SvenOnTech has been informed by Agile, makers of the popular wallet program for Mac OS X, that it is concentrating all its attention on a native iPhone application. In an email to SvenOnTech, Agile told us, “We are currently focusing on the imminent release of our native iPhone/iPod touch application”. Agile feels this will elevate many iPhone user complaints of crashing Safari browsers due to large data sets that the ingenious bookmarklet hack has difficult handling. With the native application, 1Password will be able to easily bring up data quickly and without crashing. Additionally, 1Password for the iPhone will be, “providing a lot more features and flexibility,” Agile told SvenOnTech.
SvenOnTech has requested a review copy and will be sure to let you know how it fares against the Safari version and if it replicates the ease and effectiveness of the desktop version. Keep your eyes here and on our Twitter feed!
Our beloved Ringo has just added some new free ringtones for all of those using Ringo. Made exclusively for Ringo, you won’t find these ringtones anywhere but at www.ringomo.com. Ranging in a mix of Classical, Country, Rock, Salsa (mmmm, salsa and chips) and Ragtime, you’re phone will keep things interesting with every call.
If you don’t know about Ringo, then read our review and find out why we loved it. It works for BlackBerry, WIndows Mobile, and the beloved (but forgotten?) Palm OS. With its easy to user interface and ability to play MP3s for ringtones and messages tones, why wouldn’t you get Ringo now? 
Ringo is available at ringomo.com for US$19.95.
MacGourmet Deluxe brings recipe collection and organization into the digital age. Users are able to create, edit and share recipes; make wine and cooking notes, and easily import recipes found on the Web and expand their collection. Recipes can be published to a .mac account or to a personal Web site. MacGourmet Deluxe can also create a shopping list that can be printed or exported to a PDA.
Even more exciting in the introduction of MacGourmet Deluxe is an industry first feature - the Cookbook Builder. Using a recipe collection, the user can build, print and share their own cookbook. The Cookbook Builder allows the easy addition of images, chapters and text pages. Saving it as a high resolution PDF, the cookbook can be printed out on a desktop printer or through a print-on-demand source.
Also in this release of MacGourmet Deluxe:
A Mealplan feature to create a weekly meal plan with iCal integration.
Access to the USDA Nutritional database.
The ability to view the nutritional value of recipes.
All-new shopping list editor, with simple pantry/favorites and column ordering/hiding functionality added.
The addition of a number of award winning recipes.
Pricing and Availability:
MacGourmet Deluxe is now available on the Mariner Software Web site at www.marinersoftware.com. The shipping version will initially be offered in English and sell for $49.95USD ($44.95 download). Support for more languages is expected in the near future. MacGourmet Deluxe requires Mac OS 10.4 or higher. The standard version of MacGourmet will continue to be available on the Advenio Web site. Registered MacGourmet customers may upgrade to MacGourmet Deluxe for a special price in the Mariner Software eStore.
With SplashMoney, Mac users now have access to a complete personal financial manager that enables them to securely record transactions, track account balances, generate reports and budgets, and manage finances while on the go. SplashMoney features wireless access to online bank accounts – an ideal feature for laptops and smartphones, a streamlined user interface, charting of financial data, the ability to assign icons to transactions, transaction filtering, and bank account reconciliation.
SplashMoney supports most account types, including checking, savings, credit card, cash, asset, liability, and money market accounts.
Mac users of SplashID have been anxiously waiting for the release of SplashID 4, which includes substantial updates such as Web Auto-Fill, a feature that simplifies entering user names and passwords by using a web browser to go directly to a site and then retrieving the username and password directly from SplashID to auto-fill in the record. Other key features in SplashID 4 include improved ways to view and find information, such as the new Panel and Tree views, and an Auto Search feature that retrieves records simply by entering a few letters in the Find box.
Advanced users of SplashID 4 can use the new Database Sync feature to select multiple databases to synchronize with on the Mac desktop and easily share data with other users, even across a network.
The security of personal financial data on mobile devices is of chief concern to many, and SplashData has incorporated secure password protection in both SplashMoney and SplashID using 256-bit Blowfish encryption to protect against malicious hacking or other threats.
