I’d love it if Skype, Adium, and Linkinus were Dashboard applications. They would be easily accessible, they wouldn’t clutter up my main work environment, and more importantly they would rid me from the distraction they cause when they accidentally catch my attention because I hit CMD+TAB one too many times.
Apple has solved these “problems” with Spaces. There is nothing stopping developers (not Apple) from creating dashboard-specific apps. Nothing. 1
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I would love, however, if Dashboard-specific apps were featured in the Mac App Store.↵
Browsing the web using Safari on an Apple Cinema Display, however, is an example where full screen should, but doesn’t, work very well.
Apple has hinted for designers, and app developers, to redesign their apps for Lion’s full-screen mode. The best example – to date – is iPhoto. Certain elements (such as the color scheme & layout) change as the app takes control of your desktop. Photo Booth is another great example.
These same app developers and designers don’t seem to the the hint. It is true, some apps do not need to be redesigned. It is also true that most apps do need to be redesigned. I would argue that apps which do not effectively make use of the full-screen (at any screen resolution), should not scale at all. Think Address Book.
As a quick mock-up, I like most of the ideas presented in the article. As a finished product, however, the mock-up would be lacking.
People keep asking me about my new iMac-plus-Air set-up, so I wanted to write a quick note it: so far, it’s absolutely bloody fantastic!
I am absolutely envious of Elliot’s set-up. The latest iteration of the MacBook Air is proving to be a very capable machine, forcing us designers to change our perception about work, where we work, and how we communicate – and interact – with others.
Shawn Blanc has it right:
… the pendulum is swinging back to the dual-machine setup — people who were once MacBook Pro-only are going to MacBook Airs plus iMacs.
Messenger is a separate app, so it only takes one click to get to your messages or send a new one. Messages are delivered through notifications and texts, so your friends are more likely to get them right away.
If the marketing goes right (which it will), this app will be huge; this changes everything we thought about iMessages and BBM.
It doesn’t do everything, but it does a helluva lot.
Agreed. I was reluctant to share this article because of the section discussing content creation on the iPad; we are not on the same page. However, you can’t let one bad apple spoil the bunch. It’s a light read, with some basic — and noteworthy — insights on traveling with the iPad.
Loving any Apple product is like being in an roller coaster relationship, though. Apple — unlike most companies — is not afraid to break things, change direction or piss off its users. But at the same time, it just wants everyone to be happy and hugging each other.
Running a 27″ iMac deems Launchpad useless. The icons are too large, and swiping to another page takes way too long.
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My personal feeling about Launchpad: I hate it.
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My mother’s would-be feeling about Launchpad: I like it.
However, Stephen’s closing remark sums-up Lion (and Apple) really nicely:
Mac users evolve as Apple sees fit. We all stick around, and endure the changes. This time, though, it just seems like a lot to swallow.
At some point during the week, I was responding to some email and focused on my writing and composition. For about three hours, I couldn’t seem to do anything else, but attempt to write (and research) “the perfect email” – I was posessed. Alas, I did not compose said email, but I did come across Ben’s considerable collection of email-centric articles. I will share my thoughts next week; for now, take a look at Ben’s solutions.
… this isn’t a race to enumerate everything that changed. This isn’t the place for massive topics like the implications of FileVault 2 on your entire workflow – just a stroll past some little gems, fun oddities or subtle changes specific to Lion.
Stack Exchange is hosting a forum listing the more interesting, and user-centric, changes in Lion. Note: Entries are organized by popularity, not date added.
After downloading OS X Lion, I was looking to augment my workflow by relocating the “save file location” of screenshots I take on my Mac – a nasty habit I can’t seem to kick. I came across the majority of this solution through OS X Daily, although, I did make some minor adjustments to suit my workflow.
- Create a new folder in
~/Pictures/named, “Screenshots”. - In Terminal.app type (or copy) the following string:
defaults write com.apple.screencapture location ~/Pictures/Screenshots - To save the changes, use:
killall SystemUIServer
Take a screenshot using Command+Shift+3. If a screenshot of your desktop appears in your “Screenshots” folder, then the changes have been saved. All that’s left is moving your “Screenshots” folder to your dock. There, you will have instant access to all of your screen captures.
As for the dock settings, I chose to sort by date added, display as a stack, and view the content as a fan. The solution is simple enough, and best of all, keeps my desktop clean.
In Terminal.app, type uname -a, then hit the ‘enter’ key. If what returns ends in root:xnu-1699.22.73~1/RELEASE_X86_64 x86_64, then you sir are running in 64-bit mode.
Note: Lion runs strictly in 64-bit mode.
Another powerful iPad TV ad.
Faster processor, faster graphics, Thunderbolt I/O, no optical drive – the new Mac mini. Starting at $599.
With the latest-generation Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, high-speed Thunderbolt I/O technology, and all-flash storage, MacBook Air isn’t thin on features.
My favorite feature? The backlit keyboard; “What you see is what you type.”
Lion is available for download on the Mac App Store – just $29.
Shawn Blanc wrote a fantastic article, touching on some major flaws in the transition from print to digital media. I would argue, however, that Shawn’s argument, is flawed one; how many people actually read a magazine?
… people who like to read a lot certainly don’t spend the majority of their reading time at a noisy amusement park.
Media-rich, interactive, and social – these “features” help flaunt a magazine’s content. Magazines attract readers based on the cover alone. The same can be said about web design, and an app’s UI. These graphics relate to the reader in a way that no website, or app — like Instapaper — could.
