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Doron Katz
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My coffee shop thinks im what?

 Noticed a note the coffee shop led for me on my takeaway cup this morning.

E: doronkatz@mac.com
PH: +61 (0) 410 740 678
SKYPE: doronkatz1981

Filed under: General

My cat needs to go on Snappy Tom light

My cat chilling in the basket
Filed under: General

Why Google Chrome should be your default browser

Amidst all the anti-Safari Firefox users on the mac making their headway in 2008 and 2009, I have been a steadfast Safari user, only because I was willing to sacrifice the power of extensions of Firefox in order to have a lighter browser that is faster, and therefore stayed with Apple's Safari.  But Google's Chrome had made a more stealthy entry into the browser wars on the mac, and from my playing around with it, has shown to be quite speedy, and in fact more speedy than Safari. I love it's simplistic interface, but up until now, I could not add extensions.

Well, although it's still very beta, you can get your hands on the latest dev build of Chrome or in fact download the open-source Chromium project, and you would be able to add extensions, like our Windows cousins could for the past few months... Now, what makes me wanna jump ship, is the fact that I can finally take 1Password with me onto the Chrome, which is my most essential browser plugin, so that I can auto-fill my website passwords and forms. If you are interested in the steps needed to install 1Password as an extension, visit the official blog of 1Password. I did not want to open up 1Password and then cut and paste and switch windows all the time, so this is perfect. Granted, it's not as smooth as Safari, but that's probably Google Chrome's fault because the plugins are javascript-based supposedly. But yes, the verdict is still out there, and for now, I am going to give Google a go as my default browser and see how things pan out. 


Chrome_extension.png

Filed under: Apple General

Things 1.2.92 is here

 One of my my favourite and most used app on the mac/iphone is Things  and their blog has announced 1.2.92 is released, filled with bug fixes and new goodies. According to the release notes, the changes include:

  • Fixed a regression related to the Today list sync conflict issue.
  • Fixed an issue where items completed between 12/27/2009 and 12/31/2009 were shown in the Logbook as completed in 2010.
  • Added support for emptying the Trash immediately. Hold down the option key while choosing the "Empty Trash..." menu command.
  • Fixed an issue where the title of a to-do could have multiple lines when entered via Quicksilver.
  • Additional fixes for the issue where Things sometimes started with an empty window and remained unresponsive for some time.
  • Fixed a bug that could result in missing search results when searching for tags that contain subtags.
  • Localization. Added missing translations for Tags window.
  • Localization. Japanese localization fixes.
  • Localization. French localization fixes

 

CulturedCode’s Things  app for the Mac and iPhone makes task management a breeze, and it comes down to the rapid ease of access to information and adding of information, as well as synchronisation of information between devices. For anything from development notes, to writing down your groceries, this app is fantastic, and once you get into the routine of micro-allocating your life into tasks, you loose the need to have a paper bag to hyper-ventilate.

 

Filed under: Apple General

Acrobat.com now on iPhone
Mark Szulc has reported in his personal blog that acrobat.com, an Adobe press release statement that announced Acrobat.com is now available for the iPhone. Acrobat.com is an Adobe collaboration package that allows for a user to work with, and create PDFs, and print and share PDFs, as well as fax PDFs directly from your phone. So you can take a photo of a whiteboard (as Mark says) and share it as a pdf with your buddies on the other side of the world. 

   
Click here to download:
Acrobat.com_now_on_iPhone.zip (30 KB)

Filed under: General iPhone Dev Mobile Web development

Sygic : GPS Map of Cyprus Available for iPhone and Android

 Just thought I'd announce, and im sure it would please quite a lot of people, but I just discovered the mobile mapmakers Sygic  have made available a map of Cyprus, which I have tested and it works amazingly, considering the sparse digital maps that do exist for the country. I have seen lots of people ask whether there is a GPS map out there for Cyprus, especially considering how un-intuitive it is to get around Larnaca and Nicosia.

I believe the maps are bundled within the Greece map bundle, and the actual Sygic User Interface is excellent on the iPhone, in fact I prefer it to Tomtom. The Cyprus map covers the entire island and contains POI as well as street names. So definitely worth checking out guys.
Filed under: General iPhone Dev

Appolous: Four letters: Who am I

 Hey guys,

For all of you who use Appolous, and have recently seen the Appolous troll, it is now asking a trivia question before you get in: "Four letters: Who Am I? ".

While I don't personally use jailbroken phones because they are a security risk and  stuff up your phone (slow it down) and app piracy is wrong, especially since developers don't earn nearly enough for the amount of work that goes in. Anyhow...  someone has passed on to me that the magic keyword to get in is kyek  so type that in as the four letter magic word.
Filed under: General iPhone Dev

BookDepository: Finally free delivery of books for non-US residents

 I just came across a really great bookstore, called BookDepository.co.uk, an Amazon-like online bookstore out of the U.K that promises to deliver the books to you, anywhere in the world for free. I've had a look at the book collection and prices and I must say, especially for those not living in the U.S, the prices are a lot cheaper than what we would pay at our local bookstore, plus we get the delivery for free.

