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Mac OS X Services in Snow Leopard

Mac OS X Services let one application supply its powers to another; for example, a Grab service helps TextEdit paste a screenshot into a document. Most users either don't know that Services exist, because they're in an obscure hierarchical menu (ApplicationName > Services), or they mostly don't use them because there are so many of them.

Snow Leopard makes it easier for the uninitiated to utilize this feature; only services appropriate to the current context appear. And in addition to the hierarchical menu, services are discoverable as custom contextual menu items - Control-click in a TextEdit document to access the Grab service, for instance.

In addition, the revamped Keyboard preference pane lets you manage services for the first time ever. You can enable and disable them, and even change their keyboard shortcuts.

Submitted by
Doug McLean

 

 

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German Court Forces Unlocked iPhone

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T-Mobile, the wireless division of Deutsche Telekom, which also owns the wireless carrier in the U.S. of the same name, has announced that they'll follow a court order and offer Apple's iPhone with no contract, and unlocked so it will work on other carriers. The catch? The free-and-clear version of the phone will cost 999 euros (almost US$1,500) rather than 399 euros (almost US$600) for the standard phone.

We anticipated some European carriers might have to comply with laws requiring they offer an unlocked phone with no contract, but since the carriers can charge a significantly higher price for the unencumbered phone, it doesn't seem like too big a hardship for either Apple or T-Mobile.

T-Mobile has said they're the only wireless carrier with complete EDGE network data coverage throughout Germany, but those who desperately want to use an iPhone on Vodafone's competing network will now be able to try.

 

THE MISSING SYNC FOR ANDROID: Sync with iTunes, Address Book,
iCal, iPhoto and other Mac applications. Supports HTC EVO,
Motorola Droid, Droid X, Droid 2, Google Nexus One and many
other phones. <http://www.markspace.com/bits>