The consequences of being a popular OS

If you're one of those that think there are no viruses or other malware for Mac OS X, then you're mistaken. The only reason why viruses haven proliferate to Mac OS X is only because viruses' creators are busy devising new nasty malware programs for Windows and because the market share of Mac users is still too small to justify the time spent creating them.

But now that Apple has been cutting a larger and larger piece of the market's pie, the attention of these "evil-doers" has turned to Mac OS X and other Apple-related software.


The latest news on this issue are related to torrent-based downloads. People downloading the latest version of iWork'09 or Photoshop CS4 through the popular file-sharing network are likely to also be downloading a trojan that gives access to your computer to a mal-intentioned user.

So, you might want to consider installing an anti-virus, specially if you're downloading this software from these "not-so-legal" networks.

How to make Command-Left Arrow 'go to the start of the current line' rather than 'go back one page' on Firefox

As you may have noticed, this blog is hosted on Blogger under the Blogspot.com domain. One thing that really annoys me with the Post Editor in Blogger is that, when using Firefox, if I try to use the Home key shortcut (Command-Left Arrow), instead of going to the beginning of the line on the text box where I'm editing a post as expected, the browser goes back one page.

This problem occurs because that specific combination of keys (Command-Left Arrow) is configured in Firefox to behave as Going Back one page instead of the usual Mac OS X-like behaviour of Home key.


Luckly, and for every problem that exists in Firefox, there's an extension that is ready to save the day: Keyconfig. It adds the ability to create new or modify existing shortcuts defined by a element. Basically, all you have to do is install the extension and then navigate to the Tools --> Keyconfig, click on the "Back : Command-Left Arrow" entry, then click the Disable button.

In case you're having problems installing the extension, leave a comment here and I'll try to give some help. Enjoy!

Source: Mac OS X Hints

No serial for iWork'09

Now isn't that interesting? Apple suddenly decided to remove all anti-piracy measures from the new version of iWork. It basically means that iWork ‘09 retail boxes no longer come with a serial number. You just have to install iWork ‘09 from the enclosed disc and you’re ready to go.

Now the interesting part is to discover why Apple did this. Here's some possible explanations:

• It doesn't work - In this era of online forums and piracy websites, what's the point of keeping up with a technique that doesn't work? Requiring a serial number to install iWork'09 is like requiring a post-it with your name on it to enter a Barack Obama's press conference. It's just not effective.
• Bundled with a Mac - why put a serial number if you're planning to include it with every Mac that is produced? Kind of like what happens with iLife, iWork should be included with every Mac if they're planning to at least get a byte at Microsoft Office's market.
• Because it's that good - Apple may think iWork is good enough for people to actually buy it. And this is just a bold (and arrogant) move to say something like that: "Our product is so good that people will feel like they want to pay for it". Hence, the no-privacy move.
• To focus on what matters - Instead of wasting time (and a lot of money) finding new ways for stopping software piracy, like Microsoft does (and with very little return), Apple will probably focus on making their product a lot better. And they really should. iWork is still the only Apple software I don't use because it's not a suitable alternative to Microsoft Office (yet). Well, except for Keynote that makes my presentations and classes look really cool :-)
  
• Just for fun - Because the guys at Cupertino enjoy seeing bloggers come up with a theory for every move and decision that comes from Apple HQ. Yes, myself included.

How to fix converted QuickTime movies that have no sound

I've been making some short videos of my son with my new digital camera, a Sony CyberShot DSC-H50, with the goal of syncing them to my iPod Touch so that I have them around to show to family, friends and colleagues.

However, when I use QuickTime to convert the video to the iPhone/iPod Touch format, I get stuck with a video with no sound. And why is that? It's because my digital camera (and as most digital cameras) records the video and audio on the same stream within the movie file. And QuickTime is only able to convert movies that have separate video and audio streams.


In search for a solution to this problem, I found this neat program that takes care of that conversion real easily: MPEG Streamclip.

So if you're having similar problems, make sure you give this program a try.

Why wait for the Apple Keynote Remote App?

