• apple,  ios,  mac os x

    Apple Announced WWDC ’14

    Apple has announced the dates for this year’s WWDC ’14 will be held June 2 – 6.

    This year, Apple has changed the procedure for getting tickets for the event.  This year, iOS and OS X developer who want to attend this year’s WWDC, can submit their information and Apple will randomly select people to purchase tickets on April 7 at 10:00am.  Developers will be contacted by 5:00pm PDT to be informed if they were selected to purchase tickets.

    While some people maybe put off by a random lottery as the way to dole out tickets to this year’s WWDC, but in my opinion, this is really the only fair way to go about it.  WWDC tickets sold out well under 10 minutes laster year, locking out many developers from attending.  This year’s lottery gives everyone an equal chance to attend.

    Tickets to this year’s event will cost $1599 and the registration and payment for developers selected for the opportunity to purchase tickets must be complete by April 14 at 5:00pm PDT.

    For more information, visit the Apple WWDC ’14 website.

  • apple,  flexibits,  ios,  ipad,  productivity

    Fantastical for iPad Now Available

    After last month’s teaser, Flexibits has released Fantastical 2 for iPad!

    //platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    Fantastical 2 for iPad is everything you love about Fantastical on your Mac or iPhone now on the iPad’s larger canvas.  This is really great news because I’m not really a fan of Apple’s iOS Calendar app in it’s new iOS 7 minimalist design.
    Unfortunately, Flexibits did not make Fantastical 2 a universal app, which means you will need to buy copies for your iPhone and iPad separately.
    Fantastical 2 for iPad is on sale now in the App Store for $9.99 and is compatible with any iPad running iOS 7.0 and later.
  • apple,  ios,  mac os x,  mac os x server

    MacWorld Explains the SSL Bug in Apple Operating Systems

    MacWorld Magazine does a fantastic job describing the SSL security bug that was recently discovered in iOS and OS X.

    “News of a serious vulnerability within Apple’s implementation of a key encryption technology has been making the rounds this weekend. Read on to find out more about what the flaw is, and how it affects you.”

    Read more at MacWorld.com

  • apple,  ios,  ipad,  ipad mini,  iphone,  ipod touch,  mac,  mac os x,  mac os x server,  macbook air,  macbook pro

    Apple Continues SSL Security Fixes, OS X Patch Coming “Soon”

    Apple is continuing their push to deploy patches for their iOS and OS X operating systems to plug a hole in the way their devices handle SSL security.

    Late on Friday evening, an update appeared on my third-generation Apple TVs presumably to address the same SSL patch.  After applying the update, both of Apple TVs now show as having OS version 6.0.2 (6646.81.1) installed.

    In a statement to the Reuters news agency yesterday, Apple indicated that there would also be an updated made available for desktop and laptop computers running Mac OS X software.

    “We are aware of this issue,” said Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller,  “and already have a software fix that will be released very soon.”

    The defect in the security software could allow unauthorized access to documents, email, and other personal information stored on iOS devices and Mac OS X computers.  The revelation that these publicly unscheduled software updates shows how serious the SSL software defect really is and how responsive Apple is to ensuring their customer’s safety.

    Apple’s second and third-generation Apple TVs run a version of the company’s iOS software.  As previously noted, Apple deployed over-the-air updates to iOS 7.0.6 to current model iPhone, iPad and iPod touch owners, while iPhone 3GS and iPod touch fourth-generation owners received iOS 6.1.6.

    There also has been talk that these security vulnerabilities and/or weaknesses had be intentionally left in iOS and Mac OS X as a kind of “back door” for government agencies to use to snoop on American citizens.  I for one believe Apple CEO Tim Cook’s statements from earlier this year when he said that Apple has not worked with U.S. government to compromise the computer security of their customers.  I think the speed at which Apple has made these patches and rolled them out to customers confirms that.

    Apple’s latest security patch information can be found on the Apple support website.

    [Via Reuters.com…]

  • apple,  ios,  ios 7,  ipad,  ipad mini,  iphone,  ipod touch

    Apple Rolls Out iOS 7.0.6

    Earlier today, Apple released what you might consider an “unscheduled” iOS update, iOS 7.0.6.

    According to the notes provided in the summary screen, iOS 7.0.6 is a security fix for SSL connections.

    It doesn’t look like the release notes have been replicated around to Apple’s servers because I wasn’t able to find mention of iOS 7.0.6 on the referenced Apple Support page.  One can assume, however, that this update will be rolling out for current supported models of iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches.

