The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)http://www.tuaw.comThe Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/feedlogo.gifThe Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)http://www.tuaw.comen-usCopyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Getting bit by the Gmail "exceeded IMAP bandwidth limits" bughttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/21/getting-bit-by-the-gmail-exceeded-imap-bandwidth-limits-bug/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/21/getting-bit-by-the-gmail-exceeded-imap-bandwidth-limits-bug/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/21/getting-bit-by-the-gmail-exceeded-imap-bandwidth-limits-bug/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

I have a couple of Gmail accounts set up with Google Apps, so that Google is hosting my email using my own domain names. While those accounts have been working flawlessly for quite a while, I suddenly ran into issues a few days ago where Apple Mail couldn't pull email from the server. I could use the Gmail Web client and access the email, but using Mail or my iPhone, I'd get an error.

Both Mail and the iPhone initially reported that either my password or username was incorrect, but after restarting my MacBook Air, the message changed to what you see above. While I had been sending some large files through email last week, I wasn't using anywhere close to the 2 or so GB per day of bandwidth that Google allows.

A quick search revealed that there's a known bug where accounts are locked out for exceeding IMAP bandwidth limits when using Apple Mail under Snow Leopard. To quote Google's support page,
This is a known issue for users of Apple Mail on the Snow Leopard OS. We are working with Apple on a resolution to the issue. In the meantime, there are a few workarounds to reduce the likelihood of hitting the bandwidth limit:
  1. Do not sync attachments.
  2. Reduce the number of folders you sync by using the Advanced IMAP Controls tab in Gmail.
  3. Close your email client when you are not using it.
For my business, I keep my email client up and running most of the day, so the third workaround was not an option. Syncing attachments is easy to turn off in Apple Mail Preferences for Gmail IMAP accounts by selecting "All messages, but omit attachments" under "Keep copies of messages for offline viewing" on the Advanced tab, but it didn't resolve the problem.

I fortuitously noticed that my MacBook Air seemed to be losing a lot of disk space, and searching the ~/Library/Mail folder indicated that the issue seemed to be in the "Recovered Items" Inbox for this Gmail account -- something I didn't even know existed! It was taking up a whopping 18.66 GB of space, so I went into Mail and deleted the "Recovered Items" inbox.

While this didn't fix the issue immediately, it did eventually allow the account to come back on line with no problems. All told, I was without Mail.app and iPhone access to the account for four days, but at least I could check my Web mail occasionally to see what was coming into the Gmail account.

If you're running Snow Leopard and get bit by the "bandwidth bug" with a Gmail account, I hope that this tip can help you out.

Getting bit by the Gmail "exceeded IMAP bandwidth limits" bug originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Getting bit by the Gmail "exceeded IMAP bandwidth limits" bug originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>buggmailmail.apptipstroubleshootingSteven SandeSat, 21 Nov 2009 15:00:00 ESTHeads Up: Update your Apple TV to 3.0.1 ASAP, says Applehttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/07/heads-up-update-your-apple-tv-to-3-0-1-asap-says-apple/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/07/heads-up-update-your-apple-tv-to-3-0-1-asap-says-apple/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/07/heads-up-update-your-apple-tv-to-3-0-1-asap-says-apple/#commentsFiled under: ,



We've heard a few reports of sync issues with the new Apple TV 3.0 software over the past few days, and apparently the chatter on the Apple support boards was on the mark: Apple has shipped 3.0.1, which is supposed to fix problems where 3.0 units would unexpectedly dump all their loaded content. You can get all the details from Apple's tech note. [According to our commenters, in most cases the content was not gone, simply invisible; a reboot of the ATV might bring back the media.]

Since it's a giant pain to resync gigabytes of media over the network link, it's nice to see this fixed promptly.... but considering that the Apple TV 3.0 update was billed as a major improvement to Apple's 'hobby,' this bug is not going to make any fans out of Apple TV foes.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in.


Heads Up: Update your Apple TV to 3.0.1 ASAP, says Apple originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Heads Up: Update your Apple TV to 3.0.1 ASAP, says Apple originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>3.0apple tvAppleTvMichael RoseSat, 07 Nov 2009 17:45:00 ESTAnomalous AIM Activity Afflicts Adium, Aggravating Allhttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/10/28/anomalous-aim-activity-afflicts-adium-aggravating-all/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/10/28/anomalous-aim-activity-afflicts-adium-aggravating-all/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/10/28/anomalous-aim-activity-afflicts-adium-aggravating-all/#commentsFiled under: ,

For the past several weeks I've noticed some rather strange behavior with Adium, the free and open-source multiservice IM client. On random occasions I suddenly appear invisible or offline to contacts in my buddy list while logged into my AIM account. And I'm not alone. Not a day goes by that I don't find myself asking a friend or co-worker why they are not online, only to learn they share the same problem. Either that or they're all making this up in effort to avoid conversing with me -- I have that effect on people.

