Apple concedes the gamma war

Photos that appear just right on a Mac seem dark and muddy on a PC.

It's the curse of gamma. Eons ago Apple chose a perfectly reasonable value for this obscure metric of color image contrast. Then Microsoft opted for very cheap displays that had a different value.

We know how that turned out.

In theory, I think (the topic is esoteric), colorsync software should manage the gamma effect. Unfortunately Windows does a terrible job with color management. So the problem remains.

With its next OS, Apple has throw in the towel ...

AppleInsider | Snow Leopard to see HFS compression, default gamma switch

...Macs to date have typically employed a lower-contrast but lighter 1.8 gamma level, but the new Snow Leopard build now changes this to a deeper 2.2 gamma that was previously only an option in earlier Mac OS X editions...

Today if you use a Gamma of 2.2 you can make your images look good, but the rest of the OS looks nasty. With 10.6 the OS will look good with a gamma of 2.2.

I suspect our old photos will look good in 10.6 as long as they have color profiles embedded, but going forward photos will look good even on color-damaged Windows clients.

So this is actually a good thing, though it's also an admission of defeat.

gContacts for iPhone: well worth my $2.00

I installed gContacts after reading this Ars review about a Google Contacts view app ...

gContacts brings Google contacts to iPhone

... Offered in the App Store for $1.99, gContacts is more or less a dedicated address book application for the Googlers amongst us. It can view both contacts and suggested contacts for one or more accounts, offering full access to contact information like phone numbers, a contact's photo, e-mail addresses, job information, and any notes you've attached.

gContacts also integrates pretty well with other iPhone applications, allowing you to call contacts and draft an e-mail...

Someday I might get around to reconciling my primary address book with my Gmail contacts, but that day is months away (esp. since Bento, which was my primary strategy for reconciliation, is so feeble).

The big weakness, other than being read-only is that gContacts has no search. Still, it does bring a heck of a lot of email information to my iPhone.

Worth $2. More if they ever add search ...

Update 10/28/08: It's no longer sold. No explanation. I assume Apple would have used their kill switch if it were doing something illegal. I suspect the name turned out to be copyrighted already.

Update 10/29/08: The author responded in Apple Discussions. The take down was trademark related. The app should return with a different logo and possibly a different name.

How gigabit ethernet can replace firewire for system migration

As long as you have two fairly modern machines, you can connect them without a router ..

Creating a small Ethernet network

...Some later Macintosh computers can automatically detect and reconfigure pinouts so that a crossover cable is not required and/or may be used interchangeably with a standard cable.

I'd forgotten about cross-over cables, I wonder what year Macs became auto-configuring.

Incidentally, in my experience Gigabit ethernet connected drive services feel much faster than locally connected USB drives.

No sound with Flash on OS X

My Flash videos were silent. Audio seemed to be working otherwise. I reinstalled Flash, but silence still reigned.

Mac OS X Hints had several old fixes: A possible fix for no sound in Flash on Intel Macs. The most direct fix involved running a Midi utility to correct the sound sampling rate, but my sampling rate was fine.

Turns out there's a wee little sound control in Flash video. It's independent of the system sound. Mine had somehow been set to the lowest value.

Who knew?

My Griffin Clarifi iPhone 3G case review (close-up lens)

Amazon.com: Clarifi W Easydock Iphone 3G: Camera & Photo

I dropped my iPhone four feet to the basement floor the other day. It bounced nicely, but I decided it was time to spring for the Clarifi and its close-up lens.

The good news it that I can now take great close-up pictures of text. Business cards, journal article titles, newspaper headlines -- no problem. I'll be doing this a lot, in combination with Evernote's storage.

The bad news is that it bulks up my iPhone. It feels much heavier and thicker. I'm sure there's a lot of perception in this, but I wonder if I'll end up deciding it's too much bulk for every day use.

The case is black, so my white iPhone is now hard to find in the dark. Kind of defeats the purpose. I put a white Apple sticker on one side, and I'll look for something neon green to add. I hate loosing expensive hardware.

The magnifying lens has an obvious design flaw. There's a mild locking indent in the closed position, but not lock indent in the open position. Sigh. Let's hope this gets fixed in a future version.

