Wednesday Recap: Personal Weather Station, Vimeo + Dropbox, Final Draft for iPad

If you're still a disbeliever who thinks the iPad won't someday displace the Mac for many uses, look no further than today's recap for proof that it's already happening. Heck, we've got Vimeo now connecting with Dropbox to get videos on their service, a personal weather station and even screenwriting tool Final Draft now on the iPad to allow work from most anywhere. So let's dig right into the news for Wednesday, August 29, 2012!

Netatmo Debuts Personal Weather Station for iOS Devices

Apple's iOS devices can do just about anything, but what about acting as a personal weather station? Thanks to the folks at Netatmo, now they can. The Netatmo Weather Station syncs with a free iOS app, wirelessly transmitting weather data via Wi-Fi with an intuitive, easy-to-read interface. Among the uses for this gadget are measuring CO2 concentration as well as assessing the best time for outdoor physical activity, with complete reports on air quality right at your fingertips. Netatmo's Weather Station is now available for $179 on the company's website and an Android app is also available on Google Play.

Vimeo Integrates with Dropbox for Easier Uploading

If you've been taking advantage of Dropbox's ability to automatically upload your videos from an iOS device, the folks at Vimeo are now making it easy to port that content over to their site as well. Beginning today, Vimeo users can link their Dropbox account and make it easy to add videos without the need to upload them again. Best of all, a Dropbox folder of your choosing can be assigned to auto-upload any videos dropped into it, which is going to be super-handy for those of you embarking on a Labor Day holiday this weekend. Head to your Vimeo account (free or paid) and connect to Dropbox with just a few clicks!

Final Draft Writer for iPad Now Available with Introductory Pricing

Screenwriters, prepare to part with 30 bucks! The folks at Final Draft announced this week that their new iPad app Final Draft Writer is now on the App Store, and it's already racking up a number of user reviews with high praise for the company's mobile solution. Writer takes what's great about the desktop Final Draft software and moves it to the iPad, allowing users to port their version 8 FDX files to the tablet for working on the go, complete with easy-to-use features like Tab and Enter navigation, ScriptNotes and SmartType -- then bring it all back to the desktop, just as if you had never left. Best of all, the Final Draft Writer app is on sale until September 30, 2012 for only $29.99 -- a $20 savings off the normal price of $49.99 which kicks in when the clock turns to October.

Nokia Claims "Things Are About to Change" in New YouTube Video

Never has a video of a woman riding a bike been so mysterious! The Verge is reporting that Nokia has posted a YouTube teaser video which promises "things are about to change," which points to the company's September 5 joint announcement with Microsoft to chat up new Windows Phone 8 hardware. The 21-second video offers little in the way of clues, but it's probably safe to say that its content may have been shot with a forthcoming Nokia handset -- of which the rumor mill claims could now be three different models. As fans of the Lumia 900, we're definitely waiting impatiently to see what's being announced.

TomTom Navigation App Heads to Android

Apparently not content to help power Apple's built-in Maps navigation app on iOS 6, TomTom announced today that they'll be porting their work to the Android platform in the near future.

View the Original article

Dropbox Beta Adds Two-Factor Authentication Security

You only need look at the sad tale of Wired journalist Mat Honan to understand why doubling down on the security of your web identity is so important. Cloud storage is no exception, and Dropbox is seeking to keep data more secure with two-factor authentication.

As one of the most widely-used cloud storage services, there is -- of course -- quite a bit of personal data sitting on the Dropbox servers. The new security measure, currently in beta, will make it harder for hackers to access accounts.

Much like the security feature currently available to all Google users, two-factor authentication requires an additional login step when a Dropbox account is accessed from a new computer or other device.

If you're interested in turning the extra protection on now, you'll first need to grab the 1.5.12 beta. The two-step verification is turned on under the Dropbox "security" tab, and you'll receive an access code via SMS when a new device attempts to access your account. 

Dropbox will also issue two-factor users a 16-digit code, which provides a back-up in case a phone is lost or unavailable. 

The new security feature arrives just a month after Dropbox admitted to a data breach which affected a "small number" of user accounts. The usernames and passwords were allegedly swiped from other sites where the same credentials were used; a major reason for two-factor authentication.

Dropbox also recently added the ability to view other computers and mobile devices with access to your account.

Follow this article's author, Matt Clark on Twitter.

 

Tags: Newscloud storageDropboxOnline Securitytwo-factor authentication Here's What You'll Get:The latest Apple news, reviews and how-tosThe hottest articles from MacLife.comYour recommended daily dose of awesome Also, send me e-mail announcements and special offers from Mac

View the Original article

Wednesday Recap: FireWire Adapter, Google Wallet Update, Dropbox Security

August is here and so far it's been a crazy ride this week, with plenty of updates for our favorite gadgets as we start to wind down our summer. Of course, the rumor mill continues to barf up speculation on the next iPhone and the mythical "iPad mini" and now AT&T is being accused of having salesmen discourage customers from buying Apple's handset. So let's get past this hump day with a handful of other news for this wonderful Wednesday, August 1, 2012!

