Some time afterwards, GrabUp went to auction and was sold. Judging by the activity on GetSatisfaction, updates and customer support seem to have gone the way of the dodo.

When I upgraded from 10.5 Leopard to 10.6 Snow Leopard, I began to experience what others were complaining about – GrabUp just stopped working. The culprit probably caused by Apple’s update which identifies a screenshot with a timestamp in the filename as opposed to a generic "Picture 1.png". An easy fix? You would think so, but no updates have been made as of this posting.

Maybe GrabUp should update their current footer from "GrabUp not working? Blame this* (web host)" to "GrabUp not working? Blame this* (web host) & Apple" Seriously? Pointing fingers in jest?

TinyGrab, same CMD+Shift+4 idea – better execution

Chris from TinyGrab introduced me to their version of quick simple screenshot sharing. Rather than being a System Preference pane utility, TinyGrab is a standalone application which resides in your menu bar.

Used in tandem with the hosted service, users can share screenshots quickly using a convenient short URL generated by TinyGrab (http://grab.by). Note that the link generated and copied to your clipboard is meant for sharing e.g. URL structure http://grab.by/ysa.

Free users are limited to 10 screenshot uploads per day with tiny URL support. Premium users have access to long URLs (direct file URI), online image manager (edit, delete, etc), unlimited uploads, search, and custom server setup (save images to your own server). The price for Premium access? £10 for a lifetime license. Check out the comparison chart for more info and registration.

But wait, there’s more… Photos & iPhone

TinyGrab is not limited to sharing screenshots. Drag any image or photo on top of the TinyGrab dock icon, or select "Upload Image" from the menu bar drop down.

Your screenshots or photos are automatically uploaded to TinyGrab (free users) or your personal directory (Pro users option).

The future of TinyGrab will extend the quick image sharing convenience to mobile users with a polished iPhone application.

Are you using a software to quickly capture and share screenshots on a regular basis?

1. Rob Abbott – TextMate + Versions (claimed)
2. Mark Nichols – TextMate + Adium (claimed)
3. Eric DeLabar – Coda + iTunes (claimed)

Winners, please get in touch by April 27 to claim your license. Drop a note in the comments or use the contact form.

http://localhost/~Username

You can organize server files and test sites on your computer using URLs like:

http://yourdomain.site, http://this.isatest.local, http://absolute.dev

So if this is your first experiment setting up virtual hosts, download a trial of VirtualHostX ($9) or win 1 of 3 free licenses (details below).

Easy virtual hosts configuration with VirtualHostX

VirtualHostX is the easiest way to develop sites locally without manual server configuration.

• Automatically configures your Mac’s web server settings
• Supports custom Apache directives
• Backup / Restore your web server settings
• Compatible with Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger and 10.5 Leopard

Simply put, VirtualHostX is a GUI alternative to manually editing your "hosts" and "httpd-vhosts.conf" files without needing to fire up the Terminal.

Once you have decided on a URL and pointed VirtualHostX to the directory where your site files are stored, the app requests your password in order to restart Apache and you are ready for development.

Win 1 of 3 free VirtualHostX licenses

I encourage you to download a trial version. In the meantime, I’m giving away 3 free licenses compliments of Tyler H. for 5thirtyone.com readers. So how can you win a free license?

What two pieces of software would you need [without a doubt] in order to efficiently get work done on a daily basis? Share your two pieces of software and reasons why. Three comments will be picked at random to receive a free VirtualHostX license.

If you don’t win a complimentary license, the $9 registration fee is well worth the convenience and time saved setting up new virtual hosts.

I didn’t understand the fascination or value of a simple dedicated screenshot utility like GrabUp until I tried it. Using GrabUp on a daily basis helped me realize that yes, there really is a niche user who wants to share screenshots that are a) too insignificant to capture and upload using a full blown application like LittleSnapper and b) meant to be quickly shared – no description, no fancy UI / layout.

Super simple: Capture screen, paste URI

GrabUp is available in two flavors: Free & Pro. The sole difference between the two is that [Free] users host their screenshots on GrabUp servers (visible advertisements) and [Pro] users use their own host.

