Kibbles & Bytes Blog

  • Apple Event Predictions

    Apple’s upcoming event is shrouded in mystery (as per usual), but that doesn’t stop us from speculating about what they could unveil (in fact, it downright encourages us!).

    Next Wednesday, January 27, at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco at 10 a.m., we think Steve will announce:

    • a revision to the iPhone!
      -Emily
    • the iLove and the iPod TouchU—breaking fully into the interactive sex toy market (Editor’s note: Ummm…)
    • OS 4.0 for iPhone and iPod touch
      -Carl
    • the tablet everyone’s talking about (but what will it be named?? iPad? iSlate? iOHMYGAWDITSSOAWESOME?)
    • OS 4.0 for iPhone and iPod touch
    • Cloud-based iTunes streaming
      -Gary
    • the tablet (and the name? iPen? iTab?)
    • iPod touch with camera
    • a change to MacBook Air
    • a change to iPhone
      -Lucie
    • Verizon iPhone
      -Mark
    • new AppleTV/Mac mini HYBRID
    • iPod redesign (shuffle, iPod nano, iPod touch and a FLASH MEMORY iPod classic!)
    • iLife ’10/iWork ’10
    • touch tablet (in different colors!)
      -Katie
    • the new Apple product will have every feature the Newton had—including fax!!
      -Morgan
    • a much-needed revision to Aperture
    • something about a tablet? and some touch-screen business?
    • iLife ’10, iWork ’10 and supercharged MobileMe
      -Kali

    Email us with your predictions and we’ll be back next week with the REAL story!

  • Reader Submitted Mac Maintenance Applications

    Last week we asked readers to share the OS X maintenance applications they’re currently using for their Mac. Of all the other apps listed below, I’ve only tested “Cocktail”:http://www.maintain.se/cocktail/index.php and “TechTool Pro.”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/73130/micromat-techtool-pro-v-5-0

    Indeed, I know many Mac users run Cocktail. MacLife says “We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: Cocktail is simply one of the most useful maintenance utilities ever created for Mac OS X.” However, in my Mac use, I’ve only ever needed to use Onyx (along with daily Time Machine backups).

    “Click here to visit the Onyx developers page.”:http://www.titanium.free.fr/

    Here are the other, reader-submitted and tested Mac maintenance applications:

    “Cocktail”:http://www.maintain.se/cocktail/index.php – Cocktail is an award-winning general purpose utility for Mac OS X. It is a smooth and powerful digital toolset with a variety of practical features that simplifies the use of advanced UNIX functions and helps Mac users around the world to get the most out of their computers. Cocktail is installed on more than 200,000 computers worldwide.

    “Click here to read more and download Cocktail.”:http://www.maintain.se/cocktail/index.php

    “Yasu”:http://jimmitchelldesign.com/yasu – One reader says “I started using this several years ago.” Yasu was “Created with System Administrators who service large groups of workstations in mind, Yasu (Yet Another System Utility) is an Apple OS X maintenance utility that has been developed to do a specific group of tasks quickly within a few clicks, rather than needing to endlessly type shell script commands in the Terminal application.”

    “Click here to read more and download Yasu.”:http://jimmitchelldesign.com/yasu/

    “Macaroni”:http://www.atomicbird.com/macaroni – Macaroni is a tool which handles regular maintenance for Mac OS X, including the Mac OS X repair privileges process as well as Unix-style maintenance. You could do this yourself, but don’t you have more interesting things to do with your time?

    “Click here to download Macaroni.”:http://www.atomicbird.com/macaroni

    “MacJanitor”:http://personalpages.tds.net/~brian_hill/macjanitor.html – MacJanitor is designed to be used on a periodic basis by Mac OS X users who don’t leave their computer on (and awake) 24 hours a day. MacJanitor is provided as freeware as a service to laptop and energy-conscious home users.

    “Click here to read more about MacJanitor.”:http://personalpages.tds.net/~brian_hill/macjanitor.html

    “Main Menu”:http://creativebe.com/mainmenu – MainMenu is a powerful maintenance tool to keep your Mac running like new, packed in a slick and simple interface. Improve application performance, make searching faster and speed up your disk access.