The only cause to this problem, or pattern to its occurrence, I can come up with is a loose theory that it happens during periods of inactivity. My hunch is that when you appear "idle" AIM somehow misinterprets this as a disconnect. Locally you remain logged in, but AIM thinks otherwise. Luckily I may have discovered a workaround.

Launch iChat (quitting Adium is not required) and go into Preferences. Click on Accounts. Make sure your AIM account is selected, then click on the Security tab. Changing any of the settings in this options panel, then returning them to their original state, somehow magically vexes the problem, at least so far as I can tell.

I don't know whom to point fingers at in this case; AIM or Adium. Both begin with the letter A, so that makes each of them equally culpable in my opinion. Wherever the guilt may lie, I just want the problem fixed ASAP.

Anomalous AIM Activity Afflicts Adium, Aggravating All originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Anomalous AIM Activity Afflicts Adium, Aggravating All originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>AdiumAIMbugsinstant messageInstantMessageKent PribbernowWed, 28 Oct 2009 13:00:00 ESTRead that email again. And again.http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/24/read-that-email-again-and-again/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/24/read-that-email-again-and-again/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/24/read-that-email-again-and-again/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Something seems rotten, at least for some Mac users, with the Apple Mail program. Apple support boards are lighting up with reports of email messages being downloaded multiple times. This problem seems to be mostly with POP mail accounts, but even IMAP users are seeing it. There is another Apple support thread here with 10 pages of comments from unhappy Mail users.

I've noticed it myself twice. In the morning I bring up Mail and read what's come in overnight. Then a little later I re-open Apple Mail and the same messages download again. Of course my POP account is set to delete everything from the server, and my settings have not changed.

This is the first really bad behavior I've seen from Apple Mail since OS X came out in 2001. This most recent glitch seems to have popped up in the 10.6.1 update. There are enough people reporting it that it seems like there is an issue for some users, but obviously not everyone is seeing it.

There have been some suggestions posted, but while they worked for some they did not work for all. Are you seeing this strange behavior? Did it start with 10.6.1? Let us know, and hopefully Apple will kick the code for the next update and put this bad boy to rest.

Thanks to Mark for the tip.

Read that email again. And again. originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 24 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Read that email again. And again. originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 24 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>apple mailbugsduplicate messagessnow leopardSnowLeopardMel MartinThu, 24 Sep 2009 08:00:00 ESTiPhone 3.1 problems flood our tip boxhttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/15/iphone-3-1-problems-flood-our-tip-box/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/15/iphone-3-1-problems-flood-our-tip-box/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/15/iphone-3-1-problems-flood-our-tip-box/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

In the last week, we have had a constant barrage of iPhone issues break through the lines... so much so that we feel it is our duty to inform the two of you who haven't updated what you could experience by updating to version 3.1 of the iPhone OS. This is no small problem, as you can read from the discussions on Apple's website here, here, here, and here.

The first two links are where we're getting the majority of our tips -- random shutdowns and very poor battery life. The second two, bricked phones and general slowness are still worth a mention -- even prompting our own Erica Sadun to do a live walk-through for debrickifying iPhones. We received a lot of praise for her help in that session and we'd encourage you to go back and read through the chat if you're experiencing trouble with a bricked iPhone.

I've spent quite some time reading the hundreds of posts about the "mysterious random shutdowns" and have determined that it really is what it is. As of this writing, there have been 409 posts and 28 pages in that discussion -- I've seen very little repeats and no real solutions. Some people have said that they've gone to Apple and received replacement phones because of this issue but for those of us who have out-of-warranty phones, Apple has merely said "It's $199 for a replacement." I have to agree with our tipsters -- this needs to be addressed. These people simply did not break their phones, it's a well-documented issue which we, as consumers, shouldn't have to pay to fix.

Battery life is a completely different debacle. I cannot seem to find a trend in the discussions at all. Some people claim to have removed certain apps, some claim that MobileMe sync is the culprit -- all of them agree that there is an issue with 3.1 and that battery life shouldn't dramatically decrease overnight. I'd really love to get into one of these phones and replace the battery to see what happens because the hardware guy in me says that it's not impossible. However, deductive reasoning says that there's something in the software. Whether there's a memory leak in 3.1 itself, or some apps that we're running aren't as "compatible" as they should be... we need to see another update soon to help alleviate the issues with version 3.1 of the iPhone OS.