    Update

    9to5Mac has a note on their iOS update article that says Apple also rolled out iOS 6.1.6  to update the iPhone 3GS and fourth generation iPod touch handsets.  After upgrading my iPod touch 4th-generation, it now lists iOS at version 6.1.6 (10B500).

  • ios,  ipad,  iphone,  ipod touch

    Play NES Games On Your iPhone

    A new web-based emulator or iOS devices that allows you to play old Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES, on your iOS device.
    From iDownloadBlog:

    This is downright amazing. Somebody has put together a website that allows you to play NES ROMs directly from Mobile Safari, no jailbreak required. The website, which is called webNES, allows users to link a Dropbox account to load their favorite NES ROMs and play them right from the browser.”


    [Via iDownloadBlog.com…]
  • ios,  ipad,  iphone,  productivity,  workflow

    Readdle Scanner Pro for iOS Free This Week

    Yup, you read that right!  As part of Apple’s iOS App of the Week promotion, you can snag a copy of Readdle’s Scanner Pro, normally $6.99, for free this week.

    Scanner Pro is one of those applications where it looks cool, but I wasn’t sure if it would fit into my workflow.  Now, with Scanner Pro free this week only, I don’t have to worry about paying the relatively ‘expensive’ $6.99 to find out.

    I downloaded Scanner Pro and tested it out.  It’s super simple to use. You install it, configure iCloud sync support, and then take your first scan.  It’s that easy.

    Once you’ve ‘scanned’ your document, you can send it on to be printed or faxed (who’s still using fax anyway?) or uploaded to a WebDAV server, Dropbox, Evernote, or Google Drive.  You can also send your scanned document on as an email attachment.

    If you like to use productivity apps on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, you will want to grab a copy of Readdle Scanner Pro this week!

    For more details, visit the iOS App Store.

    [Via AppleInsider.com…]

  • android,  content server,  dcm everywhere,  enterprise connect,  ios,  livelink

    Livelink Upgrades Through the Years

    After having attended last week’s OpenText Enterprise World 2013, I though it would be fun to take a look back at the upgrade path of the various versions of Content Server.

    Content Server wasn’t always “Content Server.”  It has also been known as “Enterprise Server”, or for us old timers, “Livelink”.
    I started with Livelink 3.1.16.  The software was delivered on 3.5″ 1.4MB floppy disks in 16 and 32-bit flavors.
    For the next upgrade, Livelink 4.0.1, I made the jump to CD media.  Life was good back then – no more floppy disks!  Check out that OpenText logo.  This version of Livelink was pretty heavily customized and we skipped Livelink 5 and 6.
    For Livelink 7.0.1 I shifted technology platforms from Digital’s OpenVMS and Sybase Adaptive Server Enterprise (ASE) to Windows NT Server 4.0 and SQL Server 6.5.  For the upgrade to Livelink 7.2, I started pulling out the customizations.
    Next up as Livelink 8.0.1, 8.0.2, and 8.1.5.  This would be the last media set that would sport the old Odesta “sun” imagery as seen on the right side of the CD media.
    Next up was the Livelink 9-series.  Shown here is Livelink 9.0.0, 9.1.0 SP1, and 9.1.0 SP3.  Yes, there was something before Livelink 9.7.1!
    Here’s Livelink 9.2.0.  Did anyone actually convert to UTF-8 for this release?  I tried it and couldn’t get it to work with the command line tools.
    For Livelink 9.5, the name changed to Livelink ECM, or Enterprise Content Management.  The logo and corporate imaging also changed.  This would be the last physical disc I would receive from OpenText.
    After Livelink 9.5, it became trendy to call Livelink “Enterprise Server” for the Livelink 9.7.1 release.  Livelink 9.7.1 was the first all digital release for me, and I downloaded all of the software from the OpenText Knowledge Center.  And that UTF-8 conversion?  Much easier with the UTF-8 conversion module.
    With Livelink 9.7.1 installed and patched up, a year later the Records Management modules were installed.
    A year ago, I completed the upgrade from Livelink 9.7.1 with Livelink Explorer 4.8.6 to Content Server 10.0.0 Update 7 and Enterprise Connect 10.2.1.  There were lots of problems with Enterprise Connect, so earlier this year, I upgrade to Content Server 10.0.0 SP2 Update 9 and Enterprise Connect 10.3.0 Patch 1.
    For 2014 I’m working on the Content Server 10.5.0 and Enterprise Connect 10.5 upgrade and a rollout of ECM Everywhere 10.0.0 for iOS and Android clients.
  • backblaze,  ios,  iphone,  mac,  mac os x,  pc,  software,  windows

    Backblaze – Effortless Backups for Mac OS X and Windows PC

    I’ve been listening to the Accidental Tech Podcast and The Talk Show for sometime now and one recurring sponsor, Backblaze, caught my attention.

