Tiger features

Apple has laid down the guantlet in the OS wars.

See the list of new features to add on to the core MacOS features...

For a critique of Tiger, see Paul's blog.

Peeking into the guts of Automator?

Until Tiger is available on April 29 and I can use Automator, I'm trying to use AppleScript to make iChat set itself to "Away" when I open my iBook... When that's done I'll post up in this entry.

Automator will hopefully be a powerful tool for the average person. I'm just a hack (unlike a hacker), but I enjoy these basic scripting languages. Automator looks like it will finally record all those things you used to try and record using the ScriptEditor. I can't seem to get it to work with iChat. So I'm hacking at the code and found this site:
http://developer.apple.com/cocoa/applescriptforapps.html

With an explanation on opening the libraries! So now I can see what I'm doing... More later.

iSync is the coolest thing ever

OK, the El Gato details are coming soon (I know, I'm way late).

But right now I've been totally obsessed with my new cellphone. Here's the deal:
Our contract with US Cellular was coming up. I had asked them about better phones. In particular, I wanted a Bluetooth phone so I could use Salling Clicker, or at least iSync.

US Cellular said BT was incompatible with CDMA. That's a bit like saying you can't have AM and FM on the same radio. Technically speaking, it was nonsense. For years US Cellular has had lousy phones, but great calling plans.

Unfortunately, Cingular had the best phones, but worst plans and a survey just came out saying they were tops in customer complaints. I had my eye on the NGage, despite the derision of gadget-heads everywhere. Personally, I think the NGage has a lot of promise.

Well, I took a look at US Cellular one more time, just to make sure, and there were some decent phones finally! Only one BT model, and out of my price range. But the Motorola phones without BT were compatible with iSync!

So what? Well, I live by iCal and my computer's Address Book app. So to be able to have these things on my phone, with ONE click, that's just too cool.

So today I plugged in my iPod, Palm device (an ancient Handspring Visor), and Motorola V262, launched iSync, and walked away. Within 5 minutes it was done. Any contact with a phone number was on the phone. All my alarms and calendar events were on the phone too. My phone is the one device I've always got on me, and now it's just that much more useful.

Keep in mind the phone has a voice recorder, which means I can jot down notes on ALL my devices too. I bought the iTalk from Griffin Technology for the iPod...

One thing to note: Apple does not list the v262 as being iSync-compatible. They DO list the c343, which I originally picked up. My wife got the v262. But I tried hers and swapped out. The c343 can't really do a lot of the cool things like the v-series: ringtones, wallpapers, etc. I have the Motorola software that allows me to directly load these things onto the phone. The lousy thing about *that* however is that it's PC-only. Sometimes it pays to have one crummy PC in the house.

Coming soon: an overview of the SolutionSphere Digital Ecosystem for the home!