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- MacBook Pro: Distorted video or no video issues...NVIDIA to blame
From the "Sucks to be you" file, comes word of this MacBook Pro malady. Evidently, MacBook Pros manufactured between May 2007 and September 2008 (yes, your brand new baby) with NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics processors (MacBook Pro (17-Inch, 2.4GHz), MacBook Pro (15-Inch, 2.4/2.2GHz), MacBook Pro (Early 2008)) are exhibiting a problem that NVIDIA publicly acknowledged back in July. The cards in question have a higher than normal failure rate due to a packaging defect.
The finger here is pointed directly at NVIDIA as they assured Apple that Mac computers with these graphics processors were not affected. Now that seems to have been untrue. Apple's own watchdogs have discovered that some MacBook Pro computers with the NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics processor are indeed being affected.
Don't be overly concerned, Apple has stepped up and if the NVIDIA graphics processor in your MacBook Pro has failed, or fails within two years of the original date of purchase, you're covered even if your MacBook Pro is out of warranty.
- Bipartisan Goodwill: Cross Platform Picks
It's election time in America, and that means the only thing we can
agree on is how tired we are of presidential race.
To celebrate the occasion, we've got a Freeloader Friday special
selection of cross-platform free downloads. So why don't we set aside
our platforms and enjoy some great freebies.
- October 14th, Apple turns the spotlight on notebooks
Those lucky enough to have received an invitation will be filing into Town Hall at 1 Infinite Loop on Tuesday, October 14 for a 10am presentation where Apple will be showing off its new line of notebook computers.
[ Via Engadget ]
- Apple posts Security Update 2008-007
There are few things more boring than a security update, so let's get this over with quickly: all at once like ripping off a band-aid.
Apple has issued Security Update 2008-007, addressing vulnerabilities in Apache 2.2.8, Root certificates, ClamAV 0.93.3, ColorSync, Finder, launchd, libxslt, MySQL 5.0.45, Networking, PHP 4.4.8, Postfix, PSNormalizer, QuickLook, rlogin, Script Editor, Single Sign-On, Tomcat, vim and Weblog. If you really want to know all the nastiness that might befall you if you don't apply this update, read here.
To apply Security Update 2008-007, launch Software Update or click the appropriate link below to download and self-medicate:
Security Update 2008-007 Server (Universal)
Security Update 2008-007 Server (PPC)
Security Update 2008-007 Client (PPC)
Security Update 2008-007 Client (Intel)
Security Update 2008-007 Server (Leopard)
Security Update 2008-007 Client (Leopard)
- RTM Notifier, an Adobe AIR app to help you keep track of To Do lists
RTM Notifier is a simple, clean Adobe AIR app that runs in the background and keeps up to date with your Remember The Milk account and the tasks organized therein, notifying you when they come due.
The developer, while not a Mac user, is asking for comments from the Mac community on how well the app runs. I've found the application to be fairly straightforward and functional, but it has a few design and usability quirks that might keep me from chosing it over loading Remember The Milk in my web browser.
I have found Todoto be a really good Remember The Milk app for iPhone and iPod touch users. Well worth the USD$9.99 in my opinion. [ Via RefreshingApps.com ]
- Free app helps you customize Genre album art in iTunes
From developer Victor Shcherbakov comes iGenres, a free application that lets you change the images associated with the Genres on iTunes simply and easily. There is even a Flickr Group just for iTunes Genres from which you can gather images and inspiration.
iGenres is offered as freeware.
- NetSketch brings collaborative sketching to the iPhone and iPod touch
Check out this video of NetSketch
1.3! It's a collaborative drawing application for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Even though it looks like a regular pixel paint app, it's actually vector-based and allows you to sketch in real-time with friends on multiple iPhones. The new version, which is a free upgrade, features a tabbed color picker to easily switch brushes, colors and sizes as you draw and an improved email function that can now more reliably email large drawings. NetSketch sells for USD$5.99 from the iTunes App Store.