Please feel free to use our comment system to express your concern, anger, resentment... whatever. Try to be helpful if you've come across a solution and be nice if you're not having these problems. Until Apple issues a fix or acknowledges the problem at all, just hope that you're still in-warranty.

iPhone 3.1 problems flood our tip box originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)iPhone 3.1 problems flood our tip box originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>bricked iphoneBrickedIphoneiphoneiphone batteryiphone os 3.1IphoneBatteryIphoneOs3.1random shutdownRandomShutdownJosh CarrTue, 15 Sep 2009 18:30:00 ESTTUAW Sunday snacks: Some tasty tidbits of random informationhttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/13/tuaw-sunday-snacks-some-tasty-tidbits-of-random-information/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/13/tuaw-sunday-snacks-some-tasty-tidbits-of-random-information/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/13/tuaw-sunday-snacks-some-tasty-tidbits-of-random-information/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

In between watching those Sunday NFL games, we're hoping that you're snacking on some TUAW goodness. For your munching pleasure I thought I'd cook up some of the interesting tidbits that have accumulated in our inbox this morning and present them to you for consumption.

First, from TUAW reader Tom, is a fascinating look at a pre-Apple "Apple logo." Apparently in 1969, Piaggio Vespa, world-famous for their Vespa scooters, had an Italian ad campaign featuring apples with both sides missing a bite. The campaign used the Italian phrase "Chi Vespa mangia le mele," or "He who Vespas eats apples." Echoes of the campaign can still be found on various Vespa websites, including the USA site where you'll find many dingbats and buttons are apples with a bite or two taken out of them.

Next, TUAW fan Keith pointed out something interesting. If you go into Settings > General > Usage, there's a list of your iPhone usage. Down near the bottom of the list of statistics is a section called Tethering Data.

This shows up on 3G / 3GS models, since tethering is allowed by many carriers. Of course, as "Seth the Blogger Guy" notes in the AT&T video, American iPhone owners don't get the joy of using their iPhones as wireless data modems for laptops because the AT&T network has insufficient capacity. We've talked previously about AT&T's view on tethering; read here for more info. Of course, there's always the jailbreak option. Read on for more news tidbits.

Continue reading TUAW Sunday snacks: Some tasty tidbits of random information

TUAW Sunday snacks: Some tasty tidbits of random information originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)TUAW Sunday snacks: Some tasty tidbits of random information originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>appleapple logoAppleLogoattquickbooksquickentetheringtext messagingTextMessagingvespaworld recordWorldRecordSteven SandeSun, 13 Sep 2009 18:30:00 ESTUnhappy customers flaming Apple and each other over iPhone GPS issueshttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/12/unhappy-customers-flaming-apple-and-each-other/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/12/unhappy-customers-flaming-apple-and-each-other/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/12/unhappy-customers-flaming-apple-and-each-other/#commentsFiled under: , ,

There are quite a lot of posts on the Apple support forums discussing whether nor not the upgrade to iPhone OS 3.0 and later releases has trashed the GPS functionality of the device.

At last count there were 24 pages, a high percentage from users in Europe who claim that moving to 3.0 eliminated GPS functions, and all they get is Wi-Fi geolocation or cellular network triangulation.

As often happens, the passion devolves to nasty comments going back and forth, but clearly, some people are having a GPS problem which Apple is not acknowledging as a bug. They are giving some people new phones, but others aren't getting them because their iPhones are out of warranty.

Here's a typical comment from one poster:

"I could not get a satellite GPS (blinking blue dot) on my iPhone, while two other phones running 3.0 like me, got it within seconds. So I returned my unit, and got it replaced. The new phone got a correct GPS signal at once and according to MotionX GPS it was correct within 8 meters.

This leads me to the conclusion that OS 3.0 makes GPS not work on some iPhones (not all). Replacing the unit was the only solution for me, and it worked.

I recommend it to anyone who never (or almost never) get a GPS satellite signal."

Some are blaming their cell service provider, others are blaming Apple. Others are saying it was fixed by the recent version 3.1 update. Of course, with any new hardware/software there are problems, and with millions sold, a lot of reports will surface. What's odd here is that some people are solving it with resets, some with new phones, others with turning 3G off. There just doesn't seem to be any consistency in the solutions, which is probably driving Apple crazy.

Hope these folks get this problem sorted out, and Apple dives in and finds a solutions, or more likely, solutions.

Thanks to Torstein in Norway for the tip

Unhappy customers flaming Apple and each other over iPhone GPS issues originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 12 Sep 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Unhappy customers flaming Apple and each other over iPhone GPS issues originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 12 Sep 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>GPSiPhoneiPhone 3.0iPhone 3.1software updateMel MartinSat, 12 Sep 2009 14:30:00 ESTiCal all-day events causing MobileMe calendars to hiccup?http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/08/ical-all-day-events-causing-mobileme-calendars-to-hiccup/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/08/ical-all-day-events-causing-mobileme-calendars-to-hiccup/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/08/ical-all-day-events-causing-mobileme-calendars-to-hiccup/#commentsFiled under: ,

We received a tip from a frustrated reader this morning noting that when he published a calendar to MobileMe with iCal, it wasn't showing up if there were any all-day events in the calendar.

I sorted through a few different examples and was able to verify that any calendar with 'all-day' events just doesn't publish. Of course, you'll end up with a URL, but it will go to Apple's default 404 page for Mobile Me. A quick browse through the Apple support discussions will tell you that it's not an isolated incident... the thread can be found here.

