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Filed under: Beta Beat

Want to see something scary this Halloween? Like, perhaps, a browser that doesn't coddle you with all that silly stability and reliable performance? Feel like spending a little time on the bleeding edge? You too can taste the future (which, I am told, has a distinctive metallic tang) by downloading the first public beta of Firefox 3.6, now featured over at the Mozilla developer blog.

The next release of the open-source browser includes more flexible video options, better Javascript performance, updated font support and single-click appearance customization through the Personas skinning system. You can read more about the 3.6 changes from a web development perspective here.

The Mac version requires Mac OS X 10.4 or higher, and you can get it from the beta download page. Happy surfing!

TUAWBeta version of Firefox 3.6 for Mac now available originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Odds and ends, Steve Jobs, Apple

Update: As our loyal commenters have pointed out, Gizmodo (which was among the first sites to report that Clow was changing roles, echoing a piece in the industry journal Advertising Age) has followed up with an internal email from Clow where he says Miller's promotion does not imply that Clow is stepping away from his own leadership role with the company, including "keeping an eye on Apple."

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When many people think of Apple, they think of the ad campaigns that the company has used over the years:

• The original "1984" Super Bowl ad that introduced the Mac to the world
• The "Think Different" campaign that coincided with the return of Steve Jobs to the company
• The iPod dancing silhouettes
• "There's an app for that" -- the iPhone ads
• "Hello, I'm a Mac. And I'm a PC." -- the Get A Mac ads

Apple's advertising agency is TBWA / Media Arts Lab, and the person who has been the creative force behind all of these ads is a man by the name of Lee Clow. The 66 year-old Clow has decided to step down as chief creative officer at the agency, although he'll remain chairman and global director of Media Arts Lab and fulfill other roles within TBWA.

Clow's replacement is no stranger to Apple. Duncan Milner is currently the executive creative director on the Apple account and is considered by many in the advertising industry to be the perfect replacement for Clow, a close friend of Steve Jobs.

TUAWApple's ad man changes roles, but another Apple fan will take his place originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A pair of 3% discount coupons on Apple's new MacBook and iMac product lines are set to expire at midnight tonight, and AppleInsider has been told that they're unlikely to return until sometime next year.

Apple has revamped the iMac with a huge, cinematic 16:9 27" screen, fast CPU options, standard wireless keyboard and Magic Mouse, a staggering 16GB RAM capacity, and a new video input feature.

Filed under: iPod Family, Internet Tools, iPhone, App Review

We're a pretty AIM-based blog around these parts. The fact that Weblogs, Inc. is owned by AOL may or may not play a role in that. Regardless, we TUAWians spend a lot of time in AIM chat rooms. The App Store's lack of AOL chat room support has been a real burden when we're out on the road with iPhones.

I was delighted when a recent tweet put me in contact with Björn Teichmann, author of the iPhone IRC application Rooms [iTunes link]. Rooms, claimed Teichmann, could bring AOL chat rooms to our iPhones.

Teichmann sent over a promo code for his app, which normally retails for $1.99, and spent a few hours getting me up to speed on AOL chat rooms using his software. Let me explain: It's not that setting things up ended up being difficult to accomplish, but rather there weren't a lot of clear and available instructions for doing so. What Teichmann worked out over those hours was a somewhat reliable way to access AOL chat rooms via IRC.

Read on to learn more about his solution...

Continue reading Bitlbee and Rooms: Accessing AIM Chat Rooms from your iPhone

TUAWBitlbee and Rooms: Accessing AIM Chat Rooms from your iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, iTunes, Apple TV

As we learned yesterday, not everyone loves the update to Apple TV.

For me, however, the upgrade was an improvement to an adequate piece of hardware -- when it chose to work. By mid-afternoon, I was listening to classical music being streamed over Internet radio, and I was very happy with the Apple TV for the most part. The flagship new features -- iTunes Extras and iTunes LPs -- were finicky and hard to work. Trying to navigate through iTunes Extras was akin to herding cats. When it works, it's fantastic. When it doesn't, you want to hurl something at the wall.

I'm quite the opposite of fellow blogger Steve Sande when it comes to the Apple TV. I chose the device over getting cable back in February. I promptly did the hacks to open up the USB port and utilize Boxee (with Hulu) and XBMC. Please note that these hacks will be wiped when you upgrade to 3.0.

I frequently use it because it became the perfect home for streaming content from first an external hard drive, then my new iMac. I'm an anime fan, and used the chance to rip my DVDs to my hard drive and have all the episodes in one place. It's very nice not to have to get up and change DVDs after every 3-4 episodes. I also stream YouTube content and play music over it.

Here's a look at some of the new features:

Continue reading I heart my Apple TV, but as for 3.0 ...

TUAWI heart my Apple TV, but as for 3.0 ... originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Software, iPhone, App Review

Voice on the Go has been out for quite a long time, and I'm surprised we never reviewed it. Imagine getting your emails and texts read to you while you drive, and creating and sending emails and texts while never touching your cellphone. Recently a friend suggested I give it a try, so I did and found there was actually a new iPhone app [iTunes link] that supported it.

Here's what Voice on the Go is all about. You sign up, choose a local number to connect to them, and assign yourself a 4 digit password. If you live in a smaller town and there isn't a number for Voice on the Go you can call any of the numbers. If you're on a national cell plan there won't be any extra cost.

You then go to the Voice on the Go website and put in your email details, and you can upload a CSV file that contains your contacts. This is much easier if you have an iPhone, so more on that later.

Once you are set up and in the car, you can call Voice on the Go, and an automated attendant will ask for your passcode. You'll then be told if you have any emails or SMS messages. You can listen to them, skip them, delete them, or the really nice feature, you can respond to them. You do it all by voice, with simple and obvious commands.

You dictate your mail, and the Voice on the Go software turns it into text and sends it off to the proper destination. As an added feature, your email gets an audio attachment so the person can listen to what you said.

How accurate is the transcription? Very. I sent about a dozen emails and every word was correct. That was calling from a noisy moving car using the Bluetooth speakerphone. A couple of times, when I was on a rough patch of road and issued a command, the attendant would ask me to repeat something, but the system always got it on the second try.

Continue reading Voice on the Go makes your cellphone safer in the car

TUAWVoice on the Go makes your cellphone safer in the car originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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