One of the interesting things presented at MacWorld'09 was the new feature on iWork: the possibility to remote-control a Keynote presentation using your iPod Touch or iPhone. This is done by using this app (iTunes link).

However, if you browse the iTunes App Store a little bit you'll see that this is no innovation at all as many of these applications already exist (most of them require installing an extra app on your Mac to allow the controlling process):

• Keymote - free (Donationware)
  
• Pointer Remote - $0,99 (allows working with PowerPoint)
• iPresenter - $2,99 (works with PowerPoint only)
  
• jfControl - $3,99
  
• AirMote - $4,99 (doesn't require installing an app on your Mac)
  
• StageHand - $7,99 (more complete with some interesting features)
  
• RemoteBuddy - $19,99 (allows controlling much more than just presentations)

Source: TUAW

For iPhone aficionados and chocolate addicts

Found here

Isn't this ironic?

While checking out this blog's feed I noticed the following interesting Google Ad on a recent post:

Why in the world would a blog that is dedicated to all things Mac/Apple have an ad on how to correctly migrate to Windows Vista?

As previously shown, the Google ad selection criteria remains a mistery to me... Anyone care to enlight me as to how these things happen?

How to activate half-star ratings on iTunes

Since my iPod Touch 16GB doesn't have enough storage to hold my entire music library (along with some videos, photos and apps) I have to be selective regarding what songs I should sync to it. To do that I use the star rating system built-in on iTunes. For example, only 4 or 5 star-rated musics are chosen to get synced to the iPod.

However, sometimes using a 5 star rating might not be enough to differentiate the musics the way we would like. Lucky enough, there's a way of activating half-star rating on iTunes, thus turning, in theory, the 5 star rating system into a 10 star rating system.

Just open up Terminal and type:

defaults write com.apple.iTunes allow-half-stars -bool TRUE

That's it. When you initiate iTunes the next time, you'll notice that the rating stars have a new symbol (as pictured above).

Mac Highlights of 2008

The UsingMac blog has made an impressive post with the highlights of the Mac world of 2008. From apps to tips, tricks, tweaks, plugins, wallpapers and tutorials, you'll find everything there. Have a look.

My thoughts on the MacWorld 2009's keynote

After seeing the keynote I can easily understand why Apple has decided to stop with these special events to announce new products. The pressure to deliver new products at specific timetables (forced by these events schedules) builds up a hype that most of the times leads to failed expectations. Yesterday's keynote was an example of that: people were waiting for a final and blasting Apple Keynote but all they got was a predictable software update (and not all that impressive) and an obvious small hardware update.

But now the pressure is off and Apple can surprise us at any time and anywhere. So, if it takes slightly longer to see some updates from Apple now...no problem...that just means that something big is probably coming. And then, at least, we'll know that is going to be huge.

But coming back to the keynote, let's analyse it a bit in detail.

About the keynote speaker

Phill is not as relaxed or as calm as Steve usually is but the keynote was fluid and appealing, so, not bad... But maybe he should cut by half the times he says "That's really cool" :-)

iPhoto'09

iPhoto'09 looks realy cool with its new Faces and Places features and since I'm an avid user of iPhoto, I would love to see those features on my iPhoto Library right now. It sure would save a whole lot of time to tag every person and place on the 15000+ photos on my library. However, I'm still reluctant as to whether the face recognition will be that effectice on photos that are not picture-perfect as the ones showed on the demo (which is the case for most amateur photographers).

Also, Facebook and Flickr integration seems to be a great step. Even though we can also have that on the current version of iPhoto, it requires you to install specific add-ons that are not as simple to use as a button on the event view.

iMovie'09

I still use iMovie HD (iMovie'06) because iMovie'08, besides being too buggy on my Macbook Pro, it's a lot more complicated than its previous version (I was really surprised about this, Apple). And what's funnier is that Phill (kind of) admitted Apple's error on that one :-)
It still looks quite similar to iMovie'08, but I'll give iMovie'09 the benefit of the doubt and hope it to be a lot better. At least, the demo looks cool: video stabilization, audio-only selection and real-time video effects...wow!