We're being told that Apple is currently working on a fix for this problem, but we thought it would be a valuable heads-up for our readers. If you have to publish to MobileMe, we'd suggest removing 'all-day' events from your calendars (or changing them to fixed-duration events) until Apple fixes this issue.

Thanks, Bob!

iCal all-day events causing MobileMe calendars to hiccup? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)iCal all-day events causing MobileMe calendars to hiccup? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>all day eventsAllDayEventscalendaricalmobilemeJosh CarrTue, 08 Sep 2009 17:00:00 ESTThe few ants at my Snow Leopard picnichttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/07/the-few-ants-at-my-snow-leopard-picnic/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/07/the-few-ants-at-my-snow-leopard-picnic/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/07/the-few-ants-at-my-snow-leopard-picnic/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Ahhh, Labor Day - the weird U.S. holiday that celebrates work by encouraging people to take the day off. Since it also coincides with the beginning of September, many Americans associate Labor Day with the end of summer, which isn't until 3:18 PM on September 22nd. Since the colder temperatures of the Northern Hemisphere will soon mean no more picnics, it's a great day to get out and have one more al fresco meal.

Like a picnic, where a good time can be spoiled by a group of aggressive little ants, my first ten days of Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard have been a lot of fun, interspersed with some tiny, nagging annoyances:
  • Preview, an app I use constantly to resize screenshots for TUAW, crashes way too frequently
  • Without having changed any preferences, the OWC Mercury Elite Pro 1 TB drive I have attached to my iMac now spins down between Time Machine backups (this actually saves power, so I'm not complaining -- I just find it strange that it didn't happen before!)
  • An unexplained kernel panic the other morning when I woke up my MacBook Air by opening the "lid"
  • Having to reset the synchronization between my two Macs, MobileMe, and my iPhone after duplicate calendar entries began to multiply
  • Occasionally having to physically remove and plug back in the USB receiver for the Logitech wireless mouse on my iMac when the mouse refuses to work upon waking up from sleep
  • Exports from iMovie '09 to YouTube aren't working properly for me
There are no real show-stoppers here, just those little oddities that have kept life with Snow Leopard from being pure bliss. What are the ants that are showing up at your Snow Leopard picnic? Leave a comment below.

The few ants at my Snow Leopard picnic originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 07 Sep 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)The few ants at my Snow Leopard picnic originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 07 Sep 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>bugsmac os x 10.6MacOsX10.6snow leopardSnowLeopardSteven SandeMon, 07 Sep 2009 15:00:00 ESTSnow Leopard: Apple ships old, security-compromised Flash plugin with new OShttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/03/snow-leopard-apple-ships-old-security-compromised-flash-plugin/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/03/snow-leopard-apple-ships-old-security-compromised-flash-plugin/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/03/snow-leopard-apple-ships-old-security-compromised-flash-plugin/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


It's not that we have anything against the Flash plugin for Mac browsers. Well, other than the fact that it's crashy, and slow, and makes our laptop fans spin up like we're doing wind tunnel testing for the Air Force. But other than that, we have nothing against it -- and it's lovely that the new 64-bit version of Safari in Snow Leopard can isolate Flash-related stalls and hiccups from the main browser process for enhanced crash protection. Very nice.

Unfortunately, as pointed out initially by Graham Cluley over at the security and anti-virus vendor Sophos, the version of the Flash plugin that Apple bundles with Snow Leopard is old. It's the 10.0.23.1 version, old enough that it has some notable vulnerabilities versus the currently shipping 10.0.32.18 version. You can check which version of the plugin you have by visiting this Adobe check page. Even if you had the current build on your machine before upgrading to Snow Leopard, the upgrade process replaces your Flash with the vintage Flash instead -- poor form! Cluley recommends, and Adobe concurs, that the best thing to do is head over to Adobe's download site and get the most up-to-date version instead.

It's understandable that Apple had to lock down a version of the Flash plugin for inclusion in the OS golden master, but if you're gonna do that then you've got to provide an integrated method for users to update to the current build when the time comes (like, say, via an OS-wide Software Update utility). Downgrading user security while upgrading OS versions is a rotten way to run a railroad.

[Side note, does Cluley's narration in the video above make you wonder if, just maybe, he's moonlighting as Ben 'Yahtzee' Croshaw over at The Escapist? NSFW!]

Thanks to everyone who sent this in.

