Mac
Mac OS Throw Pillows Now Available
I just love it when people come up with creative ways to make money. These sweet Mac OS Throw Pillows from Throwboy will run you $29 each, or all 6 for $149. I just bought the Finder. I hear they’re limited edition, so grab them while they’re available, or before Apple shuts them down for borrowing their icons.
via Unplggd
Important! Safari RSS Security Risk
If you use a Mac, it’s very important that you read this, even if you don’t use Safari.
Republished from Brian Mastenbrook:
Disclosure of information vulnerability in Safari
Posted on Sun, 11 Jan 2009
Last edited Tue, 13 Jan 2009I have discovered that Apple’s Safari browser is vulnerable to an attack that allows a malicious web site to read files on a user’s hard drive without user intervention. This can be used to gain access to sensitive information stored on the user’s computer, such as emails, passwords, or cookies that could be used to gain access to the user’s accounts on some web sites. The vulnerability has been acknowledged by Apple.
All users of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard who have not changed their feed reader application preference from the system default are affected, regardless of whether they use any RSS feeds or use a different web browser (such as Firefox). Users of previous versions of Mac OS X are not affected.
Users of Safari on Windows are also affected. Users who have Safari for Windows installed but do not use it for browsing are not affected.
The details of this vulnerability have not been made public to the best of my knowledge, but secrecy is no guarantee against a sufficiently motivated attacker. Because this vulnerability could be exploited by a phishing site in a way that would not cause affected users to suspect their information had been stolen, users of Mac OS X Leopard should protect themselves until a fix is issued by Apple by choosing a default feed reader other than Safari, such as Mail. To select a different feed reader:
- Open Safari and select Preferences… from the Safari menu.
- Choose the RSS tab from the top of the Preferences window.
- Click on the Default RSS reader pop-up and select an application other than Safari.
The only workaround available for users of Safari on Windows is to use a different web browser.
Apple has not made information available on when a fix for this issue will be released. Users with questions or concerns should contact Apple as I have no additional information about this vulnerability which can be shared at this time.
Save 20% on “Things” before January 15th
You can save 20% on Culture Code’s excellent task manager, Things, by using the coupon code, “thingspresale20″ before January 15th, 2009.
I was using OmniFocus, but after a demo at Macworld I decided to make the switch to Things. I don’t have time to write a full review right now, but I wanted to mention the coupon code, incase there’s anyone out there who was about to buy it.
17″ Macbook Pro – Glossy vs. Matte
When Apple first announced that they were moving all of their displays to glossy, I was, in a word, horrified. I’ve always preferred the matte displays and I didn’t like this move at all.
When Apple announced the new 17″ Macbook Pro at Macworld 2009, they said we would actually still have the choice on this model to go with glossy (default) or matte finish (now called “anti-glare”). I jumped for joy because I buy the 17″ model anyway, so this meant I could keep using the matte display.
While I was at Macworld I had a chance to view both screens side-by-side, and even though I’ve always preferred matte, I’m not so sure I like it on the new model. The picture above doesn’t really do either justice, but I can tell you that in person, the glossy looked so much better. It actually wasn’t so much that the glossy looked good, but rather the matte looked bad. At first I thought the brightness on the matte model was turned way down, but it wasn’t. The new matte display is just dim, and rather flat. Even though Apple offers the 17″ model in matte, I may be forced to go with glossy.
One caveat to this is, the Apple guy on the show floor said these were “pre-production” models. They could actually change when they start to ship at the end of January. I’ll hold my final review until I see them in the Apple store.
On a related note, Macworld has an article about a company that will physically swap a matte display for the glossy one in 15″ models.
Why we can’t replace the battery in the new 17″ Macbook Pro, and can we still get to the hard drive?
One of the great things about the new 15″ unibody Macbook Pro is the ease at which you can get to the battery, RAM, and hard drive. You simply flip a latch on the underside of the computer and a panel opens up giving you access to everything. In previous generations, the hard drive was not considered a user-replaceable part, and was a pain in the ass to access (for those who dared).
As I mentioned in the last post, the battery on the new 17″ model is not considered user-replacebale, so that left me wondering how easy it was to get to the RAM and hard drive, because the panel on the bottom doesn’t exist on the 17″ model.
I don’t yet have a definitive answer, but it looks like you can get to the RAM and hard drive relatively easily by simply taking out the screws on the bottom of the machine, and removing the whole bottom case.
Apple has posted a video about the new battery in the 17″ model, and why it isn’t user-replacable. It basically comes down to space. You can make the battery bigger if you don’t have to worry about the average user being able to take it out. In that video, they show the bottom of the machine with the cover off, and it appears as though the hard drive would be easily accessible. I hope that’s the case, because Apple just doesn’t offer large enough options on hard drives in their notebooks, at least not for me.
For those interested, it has also been confirmed by Gizmodo that the battery can be replaced at any Apple Store for $179. That’s a bit steep, but supposedly the new batteries last 5 years, so the average user may never have to get a new one.
UPDATE (1/08/2009): I’ve confirmed with Apple that the hard drive (and RAM) are considered user-replacable. You simply remove the screws on the bottom, like I thought.
Apple’s 2009 Macworld Announcements
If you haven’t already read this at a hundred other Mac sites, here’s what Apple announced today at Macworld:
17″ Aluminum Unibody Macbook Pro
Starting at $2799, the new 17″ Macbook pro will ship in late January. The good news is this thing can take up to 8GB of RAM. The bad news is, rumors were true… the battery is no longer a user-replacable part. That just sucks. Although, Apple is saying that this new and improved battery will last 8 hours on a single charge and can be recharged 1000 times (5 times the industry standard). Apple is also saying this new model is the slimmest and lightest 17″ notebook available.
