The Apple Core

November 25th, 2009

Six updates for your parent's computer over Thanksgiving

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 10:33 am

Categories: Snow Leopard, Software, Software Update

Tags: Apple Macintosh, Thanksgiving, Photograph, Computer, Productivity, Jason D. O'Grady

If your like most, you’re probably getting ready to go to your parent’s (or grandparents) house for a delicious Thanksgiving feast.

If you are, do your folks a favor and load up a flash drive and/or external drive with some of the latest and greatest software updates for their computer.

Here are some quick suggestions for five easy upgrades for your parent’s Mac on Thanksgiving.

1. Back up all photos. If your folks have a digital camera, back up all their photos to an external drive. If you burn them to disc, make two copies and bring one home to your house. While you’re at it, burn a copy of your photos to leave at their house. If their hard drive is more than three years old, it’s a ticking time bomb. Backup all data regularly.
2. Run Disk Utility (it’s in Applications > Utilities) and Repair Disk Permissions. This cleans up a lot of system gunk that builds up over time and makes the Mac run better. This is especially important before undertaking a major system update, like #3 below.
3. Upgrade to Snow Leopard (Mac OS 10.6), it’s only $29, well worth the price and it’s faster and more secure. Just make sure to run software update afterward and patch up to 10.6.2 and install all of Apple’s recommended updates too. You may want to start the update before dinner is served though, it takes a while.
4. Install the latest version of FireFox (currently 3.5.5). If they’ve already got FireFox, make sure that it’s patched up, auto-updating (Preferences > Advanced > Update) and in the Dock. If they’re using Internet Explorer – put it in the trash.
5. Configure iChat for screen sharing with this excellent tutorial. This it eminently useful for those “I lost the AOL icon” phone calls. If you have a MobileMe account, you can also set up your parent’s Mac for remote access via Back to My Mac. If you’re having router issues, read this article.
6. Set your folks up with a Google account, it works with Docs, Spreadsheets, Calendars and gets them a free Gmail account too. Even if you don’t think that they’ll use it immediately, set it up anyway, and make sure that they remember the password.

While you’re at, customize your Mac with some tasty Thanksgiving icons (pictured) from Icon Factory. Happy Thanksgiving!

Photo: TUAW

November 25th, 2009

QuickBooks 2010 for Mac processes credit card transactions

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 9:31 am

Categories: Review, Software

Tags: Apple Macintosh, Credit Card, Intuit QuickBooks, Credit Card Transaction, Jason D. O'Grady

It’s the day before Thanksgiving here in the U.S. which kicks off the rabid fourth quarter shopping melee which starts tomorrow. While there are plenty of tools that will help you shop (as I covered yesterday) what about if you’re on the other side of the cash register?

If you’re a business owner or otherwise involved in your company’s finances the last three months of the year mean something completely different – accounting.

In the world of accounting there’s pretty much one player – QuickBooks – and the best just got better. Intuit just released QuickBooks 2010 for Mac ($199) and it’s a worthy upgrade.

QuickBooks 2010 for Mac can now process credit card transactions directly using Intuit Merchant Services and features new “Guide Me” functionality that guides you through creating invoices and entering customer information. QB2010 now also tracks billable hours, instantly generating timesheets and sending invoices to clients.

QuickBooks for Mac also has several features unique to the Mac version, including:

• Back up to MobileMe
• Synchronize contacts with Mac OS X Address Book
• Add reminders to iCal
• Share data with your accountant or other Windows-based users

All QuickBooks really needs is a companion iPhone app that can sync data bidirectionally over WiFi and over the Internet.

If you’re in business and need to track every dollar coming in and going out with in-depth reporting, create invoices, track payments and manage expenses, QuickBooks 2010 is your ticket.

November 24th, 2009

1Password is must-have eshopping nirvana

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 11:59 am

Categories: General, Review, Software

Tags: Apple Macintosh, Thanksgiving, Credit Card Information, 1Password, Agile Web Solutions, 1Password 3, Desktops, Hardware, Jason D. O'Grady

There’s a big holiday this weekend in the U.S. called Thanksgiving which precedes the even larger Christian holiday of Christmas. Curiously, the time in between is known for the massive uptick in retail purchases. Many retailers rely on heavy sales during the crucial fourth quarter to push them into profitability for year – hence the name Black Friday.