Snow Leopard: Apple ships old, security-compromised Flash plugin with new OS originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Snow Leopard: Apple ships old, security-compromised Flash plugin with new OS originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>flashsecuritysnow leopardSnowLeopardvulnerabilityMichael RoseThu, 03 Sep 2009 16:15:00 ESTFront Row performance on the mini takes a dive with Snow Leopardhttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/01/front-row-performance-takes-a-dive-with-newest-kitty/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/01/front-row-performance-takes-a-dive-with-newest-kitty/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/01/front-row-performance-takes-a-dive-with-newest-kitty/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Here's an interesting feature of Snow Leopard that you may or may not (probably not) find particularly useful. Apparently after upgrading to 10.6 several users at the Apple Discussion Forums -- mostly owners of Mac mini or MacBook models with the GMA950 graphics subsystem -- are reporting poor performance with Front Row.

The performance issue seems to effect navigation as well as playback, resulting in jerky video/audio in the menu and when watching a movie. This is also not limited to pesky DiVx files or QuickTime plug-ins either, as some users are reporting seeing the problem with iTunes purchases and others are even running a completely stock installation. Interestingly enough, some of the same users with Front Row issues are not seeing the same problems when playing back with QuickTime X.

In my opinion, this is not much of a surprise following such a major upgrade to many of the OS's underpinnings -- including an overhaul to QuickTime on which Front Row is largely based. This is the reason I did not upgrade the Mac mini in my living room. Aside from being a full-time webserver, I also rely on it for multimedia functionality as well.

Some folks with complaints have found solace in either Plex or Boxee as these fine media players do not rely on QuickTime or iTunes. For most though, a working Front Row would be ideal. Personally, I have not checked for problems with Front Row since my multimedia Mac hasn't been upgraded. However, I did note some wonkiness on another machine when using QuickLook to playback some video files through Finder. I have a sneaking suspicion there is something going on related to QuickTime X being used by other programs (i.e. FrontRow or QuickLook). What say you dear readers? Is your Front Row experience causing you grief or are you simply smirking because you haven't received your pre-order upgraded yet?

Thanks to Ivey for sending this in via Twitter.

Front Row performance on the mini takes a dive with Snow Leopard originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 01 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Front Row performance on the mini takes a dive with Snow Leopard originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 01 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>apple discussionAppleDiscussionbugfront rowFrontRowhtpcmac miniMacMinimultimediasupportAron TrimbleTue, 01 Sep 2009 10:00:00 ESTMozy fixes issue that affected Time Machine / Time Capsule usershttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/17/mozy-fixes-issue-that-affected-time-machine-time-capsule-users/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/17/mozy-fixes-issue-that-affected-time-machine-time-capsule-users/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/17/mozy-fixes-issue-that-affected-time-machine-time-capsule-users/#commentsFiled under: ,

Users of the MozyHome and MozyPro online backup services who also use Apple's Time Machine and a Time Capsule for onsite backups were dismayed to find last week that their Time Machine backups were not working. A bug in version 1.4.1 of the Mozy software caused Time Machine backups to Time Capsules and other network drives to pause, and then freeze up.

A user quoted on the Computerworld website last week noted that Time Machine would no longer mount his MacBook Pro's sparse bundle file while running Mozy offsite backups, and that he had to wipe the Time Machine backup in order to get the Time Machine / Time Capsule combination working again. The problem did not affect Mozy users who were backing up to a locally attached hard drive. Part of the issue was that Mozy was attempting to back up the large Time Machine sparse bundle files.

Engineers at Mozy's parent company, Decho, worked with Apple to gain resolution to the issue, and a fix was made available for download last Friday as version 1.4.3 of the Mac software for MozyHome and MozyPro.

[via Macworld and Computerworld]

Mozy fixes issue that affected Time Machine / Time Capsule users originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 17 Aug 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Mozy fixes issue that affected Time Machine / Time Capsule users originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 17 Aug 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>bugsmacmozytime capsuletime machineTimeCapsuleTimeMachineSteven SandeMon, 17 Aug 2009 11:30:00 ESTDid we say Saturday? iPhone OS 3.0.1 out now to block SMS exploithttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/31/did-we-say-saturday-iphone-os-3-0-1-out-now-to-block-sms-exploi/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/31/did-we-say-saturday-iphone-os-3-0-1-out-now-to-block-sms-exploi/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/31/did-we-say-saturday-iphone-os-3-0-1-out-now-to-block-sms-exploi/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,



Maybe it's already Saturday in the UK, or close to it: Apple has released iPhone OS 3.0.1 for iPhone, iPhone 3G & 3GS, an update that patches the phone to prevent bad actors from taking it over or taking it down with the just-demoed SMS exploit.
The update weighs in at close to 300 MBabout 230 MB (like all iPhone updates, it's a full image of the OS), and as far as we can tell there are no other fixes or tweaks; just the privilege of continuing to use your iPhone in peace and security.

Update with care, and let us know in the comments how the update works for you!

14:30 ET: Apple's security mailing list just delivered the notes for 3.0.1, they are reproduced in the 2nd half of this post. Also worth noting that the SMS exploit is not endemic to the iPhone alone; both Android and Windows Mobile platforms can be attacked with similar techniques, although Google tells BW that the issue on Android phones is now fixed (presumably through carrier action on T-Mobile's side, not confirmed though).