- AppleTV just got smarter... Genius!!
I haven't played with this extensively yet but apparently Apple has released an update for AppleTV that not only addresses a security issue that sits squarely in the "...as if" category, but also adds Genius playlist support.
The Genius abilities are accessed by holding down the Play/Pause button on the remote while a song is playing, at which point a menu will appear offering you the opportunity to start Genius.
[ Via TUAW ]
- 30% off all Freeverse software until Oct 7th--HURRY!!
Don't say you were never told: from now until October 7th, Freeverse Software is offering a 30% discount on all the products in their online store! Not familiar with Freeverse Software? You probably are, but you just don't realize it or maybe you think they only make games. Check out these titles:
Neon Tango
Commander: Europe at War
Heroes of Might and Magic V
Big Bang Brain Games
Sound Studio
Lineform
PulpMotion
Think
Periscope
Comic Life
To get the discount, be sure to enter in the coupon code MONTYMAIL when you check out. Don't forget! And get a move on: the discounts only last until October 7th.
- Elder Gods is Blambots Free font for October
I bet it's hard for Blambot fontmaster, Nate Piekos, to decide how to best exemplify the Halloweenness of the month of October with a free font when he does so many fantastic and sometimes horrific fonts all year 'round.
This October, Nate has created a font he calls Elder Gods and this is how he announces it to the world.
Got your stuff packed? Clean underwear? Good, because the Elder Gods have awakened from their subterranean slumber, and you?re their new servant...FOREVER! Upper and lowercase font with a staggered baseline and it comes with Regular and Italic!
Since fonts are like little programs on your machine, you should be pretty selective of who you chose to download fonts from--especially free fonts. I have no problem recommending Blambot fonts and I hope you will give the pro fonts (the ones you have to pay for) a try as well.
- Apple updates iTunes to 8.0.1
The recently released iTunes 8.0.1 update applies the obligatory "improved stability and performance" while also squashing a few nasty bugs. Here's the list of what's included and fixed fresh from Apple:
Seamlessly plays the current song when creating a new Genius playlist.
Improves syncing spoken menus to iPod nano.
Addresses an issue of deleting HD TV episodes when downloading.
Improves checking for updates from the App Store
Improves accessibility with VoiceOver.
Addresses problems syncing Genius results to iPod.
To update your version of iTunes, launch and initiate your Software Update utility.
- Apple drops the NDA on released iPhone apps. A great day for iPhone developers.
In A Message for iPhone Developers, Apple writes:
We have decided to drop the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) for released iPhone software.
We put the NDA in place because the iPhone OS includes many Apple inventions and innovations that we would like to protect, so that others don?t steal our work. It has happened before. While we have filed for hundreds of patents on iPhone technology, the NDA added yet another level of protection. We put it in place as one more way to help protect the iPhone from being ripped off by others.
However, the NDA has created too much of a burden on developers, authors and others interested in helping further the iPhone?s success, so we are dropping it for released software. Developers will receive a new agreement without an NDA covering released software within a week or so. Please note that unreleased software and features will remain under NDA until they are released.
Thanks to everyone who provided us constructive feedback on this matter.
When asked to comment on the meaning and impact of this announcement, Mac and iPhone app developer August Trometer said, "One of best things about the Mac as platform is the tremendous developer community that's built up around it. With the NDA being lifted, that same collaboration and sharing of ideas can occur with the iPhone. It's truly a great day for iPhone developers."
Collaboration + Inspiration = Innovation.
- MacBreakZ 4.8.5 helps stressed out Wacom tablet users
Many of us are so busy at work--chained to our computers--we never stop to take a break to stretch or rest our eyes and relax a little and in neglecting to do so, suffer from stress and even injuries. MacBreakZ is a program that monitors the strenuousness of your computer activities and can either gently remind you to "relax a bit" or downright nag you to "STEP AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER."
publicspace.net calls MacBreakZ a "Personal Ergonomic Assistant" and they've designed it to promote healthy and productive computer use. This new version adds improved support for stylus and tablet input devices. I had always thought the use of a stylus was supposed to prevent repetitive stress injuries, but I guess any stress, repeated often enough, can injure you regardless of your input device of choice.
