Tag: Mac

All Things Mac

uTime 1.1.1 for OS X Now Available!

~ Matthew Jagiela

uTime App Icon
uTime 1.1.1 is now being pushed to the Mac App Store! Here is the official changelog:

What’s New:

Version 1.1.1(Current):

-Fixed issue where app would launch incorrectly (Blank Screen)

-Fixed issue where the change timer field was incorrect for the current timer.

-Removed web labels due to the fact they were causing more problems… Working on that fix… Check web support for info on the newest version.

So yes the labels have been removed except for what version running because it was producing terrible results and the fixes were more important than the labels. When I figure out the fix then I will add them back.

That’s it for this update. Enjoy!

Download uTime for OS X

uTime for OS X 1.1/iOS 1.3 Now Available!

~ Matthew Jagiela

uTime App Icon

Less than a week after launching uTime for OS X there is a new update for both the OS X version and the iOS version of uTime. uTime for iOS and OS X bring much needed improvements and features one would expect from a countdown app. The changelog for uTime for iOS is:

What’s New (iOS):
1.3(Current)
Introducing Notifications! This took a long time to implement, in fact I have been working on this since uTime launched… However I finally found the best way to make it work.
-Notifications will happen with all timers past the current date on startup.
-After adding a new timer you must adjust the countdown time for it to send a notification.
-Notifications work with timers on iCloud!
-Notifications will play the default sound on iOS.
-Notifications are local… They will work even when the device is offline!
-When adding a New Timer it will be added as “New iOS Timer”
-Fixed issue where the app would crash on launch due to array issues.

Along with this the official new name for uTime in the iOS App Store is uTime Universal to go along with our other apps (uFail Universal, uSurf Universal, and now uTime Universal).

However the updates don’t stop with iOS as uTime for OS X’s first update is being pushed along side uTime for iOS!

The changelog for uTime for OS X is as follows:

Version 1.1(Current): (OS X)
-Notifications! Just like the iOS Counterpart Notifications have come to uTime For OS X!
-Notifications will happen with all timers past the current date on startup.
-After adding a new timer you must adjust the countdown time for it to send a notification.
-Notifications work with iCloud Timers!
-Made it so the window is centered on launch(If not resumed).
-Made it so when launching the App it shows on top…
-Fixed issue where app would be a large blank screen on launch…
-Fixed issue where the countdown time would not update.
-App will now quit by hitting the red X!

That’s it for the updates. I know notifications were much needed and I am happy to finally implement them on both iOS and OS X!

Remember as a note you must change the timer after adding one for the notification to fire… This is due to the fact you dont want it to notify you right there when you add it! Changing the time will also change the notification time… Also you must open the App for iCloud timers to notify you on that device!

Remember to check out the pages: uTime/uTime Support/uTime OS X/uTime OS X Support

Download uTime for iOS / Download uTime for Mac

Apple gives developers Mountain Lion 10.8.2 focuses on Facebook and Messages

~ Matthew Jagiela ~ Leave a comment

20120823-174415.jpg

Apple today gave mac developers a little love by giving them OS X 10.8.2. The update focuses on Facebook integration and more of what I was hoping for Messages integration across devices. This update will allow you to have iMessages that go to your phone number to go to your Mac too. All you need to do is sign into an iCloud account and if your phone number is registered with it then you are good all though I had to switch it on in the settings. So go get downloading if you haven’t.

[Mac Developer Center]

OS X Mountain Lion Review

~ Matthew Jagiela ~ Leave a comment

Today is the day where you can finally get your hands on the newest greatest version of Mac Software, OS X Mountain Lion. Fortunatly I have had the software ever sense it was announced so I am going to tell you what’s good and bad. So lets get started.

Good: Messages

One of the things that first surfaced when iMessage was announced in iOS 5 is when was it going to be implemented into the Mac. Well mountain Lion brings that functionality. Messages replaces iChat but still has all the same features just with the addition of having all your conversations in one window and having the ability to send iMessages to every iOS 5+ device. Remember if you have the messages BETA tomorrow it will expire forcing you to upgrade to Mountain Lion for the feature.

★★★★

Good: Reminders

One of the things that a student or business man needs is a ToDo list. I will be using this app for the course of the upcoming school year. The reminders app for mac is great. All you need to do is add a what you need to do and when it needs to be done by and your done. You can also tell your reminder to go off when you leave or when you arrive somewhere. However that feature is more for iOS device syncing to your 36/LTE iPad or iPhone not your mac. The cross platforming will make sure you will get what you need to get done, well done. Notifications will also remind you to get done the item you added.

★★★★

Good: Notes

One of the things that bothered me when MobileMe and iCloud syncing came out was that you needed to go into the Mail app to get to them and syncing was TERRIBLE. Not only is the new Notes App easy to use it works very well also! It will sync automatically with iCloud throughout your iCloud enabled devices. You can also add Photos and bullet points into the application! Over all I really like it for Mountain Lion but I would love to see you be able to add photos and bullets to iOS.

