Archive for: mac
OpenOffice 3, released in 2008, reached a new milestone this week with the release of the 3.3 beta build. This new compilation does not offer much new functionalities, but does include several fixes.
We’ve also announced in November of 2009, that OpenOffice 3 reached 1 million downloads, making it the most popular OpenOffice suite so far. The 3.3 build just added a few more small features:
- Improvements in the dictionary and translations.
- Possibility to add different colors in sheets.
- Stability improvements and several bugs fixed.
This build is available to download for Windows, Mac, Solaris and Linux (of course); in Linux versions we can use the 32bit and 64bits. All builds available here.
The open source community maintains a simple way to do things, never stop collaborating. Even though the work it is not always great, they keep offering possibilities; which in this world is a vital thing to have.
YoYo Games Maker announced recently they are no longer Windows exclusive software for creating games, they are now introducing in Apple’s world with the release of Yoyo Game Maker for Mac.
In case, you’ve never heard of this app, YoYo Game Maker software is a simple platform for users to start developing their own games and encourage users to share those games with the community.
Here are some of the features included:
- Supports Intel only Mac OS X v10.5 (Leopard) and v10.6 (Snow Leopard).
- Remote update mechanism (with regular updates for bug fixes and new features).
- Full Drag and Drop included.
- Full GML scripting.
- Extension mechanism to incorporate 3rd party libraries – (need to be Mac specific tensions, will not run Windows.).
- Room Editor
- Sprite Editor
- Path Editor
- Create standalone games that you can share with friends.
Here’s the direct download for the Mac version: http://appstore.yoyogames.com/downloads/gm4mac/Game_Maker.dmg
This is not a freeware, but the developments are really interesting. Check this link to try on the most played games.
Who among us could say that does not love retro designs? I sure can’t get enough of any retro looking thingy. Of course, having a nice a professional design is everything; that’s why 1stwebdesigner developed 100 retro wallpapers with high quality.
We can find “standard” resolution wallpapers from 1280×800, up to some high quality ones with 2560×2048. Make your pick here.
We’ve probably all heard of internet dating sites and the success stories for a few people here and there. Sites like E-harmony and Match.com claim to be the premier dating sites matching hundreds of thousands of people. I think we all know how it works, we create a profile, we submit a photo, we include our preferences and hope for the best.
All things considered, if you’ve used a dating site in the past did you ever put that you were an Apple enthusiast hoping to find someone that was just as much of a fan as you? Well chances are those sites don’t rank too high in connecting star crossed Apple lovers, but now Apple fans have something to swoon over.
Cupidino, a play off the Cupertino, CA based Apple, Inc., is a beta dating site created specifically for Apple fans. Now your brand new iMac could be the thing that brings the love of your life into your REAL life. When was the last time you heard iPods bringing people together? Well if you said never, that might change.
“So far, Apple hasn’t taken issue with the similarities. Sampat said he received an e-mail from Apple’s business development team in San Francisco, which basically said it was aware of Cupidtino and to let the group know if he needed any help. Apple spokeswoman Kristin Shuguet said the company had no comment.” – Article on Slice of Sci-fi
The site was initially free, but as of Wednesday, will charge $5/mo for people to be a part of the network. Currently the site has attracted over 16,000 fanboys and fangirls looking for that special someone to share their sweet Apple love. As if your love for Apple was not exclusive criteria alone, the site also only works on Apple related browsers and devices. Attempting to access the site via a Windows machine will take you to a humorous “I’m a Mac-like” ads that inform users that the site is 0ff-limits.
Google’s Operating System represents, for most of open source lovers, their main hope in a Microsoft world that is now being invaded by Mac; and seems that insiders in Google are saying that Chrome OS will include a Remote Desktop Connection that will provide running locally normal PC applications.
Remote Desktop for most power and/or IT users represents the way of accessing a remote’s computer desktop by reaching it using an IP address; but is more than that. Using Remote Desktop protocol, users can access their applications, installed on a remote computer, without actually installing them locally.
This functionality, without an official announcement by Google, appeared in a Google forum; made by software designer inside the developing of Chrome: “We’re adding new capabilities all the time,” wrote Kačmarčík. “With this functionality (unofficially named ‘chromoting’), Chrome OS will not only be [a] great platform for running modern Web apps, but will also enable you to access legacy PC applications right within the browser.”
For me, almost anything representing legacy or an interoperability support sounds like a good idea; especially in today’s market when some are thinking that by being more restrictive they will win.
What do you think?
If you’ve not heard of Bing, then you’re not following Microsoft. Bing has come into the search market with a bang offering users a unique way of surfing the internet. Recent rumors shared on the AppleInsider website state that Apple might be interested in offering another option other than Google when searching on their iPhone OS.