Installation is a breeze. GrabUp is a utility best run at startup. New users will want to make a conscious effort to remember that GrabUp works in parallel with the standard OSX’s screenshot commands. See this overview for the built-in keyboard shortcuts for capturing your screen in OSX. Any time you capture all of or a portion of your screen, GrabUp will automatically upload the file and copy the URI to your clipboard [to paste into an email or chat window].

Simple directory list with PHP Directory Lister

Pro users who wish to retain some semblance of organization within their screenshots directory might want to check out PHP Directory Lister by Greg J.

Upload the file to your screenshot directory and enjoy clean file presentation complete with filetype icons, time stamps, download links, ThickBox support, and audio / video file playback.

Sidenote

The obvious downside of GrabUp are the cryptic filenames. Paul S. reviewed GrabUp and mentioned that it would be nice to be able to name a file before it is uploaded. While I too agree that a future update should allow for naming files, I wonder if the extra step would take away from the simplicity of the utility. What do you think?

Getting started with Amazon S3

Getting started with Amazon S3 is simple and takes no more than a few minutes. Once registered and confirmed, access to your account can be achieved using your account identifiers and an S3 client like S3Fox, S3Hub, or Transmit.

Want an estimate based on the amount of data, bandwidth, or requests you expect to offload to Amazon S3? Check out the AWS Simple Monthly Calculator.

Your files and the Amazon S3 URL structure

Managing your files on Amazon S3 is not much different from managing files on your own server via FTP. Users need to understand that Amazon uses "buckets" as the top level for your objects. This means that you can separate your different file hosting needs using different buckets. For this introduction to S3 file hosting, we’ll use the example website your-site.com.

The average user may sign up for Amazon S3 hosting and begin uploading files – accepting the default URL structure for hosted files:

http://s3.amazonaws.com/your-bucket/some-file.txt

If you plan on using S3 to host media files – more specifically Flash files – you’ll run into Adobe’s cross domain security policy. The fix requires mapping your hosted S3 files to look as though they are being served from your own domain – virtual hosting. The easiest and most attractive method would be a hosted file URL that like this:

http://s3.your-site.com/some-file.txt

To get started, create a bucket on S3 that you want as the root for your hosted files. For this example, your S3 bucket would be:

s3.your-site.com

The most important step is adding the appropriate CNAME record to your DNS settings.

Expect your new DNS settings to take up to 24-48 hours to resolve.

Fixing Transmit’s "Copy URL"

The right-click menu for Panic’s Transmit will grab the default Amazon S3 URL path at your-bucket-name.amazonaws.com. To ensure that the path reflects your new subdomain correctly, you will need to edit your S3 connection settings. More specifically, the expected Root URL:

http://s3.your-site.com/

These settings assume that you have a single custom bucket to reflect your S3 hosted files CNAME record.

Amazon S3 file hosting integrated with WordPress

Looking for an even more integrated S3 file hosting with your WordPress install? Check out the Amazon S3 plugin for WordPress. Installation is straightforward. The only requirement aside from an S3 account is that your server be PHP5 enabled.

The S3 WordPress plugin will support the previously configured virtual host s3.your-site.com/some-file.txt and provide direct upload from the post editor window.

Other Amazon S3 bits

To supplement my Time Machine and external SuperDuper backups, I rely on Jungle Disk to do the same in the cloud – the S3 cloud. I enjoy the convenience and peace of mind knowing that my data is safe and easily accessible. That same convenience can be extended to file hosting.

• S3Hub – View your S3 online storage, upload, download, set permissions, share with friends and more. Also use to view other users’ public buckets.
• S3Fox Organizer – Manage your S3 buckets using this handy Firefox extension.
• Shrub – Shrub lists files in public S3 buckets. For when you want to share a bucket with the world.
• Tutorial: How-to make files public – A walk through if you are not all ready familiar with the world, authenticated users, and owners permissions.
• FuseOverAmazon – FUSE based file system backups powered by Amazon S3.
• Getting started with Amazon CloudFront – Paul walks through the steps to get started delivering content via Amazon CloudFront.

Are you using Amazon S3? If so, how? Personal backups, file sharing, development?

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".

