TidBITS#954/17-Nov-08

TidBITS Editors Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:13:13 -0800

TidBITS#954/17-Nov-08
=====================
  Issue link: <http://db.tidbits.com/issue/954>

The iPhone and virtualization software hold sway in this issue, with
Rich Mogull sharing the story of how he used his iPhone to avoid
sleeping on an airport floor, Chris Pepper passing along methods of
sending SMS messages for free, and David Strom comparing five
applications for transferring files to an iPhone. On the
virtualization front, last week saw both the release of Parallels
Desktop 4.0 and our latest ebook, Joe Kissell's "Take Control of
VMware Fusion 2." The rest of the issue is a grab bag: Glenn
Fleishman looks at a new laptop recovery utility and the release of
Safari 3.2, and Adam explains how he figured out how to make
VoiceOver read an important button in the Take Control cart. In the
TidBITS Watchlist, we cover Firefox 3.0.4, Coda 1.6, PDFpen 4.0.2,
iLife Support 8.3.1, and NeoOffice 2.2.5 Patch 3. Finally, please
welcome our latest sponsor, MacSpeech, and note that the next issue
of TidBITS will appear 01-Dec-08.

Articles
No TidBITS Issue on 24-Nov-08
Safari 3.2 Fixes Security Flaws
Laptop Recovery Software Uses Wi-Fi and Flickr
MacSpeech Sponsoring TidBITS, Joins Returning Sponsors
Parallels Releases Parallels Desktop 4.0
iPhone Saves Weary Road Warrior
Send SMS Messages for Free on the iPhone
Wrangle Windows on a Mac with 'Take Control of VMware Fusion 2'
Comparing Five iPhone File Transfer Apps
Improving the HTML Accessibility of Our Cart
TidBITS Watchlist: Notable Software Updates for 17-Nov-08
Hot Topics in TidBITS Talk/17-Nov-08

------------ This issue of TidBITS sponsored in part by: --------------

* READERS LIKE YOU! Support TidBITS with a contribution today!
<http://www.tidbits.com/about/support/contributors.html>
Special thanks this week to Tad Davis, Marc Chavannes,
Keith Holzman, and Bruce Hobbs for their generous support!

* Fetch Softworks: With Fetch 5.3, FTP and SFTP are simpler
than ever. Use it on Mac OS X to upload, download, mirror,
and manage your Web site, eBay images, and data sets.
Download your free trial version! <http://fetchsoftworks.com/>

* WebCrossing Neighbors Creates Private Social Networks
Create a complete social network with your company or group's
own look. Scalable, extensible and extremely customizable.
Take a guided tour today <http://www.webcrossing.com/tour>

* Bare Bones Software's BBEdit 9.0 -- A burly upgrade introducing new
capabilities like Projects, non-modal Find and Multi-File Search,
editing in browsers, text completion, Scratchpad, new Ruby module,
better JavaScript, ObjC, Obj-C++, YAML <http://www.barebones.com/>

* MARK/SPACE, INC: If you have a smartphone, we can sync it!
Sync your address book, calendar, notes, music, pictures, and
more from your BlackBerry, Windows Mobile or Palm OS mobile
phone to your Mac. <http://www.markspace.com/bits>

* VMware Fusion. The most seamless way to run Windows on your Mac.
Backed by nearly a decade of proven virtualization technology.
Try VMware Fusion today for free, or order online for only $79.
Visit: <http://www.tidbits.com/about/support/vmware-fusion.html>

* Microsoft's MacBU: Supporting Mac users with Office 2008.
Straighten up your Office with the latest updates to Word,
Excel, PowerPoint, and Entourage. Update today at Mactopia!
<http://www.microsoft.com/mac/downloads.mspx>

* ConceptDraw Office adds real business power to Microsoft Office
and Apple's iWork. Whether you need project management, business
graphics, or mind mapping, it's all easily created on your Mac!
Buy today for only $499! <http://www.conceptdraw.com/tb>

* Circus Ponies NoteBook: The easy way to get organized
on the Mac. Control your notes. Track your tasks. Manage
your projects. Organize your life. Try NoteBook right now,
free for 30 days! <http://www.circusponies.com/tidbits>

* MacSpeech Dictate -- Speech Recognition for the Mac.
It's so good you may give up typing altogether.
Save 10% by using coupon code DICTATE10 until 15-Dec-08
when buying from <http://www.macspeech.com/>

---------- Help support TidBITS by supporting our sponsors ------------

No TidBITS Issue on 24-Nov-08
-----------------------------
by Jeff Carlson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9860>

We can't be the only ones asking ourselves: is it really November
already? We've had a busy year, and as we push toward the end of
2008 and prepare for Macworld Expo in January, we're going to
recuperate next week and celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday in the
United States.

We won't be asleep the entire time, of course - we just can't help
ourselves. We'll no doubt continue to post to the TidBITS Web site.
Check back at the site or subscribe to the our RSS feed or Twitter
stream to keep up with everything we're writing.

<http://www.tidbits.com/>
<http://db.tidbits.com/feeds/tidbits.rss>
<http://twitter.com/TidBITS>

Safari 3.2 Fixes Security Flaws
-------------------------------
by Glenn Fleishman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9855>

Apple has released Safari 3.2, which addresses a host of
vulnerabilities, mostly in the version for Windows XP and Vista. A
full rundown of changes is found in the security note. Most of the
flaws relate to image handling and parsing under Windows. Several
fixed bugs are cross-platform, and, among other improvements, close
holes that could allow disclosure of information in forms to
unintended users. In particular, Safari adds anti-phishing
protection using Google's list of suspected malicious sites.

