Continue reading OS X Tip #122: Zoom Screen Using Scroll Wheel…

Some 526,000 batteries used in ThinkPad notebook computers worldwide are being recalled in the latest problem with batteries made by Sony Corp, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said today.

IBM Corp., based in Armonk, N.Y., and Lenovo Inc. of Research Triangle Park, N.C., recalled the rechargeable, lithium-ion batteries used in ThinkPad computers because they may pose a fire hazard. About 168,500 of the batteries were sold in the U.S., while the rest were distributed worldwide, the CPSC said.
Continue reading ThinkPads Join the Battery Recall Party…

I recently had a Mac using friend complain to me that he did not like the Firefox and Google Toolbar autofill utility that much as he found it limited in what it can add to online forms. Well after thinking about it I realized the real answer is to use TextExpander to save time and be more productive not only with Firefox and the Google Toolbar’s autofill, but across all your Mac applications. I think that TextExpander is truly one of the best productivity boosts you can give yourself and your Mac.

If you are not a great typist and spend lots of time “pecking” away at your keyboard, let me introduce you to TextExpander (formerly Textpander), $29.95 from “Smile on your Mac” the same people that sell DiscLabel and PageSender. Its functionality is not really unique” users of, say, TextMate, TypeIt4Me, Typinator or the popular Windows application ActiveWords will be very familiar with this type of utility. TextExpander is very ever easy to setup, modify, and use. Smile on your Mac offers a free 30 day trial and a offer a 30 day money-back guarantee. So, no excuses read the rest of this post and get more productive.

Continue reading TextExpander: Productivity’s Best Friend…

Apple has updated Final Cut Pro to 5.1.2, the update addresses “important bug fixes and compatibility updates for certain Canon, Sony, JVC and Panasonic devices. This update is recommended for all Final Cut Pro 5.1 and Final Cut Pro 5.1.1 customers.” With this update, FCP should support Canon XL-H1 and JVC GY-HD100. Pro users should just run their software update.
Continue reading Apple Updates Pro-apps…

Apple is showcasing the next version of the .Mac webmail service on the .Mac website. Looks a lot like the Mail application in OS X. Apple is calling it “Totally new, Totally familiar. With its smart use of the latest web technology, it’ll remind you of the Mail application on your desktop, with a simple and elegant interface, drag-and-drop capability, built-in Address Book, and more.”
Continue reading Apple Showcasing New Webmail for .Mac…

Well I really do not know if this is the first iPod in space, but Anousheh Ansari, is the first female space tourist, as well as the first female Muslim and Iranian in space. She is blogging from space and notes that she slips on her headphones and uses her iPod to help her sleep.

Anousheh’s blog about her experiences on the ISS (International Space Station) and her notes can be read here. Very cool!
Continue reading First iPod in Space?…

I found this on YouTube. Woz lets everyone know how accurate the movie “Pirates of Silicon Valley” was in his opinion. Interesting video if you follow Apple.

ffmpegX is a Mac OS X graphic user interface designed to easily operate more than 20 powerful Unix open-source video and audio processing tools including ffmpeg the “hyper fast video and audio encoder”

Mac users that need to encode H.264 files, will want to take a look at the free ffmpegX (universal binary). The ffmpegX recent update allows 640×480 H.264 encoding for the new iPod that claims to be faster than Quicktime or iTunes for encoding H.264 files (many conversions are faster than realtime). To make things easier the ffmpegX website offers a nice user guide to walk you through the process of encoding hi-res iPod files.
Continue reading ffmpegX Encoding 640×480 H.264 for New iPods…

Apple this morning has updated Aperture to version 1.5 at Photokina in Germany. This was announced at a scheduled Apple Special Event. This update will be free to all current owners of Aperture.
Continue reading Apple Updates Aperture at Photokina…

If you are like me you may find these commercials entertaining. These two new ads have been airing on Canadian TV. I found these on YouTube. Here is the other one called Counseling.

Not that this is earth shattering news or that many Mac users were waiting to toss their iPod for a “brown-colored” Zune, but Microsoft’s forthcoming music player Zune will have no Mac support according to Gizmodo.

To order to support the Mac, Microsoft would have to adapt their DRM (Digital Rights Management) for OS X, which they always refused to do. Microsoft cancelled all support for Windows Media Player software development, for the Mac some time ago. Along with Mac support for Internet Explorer and Virtual PC. The Microsoft Zune will not support mass storage mode, and Microsoft hasn’t made a Mac version of the Zune Marketplace software, the Zune will be Windows-only.

