On the Phone

Computing seems to be shifting more and more to mobile devices. This observation from De Prez Allen Laudenslager accompanies a link to Wired.com. The article compares Windows Mobile (on mobile phones) to Apple OS X and the chart shows that more phones now run OS X than Windows Mobile. Blackberry still outsells any of the others, but with the release of Android, Windows Mobile is losing ground fast.  And, speaking of the latest tech wonders . . .

How about that new word "vaporware" in the Wired info on Popular Science publishers, and the dorky product for fliers pictured here.  Hard to flip past some of this info, isn't it!

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Watch for Google Goggles Info

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Are you reading about "Google Goggles"?   It's a photo-based search in real-time.  This PCWorld article describes its features.  This article from the UK points out serious privacy concerns. Barbara Krasnoff, Computerworld points out, "So what's scary? The day when you can quickly point your smartphone at a person in the street and know within seconds that person's name and particulars may not be that far off."

Adobe Update

     A notice of advisory and recommended update for Adobe Flash Player was forwarded to us by Jim Hamm.  He says,  "To check which version you're running click the 'About Flash Player' link and it will show you which version you've got. Odds are it's the vulnerable version. To download the newest version click the 'Flash Player Download Center,'  then install the download."
     Now, Art Gorski and David Passell jump in with some important additions to this discussion.
Art passes along this warning: "Adobe has confirmed a critical vulnerability in Adobe Reader and Acrobat 9.2 and earlier versions that could cause a crash and potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system. There are reports that this vulnerability is being actively exploited in the wild. Yet another reason to use Apple's Preview instead. Note that many Adobe installers (Photoshop, etc.) will install Adobe Reader whether you want it or not."

Now David tells of his experience with the Flash Player security update:  "Thanks to Jim for the posting regarding Flash Player security, but statement in the blog "click the 'About Flash Player' link (blue) is misleading.

"When you click on that link you are taken to the Adobe Security Page. At first glance it is a lot of verbage and overchoice without clear guidelines. You have to go down into the second paragraph or so to find:

"Affected software versions:
Adobe Flash Player 10.0.32.18 and earlier versions
 Adobe AIR 1.5.2 and earlier versions
To verify the Adobe Flash Player version number installed on your system, access the About Flash Player page, or right-click on content running in Flash Player and select 'About Adobe (or Macromedia) Flash Player' from the menu.  If you use multiple browsers, perform the check for each browser you have installed on your system.

"When you click on above link then you find out what you have.

"In my case when I first went to the page I didn't see that, but the Firefox browser popped up with an update to 3.5.6 which I installed. The Firefox description did not immediately tell me what had changed. If I wanted to dig around I might find that Flashplayer was updated.

"In any case I went back to the Adobe page mentioned in the link in the Blog posting, and then clicked on the 'About Flash Player page.'  I found that I had the secure version.

And David adds, "(Somewhere in the second go-around I got the message 'software update installed successfully' or words to that affect (poor short-term memory).:)"

Keeping Up With Apple

It's so easy to get the very latest Apple news, whether it's this new article about the University of Washington and their proprietary iPhone app — or the Quad-Core iMac — or the Nuru non-profit organization which uses MacPro and MacBookPro computers, iPhone, Final Cut Studio, iChat, and Mobile Me.  Just go to Apple here  and find at the right side of the sidebar  Actions: > Subscribe in Mail.  You'll be notified on your Mail page when there's an entry, giving you the headline and four lines of the article. Click to read more.

Address Book Privacy

Keeping up to date on the latest in security and privacy, we hear from John Carter. We had asked if putting Google or Yahoo or MobileMe to link to Address Book could in any way be something to avoid.
Here's his take on that.  .

 "If you frequently switch between Mac Mail and something like Google Mail or Yahoo Mail when you are away from home and you also frequently update your address book on one or the other, then synchronizing your address book across these platforms could make life a little easier for you.

"If you have a cell phone that you always carry with you, you could also keep your contact list updated between Mac Address Book and the cell phone Contact list and rely on your cell phone Contact list when you are not at home, which is what I try to do."

What's the Apple News?

This morning’s Google News sends us scurrying for more information. Stories on the Fall 09 iMac 27 inch computer problems and delays brought us to this report at AppleInsider. Two other headlines jumped out: “Tablet rumors: February production start, 10-inch LCD screen” and “Apple offers free taste of iTunes LP format with ‘Holiday Sampler.” In red headlines, “Black Friday Deals Extended" takes us to a price comparison chart.  It's interesting to see what's up with our favorite Apple products.  And now, John Carter finds a nifty app for iPhone.  Take a look . . .

