The Apple tablet for the masses is here and it’s called the Apple iPad. I’m sure Apple conducted hours of user research & feedback to decide on the name iPad. Right? I really liked the idea of the tablet being called Canvas though. So what are my initial thoughts?

When will the iPad Pro be announced? You know, the grown up version capable of running professional software like Photoshop?

The truth of the matter is that I will somehow convince myself to buy one. An ideal device for the coffee table, beside your bed, on the toilet (having the iPhone has changed the way I poop), or while travelling. What do you think, will you buy one? Will the first iPad usher in a new era of power tablets to be released by Apple over the next 10 years? Or will Apple keep the iPad line focused on entertainment with no real plans to offer a full OS version?

To find out more about the iPad, check out this exhaustive post on Gizmodo: Apple iPad: Everything you need to know.

The Mighty Mouse was the sole reason I discovered and subsequently moved to all Logitech peripherals – MX Revolution (excellent) & VX Nano (mobile awesomeness). Logitech offers multifunction mice that just work without looking terrible e.g. OOMouse. Impressed by ergonomics and the super fast "hyper scrolling", I thought I had found the last physical mouse I would ever need.

Then the Magic Mouse was announced. Leaps and bounds above what was offered by the Mighty Mouse, the Magic Mouse was created with Multi Touch at its core – the same feature found in the iPhone, iPod Touch, and recent MacBook hardware.

Spend a few days with the Magic Mouse then switch back to a typical left / right click + scroll wheel mouse. You’ll notice a difference. Spend any time in Photoshop, Illustrator, or any other creative software where zooming in and scrolling is a regular necessity and you’ll love the Magic Mouse even more. Accelerated 360 degree scrolling to move quickly through files is perfect.

Ergonomics

With its super slim profile, you have to question the negative long term effects (if any) which may result from prolonged use. I admit that the first few days of use felt awkward. Coming from the [now chunky] MX Revolution, the low profile design worried me a bit. The palm of my hand rested on air as I tried to accustom myself to the flat mouse. Over the course of a week I trained myself to lay my hand directly on top of the mouse as though I were palming the desktop beneath. One month later, I can honestly say that I have not experienced any soreness.

Are you using a Magic Mouse? Have you experienced any soreness or discomfort using the mouse on a daily basis? Purchase the Magic Mouse directly from Apple or Amazon.com.

Extras for your Magic Mouse

The single recommendation I will make for first time users is to open System Preferences > Mouse to change the tracking speed. Just in case you’re convinced that the Magic Mouse feature set is incomplete, check out these utilities for adding middle click and mapping custom touch gestures:

• MagicPrefs – Improves the overall functionality of the Magic Mouse. Customize finger clicks, taps, swipe gestures, and more.
• MouseZoom – Cocoa preference pane which speeds up your mouse cursor movement.
• BetterTouchTool – Magic Mouse tool based on the trackpad MultiClutch utility.

• Facebook – To publish photos to your Facebook account, just select the photos you want to share and click the Facebook button. iPhoto even converts names you added using Faces to Facebook name tags.
• Flickr – Sharing on Flickr is just as easy: Click the Flickr button. When you share your photos on Flickr, the locations you added using Places appear on Flickr photo maps.

I recently helped Syl setup a new MacBook Pro which meant migrating all of her files and photos. Once the data was moved and organized, we setup iPhoto ‘09 to access both Flickr & Facebook. Before long, a large percentage of the photo library was analyzed by iPhoto’s Faces. Then the frustration began with incorrectly tagged contacts.

Sharing photos via Facebook

When it came time to share a small album of photos directly to Facebook, the process couldn’t have been any easier. Simply identify the photos to share, then select the Facebook button towards the bottom of the window.

Uploading photos requires no other interaction or input once Facebook is selected. Edits and recognized Faces tags are uploaded with the photos. And so begins the frustration and tedious cleanup of mistakes.

