The lovely and talented Hazel received an update (to version 2.3) yesterday. Paul Kim of Noodlesoft announced the update on his developer blog, and highlights an update to the already useful App Sweep feature and the built-in script editor, among other improvements. This upgrade, … Read More »
Bio:Like many, I started on Apple computers back in the mid 80′s. But since you must experience pain and sorrow to truly know joy, I did my requisite years on the Windows platform before finding myself and my happiness again with Apple’s OS X. I had one of the very first 17″ PowerBooks out of our local Apple store and have never looked back.
Not long after submerging myself back into the world of Apple, I began writing here at TheAppleBlog. I love to write and talk about Apple, so it was a perfect fit. I relish the chance to educate others and geek-out, so please feel free to ask questions. I thoroughly enjoy lively comment threads on my posts, so please sound off!
When I’m not writing here, I’m serving as the world’s greatest dad to 3 kids, making my lovely wife fall in love with me each day, playing with Legos, checking someone at the hockey rink, traveling Colorado to make great photographs, or paying the bills as a Cisco Network Engineering consultant. And other stuff.
Check out my personal home on the web at http://nicksantilli.com or follow my random stream of consciousness on Twitter @nucof.
Recent Posts
I’ll posture that not many of us know the anniversary of the date we purchased most of our cellular phones — at least not before the iPhone hit the streets. (And if you do remember, hopefully you remember other, important anniversaries, too!) But things changed on … Read More »
The fear of freedom that Zengobi’s Curio offers users has caused me to write and rewrite this post many times over the past few months. I just haven’t known how best to embody its essence. So before I confuse (and frighten) myself more, I’m kicking … Read More »
We’ve posted Power User tips focusing on OS X as a whole (look for an update post for the not-far-off Snow Leopard) and the System Preferences. Today we’ll cast our gaze on iTunes. Listening to music on your Mac is like peanut butter … Read More »
Adobe’s recent earnings report revealed that version 10 of its Flash Mobile framework will be available this fall. This is great news — that is, it’s great news for phones running Windows Mobile, Palm Web OS, Symbian and Android, which Flash Mobile 10 will be optimized … Read More »
This morning, in many parts of the country, the iPhone 3G S is already being doled out to anxious customers. Despite the bumpy upgrade plan that has been laid ahead of many current iPhone … Read More »
The iPhone’s 2-megapixel camera takes some all-right photos, but honestly, there’s a lot of room for improvement. A future model with a higher-resolution camera seems like a no-brainer (rumors point to 3.2-megapixel hardware), but for now, there are some excellent applications for getting the most out … Read More »
More Must Reads
Whenever a friend who’s new to Apple picks up a new Mac of their own, I’m sure to tell them about the great educational and support services Cupertino offers as well. In-store group Workshops, Genius Bar and One to One are all great … Read More »
So I need your help, dear readers. I’ve taken a new position at my big-boy job, and it’s throwing me back into the world of coding. As with the majority of businesses, ours runs on Dell PCs, but my new lead wants to change that (at … Read More »
About two months following the pricing experiment by App Cubby’s David Barnard, Gas Cubby gets a 2.0 upgrade. Gas Cubby provides a way to track gas mileage for your automobile. But more than that, all maintenance and other costs sunk into your vehicle are dutifully … Read More »
Last December we pointed you to cloud-based backup solution, Backblaze. At the time it was only in beta release for Mac, but today that changes. Head on over and try Backblaze out for yourself, as it’s now open to the public. There are several options … Read More »
OS X has long been labeled the platform for “creatives,” though in recent years it’s finally becoming known for more than that. Adobe’s Creative Suite is generally regarded as the crown-jewel of digital design, and they’re priced to match. So … Read More »
Most people have seen the BumpTop videos on YouTube and TED by now. (If you haven’t, I’ve embedded their current demo vid below. Take a look!) The official desktop replacement has been in private beta (for Windows only) for a little while now, and … Read More »
These days, “going green” is all the rage. So it should be no surprise to anyone that “green” apps for the iPhone are, ahem, sprouting up all over. I wonder though, with green-ness being such a trendy topic, are some developers just using the term as marketing? … Read More »
If you follow Midnight Apps on Twitter, you know it’s taken the better part of a month. But they’ve finally navigated the App Store approval process, and Cha-Ching Touch is now available for purchase via the App Store. We gave
Greetings iPhone Developers! It seems you’ve got a lot to digest after yesterday’s iPhone 3.0 announcement. Certainly the wheels are turning on how you can implement all the nifty new features. By now, (if you’ve been able to access the developer page at Apple.com) you’re probably even … Read More »
The latest unibody aluminum MacBooks are fantastic, and I truly love mine, but I found out quickly that the aluminum surface doesn’t take kindly to scratching. Within the first week of owning it, I had an inch long nick in the top cover…it mocks me daily. … Read More »
The great thing about using Apple computers (loaded with OS X of course), is that some of the tasks that can be frustrating and difficult on another operating system are simple and possibly even fun. So assuming you’ve got a handle on using that Mac of … Read More »
Results of a recent study by Pinch Media were released (and poked fun at by The Onion) and reveal that users of iPhone/iPod touch apps lose interest quickly. Our own Om Malik actually pointed this out just a month after the App Store … Read More »
In a somewhat atypical Wednesday hardware announcement, Apple released their newest iPod Shuffle. The biggest news about the iPod redesign is that it uses VoiceOver to tell you about the music … Read More »
For the first time in the App Store (at least as far as games are concerned) competing developers are joining forces to release their wares as one in the 5 Fingers Bundle ($5 in the App Store). Similar in concept to MacUpdate, these five … Read More »
