Macgasm

It’s coming a lot faster then we might think.  Apparently Snow Leopard has reached the Gold Master version, and it’s ready for release.  It’s only a matter of time before we start gearing up to get our updates on.  Speculations abound that the release will fall sometime in September, but my moneys on an early September release date.  It’s looking like the price point is going to be 29 USD for a single license pack, and 49 USD for a five license family pack.

Who can’t afford that?

Snow Leopard’s said to be a major step forward in some technologies under the hood, all of which are aimed at making the operating system a lot quicker, and far more stable.  Some software bundles, most notably Quicktime, will be getting some attention as a new version is around the corner, and people are starting to wonder if iTunes will see a Cocoa rewrite.

[image via seq]

Have you ever wished you could have an interactive screenshot of your desktop?  Say, something you can snap, and then move the windows around, change out your desktop background, maybe make your icons all disappear?

Most screencasters would drool for that kind of support in a screenshot application, and the fact that it takes all the “layers” throughout your desktop, and then literally puts them into a PSD all on different layers is phenomenal.  You read that right, all your windows will be in different layers in a PSD.

Technical writers, bloggers, and graphic designers everywhere will find this a handy tool to keep in their arsenal. You’ll never know when it’ll come in handy.  It’s already making its way into my work flow for some upcoming reviews.  Probably the best thing about this applications is that it labels all the layers and tosses them into appropriate folders.  Talk about a labour of love.

I grew up on the Palm OS loving Shisen-sho and hoping to replicate that experience on the iPod touch. Thankfully, I’m now able to.

Shisen-sho Mahjong Solitaire ($3.99) brings that old experience back to me in a great easy-to-touch format with subtle but harmonious sound effects. In Shisen-sho, you have to unite two pieces that do not have obstructed paths. Two adjacent pieces are always fair game, but you will have to connect other pieces if and only if they can be connected by a maximum of three lines. Confusing? It gets easier to understand once you start playing (and keep reading, since a giveaway will be in progress).

I really like this game, but I have a few recommendations and suggestions based on my past experience as a Shishen-sho addict on another platform. First, vary the game board. I’d think using other characters (not just standard Mahjong-style tiles) would be more interesting, especially since foreigners like me think a lot of the characters on the game board look the same. Another option is to give timed features to all sized-games (you can play with a large game, as seen above, a medium game board, or a small one). I’d prefer an even larger game board if possible — I can defeat the large version rather quickly; I remember playing 20 minute games with my hearty Palm III (though that was on the longer side; some games were completed in less than 3 minutes but that was only after a mad dash to beat my friend who was competing against me). I’d also prefer to have timed games on all levels, not just with a specific sized board.

But — despite these shortcomings which can be easily addressed, I love this game and am so happy to see that I can still experience the game with newer technology. And now I have the opportunity to share that with you.

Giveaway: Want to play this awesome puzzle game? Leave a comment about the game. I have 9 codes available and will randomly pick winners among the participants, so be one of those who leaves your mark.

Apple is set to release a slew of new products over the next couple months. These releases include: Mac OS X Snow Leopard Client and Server (confirmed), new iPods (expected), and possibly the rumored netbook-tablet-macbook-thingy (who knows if we’ll actually see it).

With all of these potential releases, how does one prioritize their purchases? Particularly with the holidays coming up?

Now, I have an iPod that is almost three years old and showing its wear. I’ve been using it less and less lately in favor of my iPhone 3G; which has been relegated to an iPod touch. So I could upgrade my current 30GB 5th Generation iPod with Video. Not likely, but it’s possible. If I were to get a new iPod Classic, if they’re kept around, it’ll be $249.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard is a definite must on my list. However, here comes the tricky part. I currently have Mac OS X Leopard Client family pack and Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard Server, 10 client edition. I would love to upgrade the Server to Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. The price tag of this is $499 retail, but this is for the full version along with being the unlimited client version. If I were to purchase Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard server, what do I do with my current version of 10.5 Leopard server? I could install it on my Macbook, but then that would negate the need for OS X 10.6 Client. What I could do, and probably will is max out the memory I can put on my iMac to 3GB (I’m still running a white iMac Core 2 Duo) install Parallels Desktop 4.0 and virtualize my 10.5 Server within the VM after installing OS X 10.6 Server on my iMac (all after a bootable working backup of course). Thereby reducing the overall cost, yet allowing me to run both. I will probably also do this on my Macbook with OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard Client. I may even virtualize OS X Client on my iMac as well. For OS X Snow Leopard Client (Family Pack upgrade) it’ll be $49. Parallels Desktop 4.0 will be $79.99 each and I’ll need two copies so that’s $159.98. OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard is $499. Just for this portion it would be $707.98.