    “Click here to download Main Menu.”:http://creativebe.com/mainmenu

    “TechTool Pro”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/73130/micromat-techtool-pro-v-5-0 – Use TechTool Pro to keep your Macintosh running smoothly. TechTool Pro is a full-featured utility program containing options for testing and repair, maintenance (including disk defragmentation) and data recovery. All it takes is one click of the mouse to perform a comprehensive suite of tests on your computer’s hardware and attached drives. TechTool Pro does it all. There is no need to purchase additional software to keep your computer performing at its best. In fact, it’s so good that Apple includes a copy of its sibling, TechTool Deluxe, in its AppleCare Protection Plan.

    Click here to view “TechTool Pro.”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/73130/micromat-techtool-pro-v-5-0

    “DiskWarrior”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/41941/alsoft-diskwarrior-for-intel – DiskWarrior is used more as a repair tool than a maintenance utility, but it does have maintenance features. It claims to be the safest, most technologically advanced, most powerful utility to eliminate directory damage and recover your files, folders and documents. DiskWarrior is so advanced it can even recover your data from a failing hard drive. Yet all that power is hidden behind one button.

    “Click here to read about DiskWarrior.”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/41941/alsoft-diskwarrior-for-intel

  • MAC TREAT #111: Use Stronger Passwords

    Here’s a disconcerting item: one out of five web users still use simple, easily guessed passwords like “1234567,” “abc123,” “iloveyou” and even “password.”

    The New York Times suggests that hackers could break into many accounts just by trying the most common passwords. “Because of the prevalence of fast computers and speedy networks, hackers can fire off thousands of password guesses per minute.”

    In practice, it would be more complicated than that, but if you use weak passwords (or haven’t changed your passwords for years), then it’s time to update now.

    Many OS X apps in Tiger, Leopard and Snow Leopard have a built-in Password Assistant to help you choose a stronger password. You can use this Password Assistant to generate strong passwords (and test your existing password) for any purpose.

    However, it’s not obvious where to find this small application. One way to launch it is to open your Keychain Access application, then click File > New Password Item. You can also find it in System Preferences > Accounts > Change Password.

    If you want to launch Password Assistant without having to open a separate application, you can download a tiny program also called Password Assistant. It solely exists to launch the Mac’s built-in Password Assistant. “Click here to see this.”:http://www.codepoetry.net/products/passwordassistant

    I’d been thinking about covering Password Assistant for a few weeks, and the report about weak and common passwords seemed like the perfect occasion to do this. But just this morning I noticed another great article that covers this very subject in detail at “Macworld.com”:http://www.macworld.com/article/145804/2010/01/passwordassistant.html, written by the always great Dan Frakes. “Click here to read this.”:http://www.macworld.com/article/145804/2010/01/passwordassistant.html It also covers the popular 1Password application.

  • _Dear Friends,_

    We are in the midst of a very mild spell of weather here in the Green Mountains. We have had very little snow, at least here in the Mad River Valley–Burlington got socked with three feet! The temperatures have been around freezing for the past week.

    While a January thaw is common, so is that week were the temperatures seldom get above 0º. We have not had that cold snap–yet. Nevertheless, flying in and out of Burlington, Vermont is always an adventure in the winter. Hapy and I were stuck on the tarmac for over an hour on our way to CES because they needed to kick five people off the plane because it was too heavy. That, of course, meant we missed our connections and ended up spending the night in beautiful Detroit.

    All eyes will be pointing west on Wednesday as Steve Jobs takes the stage to reveal Apple’s “latest creation.” The news and rumor sites are taking every remote clue and extrapolating to come up with predictions of just what might be up Steve’s sleeve. Even mainstream publications like the Wall Street Journal are joining the speculation.

    I’ll be heading to Cupertino on Feb 10th for some meetings and I am sure that the implications of the new announcements will be a topic of discussion. We will have all the details of the announcement and our reactions in the next issue of Kibbles & Bytes.

    We have a couple of really interesting new discontinued products in stock now. The first is the $1699 MacBook Air with the solid state drive. This 1.86GHz MacBook Air has a 128GB drive that has no moving parts–it is all made of RAM. This Mac was originally $2499, then $1699, and we were able to buy up the remaining stock so are now offering this ideal Mac for the road warrior for only $1349!

