I’ve been playing around with Screens 2.0 all day and I love it. The app allows you to connect your Mac or iOS device to another computer on the network, see its screen and interact with the computer. I tried it on my Mac and iPhone, but haven’t gotten around to the iPad yet, but I haven’t had a single problem. It took a couple of tries to nail the position of my finger when using the iPhone version, but that’s a minor user thing.
(Via The Loop.)
Apple has today announced the successor to its popular Mac OS Lion operating system, unveiling Mountain Lion, the ninth major release of its desktop platform which will bring more of its iOS features to the desktop.
Gone are traditional messaging apps like iChat, in comes Messages, Notes, Reminders and even Game Center for Mac, mimicking the iOS features on your iPhone and iPad, also delivering Notification Center, Share Sheets, Twitter integration and AirPlay.
If you wanted iOS on the desktop, you’re about to get it.
Apple has released the operating system as a developer preview, building iCloud support directly into the OS, making it easy to use and easy to operate with the integration of apps. As Apple works to fine-tune the platform, Mac users will be able to upgrade to Mountain Lion via the Mac App Store in ‘late summer 2012′.
“The Mac is on a roll, growing faster than the PC for 23 straight quarters, and with Mountain Lion things get even better,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “The developer preview of Mountain Lion comes just seven months after the incredibly successful release of Lion and sets a rapid pace of development for the world’s most advanced personal computer operating system.”
Below is an overview of Mountain Lion. We have referenced the great article by Jim Dalrymple & Peter Cohen over at The Loop to do so. Again, a big thanks to Jim once again for his assistance.
With iTunes Match finally released to us here in the UK, I signed up and have been using it for about a week now. Here’s my definitive guide to exactly what iTunes Match is, and what it isn’t; as well as a quick guide on how to upgrade all your matched songs to high quality 256kbs versions. Hopefully along the way I’ll answer any questions you have about the service too.
What Is iTunes Match, Really?
iTunes Match is cloud storage for up to 25,000 songs. Wherever possible, your music files are matched to a DRM-free, 256kbs high quality version on Apple’s server, if available. If not, your songs are uploaded as is.
You can overwrite your local, lower quality media, with higher quality 256kbs version from iTunes Match. And yes, this includes songs you have pirated, downloaded, borrowed off a mate, or ripped at a low quality from your own CDs. Bear in mind that a 256kbs file is going to be twice as large as one encoded at 128kbs though.
Once in the cloud, your entire music library is available to download or stream on up to 5 devices registered to your iTunes account.
Limitations
- Songs less than 96kbs cannot be matched.
- Only music and music videos are valid for matching – not audiobooks (there is a workaround with that if you classify audiobooks as media type: music and if they are ripped at 96kbs or better, they will be uploaded and stored in the cloud with every other track).
- Your ID3 tags will not be overwritten – if you have a track 01, iTunes will NOT automatically fix that for you. It will replace the audio with a higher quality version, but it will not give you missing tags, artwork, or lyrics. The meta-data associated with each song remains the same, even if it it’s broken. On the upside, this means your handcrafted ID3 tags won’t be replaced either.
- As mentioned, there is a 25,000 song limit, on up to 5 devices.
Getting Started
Once subscribed, you’ll see one of the following icons next to every track.
iTunes is then in the process of scanning your tracks to see which it has a match for.
Out of 7,400 songs in my library, it matched roughly 2,800 songs. The additional items took a total of about 4 days to fully upload, but you can start using everything else that has already uploaded in the meantime, and begin upgrading tracks that are eligible.
To Upgrade Songs to 256kbs Versions
This isn’t as easy as it should be, but basically you need to delete matched songs from iTunes, then download them from the cloud. The problem is figuring out which songs are eligible for an upgrade. To do this easily, create a new smart playlist with the following options:
- Media type – music
- Quality – less than 256kbs
- AND ANY OF THE FOLLOWING (option click on the + symbol to create this ANY rule)
- - iCloud Status is Purchased
- - iCloud Status is Matched
Any songs on this playlist are matched in the cloud and therefore a higher quality version is available to replace any you have locally. To trigger that upgrade, you need to delete those tracks from your library – by either right clicking and selecting delete or pressing option-delete.
When asked if you’d like to delete the tracks from iCloud too, make sure you DON’T. However, do move them to the trash / delete from your local computer. The tracks won’t disappear from the list though, instead they’ll be there still but with an iCloud download icon next to them. Highlight them again, right click, download.
Once downloaded, they’ll disappear from this smart playlist – that’s because they’ve been replaced with 256kbs versions, and therefore don’t match the list criteria anymore. Congrats, you’ve upgraded them. Continue for every other song on the list.
Note that this isn’t necessary for your iOS devices – they will automatically use the higher quality matched version when you attempt to stream or download to the device. This playlist is only to facilitate replacing the existing, lower quality songs on your computer.
