As the year 2008 nears its end, the Smoking Apples team decided to go back and take a quick look at the apps that made a difference. While Milind has already listed out his choice of five apps that he discovered in 2008, here’s a list of the five apps that are definitely worth a mention. In this profession, you come across a ton of applications that you probably didn’t even know they existed. It’s only when you try them out, you realize what you’ve been missing all this while.

Mac

Mailplane »
As a freelance writer who also has his own business, I need to manage multiple email accounts. Mailplane gives the power to manage those with ease. Gmail + Mailplane combo is the best thing that happenned to me in 2008.

Coda »
Coda is the gem that every developer should possess. Editing files for multiple sites that you manage is pleasantly simple with Coda.

NetNewsWire »
As a freelance writer, you need to keep up with the news. This job had me subscribe to over a 100 feeds and I’m thamkful to NNW for making it so easy. Its syncing capability with newsgator online is a boon and the iPhone app is amazing.

CoverSutra / Boxee »
Coversutra, is without a doubt, the best iTunes extender out there. In fact, it was Milind who enlightened me about it and I’ve been using it ever since. Boxee, even though it is still in alpha, is a remarkable piece of software and I hope the year 2009 proves great to the ream behind Boxee. There are no better music / multimedia managers like these.

Littlesnapper »
Littlesnapper is to screenshots as Aperture is to a photographer. If you take enough of those, you need this brilliant app to manage them. And my job requires me to take multiple shots of every app I review.

iPhone

Mail »
The Mail app, that comes default on the iPhone, is one of my most important and frequently used apps on the phone. I’m really hoping we get email search soon.

Tweetie »
There is a reason I crowned it the Supreme Champion among the twitter clients for the iPhone. It gets better in version 1.2 which is still in beta.

Things »
Task Management couldn’t be any better. Even though it has a desktop counterpart, the iPhone version can well be used to get your things done.

iPhoneModem »
Not available on the App store, but certainly something you’d need if you’re a frequent traveller. (Jailbreak)

Qik »
Who says you cannot record video through your iPhone? (Jailbreak)

There are FTP clients, and then there’s Flow. Ever since Adam Betts wrote about the Flow (may 2007) on his blog, I’ve been captivated by this beautifully crafted FTP client. As a Coda user however, I never really got a chance to use this FTP client, and eventually I forgot about it. A few days ago one of our team members mentioned Flow, and I thought I’d take a look at what it has grown into. 

Turns out my review is just in time, as 1.1.1 has been released just today! I played around with the beta versions for a few days just to see that everything works. With a lot of fixes in its kitty [release notes], Flow 1.1.1 brings enhanced local browsing support, fixes for Amazon S3, WebDAV and MobileMe iDisk. So without further ado, here’s what Flow is all about.

The User Interface

If there’s one thing that sets this app apart, its a well thought out user interface. Helpful Core Animation effects aside, everything is placed just right. At all times, you know exactly where you are, and the path bar can be used to quickly jump to wherever you wish to go.  

Features

If you thought Flow was all about the looks, take a look at the arsenal of features. I honestly didn’t think there’d be so many of them. Besides regular old FTP and SFTP features, Flow comes loaded with some features you might not even need. 

Full Support for Amazon S3, WebDAV, and MobileMe iDisk
Connecting to your MobileMe iDisk is super simple, and requires just your username and password. Once connected, things are at least 2x faster than using plain old finder. All your local files are available in the sidebar (finally!), or you can drag files in from any Finder window. If you want quick file transfers to your iDisk, FTP is the way to go.

I don’t have an Amazon S3 account so I couldn’t test that out, but it looks just as simple.

Editing
Flow features a built in text editor, albeit a basic one. So if you want to just change a few details in your web documents, just double click and you can edit them directly on the server. Of course, editing with your favourite editor is just a right click away. Note that this editor can only be used for the most basic tasks, as it doesn’t have any features that might be required for coding web pages.

QuickLook
Everyone who uses Leopard loves Quick Look (you should try it sometimes!). I was very surprised to find Quick Look support directly in Flow. Hit spacebar and out pops the window. 

