Mon - July 11, 2005

Latest news: iChat still doesn't work


Must.. keep.. calm.

Apple's iChat AV 3.0 - the version that shipped with Tiger - is still refusing to work for me. I can't connect to other Tiger users in Ireland or New Zealand, nor Panther users in the US (in other words, everyone I know). I can however connect to the test Apple iChat servers, and so can everyone else. So my router and ISP are not to blame.

Speaking of which, I'm tired of being told on the Apple support boards that the problems with iChat are due to MY firewall settings, or MY router, or MY Internet Service Provider. Listen guys, it's not my fault - iChat is broken.

The facts are these:

1. Before Tiger was installed, iChat worked. I could connect to anyone.
2. After Tiger was installed, iChat stopped working. I can't connect to anyone.

To me, that doesn't mean my router or ISP suddenly went crazy at EXACTLY THE SAME TIME as I installed Tiger. It means the Tiger version of iChat is broken. It's that simple. It's a buggy application.

ThinkSecret reported today that the 10.4.2 Mac OS update includes iChat improvements, and has been seeded to developers.

For the love of all that's holy, I hope that it's released soon and that it fixes iChat. It's intolerable that iChat doesn't work. I've bought three Macs - for me and my relatives - precisely because iChat is the best video conferencing solution available. Don't make me a liar, Apple!



Posted at 10:17 PM     Read More  


Sat - July 9, 2005

10.4.2 where art thou?


Apple continues to work on Mac OS Update, rumoured to include iChat fixes.

I'm still having terrible trouble with iChat AV after the Tiger update, and I'm not alone. AppleInsider reports that the long-awaited Mac OS Update version 10.4.2 is nearing completion, and rather than a simple patch it is now a major update covering many, many features. Not only is iChat in for some repairs (hurrah!), but Tiger's Widgets are getting an improvement management utility to improve ease of use and security.

Originally rumoured to be released last month, pre-release editions of 10.4.2 continue to be sent out for testing to developers. Maybe this week it'll be ready? huh? huh? Pretty please?

Posted at 09:10 AM     Read More  


Wed - June 15, 2005

Tiger and iChat - just plain broken?


Now it's starting to annoy me.

I tried to use iChat video with a friend on a Panther system this evening, and it just wouldn't connect. Apparently I wasn't responding (I was. Loudly at times). We had to give up in the end.

I think using iChat under Tiger stopped working around the 10.4.1 timeframe, and darn annoying it is too. And it's not just me - lots of Tiger users have been having the same issues. Here's a comment from someone (who just happens to be in my old home country) who has the same issues. There are some home remedies (which didn't work for me) that you might try. This site has some good suggestions on setting up ports on your Firewall and Router. You can check if this is your problem just by temporarily turning off your Firewall ( from System Preferences / Sharing) and by using your Router to put your Mac in the DMZ (see your Router instructions for details). This didn't help me. My iChat was working perfectly until Tiger and the last OS update came along.

The bottom line is that Tiger's iChat is broken, Apple knows it, and apparently they will fix it soon. Hopefully with OS 10.4.2, and I'm hoping, very soon indeed.

Posted at 10:22 PM     Read More  


Sun - June 12, 2005

Sometimes it works..


.. and sometimes it doesn't. Connections problems with iChat

Today, during my weekly video-conference call to the UK, iChat stopped working. In fact, it stopped working before my weekly call - it just wouldn't connect. The other party was told I wasn't responding, and I was told the other party wasn't responding. And yet the exact same set-up worked perfectly the previous weekend. Neither network had changed, but iChat stopped working.

Obviously, something, somewhere must have changed, so it was time to experiment. The "not responding" part made me think of a router not forwarding information to certain ports, so I set my home network router to put my iMac in a DMZ - in other words, the router would pass everything no matter what. I then talked the other party into doing the same.

No difference.

Then I tried limiting the bandwidth, audio-only calls, turning off the Mac OSX Firewall - you name it, I tried it.

Disappointed at this stage, I warned them to disable their DMZ setting before switching off, and amazingly they decided to try once more to establish a connection and boom! - it worked.