<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3298>

Most surprisingly, the Windows version of Safari was using zlib
1.2.2, an open-source library of compression algorithms designed to
avoid stepping on (and being encumbered by) any patents. The 1.2.3
release came out in July _2005_ to fix known flaws in the previous
release. Someone was apparently asleep at the switch in using the
older library. zlib was likely used in handling compressed Web
pages, an option that many servers employ to reduce the time spent
and bandwidth used in transmitting HTML.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zlib>
<http://www.zlib.net/>

Safari 3.2 can be automatically updated through Software Update
under Mac OS X or Windows with Safari installed. The new release may
also be downloaded separately for Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger (25 MB), Mac
OS X 10.5 Leopard (39 MB), or Windows XP/Vista (19 MB).

<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/safari32fortiger.html>
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/safari32forleopard.html>
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/safari32forwindows.html>

Laptop Recovery Software Uses Wi-Fi and Flickr
----------------------------------------------
by Glenn Fleishman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9853>

The latest laptop-recovery application is a kind of mash-up, using
several systems to provide information about a laptop's location and
who's currently using it. GadgetTrak's new MacTrak ($59.95, one-time
fee) uses Skyhook Wireless's Wi-Fi Positioning System, the same
technology that's part of how the iPhone and iPod touch determine
location. MacTrak also uses Flickr as a way to post photos snapped
of someone using a machine identified as lost or stolen.

<http://www.gadgettrak.com/products/mac/>
<http://www.skyhookwireless.com/howitworks/wps.php>

There are already several programs available that let you install
software that's regularly checking for an activation signal to leap
into action if your laptop is marked (in various ways) as being out
of your hands. For a full rundown, see "Help! I'm Being Held
Captive, and All I Have Is a Wi-Fi Network!," 2008-05-03.

<http://db.tidbits.com/article/9627>

But MacTrak appears to have - or at least disclose - the most
accurate way to track a missing computer. Skyhook's WPS relies on
being in areas that have enough Wi-Fi signals to pinpoint a
location, and on having an active network over which to perform
queries. It's likely that a stolen laptop would wind up on a network
in a city, unless thieves are becoming savvy and keeping computers
locked down.

MacTrak also uniquely transmits collected information directly to
you, uploading it to Flickr (if you have an account set up, which is
free for limited uploads), and sending via email. GadgetTrak says
they don't run a monitoring center but will help connect users with
law enforcement if asked.

I'd love to see the face of a police officer, used to dealing with
unrecoverable machines, when you walk in with a picture of the
thief, a set of GPS coordinates with a map, and information about
the network on which the thief connected.

MacSpeech Sponsoring TidBITS, Joins Returning Sponsors
------------------------------------------------------
by Adam C. Engst <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9861>

We're pleased to welcome as our latest long-term sponsor, MacSpeech,
the only company providing speech recognition software for the
Macintosh since IBM exited the field in 2003. IBM's withdrawal also
left the Windows world with a clear leader: Dragon
NaturallySpeaking. By 2006, New York Times columnist David Pogue,
who had long used dictation software to avoid unnecessary typing,
found Dragon NaturallySpeaking to be extremely accurate even when
speaking at full speed, and more accurate than MacSpeech's product
at the time, iListen 1.7. Seeing that it wasn't productive to
continue developing its own speech recognition engine, MacSpeech
licensed Dragon NaturallySpeaking's underlying dictation technology
from Nuance, and built it into a new product, MacSpeech Dictate,
released in February 2008. Demand has been high, stretching
MacSpeech's ability to keep up, but after some busy months, the
company recently shipped MacSpeech Dictate 1.2. The new version adds
the capability to spell out unusual words or acronyms, phrase
training that enables users to fix incorrectly recognized words
right away, and a Move command for verbal editing.

<http://www.macspeech.com/>
<http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/20/technology/20pogue.html>
<http://www.macspeech.com/product_info.php?products_id=592>

It's great to see MacSpeech supporting the Macintosh community
through a TidBITS sponsorship, and with it, MacSpeech joins a number
of other companies that have started sponsoring TidBITS again after
a hiatus. Most recently, Circus Ponies rejoined our sponsor ranks
after shipping NoteBook 3.0, a significant update to their powerful
note-taking software. Microsoft's MacBU also restarted their
sponsorship not long ago, in part to help us drive the development
of the TipBITS feature of our Web site (more on TipBITS soon, but
check out the upper right side of our Web site for helpful tips
about Macs and Mac software). And of course, we're especially
grateful to our longest-running sponsors: Fetch Softworks (Fetch),
Bare Bones Software (BBEdit, Yojimbo, and Mailsmith), Mark/Space
(The Missing Sync, SyncTogether), VMware (VMware Fusion), and CS
Odessa (ConceptDraw). It may be relatively easy to put up a blog
these days, but a serious Internet publication requires non-trivial
hardware, software, staff salaries, development costs, travel, and
other expenses. Put bluntly, without the support of our sponsors and
direct contributions from our readers, we wouldn't be able to keep
publishing TidBITS. Thank you, all!

