Mac Automation: Get to-dos sent to your mobile from iCal upon request

Filed under: Features, How-tos

Say you're out and about and realize that your iPhone doesn't display iCal to-dos. What do you do? You've got two options: (1) Panic, (2) Use this Automator workflow.

With this workflow, you will have access to all of your to-dos, even if you are not at your computer -- you just need access to your main email account. When you send an email to your email account, this script will run, sending you back your ToDo list from iCal.

Creating the Automator Workflow
To create the Automator workflow, you need to find the following Automator actions and drag them into the wor kflow area of Automator (in the same order):

1. Find iCal Items
   
2. New Mail Message
3. Send Outgoing Messages

Tweaking the workflow settings
In the "Find iCal Items" action, select "To Dos" from the "Find" drop-down menu. In the "Whose" section, select "Due Date" from the "From" box and "Today" from the second box. You can deviate from the instructions on this step and use the settings that allow you get the most use out of this workflow (for instance, you can select any interval of time you want, etc.).

In the "New Mail Message" action, enter your email address in the "To" field -- this is the address that your ToDo list will be sent to. Fill in a descriptive subject line like "My ToDo Items for Today" or something similar. Be sure to select an email account that your remote Mac can utilize.


Continue reading to learn how to complete this workflow and create the Mail rules.

[ Full story from The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) ]

Life.Lab's Colony brings location-specific art controller to the iPhone

Filed under: Software, Odds and ends, Freeware, Developer, Graphic Design

Colony is a new free application that showed up on the iPhone App Store just recently, but it won't do much of anything if you download it -- unless you're hooked up to the WiFi at the Life.Lab building in Digital Harbour in Melbourne, Austra lia. The app is actually part of an art installation by an artist named Troy Innocent, and was developed by Stewart Haines specifically to control the setup there in Melbourne.

It's a very interesting project -- while it doesn't mean much to anyone not in Digital Harbour, the idea of bringing the iPhone into a location-specific setup is intriguing. Haines has a nice page on his site that details the process of creating the app, and you get to not only see the thought behind the process, but some of the concepts and tech behind the app as well. Very cool.

There are lots of location-specific applications that have yet to be explored on the iPhone, most of them commercial (putting your order in while waiting in line at Starbucks, for instance). But Colony looks like a really thoughtful take on the idea -- I would say that it's too bad you have to go all the way to Australia to use it, but then again that's kind of the point.

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[ Full story from The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) ]

Netflix API open to all: let the developing begin

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

Good news, developers of the world -- the Netflix API will be open to all starting tomorrow. As of October 1st, absolutely anyone can self-signup by visiting the read link, and while details are a tad sketchy at the moment, it sounds like this could hold some serious promise. The API itself allows access to data for 100,000 movie and TV episode titles, is completely free and (most importantly) allows commercial use. In other words, it's kosher if a bright developer out there somewhere feels like "creating an iPhone app to sell for $0.99 (Netflix's words, not ours)." On the technical side, the API includes a REST API, Javascript API and ATOM feeds, and it also uses OAuth standard security "to allow the subscriber to control which applications can access the service on his or her behalf." It's time to get creative, folks.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments [ Full story from Engadget ]

Apple laptops gaining ground on Windows

Apple is making inroads in the portable laptop sector, so much so that even Microsoft-focused bloggers are noting that MacBooks are gaining ground on Windows laptops. eWeek Microsoft Watch blogger Joe Wilcox says that while 'Windows laptops are losing luster, Mac laptops are making surprising gains.' Mac laptops have moved to a 20-percent market share (for June/July brick-and-mortar sales), with a... [ Full story from MacNN | The Macintosh News Network ]

Beta: AIM for Mac Beta 1

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iPhone finally gets Notes support through Web app

A version of Lotus Notes from IBM is at last available for the iPhone as a free download from the App Store.

[ Full story from Macworld ]

ProClip custom iPhone mount organizes cables, swivels

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Apple executives granted $122 million in stock grants

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AOL brings AIM for Mac back from the dead

Mac users finally get the first updated version of AIM since 2004, but is it too late? [ Full story from CNET News.com ]

Report: Adobe talks Flash for the iPhone

Flashmagazine.com gets confirmation that Adobe is "actively developing" a Flash Player for the phone, but still needs a green light from Apple. [ Full story from CNET News.com ]

Audi A4 Driving Challenge 2.0 adds cars, graphics

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Apple threatens to shutter iTunes Store as music publishers look to hike royalty rates 66%

For five years, Apple's iTunes Music Store has been the Internet's most successful music store... [ Full story from MacDailyNews ]