Continue reading Did we say Saturday? iPhone OS 3.0.1 out now to block SMS exploit

Did we say Saturday? iPhone OS 3.0.1 out now to block SMS exploit originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Did we say Saturday? iPhone OS 3.0.1 out now to block SMS exploit originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>3.0.1hackiphonepatchsecuritysmsupdateMichael RoseFri, 31 Jul 2009 14:20:00 ESTiPhone push on unlocked phones sends AIM message to unintended recipientshttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/21/iphone-push-exploit-sends-aim-message-to-unintended-recipients/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/21/iphone-push-exploit-sends-aim-message-to-unintended-recipients/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/21/iphone-push-exploit-sends-aim-message-to-unintended-recipients/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Update 7/22: AOL has responded to the reports of misdirected push notifications, and has confirmed that the issue is due to the use of a workaround for push notifications on unlocked phones.

--

If you want to have a hot and steamy exchange with your sweetheart via AIM on the iPhone, you might want to think again -- if you have an unlocked or jailbroken phone.

CrunchGear reports that Till Schadde with Equinux has discovered an iPhone bug where AIM messages could be sent to random people without you even knowing it. Schadde discovered this when he was notified that a message he had sent to his iPhone version of AIM got intercepted by someone else. That person proceeded to contact Schaddle, sharing the screenshot shown at right with him. Schadde posted the screenshot and detailed the bug on Twitter after testing it once more from his computer.

The bug is being blamed on iPhone 3.0's push notification and seems to be limited to unlocked/jailbroken iPhones at the moment.

Edit (12:20 PT): Schadde has tweeted that he was contacted by AOL via phone this morning, and they are currently investigating the issue.

[Via CrunchGear]

iPhone push on unlocked phones sends AIM message to unintended recipients originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 21 Jul 2009 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)iPhone push on unlocked phones sends AIM message to unintended recipients originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 21 Jul 2009 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>aimbugsexploitiphonejailbreakunlockMegan LaveyTue, 21 Jul 2009 10:15:00 ESTiPhone 3GS users report slow or inconsistent Wi-Fi connectionshttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/08/iphone-3gs-slow-and-inconsistent-wifi-speeds-reported/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/08/iphone-3gs-slow-and-inconsistent-wifi-speeds-reported/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/08/iphone-3gs-slow-and-inconsistent-wifi-speeds-reported/#commentsFiled under: ,

A number of iPhone 3GS owners have reported slow and inconsistent data speeds, along with widely varying amounts of signal strength, when using Wi-Fi.

Users note that signal strength can fluctuate between one and full bars even when standing right next to the router or when a computer nearby shows a constant signal. This goes along with a commensurate reduction in speed. Even at full signal on both the computer and the 3GS, one user reports getting a maximum of 3Mbit downloads on the iPhone while getting nearly 7Mbit downloads on a MacBook using the O2 network. The fluctuating signal strength problem has affected me since I brought home my new iPhone 3GS.

The other, more widely reported problem is a sizable speed decrease in the iPhone 3GS as compared to the iPod touch and iPhone 3G tested under the same conditions. In one case an iPod touch garnered download speeds of 4579ms and uploads of 1363ms, while the iPhone 3GS showed only 1360ms down and 160ms up.

Continue reading iPhone 3GS users report slow or inconsistent Wi-Fi connections

iPhone 3GS users report slow or inconsistent Wi-Fi connections originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 08 Jul 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)iPhone 3GS users report slow or inconsistent Wi-Fi connections originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 08 Jul 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>airport extremeAirportExtremeiphoneiphone 3gsIphone3gsipod touchIpodTouchwifiDavid WinogradWed, 08 Jul 2009 09:00:00 ESTSinging the iPhone battery blueshttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/07/singing-the-iphone-battery-blues/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/07/singing-the-iphone-battery-blues/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/07/singing-the-iphone-battery-blues/#commentsFiled under: ,

"My iPhone's been draining awfully fast since I installed 3.0," I commented to a fellow TUAW blogger just a few days after the release of the iPhone 3.0 firmware. At first, I wanted to think it was my phone. But, my iPhone 3G wasn't even 90 days old at the time of the observation and I'd been able to keep it on standby for several days before it needed a charge. Now, I could barely make it through a 10-hour workday before rushing out to the car to hook it up to a power source.

Aaron Vronko of RapidRepair says that this isn't an isolated incident. The iPhone 3G may now deplete its energy supply in roughly two hours, and the first generation iPhone lasts less than a day. Vronko tells Macworld that the cause is most likely push notification placing a drain on the battery's reserves. The issue has also led to complaints on Apple's support forums.