<http://www.circusponies.com/>
<http://www.microsoft.com/mac/>
<http://fetchsoftworks.com/>
<http://www.barebones.com/>
<http://www.markspace.com/>
<http://www.vmware.com/products/fusion/>
<http://www.conceptdraw.com/>
<http://www.tidbits.com/about/support/contributors.html>

Parallels Releases Parallels Desktop 4.0
----------------------------------------
by Joe Kissell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9850>

Now that VMware Fusion 2 has had a couple of months in the limelight
(see "VMware Fusion 2.0 Released," 2008-09-16), Parallels has
stepped back onto the stage with the release of Parallels Desktop
version 4.0. The new version adds a boatload of features, improves
performance, and generally makes it harder than ever for consumers
to choose between the two leading options for running Windows on an
Intel-based Mac.

<http://db.tidbits.com/article/9773>
<http://www.parallels.com/desktop/>

The new version of Parallels claims higher performance than version
3.0, while using less of your Mac's CPU power and increasing battery
life on Mac notebooks. In part, the performance improvements come
from an Adaptive Hypervisor, which improves the way Parallels
balances its own needs against those of Mac OS X. If you have lots
of RAM or CPU cores in your Mac, you can now assign up to 8 cores
and 8 GB of RAM to each virtual machine. Parallels Desktop 4 also
has improved 3D graphics, including 256 MB of video RAM and support
for DirectX 9, DirectX Pixel Shader 2.0, and OpenGL 2.0.

Parallels Desktop 4 includes support for Intel's VT-x2
virtualization technology, which Parallels says increases the
software's performance up to 50 percent. However, no currently
shipping Mac model has a CPU that supports VT-x2 - it's a technology
available only in Intel's Nehalem processors, which are expected to
begin appearing in consumer-grade computers in mid-to-late 2009. So
it may take some time (and a new Mac) before you can realize this
promised speed improvement. (Support for VT-x2 is also built into
VMware Fusion 2, by the way.)

Apart from performance improvements, Parallels 4 offers numerous new
usability features. For example, in addition to single-window,
full-screen, and Coherence modes (the latter of which interleaves
windows from Windows applications with those from Mac OS X),
Parallels now has a Modality view, in which your entire Windows
desktop is scaled down to the size of your choice - but remains live
and responsive to mouse and keyboard input. This lets you keep an
eye on activity in a background virtual machine without switching
windows or views. A new Clips tool lets you easily capture portions
of your Windows screen and send the screenshots directly to your Mac
OS X clipboard. SmartMount lets external hard drives and other
removable storage devices appear in both Mac OS X and Windows at the
same time, while SmartConnect lets you specify which operating
system should take control of various USB devices when they're
attached.

Parallels now supports 64-bit guest operating systems, assuming your
Mac has a 64-bit processor (that is, a Core 2 Duo or Xeon). The new
version also offers a feature previously available in Parallels
Server (which starts at $1,248.75): the capability to run Mac OS X
Server as a guest operating system. (VMware Fusion 2 also has this
feature.) The more-expensive server product does offer more power
and flexibility for running Mac OS X Server, but at least the basic
capability is now available to any Parallels Desktop user.

Included with Parallels Desktop 4 is a Parallels-branded version of
Kaspersky Internet Security, now with a 12-month subscription
(version 3 included only a 6-month subscription), plus full versions
of Acronis True Image 11 Home (a backup utility) and Acronis Disk
Director Suite 10 (a tool for partitioning Windows disks); together,
these three programs retail for $177. Astute observers may notice
that these are the same three programs previously bundled with the
now-discontinued Parallels Desktop Premium Edition package, which
sold for $99.99.

The features mentioned here are only a few of those that have been
added to Parallels 4; for a complete list, see the Parallels Web
site.

<http://www.parallels.com/products/desktop/upgrade/>

The retail price of Parallels Desktop remains $79.99. Registered
users of earlier versions can upgrade for $39.99; those who
purchased Parallels Desktop 3.0 since 01-Sep-08 get a free upgrade.
A free trial version is also available. Parallels Desktop 4 is a 172
MB download.

<http://www.parallels.com/download/desktop/>

iPhone Saves Weary Road Warrior
-------------------------------
by Rich Mogull <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9849>

Road warrior. It's not a lifestyle I always enjoy, and it's a silly
term, but thanks to my day job as an industry analyst, that's what I
am. I average a couple of business trips every month as I wander the
globe attending various security conferences and client meetings. I
probably fly somewhere around 75,000 miles a year, which guarantees
that I experience all the best the inefficient and callous airlines
have to offer. But sometimes, just sometimes, all this experience
provides a bit of a competitive advantage over my fellow travelers
when the inevitable problems crop up.

Last week I was headed from my home in Phoenix to speak at a small
event in Dallas when a line of thunderstorms parked themselves over
the runway in Dallas for a little mischievous socializing. Having
once experienced a real wind-shear-on-landing incident in Mexico
City thanks to incompetent air traffic control, I wasn't all that
upset as we diverted to Austin while things cleared up. Since I'd
had only one night at home after a week-long trip to a conference in
Moscow, I was so exhausted and acclimated to airports and airplanes
that I didn't get nearly as upset as many of my fellow travelers.
Let's face it, it's hard to beat the acceptance of one's fate caused
by jet lag, low blood sugar, and lack of sleep.