Apple takes hard line on online music royalties

Apple is taking a hard stance on proposed increases to online music royalties, one which could threaten the very future of the iTunes Store, Fortune reports. The Copyright Royalty Board -- a panel of three judges which oversees licenses issued under federal copyright -- is scheduled to make a ruling on Thursday, on the subject of a proposal by the National Music Publishers' Association. Followin... [ Full story from MacNN | The Macintosh News Network ]

Apple threatens to shutter iTunes over proposed royalty hikes

Apple has threatened to close down its iTunes Store should regulators approve a royalty hike that would grant artists a 66 percent increase in commission for each song sold through online download services. [ Full story from AppleInsider ]

iPhone user histories at risk due to security flaw?

A feature inherent to the iPhone's graphical interface may pose a threat to users' privacy, reports claim. A data forensics expert, Jonathan Zdziarski, notes that iPhones can automatically capture a screenshot of every recent action performed by a person, such as checking e-mail or visiting a website. The images are said to be necessary only on a cosmetic basis, used to create the illusion of a ... [ Full story from MacNN | The Macintosh News Network ]

Kahney: Fantasizing About Apple's Brick [With Photos]

Inspired by Mike Elgan and concept photos of an OLPC, Leander Kahney at Cult of Mac started to dream about what the so-called MacBook touch (or "Brick") might look like

[ Full story from The Mac Observer ]

iPhone owner survey shows high satisfaction

A survey conducted by tech blog Technologizer showed that most iPhone owners are happy with their devices, though there is room for improvement.

[ Full story from Macworld ]

AOL Renews Interest in Mac with AIM Beta 1

As noted by Arstechnica, AOL has launched a beta of AIM for Mac. The new instant messaging client offers an alternative for iChat users. AOL says they have a commitment to the growing Mac market. Advantages listed include:

- ... [ Full story from MacRumors : Mac News and Rumors ]

Apple Threatens to Close iTunes Store Over Possible Royalty Hikes

According to Fortune, the Copyright Royalty Board in Washington D.C. is expected to rule on Thursday about a request by the National Music Publishers' Association to increase royalty rates for downloads from online music stores such as iTunes. The r... [ Full story from MacRumors : Mac News and Rumors ]

U.S. catches Europe in 3G mobile device adoption

The launch of the iPhone 3G has helped increase the number of U.S. subscribers with 3G-enabled devices, according to market-research firm comScore.

[ Full story from Macworld ]

Review: Instapaper for iPhone

Instapaper Free is a very good, low-frills app for downloading online articles and reading them at your leisure. Instapaper Pro is a first-class reader with gewgaws and gizmos of enormous convenience but debatable utility. Whichever one you pick comes down to personal taste, but you’ll be happy with either version.

[ Full story from Macworld ]

Apple executives awarded $122 million in stock grants

Apple last week granted more than $122 million in restricted stock-based compensation to members of its executive team for their current and future efforts in driving the company's success, regulatory filings with Securities and Exchange Commission show. [ Full story from AppleInsider ]

Collaboration via SAAS in a Time of Financial Chaos

Google, Microsoft, Apple, RIM and other bellwethers in the high-tech sector spit the bit on Black Monday. eWEEK wonders how enterprises can cut costs and finds out from Forrester and Gartner analysts that SAAS and Web-based messaging and collaboration tools from Cisco, Microsoft and IBM may get ringing endorsements from businesses looking to slash travel expenses via Web conferencing and phone bills via VOIP and enterprise instant messaging.
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Facebook 2.0 for iPhone lets you make new friends and more

Facebook has updated its iPhone application to version 2.0, adding a number of new features and improved performance and stability.

[ Full story from Macworld ]

Call of Duty 4 for Mac Now Available

The big news amongst Mac gamers this past week was the release of Call of Duty 4 for the Mac. The sequel to the popular first-person shooter has been available on PCs and gaming consoles since November of 2007, but the Mac version has only just been... [ Full story from MacRumors : Mac News and Rumors ]

Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands to get iPhone 3G in October

The iPhone 3G is coming to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands on October 17th.

[ Full story from Macworld ]

Apple Grabbing One in Every Three Retail Laptop Dollars

According to NPD, Windows laptops only had about an 80 percent market share in June and July at brick-and-mortar stores. In retail dollars, the share was only about 65 percent as the rest went mostly to Apple

[ Full story from The Mac Observer ]

Kroll game, debuted at WWDC, released for iPhone

Kroll, the side-scrolling action game first debuted at WWDC, has been released for the iPhone.

[ Full story from Macworld ]