It should also be noted that while the 17″ version uses the same Glossy display now used in its 15″ cousin, Apple is offering a $50 upgrade to an “antiglare display”. I thought they use to call this “matte”, so I’m not sure if this is the same option as previous models. Also, the new native resolution is 1920×1200, up from 1680×1050. In the previous 17″ model, it was a $100 upgrade to the higher resolution display. When I was shopping for my current 17″ Macbook Pro, I actually thought 1920 was a little too much for 17 inches.
You can read all the specs on Apple’s site.
iLife ‘09
iPhoto now has face-recognition and geotagging built-in. It can also link with Facebook and Flickr. It actually looks pretty cool. Too bad I’m not really using iPhoto anymore. I’ve started moving everything into Adobe Lightroom.
iMovie has several new features bringing it back a little closer to iMovie ‘06, instead of the radically different iMovie ‘08.
There’s new versions of Garage Band, iWeb and iDVD as well. iLife ‘09 will ship at the end of January. Read all about it on Apple’s site.
iWork ‘09
I like iWork, but there’s nothing terrible exciting to talk about… seems like mostly basic improvements and refinements. iWork ‘09 ships today.
iWork.com
Apple is starting iWork.com. Currently in beta, this will be a site for sharing and collaboration. It’s free while in beta, but Apple will charge for it in its final release.
DRM Free Music, Price Changes, and Purchase via 3G
Apple is moving away from $0.99 songs. Instead, there will now be a tiered structure of $0.69, $0.99, and $1.29 per song. Starting today they will offer 8 million songs as DRM free. The entire catalogue will be DRM free by the end of the quarter. You can also now buy music on you iPhone over the 3G or Edge networks, instead of wi-fi only.
My Thoughts
I didn’t think there was going to be any huge announcements today, but I am a little disappointed at what was announced. There were a few things that I would have bet money on:
- New Mac Mini
- New Apple TV
- iPhone 2.3 software update (with ToDos!)
- 32GB iPhone and 64GB iPod Touch
Oh well, I guess we’ll have things to look forward to in 2009. I’ll be heading over to the Expo after Lunch. I’ll write about any must-haves that I find.
Eye TV Hybrid for $99.95, before Dec. 31st
The Eye TV Hybrid, from Elgato, is a nifty little device that allows you to watch and record TV on your Mac. It normally sells for $149.95, but you can get it for $99.95 through this promotion if you buy it by December 31st, 2008.
I picked one of these up at Macworld 2008. I don’t use it a tremendous amount, but it is very handy, and I’ve been happy with it’s performance. I recommend them.
As a side-note to anyone attending Macworld in January, Elgato will be there, and they usually offer this same price during the Expo, along with discounts on their other products.
Don’t change your Mighty Mouse batteries before you have to
If you use an Apple Wireless Mighty Mouse, you’ve probably seen this battery warning at some point. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s a little premature in when it tells you to change batteries. I sometimes get 2-3 weeks of additional use after I get the warning before the batteries actually die. And that’s using my mouse all day, every day.
Ignore the warning. Don’t change the batteries until they actually die.
Build a library of screenshots with LittleSnapper
As a designer, I tend to collect various screenshots from all around the web. I use these screenshots for a variety of reasons, from design inspiration to problem-solving. I’ve never really had a great system for cataloging these screenshots. I typically use a combination of Snapz Pro, Paparazzi, and the built-in screen capture capabilities of OS X, and then just throw those images into a folder. It works, but it’s not very elegant.
Not too long ago I started using an online service called, ScrnShots to collect the images. You can upload image files, or there’s a desktop utility for snapping a screen shot and having it upload directly (here’s mine). While ScrnShots works pretty well, I tend not to be a big fan of online-only applications… partially because you can’t get to your stuff when you’re offline, and also because they’re generally not as responsive as desktop applications. At least not yet. I much prefer a dedicated desktop application, that also has good web-syncing capabilities. That way you have the best of both worlds.
A while back I heard about an upcoming piece of software from Realmac called, LittleSnapper. It’s sole purpose is to capture and catalogue screenshots, and it syncs with a sister-service website called, QuickSnapper (it’s similar to ScrnShots). This sounded like exactly what I wanted, so I’ve been anxiously awaiting it’s arrival ever since. Version 1.0 was released today. :)
I’ve been playing around with LittleSnapper tonight, and my initial impressions are very good. It gives you several ways of capturing whole or partial web pages, and straight screenshots. It has quite a few features that I won’t go over now, because Realmac has done a pretty good job at outlining them all, here.
While I think LittleSnapper is a solid 1.0 product, it does have some room for improvement. In fact, there is one thing about it that’s bumming me out. In addition to capturing new screenshots, LittleSnapper can import existing files, but the formats it can accept seem very limited. I have a large collection of screenshots in pdf and psd formats, and LittleSnapper will not import them. I can’t find any official documentation, but it seems to support a similar set of formats that an average browser would (jpg, gif, png). I was able to import a very large tif, but it choked a bit.
All in all I’m pretty impressed with LittleSnapper, and I will probably be buying a copy. It runs $39, and requires 10.5, Leopard (sorry Tiger users).
Here’s one tip: LittleSnapper can capture whole web pages (like Paparazzi) or standard screenshots (like OS X). The difference is, when you capture a straight screenshot it comes into LittleSnapper as a graphic, but when you capture a whole page it comes in as a graphic and a web archive. This is useful, because it allows you to export that captured page (web archive) as a PDF with editable text intact.
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