GarageBand'09

Yeah, learning the musics from the artists is great but $4,99 per lesson? I keep getting amazed on how Apple finds ways to earn money from simple ideas that anyone could have thought of that before...

iWork'09

Yes, I want that app on my iPod Touch to remotely control presentations and, yes, the new magic effects and transitions are really cool but is that it? Pages and Numbers updates are hilarious... Come on, in order to really step up against Microsoft Office, iWork really needs to do more than that.
iWork.com is the real interesting feature: sure, it's Google Docs à-la-Mac style (which means collaboration made easy) but the direct integration with all iWork apps is exactly what's missing on alternative platforms.

Mac Box Set

This is the most interesting news at least for me, a Mac OS X Tiger user :-) I'll get all three products (Leopard, iLife'09 and iWork'09) for the reduced price of $169.

The new 17'' Macbook Pro

This was an obvious update since this was the "soldier left behind" on the last Mac event when the unibody Macbooks family was presented. The good news is that Apple recognized the need to offer (I mean, with a $50 donation :-/) an anti-glare LCD display option to users that don't like the excessive reflection glass display. Too bad this won't be an option for the other Macbooks but I understand how difficult it is to manage stocks and manufacturing processes to allow all customers to customize their laptops.

Regarding the non-removable battery, I stand by my previous statement when this was first announced on the Macbook Air: "...innovative laptops have to make some compromises. And a removable battery is overrated. On my lifetime of "gadgetery" I only had to buy a new battery for a cellphone once."

iTunes news

This was the part of the keynote that I didn't quite get it. The only real news is the pricing tiers and the increased amount of DRM-free songs. iTunes+ has existed for quite some time now and the possibility to "upgrade" to DRM-free tunes is not a novelty.
Oh, and the possibility of using the iTunes Music Store on 3G in addition to WiFi...please...that should have been done from the beginning when iPhone 3G was first released.

What's missing?

Rumor-wise something's missing, but that is the usual consequence of the hype built around these events:

• No iPhone Nano: that one was caused by all the hungry accessory makers that wanted some attention towards their own products and, for that, made use of the usual hype around Mac events
• No Mac tablet or larger iPod Touch: duuuhhhhhh! Still dreaming of that? I don't think Apple will ever go that way, mainly because it doesn't represent a that bigger market
• No New Mac Mini: I was hoping for this one, mainly because I'm still considering buying one to act as a pseudo-media center on my living room and also because it doesn't have an update in a really long time

And that was it, no more Mac keynotes from now on, but be sure to expect new special ways to announce ever-innovative products. As Tony Bennet sang at the end: "The best is yet to come!"

Retro-blogging: best posts of January 2008

Previously, on "The Mac Newbie":

• MacBook Air: a genius before its time
• Burn: the simplest CD/DVD burning app
• How to change the format of screenshots

Best apps for the iPod Touch

And what better way to start the year than to show you my list of the best apps you can install on your iPod Touch. Keep in mind that this list is exclusive for the iPod Touch and not the iPhone. Since the iPhone has some features that are not available on the iPod Touch (such as GPS and phone capabilities), the advantages that could arise from apps using those features are irrelevant for the Touch. Hence, the warning of iPod Touch exclusivity.

Basically, this list comprises the set of apps that "survived" on my iPod Touch. Since the app store is easily accessible from the iPod Touch, I spend quite a long time browsing the latest available apps and try them out. I basically install everything with a slightly interesting description, but only those worth keeping, "survive" the "cleaning phase".

Because so many apps in the App Store are free, I seldom found the need to actually buy an app to get some interesting functionality running on the iPod. So, with fairness in mind, this list reflects (almost) only free apps and, thus may obfuscate some interesting apps that are really cool but that I didn't try because I'm too cheap :-)

It's also easy to perceive why so many of the chosen apps are games: the iPod Touch is in fact the funnest iPod ever :-)

Enough said. Off with the list (in alphabetic order):

• AppVee (free) - With the ever-growing number of apps available at the App Store it's quite difficult to keep track of the ones that are really worth it. AppVee, with insightful reviews and videos, is a great resource to know exactly which ones to install and try.
  

