that Google is working towards running everything on their own software and that it might be the first step in going full scale into their Chrome OS.

"The always impressive folks at Valve have released the trailer above below, which will be familiar if you've ever seen a very popular Apple commercial before. And at the end, you'll also see why they've done this: Half Life 2 is coming to the Mac tomorrow today, May 26, 2010."

As part of their ongoing promotion, they are releasing games to the Mac platform every Wednesday so now it is time for Half-Life 2. Great game, and I for one will be getting it for my Mac. Not sure yet on the price, but I doubt it will be free like Portal was for a short time.

"Company announced Tuesday that its Chrome browser for the OS X is now available as a stable release."

Let the downloads begin!

"Every once in a while our tiny team produces something so...right...that we can't help but brag about it--especially when the production of that something takes over 15 months. Today is one of those times. We proudly present a very special, brand-new version of our contact management gem, Relationship."

I haven't used this program, but from what I've gleaned from the Jumsoft website, it sounds pretty powerful for a $39.00 USD program. If you want to give it a try, they do offer a free trial. If you are already a Relationship user, this is a free upgrade according to their blog, so all you have to do is input your current serial number. I'm curious though, do you use this program to keep track of your contacts? If so, how do you like it, and if you use something else, let us know!