OS X + Wine, run Windows applications without the Windows OS

Since the wild success of Parallels and VMware Fusion, alternatives for running individual Windows applications outside of the Windows operating system were pushed towards the edges of the spotlight. Using resources originally developed for Linux users, OS X users saw the introduction of running applications using Wine

Think of Wine as a compatibility layer for running Windows programs. Wine does not require Microsoft Windows, as it is a completely free alternative implementation of the Windows API consisting of 100% non-Microsoft code, however Wine can optionally use native Windows DLLs if they are available. Wine provides both a development toolkit for porting Windows source code to Unix as well as a program loader, allowing many unmodified Windows programs to run on x86-based Unixes, including Linux, FreeBSD, Mac OS X, and Solaris.

One project which immediately caught my attention in early 2006 was CodeWeavers Crossover previously recommended as a valuable developer tool.

CrossOver Mac allows you to install many popular Windows applications and games on your Intel OS X Mac. CrossOver includes an easy to use, single click interface, which makes installing Windows software simple and fast. Once installed, your application integrates seamlessly in OS X. Just click and run your application directly from the OS X Finder. Clicking a Windows file or document — including email attachments — will launch the appropriate Windows program, allowing you to work on the files. Best of all, you do it all easily and affordably, without needing a Microsoft operating system license.

Unfortunately, Internet Explorer 6 in Crossover does not support websites which require plug-ins like Flash or Quicktime. Additionally, not much forward movement has been made concerning support for Internet Explorer 7. With more Windows users making the transition to IE 7, developers crossing their fingers for Crossover support should look elsewhere. One project to keep an eye on is Mike’s ies4osx.

ies4osx, run Internet Explorer 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, and 7.0 beta

With ies4osx, installing Internet Explorer on OS X is a simple double-click of the installer. All of the necessary files and requirements are automatically downloaded – including default Windows IE fonts and browser plug-ins like Macromedia Flash player. All of that, and the download is completely free. Make sure to send Mike feedback or feel free to donate for his hard work.

The only hands on requirements for the installation is that users select which versions of Internet Explorer to install. Note that Darwine is a required dependancy. The process took a little longer than expected because packages were downloaded and installed individually off of the internet. However, the end result is pure web developer bliss. No longer is it necessary to boot an entire operating system to test in Internet Explorer. Your IE browsers are installed as packages into your Applications folder.

Mike publishes ies4osx development updates on his blog at mikesMassiveMess. Make sure to subscribe in order to stay in the loop for release updates.

Stability, and yes, there is no place like localhost

Completely stable thus far running the IE 6 and IE 7 Beta. Keep in mind that because ies4osx does rely on X11, your browser window will look like something straight out of a monochrome version of Windows 98. No worries though, pages render as they should – complete with IE 6 / 7 quirks included CSS rendering issues and window pop-ups!

What ies4osx users will enjoy:

• We all know technology promotes laziness. VMware and Parallels are great, but having to wait for an entire OS to boot sucks! Thankfully Internet Explorer 6 / 7 load in mere seconds on a MacBook Pro.
• Developing locally? Typing http://localhost or http://127.0.0.1 from within ies4osx Internet Explorer windows will load your local development directory. No modifications of hosts files necessary.
• Crossover users will enjoy the eye pleasing anti-aliased font rendering offered by ies4osx installs.
• Thanks to the automatic installation of standard plugins like Flash, web pages load in their entirety.
• Saving web pages or files off the internet – by default – are stored in your Home directory.
• Less memory consumption. VMware Fusion with Internet Explorer running uses 87 MB. Standalone Internet Explorer via X11 24.84 MB.

Give it a try and share your thoughts or preferences concerning virtualizing full operating systems like Windows XP or running standalone with ies4osx or Crossover. [Digg it]

If you’re running Windows XP or Vista, why not install a simple application? Using the right hardware and software program, you can turn your computer into a digital video recorder that’s able to view locally or remotely what security cameras are directed at. Of course, those cameras must be hooked up to the PC for data storage.

I don’t know about how anyone else feels, but with the Asus Eee PC’s $399 sticker price, I think we now have the worlds best priced sub-notebook running OS X. Initially, I was a little apprehensive with the Asus Eee PC purchase, but news that the little guy was capable of running OS X is the convincing I needed.