Continue reading No Mac Support for Zune…

Continue reading OS X Tip #121: Fix RAR and Unpacking Archives…

Mac OS X natively can burn some types of CDs and disk images. Using iTunes burning audio and mp3 CDs are a snap. More some types of disc creation usually requires a dedicated “burning” application. I have long been a fan of Roxio Toast but what if you do not want to spend the $80 for Toast and Mac OS X’s basic burning does not cut for your needs? Burn may be the answer.

Burn, an open source and free alternative may interest you. Burn can handle many of the jobs your native Mac can’t that would require Toast without the cost. Mac OS X 10.3.9 and QuickTime 7 are required. Mac OS X 10.4 is needed for all features.
Continue reading Open Source Burning Application for OS X…

Delkin just announced they are taking pre-orders for the eFilm ExpressCard 34 Compact Flash Reader. Delkin claims they will be officially unveiling the product at Photokina and will ship around Oct. 16th.

The eFilm ExpressCard 34 – $59.99 is said to be the first Compact Flash reader for the new ExpressCard 34 slot for both Macs and PCs and will allow users to transfer photos and other data directly between their CF cards and computers at 20MB/s without the need for external USB readers.

This product adds to the accessories that are becoming available for the new ExpressCard 34 slot in the new Apple MacBook Pro and other new laptops.
Continue reading Delkin eFilm ExpressCard 34 Compact Flash Reader…

OK, an obvious mistake on the Amazon UK website will get all the rumor sites going full steam!

Rogue Amoeba, has announced a new product for the Mac called Fission. Fission, free trial – $32 for full version, is a simple to use unique sound editor that allows for “lossless” editing of compressed MP3, AAC, Apple Lossless and AIFF audio (in both mono and stereo) files.

Fission allows you to edit out unwanted audio from audio files or podcasts, fade audio in and out, and it also allows you to split one audio file into multiple files, without loss in fidelity. You can also make MP3 ringtones for your cell phone.
Continue reading Rogue Amoeba Releases Fission Audio Editor…

Walt Disney chief executive Robert Iger said on Tuesday the company sold 125,000 movie downloads worth $1 million in revenue through Apple Computer’s iTunes Store during the offering’s first week, as reported by Reuters.

Walt Disney and the three other studio it owns – Pixar, Touchstone Pictures and Miramax Films made available 75 movies for download from the updated iTunes Store last week. Due to some quibbles over licensing fees, other major studios have so far decided to observe Apple’s iTunes movie download service from the sidelines. They may have to start to re-think that strategy as Disney expects the movie downloads to generate $50 million in added revenue during the first year of the program, according Robert Iger Disney’s Chief.
Continue reading Disney sells 125,000 Movies on iTunes in first week…

Toshiba joins Dell, Apple, and Panasonic in recalling 340,000 laptop batteries for their Dynabook and Satellite models made from March through May this year. These batteries made by Sony Corporation have problems recharging. This is the latest in a string of embarrassing problems for Sony. Let’s face it it has not been Sony’s year.

The Toshiba recall affects 100,000 batteries sold in the United States, 45,000 in Japan, and the remainder in other parts of the world, Toshiba Corp. spokesman Keisuke Omori said Tuesday, declining to quantify the number of problems reported by customers.
Continue reading Toshiba Joins Great Year of Battery Recalls…

When you connect your 5G iPod to the new iTunes 7 you are prompted to update the iPod’s software to version 1.2. This is basically quick and easy.

Included in this update is Quick Scrolling which is one of the new features included with the latest iPod nanos and 5G iPods. The feature displays the letter or number on the iPod screen that corresponds to the first letter or number of the group of songs while scrolling through a list. This kind of reminds me of the way the new iPhoto displays the date as you scroll through your iPhoto library.

Continue reading iPod Software Update Adds Quick Scrolling…

According to Michael Arrington at TechCrunch, Napster may be up for sale. He also points out that Napster is not a healthy company. Maybe selling off Roxio was not such a good idea. Hate to say I told you so.

Napster announced today that they have hired the investment bank UBS to assist them in selling the company. Arrington points out that “getting Napster to profitability isn’t going to happen in this very crowded music market. Napster does not offer the best, or cheapest, product in either category.”
Continue reading Napster For Sale…