12.20.09Enable Better Font Smoothing on Some LCD Displays in Snow Leopard

One of the unwelcome changes in Snow Leopard, at least for myself and others who use certain third-party LCD displays, was the gross simplification of the font smoothing options in the Appearance System Preferences panel.

In OS X 10.5, a pop-up menu provided a number of options for font smoothing–automatic, standard, light, medium (“best for LCD”), and strong.

In 10.6, though, that’s been simplified down to simply a yes or no option: “Use LCD font smoothing when available.” I guess the thinking here is that CRTs are a thing of the past, and all LCDs feature intelligent font smoothing.

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04.28.09New Snow Leopard beta build includes screen recording capabilities

If you’re keeping track of Snow Leopard’s progress, you’ll be pleased to know that a new build (10A335) has been released into the hands of devs (and consequently, the world). Most interestingly, however, is that it seem this new iteration has a handy screen grab feature that hasn’t made an appearance until now — namely, the native ability (under QuickTime) to “record” your on-screen activities.

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04.04.09Apple accepting entries for Apple Design Awards 2009

appledesignawards2009.jpgThink you’ve got the best iPhone app out there? Best Mac OS X program? Well, if you’re an Apple Developer Connection (ADC) member or registered iPhone developer, from now through May 4th you can now submit your app for consideration in the Apple Design Awards 2009. The “best designed applications” will be honored at this year’s WWDC, to be held June 8-12 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA.

From Apple’s website:

The Apple Design Awards reward and celebrate technical excellence, innovation, and outstanding achievement in iPhone and Mac software development. Each year, winning products set new standards for usability, performance, technology integration and adoption. This year’s winners will raise the bar even higher.

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03.27.09Apple and AT&T make further offers to clear stock of iPhones

Apple and AT&T make further offers to clear stock of iPhonesMatching a similar move from carrier AT&T to offer contract-free iPhones, Apple has confirmed that it is also offering iPhones to customers who request them without contract. The pricing is the same as that offered by AT&T—$599 for the 8GB model or $699 for the 16GB model. Unlike AT&T, which is limiting the purchases to just one phone for current AT&T customers, Apple has stated there are no limits on quantity for the contract-free pricing. The phones are still locked to AT&T for wireless service.

Additionally, AT&T has authorized agents to extend subsidized pricing of $199 for an 8GB iPhone or $299 for a 16GB iPhone to existing AT&T customers still under contract if they sign a new two-year agreement. Retail employees can apparently offer the subsidy for customers that have as much as 10 months left on a current contract, or even more if the customer has an account in good standing and is a long-term subscriber.

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01.25.09New MacBook and MacBook Pro review

 

Way back in the hazy salad days of 2001, Apple worked up a bold revamp of its flagship laptop line, the Powerbook. The company, in the pursuit of stronger, lighter, more attractive materials, moved from the black plastic casings it had used for its G3 computers to a sleek titanium shell. It was the onset of a new era in Macs. The basic look was clean and simple: squared edges, a roomy and functional layout, a matching pair of stereo speakers to either side of the keyboard, a consistent silver coloring throughout. In 2003, the company refined this design, replacing the titanium with lighter-weight aluminum and heralding in one of the most recognizable and persistent pieces of industrial design in the computer industry. The MacBook Pro (as it became known) has remained largely unchanged in the five years of its existence — in fact, the look and feel of the laptop has become such a staple of the Apple lineup that it’s almost as representative of the company as the Apple logo itself. But five years (or seven in the long view) is an awful long time to see one design, and the user outcry for significant updates has been nearly constant.

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