Copying URLs
Flow is supposed to be URL smart, being able to copy a URL on your remote server or open it in your browser. This would have been a very handy feature, had it worked. Unfortunately, I tried Flow on two different Macs and three different FTP connections, but in all cases all I saw were greyed out options. Update: Apparently, one needs to set the base url for the copying URLs feature to work. Instructions for that are in this help page. Works very well now, and is awesome! 

I also really like the bookmarks feature, where you can store all your web locations in a convenient sidebar, as well as the stunning transfers view. 

The baddies

Yes, there are some of those as well. I noticed Flow crashes every now and then, with no resume-where-you-left-off support. The new version being in a crash report sending feature, so hopefully they will take care of the bugs. 

The second baddie, is support. Whenever I review an application, I always check out what the support is like. I usually send in a fake support request just to guage the quality of support. Sadly, I didn’t even get a reply to the two support requests I sent in. That is just plain unacceptable.

I then spoke to Brian Amerige, the lead developer of Flow, who admitted that their support system is flawed. He said they are going to bring in a new support system when it’s ready. “We don’t want to rush anything out the door”, he says. Watch out for updates regarding this on the ExtendMac Blog.

In conclusion

Flow is a really sweet FTP client, one that literally stays far ahead of the rest in terms of user interface, simplicity, and features. However, the small time crashes (3 times in 13 days) do bring it down to earth, while the lack of after sales support is a bit disturbing. However, considering that you don’t really need any support since the entire app is so easy to use, I’d leave it aside as something that shouldn’t matter much. 

I personally use Coda for my little FTP needs, while many others use the free Cyberduck (also fully featured) for their FTP purposes. But when it comes to a good mix of features and stunning interface, you can’t go wrong with Flow. At $30 for a single user license, Flow is decently priced. A 15 day trial awaits, but I think if it’s simple and clean FTP you need, Flow will win you over.

It’s list time! It’s the end of the year, and we need to make some lists. Here’s mine listing out five apps that I have discovered in 2008. Writing for SA has got me in touch with so many awesome Mac apps, that I seriously had a hard time limiting myself to five apps. In no particular order…

Mac

Pixelmator »
This is the first image editor that has made me slowly move away from Photoshop. The quick performance, the slick UI and the overwhelming satisfaction of using something that Adobe didn’t make, gets this app a +1 from me!

Frenzic »
Age has caught up with me (23 is old isn’t it?) and I just can’t find myself playing games anymore. Except for Frenzic. This is one of the most engaging games I have played since Warcraft III on the PC. iPhone and Desktop versions highly recommended.

CoverSutra »
In my opinion the best iTunes extender out there. The killer feature? Music search. I’m not a QuickSilver user so playing music using Spotlight doesn’t quite cut it. Of course, CoverSutra features all of the other features of an iTunes extender, and at the current low price of $11, it’s a damn good deal.

TextExpander »
In fact, I almost forgot to mention this app, being that it is so transparent to the user. TextExpander has saved me a ton of screenshots over these two months of using it, and I don’t know how I worked without it. 

EventBox »
So far my best discovery of 2008. EventBox is the best twitter client on the Mac, and more. You can stay connected on Facebook, reddit, Flickr, and it even acts as your RSS reader. Buy it if you haven’t already. To get a 20% discount, use the coupon code from our magazine.

iPhone

Things »
The best task management app for the iPhone. Syncs beautifully with the desktop client, and really helps you get things done

Tweetie »
Hands down the best twitter client for the iPhone. It’s got everything, including a slick UI!

NetNewsWire »
I don’t realise how much I use it, but NNW for the iPhone has made things a whole lot easier for me. 

Favorites »
Quick access to my most important contacts has been a great help. Favorites has a well thought out interface, and is easy on the wallet. 

Mail »
It may be built into the iPhone OS, but this is one of the most important apps on my iPhone. I never thought a portable device could do email so well (I’ve used email on a CrackBerry previously). Still, it could be better. 

While the rest of the team hustles up behind the scenes getting their lists ready, what’s your favourite app you discovered in 2008?

