Filed under: Internet Tools, Apple, MobileMe

After a less than stellar debut last year, Apple is doing a better job of communication with MobileMe customers who need to decide if they want to stay on as paid users or try other options.

In an email to subscribers, Apple says it has been working hard on getting MobileMe up to spec. The email details these improvements:

• Easy File Sharing. It’s especially nice to have the large file sharing turned on and working. It was supposed to be available months ago, and while one could quibble about how it is only available from the web client, at least it has been delivered
• Faster Syncing with Mac and PC. The speed of updates between computers and the iPhone have been increased. My own experience confirms that this is now working very well. Your mileage may vary, but most reports are positive
• Improved notifications and sync on iPhone. Apple says the reliability of new email notices and syncing of contacts and numbers with MobileMe have been improved. Apple suggests you run iPhone software version 2.2 or later for optimal notifications.
• Better web app performance. Apple wants customers to know that the web app is faster, particularly with regard to start time for Calendar and Contacts search. I can’t confirm this. Loading my Calendar took more than a minute this morning using Safari 4 beta. Later in the day, it came up instantly. I don’t see anything dramatically faster in searching for contacts. You may do better, or, perish the thought, worse.

Apple adds that they are constantly working to improve the service, and make it easier to use.

For more information keep on top of MobileMe news. Leave your comments on this story to help give us a picture how, or if, MobileMe has improved for you.

TUAWApple making nice with MobileMe customers originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Friday Favorite

R-Name is a simple, single-purpose application that takes the names of files and folders on your Mac and renames them one at a time or in batches. I use it almost every day. Yes, there are a dozen ways to batch rename files. I like R-Name for a few reasons:

• It’s fast, both in loading and renaming
• Easy to rename just files, folders or recurse folder
• Hard to mess things up because you have to preview the new names before committing
• Drag and drop (Apple forgets how important this feature is all too frequently)

Here are the functions you can perform with R-Name: find and replace, number sequentially, add characters (beginning, before extension, at end), remove characters with the same options, change case, add/replace/remove extensions. There are some smart prefs too, but that’s icing on the cake.

Oh, and did I mention: it’s donationware! The author asks you to make a donation to UNICEF. Unfortunately, R-Name appears to be abandonware — the author’s site is currently down (thus the source code is unavailable) and best I can tell the app is only supported to 10.3. But it works for me. What renaming tool or workflow do you use?

TUAWFriday Favorite: R-Name originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Internet Tools, Apple, MobileMe

After a less than stellar debut last year, Apple is doing a better job of communication with MobileMe customers who need to decide if they want to stay on as paid users or try other options.

In an email to subscribers, Apple says it has been working hard on getting MobileMe up to spec. The email details these improvements:

• Easy File Sharing. It’s especially nice to have the large file sharing turned on and working. It was supposed to be available months ago, and while one could quibble about how it is only available from the web client, at least it has been delivered
• Faster Syncing with Mac and PC. The speed of updates between computers and the iPhone have been increased. My own experience confirms that this is now working very well. Your mileage may vary, but most reports are positive
• Improved notifications and sync on iPhone. Apple says the reliability of new email notices and syncing of contacts and numbers with MobileMe have been improved. Apple suggests you run iPhone software version 2.2 or later for optimal notifications.
• Better web app performance. Apple wants customers to know that the web app is faster, particularly with regard to start time for Calendar and Contacts search. I can’t confirm this. Loading my Calendar took more than a minute this morning using Safari 4 beta. Later in the day, it came up instantly. I don’t see anything dramatically faster in searching for contacts. You may do better, or, perish the thought, worse.

Apple adds that they are constantly working to improve the service, and make it easier to use.

For more information keep on top of MobileMe news. Leave your comments on this story to help give us a picture how, or if, MobileMe has improved for you.

TUAWApple making nice with MobileMe customers originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Friday Favorite

R-Name is a simple, single-purpose application that takes the names of files and folders on your Mac and renames them one at a time or in batches. I use it almost every day. Yes, there are a dozen ways to batch rename files. I like R-Name for a few reasons:

• It’s fast, both in loading and renaming
• Easy to rename just files, folders or recurse folder
• Hard to mess things up because you have to preview the new names before committing
• Drag and drop (Apple forgets how important this feature is all too frequently)

Here are the functions you can perform with R-Name: find and replace, number sequentially, add characters (beginning, before extension, at end), remove characters with the same options, change case, add/replace/remove extensions. There are some smart prefs too, but that’s icing on the cake.

Oh, and did I mention: it’s donationware! The author asks you to make a donation to UNICEF. Unfortunately, R-Name appears to be abandonware — the author’s site is currently down (thus the source code is unavailable) and best I can tell the app is only supported to 10.3. But it works for me. What renaming tool or workflow do you use?

TUAWFriday Favorite: R-Name originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Internet Tools, Apple, MobileMe

After a less than stellar debut last year, Apple is doing a better job of communication with MobileMe customers who need to decide if they want to stay on as paid users or try other options.

In an email to subscribers, Apple says it has been working hard on getting MobileMe up to spec. The email details these improvements:

• Easy File Sharing. It’s especially nice to have the large file sharing turned on and working. It was supposed to be available months ago, and while one could quibble about how it is only available from the web client, at least it has been delivered
• Faster Syncing with Mac and PC. The speed of updates between computers and the iPhone have been increased. My own experience confirms that this is now working very well. Your mileage may vary, but most reports are positive
• Improved notifications and sync on iPhone. Apple says the reliability of new email notices and syncing of contacts and numbers with MobileMe have been improved. Apple suggests you run iPhone software version 2.2 or later for optimal notifications.
• Better web app performance. Apple wants customers to know that the web app is faster, particularly with regard to start time for Calendar and Contacts search. I can’t confirm this. Loading my Calendar took more than a minute this morning using Safari 4 beta. Later in the day, it came up instantly. I don’t see anything dramatically faster in searching for contacts. You may do better, or, perish the thought, worse.