Every writer deserves to have their opinion, their argument, displayed as they see fit. Each article (in a magazine) has equivalence to it’s own website. Every website is different, has a personality — a set emotion the author is trying to convey. When designing Let’s Talk Apple, the goal was to keep the design as focused on the reading experience — the ‘readability’ of my words on the screen — as possible. The layout remains constant, and *can* remain constant, because everything here is my content, my point of view.
Magazines, though different, also have personalities of their own — however, publishers hire many writers, with many different perspectives. I would never expect John Gruber and Shawn Blanc to mimic each other’s design, writing style, or even appear on the same website; they are two very different writers, with very different opinions.
I would argue Instapaper’s success largely rides on the aging success of the print industry. We fill our queue with articles we find interesting, and authors we trust to write something newsworthy. Publishers hire writers based on their ‘likability’ — their ability to connect and touch base with their readers, as well as their ability to write. There is one main difference between Instapaper and a magazine – choice. With Instapaper, I choose who and what, appears in my “magazine”. Publishers, on the other hand, make these choices for me.
The US store and many around the world now list shipping times of 1-3 days for the items, the same for other products that aren’t constrained.
Red dots are locations of Flickr pictures. Blue dots are locations of Twitter tweets. White dots are locations that have been posted to both.
It truly is social networking at it’s best.
With this change, we will no longer offer a plan that includes both unlimited streaming and DVDs by mail.
The change (1) makes sense for Netflix and (2) will sting consumers for a while. Compared to the late fees of old, the change remains a God-send.
The author William Gibson said, “The future is already here — it’s just not very evenly distributed.” Ain’t that true? And it’s not just that some of us already live in the future, but we quickly forget what it’s like to live in the past.
I’m going to go play ping pong
Utterly brilliant.
I have a small “15 minute glass” on my desk, which helps me mind tasks throughout the day. It’s a delightfully unmediated interface, free of the paternalistic gewgaws that plague a lot of time management programs. I also keep a stuffed labbit around. Because every good workbench needs a mascot.
David’s setup is worth a look, for his writing style alone.
At first it feels like a joke, a parody of the infamous Photo Booth craze. After watching the video, the project becomes truly incredible.
Update: It looks like the project is undergoing investigation by “Apple and the Secret Service.” I can see why people are apprehensive of the project, but (as is the norm these days) a “full-blown” investigation feels like a bit much. To wrap it up, here’s a pretty important snippet from AppleInsider:
McDonald, who holds a master’s degree in electronic arts, maintains that he hasn’t broken any laws, although he does admit that his project might make some people uncomfortable. The artist noted that did receive permission from Apple’s security guards to photograph in the store and first checked with customers about taking their photos with a camera. He also said people who do not want to be part of his project can ask to be removed.
The space shuttle Atlantis lifted off Friday morning on the final mission of America’s 30-year space-shuttle program, a thunderously poignant moment for fans and veterans of the space program.
It was a marvelous event. My only regret is not seeing the launch in person.
Note: There are some pictures on Twitter, with even better past photos on Alan Taylor’s, “In Focus”.
This also indicates that HP thinks youth are one of their target markets for the device, which is kind of odd. There’s nothing very exciting about it right now for younger people, besides perhaps Flash-support in the browser, but once they actually use it I don’t think they’ll find that much of an advantage.
Agreed. The majority of customers purchasing tablets are older – especially in the case of Android, Blackberry, and presumably HP’s WebOS. I would imagine children are being introduced to legacy devices (their father’s old iPhone/iPod Touch, even first-generation iPads).
I’ve been using the Cosmic Panda “skin” for YouTube for a little under twelve hours now. It makes watching videos on YouTube an even better experience; dare I say, an enjoyable one.
Again, if you are on the Internet, then you keep important things, that you want secured, on the Internet — that’s the very reason we started with passwords to begin with.
I maintain the argument, “Having a good password (with variations) is equally as effective as 1Password.” I have never been keen on the idea of the “master password,” or the password to unlock them all.
Use a great password, have variations of this password, and – most importantly – do not share your password. Problem solved.
“Awake” is an intriguing drama about a detective (Jason Issacs, “Harry Potter,” “Brotherhood”) who finds he is leading an arduous double life that defies reality. Coming Soon to NBC.
I am more than excited for “Awake,” the television series to debut. This was my third time watching the trailer, and thought it appropriate to share it here. Enjoy…
“Steve Jobs builds his presentations around our innermost needs and desires,” one Twitter user wrote. “Zuckerberg builds his around normalized logarithmic charts.”
That would be yesterday’s “Awesome Facebook Event” in a nutshell. It was long, confusing, and featured a rather lackluster presentation by CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The hour-long event was scheduled to announce video calling within Facebook, though a partnership with Skype.
I haven’t been able to test it yet; both my mother and my browser crashed during the Java install. I have, however, been assured that once the applet is installed, it works well. Here is a link to a video of the feature in action. To try the feature on your own machine, copy or follow the link below:
As you have already read on some unknown corner of the internet, Apple’s App Store has crossed the fifteen-billionth download. There is a reason iOS is dominating the mobile market.
We’ve never been interested in rights broader than what we need to run Dropbox. We want to get this language right so that you’re comfortable using Dropbox with no reservations: what’s yours is yours.
The updated terms of service (TOS) agreement is clear and, dare I say, uplifting. If you are curious, my concerns have been addressed.