One convenient Windows feature missing in OS X is the ability to quickly create a new text file in the current folder. By simply dragging a small Applescript-turned-application to Finder’s toolbar, this dream quickly becomes reality.

There are any number of reasons you’d need a quick text file in the working folder—if you’re working with icons, testing a new file-based tweak, or just need to make an immediate note—the context menu solution Windows implements is much faster than opening up TextEdit and navigating to the directory to save it. Luckily, this Applescript is an easy solution. Just unzip the file and save the application somewhere on your computer (it doesn’t really matter where, but just make sure you don’t delete it by accident later), and then drag it up into Finder’s toolbar where you want it. Next time you want to create a new text file in the current folder, all you need to do is click your newly-created Finder button—simple as that.

UPDATE: In light of its newfound fame, the developer has rewritten the script (based on the comment of Lifehacker’s own perlhacker) to include file naming and the opening of the file as it’s created. There’s also a version that creates rich text files as well. You can find the updated versions here.

newtextfilehere.zip [via DownloadSquad]

When I upgraded to 3.6 on Snow Leopard, all I get is a perpetual crash. I have 2 extensions loaded and it won’t even start.

Copy past from another blog:

Firefox 3.6 woes on OS X
tammikuu 22, 2010 — huima
Firefox 3.6 is here and oh great, it is great! Except that most of the extensions crash my Firefox, so I am unable to do almost anything extra I used to in the older version.

I’ve tested now numerous times and for example Delicious bookmarks crashes Firefox, when I install it and Firefox tries to restart itself. Crash report gets only a number sequence like “1264176171″ nothing more. After I start Firefox in safe mode and disable the plugin, everything works again.

New version of Firefox seems to much faster and better citizen on my mac, so I hope these problems get fixed either in the plugin or in the firefox soon. Until that I’ll have to use two versions of Firefox on my machine.

Check out the infomercial here:

There are numerous occasions when you want to listen to something other then your iTunes collection. Satellite radio such as XM and internet based audio stations provide a great alternative.
The hard part is launching multiple browser windows just to listen to a stream. Enter Radium.

In a neatly packaged menu bar application, Radium allows quick access to a multitude of internet radio stations including your XM account. A very fast search function lets you find a particular station or theme.

Radium updates on launch if preferred new stations and you have complete control on which stations you want to enable.

Growl notification support is included as well as keyboard shortcuts.
From within the drop down menu is a handy clipboard button to select the “Now Playing” selection so that one can paste the info into your app of choice.
This can come in handy when trying to find more info about a particular artist or to use in the iTunes Store.
You can select to receive higher bandwidth feeds for quality:

All in all, Radium is a very fast launching application that takes up very little real-estate.

Radium is a “Must Have App” !

Radium, from CatPig Studios

As a Mac user we are accustomed to ease of use. Our loyalty sets us apart. If you are a Windows user, chances are you seek alternative applications to those that come with your operating system. With OSX there really is little need to do this as everything “just” works.
Well, I have finally found an alternative to OSX mail in “Mailplane”

Gmail is pretty much a standard in webmail. Its features sets the platform apart. But how can I bring this to the desktop. Here comes MailPlane. It is not just an encapsulated safari webpage but a full fledged desktop app. It has full iLife integration, drag and drop features to open windows and to the dock icon. It has great email notifications, including on the toolbar and dock icon, as well as Growl support. IMAP though Gmail, secure login and much more. It’s interface is as good if not better then any native OSX app, and maintains your mail safely on Gmail servers.
Maiplane has full address book integration.
It has support for multiple accounts.

Further features:

A full list of features are available here.

What better way to integrate all that Gmail has to offer yet maintain the OSX integration with iPhoto (auto resizing of images) and drag and drop ease of use that we come to take for granted in OSX.

Get MailPlane now.
It is an absolute steel at $24.95 CAD

Mailplane is unequivocally a “Must Have App”!

10.6: Set power saving modes on laptops via Terminal: “I recently upgraded from Mac OS X 10.4 to 10.6, and noticed that the power saving profiles have disappeared from the menu bar’s Battery Status menus. Luckily, this functionality is still accessible via the command line.

Open Terminal and type the following command in order to set the profile to be used when using the battery:

pmset -b modenum

Replace modenum with one of the following values:

• 1 – Better Energy Savings
• 2 – Normal
• 3 – Better Performance
• -1 – Custom

In order to set the profile used when connected to AC power, change -b to -c. I am able to use the above commands with neither administrator nor root privileges. Your settings should be reflected in the Energy Saver preference pane.