Currently the iPhone OS defaults to Google when you open Safari. Apparently Apple seeks to offer other alternatives to searching, perhaps looking to take away dependency on Google. According to the article, Apple is not dropping Google entirely, they seem to only want to make other options more visible. Also stated in the article, “Apple already provides an option to use Yahoo for web search in Safari, although that option is not obvious and requires visiting system settings to make the switch.”
Have Apple and Microsoft struck an alliance? It would appear so initially, but because Apple is already offering Yahoo, perhaps they will make Yahoo another prominent option. There’s a very long standing history in how the companies involved have been mixed into all this. Microsoft has been asking for Bing to be more prominent, Apple has integrated some of Microsoft’s mapping technology into their services, and Apple is not entirely happy with the dependency of some of their core apps on Google’s presence. It’s a long and drawn out history that the article does a great job detailing.
Personally I’m not a fan of Bing, I don’t see it becoming a huge factor on the OS as a search option, but we’d love to hear your thoughts. Are you happy just using Google on Safari when you go online, or do options like Yahoo and Bing make a better offering?
Apple seems to continue it’s ongoing trend with the midas touch. It’s not that touch tablets are anything new.
Companies in the past have created Windows based touch pads that have been adopted by companies like UPS and FedEx. Personal Windows tablets have never really hit the level of critical mass that Apple seems to have hit with the release of the iPad on April 3rd.
Whether it’s the trendy fad, fancy marketing, or just millions of “fanboy” users, the iPad has definitely come out strong with 2 million units sold in 60 days. It took 28 days to sell the first million and it appears that in the same amount of time, it sold another million. With this ongoing trend, it will be interesting to see how things go further into the year. Just last week the iPad was released internationally in several markets. The numbers in those markets are too early to count, but it can only boost the already successful launch of this product.
To further strengthen the the use of the iPad, it’s been noted that the iPad has another 5,000 apps added to its already robust library. According to CNN, there is a total of 200,000 apps that are compatible with the iPhone, iTouch, and iPad. With lots of options, users will find ways to get their work done despite the functionality of a full laptop. Are you one of the 2 million units sold and if so, how are you functioning with it?
China is receiving Apple’s new toy and is expected, as in the rest of the world, that the iPad will be quite a hit there. But Apple will have a ferocious competitor: The iPed.
Oh no, I’m not misspelling, this one is called the iPed. And you can find it in Shenzhen, China available with a cost of U$S100, where also the iPad costs U$S536.
But that’s not all the differences between these two tablets. The iPed contains an Intel chip inside and Google’s operating system Android.
Let’s take a closer look to the product:
The box seems similar?
Wait… what I’m reading there…?
Oh, neither iPod nor iPad… iPed, of course
Mmm… the manual says APad… I’m a little confused now
This would be a great gift to get a friend excited, isn’t?
Mike Chambers, one of the most important persons inside Adobe and Flash development, posted about the iPhone compatibility. They are suspending indefinitely the development of Flash to work with iPhone.
Not only that, Chambers also says that they are going to focus their attention in the Android platform: “Personally, I am going to shift all of my mobile focus from iPhone to Android based devices (I am particularly interested in the Android based tablets coming out this year) and not focus on the iPhone stuff as much anymore.”
Adobe is definitely not happy regarding the treatment they’ve received from Apple, and Mike also has some comments about it:
- “However, as developers for the iPhone have learned, if you want to develop for the iPhone you have to be prepared for Apple to reject or restrict your development at any time, and for seemingly any reason. “
- “I think that the closed system that Apple is trying to create is bad for the industry, developers and ultimately consumers, and that is not something that I want to actively promote.”
- “There have already been a couple of developers who have moved their Flash based content from the iPhone to Flash on Android (couple of examples below) and I expect that this is a trend we will be seeing more and more of.”
Clear enough?
Apple’s going to focus in HTML5, that’s probably the main reason of this dispute; but in the meanwhile I guess we are going to have to get use to those blue legos.
If you thought that the iPad was just a bigger version of the iPhone, then you are going to love this: Digitime expert says that Apple is preparing the iPad nano version to be launched in the first quarter of 2011.
This iPad model will be smaller than the actual version, with 5 or 7 inches (iPad: 9.7 – iPod Touch: 3.5 and iPhone 3GS 4.5 inches) and the cost is estimated below the U$S400.
The main reason for this release would be to convert Apple in its own competitor, pointing this smaller version of the iPad to people with more passive use of the device, people who don’t need an intensive text-input but more a reading kind of users (a new Kindle competition maybe?).
It doesn’t make sense to me though, having the iPhone available I don’t see much point on using possibly the same device as a tablet with just a few more features available.
What do you think?