An attribute of Apple’s OS X operating system that I love above nearly all others is that there’s so much power beneath the simple and elegant interface. Although there are many undocumented features of OS X, we’re going to look at some that are fairly well … Read More »
There are plenty of offerings in the App Store to track your finances on the go. So Midnight Apps’ Cha-Ching Touch is just another addition to a crowded space then, right? Not exactly. Besides bringing their stunning user interface and ease of use to the iPhone/iPod … Read More »
Many of us are hip to Twitter these days, and there are a myriad of options for keeping track of the resulting tweets. I personally bounce between the webpage itself and Tweetdeck (while on my Mac). But sometimes I want to trim down my open … Read More »
We here at TheAppleBlog have posted a fair bit about Smule and their iPhone/iPod touch applications. Their apps are a bit off the wall (which seems like a winner in the App Store), but pack a lot of potential under the hood (as I indicated … Read More »
Hey guys (and yes, I do just mean the guys on this one), lonely for Valentine’s Day? Need some positive reinforcement? Maybe just a quick, chauvinistic laugh? If you answered with an emphatic “Yes!” to any of the preceding and have an extra 99 cents to … Read More »
Has the Favorites list within your iPhone’s Contacts app grown so long that you might as well be using the entire Contacts listing? As it turns out, I have a lot of favorite people too. So as the list grew out of control, I started using … Read More »
The design of Apple’s App Store has been receiving a fair bit of criticism from both developer and customers alike. I’m not here to rehash all of that, but rather, to point out the results of a pricing experiment that App Cubby founder, David Barnard performed. To … Read More »
I’m rarely one to buy into extended warranties. I worked at Best Buy (I was young and stupid, cut me some slack) long ago, and swore I would never waste money on those coverage plans. All that being said, I recommend all my friends cover their … Read More »
At first blush, I wasn’t convinced that BurnBall had the stickiness necessary to merit replay in my oh-so-valuable free time. As it turns out, the deceptively simple yet addictive game play make for a great and fun way to kill time on the iPhone or … Read More »
With all the interest in Netbooks these days, many eyes are on Apple to see what kind of move they may make in this relatively new space. Some analysts believe that Netbooks are a risky idea for all PC makers, while others foster the belief … Read More »
I’ve spent several hours tinkering with Apple’s new iPhoto ’09 — part of the newly updated iLife ’09 suite of media applications — and I like what I’ve seen so far. The entire application is a strong step forward, and the exciting new features (facial recognition … Read More »
If sliding down mountains of snow is your thing, it’s quite possible that you’re keen on staying up to date with the current and upcoming snow conditions. As with most niches, this space too has been filled for those of us toting an iPhone or iPod … Read More »
From the coders who brought you Trip Cubby and Gas Cubby (both of which I use weekly), comes Health Cubby. If you’ve used either of the aforementioned iPhone and iPod touch apps from App Cubby you’re already aware of the kind of data collection they … Read More »
I’m a big hockey fan — cheering on the Colorado Avalanche and playing whenever I get the chance. So when HockeyGPS (free) came out for the iPhone and iPod touch, I had to give it a try. The basic idea behind the app is that it will … Read More »
Has today’s news that Steve Jobs is stepping down temporarily as CEO come as the proverbial nail in the coffin? Back in September 2008, Steve Jobs humorously addressed the accidental release of his obituary by Bloomberg by revealing a slide that read, “Reports of my death are greatly … Read More »
If you’ve got young children, chances are they’re already quite adept at using the computer. This is a new generation of wired little ones, and we’ve got our work cut out for us as we attempt to stay ahead of them. I’ll wager that you’re more concerned … Read More »
As seems to be the trend with Smule’s iPhone applications, their point may not be immediately clear. With many App Store offerings, “enjoyable time waster” could be the point, but that’s not always enough for some people. There were those who didn’t see the point … Read More »
As I think it goes with most geeks, our better half (yes as a matter of fact, some of us have girlfriends and wives!) usually isn’t the most technical of people. My lovely wife can use a computer just fine, but she’s not the type of person … Read More »
When’s the last time you played with Photo Booth? I’m guessing you and your friends had some raucous laughs with it when you first got your Mac, and then haven’t done much with it since. Well I’m here to suggest you bring it out of mothballs … Read More »
My life is busy (and yes, if you’re wondering, it is all about me), and frequently I tend to rip or download music without taking the time to apply ratings to it. Since ratings are one of the best methods for determining the usefulness of your … Read More »
While nothing short of a fantastic delivery vehicle for all things iPhone Application, the App Store still has had its share of nuisances. (Even Apple doesn’t nail everything right out of the gate.) But with the unparalleled popularity of the iPhone and the ability to pair … Read More »
I’m of the opinion that word-based puzzle games are where it’s at for the iPhone. Sure, the shooters and other touch games for the platform are cool, but I get longevity from the dynamic nature of word based challenges. So when the opportunity came to play … Read More »
These days our lives revolve around our computers — for better or worse. We keep our finances there, photos, purchased music, and much much more. It seems like a no brainer that we should all be backing up our data regularly, but it still surprises me … Read More »
I have some friends (mac-using friends) who are gaga over some of the new commercials they’ve seen of touch screen Windows-capable machines — namely the HP TouchSmart PCs. On one level I understand — that stuff looks cool! But I quickly come back and … Read More »
Most Commented
Popular Now
Latest News
- The incredible story of Indie Game: The Movie
- Traversing the Valley
- How many Apple IDs should your family have?
- Maybe it’s time to rethink how we fund broadband
- Ambient video and the changing face of communication
- 7 stories to read this weekend
- With new U.S. presence, Shopcade expands its social commerce business model