Sprint EVDO coverage in Seattle is fast with very little competition (for now) – Still waiting for HSDPA to ship

There is no doubt that anywhere any time internet via EVDO is a personal favorite. Even more so of a favorite for Sylvia who seems to have semi-permanently jacked my Sprint Novatel U720 USB modem. I can’t even remember the last time I actually used it for my own personal needs – j/k. Anyway, Alex from EVDOinfo // 3Gstore was kind enough to drop an email which put a grin on my face.

Kyocera will soon be announcing firmware RK1010 that provides full support for the U720/USB720 as well as the PX500/PC5750.

Additional info on the firmware update for the Kyocera KR1 (Windows & Mac compatible) can be found here: Kyocera KR1 Now Supports More EVDO Rev A Devices, Including U720/USB720.

• Sprint Ovation U720 USB Rev A
• Sprint Pantech PX-500 Rev A PCMCIA
• Verizon USB720 USB Rev A
• Verizon PC5750 Rev A PCMCIA
• Kyocera KPC680 (not yet released)

For those unsure as to what makes the KR1 so special, imagine your standard Linksys wireless router sitting in your office. Only, instead of picturing a cable line running from the wall to the router, picture an EVDO modem. Wireless wireless internet. Look for a full review as soon as mine arrives.

Although sharing an EVDO connection via the OS X Sharing preference menu is easy, there’s just something that screams "convenience" when it comes to a full blown wireless router that can share an EVDO connection using a USB modem.

Save on Wholesale Electronics

Never spend too much on your electronics. It’s easier than ever to find discount electronics online, whether you are looking for hobby electronics equipment or the latest in TVs you can find it for cheap. So buy new electronics today and save hundreds.

Having spent my fair share of time with various mobile handsets, I’ve spent a noticeable amount of time and patience in order to get both my cellphone(s) and computer(s) synced and "playing" nicely. "Playing nicely" referring to simple tasks such as syncing iCal events, todo lists, contacts, and notes to more frivolous tasks as syncing music, photos, or video libraries.

The problem that most OS X users will face is the fact that most mobile phones do not include the necessary software and / or drivers required. From my own personal experiences using a Palm Treo 700p, BlackBerry 8703e, and a BlackBerry 8100 (Pearl) getting devices to sync as expected required the help of individual or 3rd party developers rather than official software / drivers provided by manufactures for OS X.

In order to sync my previous devices with OS X, I was unable to turn to the manufacturer or Apple for full support. Rather, I was forced to turn to Mark/Space for any syncing needs. Recognized as the best solution for syncing Windows, Palm, or BlackBerry mobile phones with OS X, Mark/Space is the only solution available for reliable results. Although Mark/Space does offer discounts for cross-grades between different syncing software, the amount of money that I had already spent moving between different devices had me gritting my teeth after moving to the Symbian powered Nokia N95. Fortunately, Nokia supports its users across both – Apple & Windows – platforms.

Apple iSync + Nokia, instant support out of the box

Apple offers users a convenient syncing utility known as iSync which works wonderfully for a wide range of devices out of the box (Apple’s official mobile phones support page) – support for select Motorola, Nokia, Panasonic, Sony Ericsson, Sendo, and Siemens handsets.

Nokia users will notice that iSync supports quite a number of devices out of the box – 43 devices as of this article. Rest assured that although the support page does not list all of the newer Eseries & Nseries devices, Nokia provides official iSync downloads which will ensure your devices is supported. Visit the Nokia iSync Software downloads page for additional information and installation instructions.

Once iSync has the appropriate drivers installed for your device (assuming your handset required a supplemental download from Nokia), you can immediately enjoy the the simplicity of iSync to move your calendar items, todo lists (iCal), and Address Book contacts + pictures.

Apple iSync with the official Nokia N95 supplemental device driver download installed – Supports USB or Bluetooth

iSync supports both manual and automatic syncing via USB or Bluetooth, as well as added customization of specifying syncing [only] Address Book contacts with phone numbers, not synchronizing events prior to a specific date, or instructing iSync to ignore events older than x days, weeks, or months.