The SplashMoney and SplashID versions that include both handheld and desktop applications are available now for $29.95 each at www.splashdata.com. They are also available as part of the SplashWallet Suite, which includes SplashID, SplashPhoto, SplashShopper, and SplashMoney, at a 50% discount. The desktop-only versions of SplashMoney and SplashID, available for both Windows and Mac, are available for $19.95. Full functioning 30-day trial versions are also available for download.
equinux has just released the fifth generation of its award-winning online auction management solution, iSale. iSale 5 offers all Mac users a way to flexibly create and manage their online eBay auctions. The Template Editor allows each of the 222 templates, included with iSale, to be easily edited to fit the user’s needs. Additionally, iSale 5 simplifies the search for product information and pictures and can display running auctions on Facebook platform.
Import and search for product information
With the new Research Assistant, product descriptions can be easily taken from FileMaker databases and Delicious Library and then added to an auction per mouse click. Additional plug-ins allow you to research product information, as well as pictures, using Google, Amazon, the ISBN Database for books and any other website a user might wish to use. The Research Assistant saves all of the information it collects in folders, so it can easily be copied and pasted into your auctions.
“All iSale users will greatly benefit from the new version. iSale 5 not only gives you the possibility to manage and create your auctions, but it now also shortens the time it takes to look up information about the items you’re selling,” says equinux CEO Till Schadde. “iSale 5 is the most powerful and comprehensive online auction management software that equinux has ever released. iSale 5 includes an all-new Template Editor that allows users to edit every iSale template, we ever shipped and save them as your favorites.”
Manage and Archive Auctions
Anyone who wants to let his contacts know about any upcoming auctions, can post running auctions on his Facebook profile. And iSale 5 makes it possible to manage multiple libraries, allowing users to archive old auctions.
Full power with Mac OS X
iSale 5 takes full advantage of new functions and capabilities in Leopard. The user interface reflects the style and design of Leopard, as well as the other features from Leopard that seamlessly integrate into iSale. iSale 5 used the systemwide Calendar system so users can manage their deadlines. The QuickLook preview allows all users to find any auction with Finder. To benefit from all of the new features, iSale 5 requires Mac OS X 10.5.
Prices and Availability
Upgrades for iSale 5 are available starting today for $19.95. And all customers, that purchased their iSale license after December 15th, 2007 can upgrade for free at my.equinux.com. Full version of iSale 5 are available, starting at $39.95.
Nearly two years ago, we reviewed an application that helped fill in forms and password boxes within Firefox and Safari. Back then, it had the cool UNIX-like name, 1Passwd (passwd is the *NIX command you use to create or modify passwords) was trying to make a name for itself in the Mac world. This year, it was at Macworld and if you missed its booth in Tiny Town, then you missed probably one of the best password applications, not just for your Mac, but for your iPhone, too!
With its recent update, and changed name of 1Password, the password manager exploited iPhones Safari JavaScript abilities and essentially created 1Password for the iPhone. Locally. Almost as if it were a native application. Using this brilliant accomplishment to get past the barbed wire fence of native applications on the iPhone, 1Password gives you easy and quick access to everything that is available on your the version that sits on your Mac. All passwords, wallets, and secure notes are there. And to help move things along, you can simply search for your item instead of using the iPhone native interface to drill down to find your card. All very nice and very cool to have on your iPhone.
We love 1Password for the iPhone, but a problem does arise when you start surfing the web and you come to a site that requires you to log in. Okay, open a new page, get 1Password up, log in, enter search terms, find card, memorize your credentials, page back to the other web site and enter the information. Doh! Invalid login. Ugh, back to 1Password, verify what you did wrong, go back to the other web page, try again, bingo!, you’re in. Repeat when necessary. Why couldn’t this be more like its big brother on the Mac? That’s what co-authors Dave Teare and Roustem Karimov thought and with the latest beta, they said, “Make it so.” And so it is.
With the next official release of 1Password, you will be able to use the iPhone login bookmarklet feature which invokes a pop-up window, much like on Safari or Firefox on the Mac, with a choice of possible matches to a site you are at for login. Now, this will require you to tap on the bookmark called “1Password Logins” to bring up the pop-up; however, no longer will each site require you to perform the switch-and-memorize game as described above. It’s all automatic. Finally!