After an hour in the sleepy Austin airport, the word came down that
we were stuck waiting for a morning flight. Since this was a weather
delay, the airline wasn't responsible for lodging. You could feel
the tension rise as everyone scrambled for a place to sleep. I felt
sorry for my fellow passengers without the financial resources to
find a bed for the night, but not so sorry that I was going to join
them on the airport floor.

Diverted flights are always troublesome - especially in a closed
airport. In the past, I would start hunting for local hotels by
either calling someone with Internet access, or maybe finding a
wireless connection and searching the major travel sites myself.
Even at best, it usually takes 30 to 60 minutes to find a
conveniently located hotel, make a reservation, and arrange
transportation. But thanks to my iPhone I secured lodging and was on
the shuttle within 15 minutes, and three screen taps.

Here's how I did it. Once I knew we were stuck in Austin, I launched
iWant - a free iPhone application that helps you find local services
ranging from hotels and restaurants to gas stations, ATMs, and movie
theaters. I tapped on the icon for hotels and was presented a list
of lodging options sorted by distance from my current location. At
the top of the list was the Hilton Austin Airport. I tapped on its
name, and the address, phone number, and small map popped up. A tap
on the phone number, and my phone connected me to the hotel. A few
minutes later, I had secured a reservation and was headed to the
shuttle pickup.

<http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=284945674&mt=8>

That was it - three taps and a short phone call. As I headed out of
the airport to the shuttle pickup I could see fellow travelers
either setting up camp for the night, or frantically calling
friends, family, or travel offices to find a bed. I suspect that I
was sitting in my room ordering room service before most of them
made it out of the airport. And based on the bleary eyes the next
morning, I had a considerably more restful evening than most.

I realize I may sing the praises of my iPhone a little too often
here, but the truth is that as a frequent traveler I've never had
such a useful tool at my disposal. Whether it involves using the GPS
and Maps application when navigating the confusing streets of
Moscow, locating food and lodging in Dallas, or providing hours of
entertainment in lonely hotel rooms around the world, the iPhone is
far more helpful than any other smartphone I've ever used.

Send SMS Messages for Free on the iPhone
----------------------------------------
by Chris Pepper <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9854>

When Apple and AT&T announced that iPhone 3G service plans would not
include SMS (Short Message Service) text messages with the base
plans, and SMS messages would be billed for either individually or
in prepaid blocks, I was annoyed, along with pretty much everybody
else. To make the highway robbery even more egregious, AT&T (like
many other cellular carriers) now charges SMS recipients, as well as
senders.

<http://www.wireless.att.com/answer-center/main.jsp?t=solutionTab&solutionId=54645>

That's why I was delighted when Jeff Carlson pointed out that AIM on
the iPhone could send SMS messages for free (see "Send SMS for Free
via AIM on iPhone," 2008-07-13). Unfortunately, the iPhone AIM app
is lousy. It's unstable, and messages I send from it are rarely
received.

<http://db.tidbits.com/article/9690>

However, several alternatives exist for both phones and computers.
Note that these vary by cellular carrier - I concentrate here on
AT&T options that work in the United States; your mileage may vary
elsewhere.

**Method 0: Plain SMS** -- You can send SMS from a phone. 500 SMS
messages are included "free" with the standard AT&T data plan for
the original (EDGE) iPhone. For the new iPhone 3G, the base data
plan doesn't include any SMS messages. You can pay $5 per month for
200 messages, $15 for 1,500 messages, or $20 for an unlimited number
of messages. Or, if you don't plan on sending and receiving more
than 25 SMS messages in a month, you can pay $0.20 per message by
not signing up for any plan. Astronomically expensive!

<http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/specials/iphone-info.jsp>
<http://www.physorg.com/news129793047.html>

**Method 1: AIM-to-SMS Gateway** -- For computer users, Jeff's method
is fine - AOL's AIM-to-SMS gateway works consistently. My issues
were with the iPhone AIM client. On the Mac, iChat and AOL's Mac
client are reliable, and another iPhone client using AOL's IM
service would presumably have been fine. This morning, in a quick
search for "AIM" in the iPhone App Store, I found 5 chat clients
that claim AIM compatibility. But I barely use instant messaging
since I started using Twitter, so determining if they work more
reliably than the iPhone AIM client is left as an exercise to the
reader.

**Method 2: Email-to-SMS Gateways** -- My favorite way to send SMS
messages to iPhone-using friends is via email from either my Mac or
my iPhone to their 10-digit cellular number @txt.att.net.
txt.att.net is AT&T's email-to-SMS gateway; it generates an SMS
message that looks something like an email message, with minimal
'FRM' & 'SUBJ' headers adapted from the original message, and
forwards that as an SMS message to the specified 10-digit cell phone
number. Longer email messages are broken into multiple SMS messages.
Now that I realize my iPhone 3G-using recipients pay for incoming
SMS messages (including gatewayed spam!), I'll probably use this
approach less, and avoid long messages which would be fragmented and
thus charged as multiple SMS messages.

<http://www.wireless.att.com/answer-center/main.jsp?t=solutionTab&solutionId=KB63037>

Email-generated SMS messages are easy to recognize - they come from
strange-looking phone numbers, like "1 (010) 100-010" for the 10th
message I received from the gateway.