(Via MacOSXHints.com.)

Review: Quickpedia for iPhone: “What makes this free mobile Wikipedia browser worth the download over simply navigating to Wikipedia from Safari is the app’s easy-to-read interface and the search history.

(Via MacCentral.)

Once in a while I get to test a truly useful app. Most of the time I will try something that might just become a fixture on my dock. I hate clutter and only utilize applications that make my life easier AND launch and run quickly.

Itunes is great. No mistaking that, but to use it as a daily music player it is overkill. In the days of my misguided youth as a PC user there was Winamp. Used it all the time.

Well, now there is an app for OSX that replaces a quick launching, socially integrated, visually stunning music utility. EVERPLAY

It has integration for Twitter and LastFM ( both of which I use). If they added Facebook then I personally think it would be overkill. Too much fat.

It launches very fast on my Macbook of 2 years and equally fast on my first gen Intel iMac. No need to time loading times. Why. Who cares? When I want to listen to music, there it is. No extended yo yo dock bouncing.

Cover flow works very fast and I actually find myself listening to more of my music.

Support is great as there have been 3 updates so far and early crash logs were addressed in a week. Great support!

Playlists are quickly accessible from a drop down list, and there is a search function that works spotlight fast! Shuffle, repeat and jukebox mode are added features. Everything you need is there. Upcoming tracks and full screen mode.

This is definitely a MUST HAVE APP!

Everplay

RecoverMySmartphone.com.
It’s the first service to take in broken or damaged smartphones and
save the data from those devices. RecoverMySmartphone.com customers
can also choose to have their recovered data cloned to a new
smartphone. The next step is for the customer to ship their device(s)
to our San Jose service center.

Once the smartphone(s) are received, our engineers will have all
data recovered within 5-7 workdays.

A YouTube video explaining the service can be found at:

Video

For more information on the service, please visit

http://www.RecoverMySmartphone.com

Apple tablet event due Jan. 27, iPhone 4.0 in tow?: “Apple’s late January event could have more than just the anticipated tablet itself in store, a rumor suggests. Certain developers have allegedly been seeded a beta of the iPhone OS 4.0 development kit that, among other adaptations, would include a simulator and tools to accommodate a new resolution and screen area….

(Via MacNN | Apple, Macintosh and iPod news.)

Apple refuses to send replacement iPhone to legal owner: “Without some intervention from Apple or the police, a replacement iPhone will go to a thief and not the original owner, a robbery victim claims. Identifying herself only as Alisa, the victim notes that her iPhone was stolen over two weeks ago in a Brooklyn subway. No progress had been made until recently, when the thief asked for a replacement phone through AppleCare. A notification e-mail was sent to Alisa’s address….

(Via MacNN | Apple, Macintosh and iPod news.)

Everplay, a bite-sized iTunes alternative, features Last.fm, Cover Flow:Browse. Search. Play.
Flip through your iTunes playlists in one easy-to-navigate cover flow window. Create and manage playlists on-the-fly. Shuffle and play without launching iTunes. Play count and meta data is automatically updated by Everplay’s background daemon as soon as iTunes is launched.

Stream. Share. Shout.
Scrobble your music to Last FM, ban or love tracks. Listen to personalized radio, share music with your friends, leave an artist or user a shout, and discover new music based on similarity with your iTunes collection. Everplay is fully integrated with Last FM web and radio services.

(Via EverPlay.)

Starting February You Can Use Your iPhone And iTouch As A Universal Remote: “

Starting February You Can Use Your iPhone And iTouch As A Universal Remote

Post from: FSMdotCOM

Month of January is hosting CES, the world’s largest consumer technology tradeshow. We expect lots of goodies to come out this year, and one of them is the L5 Remote from L5 Technology. This is a $50 accessory that will be paired with a free app , and it will turn your iPhone and iTouch into a universal remote.

The accessory plugs into the iPhone or iPod touch’s dock connector. It measures 1.25 x .85 inches. Using a free app you’ll be able to download from the App Store, you drag and drop buttons into place to control your home entertainment devices.

The accessory works without batteries and will control any number of devices within about 30 feet, according to the manufacturer. It doesn’t require independent batteries, Wi-Fi or external power to function.

[via TheLoop]

(Via FSMdotCOM.)