Apple Thunderbolt to FireWire Adapter Now Available

When the new Ivy Bridge MacBooks rolled out at WWDC back on June 11, Apple promised a Thunderbolt to FireWire Adapter would join its Ethernet-packing sibling sometime in July. That month has come and gone, but we won't consider it a promise broken since the aforementioned FireWire Adapter has finally turned up for order on Apple's online store. As promised, it carries a $29 price tag and current ship times are showing one to three days at this writing. You'll need this to attach any FireWire peripherals to your new MacBook Pro with Retina Display or MacBook Air, but be sure you install OS X Lion 10.7.4 or later first.

Google Wallet Now Allows All Credit, Debit Cards

Although Google Wallet hasn't exactly changed the world with its NFC-connected mobile payment platform, the search giant continues to roll out new features for Android lovers. As noted by the Android Official Blog, a new update to the Google Wallet app today finally allows the service to use any credit or debit card from Visa, Mastercard, American Express or Discover, and the app will even grab existing payment methods tied to your Google account and bring them into the fold without having to add them manually. The Google Wallet app is now cloud-based, so payment cards are securely stored on the company's servers. While that might scare some users, it has the advantage of remote disabling any of your mobile wallet payment methods from the Devices section of your online wallet, so Google Wallet is actually more secure than ever. Here's hoping the rumors of an NFC-equipped new iPhone come true so we can finally get this app on iOS as well...

Dropbox Details New Security Features

Another day, another company 'fessing up to a security bugaboo. The Dropbox Blog is following up with a post this week on recent customer complaints about spam being received at email addresses dedicated to the Dropbox service. At first the company denied a breach, but the July 31 post finally clears the air. "Our investigation found that usernames and passwords recently stolen from other websites were used to sign in to a small number of Dropbox accounts," the blog notes. "We’ve contacted these users and have helped them protect their accounts." The cloud storage company is also beefing up its security, adding optional two-factor authentication (which requires two proofs of identity when signing in), a new page for examining all active logins to your account and in some cases, a requirement for changing your Dropbox password. Two-factor authentication won't go live for a few weeks, but meanwhile the company has "automated mechanisms" in place to "help identify suspicious activity" -- and promises even more to come in the future.

Apple Expands Retina MacBook Build-to-Order Options

MacRumors is reporting that the Apple online store is now offering MacBook Pro with Retina Display buyers more variety when using the build-to-order configuration options when ordering. That means the $2199 base model can now be beefed up with a faster processor, more RAM and bigger flash storage, same as the more expensive model. Shipping estimates are still falling within one to two weeks as Apple continues to catch up to demand. Apple's online store also now gives buyers of the iWork suite the option to have the Pages, Numbers and Keynote apps preinstalled, which is a nice bonus for newbies.

Google Chrome 21 Adds Retina Graphics, Webcam Support

The Google Chrome Blog has announced the availability of a new stable release of the Chrome browser, and it's definitely one that MacBook Pro with Retina Display owners are going to want. In addition to a new getUserMedia API which allows web apps to access your camera and microphone without a plugin, the update adds support for Retina Display screens on the Mac on top of expanded support for gamepads and deeper Google Clound Print integration. Chrome users will want to check out the new Webcam Toy and Magic Xylophone experiments in Chrome Web Lab which take advantage of the new webcam API, but first you'll need to open your Chrome browser and let the update install. But you already knew that, right?

Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter

 

Tags: NewsandroidApple Online StoreBuild To Orderchromedaily recapDropboxGoogle WalletiPhoneMacSecuritythunderbolt adapter Here's What You'll Get:The latest Apple news, reviews and how-tosThe hottest articles from MacLife.comYour recommended daily dose of awesome Also, send me e-mail announcements and special offers from Mac

View the Original article

How to Sync your iPhoto Library with Dropbox and Google Drive

With iOS 5, Apple launched the ubiquitous Photo Stream and made photo sharing and syncing a cinch between Macs and iOS devices. However, the 1,000 photo limit may not be enough for your photography needs. Fortunately, iPhoto has included to option to share with external cloud services like Dropbox or Google Drive. Read on to find out how. 

Difficulty: EasyWhat You’ll Need:

>> Dropbox or Google Drive
>> Existing iPhoto library

1. Copy Your Library

To synchronize your iPhoto library between your Mac with either service, you'll need to locate the file for the existing iPhoto library in your Pictures folder. Copy the iPhoto Library file and then paste it inside the Dropbox or Google Drive folder in your user's folder.  Make sure that you don’t actually move the file--we’re copying it so that we’ll have an original backup in case something goes wrong.

View the Original article

Dropbox SDK Causing App Rejection Headaches for Developers

It’s been awhile since we’ve had some App Store rejection controversy, but this week the Dropbox forums have been filling up with a number of such problems as Apple brings the hammer down, enforcing one of their guidelines to a tee.

The Next Web is reporting that developers tapping into the Dropbox SDK are suddenly finding their apps being

View the Original article

Dropbox Promises Simple, Fast Sharing with New “Get Link” Option

Users love Dropbox and with good reason: It keeps our stuff conveniently available in the cloud whenever we need it. There’s just one problem: Creating links to share these files with others has never been exactly easy -- until today.

Dropbox has introduced a new way to share your files with others and it’s so simple, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it. The service now offers a simple

View the Original article