Correctly mapping iPhoto Faces with Facebook contacts

Apple does not make the most important detail for integration between iPhoto and Facebook easy to find. In order for Faces tagged in iPhoto to correctly link to their corresponding profile(s) on Facebook, the email address for the contact in iPhoto must match the address on file in Facebook.

If the email addresses do not match, contact tags in Facebook will not link to a profile page or notify a contact new photos have been uploaded.

Fix incorrect Faces meta data

First, navigate to the Faces view in iPhoto. Hover over a contact polaroid until the subtle info icon appears. Select info to view a expanded contact info panel.

Edit the Faces title & first and last name (optional). The important field to edit is the email address. The email address should match that found on your friends Facebook Info page under Contact Information. Fortunately, iPhoto automatically updates any edits (including Faces info updates) and sends them to Facebook automatically when you select the set in the sidebar.

As long as you have the correct email in iPhoto which matches that on Facebook, your Faces tags will always link to the appropriate profile page. Now if only Apple updated Address Book with Facebook contacts integration…

Just a friendly reminder. If you are a MobileMe subscriber and have upgraded to the latest 3.0 iPhone OS, make sure to enable Find My iPhone on the device.

Here’s a real life scenario to understand just how useful the service could have been. This morning Syl and I carpooled into work. Four hours after dropping her off, I receive a call from a unknown number. It’s Syl calling from work and she has no idea where her phone is. Immediately, I think of Find My iPhone and log into MobileMe. Shock and horror: Find My iPhone is not enabled.

If the service had been enabled on the handset, I could have had a good idea whether a) Syl had simply forgotten the phone at home, or b) left home with the phone – which had accidently fallen out of her bag. It’s an interesting technology. Not entirely accurate, but a useful approximation of where the phone might be.

I’m kicking myself right now because the feature is disabled. I plugged her phone in, upgraded the handset to 3.0, enabled OTA contact syncing, but neglected to dig down a few more menus to enable Find My iPhone. I logged into at&t wireless to check call history and discovered last call activity was 8:50 PM (previous evening). I’m hoping the phone is simply at home somewhere. Assuming the phone is somewhere at home, I pushed a reminder to enable Find My iPhone. If it’s not at home, it’s probably a goner.

Need more proof on how useful the feature can be? Check out this story about pursuing the handset in real-time using MobileMe. Don’t have MobileMe yet? Purchase it through Amazon and kick a little something back my way.

The iPhone 3GS is a great upgrade from the original iPhone 3G. The processor bump, memory boost, and 3.2 megapixel camera with tap-to-zoom & video recording have made me fall in love with the iPhone all over again. If you’re contemplating or have made the jump from the iPhone 2G, the comparison between the two shows a definite performance difference. However, a bug has slipped by undetected by the quality inspection…

The sound bytes you might hear

Your handset is screaming for attention, albeit at a frequency you may not ever hear. It’s been a few days since I took home my shiny iPhone 3GS and had it not been for an early post over on Boy Genius Report, I would have continued thinking that Apple had outdone the last iPhone – problem free. Unfortunately, a flaw was found. A flaw that neither sight or touch could detect.

Lock your screen using the sleep button, send an SMS message, send a email, receive a calendar alert, or hear any OS related sounds. Depending on ambient noise levels or how well your ears can hear, your delicate eardrums may detect a high frequency note lasting roughly 3-4 seconds at the tail end of system sound file(s).

During the day, this high frequency isn’t an issue. At night while I lay in bed sending off a few emails or text messages, the sound is much more noticeable. It’s one of those things that if you weren’t aware of it to begin with, you would never notice. But now that you know it exists, you’re always listening for it. Or at least that’s the problem I have now.

Genius Bar associate(s) acknowledge sloppy sound files

Based on the discussion on the Apple Support boards and a handful of other posts on the net, I had a small sliver of hope that the issue was hardware related. Thinking this, I dropped my info into the Apple Concierge station locking in some time with the geniuses behind the Genius Bar.