I can't see any logic to this, other than maybe a bug in the router (a Linksys WAG54G) that needs an option changed to reset itself, but anyway, it worked. Maybe if you are having problems connecting, turn on and off the DMZ options on your router and hope for the best.

Also, keep your eyes peeled for the next Mac OS update to 10.4.2. Rumour sites have this one down for a hefty update that includes serious enhancements to iChat as well as other general OS features. It should be out very soon. Perhaps even this coming week.

Let's hope it improves the connection reliability with petulant routers.

Posted at 01:21 PM     Read More  


Sun - June 5, 2005

Mac Broadband in the UK - a Sorry Tale


Poor support options for UK broadband users

I use iChat mainly to talk to relatives in the UK. They use Wanadoo (formerly Freeserve) for their broadband needs. I helped set up their accounts, and they all use the rather ugly and horrible Wanadoo USB-based DSL modem. Yes, USB. Not Ethernet. In the UK and Europe using USB-based DSL modems seems quite common. Personally I hate USB modems, as they are less flexible than a good, sensible Ethernet based one, and they rely on having the right drivers. Also, the Wanadoo one a SpeedTouch 330 and looked like an ugly, dead green fish.

Wanadoo didn't officially completely support Mac OS X , but they had a driver for their SpeedTouch USB modem for downloading, and although rather clunky at times, it worked.

That is, it used to work. Once Tiger was installed, suddenly everything stopped working. The SpeedTouch drivers don't work under Tiger, and Wanadoo had no answer for how to get the Mac online again.

When I contacted them, Wanadoo initially told me it should work fine. So I check the Apple Support forums and of course, dozens and dozens of users had the same issue: once Tiger was installed, it stopped working. The simple fact of the matter was that SpeedTouch USB modems aren't supported under Tiger, and there is no driver available.

I told Wanadoo that they were wrong about the Mac working, and they more or less just shrugged. Great customer support. There only suggestion was to use their dial-up service. And dial-up, as you recall, is SLOW and doesn't support iChat video.

I tracked down the SpeedTouch drivers, and apparently there will be an update for Tiger. In July. That's just amazing. I can't believe that Wanadoo just discounted every new Mac and updated Mac customer they have. Way to go.

Anyway, I wasn't prepared to not see my relatives until July, so I bought a WAG54G Linksys wireless-DSL modem and an Airport Extreme card, and had it sent to them. Unfortunately the only place I could order from was Amazon.co.uk , who are the slowest and most incompetent online retailer I've ever used - matched only in slowness by ParcelForce their so-called "delivery" service (are you detecting a note of bitterness about Amazon.co.uk and ParcelForce? Good. That is my intension - they completely screwed up last Christmas for me, so I try very, very hard never to use them unless I absolutely have to). Amazon.com I like. Amazon.co.uk I do not like at all. It's hard to believe they are parts of the same company.

Phew. Ok, that was a rant. Any, I then had an enjoyable weekend talking the relatives through the install. The hardest part was setting up the DSL-modem part of the WAG54G, as the default settings didn't work, and of course, Wanadoo has no information on the matter because they only support their SpeedTouch and a rather bizarre combined VoIP/Wireless solution which is going to get its ass kicked by Vonage.

So, luckily I'd already set up another relative with a PC to use the WAG54G, and I was able to use the Linksys remote access mode to log into their system, and copy their settings. I then talked through the setting up of the new modem, and lo - it worked.

Conclusion: Mac users think carefully before using Wanadoo. (And Amazon.co.uk/ParcelForce suck.)

Posted at 11:03 AM     Read More  

Dashboard widgets for iChat


Adding features to iChat


I'm not entire sure how useful Tiger's new Dashboard Widgets might be to an iChat user - mostly because the Dashboard view is hidden until you press a key - but that hasn't stopped developers from creating some iChat-themed utilities. Check out Locket, which displays a nice, old-fashioned picture of your favourite iChat contact.

I'm more interested in linking Automator to iChat, to make it easier to create "intelligent" automated iChat clients, but that doesn't seem possible at the moment.