Special considerations had to be made by the developers of MacBreakZ for Wacom tablets since the program would otherwise interpret the use of a tablet as a constant stream of signals. This constant stream would trick MacBreakZ into thinking the user was working at an insane pace. The new version contains specific tablet-related questions in the setup assistant that help MacBreakZ create a program just for you.
MacBreakZ sells for USD$24.95.
- Macally gives power to the iPhone and iPod
Today Macally announce three new gadgets for iPods and iPhones which extend the device's battery life and maybe add a few cool features as well: the PowerLink, PowerPal and JboxMini
The PowerLink has a standard 30-pin dock connector and serves as an emergency external battery pack for an iPod or iPhone. On a drained iPhone it will actually add an 1 hour of talk time--more than enough to call a tow truck or emergency service in a time of need. The built in USB connector allows it to be used as a syncing and charging device when connected to your Mac (this is also how you charge the PowerLink itself). Additionally, the PowerLink is a 2GB flash drive to be used as you see fit.
The PowerLink sells for USD$49.99 and ships with a USB extension cable.
If you travel the globe with your iPod, the PowerPal is for you. It's a combination USB/AC charger and universal power adaptor that can come to the aid of almost any USB device, be it an iPhone, iPod, camera or PDA. It comes with interchangeable plugs for North and South America, Taiwan, Japan, Europe, China, Middle East, Russia, United Kingdom, Singapore, Hang Kong, Africa, Australia and New Zealand. It also has a fuse compartment (including and extra fuse) and a Universal pass through outlet (so that you can still use the plug for other things while your iPod charges).
The PowerPal comes with a standard iPod 30-pin to USB cable and a carrying pouch and sells for USD$29.99
Lastly, there the JBoxMini, a portable high capacity Li-ion battery for iPod and iPhones. It not only increases the usage time of iPhone and iPod by up to four hours, it can also power other USB-based portable devices.
The PowerPal sells for USD$29.99.
All these Macally devices are shipping now.
- T-Shirts for the rejected or soon-to-be rejected iPhone app developer in your life
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/apple/T_Shirts_for_the_banned_iPhone_app_devs';
If you've been watching the Mac news sites over the past few months you've no doubt read about how Apple is banning applications from the iTunes App Store that either directly compete with their own software or fail to provide enough usefulness in the eyes of Apple. Frankly, I think Apple has handled this very poorly and I can only hope that by the time developers gather en mass at the next WWDC that Apple has either smartened up or the developers have revolted.
Anyway, on to the shirts.
The first design was created for those developers who have worked diligently to create the best application that they are capable of only to have Apple deem the application a bit too good (better than their own). For those developers we have the Banned From The App Store T-Shirt.
The second shirt is for those that may have had their app tossed out of the App Store for being useless or managed to get it in in spite of it being useless--those with with so-called "limited utility." The Limited Utility T-Shirt allows you to display Apple's unjust judgement of your app for all to see...but expect to feel the rejection as you walk around in this one.
Each of these designs is available on a men's heavyweight cotton T-shirt in black in sizes Small to XX-Large. Each sells for USD$21.90
As always, these and many more shirts and other goodies are available in The MacMerc Store. Please check out the selection there. Our designs can also be found at PleaseDress.Me, an awesome T-Shirt search engine.
- Cloud Control Part 2: Apps for your WebServer
Wary of handing your personal data over to Google or Yahoo? Rather put
your stuff on your own server?
In part one we unleashed the inner-server from our
Macs. Now we can pick from the best of thousands of PHP/MySQL apps
including an address book, task manager and even your own web-based
IM.
Join me for a Freeloader Friday follow-up look at free server applications for your Mac.