I know I know. We haven’t posted anything for the past two days, but what else can you expect? There’s so much of good food around that one can hardly stay awake to get any work done. Luckily the entire tech community has been slow to the task as well, as we have seen hardly any news stories pop up. Here are a few that caught our eye.

Multi-Touch Swipe Gestures for iPhone Keyboard »
Apple plans to implement gestures that will perform tasks such as a space bar or return without having to hit the required key on the keyboard. Seems interesting, but where’s our copy-paste!!!

Macenstein’s first annual “The 12 Days AFTER Christmas” Giveaway »
When Dr. Macenstein has an idea, it is always a brilliant one. They’re gonna have giveaways every day, with gifts from hardware and software companies. I’d suggest you give it a shot!

Wal-Mart announces availability of Apple iPhone 3G, starting Sunday, December 28 »
So we finally see one of the biggest stores in the US carry the iPhone. So much for the $99 4GB iPhone rumour though. 

iPhone fart app pulls in nearly $10,000 a day »
We mentioned that it was good (or bad) and look what happened! iFart Mobile rakes in $9,198 in a single day. In a single day! I still can’t believe it.

Your first day with a new Mac: the get-started guide for Windows users »
Techradar has some excellent tips for new Mac users. Check it out if you’re new on the scene. 

So you just got your first Mac – now what? »
TUAW has got a whole series of Now What articles for new Apple users. Too many to list out here.

MacHeist’s Giving Tree unwraps presents »
The presents are unwrapped. They’ve got some great gifts including 1Password, Headlines RSS reader, and a bunch of other stuff. Recommended. 

Going by the poll it seems like most people are on board with the daily news digest, so I guess we’re good to go! The post is put together by the entire SA team, but hey, whoever writes the first link gets his name up there!

The day’s news revolves largely around Apple, and Macworld, and Steve Jobs, and Phil Schiller. Of course, be sure to check out our own little writeup on this event. 

Conversations around the Apple-Macworld issue.

Opinion: Why Steve Jobs’ Health Is None Of Our Business »
Giles Turnbill is of the opinion that Jobs’ health is a private matter. I agree.  

IDG: Macworld Expo still on for 2010, even without Apple »
The guys who organise Macworld must be shit scared right now. Still, they’re putting up a brave face. Macworld 2010 is on, they say.

Macworld: Apple at Expo: What went wrong? »
Jason Snell has done an amazing writeup on Apple’s Macworld announcement. Recommended read.  

10 reasons why Apple pulled out of Macworld Expo…. »
Amidst all the fun and jokes, DonMC at My Own Reality has done a good analysis of the why Apple pulled out of Macworld. My favourite? That Macworld affects holiday sales. Which it definitely does.  

In Other News…

Walmart iPhone on sale the 28th for a lot more than $99 »
Here’s something we all knew was coming. Apple dropping their prices down to $99 for an iPhone? Not happening, no way. Engadget finally gets the details that the price will be a little higher than $99, more like $197.  

Why the Mac Mini is the best Mac on the market »
Don Reisinger at CNET, using his own contorted logic, declares that the Mac mini is the best mac out there. Not that I’m saying the mini is not a good Mac, but best Mac is stretching it a bit.

Perian 1.1.3 »
The quicktime codec plugin Perian has been updated and features a whole lot of bug fixes. Recommended download. Free.

When we first started off, we had a Linked List system, which worked pretty well. With the new theme we moved on to posting from our twitter feed, which can be seen on the right hand column (you did notice it right?). However, there’s a lot of news out there to cover, and the Twitter feed doesn’t give us much flexibility.

A daily news digest however will give us a lot of room to focus on important news stories of the day, as well as give us more time to write reviews, tips and tutorials that we all love. This also means that you get your complete Apple fix right here on Smoking Apples, not a single news story missed. 

So we need your feedback on this. What would you say to a daily news post, carrying most of the important stories of the day with a single paragraph of description? Would that be better than separate posts for each news item? Or are you happy with just the twitter feed? Let us know in the comments.

In the meantime, here’s what a daily digest post would look like. 