I’m not one for bricks and mortar shopping if I can avoid it, and I especially eschew in-store shopping between Thanksgiving and Christmas due to the suffocating crowds and snarled parking lots. I’m mostly an online shopper theses days and if you are too I’ve got a Mac software tip that will definitely help come Cyber Monday.

Agile Web Solutions has released version 3.0 ($40, upgrades $20) of its excellent password and identity manager 1Password. I’ve been using 1Password for a long time and it’s one of the few pieces of code that I consider to be a “must-have” application. You know, the kind of app that annoys you when it’s not on a Mac that you’re using? For me it’s right up there with Quicksilver.

For those that haven’t tried it, 1Password stores all of your passwords, logins and credit card information and enters them into Web forms with a click in your browser’s menu bar. It’s convenient when filling in registration forms and even better for entering credit card information when shopping online. In fact, shopoholics and other restraint-challendged Mac users may want to stay away from this app – it makes shopping almost too easy.

1Password desktop is particularly useful when combined with its corresponding iPhone app (iPassword Pro, free through 12/1) which I reviewed in July 2008. The iPhone app syncs to the desktop version over WiFi so that you access your saved logins, passwords and account numbers from just about anywhere.

1Password 3 includes a number of new features and improvements, including:

• Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) compatibility
• Access your data everywhere with 1PasswordAnywhere; even Windows and Linux
• Easily track your licenses with the new Software section
• Encrypt files and emails with Attachments
• A new Smart Search feature

The full list of new features, screenshots, and videos is available on the Agile Web site.

November 23rd, 2009

Apple's latest TV ads defend AT&T

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 12:20 pm

Categories: AT&T, Advertising, Apple, Television, iPhone

Tags: Advertisement, Network, Verizon Communications Inc., AT&T Corp., Apple Inc., TV, Jason D. O'Grady

It seems that Apple is jumping into the AT&T vs. Verizon battle royale that has been playing out on television sets and computer screens everywhere.

In case you’ve been living under a rock Verizon has been publicly trashing the AT&T 3G network in the United States and AT&T sued, lost, then released a response ad to counter the Verizon claims.

Now Apple’s getting in on the action, albeit, from a distance.

Apple will debut two new television ads, “Did you see my email?” (embedded) and “What time is the movie?” tonight on major U.S. networks that promoted the iPhone’s ability to use the Internet while on a voice call – something you can’t do on Verizon’s CDMA network.

The message in the new commercials is “all without leaving the call.” Although the ads don’t specifically mention Verizon, it’s obvious that they’re a response to the ongoing AT&T/Verizon tiff. Especially when it closes with the sarcastic-sounding “Can your phone and your network do that?”

Is Apple a caring partner or is it required to defending its spouse’s honor?

November 23rd, 2009

Another Apple Black Friday leak rumor - with prices!

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 11:30 am

Categories: Apple Online Store, Apple Retail Store, Black Friday, Rumor

Tags: Apple iPod, Apple Inc., Digital Music, Digital Media, Personal Technology, Consumer Electronics, Jason D. O'Grady

Last week BGR posted a rumored leak of Apple’s Black Friday sale that included 25% off Macs and 30% off iPods. Today Apple made its Black Friday sale official but didn’t reveal any specifics.

If that wasn’t enough to get your retail saliva flowing, BGR today posted an updated flyer rumored to include most of Apple’s Black Friday sales.

The latest rumor looks like a scan of an Apple print ad that comes from a “pretty credible connect” of BGR’s, different from its previous source.

The details:

iMacs starting at $1098, iPod nanos starting at $138, iPod touch starting at $178, MacBook Pros starting at $1098, Apple TVs starting at $208, Airport Express starting at $88, Magic Mouse and Wireless Keyboard going for $64 each.

One interesting new twist in this latest rumor is that the sale will be online only, and not include in store purchases. That sounds stupid to me and I’m not buying it. Why would Apple discourage people from shopping in their retail stores (only to lose money on shipping)? Don’t they have rent to pay?