• Black Gold (free) - With the price of Oil behaving like a roller-coaster it's always interesting to keep an eye on the market value of these resources. Black Gold provides updated access to the current price of Crude Oil, Gold and Fuel prices.

• Blue Skies Lite (free) - This game is absolutely fabulous when it comes to using the acelerometer. The helicopter is controled by tilting the iPod in the desired direction and missiles and bombs are fired by touching the screen in certain areas of the display. This free version only includes a few levels, but it's enough to get you hooked on it.
  
  
• Brain Tuner Lite (free) - If you want to keep your brain in tip top shape then this game is for you. Basically, you only have to say whether or not each row represents a true statement. But you need to do this in as less time as possible. This way you can keep improving your scores and train your brain.
  
  
• Cannon Challenge (free) - This game is very addictive. It's one of the first games that I installed and I'm totally hooked up on it. Mainly because it's so simple and yet somehow challenging. The goal is simple: destroy the yellow targets using the cannon on the left. All that you can control is the angle and speed of the cannon. Simple, right? Yeah, but it takes some time to master it...
  
  
• Dactyl (free) - Just click on the bombs before they explode. Looks simple, right? Well, let's just say that the speed at which new potentially exploding bombs appear is close to a rat's heartbeat (in case you're wondering: 500 beats/min).
  
  
• Facebook (free) - If you're into Facebook, one of the most popular social networks in the web, then this app is mandatory. It gives you clean and simple access to most Facebook features.

• Google Earth (free) - that wonderful Earth navigability that you have on your computer is also accessible on the iPod Touch. And it feels even better with the multi-touch display.
  

• iPint (free) - Totally useless, but since this was the first app I installed on my iPod Touch it's hard to let go. Plus, it's always fun to use when showing off the iPod Touch to nearby people. This app simulates a pint of beer that behaves pretty much like the real thing, except this one won't actually leave a stain on the floor when you spill it :-) It also includes a cool game for you to guide a pint from one side of the bar to the other, all by using the accelerometer.
  
  
• Labyrinth Lite Edition (free) - Another game to show the excellent feature brought by the accelerometer. You just have to control the ball through the maze to reach the goal and avoid the holes. It feels just like the real thing.
  
  
• Loops of Zen Lite (free) - Another Puzzle game. Simple, yet sometimes quite challenging. Loops of Zen requires you to connect all the symbols together so as to create a figure where all lines end in a circle.

• Lumen Lite (free) - Excellent puzzle game where you only have to find ways of turning all the lights on. The free version only include a few levels but some are quite challenging.

• Lux Touch (free) - If you like the board game Risk, then you'll love Lux Touch. That's it :-)
  
• MazeFinger (free) - This cool game is very simple: just use your finger to go trough the maze as fast as possible. As it gets harder and harder, new obstacles will appear and the path will become more difficult. Plus, the visual and sound effects are stunning.
  
  
• NetNewsWire (free) - For a long time now, I've been using NewsGator as my RSS feeds reader and, on my Mac, I use NetNewsWire to access those feeds (for offline viewing) and the synchronization process is quite good. Most naturally, on the iPod Touch I also use NetNewsWire. This way, no matter what channel I use, the feeds I read are always in sync.

• TapDefense (free) - If you're into tower defense-like games, then you'll love this game. You have to defend your gate against the evil beings from Hell and for that you'll need to place towers across the path to slow them down and eventually destroy them.
  
  
• Tap Tap Revenge (free) - Are you a Guitar Hero fan? Tap Tap Revenge is the solution for the iPod Touch. Just tap tap the dots at the sound of music and try not to miss :-)
  
  
• Tweetie (2,39€ - $2.99) - I tried every free Twitter app available at the App Store and none (with the exception of Twinkle) is enough for the average Twitter user. While Twinkle may actually do the trick for most Twitter users, Tweetie is more complete allowing you to easily keep track of everyone you're following by clearly separating tweets, replies, messages and other parts of this social network (such as location-based tweets, trends and access to profile information).
  

This list is obviously incomplete and as I have the time, I will be updating it with new apps. So, keep tuned. Also, I welcome your suggestions and I thank you in advance by any help you can provide in improving this list.

Happy New Year