★★★★

OK:Airplay Mirroring

One of the things I was really excited about was the addition of airplay mirroring for the Mac in Mountain Lion, however I have an early 2011 2nd GEN Macbook Air as my latest model with no intention of upgrading anytime soon and I was very disappointed that my Mac was not supported. Something with the processor but I bet it will be great for users who could take advantage of it but I have a feeling it will be very lagy for some which is ok. I hope maybe someday Apple will allow older Macs to be able to take advantage of this feature (one can dream).

★★★

Good: Game Center

I like game center on iOS I really do. I think that when Game Center for the mac get’s applications that are ready for it then it will be amazing. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to see how good it is so I can’t really give it a star count but I will be able to give it a rating when I get some apps that support it but I think it is going very far and will have an impact on Mac gaming.

iCloud Storage

iCloud storage was teased about a year ago and we never got it. However in Mountain Lion they gave it to the text edit app. Hopefully soon enough if not tomorrow they will update iWork so we can start having data throughout our devices. I can say across Macs with text edit iCloud storage worked very well for me though and I can’t wait to see it get into iWork so I can have my documents everywhere I go.

★★★★

Good: Notification Center

 One of the things that I really like about mountain lion is the notifications and the notification center. Taken from iOS all you need to do to access notification center is take to fingers and slide them from the very right of your trackpad and swipe left or hit the notification button in the top right of the screen! You can also hit the tweet button and send a tweet to twitter and eventually to Facebook!

★★★★

Really Bad: No more X11

x11 is used by many popular cross platform conversions from Windows. One of the most popular applications being GIMP. One of the thing’s Apple has done is totally removed X11 from Mac so GIMP and other applications that use x11 will not work and will have to be written natively unless there is a work around.

NO STARS

OK: GateKeeper

One of the things Apple added for security in Mountain Lion is Gate Keeper and new security measurements. From now on your Mac running Mountain Lion will check with Apple daily for security updates. Also with Gate Keeper you can only allow App store Apps, signed Apps from registered development companies, or software from anywhere. It is only ok because it shows that the Mac may start to be restricted from outside developers eventually but overall I like how Apple is handling security with this.

★★★★

Summary

Mountain Lion is the best operating system Apple has released for the Mac so far and with software updates coming to use many of the new features some we don’t even know about will make the entire OS better. For only $20 it is a great upgrade for your Mac as you will have security, new features, and even more. However if you want to upgrade but one of these features is a deal breaker later today I will have a video on how to make another disk partition for Mountain Lion and can keep your current OS.

Final Score ★★★★

Apple Launches iCloud Beta to developers with improved Calendar, Notes, Reminders, and Find My iPhone

~ Matthew Jagiela ~ Leave a comment

Today Apple launched a beta site for iCloud.com where developers can test the new web features. The new features include Calendar improvements, the addition of notes and reminders, and improvements to the Find my iPhone application. To be able to get in you must have an iOS iCloud account running on iOS 6 beta or I believe an iCloud account running on OS X Mountain Lion. If you have an iCloud account with those then head to beta.icloud.com and sign in!

Apple Releases OS X Security Test Update for Mountain Lion

~ Matthew Jagiela ~ Leave a comment

Yesterday Apple released a Security Update test for OS X Mountain Lion Preview 4(2). The update is an astonishing 1.18GB and has the following updates:

  • Daily Checks for required security updates
  • The ability to install required security updates automatically or after restarting your mac
  • A more secure connection to Apple’s update servers

So if you are running Mountain Lion beta 4 then go and get the update! Or wait for the push notification saying it was installed and you need to restart your mac! Happy downloading.

Angry Birds Space Review

~ Matthew Jagiela ~ Leave a comment

Angry birds space was released last week and just like every other Angry Birds game it has risen to the top of the App store. However how great is the newest game? You might not like it just a fair warning.

Gameplay

The gameplay of this game is great. It is less challenging than the other Angry Birds games in my opinion. You have to deal with gravity fields and floating rocks in outer space to get through the levels. You even get some new birds that would have been more useful in the other games than this one. The gameplay is great but again sort of simple and the birds are basic modifications of the old birds.

The Good

The good thing is Angry Birds space will keep you entertained for a while anyways but I will get to that later. The levels are a little more challenging with the gravitational pull. I like the new birds for the space theme too.

The Bad

The thing that saddens me the most with this installment is that I see more bad than good with it. The birds are the same thing just with one variation of the yellow speed bird which is now a purple speed that has aim. The only new bird I can see is the ice bird turning blocks into ice so you can destroy them.

So much payed content. You payed for the game right? Wrong! You payed for maybe about half of the game. You get 2 sets of levels and then you need to pay extra for more sets of levels. Rivio do you really need the money cause I refuse to pay for more levels.

Conclusion

It seems Angry Birds has plummeted into a way just to make some more money for the company and the people who created it. I honestly don’t love it. It is too obsessed with getting you to spend more and more without offering anything new. It is fun for a couple of hours until you have to pay for the extra levels…. I don’t say it is a must have because it is the same as every other Angry Birds Game.

[iPhone $1] [iPad $3] [Mac $5]