After explaining the audio conundrum, my phone was taken to the back for a little "quiet" alone time – away from the hoardes of people snatching up MacBook Pro’s or iMac’s. What economy woes? Five minutes later: "Yes I hear it. I tested a few other 3GS phones back there and they all do the same".

So no handset replacement. Not a big deal. At least the Genius Bar representative tested [multiple phones] and confirmed that 3GS handsets have a problem. The conclusion – sloppy audio files. Hopefully Apple will release an update in the near future or announce that the first production batch of phones are a little sour. I was told the solution was to keep the phone on vibrate (which works) or ignore it. Decisions decisions. Keep the phone on silent? Or live with a tiny little voice screaming?

Can you hear the ‘eeeeeee’?

The sound is there. The question is can you hear it? Cast your vote then spread the word.

The problem? A recent Time Machine restore which failed to recreate the following directory:

/private/var/log/apache2

The fix was quite simple. Apparently restoring from a Time Machine backup is not as complete as Apple would have you believing.

sudo mkdir /private/var/log/apache2

The fix is rather simple, but altogether an extra step that Time Machine users should not have to bother with.

Personally, while I continue to let Time Machine with a WD 750GB external connected to a Apple AirPort Extreme do its work in the background (on my home network), I’ve rolled SuperDuper & Jungle Disk into the backup mix. Redundant you might say? Maybe… But complete peace of mind.

Are you backing up data regularly? Keep an eye on Reserve Chute for backing up your data in the "cloud".

The Android Market business and program policies also include an item that says users can return any application for a full refund within 24 hours of the time of purchase. In the absence of a trial version of applications, this offer will let users return an application that might not deliver exactly what they expected.

A 24 hour window for Android users to act on buyers remorse by returning applications which fail to meet expectations if a trial version is unavailable. I see two great one-ups over Apple’s execution of the app store here: 1) trial versions of software, and 2) 24 hour period for refunds. Common consumer right(s).

Despite enjoying the iPhone 99% of the time, the final 1% when I receive a bank statement – which reminds me of app store purchases screaming FAIL – is not so great. I’ve learned to offset bad apps by skipping the morning coffee run and drinking drip instead.

The choices for finding worthwhile apps relies heavily on feedback from others:

• Trust reviews within the App Store. Until recently, app reviews were open to anyone. Apple smartened up and now requires that customers purchase / download before reviewing. I may be wrong, but the overall weighted ratings for apps may still be calculated based on prior reviews from potential non-users.
• Trust reviews on blogs. With the increasing number of fluff apps making their way into the App Store, it is hard to keep tabs on applications with real value. Generally, if an app is good enough for an honorable mention or review on high traffic blog it must be worthwhile. Right?

Feedback and reviews from others are great, but actual hands on time before making an assessment of whether or not that .99 cent tip calculator to the $999 joke of an app I Am Rich (removed) is worth keeping gives the consumer real control.

When I first started reading stories similar to Trism raking in $250,000 in a little over 2 months, I began to wonder what percentage of these hefty take homes should have been refund credits had the model been in place.

One man’s garbage is another man’s treasure… Or so the Cliche goes. I have bought a lot of apps. A couple keepers, a few mehs, and a couple pages worth of garbage. Some remain on the phone just because I feel guilty. $140. The total racks up quickly. A lucrative business model for both Apple and developers.

What are your thoughts on the App Store? How much have you dropped? And of the total dropped, what percentage would you have gladly accepted a refund for?

Yes, I am aware of the fact that most of the high profile App Store releases offer "lite" versions. To those developers, thank you!

Things that make me want the updated MacBook:

• New manufacturing process for the aluminum case.
• A design which blends the MacBook Air + iMac.
• Increased graphics power with NVIDIA.
• Multi-Touch glass trackpad

Things that make me bury the idea of getting the updated hardware:

• Constantly reminding myself that I am never content with a purchase. Not "buyers remorse", it’s the itch to have the NEW.
• The card that would carry the weight of the purchase is now going in a glass of water. Soon to be buried under lima beans in the freezer. Note to self, buy lima beans and brussels sprouts.