I suggest try before you buy. You could try any hard shell case to test the bulk effect, they're all pretty similar. If you are going to get a polycarbonate case, the macro lens makes this the best bet.

I bought the case from TechNGnet, an Amazon-associate I'd never heard of. No-one else had any in stock, and Griffin forces direct buyers to set up a username and password. I hate doing that.

TechNGnet did well, but like most associates they charge a goodly shipping fee. $7 in this case, but it did come very quickly. Even with the shipping fee they were less expensive than Griffin, and I didn't have to setup a un/pw to order.

Update 10/30/08: I'm tolerating the extra bulk of the case, and I haven't had too much trouble with the lens obscuring photos. The macro ability makes the iPhone camera far more useful for me. One unexpected benefit is that I'm not accidentally switching the phone into vibrate mode. The case protects the 'silencer' switch; it now only moves when I want it to.

Update 11/8/08: Pocket crud gets trapped behind the sliding lens -- so you need to spend more time cleaning the lenses than normally. The lens should be kept closed when the case is stowed; this would be easier if it had a much stronger open/close detent.

Update 3/21/2010: I finally pried off the lens and turned this into a regular case. The fatal flaw was the lack of a proper indent. The lens would ruin pictures by sliding into place. The cheap plastic lens was also a dust magnet, and very hard to clean.

iPhone displays only 1500 characters from a calendar note

I get off my plane, confidently open my iPhone Calendar to check where I'm staying and ... the note is truncated!

WTF?!

I retrieved the data from my Gmail calendar (no truncation there!). So what's the deal?

It was surprisingly hard to find out about this iPhone Calendar.app limitation. An Apple discussion forum post by Everett Marshall was the only source I found:

Apple - Support - Discussions - Outlook calendar entries get truncated ...

... To address your specific issue (and I have the same frustration with travel itins being cutoff ...gggggrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!) the ENTIRE note is actually on the phone. You just can't see it.

What you can do is select 'Edit' for the note in question. Then touch the Note to enter Edit mode. The entire note is there.

I guess someone at Apple has decided if 140 characters is good enough for Twitter, 1,500 characters is more than enough for an iPhone user's Note field.

Fix it Apple. This is basic stuff. Oh...And while you're at it why not make phone numbers clickable in the note field....

Sometimes Apple's decisions make me want to bonk my head on the wall. Palm did better than this 10 years ago!

I confirmed that if you try to edit the note text, you get a small window you can scroll through. I don't know what the field limitation really is; Outlook will go to 32,000 characters. I suspect the iPhone limit is less than that.

I suspect the limit applies to all Apple iPhone Notes but I can't confirm that.

I'll add this to my growing list of surprising things about the iPhone (along with more detail on the dry finger problem!).

Office Online: don't bother

I've experimented with Office Online's calendar sharing features:

Publish a calendar on Office Online - Outlook - Microsoft Office Online

... You can use the Microsoft Office Outlook Calendar Sharing Service to publish and share and calendars on Microsoft Office Online with other people. You have control over who can view the calendar and who can remove the calendar at any time....

Don't bother. They've messed up their security certs so badly Firefox and Safari/iPhone fight hard to stay away. It all smells abandoned; so much for Microsoft's Office in the Cloud strategy.

I think this initiative was overtaken by the Outlook Connector for Windows Live.

Update: Nope. Outlook Connector just displays Windows Live calendars in Outlook; they can then be edited in either environment. It doesn't get Outlook calendars to Windows Live.

Office 2007 Diagnostics includes memory and disk check tools

I was trying to decrypt my latest Microsoft Office 2007 XP puzzle – why Outlook was telling me …

"Either there is no default mail client or the current mail client cannot fulfill the message request. Please run Microsoft Office Outlook and set it as the default mail client."

The word on the street is that this is, you guessed it, a MAPI32.DLL version problem.

All together now, sag to your desk and cry out “OS X, Why hast though forsaken me?”