Apple releases two new Get a Mac ads »
Mac and PC continue their battle in the animated space. Well done and quite funny. Check em out at the Get a Mac ads page. 

New Mac mini rumoured to show its face at Macworld »
Apparently Wired has some inside info on the Mac minis being refreshed at Macworld. At this point however it is still the same rumour that has been lingering on for ages. My guess is that the Mac mini will be the featured product at Macworld 09, with a brand new look.  

10.5.6 update tampers with jailbreaking »
Ars has the lowdown on the new 10.5.6 update tampering with the jailbreaking process, namely, putting the iPhone in DFU mode. Existing jailbroken iPhones work fine however, and the dev team is hard at work getting a fix for this.  

iPhone 3G software unlock coming soon says the Dev team »
Lo and behold, the dev team has finally made headway into getting a soft unlock for the iPhone 3G. They still haven’t released it yet, but it’s coming somewhere at the end of this month. iPhones updated to 2.2 using iTunes will not be elligible for the unlock.  

App Store: Will it Blend makes it to the App Store »
The youtube sensation Will it Blend has made it’s way into the App Store, and my god you have to pay for it! I mean, there’s already a youtube app on the iPhone which can be used to search for all the blend videos. Nevertheless, they have planned some enhancements for the app including the ability to blend pictures from your photo library.  

MacHEADS the movie set for Macworld Debut »
We heard about this two years ago and finally it’s ready. MacHEADS the movie is a documentary about Apple culture, and is set to debut at Macworld 09. Looks like Macworld 09 is going to be awesome!

That’s it for today’s news. If you want to tip us off to any interesting stories, send us an email at pr @SA.com.

A month ago, we introduced our first issue of the Smoking Apples Magazine, and it was a huge success for us. We received a tremendous response for the first issue and the download counter currently reads 3700+. We’d like to thank you all for making it happen for us. 

Today, we announce the availability of the second issue of the Smoking Apples Magazine for the month of December.

We’re certain that this issue is even better than the first one that we brought out to you. We’ve increased our page count to almost two-fold, with a lot more reviews and even some exclusive content. This issue also contains some awesome discounts for EventBox, Plasq as well as 1Password. A special thanks to Mailplaneapp for sponsoring this month’s issue of the magazine. 

Our exclusive content includes a Parallels vs Fusion shootout, a survey of MobileMe customers and a whole lot of other reviews which you might have missed on the blog. 

Like last time, the magazine remains a free download and we have a free distribution policy, so spread it around, upload it to your server, or tweet about it on twitter. The issue weighs in at a shade below 10MB due to the additional content.

So go on and Download the PDF right away.

As always, please leave us your feedback on the issue and let us know how we can better ourselves. 

The Smoking Apples Team.

One of the most wonderful utilities of OS X, is the Keychain Access utility. A system wide keychain for all your passwords, forms and other items stored in a secure location. For most part, this keychain remains totally transparent to the user as we surf the web, autofill forms and know, that if we forget our password, Keychain is there to save us. 

Given all this perfection in functionality, Agile Web Solutions feels that there are some gaps in the way Keychain operates. And they say they provide a solution, that is, 1Password. At first I didn’t think much of this utility, thinking that if OS X provides the functionality, I don’t need anything that can be considered ‘for power users’. However, after going through applicationss like TextExpander, SuperDuper!, and Pixelmator, I had to go through 1Password for all it’s worth. Read on for a smoking review of 1Password… Continue Reading »

No one in the mac community should require an introduction for Parallels Desktop. One of the first virtualisation applications for the Mac, which let’s you run Windows or Linux right besides your Mac applications, has turned to version 4. 

The new release brings with it a lot of performance improvements, upto 50% faster says the Parallels press release. They’ve improved memory support, now going upto 8GB, added support for 10.5 Leopard as a guest OS, as well as ‘limited support’ for 10.6 Snow Leopard. 

On the graphics side, the new version “introduces support for DirectX 9.0, DirectX Pixel Shader 2.0 and OpenGL 2.0, providing fast video performance, while the Adaptive Hypervisor dynamically allocates resources to meet user needs. The responsiveness to all applications is further enhanced as the virtualization engine has been optimized to consume 15-30% less resources than previous versions.”