    “See the MacBook Air here.”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/72296

    The other great value right now is the discontinued 24-inch iMac. We have several configurations available starting at $1149, including the full-featured MB420 that has 4GB of RAM and a 1TB hard drive for only $1499.

    “See the 24-inch iMac here.”:http://www.smalldog.com/category/x/x/x/Apple|iMac|24in

  • Dealing With Duplicates in iTunes

    I opened iTunes this morning when I got to work, and kept hearing the same song twice; I just upgraded to a unibody…

  • From the Archives: Anticipating OS 9

    Originally written in September 1999! Apple’s OS 9 system software features are being outlined and explained at Apple’s website. Go figure—there are 9…

  • From the Archives: Anticipating OS 9

    __Originally written in September 1999!__

    Apple’s OS 9 system software features are being outlined and explained at Apple’s website. Go figure–there are 9 main reasons why everyone should buy it. Copied directly from “Apple,”:http://www.apple.com/macos/reserve9.html I have brought their site to you. Check Apple’s version of this info for even more about OS 9.

    *1. Sherlock 2*
    The search for the ultimate search engine is over. Your personal shopper on the Internet, Sherlock 2 not only finds the products you’re looking for, it’s also the easiest way to find people, news, and just about everything else on the Internet.

    *2. Multiple Users*
    We should be calling this feature “multiple Macs,” because it customizes one Mac for each user who shares it. Now you can share your Mac without hassle or worry. This feature securely stores each user’s preferences and files for privacy and convenience.

    *3. Voiceprint Password*
    Your voice is your password. Mac OS 9 analyzes your voice and stores your voiceprint. Then when you talk, your Macintosh listens. And lets you–and you alone–log on and access your files.

    *4. Keychain*
    Forget keeping track of those dozens of Internet passwords. The personal keychain in Mac OS 9 securely stores all of your user IDs and passwords. Your voice–or one typed password–unlocks them all.

    *5. Auto Updating*
    Keep your Mac up-to-date, automatically. Always have the latest software. Mac OS 9 can automatically download software updates over the Internet, and can even install them for you.

    *6. Encryption*
    Send files across the Internet securely. Mac OS 9 helps you keep your private information private with industrial-strength encryption.

    *7. File Sharing over the Internet*
    Apple’s easy-to-use File Sharing now works the same way over the Internet. So you can share files, folders and data with anyone. No more boundaries!

    *8. AppleScript over TCP/IP*
    Put your Mac on automatic pilot–remotely, over the Internet. AppleScript lets you automate tasks on your Mac. Now AppleScript over TCP/IP takes that to the next level, letting you remote-control your Mac (or a whole battery of Macs) from wherever you happen to be.

    *9. Network Browser*
    The Internet is about to become much more manageable. The Network Browser in Mac OS 9 lets you find Internet file servers, FTP servers, and web servers about as easily as you find printers on your network.

    Many of these features I can’t wait to see. The voice recognition is certainly a direction that Apple and all computer makers and software engineers are going towards and it is good to see Apple leading the pack. There is no word on availability of OS 9 and also no guarantee that they will be able to include all they promise, but let’s hope they can.

  • Dealing With Duplicates in iTunes

    I opened iTunes this morning when I got to work, and kept hearing the same song twice; I just upgraded to a unibody MacBook and ended up importing some songs twice in the migration. As much as I like Dave Brubeck and Amy Winehouse, I didn’t want to hear duplicates all day.

    With about six thousand songs in my library, I didn’t want to go through one-by-one to remove all the duplicates. Thankfully, iTunes does have a feature that isolates duplicate songs. Unfortunately, though, there is a fair amount of manual labor involved.

    When in iTunes, select “Show Duplicates” from the File menu, which will then reveal all the duplicates in your library. This will show you the songs with duplicate titles. If you’re like me, you’ll have several versions of the same song, so holding down the option button on your keyboard while in the File menu will reveal “Show Exact Duplicates.” This will show only files with identical titles AND identical lengths, file sizes, etc. This way, I didn’t lose each different version of these tunes.

    Now that you’re showing duplicates or exact duplicates depending on your situation, you’ll need to manually go through the list and remove the duplicates by clicking on them, then pressing the delete key on your keyboard. iTunes will ask if you’re sure first, don’t worry.