So come out and admit it. Are the updates appealing enough to warrant a purchase, or nothing more than a shoulder shrug? By the way, Apple… Please come out with a netbook. My frankenstein Acer Aspire One with OS X falls short.

That Apple LED Cinema Display looks mighty tasty… must resist.

A salute to 3rd party developers, you have all inspired Apple

Before I continue, I would like to take a few minutes to salute a handful of third party developers whose little application "babies" may have been completely replaced by features integrated within Leopard.

To the developers at Stunt Software (creators of On The Job), Overflow was sooo awesome it may not be that surprising that Stacks [Grid] bore a striking resemblance.

To the developers of VirtueDesktops, your virtual desktop(s) solution was by far the best method for expanding a workspace. I will never forget that slap to change desktops trick (hack) – SlapBook. Alas, 10.5 Spaces is as integrated of a virtual desktops solution as there can be.

To the creator of the ever so popular iChat enhancement – Chax. You did everything right for iChat that Apple should have done from the very start. Why it took Apple so long for tabbed windows and proper account management is beyond me. Chax was the first bit of software I installed after a clean disk wipe.

To the developer of SuperDuper, I owe you for saving me from premature baldness after random HDD failure. You made backing-up data as easy as putting on socks. Although Apple has a solid backup solution with Time Machine, having the original Leopard install DVD at hand for a restore is a definite pain in the arse. As soon as SuperDuper is 100% Leopard compatible, I’m coming back. Until then, "Scotty, we need more power…"

Quicksilver, it was hard to let go, but Spotlight really cleaned-up and became the search tool it was supposed to be. I know I’m giving up quite a bit with the ever so useful plugins, but Spotlight really has something – deep document and file search with speed to match. From what I’ve gathered, Spotlight is just as fast, if not faster than Quicksilver [as an application launcher] on a variety of configured machines.

And finally, to Steel Skies and their Coverflow technology. After Apple’s questionable inspiration followed-up by an intellectual rights acquisition, it was only natural that Apple integrate the file browsing technology throughout most of its operating system. Coverflow will surely find its way into other aspects of Apple Software as foreseen by Chris M.

What you’ll find in my clean Leopard install

A large percentage of current Leopard users opted for a simple upgrade from Tiger. I, on the other hand, decided that I would take the opportunity of a clean install to decide which applications were a must, and which were a bust.

In addition to the usual iLife applications like iPhoto, iTunes, iMovie, and Garageband for "fun", productivity needs are handled by iWork – Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. Until Office 2008 is officially released, I can’t comment on whether or not iWork will remain my main office tools.

Other non-Apple applications installed on to the hard drive?