Setting Up iTunes Match On iOS Devices
From the Settings -> Music menu, enable iTunes Match from the top of the list. You’ll be given a warning about the music on your device being replaced with iTunes Match. Continue.
Give it about 10 minutes to sync up with the cloud. Now when you launch the iPod / Music app, everything in your iCloud library will be there. If you still have some songs in the process of uploading, they’ll be greyed out.
You can either stream songs just by clicking to play them as usual (I experience about a 5 second lag before it starts sometimes), or you can download them to your device by clicking on the iCloud icon.
If you want to download a full playlist or genre, artist etc, just scroll down to the bottom of the list where you’ll see a button to download all.
Conclusion
I just upgraded about 2,800 songs to high quality 256kbs, legal DRM-free versions, which I can keep forever, legally. I can now stream my entire music collection to any of my iOS devices (including family if you share an iTunes store account). Of course, any music you add in the future to your library will also be automatically matched, if available, or uploaded if not. The library remains in sync across all devices. This is personal music streaming done right, and it’s even legal, which always gives me a nice fuzzy feeling inside.
What do you think of iTunes Match (assuming you’ve actually signed up)? For you, how does it compare to similar services like Google Music? Got any problems or questions about the service? Ask away in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer!
(Via MakeUseOf.com.)
Even if you think you’ve maxed out the usefulness of your iPad there’s still opportunities to squeeze even more utility out of it. Read on as we show you how to use your iPad as a supplementary monitor for your PC or Mac.
The iPad is an enormously useful little tablet computer but when you’re sitting at your desktop or laptop you can’t easily use it in tandem with the larger computer. Rather than let it languish unused when you’re at your main computer, use it to extend your desktop. Whether you’re extending your laptop monitor for an instant second screen at the coffee shop or using it to park your Photoshop palettes while working at your desktop, the iPad screen is just the right size for parking IM windows, application interfaces, and other small but useful widgets and gadgets that you’d like to keep an eye on but don’t want to clutter up your main screen with.
(Via the How-To Geek.)
Facebook Timeline has been on the back burner for months now, after it was first announced at the company’s f8 conference in September. Despite much delay, it is finally rolling out to the public, starting with New Zealand. That means it’s only a matter of days before it comes to you, so brace your News Feed, because the fans and protestors are coming in full-force. In the meantime, here’s everything you need to know about Facebook Timeline.
New Features
The new features are significantly different than any other upgrade to Facebook before. Timeline presents a way to digitally document your entire life, from birth to present, via wall posts, photos, announcements and events. Consider it a neatly organized social scrapbook with a visually pleasing interface.
The New Facebook Profile: Timeline
Timeline is a radical departure from previous versions of the Facebook user profile. The most prominent feature is the addition of a cover photo at the top of the page. Users can change this to whatever they’d like it to be.
Click here to view this gallery.
If you haven’t already received an invite to Timeline, and don’t want to wait any longer, you can enable it now in eight simple steps.
Timeline was supposed to be released to the public in September. October. November. The feature was set back, possibly after a copyright infringement lawsuit was filed against Facebook by Timelines.com. Later, Facebook admitted it was taking its time to roll out Timeline to users, relying on more technically adept people to experience the features first. Mashable‘s Lance Ulanoff explains, “Facebook is trying to educate the media on the fundamentals and benefits of Timeline.”
What to Do With Your New Timeline
So, if or when your Facebook Timeline is activated, what exactly should you do with it?
That’s up to you, and how much you want to reveal to your friends and followers. But there are a lot of new features that have the potential to create a captive, visual biography. Regardless of how much information you choose to fill out, there are a few different methods and privacy-related points to consider.
1. The Timeline Menu Bar
As you scroll down your new Timeline, a floating menu bar will appear at the top of your screen. Use it to add new events.
Click here to view this gallery.
What does all of this mean for Facebook’s more than 800 million users? That depends on your stance about the new features.
Facebook Timeline is a way to document your entire life, from birth to present, but because the company began in 2004 for college students, it might take some time and effort to manually fill out.
Creative Inspiration
Some have already jumped into Timeline and are getting creative with their profile presentation, most specifically cover photos, which is a new feature that includes a personalized image at the top of the page.
SEE ALSO: Facebook Timeline: 5 Sites for Customizing Your Cover Photo
When Timeline entered beta in September, we gathered some stunning and mind-blowing takes on the new layout.
1. Ekkapong Techawongthaworn
Playful and fun, we’re big fans of Ekkapong’s rainy creation.
Click here to view this gallery.
What About Privacy?
Some have clamed, in criticism of Facebook Timeline, that by encouraging users to fill their profile, the company is seeking to capture more user data to further appeal to advertisers. Others have expressed concern that it is now easier to discover information about a person that was previously difficult to access. Further more, some believe these additional features regarding users’ personal information may encourage identity theft.
SEE ALSO: The New Facebook: How to Take Control of Your Privacy
(Via Mashable!.)