Connecting your Nokia (N95) via USB or Bluetooth

Fortunately, connecting your Nokia device is as simple as using the included USB cable or running the OS X Bluetooth Wizard. Nokia kindly walks users through both setups on its Nokia / Mac page. Users who plan on syncing their device via USB will want to bookmark Nokia’s Initial USB Setup page. Bluetooth users will want to do the same for the Initial Bluetooth Setup and Pairing Your Device With Your Mac. All three tutorials are incredibly easy to follow – thanks to both Nokia and Apple’s thorough documentation and wizard walk-through.

It is important that Bluetooth users authorize their computer permanently in order to eliminate the "Accept connection from [computer name]" prompt each time iSync connects with your device.

Automatically sync your Nokia (N95) mobile phone via Bluetooth

One convenience that I was never able to setup correctly with any of my previous devices – Palm & BlackBerry – was the ability to automatically sync my desktop iCal events, todo items, and contacts via Bluetooth. Blame it on the fact that neither of my previous mobile phones interfaced directly with iSync. Fortunately, after creating a simple AppleScript Automator application, I discovered two methods which support automatic synchronization – an iCal event which triggers the Automatic iSync application, or Home Zone (Blueooth proximity) which triggers a sync when the mobile phone is within Bluetooth range.

Both methods – iCal & Home Zone – require that a) your device has been successfully paired (check the previous Nokia tutorials above), and b) the Automatic iSync Application (below). The 56KB zipped directory includes the free Automatic iSync Application & README. Note that this application is not limited to Nokia handsets. Automatic iSync will support any devices which communicate successfully with iSync – check the supported devices list for mobile phone.

Automatic iSync Automator Application

Scheduled syncs with iCal

My preferred method of syncing events, todo items, and contacts requires both iCal and the Automatic iSync Application. Rather than syncing data automatically whenever the device is within Bluetooth range with Home Zone, an iCal event can be scheduled to run daily, twice a day, or every other day depending on how often you update your handset or desktop. Because I am sure to be at my my desktop computer both as soon as I wake or before heading to bed, I create two sync times – one at 8AM, the second at 7PM. You can create similar triggers by following the steps below.

• Open iCal and create a new event titled "Mobile Sync" (or whatever you prefer).
• Select "All-day"
• Move down to "Repeat" and select "Custom" from the drop down menu. Select "Weekly" as the Frequency and "Every 1 week(s) on:" M-F.
• Select the "End" date when your syncs should stop. June if you plan on picking up the iPhone.
• Locate "Alarm" and select "Open file". iCal will issue a prompt asking if you would like to apply the trigger to a single event or all repeated events. Select "All". You will now see a new drop down menu underneath "Open file". Select "Other" and specify the location of the Automatic iSync Application.
• Underneath "Open file" select "The same day" from the drop down menu and specify a time (8AM).

Once you’ve created your repeated event(s) using the settings above, iCal will trigger the Automatic iSync Application every week day until your specified end date at 8AM. All that is left to do is to ensure that you have your handset within range with Bluetooth enabled at the time specified by your event.

Bluetooth proximity syncs with Home Zone

Home Zone (public beta) is a menu bar application which automatically runs specified action or changes your computer configuration based on the proximity of Bluetooth devices or AirPort base stations. Setup is a little more involved, but the extra features offer far more flexibility and functionality outside of the scope of a simple data sync between a mobile handset and iSync.

Home Zone operates using three configuration options: 1) Zones – defined by one or more Networks or Bluetooth devices, 2) Triggers, and 3) Actions – performed when entering or leaving a zone.

Similar to triggering Automatic iSync with an iCal event, you can instruct Home Zone to do the same whenever your mobile handset is within Bluetooth range.

Screenshot of Home Zone configuration settings for mobile phone syncing – click for larger preview

• Under "Zones", add a new zone titled "Mobile Sync". Your Mobile Sync zone should appear with a status of "Not available".
• Under "Triggers" create a new trigger selecting "Bluetooth Device" as the "Kind", and then press the ‘Select Bluetooth Device’ button. The OS X Select Bluetooth Device window will appear where your pre-paired device should be listed. Highlight the device and press ‘Select’
• Under "Actions", create a new action. In the "Action" preference window, you can select "Enter" or "Leave". For the purpose of syncing, select "Enter".
• From the "Action" drop-down menu, select "Open file" and drag the Automatic iSync Application into the drop-zone or select the built-in "Synchronize iSync".