With more than 50 new features, additional highlights include a redesigned user interface with quick access to all VMs, additional Screenview modes, Clips for screenshots, Speech Recognition, Security Manager, Safe Mode, Shut Down Mode and Over 45 Supported Guest OSs. Check out the What’s New page. 

While all this is well and good, we’ll definitely be taking up Parallels for their word. Rest assured we’ll be coming up with a detailed review of Parallels Desktop 4.0. The full version costs $79, while an upgrade for previous users rounds off to $39. A free trial, of course, is available for everyone.

The financial meltdown in the USA seems to be having no significant effect on Apple. Despite the worldwide credit crunch, it managed to sell more products than ever before and laughed all the way to bank with record revenue earnings. Apple posted revenues of $7.9 billion and net quarterly profit of $1.14 billion. It sold 6.9 million iPhones, over 2.6 million Macintosh computers, and over 11 million iPods in the last quarter. “Some remarkable things are happening at Apple,” said Steve jobs, Apple’s CEO, in a rare conference call appearance. He said:

“Apple just reported one of the best quarters in its history, with a spectacular performance by the iPhone—we sold more phones than RIM. We don’t yet know how this economic downturn will affect Apple. But we’re armed with the strongest product line in our history, the most talented employees and the best customers in our industry. And $25 billion of cash safely in the bank with zero debt. We may get buffeted around by the waves a little bit, but we’ll be fine and stronger than ever when the waters calm.”

For the company’s fourth fiscal quarter, which ended on September 27 this year, Apple reported revenues of $7.9 billion, which was $1.7 billion higher than the $6.2 billion figure in the same quarter last year. Net income was $1.14 billion with earnings per diluted share of $1.26. Analysts had been expecting revenues of $8 billion and earnings per diluted share of $1.11.

Buoyed by the strong earnings, investors shored up to buy AAPL on the Nasdaq Stock Market. Apple’s stock prices were up by $9.91 or 11%. Even AT&T benefited from the strong iPhone sales and its stock price rose by 85 cents or 3.3%.

Apple Outsells RIM; 6.9m iPhones off the shelves

Apple has sold 6.9 million iPhone 3Gs in the last quarter. Compare that number with the total first generation iPhones sold—6.1 million! Apple has already achieved its stated goal of selling ten million iPhones three months ahead of schedule.

What does the 6.9 million number signify? Two things: (1) Apple is now the world’s third largest mobile phone supplier in terms of revenue, trailing behind Nokia and Samsung; and (2) They outsold RIM’s entire range of BlackBerry phones. RIM sold 6.1 million phones compared to the 6.9 million iPhones. “RIM is a good company that makes good products and so it is surprising that after only 15 months in the market, we could outsell them in any quarter,” remarked Steve Jobs.

The Mac, iTunes Store, and iPod sales have also been strong. The company sold over 2.6 million Macs with a 21% year-over-year growth for Mac sales, beating the average industry growth by a comfortable margin. They sold over 11 million iPods, setting a new record for a non-holiday quarter. The iTunes Store now has over 65 million registered customers and an impressive catalog of over 8.5 million music titles. A stunning grand total of 200 million applications have been downloaded from the App Store already, within just 102 days of its launch!

“We don’t know how to make a $500 computer that’s not a piece of junk”

At the end of conference call, in the QnA session, Steve Jobs remarked that Apple wouldn’t be making a cheap notebook primarily for surfing the Internet anytime soon. “Our DNA will not allow us to ship that,” he remarked. He said that Apple would rather cater to the large number of customers who would like to and can afford to buy their products instead of going after the extremely price conscious buyer. While he was tight lipped about any upcoming products, Steve Jobs remarked that the Apple TV and the digital living room market would remain as much of a “hobby” in 2009 as it is now, specially given the current economic condition. He also noted that the strong sales was because of the fact that Apple has strong products, talented employees, and the smartest and most product aware customers. Doesn’t that just make your heart swell with pride!