Being able to automate tasks is a very convenient option when using computer systems, which is one of the reasons why Apple included its Automator tool in OS X that can various scriptable tasks within applications and therefore do things like organize files and contacts, create documents with specific items in them, and manage calendar events.

While Automator and other scripting options like shell scripting or AppleScript are convenient, they are missing the triggering tool that will run them. Apple supplies its Apple Events options where you can have the system run a script when a folder's contents are changed, or on demand from an application like running an Automator workflow when an iCal alarm sounds, but other options require more details to get running. Apple's main scheduler in OS X is its launchd system launcher process, which can conditionally run various scripts or programs based on the user's or developer's needs; however, this option requires knowledge of launchd and familiarity with the Terminal to get running.

As a result of this complexity, many tasks in OS X that could be highly customized end up going unattended and requiring users to manually start them in order to get completed, but Griffin Technologies, which makes a number of peripheral devices for Mac OS and iOS systems, has a tool called Proxi that makes triggering scripted tasks far easier.

The tool is set up similar to Automator, where you create a list of triggers fol... [Read more]

LastPass can now help you manage and safe-guard your Wi-Fi passwords.

An update to the password managing utility LastPass (download for Windows and Mac) at the end of last week added a useful new feature, and tightened security protocols just a bit more than before.

The new feature lets you manage your Wi-Fi passwords from within LastPass. Unfortunately for existing users, you're going to have to re-install the LastPass dekstop client to get it to work. LastPass explained that this is because the new feature required a new utility with administrative rights before it could access the Wi-Fi password list. It also requires running the binary version of the LastPass browser add-on. Download here Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome, or download here for Opera and Safari.

Once updated, you can import Wi-Fi passwords to LastPass as a secure note via the Import option under Tools. On Windows, you can also export your saved Wi-Fi passwords in all browsers except Safari under Tools, then Export.

Also, ... [Read more]

FingerPrint for Windows/Mac adds AirPrint capabilities to all your printers--and even some apps.

Ever wish you could beam a photo from your iPhone or iPad to your printer?

That's the promise of Apple's AirPrint technology, which debuted way back in iOS 4.2. Unfortunately, few printers support AirPrint, meaning most users are stuck copying photos to their PCs and then printing them.

A little over a year ago, I posted a workaround: Make AirPrint work with non-AirPrint-compatible printers. It works for some printers, but not all--and it's kind of a hassle to implement.

For example, I recently dug out an old HP Photosmart 475 "lunchbox" photo printer, harboring dreams of churning out snapshots right from my iPhone. Alas, my workaround didn't work. And the Photosmart 475 isn't supported by HP's ePrint app.

Then I found ... [Read more]

Yahoo Meme for iPhone has been discontinued.

Online giant Yahoo has killed a host of mobile applications.

The company said on Friday that it has discontinued Yahoo Meme for the iPhone and iPad, Yahoo News for Android, and Yahoo Finance for RIM's BlackBerry operating system, among others. The company said that its decision was a response to the rapidly changing mobile market, and the fact that some of its applications just weren't cutting it.

"Our plan is to keep moving, to keep innovating, and to continuously measure and scrutinize what's working and what isn't--so we can make room for great new products," the company wrote in a blog post on Friday. "In that spirit, today we're decommissioning several of our current mobile apps."

Yahoo doesn't plan to turn its back on mobile applications, though. The company said that this year, it will have a "mobile first" mindset, and plans to launch several new applications, "such as companion experiences for TV like IntoNow, new ways to experience personalized media like Livestand, and some of our most popular and useful mobile apps like Yahoo! Mail, Messenger, Sportacular, and Flickr."

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Google has released "Duclair," the new version 1.0.0 of its VP8 technology that the company says does a better job encoding video and faster job decoding it.

And it's a good thing, too, because VP8 is taking on not only the incumbent H.264, but also a sequel called High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) from the same group that's well under development.

VP8 and H.264 are codecs, technology for compressing video for more compact storage or for more efficient transmission over a network. But the two come from very different backgrounds. Google hopes VP8 will free the Web from patent-encumbered video, but the group building HEVC explicitly permits patents (PDF). And, some members, such as Microsoft and the Frauenhofer Institute, have a strong interest in royalty revenue.

Patents aren't a matter for VP8 allies to brush off lightly. MPEG LA, the group that licenses the pool of H.264 patents on behalf patent holders, has issued rumblings that VP8 violates patents from 12 organizations. But in more than a year and a half since VP8 was first released, the codec hasn't triggered any direct litigation or the formation of a new MPEG LA patent pool whose existence would undermine Google's royalty-fre... [Read more]

Many users don't notice download speed on their mobile device, because most of the files we get are pretty small: 1MB or so. Some users work with larger files, and for them, faster downloads are essential, as is control over the download process. It's nice to be able to stop, restart, and reorder the download queue, and the free AndroGET app does all that while speeding up large downloads. Here's how to use it:

1. Install the AndroGET app from the Android Market.
2. Launch it and tap the gear-shaped Settings icon in the top right. The simple settings are pretty good for most users, but you can easily change the default save folder, number of simultaneous downloads, and notifications. Tap Advanced to change proxy settings and more. When you're done, tap the check mark in the upper right to save or the X in the upper left to discard your changes.

   Step 2: AndroGET Settings.

3. AndroGET works with most Android browsers, so the next time you see a download link, long-press it and select Share link, then select AndroGET.

   Step 3: Share link.

4. AndroGET pops up and asks you to confirm the download. If a password is required, tap Credentials and enter your info; otherwise, tap Download to confirm.

   Step 4: Confirm download.

5. The download should proceed in the backgro... [Read more]