Despite the fact that iCloud appears to be letting people actually stream their music (as in, not download the file, but still listen), it’s no wonder that the general public is confused about whether or not Apple’s telling the truth when they say that iCloud will not be a “streaming” service.
Currently users with developer accounts are able to use the iTunes matching service to both upload and re-download their tracks through iTunes. The iTunes beta being used by developers scans your library for music, matches the contents to what’s on iTunes, and then gets linked up to a snazzy 256bps iTunes Plus track that is stored on Apple’s iTunes servers. Should a song not match, iTunes will upload your version to the cloud, and it will be available in the future for your consumption.
Apple has released iTunes Match in the form of a developer only beta preview. The $25 service allows you to scan your iTunes music library for music not purchased from iTunes, and make them available to you in Apple’s cloud.
The majority of tracks will already be available in Apple’s extensive library, and available in all their 256kbps glory. If you have anything obscure that isn’t already cataloged, it will be uploaded.
The system preference application (are sys. pref modules applications?) GeekTool is now available on the Mac App Store, making it one less application we have to manage through manual downloads and updates.
The application, yes we’re sticking with application, lets users customize their desktops in a way that a vanilla install of OS X cannot.
Text, shell script, and terminal commands can all be run from within GeekTool and be placed on your desktop, formatted, and styled in any way you see fit. For a while I had the Macgasm server info on my desktop, including RAM usage, CPU usage, and apache logs. If you’re familiar with command-line-fu then GeekTool is for you. It can do some pretty fantastic things.
Oh yeah, it’s free, so you’ve got nothing to lose by downloading it and trying it out.
Recipe management has always been a bit of a pain on the iPad. I’ve gone through a number of applications, but I often found myself wishing SousChef would sync across my desktop and mobile applications. Starting with the release of version 2.0 today the application now not only syncs with Dropbox, but you can also search the repository of 200,000 recipes, and manage grocery lists. SousChef is available as a universal application on the App Store for $4.99. But don’t wait around, the $4.99 price tag is a sale for 50% off, so we expect it to be in at least the $9.99 – $10.99 range once they lift the sale.
The desktop application is not on the Mac App Store, yet. If you want to purchase the desktop application after trying the iOS version, you can get it on Acacia Tree Software’s website for $30.00. I have to say it’s pretty fantastic. I’ve been using it since it came bundled in the Mac Heist promotion years ago.
Frankly put, SousChef is may favourite application for managing my recipes, and I recommend trying it out.
Running a full-fledged operating system on your iPad may just be closer to reality than most would have anticipated. Pretty soon you’ll be able to run Linux OS directly on your iPad.
Actually, according to iDownloadBlog and iJailbreak, the iPhone 4, first gen iPad, and 4th generation iPod touch will all be able to rock that powerful penguin. The install will require a jailbreak, obviously, but should you find yourself wondering what you’re going to do with that iOS device once future iOS versions render it useless, Linux may just offer you up some alternatives.
We’ll keep any eye on this and let you know if we hear anything else on this front.
LDAP, a protocol for authenticating users over a network connection, has become a topic of discussion amongst IT departments who deploy Macs in their enterprise. A discovery made in the way Lion authenticates and caches LDAP credentials reveals a gaping security hole.
A lot of people thought that webOS had something to offer, something different than iOS, something better, which is why it came as such a huge surprise that HP decided to kill it off. Of course, webOS may still have a part to play in the tablet war that’s been raging against Apple — it just won’t be at HP. Some have publicly guessed that HP would license webOS to other hardware manufacturers, and others have claimed that HP was looking to sell off webOS entirely to another company, most notably, Samsung.
Today, another report from DigiTimes speculates that Samsung may not be looking to purchase HP’s consumer computer lineup. Instead, they may be looking to purchase webOS from HP.
Personally I’d rather see HTC purchase webOS, but any company that puts webOS back on the market gets a nice little gold star in my book.
When Apple informed the world on Wednesday that CEO Steve Jobs would be stepping down and Tim Cook would be taking his place, it was one of the most important milestones in business history. Likened to the departure of Henry Ford or Walt Disney as heads of their respective companies, Jobs’ tenure not only represents the mind that saved Apple from collapse to being one of the most powerful companies in the world, but the personality and vision that defined it. Interestingly, many media outlets mistakenly reported that Jobs was dead instead of simply stepping down… which is a bizarre and yet telling look into how we, as a culture, see Jobs and Apple as being inextricable from one another and unable to exist apart. It also begs the question: If we thought Jobs was dead, in what light do we now see Apple?
August 30, 2011
0 Comments