Skip to content
Thoughtful, detailed coverage of everything Apple for 33 years
and the TidBITS Content Network for Apple professionals
Show full articles

TidBITS#1006/07-Dec-2009

It’s time once again for the TidBITS Gift Guide, offering community-driven suggestions for the Mac and iPhone users on your gift list. Also in this issue, Glenn Fleishman reports on the acquisition of the collaborative writing tool EtherPad by Google, and guest contributor Robyn Weisman explores how third-party SDKs are being used to add useful features to iPhone apps when Apple hasn’t provided the functionality. Notable software releases this week include Dialectic 1.5, HandBrake 0.9.4, Labels and Addresses 1.5, Electric Sheep 2.7b21, Java for Mac OS X 10.6 Update 1, Java for Mac OS X 10.5 Update 6, Rumpus 6.2, TweetDeck v0.32.0, MarsEdit 2.4, and Mailplane 2.1.1.

Robyn Weisman 4 comments

Third-Party SDKs: The Future of iPhone Apps

Although Apple doesn't allow iPhone apps to communicate with one another, as software on the Mac can, watch for apps to start gaining additional functionality by integrating licensed code from other developers. Robyn Weisman talks to SmileOnMyMac and Occipital about how their text-expansion and barcode-scanning SDKs are being integrated into various iPhone apps.

TidBITS Staff 2 comments

TidBITS Gift Guide 2009

TidBITS readers have spoken, TidBITS readers have voted, and we have the results for you in this year's TidBITS Gift Guide. Forget the stuff that jaded editors think you might want - these are the real items that people really do desire (or plan to give).

TidBITS Staff No comments

ExtraBITS for 7 December 2009

Interesting articles we found this week look at Apple's acquisition of the Lala digital music service, the Kindle 2's new PDF functionality, fallacies of cloud computing, and a new mobile payment processing service, plus a fun discussion between Adam and Your Mac Life host Shawn King.

Jeff Carlson No comments

Hot Topics in TidBITS Talk for 7 December 2009

It's advice week on TidBITS Talk! Readers are looking for advice on a number of topics, including: finding software to get an old scanner to work, troubleshooting problems with Disk Utility and a crashing Mac Pro, locating a Leopard install disc for an iBook G4, using Logitech software with a Trackman Wheel, pre-configuring an AirPort Express for a vacation devoid of Macs, choosing locator software in the event a laptop is stolen, whether a Chinese TrueType font will work on the Mac, and removing the annoying toolbar that is installed with Vuze.