• Adobe Creative Suite Web Premium – A complete tool set for work, work, and play. I still find it hard to stomach the ~$1,500 pricetag. When the software is considered industry standard, there really is no way of getting around the entrance fee. Right?
• CSSEdit – Initially, I had my doubts about whether or not I could justify purchasing a license for a tool which specialized in nothing but CSS creation, testing, and debugging. I was wrong. CSSEdit has proven to be an invaluable asset for editing websites in real-time. The added X-Ray tool, stylesheet override, and code completion come in handy from time to time as well.
• Firefox – Since Leopard and Safari 3, I’ve relegated nearly 90% of my internet browsing time to Safari, with the remaining 10% in Firefox. You really can’t beat the Firebug extension.
• Handbrake – Nearly every memorable DVD I have is made available digitally for in-house streaming thanks to this handy little application. Pop a DVD in, select your output quality level, and rip a copy as backup.
• Little Snitch – This allows me to monitor, approve, or disapprove network traffic coming in or out from my computer. Use this in unison with the OS X [flimsy] Firewall for complete control over your internet traffic. Make sure to grab the latest [beta] version if you’re on Leopard.
• Mailplane – Although Gmail new IMAP support provides an even more convincible reason to switch to Mail, I can’t help but keep a copy of Rubben’s Mailplane. Think of it as a specialized wrapper for all of your Google email accounts. Not only that, the application is developed by an individual devoted to delivering quality while corresponding with users on a personal basis. [Check out my review: Mailplane, Gmail will replace your desktop email client]
• PandoraJam – A Pandora wrapper for music without the need to keep Safari or Firefox running. Additional benefits? Automatic recording and song slicing / import into iTunes. Perfect for creating one-off playlists in iTunes.
• Pukka – I use del.icio.us to easily manage my bookmarks online. Pukka makes the task as easy as possible. Add the ‘Send to Pukka’ bookmarklet for quick posting to your account.
• SmartSVN – Subversion wrapped in a decent Java GUI. I loathe the command line and SmartSVN keeps me sane while collaborating with co-workers. It’s not the prettiest client on the planet – I’m waiting for Versions to finally turn into something tangible.
• TextMate – A personal favorite for plain text editing and web development; edit projects, code folding, themes, bundles, and custom snippets.
• Transmit – Panic’s S/FTP client for OS X. The interface continues to look the same, but the features continue to improve with each release. Current favorite due to Amazon S3 droplet support for quick remote backups.
• Perian – Not exactly an application, but an enhancement for QuickTime video file playback. Before Perian, it became customary to make VLC one of my first application downloads after a clean installation. Not anymore.
• VMware Fusion – I dropped Parallels like a bad habit after VMware Fusion [beta] was released. From my own experience, Fusion is much lighter on system resources while virtualizing Windows XP & Vista.
• VLC – I digress. VLC is back on the machine after I discovered that the one two Quicktime + Perian combo does not support HD .mkv file format rips. +1 for Arnold.

So there you have it, a lightweight list of "my necessary" applications after a Fresh installation of Leopard. Notable applications that would have been installed on Tiger: Quicksilver and Growl. What applications do you insist as requirements after a fresh Leopard install? Are there any major changes in habit from OS X Tiger?

UPDATE 10/26: RayL re-confirms the advantage of mapping your client-side Sent, Drafts, & Trash with server-side Gmail labels – no duplicate labels created in Gmail by your email client(s). Experiment with Gmail IMAP setup; if necessary reference the Google Group thread below.

UPDATE 10/25: If you start seeing duplicates, check this Google Group thread. Google may have made updates to Gmail IMAP access. YMMV.

The latest news on the street is that Google is slowly rolling out a much anticipated feature – IMAP support. If you point your browser to Gmail Help documentation outlining the steps necessary to get your mail clients setup for IMAP, you’ll soon realize the the directions are the bare minimum. It is recommended that you follow the directions from start to finish, but the actual configuration does not stop there.

Take a look at both IMAP support pages for Apple Mail and the iPhone. Both share similar steps including:

• Incoming Server: imap.gmail.com
• Outgoing Server: smtp.gmail.com
• Authentication: email@gmail.com + email password
• ‘Use secure Socket Layer (SSL)’
• Ports: 587 Outgoing, 993 Incoming

There is nothing wrong with leaving your email clients as-is exactly as the Gmail Help documents instruct. Unfortunately, you will start to see a little inconsistency between your email clients and your Gmail web interface.

Diligent Gmail "labelers" will soon discover that those handy "tags" that they had been assigning to emails are now recognized as Folders in their email client(s). Your email clients will sync this Folders without a problem. In order to ensure your Trashed, Sent, Drafts, and Junk mail messages are sorted properly between your iPhone, Apple Mail, and Gmail’s webmail interface, you will need to add a few more steps to the initial setup instructions offered by Google.

Properly sort Drafts, Deleted, and Sent mail on the iPhone

Assuming that you have followed the iPhone IMAP setup instructions, it is now time to properly configure your mobile Mail client so that Sent Mail, Deleted Mail, Drafts, and Junk are reflected properly after syncing back between the webmail client and any other desktop clients you may have.