Posted at 10:41 AM     Read More  

Use MSN Messenger with iChat


Why use two clients when one will do?

This is an amazingly cool trick, which I had no idea was possible. Because the new iChat supports Jabber, it's possible to configure it to use MSN Messenger. So instead of having to have two clients open - one for iChat, one for MSN - you can keep both sets of buddies present in one client: iChat. Check it out on the All Forces blog.

Posted at 10:17 AM     Read More  

Skype Adds Video


Skype adds video - but not for you.

Have you used Skype? It's very neat. It's a VoIP client - in other words, it does iChat style voice calling - but it is cross-platform. Skype running on your Mac can call Skype running on your friend's PC. In fact, you can even get Skype for Pocket PCs, which means I can walk around my house with my WiFi enabled iMate JAM Pocket PC using it like a wireless phone. That is cool (although I know in a few years I'll look back and laugh at how clumsy that is). And Skype is free, which is good. And if you pay, you can all regular phones and regular phones can call you - so you can save money calling friends overseas. What with Skype, iChat and Vonage, my telephone bill has never been so low.

Anyway, Skype have teamed up with Dialcom to launch Video4Skype, which takes the form of a plug-in that adds video conferencing. The quality doesn't seem to quite be up to iChat's standard, but it looks better than MSN Instant Messenger, which up until now has been the best of the Windows based solutions.

There's no Mac version, but it's promising. If they add a video plug-in for Mac, it would be nicer than the very ropey iChat to AIM system that we're forced to use at the moment to talk to PC buddies.

See the ever-gadgedty Engadget for more details.

Posted at 10:08 AM     Read More  

Tiger and iChat


What's new? A lot.

After a little time away from updating this site, I'm back. And I've brought Tiger with me.

As dedicated Mac fans, you'll no doubt be aware of Tiger - the update to Mac OS X, also going under the name 10.4. In fact, already there is an update to 10.4.1 so make sure to run a Software Update if you haven't already.

Tiger brings a new version of iChat, and also a new version of QuickTime - the mechanism that compresses and displays the video. The end result is an improvement in quality. Tiger also adds the ability for up to four people to video-chat at once, and dozens to take part in voice-only calls. There are other changes too - Jabber is now supported as a connection standard (adding to AIM - the default- and Bonjour - the renamed Rendezvous protocol for local networks). Jabber means you can text-chat with more buddies and still use iChat, so that's nice. There are a few little tweaks as well - better buddy list handing, better handing of Away messages, and the ability let iTunes update the status message with the currently played song (which can be embarrassing).

My experiences with Tiger's new iChat have been good - in that it works much as before. I've not had any connection issues, and the picture quality seems better (although that could be my imagination). I've read reports of other people having problems with connections not working, and bandwidth warnings. Rumour sites point to the next Mac OS update (10.4.2) having some substantial work to iChat to address these.

Although I've an iMac G5 and a Mac Mini sitting side by side, I've not managed to connect them both to a third party to test the 3 or 4 person at once chat scenario. I'm guessing that the second Mac notices that all the DSL bandwidth is taken up by the first, and doesn't even try to connect.

Overall, I continue to be impressed with iChat, and use it weekly. I'm not sure it alone is worth the price of the Tiger update, but it certainly adds to it.

Posted at 09:59 AM     Read More  


Tue - February 1, 2005

iPod Playlists


In a slight diversion from video-conferencing, some tips on iTunes Playlists

So you have a Mac - and that means you probably have and use iTunes. I adore iTunes, its simplicity, its integration - and above all the flexibility of its playlists. Playlists not only contain the songs you drag into them, but they can be "smart" in the sense that iTunes decides what goes into them. You can create a playlist that contains only the tunes you haven't listened too before, for example. Or only those you have rated five stars. Or U2 songs over five minutes. The options are almost endless.

If you have an iPod, you might like to experiment with playlists in order to create a good mix of music for when you are on the move. I happen to like the Random selection features (rather like the iPod Shuffle's built-in randomizer). However, the problem with random playlists is that they don't refresh themselves - they remain the same every time. That is, unless you refresh them either manually, or using a cunning AppleScript, like the one I've written about here: Create Random Playlists.