I am currently running iWork ’08. So from an economical standpoint I should buy the Mac Box Set with 10.6 Snow Leopard and iWork ’09, except iWork ’10 should be just around the corner so it would make more sense to wait for that since that will only be $229 for the family pack. The key difference between the Mac Box Set and the 10.6 upgrade is that the Mac Box set contains the FULL version of OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard so if you had a mac that was running OS X 10.4 Tiger you could install Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard without any licensing issues as long as it was an Intel Mac.

As for the rumored netbook-tablet-macbook-thingy. If the rumors are to be believed it’ll be somewhere between $699 and $1299 (or there abouts). Plus, it would definitely depend on what the feature set that the device had as to whether I could find a fit within my workflow.

I would also like to replace my iMac with a Mac mini to use as a server, so that will cost somewhere around $1000 as well.

With all of this along with the Holidays and having to spend money there, how does one go about choosing what is the priority? That all comes down to need. For me I will probably get Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard family pack upgrade for $49 unless Apple releases iWork ’10 with the box set, then I will get that family pack version instead. I would definitely love to replace my iMac, but probably won’t for a while. I may buy Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard Server next spring. The memory for my iMac (as well as my Macbook) I should probably order soon, since memory prices are so cheap these days. I guess I will just have to see exactly what I end up buying, I just don’t like the lack of funds to play with everything I want.

[Download This Episode]

In this episode, Grant and Josh talk about how to expose your iTunes library.

[02.8 MB] [0:06:00] [Hosted by: Josh Schnell & Grant Brunner]

If you’ve never played Warfare Incorporated ($4.99), you might as well get on the bandwagon and play. There’s a reason why it’s available to a bunch of platforms, from the old school PDAs to the new school iPhones and iPod touches. Two words: it rocks.

In Warfare Incorporated, a real-time strategy game, your mission, should you choose to accept it (well, actually, you have no choice at all), is to defend planet Icarus from your enemy. Icarus is rather desirable because it has an abundant supply of Galaxite, a highly coveted mineral resource. It’s your duty to generate Galaxite and to do so peacefully without enemy attack of the OMNI base who is also seeking the precious resources that are so incredibly important to your survival.

This responsibility is not as easy as it seems, and as you progress through later stages in the game, you may be tasked with defeating the enemy, saving your camp, or providing aid to other allies on the planet.

Warfare Incorporated’s beauty is really its optimized iPhone and iPod touch controls. It is, and I say this in a giddy voice, SO cool to create rectangles around your characters to send them on missions for particular moves. I actually spent some time just playing around with these controls; Spiffcode Inc. executed this feature quite well.

The game itself features 20 story missions and over 200 add-on missions, but to be honest, I haven’t had the opportunity to play them all. I can already tell you, though, that you’re in for an incredible ride. Warfare Incorporated is a game that you should definitely opt to buy, and that’s even more important if you’re a fan of real time strategy games.

I find my eyes glued to the battery meter on my iPod Touch and my MacBook Pro. “Oh, I better not watch that video podcast. I don’t want to drain my battery.” I am slowly driving myself crazy with that quarter inch bar. I live in fear that I’ll run out of battery life, but there are no real repercussions. So what if I run out of battery life? My computer or iPod shuts down. I won’t lose anything. My device won’t explode. Hell, I’m almost always near a place where I can just plug it in.

Here is what I have vowed to do from now on: I am going to use my battery operated devices like there is an unlimited amount of life. I’m not going to limit what I can do with my iPod just because it won’t last as long. If I want to watch a movie, I’ll do so. No pissant icon in the corner is going to tell me what I can do. Throw caution to the wind, I say. Use your devices like they were meant to be used. Why have them at all if we don’t use them?

Did you know that you can speed up the playback speed on your iPhone?  That’s right, you can play your podcasts at both 1.5x and 2.0x speeds.  It takes a bit getting used to, but there’s nothing better than cutting down that 2 hour podcast into a fraction of the time commitment. I mean I love podcasts and all but 2 hours… really?

It took me a while to figure out (had to chat with Grant about it), but I managed to track down the settings.  Here’s the steps:

1. Start the podcast like you normally would,
2. Leave the album up on the screen,
3. Tap the album art once and a new overlay should pop up,
4. A mail icon, a rewind icon, and a playback speed icon,
5. You can now choose between 1, 1.5, and 2.0x speeds.

There ya go!  Save some time, listen to your podcast’s in chimpunk voices.

[Photo Via Strangeless]