Unfortunately, these gateways are generally specific to individual
carriers - AT&T's gateway works only for AT&T subscribers. Teleflip
used to offer such a multi-carrier service, but the company has gone
bankrupt. Notepage offers a long list of gateways. If you're not
sure which gateway to use, try sending an SMS message from your
phone to your email address (which will likely entail an SMS charge
on the cellular bill) - the email should show a valid return address
at the appropriate SMS gateway. Some SMS programs allow this, while
others accept only phone numbers as recipients.

<http://www.notepage.net/smtp.htm>

**Method 3: SMS Web Pages** -- Many cellular carriers, including
Verizon Wireless and Sprint, offer public Web pages for sending SMS
messages to their subscribers. In contrast, AT&T's page is available
only to logged-in AT&T customers, although hopefully that means it
can reach any SMS number. I am not aware of a Web page which enables
non-AT&T subscribers to send text messages to AT&T subscribers.

<https://text.vzw.com/customer_site/jsp/messaging_lo.jsp>
<http://messaging.sprintpcs.com/textmessaging/compose>
<https://www.wireless.att.com/olam/gotoPhone.olamexecute?event=goToSMS&reportActionEvent=A_PHON_SEND_MSG_SUB>

**Method 4: SMS Applications & Widgets** -- There are a variety of
applications and Dashboard widgets that you can use on a
full-fledged computer to send SMS messages. Many of these charge the
sender, although they appear to operate across cellular carriers. I
suspect they use commercial gateways which have the same access to
cellular providers as other providers, but nobody except AOL appears
to do this for free.

<http://www.versiontracker.com/php/qs.php?str=sms&srchArea=macosx%7Cmacosx-all>

**Method 5: Mobile Phone Under External Control** -- Additionally,
several Mac programs exist that can instruct a mobile phone to send
SMS messages, generally via Bluetooth or USB. The VersionTracker
link immediately above lists a few. Obviously, there's no difference
in price when using this method, but it may be easier to type out a
message on a real computer keyboard.

**MMS: Multimedia Messaging Service** -- In addition to SMS for short
text messages, MMS enables mobile phone users to send one another
pictures and short videos. The iPhone lacks MMS support, although
Mail is perfectly suitable for sending attachments to an MMS
gateway, if you'd like to reach a non-iPhone cell phone that does
support MMS. Messages sent to iPhone cellular numbers via
@mms.att.net are silently dropped.

<http://www.sms411.net/2006/07/how-to-send-email-to-phone.html>

SMS messaging may not be used in the United States to the extent it
is elsewhere, but I hope these resources make it a bit easier - and
cheaper - to stay in touch with friends and family.

Wrangle Windows on a Mac with 'Take Control of VMware Fusion 2'
---------------------------------------------------------------
by Adam C. Engst <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9856>

Modern Intel-based Macs have numerous options for running Windows,
but for people accustomed to Mac OS X, installing and configuring
Windows is easier said than done. Whether it involves dealing with
drivers, sharing files between Windows and Mac OS X, or determining
optimal RAM settings, Joe Kissell's new "Take Control of VMware
Fusion 2" provides Mac users with real-world advice on the best ways
to install and use Windows via the popular virtualization software
VMware Fusion 2. The 130-page ebook, which was brought to life via a
collaboration between TidBITS Publishing and VMware, starts with a
look at basic concepts and then jumps into the action with steps for
installing Windows for use in VMware Fusion in these scenarios:

<http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/vmware-fusion-2.html?14@@!pt=TB954>

* When installing a new copy of Windows XP or Windows Vista

* From an already-installed copy of Windows under Boot Camp, VMware
Fusion 1.x, Parallels Desktop, Virtual PC, or an actual PC

* From a slipstream disc that contains Windows plus service packs,
updates, drivers, and settings

* On the MacBook Air, which lacks an internal optical drive

* With Mac OS X Leopard Server as a guest operating system

* For running a virtual appliance that encapsulates both an operating
system and a ready-to-run application

After installation, Joe turns his attention to working with Windows
in a VMware Fusion virtual machine, explaining key details like how
to remap mouse buttons, simulate missing keys, configure keyboard
shortcuts, switch display modes, and work with external devices.
Other important topics covered include:

* Pros and cons of different ways of using Boot Camp and Fusion

* Thorough explanations of how to configure the options in Fusion's
Settings window to get the most out of the software

* Real-world advice for smart ways to make Windows and Mac
environments simultaneously available on the same computer

* Comparisons of options for sharing files between your Windows and
Mac environments

* Important details on keeping your copy of Windows secure, backed up,
and updated

* The basics of working with Fusion from the command line for advanced
users

The ebook also includes a coupon for 10 percent off VMware Fusion 2,
an $8 savings. And be sure to check out our new cover graphic!

<http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/tc-graphics/cover_vmware_fusion_2.gif>

Comparing Five iPhone File Transfer Apps
----------------------------------------
by David Strom <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9858>

I have been a latecomer to the iPhone party, but one of the things
that I first noticed, aside from the glaring lack of cut-and-paste,
is a more important omission: I want to be able to copy any file on
my main Mac to my iPhone and be able to view the file on the iPhone
when I am away from my desk. This would come in handy for reminders
that I don't want to key in from the phone, or viewing instruction
manuals such as the wonderful Take Control ebooks.

While iTunes makes it relatively easy to move photos, videos, and
music from my desktop Mac to the iPhone, I want to have access to
all the other data on my desktop too.