Apple adds that they are constantly working to improve the service, and make it easier to use.

For more information keep on top of MobileMe news. Leave your comments on this story to help give us a picture how, or if, MobileMe has improved for you.

TUAWApple making nice with MobileMe customers originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Open Source, iPhone, App Store, SDK

For the past month or so, developers have been taking advantage of an opening in the iPhone SDK to enable Emoji emoticons on non-Japanese iPhones, without having to resort to jailbreaking. While I was a little taken aback by the fascination and little mini-market that sprouted up around Emoji activation, it’s clear that the public likes its icons.

Unfortunately, the Emoji free for all may be over. Gary, from Typing Genius, e-mailed us this morning and he let us know that Apple is cracking down on Emoji activation outside of Japan. According to Gary, Apple is forbidding Emoji-only apps (Emotifun and iEmoji have both been removed from the App Store) and requiring developers for apps that do more than just Emoji (like Typing Genius — iTunes link) to provide an Emoji-free update immediately.

In regards to Typing Genius, Gary says that:

* Existing Typing Genius users who have already unlocked emoji will not be affected when Apple remove apps from the App Store
* Emoji unlock will remain intact for users who upgrade to a newer version of Typing Genius (without the unlock) later on

TUAWEmoji on its way out of the App Store originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Friday Favorite

R-Name is a simple, single-purpose application that takes the names of files and folders on your Mac and renames them one at a time or in batches. I use it almost every day. Yes, there are a dozen ways to batch rename files. I like R-Name for a few reasons:

• It’s fast, both in loading and renaming
• Easy to rename just files, folders or recurse folder
• Hard to mess things up because you have to preview the new names before committing
• Drag and drop (Apple forgets how important this feature is all too frequently)

Here are the functions you can perform with R-Name: find and replace, number sequentially, add characters (beginning, before extension, at end), remove characters with the same options, change case, add/replace/remove extensions. There are some smart prefs too, but that’s icing on the cake.

Oh, and did I mention: it’s donationware! The author asks you to make a donation to UNICEF. Unfortunately, R-Name appears to be abandonware — the author’s site is currently down (thus the source code is unavailable) and best I can tell the app is only supported to 10.3. But it works for me. What renaming tool or workflow do you use?

TUAWFriday Favorite: R-Name originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Open Source, iPhone, App Store, SDK

For the past month or so, developers have been taking advantage of an opening in the iPhone SDK to enable Emoji emoticons on non-Japanese iPhones, without having to resort to jailbreaking. While I was a little taken aback by the fascination and little mini-market that sprouted up around Emoji activation, it’s clear that the public likes its icons.

Unfortunately, the Emoji free for all may be over. Gary, from Typing Genius, e-mailed us this morning and he let us know that Apple is cracking down on Emoji activation outside of Japan. According to Gary, Apple is forbidding Emoji-only apps (Emotifun and iEmoji have both been removed from the App Store) and requiring developers for apps that do more than just Emoji (like Typing Genius — iTunes link) to provide an Emoji-free update immediately.

In regards to Typing Genius, Gary says that:

* Existing Typing Genius users who have already unlocked emoji will not be affected when Apple remove apps from the App Store
* Emoji unlock will remain intact for users who upgrade to a newer version of Typing Genius (without the unlock) later on

TUAWEmoji on its way out of the App Store originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Open Source, iPhone, App Store, SDK

For the past month or so, developers have been taking advantage of an opening in the iPhone SDK to enable Emoji emoticons on non-Japanese iPhones, without having to resort to jailbreaking. While I was a little taken aback by the fascination and little mini-market that sprouted up around Emoji activation, it’s clear that the public likes its icons.

Unfortunately, the Emoji free for all may be over. Gary, from Typing Genius, e-mailed us this morning and he let us know that Apple is cracking down on Emoji activation outside of Japan. According to Gary, Apple is forbidding Emoji-only apps (Emotifun and iEmoji have both been removed from the App Store) and requiring developers for apps that do more than just Emoji (like Typing Genius — iTunes link) to provide an Emoji-free update immediately.

In regards to Typing Genius, Gary says that:

* Existing Typing Genius users who have already unlocked emoji will not be affected when Apple remove apps from the App Store
* Emoji unlock will remain intact for users who upgrade to a newer version of Typing Genius (without the unlock) later on

TUAWEmoji on its way out of the App Store originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Audio, iPhone, iPod touch

AirPhones is an interesting application for your iPhone or iPod touch that turns your mobile device into a set of wireless headphones. The idea is similar to Rogue Amoeba’s Airfoil, but instead of routing audio from your Mac to an Airport Express, AirPhones sends your Mac’s audio to your iPhone or touch connected to the same WiFi network.

For this to work you have to install the free Mac server application. It adds an additional output device to your Sound preferences pane. Once that’s installed on your Mac you’ll also need the mobile application (iTunes link) installed on your iPhone or iPod touch. After they’re connected through the same network, your handheld should play your Mac’s sound output.

This actually strikes me as a great idea. I spend a lot of time at my work desk listening to music through headphones and I inevitably get tangled up in the cord. My main concern, I suppose, would be running down my iPhone’s battery, but that may be worth it to get rid of that cord.

AirPhone is .99 from the iTunes Store. You’ll also need to download the server application from smashart. Unfortunately, the server app is Intel only, but they’re promising both a Universal binary and a Windows version in the future.

[via 9 to 5 Mac]

TUAWAirPhones turns your iPhone or touch into a wireless speaker originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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