This great feature is included with the desktop version of 1Password and is available today as a beta. Point your big boy browser to 1Password’s site and download this bad boy for some good boy work on the iPhone today!
eBay has come a long way with it’s web interface on the worlds most popular bidding site on the world wide web. But, there still could be some improvements made, namely, with speed. One of my main gripes with eBay is that it can be slow at times. Not a biggy when you’re browsing but it can mean the difference between winning and losing at bid time. It’s happened a couple of times to me. Granted, network issues could be related to the speed problem; however, with its complex layout, eBay can take some of the burden of blame as well. Thankfully, eBay has an API (Application Program Interface) that allows developers to tap into the eBay engine externally. This means people at companies like iwascoding can make an eBay manager that works as if you were on eBay…but better.
iwascoding are the makers of the well known GarageSale, an eBay sell manager. This has been the more popular use of the eBay API but fortunately, those whacky German coding guys understand that there is a need to manage sales as well manage bids, so they created GarageBuy.
When I first saw GarageBuy, I was hesitant. What could it possibly do better than eBay’s web interface? Yes, speed was my key draw to this application, but was it worth opening another application to take more resources away from my Mac? Needless to say, the cost, free, was the strongest pull for me to click that download link.
Once installed, GarageBuy asks for you to authorize the application, much like wonderful Flickr Uploadr (also free) does. Once authorized, you’re already signed in and ready to go. First thing GarageBuy will do is import any items on your Watch list and other eBay information locally. Then, you’re off to the races.
I did a test search, “Purple Birkenstock”, to see how well the search would perform. To my surprise, it was quick and presented very nicely. The left side of the column shows your search term along with the hit count. To the right is the results. These results include brief auction information and a picture (if available.) With a limited pool of results, I went for something I wanted: NAS. NAS, short for Network Attached Storage, is a need at my home-based office. I’ve been looking for a rack mount product but this hardware form factor starts at 3k. Ouch! But what better way to test GarageBuy’s speed and see if I could find a deal? Well a deal indeed is what I found and speed was another feature rich benefit. My results quickly filled up the screen (over 700 total) and within minutes I found the perfect NAS at the perfect price. I’m sure I would have found it on my web browser as well, but no way would it have been this easy and this pleasurable.
Why pleasurable? The layout is so intelligently done that one would think iwascoding spent countless hours and Euros on this program. So why is this free, guys? On the right side, the Gallery display, where all your hits are shown, you can sort by time left, current price, Buy It Now price, or title. Above this sort line you can narrow down the results by clicking on soft buttons that differ from search to search that allow you really get into the details. You can also increase the size of the Gallery picture if you’d like. To watch an auction or hide it from the results, just click the appropriate button on the tool bar above.
To bid on an auction, all you need to do is click the money icon and up comes a new window with bid information including a place for your bid. The window is updated in real-time, so the auctions remaining time is displayed in countdown fashion along with the price being updated with the current bidders name. Placing your bid couldn’t be any easier than typing in your price, clicking the bid button, confirming the bid (which you can have disabled for future bids) and that’s it. Your bid is in and the screen updates with your information! It is very fast!
The left column will keep you up to date on your bids and other items you are watching. Green colored bubbles mean you’ve won the auction, red indicates a loss, and light red with dark red means it’s in auction your watching but you haven’t bid on yet (or your losing the bid.) Yellow is for the ended auction without a winner. Another nice feature of GarageBuy is the darker color will progress to the right as a time indicator. The closer it fills up the bubble, the less time you have left. It’s just so easy to glance at any auction and know when time is almost up.
GarageBuy is fully Growl compatible, so if you’re watching an auction, you’re notified when the bid changes. All other actions by you are also shown such as making a bid.
In short, GarageBuy, the first officially certified client for the Mac by eBay, is nothing short of awesome. Any user of eBay with a Mac should have this in their Applications folder. Light users to heavy users are going to thoroughly enjoy this eBay buyer manager. I know I am.
V CAST Music customers can now play music directly from an audio CD on their PCs, enjoying an improved mobile music experience with fewer clicks with Verizon Wireless’ new Music Manager software. Available today as a free download from Verizon Wireless at the Music Manager site, Music Manager is the PC-based music player accompanying the company’s V CAST Music service, simplifying how Verizon Wireless customers manage, play and add to their digital music libraries as well as sync compatible music to their V CAST Music-enabled handsets.
After downloading Music Manager, Verizon Wireless customers will see four new, easy-to-navigate and intuitive tabs to help them manage their music: “V CAST Buy Music” is a direct link to the V CAST Music Store; “Music on My PC” lists all the music in the Music Manager library that resides on the customer’s PC; “Music on My Phone” displays the files on the customer’s phone (and memory card, if applicable) when connected to the PC; and “Music on My CD” lists music from any audio CD that is inserted in the PC allowing the customer to select which audio files they would like to play or rip.