It's an odd omission: all traditional iPods have the capability to
act as a hard drive on which you can store files (you must select
Enable Disk Use in the Summary pane in iTunes when the iPod is
connected to your computer). Luckily, there is a solution -
actually, several solutions, all of which require you to download
one of the apps claiming to offer this feature to your iPhone or
iPod touch. Sadly, none of them allow the simple configuration of
being able to plug your iPhone into your computer via USB and drag
files over to it. But since the iPhone is chock full of
connectivity, there are several ways to skin the file transfer cat.
I tested a variety of apps that connect your computer and iPhone in
some interesting, and sometimes confusingly clever, ways.

**Sharing Methods** -- There are essentially two ways of updating
information to an iPhone: push and pull. Push means that you move a
file from your Mac to your iPhone by doing something on your
computer. Pull means the opposite - that you move the file to your
iPhone by doing something on the iPhone itself. Which is the better
method? It really depends on how you work and what you are going to
do with the file on your iPhone other than view it. For example, if
you are going to use your phone as a relay to move a file from your
Mac at work to your Mac at home, then you will have to push it one
way and pull it the other. I tend to like the pull method myself,
but read on and you'll see what is involved.

Some caveats: if you are running the older iPhone 1.x software or a
version of Mac OS X older than 10.4 Tiger, now is the time to
upgrade because all of these apps require at least the iPhone 2.x
software and Tiger. Also, make sure you have some extra storage
space available on your iPhone; while the individual apps aren't
storage intensive, by the time you collect a bunch of files you may
not have room left for your songs, podcasts, and videos. Finally,
any file that you move over to your iPhone is accessible only
through the particular file transfer app that put it there, unlike
on your Mac where you're able to use any application to access any
file. This rigidness takes some getting used to.

**The Competitors** -- I compared five of the most popular iPhone file
transfer apps, three of which are standalone apps that you must
purchase. The remaining two apps are free, but require that you pay
for an online account with a particular Web service if you are
really going to use them. The five are Avatron's Air Sharing,
Magnetism Studios' FileMagnet, Hey Mac Software's Briefcase,
Evernote, and Sharpcast's SugarSync.

* My favorite file sharing app is Avatron's $7 Air Sharing, which was
extremely easy to set up and worked without needing any additional
software. An extra bonus is that it offers support for the Mac,
Windows, and Linux machines. It works over your local Wi-Fi network,
and provides simple instructions that walk you through the process
of connecting to a network drive and sharing documents. When you
install the Air Sharing app, you set up a shared network disk on
your iPhone that you can access from the Mac OS X Finder, from
Windows Explorer, or even from a Web browser. There are only two
catches: First, Air Sharing works on the push model, meaning that
you must add files to your iPhone from your computer, by copying the
file into the iPhone's shared network disk. Second, both the iPhone
and the computer must be on the same Wi-Fi network; the app doesn't
work across the Internet.

<http://www.avatron.com/products/>
<http://www.tidbits.com/resources/2008-11/AirSharing-Help.png>

* Magnetism Studios' $5 FileMagnet works similarly to Air Sharing in
that it transfers files over a local Wi-Fi network, but there are a
few differences. First, if you are running it in Windows, you need
iTunes, which presumably isn't an issue if you have an iPhone.
Second, you need to install the iPhone app and a free desktop client
application - FileMagnet Uploader - to communicate with your iPhone.
Once you install FileMagnet Uploader, you can push files from your
computer to the iPhone by simply dragging and dropping them from the
Finder or Windows Explorer to the FileMagnet Uploader window.
Additionally, once you run FileMagnet Uploader you don't have to
worry about any connection settings; FileMagnet will find your
desktop and send the files to your iPhone.

<http://www.magnetismstudios.com/filemagnet/>
<http://www.tidbits.com/resources/2008-11/FileMagnet-Browsing.png>

* Hey Mac Software's $5 Briefcase and free Briefcase Lite work on the
pull model: you create a shared network folder on your desktop Mac,
and then connect to it with your iPhone over a Wi-Fi network. If the
shared folder contains many files, it takes several minutes to open
on the iPhone. The process of navigating and copying documents
differs substantially between Briefcase Lite and the full version of
Briefcase. In Briefcase Lite, the process is cumbersome because you
can copy only a single file at a time. If you want to copy multiple
files at a time, or entire folders, or connect to your shared
network folder across the Internet, you must upgrade to the full
version of Briefcase - the capability to connect over the Internet
alone justifies the $5 cost. The full version of Briefcase also
enables you to share files directly between iPhones and eliminate
the Mac entirely. Commendably, setting up Briefcase on your Mac
doesn't require any desktop software, though it's a bit inconvenient
to find the user manual, which is on Hey Mac's blog. Finally, as you
browse your files on your iPhone, you can designate those that you
want to leave in the Briefcase files area, place any photos in your
iPhoto library, or send them immediately to be viewed on your
desktop Mac display while your iPhone is connected.

<http://www.heymacsoftware.com/briefcase/>
<http://www.tidbits.com/resources/2008-11/Briefcase-Connection.png>

* Evernote, from the company of the same name, creates its own
repository of shared "notes" that can contain text, photos, and
recorded voice messages (but not arbitrary files). You can add
content to the repository using a free desktop client application,
via email to a special address assigned to you by Evernote, via a
Web browser bookmarklet, or from the iPhone itself. Once you have
information in your online repository, you can access it from a Web
browser on any computer or via the Evernote iPhone app. Evernote's
primary strength is that it gives you a lot of control over what
gets moved back and forth, and it utilizes both push and pull
methods. This approach seems useful for synchronizing activities and
assets across a widely distributed workgroup, even if only some of
the members have iPhones. But as a personal file-sharing solution
between your iPhone and your computer, it feels like overkill (and
won't actually move files other than those that can be made into
notes). The free account entitles you to upload a skimpy 40 MB of
files per month; if you want more, $45 a year bumps that to 500 MB a
month, which still seems parsimonious in comparison to SugarSync,
next up. The paid account also offers SSL encryption for your
transfers.

