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A new version of Twitterrific, the popular Twitter client for Mac OS X, was released today. The changelog details new features and improvements.
The most glaring change, however, has to be the monetization scheme: either you pay $15 for it or you get an ad in your tweet list every hour. If there ever was a desktop application that could function as well on an ad-supported model as websites can, Twitterrific is it. The ads fit in so seamlessly and they're so not bothersome that it feels like Iconfactory could have gotten away with more ads. But I'll stop before I give them any more ideas.
Technorati Tags: Twitter, Twitterrific, The Deck, ads, ad-supported, Iconfactory, software, OS X
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Less than a day since Steve Jobs announced that the iPhone would drop $200 to $399, Steve himself has posted an open letter to iPhone customers in which he states that Apple has decided "to offer every iPhone customer who purchased an iPhone from either Apple or AT&T, and who is not receiving a rebate or any other consideration, a $100 store credit towards the purchase of any product at an Apple Retail Store or the Apple Online Store."
This is an excellent move by Apple and quite possibly the best way they could have handled the PR nightmare that would have been the 250-500 thousand $599 iPhone owners. While it's not exactly $100 in my pocket, it is exactly $100 more than I would have expected to receive. Store credit doesn't cost Apple as much as face value, but it goes a long way to satisfy those customers that felt wronged (again, I don't consider myself in that group). In addition to the PR boost, Apple could also benefit from the incremental sales this $100 store credit would generate. As a prime example, I was looking to sell my iMac in anticipation of the refresh and to take advantage of the free iPod deal. Not having easily found a buyer and realizing that I didn't really need a new iMac, I gave up on the refresh. This newly-found $100, however, might just be enough to relight that fire under me and get me to buy a new iMac: Apple wins.
I applaud you, Apple. With actions like these, you will no doubt win many customers for life as you won me so long ago.
Technorati Tags: Apple, iPhone, price cut, Steve Jobs, open letter, Apple Store, PR
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Adium Reaches 1.0 (Martin Gordon's Blog (cptncelchu)) by Martin
My favorite OS X AIM client, Adium, has finally reached 1.0 after being in beta for over six months (I wrote about Beta 1 way back in July). I'm been using Adium since I first got a Mac way back in 2002, when Adium 1.6.2 ruled the world.
That's not a typo, the current, Adium X 1.0, is actually version 2.0. When the developers decided 2.0 would be a complete rewrite, they instead appended an "X" to the application's name and set their sights on a new 2.0.
I was just wondering when Adium would leave beta after receiving an upgrade notification for Beta 42 (!). Here are some of the major changes from 0.89 (the complete list is here):
- Added global user profile and buddy icon settings. (Personal Preferences)
- General Account improvements. Accounts can now be disabled when not in in use, and friends can now sign on from your Adium without saving their information.
- Added an Xtras manager for better browsing and removing of Xtras.
- Major improvements in privacy settings.
- Improvements to the default look and feel of Adium.
- iTunes integration is much faster, and updates as soon as the song changes.
- Redesigned Chat Transcript (Log) Viewer
- Optional dock-like hiding of the contact list
- Requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later (Universal Binary)
I doubt I'll see many day-to-day changes since I've been keeping up with the betas, but for those of you running 0.89, this is sure to be a worthwhile upgrade.
Technorati Tags: AIM, AOL, instant messaging, Mac, Apple, OS X, software, Cocoa, Adium, Adium X, MSN, Yahoo IM, Google Talk, Jabber
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To counteract the media frenzy Microsoft is unleashing to coincide with today's release of Windows Vista, Apple has quietly introduced 4 new flavors of iPod shuffle - blue, green, pink, and orange. Also new with this release is the inclusion of the new headphones that are standard with the 2G nanos and 5.5G iPods (the original shuffle came with the old-style headphones).
This marks the first time Apple has released an iPod in orange, and it's the color that has gotten the most talk in the online Mac community today, although it could be because AppleInsider was the first to have shots of the new shuffle and it happened to be an orange one.
The left side of my Apple in-ear headphones died again (that's the 3rd time) and I need to get them replaced. Hopefully Apple will replace them for free, but if not, a new shuffle is only a $30 upsell from the $40 in-ear headphones (or $40 from the regular headphones). That's not too bad, however unnecessary a shuffle might be at the moment…
Technorati Tags: Apple, iPod shuffle, shuffle, iPod, iTunes
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This CrunchGear post on a fake iPhone that popped up on eBay reminded me of something that happened to me yesterday: I dropped my Treo. It broke into three pieces (battery, phone and battery cover), and the phone suffered no damage, but it could have been much worse.
Had it been an iPhone that I dropped, I would have not been out a phone, but also (as Steve has pointed out) an iPod and an "internet communicator." Knowing Apple's stance on accidental damage, I would also have been out $600. Also considering the many other ways the phone could find its way apart from you, and the idea of diversifying risk becomes more and more appealing.
Now that the effects of the RDF (reality distortion field) have subsided, I've become less and less interested in the iPhone. I think Apple made a big mistake by not even taking pre-orders immediately after the announcement.
Technorati Tags: iPhone, FCC, eBay, iPod, fake, convergence, gravity, Treo, damage, warranty
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