- Griffin aims to ''Simplifi'' your desktop
Few things make me as happy as when I get word of something new for iPod users that really is new, not just rejigged for the latest incarnation of the iPod. Today I got word of just such a gadget: the Simplifi from Griffin Technology.
The Simplifi is a desktop gadget that allows you to consolidating the docking and connecting of your iPod or iPhone and your various media cards (Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, SD, SDHC, xD and CompactFlash). It's also a powered USB 2.0 hub, so it even gives you the ability to connect other devices as well.
Griffin's Simplifi sells for USD$69.99.
- Warp Spaces. Smack Spaces.
Here are a couple freeware goodies that will give you a variety of ways to control Spaces and alter the way you're able to use it.
The first one was just updated today and it's called SmackSpaces. It gives you a super power that was available to us under Mac OS X 10.4 when Virtua Desktops was installed; namely the ability to Smack our Sudden Motion Sensor equipped Mac and be whisked to the next Space. Unfortunately, it runs as an application taking up room on your Dock. SmackSpaces was developed by Martin H. Pedersen who is currently offering for free.
The second Space altering app is Warp. Warp is a Preference Pane makes it as simple as dragging your cursor, a window or a file to an edge of your screen that borders on an adjacent Space and you and that window or file will be effortlessly taken to that neighboring Space. Whoosh! Kent Sutherland is the man behind Warp and he is letting you have it for free but the PayPal "donate" button on the page is giving me the idea that he would appreciate some monetary support if you end up using Warp on a regular basis and would like to see its development continue.
- Adobe unveils its Creative Suite 4 apps, bundles and their new features
Today, Adobe announced the component new features of the component applications for its Creative Suite 4 (CS4) family. Adobe is offering their "all new" applications as standalone apps or as parts of their bundles. Those bundles include:
Design Premium USD$1,799
InDesign CS4, Photoshop CS4 Extended, Illustrator CS4, Flash CS4 Professional, Dreamweaver CS4, Fireworks CS4, Acrobat 9 Pro, Adobe Bridge CS4, Adobe Device Central CS4, Version Cue CS4
Web Premium USD$1,699
Dreamweaver CS4, Flash CS4 Professional, Photoshop CS4 Extended, Illustrator CS4, Fireworks CS4, Acrobat 9 Pro, Soundbooth CS4, Contribute CS4, Adobe Bridge CS4, Adobe Device Central CS4, Version Cue CS4
Production Premium USD$1,699
After Effects CS4, Adobe Premiere Pro CS4, Photoshop CS4 Extended, Flash CS4 Professional, Illustrator CS4, Soundbooth CS4, Adobe OnLocation CS4, Encore CS4, Adobe Bridge CS4, Adobe Device Central CS4, Dynamic Link
Master Premium USD$2,499
EVERYTHING!!
Whenever Adobe makes a CS announcement, they essentially update every software title they sell. Some apps change drastically, some barely change at all. Below is a list of the main apps and their top new features. I realize that just posting the titles of the new features isn't going to give you a full understanding of what they do, but I post them here to show the degree to which each app has changed while also giving you a bit of a teaser for each change. Follow the links to the individual apps for more information.
- BeLight Art Text 2 tempts you with over 200 shiny objects
You probably know that I have written a few dozen Photoshop tutorials here at MacMerc.com but I have to acknowledge that some people don't want to have to buy and learn a complex $650 program to make a few buttons for their website. For those people I would recommend BeLight's Art Text 2.
Art Text is an application that enables you to design and create high quality textual graphics, headings, logos, icons, web site elements and buttons. It features multi layer support to widen your creative options and make complex graphics a breeze.
BeLight just released version 2 which features a Template Gallery with over 200 ready made buttons, headings, icons. It also has 120 new vector icons and over 190 supplied textures.
At USD$39.95, it's a pretty inexpensive solution to a lot of your graphics problems. The upgrade to version 2 is free for those who purchased version 1 on or after July 1st, 2008 and costs only USD$19.95 for those who purchased before that.
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