<http://www.evernote.com/>
<http://www.tidbits.com/resources/2008-11/Evernote-Browsing.png>

* Finally, we come to SugarSync, by Sharpcast. SugarSync relies on
software that synchronizes a folder on your Mac or on a Windows
machine with an online service, accessible from SugarSync Manager, a
Web browser, or the iPhone with the free iPhone app. You can try
SugarSync for 45 days with a gigabyte of storage, after which you
have to sign up for a plan - the basic one costs $2.49 per month or
$24.99 per year for 10 GB of storage. For a more detailed review of
SugarSync, see Joe Kissell's review in "SugarSync Sweetens Online
Syncing" (2008-08-30). Like Evernote, SugarSync seems excessive for
just moving files between your home computer and iPhone, but if you
need its other features or want to access shared files constantly,
it could be a big win.

<http://www.sugarsync.com/>
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/9751>
<http://www.tidbits.com/resources/2008-11/SugarSync-Main.png>

**More Sharing Apps** -- There is one other product, DigiDNA's free
DiskAid, that enables you to transfer files via USB between an
iPhone or iPod touch and either a Mac or Windows-based PC, just as I
indicated would be useful at the start of this article. However,
once you have a file on your iPhone, you can't view it or even know
that it is present without using DiskAid to view the contents of the
iPhone again. I don't like the fact that the file lurks hidden
inside your iPhone, so I'd rather use one of the other solutions.

<http://www.digidna.net/diskaid/download.php>

For other solutions, including plug-ins for the iPhone's Safari
browser and open source apps, I recommend checking out Pure-Mac's
iPhone File Transfer Apps page.

<http://www.pure-mac.com/iphone/filetransfer.html>

Good luck transferring your files, and let me know if you have found
other solutions that work well for you.

[David Strom has held editor-in-chief positions at Network Computing
print, Tom's Hardware.com digital, and now freelances for the New
York Times and numerous IT publications for Ziff Davis, IDG, CMP,
and TechTarget. He is a professional speaker, podcaster, and
consultant, and he blogs at strominator.com.]

<http://strominator.com/>

Improving the HTML Accessibility of Our Cart
--------------------------------------------
by Adam C. Engst <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9852>

We're nice people, really, we are. But let me tell you, there's
nothing that makes you feel crummier than having to explain to
someone who's visually impaired that your shopping cart works with
screen readers... except for the key Download Ebook button on the
final screen.

We aren't, by any means, experts in Web accessibility, so it was
utterly maddening that our custom shopping cart with eSellerate
worked perfectly, except for the download buttons. I made sure the
graphic had an ALT tag, but that wasn't enough. Next, I added a
TITLE tag to the link itself, but eSellerate's system stripped that
out when rendering the actual page. I was stumped, but hoped that
the TITLE tag would make a difference when eSellerate tweaked their
system to allow it through.

Unfortunately, when they made that change for me, it made no
difference at all. But discovering that the TITLE tag wasn't helpful
sent us into a paroxysm of testing, and after much trial and error
(I'll remember Command-F5 as the shortcut for toggling VoiceOver for
a long time now), we finally figured it out. I have no idea if this
problem is at all common, or merely an artifact of customizing code
that a separate shopping cart application then must render, but
here's our solution.

The code that I entered into eSellerate's custom layout editor, when
rendered as HTML on our actual receipt page, turned into this
(slightly edited to avoid confusing our content management system):

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;
<a title="Click here to download ebook!"
href="http://store1.esellerate.net/isapi/tcobacktomymac11.zip?dl=GR3HR4rydqd4XBOdFfV4&sessionid=1235&file=\tcobacktomymac11.zip";>
<img src="/store/i/pub186525909/lay301527449/p/tc-download-ebook.gif"
Width="130" Height="25" border="0" alt="Click here to download book!" />
</a>
<br>

The image's ALT tag was necessary, but it wasn't sufficient. I had
to make two seemingly unrelated changes to enable VoiceOver to read
the "Click here to download book!" ALT text.

* The image's SRC tag had to become absolute, rather than relative.
That was easily done by linking to the graphic on our site with a
full URL.

* The entire chunk had to be wrapped in an HTML block tag like P or
DIV. I opted for DIV, but interestingly, VoiceOver failed if the DIV
enclosed the four non-breaking spaces that were there previously.
That was also easily handled by replacing the non-breaking spaces
with a bit of CSS to indent the button.

Here's what my new code looks like, with those important changes
made.

To give you an idea of how we figured this out, we took chunks of
HTML that worked fine from other areas and inserted bits of them in
place of the code that didn't work. We first stumbled on the need
for an absolute URL while some temporary text accidentally provided
the block element that was also required. After realizing that
temporary text was important, we narrowed down our tests until we
realized that enclosing the chunk in HTML block tags would do the
job.