1. Open ‘Settings’ > ‘Mail’ > [Your Gmail IMAP account] > ‘Advanced’
2. Select ‘Drafts Mailbox’ > ‘On the Server’ > ‘[Gmail] Drafts’. Return to the ‘Advanced’ view.
3. Select ‘Sent Mailbox’ > ‘On the Server’ > ‘[Gmail] Sent Mail’. Return to the ‘Advanced’ view.
4. Select ‘Deleted Mailbox’ > ‘On the Server’ > ‘[Gmail] Trash’. Return to the ‘Advanced’ view.

Any emails sent from your iPhone will appear in Gmail’s ‘Sent’ view, any saved drafts saved on your iPhone will appear in Gmail’s ‘Drafts’ view, and any deleted messages will be reflected in Gmail’s ‘Trash’ view.

Properly sort Drafts, Deleted, and Sent mail in Apple Mail

Similar steps must be taken to ensure that any emails sent, saved as drafts, or deleted are properly identified by Gmail’s servers. After completing the IMAP setup steps for Apple Mail, instructing Mail is a few simple clicks away. Once your Gmail IMAP account is added to Mail, you’ll notice your [Gmail account] in the left sidebar.

1. Highlight ‘[Gmail] Sent Mail’ in the sidebar and select ‘Mailbox’ (menu bar) > ‘Use This Mailbox For’ > ‘Sent’.
2. Highlight ‘[Gmail] Drafts’ in the sidebar and select ‘Mailbox’ (menu bar) > ‘Use This Mailbox For’ > ‘Drafts’
3. Highlight ‘[Gmail] Trash’ in the sidebar and select ‘Mailbox’ (menu bar) > ‘Use This Mailbox For’ > ‘Trash’
4. Highlight ‘[Gmail] Spam’ in the sidebar and select ‘Mailbox’ (menu bar) > ‘Use This Mailbox For’ > ‘Junk’

Once properly configured, managing email from Apple Mail or the iPhone will be no different from managing emails within the Gmail web client – sent, drafts, trash, and junk properly sorted between your various email clients and web interface. [Digg this]

IMAP Gmail gems for Apple Mail & iPhone

I am certain that Gmail’s IMAP documentation is far from complete. The following will serve as a running list of details I have noticed – found by sharp readers or myself – not yet included in the Help pages.

• Flagging messages in Apple Mail (CMD+SHIFT+L) is the same as adding a Star to a message in Gmail. Try it out for yourself. Flag a message in Mail and check your Gmail account online. The same message magically appears as ‘Starred’.
• In order to "label" messages multiple times from within Apple Mail or the iPhone, you must copy the message(s) to each respective ‘Folder’ which corresponds with your Gmail Label. I think it’s time to move back to the idea of Folders as opposed to Labels.
• If you wish to Archive mail from your iPhone, simply move the message to ‘[Gmail] All Mail’.
• gec added this comment: "when you delete something from a folder other than trash, the message will effectively be archived, and not deleted. that means, the label corresponding to the folder you are deleting it from will be removed. if however you *move* it to Trash you will remove all labels assigned to it. bad for filter rules."
• Jonathan added this tip: "if you’d like to use a custom from address when sending from iPhone (not your Gmail address) just pop it in the Email Address field (not the authentication fields) and it will use that address instead of your Gmail."
• Want to send mail as a different email address on a case-by-case basis with Apple Mail? Follow the directions outlined in this comment. YMMV
• MSK added: "if you want to get rid of that extra [Gmail] hierarchy. Go in to your advanced email settings and for ‘IMAP Path Prefix’ type [Gmail] now go back and reassign your Sent, Deleted, and Draft mail boxes, if needed."

Similar rules apply for any other IMAP desktop or mobile client that you might be using. In order to prevent unnecessary labels from being created during synchronization, make sure that your Sent, Drafts, Junk, and Trash Mailboxes are configured properly.

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