Skype 5 Sucks!

I've been trying to be patient with the newest version of Skype for OS X, but today I surrender.  I have officially gone back to version 2.8 (the last version before version 5, I know, I don't get it either) to fix all the audio and video problems I experienced with v5.  I don't know what happened with this version.  Skype has always been the most solid VOIP solution for PC & Mac, but version 5 broke video support for all sorts of cameras and the UI got completely ugly and obtrusive.  Since the announcement about Microsoft purchasing Skype for $8.5 billion, I doubt there will be enough money left to fix this P. O. S.  Luckily, the folks at Skype still have 2.8 available on their site here. Downgrading means I'll be giving up group video calls, but I didn't do that much anyway.  Besides, there's always iChat for that.

MacTexan Podcast #29 Show Notes

News

• New iMacs | Macworld
• Apple Releases iOS 4.3.3 To Fix Location Tracking | Slashdot
• Fake AV Targets Mac OS X Through Poisoned Search Links | eWeek
• Time Inc. Reaches Deal With Apple | WSJ.com
• Report: Apple Grabs iCloud.com Domain for $4.5 Million | Mac|Life 

Idiot o’ the Week

• Senator Patrick Leahy | TechDirt
  • COICA (Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act )

How-To 

• Connect to Windows Shared Folders

Software Pick(s)

• Menu Everywhere $14.99 BinaryBakery.com
• Handoff $1.99 IdeaSwarm

 Subscribe in iTunes.

MacTexan Podcast #29

Handoff: Send Data to Your iOS Device...EASY!

Once in a very great while an iOS app comes along that completely changes my normal workflow. To do this, an app has to be very useful, easy and cheap (inexpensive). Handoff fits that description to a tee.  What is it? Well, I think the best way to describe it is to explain the problem it solves. Have you ever searched on-line for something on your Mac, found what you were looking for and then needed to get that info to your iPhone or iPad? It is a common task for me. Before Handoff, I generally got it done by sending the web page to Instapaper or clipping the text I needed into Evernote. Those methods worked OK, but neither solution is tailored for the task. Instapaper saves the entire page whether you need it or not and Evernote saves the clipping just fine, but that's about all it does. What makes Handoff so useful? The iOS apps know what to do with the data you send. If, for instance, you clip an address in Safari using the Handoff extension, you can send it to any or all of your iOS devices and the Handoff app on the device knows to open the address in Google Maps.  For phone numbers, the Handoff iPhone app gives you the choice to instantly dial the number. You can also copy it to the clipboard if you'd like to make an Address Book entry. Simple.

Handoff has add-ins for Safari, Chrome and Firefox and they all work the same. Clicking the Handoff toolbar button sends links or selected text to the iOS device(s) of your choosing. The smarts built into the iOS apps work all the magic. If you like, Handoff will display a notification on your device complete with a "Slide to view" option.

Bottom line:  Handoff is very, very useful, as simple as can be and at $1.99, cheap enough.

MacTexan Podcast #28 Show Notes

News

• Apple profits soar in the second quarter | DigitalTrends
• AT&T Reports “Best Ever” Q1, Sold Lots of iPhones | Mac|Life
• Apple sues Samsung for 'copying' the iPhone and iPad | Engadget
• Microsoft’s Datacenter GM goes to Apple | TheLoop
• Adobe throws in towel, adopts HTTP Live Streaming for iOS | ARS

Rumors

• iPhone 5 rumors point to iterative update, production beginning in September | TUAW
• Does Thunderbolt foretell the end of the line for the Mac Pro as we know it? | TUAW

Idiot of the Week

• Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. calls out iPad as a job-killer | TUAW

How-To

• Run a Second Monitor in Portrait Mode
• See the tracking data stored by your iPhone iPhoneTracker

Software Pick

• TextExpander  from  SmileSoftware.com

Subscribe in iTunes.

MacTexan Podcast #28

Apple Can Wait to Announce the iPhone 5

When I first heard the rumors indicating there won't be an iPhone 5 released this summer, I have to admit to feeling a bit relieved.  Not that I wouldn't love to see Apple dazzle us with a new dual-core superphone that synchronizes your MobileMe data while simultaneously diagnosing your EKG and filing your income taxes, but I think I need a breather.  What with all the new thunderbolting MacBook Pros, iPad 2s and OS X Lion, this fanboy is bordering on overload.  My psyche and my wallet could use some time off.

Seriously, with the iPod losing some of its prominence, Apple could stand to shift the iPhone release to the early fall cycle to recapture the Christmas magic it used to own.  If there is a glimmer of truth to the rumored iPad 3, announcing it with the iPhone 5 and new iPods in September could almost assure there'll be Apple devices under a large portion of Christmas trees this year.  Also, there wouldn't be so many pissed-off people next March because their Christmas present is already out-of-date.

I don't have any special knowledge provided by a spy in some Chinese manufacturing plant or a drunken Apple employee who accidentally forgot his iPad 3 in a bar.  I'm just reading the tea leaves as I see them and throwing in a little wishful thinking as necessary.