Apple Newbie

Think Secret says the updated Mac Mini systems are already on the way to the retailers. Not sure when Malaysia will get these new ones.

So what are in the new Mac Mini line? The low-end Mac Mini will get a 1.33GHz G4 instead of the previous 1.25GHz one. The high-end Mac Mini will get a bump up to 1.5GHz from 1.42Ghz. Hard drives will be upgraded to 5400rpm. This is what particularly interests me. Would speed up the swap trashing and application loading.

The SuperDrive high-end model will get it’s 4 speed SuperDrive bumped up to a 8 speed model capable of writing dual-layer discs.

Prices are expected to remain the same.

A project which I was working on previously called their system a ‘Customer Friendship Management’ system. After reading this, I truly understand what they meant by choosing such a name.

I am not sure whether there is any other company which has managed to form a bond with their customers the way Apple customers do.

One example of taking burden of customers is warranty. Their warranty is covered internationally, so if you buy an Ipod from the USA, you can make warranty claims in Malaysia.

This bond is so strong that some Apple users even love their product packaging almost as much as their hardware. I don’t blame us, they’re relaly well designed. Wired’s article mentions engineering student Ryan Harne who actually set up a tasteful display of arrangement of Apple boxes, backlit with lamps from Ikea.

Why? “It’s more than a record of a serial number; it’s a record of a good event that happened in my life.”

Google released Google Secure Access, which is basically a VPN service aimed at Wi-Fi users that allows the encryption of over-the-air data to protect it from sniffers. Your data is encrypted between your system and Google’s VPN server, where Google will route your data to the original destination.

However, Google has not released a client for Mac OS X yet. No worries. The Google Secure Access VPN is actually a 128bit PPTP connection. Instead of logging in with your Google userid and password (Gmail?), the username and password is randomly generated and returned to the client via an XML file.

Once you know how it works, you can easily write an Applescript to connect to it as Mac OS X already has all the necessary software to connect to Google Secure Access’s VPN. Basically you need to download the auto-generated XML file containing the username and password to use, parse the file, then tell Internet Connect to dial a PPTP VPN connection to vpn.google.com with that username and password.

Kevin Stock has already written such an Applescript.

Update: Kevin’s site seems to be down, so here’s the AppleScript.

Google caps your speed to about 512kbps when you are connected to their VPN server, but if you need the extra security, I’d recommend you connect to it! I’ve just tried HTTP browsing, POP3 and IMAP access and they all work. SMTP seems to be blocked. I suppose Google does not want spammers to take advantage of masking their own IP through the Google Secure Access VPN which translates the source IP to Google’s own block of IPs.

For more information on how to run your Applescripts, read on Apple’s Script Menu. All you have to do is put the script into your Scripts folder and run it from the Script Menu in Finder.

I use a plethora of operating systems daily and keeping up with security updates can be stressful. I subscribe to Secunia for all my security update notification needs. Very useful for a system administrator. Remember, you are your own system administrator at home!

Apple has released a critical security update for Mac OS X that solves a grand total of 10 security issues. Click here for the Secunia Advisory release and here for Apple’s security advisory.

Click here to download the update 2005-008 for Mac OS X 10.3.9 and here for Mac OS X 10.4.2. You can also update via OS X’s Software Updates.

This update also enhances some non-security related items like Parental Controls. Refer to Apple’s advisory for more information.

One of the things I miss having on my Windows workstation is Float’s Mobile Agent which I use to access my Sony Ericsson T630 mobile phone.

I’ve found a replacement for use on my Mac and I’m now a happy camper. It’s called BluePhoneElite.

Continue reading »

Looking for an RSS client for Mac OS X and don’t like using Safari? Check out NetNewsWire Lite. It’s the freeware version of NetNewsWire which costs USD$24.95. You can use it first, then upgrade later.

(Click to enlarge)

NetNewsWire is compatible with the Automator. You can also generate custom RSS feeds through scripting language like Ruby and AppleScript. You can also style your HTML RSS feeds from a variety of built in CSS stylesheets or just create your own.

Check it out: NetNewsWire

Being a keyboard type of person, I personally prefer using the Spotlight to launch my applications. But for someone who wants a better launcher application than the Dock, I recommend using Quicksilver.

What’s great is configured launcher buttons can not only just launch applications but actions as well. Frequently used applications or commands can be bound to hotkey triggers or they can be triggered by moving your mouse to a corner of the screen.

Quicksilver also has plugin support and there are already a few plugins written for it. For example, one of the plugins allows it to interface with the popular IM chat program Adium.

Download: Quicksilver

Google has recently released a Gmail Notifier for Mac OS X. It requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 and above. This means Panther onwards.

One nifty feature about the Gmail Notifier is it has full support for Applescript and Cocoa Bundles in Objective-C, which means you can write plugins for it.

What’s great is someone has released a plugin that makes the GMail Notifier work with Growl.

In case you don’t know what Growl is, do you remember the grey overlay icons which appear on your screen whenever you adjust your volume or monitor brightness? Growl is a tool that allows any program to display such notifications. Of course it isn’t just limited to that kind of look. It can be customised too.

Check them out today!

Gmail Notifier for Mac OS X
Gmail+Growl 1.0
Growl

The Mighty Mouse is a unique mouse by Apple and it’s the first mouse to come with more than a single button. Looks can be deceiving though, it looks like it has no buttons at all! All you can see on the mouse is a single scrollball device. Apple has implemented “buttons” via the use of touch pressure sensors. You can activate virtual buttons via touching the usual left and right mouse button areas and also activate the side buttons by squeezing the mouse. Unique huh?

Azul Adnan has posted a review of the Mighty Mouse over at myMUG. He gives it 4 out of 5. The Apple Mighty Mouse retails for RM200 here in Malaysia.

myMUG Apple Mighty Mouse Review

What exactly is the difference between sleep and shutdown on an Apple Mac?

Sleep

In this mode, your computer takes a nap in a low power mode. This means that your Mac uses less electricity while remaining powered on. The sleep option is great if you want to leave your Mac for a limited time. Like taking a dump. Or driving out to pick up your kid from tuition.

Shutdown

If you are to leave your Mac unused for an extended period (8 hours or more), putting it to sleep is a bad idea. Shut it down. Especially in the compact space of an iBook or PowerBook, it needs to cool down every once in a while.

Anything else?

The exception to this is the “deep sleep” mode, which some newer Macs have. The processor will rest, the fans will stop spinning, the hard disk drive will turn off, and the monitor will turn off. If your Mac has this feature, use it. It boots up faster from a deep sleep than a shut-down. The only visible difference between this “deep sleep” and a shutdown is the power light which fades in and out, or blinks. There is no audible difference.