"If you’ve ever spent too much time composing an email on your iPhone’s tiny keyboard you are going to LOVE this! Dragon Dictation is an amazing, free, dictation app for your iPhone.

"Just launch the app, press the record button, and start talking. You can dictate anything from a short note to a longer soliloquy. Once the text is transcribed, you can send it as an email, text message, or copy to the clipboard. Clean up some missed words and add punctuation, and you are set!

"Link: Dragon Dictation at App Store   (Do take serious note of the complaints, however, which warn of security and privacy issues.)

"The accuracy of the speech-to-text conversion is amazing. There are typically a few errors, but they are easy to fix.

"Tip: You can add punctuation to your text by saying ‘period’, ‘question mark’, or ‘exclamation mark’ as you talk. It’s a nice touch."  (Double click to enlarge.)

Author Mode, User Mode: Blog Views

To view a browser's text and images of a blog without colors was the challenge that David Passell recently experimented with, and he reports here.

"Both Firefox and Opera have a means of displaying the text and images of a blog without colors. I couldn't find an equivalent for Safari. Only Opera, though, provides something that could be printed in black/white.

"In Opera: on bar just above the main page there is a button titled 'Author Mode.' If you click it the button changes to 'User Mode.' All the formatting disappears and all information on the blog is displayed. Even things that are hidden show up. It can be printed as displayed. I prefer to print/save as a PDF first though."

He sends a screen shot of our blog from Opera Browser "User Mode." Double click to enlarge.

He says, "I know of no equivalent feature in Safari. The Firefox view 'No Style' Option doesn't come close and is not suitable for printout.

David concludes, "In the styled (Firefox) or author (Opera) the blog looks the same as Safari. It is the No Style or User Mode that looks different."

Want to Change Your View?

If changing your startup screen on the Mac appeals to your artistic side, or you just need something fun to do today, Jim Hamm sends us these simple instructions from Kibbles & Bytes newsletter #650.

There's no Terminal commands involved.  It works with 10.5 Leopard and 10.6 Snow Leopard.  Of course, you need to be the admin user in order to make these changes.  It sounds like it's applicable back to 10.2, but the name and location are different.  Let us know if you try it out.

Website Design

If you've ever aspired to doing a bit of programming or creating your own website, here is an informative article by Gina Trapani from the "Lifehacker" newsletter .  Jim Hamm sends us this info,  commenting, "As I read through the article I recognized names that I've heard of or read about before — Such as Ruby on Rails or Greasemonkey — but have never tried them. I'll save this article in case I ever get ambitious and want to try something like this."

The article, "Programmer 101: Teach Yourself How to Code" is by Gina Trapani.  She writes, "You've always wanted to learn how to build software yourself—or just whip up an occasional script—but never knew where to start. Luckily, the web is full of free resources that can turn you into a programmer in no time.

"Since the invention of the internet, programmers have been using it to discuss software development techniques, publish tutorials, and share code samples for others to learn from and use online. If you're curious about how to become a programmer, you can get off to a running start using tons of great free web-based tutorials and resources."

The article goes on to discuss choosing a language, desktop scripting, web development, command line scripting, add-ons, web development for the desktop, mobile app development — and she closes with advice on patience, elbow grease, trial and error.

Amazon Selling Apple at a Big Discount

"On sale!"  Two urgent words!  De Prez Allen Laudenslager rushes us this news, so check it out right away.  Amazon advertises some smoking deals on Apple products. He announces, "I looked at their website and found the MacBook Pro for $101 off and free shipping."  He wasn't aware that Amazon was an authorized Apple reseller and is offering discounts on Apple products. Did you know that?!

Talking About Google's Chrome

In case you haven't read them, here are three more articles about Google's Chrome OS.  Jim Hamm explains, "After reading and understanding a bit more about what this new OS is-and isn't--I have trouble understanding what significant role this might play in the computing world. I don't have much--if any--enthusiasm for it, at least at this time. Maybe as time goes on I'll see more of a place for it."  He goes on to give links to the articles . . .

Click to bring up these three articles from Computerworld.   One, two,  three.

Jim concludes, "Regardless of my thoughts, it's always interesting to read about new developments in the computing world. That's what keeps me--and many others-- spending money on the latest 'gadget' (did I hear 'Magic Mouse') or software upgrade."

DIY, Serious or Fun

David Passell passes along this link to the Instructables. It's an eclectic collection of DIY (Do It Yourself) projects, ranging from Christmas gifts and decorations, (now's the time to get going on these!) to the tech-oriented stuff.  He reminds us, "To get the full benefits you will have to establish a subscription, but it is FREE.  Every week you will get a new email with a link to the latest madness."