Guide

Stellar gifts for software Scrooges

If you're not sure what to give this holiday season, consider software. The benefits are compelling--here's a chance to connect hobbyist users with top programs they'll love, but may not buy on their own. Sponsoring a download for a friend or family member does you a favor, too, by avoiding the dense, grasping crowds at the electronics store and easing your worry that a boxed product bought online may arrive too late. Did we mention all the resources you save by ditching factory-made packaging?

Now that you're thoroughly convinced software downloads are the way to go, … Read more

Native VNC (remote Mac/PC control) for the iPhone: now usable

VNC on the iPhone is a thing of beauty, allowing you to view the screen of and control your Mac or PC. Unfortunately, solutions up to this point have been clunky: Web-based monstrosities that respond poorly even on a fast WiFi connection or native applications that are error-prone when attempting to scroll around the screen or perform any worthwhile control. Now VNSea, a native iPhone VNC client extant for some time, has matured to the point where it is usable.

The change in functionality that affords this new-found usability seems insignificant: "double-tapping on the system status bar will now … Read more

Gift guide: What Web addicts want

We bet you know someone who does everything online, from banking to making friends, to kicking back. If you're stuck trying to find great gifts for the constant blogger, video vulture, or online socialite in your life, take a look at this virtual gift guide that shows you get it, and you care.

GarageBand 4.1.1 allows creation of custom iPhone ringtones

With yesterday's release of GarageBand 4.1.1, you can now "export your original song, your original audio recordings, or use Apple Loops and iLife jingles to create a custom ringtone for your iPhone," according to Knowledge Base article #307108.

The process requires GarageBand 4.1.1 or later, iTunes 7.5 or later and an iPhone with software version 1.1.2 or later.

Apple says that to create the ringtone, you need to "set up a cycle region that covers the area you wish to use in the GarageBand song. Note: This area must … Read more

Simple music streaming from Mac or PC to iPhone

Aptly named Simplify Media recently launched a native third-party iPhone application that can stream music from any enabled Mac or PC (also running the Simplify Media software) directly to the iPhone over a WiFi or EDGE connection. Once you've made your iPhone ready accept third-party applications, the process for setting up Simplify Media is, well, simple:

Download Simplify Media for Mac OS X or Windows. Launch the application on your Mac or PC and select the option to setup a new user account. Enter a username and password. Simplify Media should automatically select your iTunes music folder. If not, … Read more

"Low disk space" error with third-party iPhone apps, fix

If you're using an iPhone running software/firmware 1.1.2 or iPod Touch and have installed several third-party applications, you may begin receiving an error message that states "Warning: You are running out of disk space. Please delete some photos or videos," even though there is still significant storage space on the device.

Here's what's actually happening: the iPhone (or iPod Touch) places a low, artificial size limit on its /Applications directory, which is reached after installing a number of third-party apps. In order to get around this problem, you need to store your … Read more

Use the iPhone with Mac OS X 10.4.9 and earlier

The iPhone, by default, requires 10.4.10 or later. However a poster to the Hackintosh forums, "JSN1", has created a utility that allows the iPhone to mount on and interact with systems running Mac OS X 10.4.9 and earlier, as long as they are running iTunes 7.3 or later. The tool works by modifying the file SystemVersion.plist, essentially tricking various software (including iTunes) into thinking that the system is running a newer version of Mac OS X.

Problems might ensue when trying to sync and otherwise operate the iPhone with Mac OS X … Read more

MMS application for the iPhone debuts: Installation and usage instructions

Developer Tommy Svensson has debuted an unofficial MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) application for the iPhone, partially fulfilling one of the biggest feature requests for the device. The tool allows you to send (but not receive) MMS messages via the iPhone using a variety of service providers. Though we haven't been able to make it work on an AT&T-locked iPhone in-house, other users have reported success with AT&T and other carriers.

To install, the application, you first need to jailbreak your iPhone and prepare it for third-party application installation via our guide (make sure you install … Read more

Complete guide to iPhone jailbreaking and applications

We've updated our Applications page with complete instructions for jailbreaking every iteration of iPhone firwmare/software, using Installer.app to install/uninstall applications and add new sources, and what to do if you'd like to restore your iPhone to default state.

GroceryGuide: Local food deals and sales database extraordinaire

Now here's a Web app that could save you money on something you're bound to be doing on a weekly basis: buying food. GroceryGuide takes all the data from weekly grocery sales circulars and makes them available online in one large database. Similar to some of the aggregation sites that do this with electronics deals, you can either browse by store, or create a list of three items you'd like to search for from up to two different local stores at a time. If you find an item you like, you can then add it to a … Read more