We wander lost in the desert of XP …

Anyway, a google hit mentioned a useful first attack is the new Microsoft Office 2007 diagnostics test:

Diagnose and repair crashing Office programs by using Office Diagnostics - Help and How-to - Microsoft Office Online

… Microsoft Office Diagnostics in the 2007 Microsoft Office system is a series of diagnostic tests that can help you discover why your computer is crashing (closing abnormally). The diagnostic tests can solve some problems directly and might identify ways that you can solve other problems…

Yeah, it’s in my Office install, along with the usual set of neglected goodies. It includes a memory tester and disk diagnostic, so it’s a handy tool for all kinds of problems.

The Setup Diagnostic packages can take a VERY long time to run.

Update: The Setup Diagnostics (formerly Office Repair) took one unspecified "corrective action". The problem is gone. I bet it fixed the MAPI32.DLL problem. It's not obvious how to get more information from the results.

SATA drive dock but no Google Checkout

Recommended by Daring Fireball readers: ThinkGeek :: External USB SATA Drive Dock.

Sold by ThinkGeek, which I'd forgotten about. It's nice to see they're still in business.

Unfortunately ThinkGeek does not use Google Checkout. Makes me wonder how geeky they really are.

I'm done with creating vendor specific accounts. If a vendor doesn't support Amazon or Google Checkout, or at least an OpenID authentication, forget 'em.

Which iPod was best?

I've bought six iPods. Four are still in use in our home, including my first - the third generation firewire sync iPod.

From left to right: 3G iPod, 5G iPod, 2G Nano, 3G iPhone.

Not shown are a 2nd generation shuffle that I was happy to lose to the washing machine, and the great 1st generation shuffle that my mother owns.

So which iPod was best? The answer depends on use of course, but it's not entirely obvious.

1. Absolute worst: The second generation shuffle and its proprietary charging and sync connector. Yech.
2. Best music player: A close race between the 5G iPod (#2) and the Nano. They're both great music players; the scroll wheel and interface features make them much better than the iPhone for listening to podcasts. If I had to choose one I'd favor the 3G for its additional video features and greater capacity.
3. Most versatile charging and accessory compatibility: Nano and 5G iPod both charge with Firewire, USB and all auto accessories. Yech to my iPhone.
   
4. Most powerful device: Ok, the iPhone is good for something.
5. Fastest sync: I swear the Firewire 3G is 3 times faster at sync than anything else. I really miss Firewire.
6. Best accessory range: The old 3G iPhone had a special connector for adding on radio, recording, broadcast etc. It came with a small remote control cable.
7. Best suited to a person with visual and motor limitations: The first generation shuffle.
   

So certainly there's progress, but it's mixed.

Convert Bento Library to Filemaker Database

I came across this app while looking for alternatives to FileMaker's very limited Bento product: FmPro Migrator 4.36.

It will convert a SQLite Bento Library into a FileMaker database - versions 7-9.

Sounds quite interesting and worth remember ...

Not exactly what I want just yet -- I want to be able to access my OS X PIM data (address book, calendar, tasks) from FileMaker.

Still looking for that solution ...

Windows Search 4 broken by recent update causing MDAC corruption

My XP box index is complete, but Windows Search 4.0 returns nothing. The Event Viewer has no interesting Windows Search Service events; the indexer seems happy, but the search isn’t working. Rebooting didn’t help.

On any search I get "Nothing found in All Locations for query ...".

The only hints I could find wer ea recent post with a Vista problem: SearchIndexer.exe causing problems after Search 4.0 update on Vista Home Premium system. - MSDN Forums and Desktop Search help has no recent advice.

I’ll try doing a windows update, then if that doesn’t work a uninstall/reinstall cycle.

Windows Search was much happier when I was using Office 2003. It hasn’t been the same since I went to 2007.

Update 10/20/08: I miss Lookout for Outlook. Also, Spotlight and all of OS X. Anyway, the Windows Update and reinstall didn't work. This time I'll uninstall, track down my index and trash it, and try again. As before the index is built, everything looks fine, but searches return nothing.