Real or fake?

November 23rd, 2009

Apple to smokers: butt out or void your warranty

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 11:01 am

Categories: AppleCare, Warranty

Tags: Apple Inc., Vertical Industries, Benefits, Healthcare, Human Resources, Jason D. O'Grady

Apple just laid down the gauntlet with smokers announcing that it won’t honor the warranty on a product that’s been exposed to smoke.

Consumerist on Friday reported that Apple has denied several users repairs under its AppleCare Protection Plan (APP) because the machine had been exposed to smoke.

The first case involved a Mid-2007 MacBook under APP that was brought to the Jordan Creek Apple Store in West Des Moines, Iowa, for overheating. Apple voided the warranty because the computer was used in a house where there was smoking. It also refused to work on the machine due to the “health risks of second hand smoke.”

Another case involved an iMac under APP that Apple refused to work on because it was deemed “contaminated” by tobacco smoke and and considered a “bio-hazard.”

Apparently Nicotine is on OSHA’s list of hazardous and toxic substances (although I couldn’t find it) and Apple will not force an employee to work on anything deemed hazardous to their health because of the obvious legal exposure that could create.

Since Apple doesn’t disclose anything about smoking in the North American terms and condition of the APP, users who were denied coverage should – at minimum – receive a refund of cost of the warranty. Those that have been denied warranty coverage due to exposure to smoke could also sue Apple for not honoring its agreement.

Who’s right in this case?

Image: Geeky Gadgets

November 23rd, 2009

Apple's Black Friday sale to include online shopping

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 10:23 am

Categories: Apple Online Store, Apple Retail Store, Black Friday, General, Retail

Tags: Sale, Apple Inc., Digital Music, Digital Media, Desktops, Personal Technology, Consumer Electronics, Hardware, Jason D. O'Grady

Last Tuesday week I posted a rumored leak of Apple’s Black Friday sale, which included the almost too-good-to-be-true 25% off Macs and 30% off iPods. Today Apple posted a Black Friday teaser on it’s retail Web site but didn’t reveal any specifics.

Apple’s Web teaser (pictured above) promotes the “special one-day shopping event” but doesn’t reveal which products are included (unless you read into collage) or how much it’s discounting. Just the fact that it’s Friday only (November 27) and includes free shipping.

The disclosure on shipping clears up a major question that was raised after the first leak as to whether Apple’s sale was going to include online shopping or just in-store purchases. So that’s something.

Release the prices already Apple! No one’s going to buy any real hardware before Friday, or are they?

Tip: Tom’s Hardware

November 23rd, 2009

New iPhone worm found in the wild

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 9:27 am

Categories: Jailbreak, Malware, Security, Vulnerability, Worm, iPhone

Tags: Apple iPhone, Worm, Cyberthreats, Viruses And Worms, Security, Jason D. O'Grady

On November 2 a hacker was able to identify jailbroken iPhones unning SSH on T-Mobile’s Netherlands network via port scanning and used the vulnerability to change the wallpaper to display a message that demanded a 5 Euro ransom.

One November 7 another malware, dubbed ikee, “rickrolled” compromised iPhones by changing the wallpaper to a picture of Rick Astley (pictured).

Today a new, more nefarious worm that attacks jailbroken iPhone and iPod Touch devices has been discovered. According to Sophos this latest iPhone worm was discovered when a Dutch ISP reported unusual amounts of data traffic. Slashdot posted a link to a translation of a Dutch security blog post with more details.

There are some significant differences from the 5 Euro scam, the most notable of which is that this worm uses command-and-control like a traditional PC botnet. It configures two startup scripts, one to execute the worm on boot-up, and the other to create a connection to a Lithuanian server (HTTP) to upload stolen data and cede control to the bot master.

Security.nl reports that the new worm changes the SSH root password making it more difficult to stop.

This worm attacks IP ranges from a larger range of ISPs, including UPC (Netherlands), Optus (Australia), and T-Mobile (Many). When an infected device is hooked up to a WiFi connection, the worm can spread more quickly to more IP addresses than on a typical 3G connection.