We know there are other aspects of our Web site and PDF approach
that aren't ideal from the perspective of the visually impaired, but
at least people using VoiceOver should now be able to navigate the
entire Take Control site.

TidBITS Watchlist: Notable Software Updates for 17-Nov-08
---------------------------------------------------------
by Doug McLean <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9851>

* Firefox 3.0.4 from Mozilla is a relatively minor update to the
popular Web browser with changes focusing on various security and
stability issues. Other enhancements include support for the
Icelandic and Thai languages, and beta support for the Bulgarian,
Esperanto, Estonian, Latvian, Occitan, and Welsh languages.
Additionally, the internal public suffix list has been updated to
include new domain suffixes. Finally, two bugs affecting saved
passwords and proxy settings have been fixed. (Free update, 17.2 MB)

<http://en-us.www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/>
<http://www.mozilla.org/security/known-vulnerabilities/firefox30.html>

* Coda 1.6 from Panic updates the Web site development tool with
several new features. Chief among them is added support for plug-ins
that extend functionality. Users can write their own plug-ins or
download ones created by other users. Panic's Web site includes a
Code Developer Zone, where one can learn more about creating
plug-ins. Other additions include a Smart Spelling feature that can
check non-code text, increased Subversion support, added
find-and-replace capabilities, and an Open Quickly window that
simplifies the process of finding and editing files. ($99 new, free
update, 20 MB)

<http://www.panic.com/coda/>
<http://www.panic.com/coda/developer/howto/plugins.php>

* PDFpen 4.0.2 from SmileOnMyMac is a minor update to the PDF editing
utility. Changes include an optional command to force OCR of an
entire document, Bates numbering capabilities (a standard numbering
system used in legal documents), improved support for Preview, and a
variety of other small fixes and improvements. All changes have also
been made to the pro version, PDFpenPro. ($49.95/$99.95
PDFpen/PDFpenPro, free update, 12.2 MB)

<http://www.smileonmymac.com/PDFpen/>

* iLife Support 8.3.1 from Apple is a minor security update to the
suite of iTunes, iPhoto, iWeb, iDVD, iMovie, and GarageBand under
Mac OS X 10.4.11 Tiger. According to Apple's support page, "This
update improves overall stability and addresses a number of other
minor issues." More specifically, the update addresses three bugs
that cause program crashes and arbitrary code executions when
viewing certain malicious TIFF and JPEG files. The update is
necessary only for Tiger, and can be downloaded via Software Update
or as a standalone download. (Free, 11.7 MB)

<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/ilifesupport831.html>
<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3276>

* NeoOffice 2.2.5 Patch 3 from NeoOffice updates the open-source
productivity suite with security-related bug fixes, Mac OS X
Services support, and experimental Snow Leopard support. The
update's extended Mac OS X Services support now enables NeoOffice
Services menu items to open the corresponding Mac OS X applications.
However, only services that read data are supported; for example,
language conversion services are excluded. Finally, NeoOffice is now
capable of running on Apple's recently released Mac OS X 10.6 Snow
Leopard developer seed. This update includes all bug fixes from
previous NeoOffice 2.2.5 patches. (Free update, 5.5 MB)

<http://www.neooffice.org/>

Hot Topics in TidBITS Talk/17-Nov-08
------------------------------------
by Jeff Carlson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9859>

**Running the Numbers with Steve Jobs** -- A reader points out that
iTunes serves up more sustained downloads than copies of Firefox 3
when it was released to "record-breaking" numbers. (1 message)

<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2293>

**PDFs on iPhone/iPod touch** -- What's the best way to view PDFs on
an iPhone or iPod touch? And are secured PDFs readable? (4 messages)

<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2294>

**Securing Your Disks with PGP Whole Disk Encryption** -- Readers
respond to Joe Kissell's article on PGP's latest offering with tales
of woe. (2 messages)

<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2295>

**Unlocked iPhone as Modem** -- Can an unlocked iPhone be used as a
tethered modem? More importantly, is the iPhone actually unlocked or
is it jailbroken? (2 messages)

<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2297>

**Automator to convert MP3's?** A reader wants to convert a large
number of AIFF files to MP3, but is Automator the right tool for the
job? (4 messages)

<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2298>

**Safari 3.2 vs WebKit** -- The latest version of Apple's Web browser
does not include some of the impressive advancements that appear in
newer WebKit builds. What's the holdup? (3 messages)

<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2299>

This is TidBITS, a free weekly technology newsletter providing timely
news, insightful analysis, and in-depth reviews to the Macintosh and
Internet communities. Feel free to forward to friends; better still,
please ask them to subscribe!

Non-profit, non-commercial publications and Web sites may reprint or
link to articles if full credit is given. Others please contact us. We
do not guarantee accuracy of articles. Caveat lector. Publication,
product, and company names may be registered trademarks of their
companies. TidBITS ISSN 1090-7017.

Contact us at: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
TidBITS Web site: <http://www.tidbits.com/>
License terms: <http://www.tidbits.com/terms/>
Full text search: <http://www.tidbits.com/search/>
Subscriptions: <http://www.tidbits.com/about/list.html>
Account help: <http://www.tidbits.com/about/account-help.html>

--
If you want to unsubscribe or change your address, use this link
http://emperor.tidbits.com/webx?unsub@@.3c557dc4!u=306a67f9

TidBITS#954/17-Nov-08

Reply via email to