Here are some other great sources of Playlist information:

SmartPlaylists.com - site of useful playlist ideas
Bactroid.net - Managing your iPod with Smart Playlists
Dummies Guide to Playlists
CodePoetry - DIY radio station

Posted at 10:29 PM     Read More  


Wed - January 12, 2005

New Mac Ideal for VideoConferencing


The Mac Mini released

It seems that everyone has been asking Apple for a low-priced, entry level Mac. And finally, the Mac mini is here. This tiny little computer is designed to be dropped into the space where your aging old PC sits, crawling with viruses and malware. Plug in your existing USB keyboard and mouse, and hook up your old monitor, and you have a very neat, not too slow Mac OS X computer ready to go.

And the Mac mini is perfect (well almost) for video conferencing. The FireWire socket means you can hook up an iSight, and the included iChat AV will run very nicely on that 1.25 or 1.42Mhz G4. This makes it a perfect computer for, say, your parents so you can update that weekend telephone conversation into a great video experience, and not have to provide Windows customer support every other week.

The only flaw in my view is the lack of an audio input, so you really need either a webcam with a built-in microphone (like the iSight), or a USB Audio In port. It seems a little mean of Apple to drop that input, but till, $500 for a G4 Mac? That's the best Apple deal ever. I hope to get one soon, and get it configured and packed off to my own mother.

Posted at 07:33 PM     Read More  


Thu - January 6, 2005

Happy New Year


2005: year of the gadget?

Best wishes for the new year, and don't forget to check out the news from the MacWorld Expo in San Francisco. Rumours abound on everything from new Powerbooks, new $500 iMacs, new iPods, new iLife applications and new hardware for GarageBand. If even one half of the rumours is true, this is going to be one heck of a show: and I for one have my Credit Card standing by. A $500 iMac (the price is low because no monitor is included) would be perfect for a web server, or for my mother to use as a home computer and iChatAV station. Imagine a tiny little Mac connected to your television: the applications are very exciting. Fingers crossed!

Posted at 05:25 PM     Read More  


Mon - December 20, 2004

iSight as a Nanny / Security Cam?


Sure you can do it. But there's a better way.

This question crops up a lot - can I use an iSight as a Nanny Cam, or as a security camera? And the answer is - sure you can. There are plenty of articles on the Web - such as this MacWorld piece - on setting up a spare Mac with an iSight to do just that.

Well, I don't know about you, but I'm not lucky enough to have a "spare" Mac that has the minimum specs required to run iChat with an iSight. Also, running iChat requires someone to answer at the other end, and although you can use AppleScripts to detect and answer an incoming call, it's not terribly reliable.

So if, like me, you don't have a spare Mac but you do have an Airport network in your house, what are the alternatives? Well, perhaps you haven't been checking out the gadgets aisle in your local CompUSA for a while, but webcams that come complete with built-in wireless networking-based webservers are now available for abut the same price as an iSight. So, instead of getting that second iSight, and tying up a perfectly good Mac to drive it, try looking out for a Linksys WVC54G Wireless-G Internet video camera, or a D-Link DCS-1000W 802.11b Wireless Webcam. Amazon have a whole bunch of them, starting from about $100. Read the small print carefully to see if they support video streaming - some of the cheaper ones will only serve up still images.

Even then, these solutions may be too high-tech. If you don't REQUIRE the video to be streamed over a network, there are plenty of wireless video cameras (for example, the X10 ones) that will send a live picture to your TV set. Sometimes expensive technology isn't necessarily the best solution!

Posted at 10:50 AM     Read More  

Holiday Treats for Mac Lovers


I'll have that, and that, and one of those...

O'Grady's PowerPage has a great list of gadgets and gizmos for Mac users. Treat someone! Or yourself.

Posted at 10:36 AM     Read More  


Sat - December 18, 2004

New Domain: www.applechat.info


Easier way to remember this site address.

You can now reach this site by entering "http://www.applechat.info" into your browser.

Posted at 03:23 PM     Read More  
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