I've definitely noticed the difference. If I leave myself logged into BeeJive IM while I'm at work, my phone drains much faster than it does if I'm logged out. Regular push mail notification from MobileMe doesn't affect the battery level all that much, even with the high volume of e-mail I receive through TUAW. So, to save on the battery for now, I'm avoiding the push applications as much as I can if I don't have a charger within reach.

Vronko believes that the 3.1 release will solve the battery issues.

[Via MacNN]

Singing the iPhone battery blues originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Singing the iPhone battery blues originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>batterybattery lifeBatteryLifeiphoneiphone 3giphone 3gsIphone3gIphone3gsMegan LaveyTue, 07 Jul 2009 15:00:00 ESTTwitpocalypse aftermath and "incident" fixes on the App Storehttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/06/16/twitpocalypse-aftermath-and-incident-fixes-on-the-app-store/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/06/16/twitpocalypse-aftermath-and-incident-fixes-on-the-app-store/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/06/16/twitpocalypse-aftermath-and-incident-fixes-on-the-app-store/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

I didn't really take last week's Twitocalypse that seriously, but as you probably know by now, it turned out a little worse than expected -- we'd been told that Twitterrific (and, we assumed, most other Twitter apps) would be fine, and of course, as Craig Hockenberry explains on his blog, things ended up not-so-fine. Desktop app developers, of course, could publish updates as quickly as they could code them; iPhone developers were in a different situation.

When the Iconfactory's app stopped working, most people (including me) got an API error all weekend. Craig found the bug, then he and his team were able to leverage their contacts at Apple Developer Relations to help expedite the release; in short order, an update was pushed out to the App Store. I downloaded it yesterday, and can tell you that things are fixed... at least until the numerical limit on Twitter's tweet identifier raises its head again (or the Newton flips out, but that's another story).

Hockenberry also has ideas about how to keep issues like this from happening again. Not the actual issue of a variable overflow (that will undoubtedly happen again at some point, on Twitter or any other API that scales way faster than anyone expects it to), but the issue of iPhone apps needing a quick fix. He says that Apple should give every developer a number of "incidents" -- situations rarely used, in which a high priority fix can get sent out to apps in major emergencies. He says, and it's true, that for most developers, it's not a question of if you'll need to send out a critical fix, it's a matter of when. And support by Apple, obviously limited to one or two instances per developer, would help developers, distributors, and consumers.

Of course, it's up to Apple, and it's not like they've smoothed out the approval process so well already that they can start adding wrinkles to it. But clearly, given that the Twitterrific update went through quickly, there's room for exceptions to be made.

[via DF]

Twitpocalypse aftermath and "incident" fixes on the App Store originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Twitpocalypse aftermath and "incident" fixes on the App Store originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>api-errorapp-store-approvalappleapproval-processbugscriticalcritical-fixdesigndeveloperiphoneipod-touchsupporttwitpocalypsetwitterTwitterrificupdateMike SchrammTue, 16 Jun 2009 10:00:00 ESTTime Capsule disk corruption issues? Base station firmware may fix ithttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/03/20/time-capsule-disk-corruption-issues-base-station-firmware-may-f/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/03/20/time-capsule-disk-corruption-issues-base-station-firmware-may-f/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/03/20/time-capsule-disk-corruption-issues-base-station-firmware-may-f/#commentsFiled under: ,

If you've been having issues with corrupted Time Machine images either inside the Time Capsule or connected externally to your base station, the 7.4.1 firmware update (for all base stations from 2007 to today) plus the 10.5.6 update might help, according to TidBITS.

Apple says this update will fix problems that lead up to corruption issues, but TidBITS recommends you essentially start fresh just to make sure -- after using the Archive feature in Disk Utility to copy your previous Time Machine disk to an external drive. Don't have enough drives to do the data shuffle? You can always take your chances that you either don't have a corrupt Time Machine backup (which is pretty likely, honestly) or do a little soul/data-searching for anything you might want to preserve for posterity.

I don't use Time Machine as a sort of universal undo, but I understand some might. In either case: update your system and firmware as recommended by the manufacturer.

Time Capsule disk corruption issues? Base station firmware may fix it originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Time Capsule disk corruption issues? Base station firmware may fix it originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>backupdiskdisk utilityDiskUtilityfirmwaretime capsuletime machineTimeCapsuleTimeMachineupdateVictor Agreda, Jr.Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:15:00 ESTSeagate continues to communicate bad newshttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/02/05/seagate-continues-to-communicate-bad-news/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/02/05/seagate-continues-to-communicate-bad-news/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/02/05/seagate-continues-to-communicate-bad-news/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

There has been plenty of confusion over the continuing saga of Seagate hard drives with firmware problems that can lead to eventual failure and data loss. We've followed the story here and here.

It hasn't been pretty for either Intel or non-Intel Macs. It would have been nice for Seagate to provide a Mac OS X-native firmware updater for older machines. There must be an awful lot of hard drives out there just waiting to fail. Many people who don't follow tech news don't even know what pain might strike them.