    This can get old quickly. A systemwide trick for selecting nonconsecutive multiple items in any window is to hold down the command key (yours may have an Apple on it) while clicking on the items. With all the duplicates highlighted, press Delete, and you’ll be left with a clean iTunes library. Don’t forget to check through the items now found in the trash to make sure you didn’t delete something you didn’t mean to. It’d be a good idea to let Time Machine back up your computer before hitting the delete key!

  • Tip of the Week: Google and Yahoo Integration

    Hundreds of millions use Google and Yahoo for their email, address book, and calendaring, and there was no way to integrate these services with Apple’s iCal and Address Book software. It’s now very easy under Mac OS X 10.6, Snow Leopard.

    To integrate your address book, simply open Address Book’s preferences from the Address Book menu on top of your screen. Click on the Accounts item at the top of the window that pops open, and then click on the boxes next to the various synchronization options. Unsurprisingly, you can sync with MobileMe in addition to Google and Yahoo.

    iCal is configured in a similar way. Select Preferences from the iCal menu, click on Accounts, and follow the instructions. You’ll be asked to specify the account type (CalDAV, Exchange, Google, or Yahoo).

    Of course, making a change in the web interface of any of these services will result in your iApps updating themselves on next launch. It works the other way, just as expected. Google’s web interfaces tend to be elegant and functional, but lack the simplicity of iCal and Address Book that I like so much. This was a very welcome addition to the operating system, and is just one more reason to “upgrade to Snow Leopard!”:http://www.smalldog.com/snowleopard

  • Getting More Out of iPhoto

    After years of dreaming and drooling over digital SLRs, I finally bit the bullet and invested in a used Canon Digital Rebel XT last week. After years of shooting with my Nikon FM-10, a fully manual 35mm SLR, I have the basic skills under my belt, but considering that camera has been non-functional for several years, and I’ve never used anything with automatic functions, I’m currently in “learning mode.” Luckily, iPhoto is very helpful with aiding in the learning process without being overwhelming.

    While most professionals and even pro-sumers primarily use Aperture or Lightroom for their photo organization needs, iPhoto actually has quite a few robust tools to help those who aren’t quite ready to graduate to that higher level yet. The biggest tool for me has been using the “Extended Info” window. Open iPhoto, select a picture and go to Photos > Show Extended Photo Info. This brings up a robust info window with many helpful details about the picture. If you’ve been shooting with a point-n-shoot or a cell phone you might not see too much information. However, if the picture was taken with a digital SLR, you would be able to see important details like aperture, shutter speed, ISO, metering, exposure and much more.

    So how is this helpful? In learning the features of a new camera, I often take the same shot using multiple settings. Once the pictures are on my computer, I can see the differences, but I don’t necessarily always remember exactly which settings I changed for each shot. By leaving the extended info window open, I can clearly see what settings yielded what specific results.

    As an extra bonus, iPhoto allows for photo comparison. This is the perfect feature for me as I can select several similar pictures, double-click on them and watch them come up side-by-side on my screen. By entering full-screen mode (pressing the button that looks like two arrows pointing away from each other), I can really take the time to compare the details between photos while keeping my eye on the extended info window to remind myself how I created the image.

    Once I find an image I like, I like to flag it. There are two ways to flag a photo: press the flag icon on bottom left if you’re in the photo browser, or press command+. if you’re in edit or full screen mode. Flagging allows me to start pairing down the photos I like without going through the rigamarole of creating a photo album and dragging photos over. Once I’ve gone through a set I can view all of my flagged photos by selecting “Flagged” in the “Recent” menu on the left column of the photo browser. I can then go through the flagged images and select the few that I want to share.

    Sharing in iPhoto 9 has become easier than ever. I can select individual photos, events or albums and simply press the button that corresponds to how I want to share my pictures. I split my photos among three main sites: Facebook, Flickr and MobileMe. It’s insanely easy to upload to all three locations right from within iPhoto. After selecting the pictures I want to share I just hit the “Flickr”, “Facebook” or “MobileMe” button, my pictures are automatically resized for the web and posted.

    If I forgot to change the name of my picture or if I don’t like the generic name that iPhoto gave to the set I can edit that information right from within iPhoto and it will re-sync the changes to the web for me. I can even drag and drop additional pictures into the established photo set or delete photos from the set as desired. iPhoto takes care of all of the resizing and uploading for me.

    Easy-peasy!