Following the settings above, Home Zone will automatically sync your mobile phone whenever it enters or re-enters Bluetooth range. If Growl is installed on your machine, you will recieve a Growl notification whenever an action is completed. Home Zone can be used for far more than simple syncing including enabling a screensaver password, disabled a screensaver password, pausing iTunes, setting a default printer, etc.

Manual Nokia (N95) mobile phone syncing with Quicksilver

Quicksilver users can sync their Nokia (N95), or any mobile phone via Bluetooth using the Automatic iSync Application and a custom defined trigger. Create a custom trigger which opens the Automatic iSync application following the steps below:

• Open Quicksilver Preferences and select "Triggers" from the top menu bar.
• Press the plus sign at the bottom of the window and select &quotHotKey".
• Drag the Automatic iSync Application into the "Select an item" field and press ‘Save’.
• Highlight your new Trigger and select the "Trigger Info" button at the bottom of the window.
• In the Info pane, re-title the Trigger if needed and specify your custom "Hot Key". Double-check that Activate "On Press" is selected and close the Quicksilver Preferences window.

Rather than relying on scheduled or proximity syncs via Bluetooth, Quicksilver users can quickly sync their device via USB or Bluetooth with defined Triggers before stepping away from their computer.

Manual photo, music, and video file management

Unfortunately, I have yet to find any OS X applications which provide support for two-way syncing of photos, music, and video files. At this time, the following are the only sure-fire ways of getting theses types of files to and from your mobile phone.

Moving files to and from your device via Bluetooth is easy with the OS X Bluetooth File Browser

• Automatic import into iPhoto – If your mobile phone supports USB Mass Storage as the Nokia N95 (Eseries & Nseries) does, iPhoto will automatically import photographs and videos into your computer library. Simply connect your device to your computer via USB and ensure that Mass Storage is enabled on your device. Alternatively, your device should appear on your desktop as an external drive allowing you the freedom to browse and file manage individual directories.
• Nokia Music Manager – Not as convenient as an iTunes plugin, but Nokia does offer a Music Manager. The Nokia Music Manager provides support for managing the Nokia N91 playlists, importing CDs, and shuffling music to and from your mobile phone and Mac. Here’s hoping for similar support for the rest of the MP3 enabled handsets.
• Browse device via Bluetooth – With Bluetooth enabled, and a supported handset, freely browse your devices memory using the OS X Bluetooth File Browser. Easily shuffle files to and from your device via Bluetooth.

Although much of this article was written to address the needs of Nokia users, the tutorials and syncing options can be applied and used to sync any mobile phones listed on iSync supported devices page. If your device is not listed, check your manufacturers website for official support, or Google for individual developer software and drivers support.

Would official support affect your next mobile phone purchase?

Nokia has yet to provide a comparable application for its Windows PC Suite – which allows Windows users to browse, manage, send, and receive messages, conduct firmware upgrades, or create custom themes – for Apple users. Whether or not a cross platform application will be released is nothing more than a dream. However, it is very clear that Nokia users are not left completely in the dark or forced to pay for additional software in order to enjoy their devices on both platforms. Will other manufacturers follow suit? Will future mobile phones be delivered with both a Windows and OS X support / software discs in the box?

Will your next mobile phone purchase be affected by knowing whether or not the device manufacturer provided official software support for both Windows and OS X? Or have you accepted the idea that paying for privately developed software / drivers is the only way to enjoy your future smartphone? With the upcoming release of Apple’s OS X 10.5 Leopard, will we see more mobile devices supported out of the box? I believe Apple is going to create a truly amazingly seamless desktop / mobile experience with the iPhone & OS X that will surely force manufacturers to develop OS X friendly software to compete. What are your thoughts? [Digg it]

Other Cell Phone Options

Tired of your cell phone company? Looking to upgrade to a new cell phone model? It’s easier and easier to just use prepaid cell phones and cut out the billing process entirely. So look into a new cell phone option today.