Update 10/20/08: Still not working. I'm running out of ideas. Next step is to uninstall Windows Search 4 and install Google Desktop Search! Instant search works in Outlook, but desktop search doesn't work at all. From a post on MSDN that I wrote:

A few days ago Windows Search 4 stopped working in my corporate XP desktop (all updated). All deskbar searches return "Nothing found in All locations for query ..." regardless of the query. I can't indentify any precipitating event but this is a managed corporate desktop. Anything can happen to it.

Web searches work. Instant searches in Outlook 2007, which use the Windows Search engine, are also working.

The index is fine and it's being maintained correctly.

I've run Office 2007 Diagnostics. I've rebuilt the index. I've uninstalled Windows Search and reinstalled. I've reviewed the Applications event log. I've deleted the index and indexed only a small bit of Outlook 2007. I've relocated my index to a new directory.

Nothing makes any difference. Instant Search works, the indexer works, Windows Search 4 doesn't work.

My corporate desktop is encrypted (SafeBoot), but I've not run into any problems there.

I don't know what to try next. Actually, my next step is to uninstall Windows Search 4 and install Google Desktop Search. I need search to work and I can't go on a lot longer without it.

Later I also reinstalled Office Pro 2007 -- to no effect. I did try Google Desktop Search, but for me it was far too simplistic. It also crashed every day.

Update 10/25/08: The hardest problem I've solved in years. I finally found a 2006 post on an MSDN board about the same problem. Search worked in Outlook 2007, but not from the desktop. It turns out that desktop search uses Microsoft's data query infrastructure (MDAC), and that infrastructure can be broken.

Repair of a broken MDAC stack is occult. Fortunately Paul Nystrom had the answer in 2006

http://forums.microsoft.com/msdn/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=901078&SiteID=1

This generally occurs when you have a corruption in your MDAC stack. You can find instructions for repairing your MDAC stack here (note this solution is not officially supported by Microsoft):

http://www.pqsystems.com/kb/activekb/questions/165/

For some additional information:

MDAC stands for Microsoft data access components. These components allow WDS to query it's index for resutls. When MDAC gets corrupted WDS can not retrieve results from the index resulting in empty query results.

Paul Nystrom - MSFT

I followed the repair advice on the referenced page (I have XP SP 3 installed):

How to repair a copy of MDAC 2.8 SP1 on Windows XP with SP2 installed.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Right-click on C:\Windows\Inf\mdac.inf and choose "Install".

. ..point to the i386 folder in one of these places:

1. C:\Windows\ServicepackFiles\i386 (it may not like this location, if not, go to the next one)

2. The \i386 folder on your XP installation CDROM.

This reinstalls and repairs MDAC 2.8.

I used the servicepack files folder first. When asked for a file that wasn't in there I used the \i386 folder our corporate IT had on my drive.

It worked. Thank you Paul.

Hardest fix in years. Without Windows Live Search and Google I wouldn't have had a chance.

So what happened? My guess is that there's a problem with the sequence I took, moving through Windows Search 4 on Office 2003, then XP SP 3, then Office 2007. Somewhere in that sequence I broke MDAC.

The Wikipedia article on MDAC is informative:

The current version is 2.8 service pack 1, but the product has had many different versions and many of its components have been deprecated and replaced by newer Microsoft technologies. MDAC is now known as Windows DAC in Windows Vista.

XP is starting to remind me of Windows 98.

My Apple AV composite cable no longer works with my 3G iPhone.

If you have an Apple AV cable, you may want to see it if still works with your iPhone after the 2.1 update. I just posted this on Apple's discussion list:

Apple - Support - Discussions - My Apple AV composite cable no longer ...

I purchased an Apple composite AV cable from my local Apple store shortly after I bought my 3G iPhone.

It worked then.

I haven't used it much, but this morning I tried it again.

This time I got a message something like this:

"This accessory was not made to work with the iPhone. Would you like to turn on Airplane mode to reduce interference?"

It works with my older 3rd generation iPod.

This isn't an after-market cable. I bought it (yes, $50) at an Apple store because I knew Apple had shut out non-Apple connectors with the new generation devices.

I've seen various messages about failures of the AV cables after the 2.1 update. Most refer to aftermarket cables, or Apple cables purchased indirectly (may be counterfeit).