Unfortunately, those who have purchased from Amazon and who live outside of the U.S, have experienced the jubilation of finding cheap books online, only to be dismayed by the cost of shipping those books which would offset the total discount you would get from purchasing online. So check out the bookstore and let me know what you think. I'd start with the fastest moving titles. 
Filed under: General

Alternative to iDisk for your file syncing and management: DropBox

I came across this nifty solution not too long ago and thought I'd share it with you all. Its called DropBox :

 

If you are looking for an alternative to paying for iDisk, with DropBox you get 2GB for free, which is a great way to gauge how much online disk space you need. So why jump ship? OK, here are some points to add to your pro column:
  • You can work from home and your office, using a really elegant plugin that will add to your MAC menu bar, a sync daemon, and a folder on your desktop. Anything you drag in there is synchronised on the spot (as opposed to iDisk which doesn't seem to be as responsive immediately). 
  • Whether you have a Mac or Windows, you get an installer that will add this feature, so wherever you are, you are always in sync. 
  • You can backup, or share your files and folders, share entire photo albums (will actually put them in a presentable album format). So you have a secure location for your files, in case there is a nuclear meltdown in your area (touch wood).
  • You get a free iphone application so you can view your files and manage your files on the go. How cool is this. And you still get your 2GB free, so try it out!

The Official Features div>

File Sync

Dropbox allows you to sync your files online and across your computers automatically.

  • 2GB of online storage for free, with up to 100GB available to paying customers.
  • Sync files of any size or type.
  • Sync Windows, Mac and Linux computers.
  • Automatically syncs when new files or changes are detected.
  • Work on files in your Dropbox even if you're offline. Your changes sync once your computer has an Internet connection again.
  • Dropbox transfers will correctly resume where they left off if the connection drops.
  • Efficient sync - only the pieces of a file that changed (not the whole file) are synced. This saves you time.
  • Doesn't hog your Internet connection. You can manually set bandwidth limits.

File Sharing

Sharing files is simple and can be done with only a few clicks.

  • Shared folders allow several people to collaborate on a set of files.
  • You can see other people's changes instantly.
  • A "Public" folder that lets you link directly to files in your Dropbox.
  • Control who is able to access shared folders (including ability to kick people out and remove the shared files from their computers).
  • Automatically create shareable online photo galleries from folders of photos in your Dropbox.

Online Backup

Dropbox backs up your files online without you having to think about it.

  • Automatic backup of your files.
  • Undelete files and folders.
  • Restore previous versions of your files.
  • 30 days of undo history, with unlimited undo available as a paid option.

Web Access

A copy of your files are stored on Dropbox's secure servers. This lets you access them from any computer or mobile device.

  • Manipulate files as you would on your desktop - add, edit, delete, rename etc.
  • Search your entire Dropbox for files.
  • A "Recent Events" feed that shows you a summary of activity in your Dropbox.
  • Create shared folders and invite people to them.
  • Recover previous versions of any file or undelete deleted files.
  • View photo galleries created automatically from photos in your Dropbox.

Security & Privacy

Dropbox takes the security and privacy of your files very seriously.

  • Shared folders are viewable only by people you invite.
  • All transmission of file data and metadata occurs over an encrypted channel (SSL).
  • All files stored on Dropbox servers are encrypted (AES-256) and are inaccessible without your account password.
  • Dropbox website and client software have been hardened against attacks from hackers.
  • Dropbox employees are not able to view any user's files.
  • Online access to your files requires your username and password.
  • Public files are only viewable by people who have a link to the file(s). Public folders are not browsable or searchable.

Mobile Device Access

The free Dropbox iPhone app lets you:

  • Access your Dropbox on the go.
  • View your files on your iPhone or iPod Touch.
  • Download files for offline viewing.
  • Take photos and videos and sync them to your Dropbox.
  • Share links to files in your Dropbox.
  • View interactive photo galleries.
  • Sync downloaded files so they're up-to-date.

A mobile-optimized version of the website is available for owners of Blackberry phones and other Internet-capable mobile devices.

A little tip:
I use Things, a task-management app for the Mac, and using Dropbox, I set up the Things library to point to the library I relocated within the DropBox folder alias, and do the same at my work desktop, pointing it to DropBox alias, and now you can synchronise your Things tasks between computers automatically! Check out this wiki note for instructions.

Filed under: Apple General

Mac on Windows
The infamous  Psystar who have been embroiled in a lawsuit by Apple, over selling PCs with Mac operating system installed on them, has continued to flaunt Apple with it's valour, by announcing that it will provide a 'Rebel' EFI boot-loader to allow OSX Snow Leopard to be installed on your Windows machine. 

You simply have to install an 8mb file to make a bootable CD, follow instructions and that's it, you get Mac OSX on your Windows. And for a limited time you can pay $50 for this software, after which it will be set at the $90 RRP.  You can download a demo which will allow you to test this for a few hours. 

Many pandits have stated that this cheap offer is just to hit back at Apple more than making a profit, because of Apple's persistence on suing Psystar.  

I personally think that this is a great thing, and Apple should not force a monopoly on using Apple machines with Apple operating systems. I know there are arguments for each way, and perhaps Apple are right in claiming their operating system is optimised for hardware Apple control's and therefore reduce any chance of incompatibilities (which is synonymous with Windows and PCs).

However, I think from a political and legal perspective, you should have a right to choose to mix and match, provided you are aware of the risk and support involved. It's the same as purchasing a mobile phone contract and having that company force you to use their other products, such as a home telephone line etc. 

Filed under: Apple General
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