In addition to the improved user interface and tabs, Verizon Wireless’ Music Manager includes new features with the ability to:
- Import unprotected .aac files
- Automatically convert unprotected .aac files to .wma files during sync (if required)
- Rip, burn and add music with fewer steps
- Import playlists from Windows Media Player
- Sort music by songs or albums
- Easily manage duplicate song files
- Sync music to the PC with fewer steps, now that the phone is automatically in a connected state (when connected to the PC and Music Manager is open and the phone is turned on)
- Print “Show Me How” screens
Developed with the support of Smith Micro Software, Inc., Verizon Wireless’ new Music Manager works with Windows® XP and Vista PCs and all V CAST Music-enabled phones (except the Verizon Wireless CDM 8945 which is only compatible with Windows XP). By the end of July, customers using the previous version of V CAST Music software will automatically receive an upgrade notification to the new, improved version; customers may select to manually update the software as well.
V CAST Music from Verizon Wireless offers customers from coast to coast access to more than two million songs from both well-known and independent artists. Songs can be purchased either from PCs or right over-the-air from customers’ phones; customers can also sideload – or transfer – their existing compatible digital music collections for free to their V CAST Music libraries for playback on their V CAST Music-enabled phones.
Verizon Wireless customers can download songs to their PCs for 99 cents, and transfer their existing compatible digital music collections to their V CAST Music-enabled handsets or memory cards at no charge from their PCs. Customers who want the convenience of downloading songs while on-the-go can pay as they go to download songs directly over-the-air to their phones for $1.99 per song plus airtime. Purchases from the phone include two copies of every song, one for the phone and one for the PC.
For more information on V CAST Music from Verizon Wireless, visit www.verizonwireless.com/music.
QuickTime is nice but since Apple yanked the full-screen out of the free version some time ago, it has little value other than playing QT Movies. With so many other viewers available for the Mac, QuickTime Pro just isn’t a smart buy at $29.99 for mere full-screen viewing. Now, if you wish to convert movies to the iPod format or need 24 channels of surround sound, then sure, grab it if you want it. I’m looking just for some full-screen action and a bit of a better way of playing my QT movies. Thanks to MacZot, I found it for $12.
Many Tricks, which we told you about its awesome app switcher Witch last week, brings to your screen, your full-screen, yFlicks. With yFlicks, you are now able to watch any file QuickTime can play as well as manage all of your files. With the now very common iTunes-like interface, Many Tricks lets you manage all your files in folders (Groups) or dynamically via Smart Groups. yFlicks also allows you to use your Apple Remote so you can sit back and enjoy your library of movies from the comfort of your couch. Add in the ability to download and view videos (and save them locally to your hard drive) right off such sites as YouTube, Google Video, DailyMotion, CollegeHumor, MyVideo, SevenLoad, and ClipFish, the standard $20 price even sounds good. But for today only at MacZot, you can save over $8 and grab it for $11.95!
I’ve already bought it and I’m enjoying the ability to watch every Get a Mac ad released all in a row without having to double click the next file in Finder. My kids are enjoying it, too.
I’m always telling people, “It’s the little things that makes Apple stand far and wide beyond the competition.” From the way it packages its product to the ability to make any of its computers an external hard drive with a press of a key. Man, I wish all the time that I could put Windows-dead PCs into Target Mode instead of having to physically take apart the PC to gain access to the hard drive with my IDE-to-USB connector. Dell, are you reading?
Today I found another sweet “little thing”. Many Apple users know that if they have more than one bootable partition on their hard drive, they can select which on to boot from at power-up. By holding the OPTION (or ALT) key down after the Mac tone plays, a screen will appear with the various boot up options (including bootable CD or DVDs if present in the drives.) Well, what’s one to do when they purchase a non-Apple keyboard that doesn’t respond in time or the Bluetooth keyboard hasn’t yet bonded? Dig out the original keyboard? Nope, find their remote!
If you are unable to select your bootable partition with a keyboard, then simply press and hold the Menu key on your Apple Remote after the boot tone. Within seconds, you’ll see that familiar boot manager and then you’ll be able to use the volume up (+) key to make your selection and then the Play/Pause to accept that choice. Presto! Up starts your Mac in your selected drive.
Knowing that there had to be further goodies with the remote, I searched and found Wikipedia is there to give you all the delicious things you can do with your Apple Remote. Enjoy!