Use a third-party APC UPS management tool for more control
My APC UPS beeps whenever the power fails. If this happens at night, the beep is loud enough to wake people. The beep can be disabled by software in Windows, but not in the Mac version of PowerChute Personal Edition. The Mac version provides features that Mac OS X already provides: shutdown timers for any UPS connected via USB. I stumbled across the open source Unix app Apcupsd which gives me all the features I want from the Windows version of PowerChute: beep settings, battery change dates, and so forth. Furthermore, it can send email notifications for significant events. As someone who runs an old G4 as a home server, this is very nice to know. After downloading and installing Apcupsd is installed, run this command from Terminal: sudo /sbin/apctest. This will display a simple text-based menu, and it's self-explanatory. If you get an error message that reads Cannot find UPS device..., it could be because: ...
published today, 2 hours 18 minutes ago, macosxhints
Amazon offers Kindle app beta for Mac
Amazon has released a free public beta of its Kindle application for Mac. The utility allows users to read Kindle books without the standalone device. The company's Whispersync technology enables automatic synchronization of information such as last page reads and annotations....
published today, 2 hours 48 minutes ago, macintosh-news-network
iWork.com improves public URLs, adds iPad compatibility
Apple's iWork.com document sharing and collaboration service still carries the beta tag that it has worn since it was introduced with iWork '09 last January. (Perhaps it's just another hobby, like Apple TV?) Still, with the iPad ready to launch in a few weeks, Apple has added a few improvements to iWork.com. One improvement is an update to the way documents can be shared publicly. A simple toggle turns public sharing on or off as needed, and a "Show URL" button rolls down a drop-down sheet with the URL selected for easy cutting and pasting. The new public URLs don't show comments or notes, according to Apple. The company also noted that it makes sharing documents via social networks easy, though adding buttons to "Tweet this!" or "Post to Facebook" would more likely get users to post documents to such sites. The other improvement is that Apple has created interfaces that are optimized for iPads, iPhones, and iPod touches. Functionality on Apple's mobile devices is quite limited, but you can access documents that you have shared via iWork.com and view them within Safai. On the iPad, documents can be edited using the new iPad versions of Pages, Numbers, or Keynote if they are installed. Both new views have interfaces optimized for touch input, but the iPad's screen makes viewing documents much more pleasurable. Read the comments on this post
published yesterday, 18 hours 5 minutes ago, ars-technica
iWork.com beta adds social networking features, iPad UI
Apple on Wednesday announced an updated version of its iWork.com beta, adding a revamped UI and new features for social networking. The Sign In and Shared Documents page has been optimized for mobile devices such as the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. The new interface and improved scrolling are said to help users quickly find documents....
published yesterday, 1 day 1 hour 8 minutes ago, macintosh-news-network
AT&T unveils ultra-green USB phone charger
AT&T today trumpeted its green credentials through the ZERO Charger. The Superior Communications-made device powers most low-power USB devices, including the iPhone, and is purportedly the world's first charger to avoid "vampire" power draw. When a device is full, the ZERO automatically stops charging and therefore avoids a trickle of energy when a device is left plugged in. The interchangeable "block" design also reduces the obsolescence of the charger once owners replace their devices....
published yesterday, 1 day 1 hour 53 minutes ago, macintosh-news-network
Canadian bill would resurrect "iPod levy" for copying
The often-criticized Canadian "iPod levy" may return through a new bill proposed in Parliament. The NDP's Member of Parliament for Timmins-James Bay, Charlie Angus, has suggested in bill C-499 that the Private Copying Levy applied to blank CDs and tapes be extended to MP3 players, smartphones and any other device with permanent storage where transferring music is a significant feature. He has claimed that the motion would provide "legal certainty" for fair use rights and would prevent lawsuits or other legal attacks against Canadians, whose guarantees for fair use a...
published yesterday, 1 day 3 hours 28 minutes ago, macintosh-news-network
Survey: Macs cost notably less to support than Windows PCs
Macs are often the black sheep in the many enterprise environments which have been dominated by Windows for nearly two decades, but the growing consumerization of IT is slowly changing that perception. Though Macs often have a higher up-front price than many business-class PCs, Macs are usually believed to have a lower total cost of ownership (TCO) due to lower support costs. A recent survey of IT professionals in large enterprise environments that have a mix of Macs and PCs overwhelmingly agree that Macs cost less than PCs to support. The Enterprise Desktop Alliance, which seeks to make it easier to integrate Macs in Windows-centric IT deployments, surveyed IT admins from companies that made large deployments, including universities and government agencies. Responses included in EDA's analysis include those from environments with a mix of Macs and PCs that had a total of 50 servers or over 100 Macs. A majority of respondents said that Macs cost less in terms of time spent troubleshooting, user training, help desk calls, and system configuration. Admins generally agreed that costs related to software licensing and supporting infrastructure were the same between the two platforms. Two-thirds of those managing mixed environments plan to increase the number of Macs deployed in 2010. Twenty-nine percent cited lower TCO as a "key reason" for deploying Macs. Almost half cited lower TCO, ease of support, or a combination of the two as leading factors in Mac adoption. User preference and increased productivity were considered important factors as well. "As a greater percentage of enterprise applications become OS-neutral, the cost to support a more diverse hardware and OS mix will decrease, making Macs a more viable choice for a greater number of users who continue to demand them," noted Michael Silver, vice president and research director at Gartner, in a recent report on PC trends. Macs tend to be popular among C-level execs, as well as with those in creative departments and developers (especially cross-platform developers). Apple has historically done little to actively develop a traditional strategy to target enterprise deployment. Instead, the company tends to focus on consumers first, and lets individuals drive enterprise demand for its computers and mobile devices. It does, though, make continual small improvements that make it easier to integrate Macs, iPhones, and soon iPads into many corporate environments. Read the comments on this post
published on Tuesday, the 16. March 2010, ars-technica
Apple releases OS X drivers for Samsung, Brother printers
Apple has released several drivers for Samsung and Brother printers connected to Snow Leopard systems, along with an Aperture SlideShow support update. Snow Leopard printer and scanner support has been extended to include a variety of models in Samsung's CLP-, CLX-, ML-, QL-, and SCX-series devices.The Brother drivers cover a wide range of DCP-, FAX-, HL-, MFC-, and QL-series printers and multi-function devices....
published on Tuesday, the 16. March 2010, macintosh-news-network
Astro Gaming intros A30 gaming headset
Astro Gaming on Tuesday introduced the A30 headset, which can be used as headphones for digital audio players or cellphones as well as a communications device for gamers with an optional device. The A30 is said to be a more lifestyle-oriented version of the company's A40 flagship offering....
published on Tuesday, the 16. March 2010, macintosh-news-network
Apple files for patent covering projector systems
Apple has filed for a patent covering a variety of technology relating to projector systems. The filing, titled "Projection Systems and Methods," describes ways to use projectors for interacting with other devices. Many of the embodiments are focused on improvements to viewing or controlling presentations remotely....
published on Tuesday, the 16. March 2010, macintosh-news-network