    Backups are boring and nobody likes doing them.  But, when disaster strikes, everyone wishes they had one.  And that is where Backblaze comes in.  Backblaze, with it’s great team of people, including some ex-Apple employees, is an elegant backup solution that takes minutes to setup and gives you the piece of mind that lets you sleep at night.

    Installation and Setup

    Blackblaze works with Mac OS X 10.5 and later, Windows XP (32-bit), Windows Vista (32 & 64-bit), Windows 7 (32 & 64-bit), and Windows 8.  You download and install a small client application on your computer.  After the easy installation processes, it’s time to configure your backup.  You simply select which hard drive(s) you want to back up, select any folders that you want to exclude from the backup, and set your backup schedule.

    For me, I’m backing up my MacBook’s main hard drive.  I’ve excluded my iTunes movies folder because I can redownload most content from Apple.  I want to make sure that I always have the most current version of my documents backed up all of the time, so I selected the default back up schedule of “Continuously (Recommended)”.  If your installation is anything like mine, you’ve spent about 10-15 minutes setting up the software.

    What I really liked about the client installation is that is a real native application for Mac OS X.  It’s not a warmed over Java application that runs equally poorly on all of the support platforms.  I also appreciate that the developers have made this a “real” Mac application – one with the same look and feel that makes you believe that the application belongs on your computer.

    Be Productive, We Got This

    But you might be thinking, “Ya, but I have a lot of data.  This is gonna cost an arm and a leg.”  Here’s another thing that sets Backblaze apart from other online backup solutions: They will back up all of your data.  All of it.  Got 500MB? No problem.  Got 2TB?  No problem.  You just pay your monthly flat rate fee and Backblaze will back up all of your data.  The software throttles the data streaming back to their data center so get to you keep working the same way you always have.  Continuous backups run in the background keeping your data safe.  Based on my ISP upstream connection and the amount of data I have, my initial backup has been estimated to run about 42 days.  (I don’t keep my Mac on 24×7.  Your milage will vary.  When I last checked, the initial backup is projected to be completed in 22 days.)

    With Backblaze, backups really are a “no brainer” and once the software is setup and running, you can forget about it and just do what you do best.

    Hassle Free Recovery

    When disaster does strike, you won’t have to worry about getting your data back because Backblaze makes recovery super easy.  If you accidentally deleted a folder, overwrote that important document or photo, or had a hard drive crash? Getting your data back is easy.  Login to the Backblaze website and select the computer that had the file.  Backblaze gives you four options for recovering your data: Single file download, multi-document .zip file download, restored data on a USB flash drive, or restored data on a USB hard drive.  The first two options are free, the flash drive option is $99 with a 53GB file maximum, and the hard drive option costs $189 for up to 3TB of data.

    To help with your data recovery, the web UI data restore console allows you to navigate the folder structure on your hard drive or search for files/folders.  Have an iPhone?  Don’t forget to download the Backblaze iOS app.  With it, you can download individual files right to your iOS device.  That’s really handy if you need to look up some information that is back at home or the office when you’re out or at a customer site.

    It’s aways a drag when a hard drive or computer dies.  But there is nothing more infuriating when the data loss is due to a stolen computer.  If you enable the feature, Backblaze has a Locate My Computer feature that can be used to locate your computer based on it’s network connection.  It’s a nice little bonus at no additional charge.

    Plan Pricing

    The personal plan that I selected is $5/month, but you can get down as low as $3.96/month if you pre-pay for two years of service up front. You can change your subscription plan at any time.  Business plans are $50/year per computer.

    Conclusion

    No body likes to run backups on their computer.  With Backblaze, backups are super simple and easy to setup.  When you need to, Backblaze makes it easy to get your data back a hassle free process.  If there is only one software service you buy this year, make it Backblaze.  You’ll be glad you did.

  • apple,  ios

    Rumor: iOS 7 To Arrive on Sept 10

    The blogosphere went nuts yesterday heightening the silly season chatter around Apple’s major overhaul of their mobile operating system, iOS 7, when Owen Williams of Owened.com posted what appears to be a leaked notice from Nuance that suggests that iOS 7 will be released the same day as Apple’s September 10 invitation only media event.

    According to Apple, iOS 7 will be released “this fall” and is compatible with the iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, and iPhone 5, iPod touch 5th generation, iPad 2, iPad with Retina displays, and the iPad mini.

    September 10th is just 14 days away.

    [Via Owned.com…]