Has anyone else run into this?

I suppose I'll have to go back to the Apple Store with the cable and receipt and see what they can do about it.

I'll update this post with what I hear from my Apple store. If it turns out Apple deliberately broke their own cables that worked with iPhone 2.0 ...

Update: I read a post that suggests the connectors are a funny fit with the new iPhone -- that they may not always contact fully and this produces the message. I'll inspect closely and try again.

Update: Yes, it's the cable. If it's not fully seated you get this error. The old iPod connector used a locking connection with a positive click, the AV cable uses a lockless connector that differs from the newer lockless iPhone connector. I suspect the AV cable connector was a transitional design that may have more connectivity issues.

Bento 2: Modest good news, lots of bad news, slow as spit

The good news about Bento 2 is that it gives Leopard users access to their Address Book, Calendar and Tasks. Mail too, I think. That's probably worth $50 for me, especially if the current version FileMaker can't access these stores (I use an old version of FMP, haven't yet seen a good reason to upgrade.)

The bad news is the queries (called smart collections) can't be nested.

So you can define a query, but you can't reference it in a second query.

iTunes allows nested queries, I use them extensively. iPhoto doesn't, I miss 'em.

Some aspects of databases are hard to understand, but iTunes shows that regular users can learn to appreciate nested queries.

So, unfortunate omission.

I'm going to see if I can use Bento to help merge my Gmail and personal address books. If it works for that, I'll buy.

Even without the nested queries.

Update: I watched the videos. You create relationships by drag and dropping records. The 1 many relationship is seen through a "portal" window in a Bento form. Problem is, I don't see how you create a relationship by, say, relating all persons common last names in a single view. Bento would be more interesting if it were integrated with FileMaker, so we could use Bento to access iCal and similar stores but use FM to do more useful operations.

Update: There's no FileMaker Pro integration. The two are completely separate products using unrelated data stores (SQLite for Bento, as in /Users/account name/Application Support/Bento/bento.bentodb/Contents/Resources/Database). You can't link from a FileMaker Pro database into a Bento Library. Yuck. The only way out of this would be if someone figures out a way to use a more powerful SQLite app to manipulate Bento data. I'll watch for that.

This Nov 2007 Daring Fireball post has some more leads for understanding Bento.

Actual Technologies sells a connector that may allow a FMPro app to access SQLite data, may be read-only.

Bento is apple scriptable ...

Update 11/2/2008: Still in my trial period, I tried using Bento to enter several items quickly into my large iCal (several calendars, total 6,300 events). This is a trivial task with Outlook and its multiple views, but it's not supported in iCal.

Opening the Bento database, which includes the iCal tables, took minutes. Adding a single record took a minute. Type lag was severe.

Bento operations were excruciatingly slow on my single-core G5 iMac; manipulating my calendar reliably pegged the CPU. I was surprised how crude the UI was for specifying a calendar in a filtered view; I expected a drop down list but instead had to type the calendar name.

When doing data entry the type lag was gruesome. Yes, in a bloody database app there's type lag. It ain't doing fancy type layout, where the heck is the lag coming from?

When viewing a "collection" you can't create a new record. Lame.

This is an achingly inefficient load of software. It's miserable.

Deleting multiple iPhone camera roll pictures

It's odd that Apple hasn't fixed this bit of missing functionality; on OS X there's no obvious way to mass delete pictures taken with the iPhone camera!

In XP, ironically, it's very simple. XP mounts the camera store as a drive. You can't write to it (I tried of course), but you can select and delete.

In OS X most people recommend using Image Capture to "download and delete".

This tip points out you don't really need to download:

macosxhints.com - Delete multiple photos from the iPhone's Camera Roll

... Launch Image Capture and hit the Download Some button, and you are then free to roam the camera roll, selecting and deleting multiple images...

In case this isn't clear ... Launch Image Capture and click "download some", but you don't need to download any. Select all, then click the "delete" icon in the toolbar. All images are removed.

This is another odd bit of missing iPhone functionality! Of course it's not as critical as the missing calendar API, missing search functionality, the missing cut/copy paste function, the missing tethering tool, ...