Mac users who had written Seagate about their problems did not get much information, but now there are some more details sent in an email to customers about the bad news for non-Intel based Mac owners. Full email reproduced below:
If you are trying to update your drive firmware with a MAC, you must have an INTEL MAC to allow you to perform this action. If you do not have an INTEL MAC, you will then need to take the drive to a PC, or a MAC with an Intel Processor. If you do not have either, you may need to warranty the drive with Seagate, and the return drive should have the updated firmware upon receipt.

If you have an INTEL MAC, you would simply need to burn the ISO file to CD using the burning utility that you have installed on your system. Once you have the CD created, you will then need to reboot the system with the newly created CD in the CD ROM bay while holding the "C" key on the keyboard to tell the system to boot to the CD rather than the internal hard drive. Once you have booted to the CD, simply follow the onscreen prompts to complete the firmware update. Older Macs that are PowerPC (PowerMac G3,G4,G5, iMac G3,G4,G5) based can not bootup to the FreeDOS. FreeDOS is the operating system that is booted to when booting to the firmware update CD. Please keep in mind that you should always backup the data on the drive before doing the update in case there is data loss. In most cases, the data on the drive should remain in tack and unaltered; however, things happen, and its always better to be prepared in case we come across any obstacles with the integrity of the data on the drive.
Instructions for updating firmware on a Intel based Mac.
1. Download and burn the Firmware ISO that has been provided to you by Seagate for your drive/s
2. Burn the ISO to a CD (how to: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.5/en/8729.html)
3. Insert the freshly burn CD back in to your Mac.
4. Reboot
5. After the Chime press and hold the Option key on the keyboard.
6. Once you see the Apple with the spinning gear beneath, release the Option Key.
7. At this point the system will come to a screen with pictures of hard drives and a CD, the CD should be named Seagate.
8. Click on the CD
9. Click on the arrow pointing to the right.
10. At this point FreeDOS will boot and the on screen instructions should be followed.
Once again, I want to thank you for your business.. If you still need further assistance, or the information provided was not of good use, please feel free to contact Seagate Technical Support at 800-SEAGATE ( 800-732-4283).

Translation: You are well and truly hosed if you don't have access to a Mac Pro or a Windows PC that can update the firmware. People who have returned their drives to Seagate got a refurbished drive, even if a brand new one was sent in for exchange. Worse, there are some scattered reports that the replacement drive still had the bad firmware! Way to go, Seagate: if your Mac-owning user base didn't feel completely screwed over before this, we all probably feel that way now.

Seagate continues to communicate bad news originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 05 Feb 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Seagate continues to communicate bad news originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 05 Feb 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>firmwarehard drivesSeagateMel MartinThu, 05 Feb 2009 15:00:00 ESTDate/time bugs throughout the years for Applehttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/31/date-time-bugs-throughout-the-years-for-apple/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/31/date-time-bugs-throughout-the-years-for-apple/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/31/date-time-bugs-throughout-the-years-for-apple/#commentsFiled under: , ,

As 30GB Zune owners deal with the sudden bricking of their systems after midnight this morning, hopefully they can take comfort in the fact they are not alone in this. Throughout the years, Apple products had their share of time & date problems.

In February 2000, Newton owners began reporting that they were having issues with the Newton being rather confused about what century it was in. Some users discovered that when they entered two-digit numbers as part of birthdays and other common abbreviated dates, things got wonky. For example, if I entered my birth date as 2-28-80 on the Newton, it interpreted the number as being February 28, 2080 rather than 1980. Entries of full dates in the 1900s were also affected. Other users stated that when they tried finding 20th century dates in the Find applet of the Newton, the system actually performed the search using 21st-century dates.

Fixes included resetting the system clock back to 1999 to enter those dates before resetting it again back to 2000 and applying software patches. Sadly, it's a bug that HAL-9000 forgot to mention. Apple even reported back in 1998 that the Newton was Y2K-compliant. Of course, this won't even begin to cover the problems that Newton owners still using the product will have in 2010. If you see our own Newton-sporting Steve Sande at Macworld, be sure to tease him about it.

A Tiger bug discovered in 2005 revealed that Safari's RSS reader would list some items as being an hour ahead of when they were actually posted -- news from the future is not catastrophic, but certainly could be confusing.

Our research this morning hasn't turned up any date-related iPod or iPhone hiccups, but if you know of any examples please let us know in the comments. As for the Zune bricks, there's been no word yet from Microsoft regarding the failures, but Engadget's readers have already come up with a number of theories including blaming it on Steve Jobs, the year 2008 being one-second longer, and other conspiracy theories that are sure to come throughout the day.

Date/time bugs throughout the years for Apple originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 31 Dec 2008 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Date/time bugs throughout the years for Apple originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 31 Dec 2008 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>brickbrickedbugsdatenewtontimezuneMegan LaveyWed, 31 Dec 2008 11:30:00 EST