It’s difficult to tell if your iPhone has been compromised, but one symptom is that battery life becomes very, very short when the device is connected to WiFi, because the worm is generating so much network activity. The recommended method to remove this malware from your iPhone is to restore the Apple factory firmware using iTunes.

If you’ve jailbroken your phone and are running SSH, change the default password.

November 22nd, 2009

Schiller: App Store isn't broken

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 11:41 pm

Categories: App Store

Tags: Apple Inc., Store, Approval, Phil Schiller, Smart Phones, Telecom & Utilities, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Jason D. O'Grady

In his first extensive interview on the subject Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Product Marketing, Phil Schiller, gives BusinessWeek some insight about the App Store approval process which is both feared and loathed by developers.

Schiller puts a lot of emphasis on security as a reason for the App Store approval process being as tight as it is, saying:

We’ve built a store for the most part that people can trust… You and your family and friends can download applications from the store, and for the most part they do what you’d expect, and they get onto your phone, and you get billed appropriately, and it all just works.

The volume of app submissions to the App Store is ferocious, 10,000 are submitted each week. Of those, 10 percent are denied for being inappropriate, meaning that they “steal personal data, or which are intended to help the user break the law, or which contain inappropriate content.”

According to Schiller about 1% or fewer fall into some gray area that Apple hasn’t anticipated — like apps that help users cheat at gambling.

Another big source of rejections is concerns over intellectual property, although Schiller concedes that Apple’s trademark rules can be applied “inflexibly.”

If you don’t defend your trademarks, in the end you end up not owning them. And sometimes other companies come to us saying they’ve seen their trademarks used in apps without permission. We see that a lot.

In its short 28 month life many people have become dependent on their easy to lose (and steal) iPhones and store copious amounts of personal data on them. The author concludes that it “makes a good deal of sense to have someone keeping a close eye on what those apps do.”

The personal nature of smartphones and the particular nastiness that malware could inflict (surreptitiously recording your voice and location, for example) seem to be his biggest reasons for supporting the iPhone’s existing police state, but I don’t buy it.

There has to be a middle ground between keeping the platform secure from malware and approving updates in less than eight weeks though – and Schiller doesn’t appear ready to cede that point. Don’t expect anything to change any time soon, especially if Schiller’s interview is any indication.

Is he right? Is Apple just protecting us from ourselves?

Photo: Cult of Mac

November 20th, 2009

First serious iPhone app for DJs: Touch DJ

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 10:00 pm

Categories: App, App Store, DJ, Music

Tags: Apple iPhone, Track, App, Touch DJ, Smart Phones, Apple Mac OS X, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Operating Systems, Software

After languishing in app store purgatory for eight weeks, Apple finally blessed Touch DJ (iTunes, $19.99) and approved it for sale in the App store. Touch DJ is a powerful DJ app that allows you to mix and blend two independent MP3/M4A music tracks on the fly.

In addition Touch DJ allows you to scratch and loop your tracks, adjust the pitch and equalization and even add effects – and it’s quite intuitive. I was up and running almost right away and found myself around by experimenting with the various buttons in the well-designed interface.

There’s two modes. Visual mixing allows you to beatmatch by lining up the low-bass (kick) parts of each track by dragging the waveforms up or down. Split mode requires a special L/R splitter and allows you to monitor the tracks on one channel while the other provides the master output. Like other music apps Touch DJ sounds best when connected to a good set of headphones or powered speakers.

Touch DJ isn’t going to fully replace a real pair of Technics 1200s or Pioneer CDJs and a mixer, but it’s getting close. In 2004 Serato’s Scratch Live revolutionized DJing by liberating DJs from their heavy crates of vinyl records, now a new breed of high power iPhone apps like Touch DJ has the potential to replace thousands of dollars in decks and mixers.

Touch DJ doesn’t allow you to work with music from your own iPod library however, it’s only drawback. But it’s not Amidio, the developer’s fault. A note on their Web site says that it’s “a technical restriction which cannot be resolved.” The workaround is to load tracks directly onto the iPhone with free companion software for Mac OS X and Windows.