A while back we noted that Amazon was planning to bring its video on demand service to the Mac. Well, it looks like they've finally flipped the switch because the service is now live.
Much like iTunes, they're selling TV shows as well as offering movies for purchase and rent. Unlike iTunes, it's a streaming rather than a download service. Fortunately, they've got a number of free videos which will give you a sense of the quality of the service (which requires Flash).
Frankly, I'm a big fan of Amazon MP3, so it's good to see Amazon getting into the video business as well to put a little more competitive pressure on iTunes. I'm doubtful, however, that it will really affect the iTunes juggernaut.
Sandvox is the WYSIWYG web editor from Karelia that's won praises from users and the design community (including an Apple Design Award) alike. You can read our previous coverage here.
This week, Karelia has released version 1.5, which offers a slew of changes. You can use Sandvox to publish to any webhost (including FTP, SFTP and MobileMe) or create a blog. The pro version lets you edit the HTML and both the pro and basic version include attractive templates that you'll actually want to use. Changes to version 1.5 include
Major improvements to media processing, making it easier than ever to create and publish multimedia and media-intensive sites
Improvements to all pagelets, including an enhanced Contact Form and a brand new YouTube pagelet
Seven all-new designs, plus enhancements to other designs, bringing the total to 50
New blogging features, including a Collection Archives pagelet to better manage and display older entries, automatic navigation links between entries, and "continue reading" links to better manager longer entries
There's much more, and you can read the full release notes here. As we said, Sandvox is a very nice tool for people who want to put up a page or site with no fuss. Sandvox requires Mac OS 10.4 or later, is a Universal Binary and comes in both pro ($79US) and standard ($49US) versions. Version 1.5 is a free upgrade for registered users.
Google is developing a new web browser built from the ground up and based on WebKit, the same rendering engine that Safari uses.
The browser, called Chrome, is open-source software built with security, compatibility and speed in mind. Each tab in the browser will be its own separate running process. For example, if JavaScript hangs in one tab, the other tabs will remain unaffected. The approach is similar to the way Mac OS X isolates applications in their own private areas to prevent one crash from taking down the whole system.
Google picked an interesting way of announcing the project: They commissioned illustrator Scott McCloud to draw a 38-page comic book about the project, and distribute it under a Creative Commons license. The result is a very readable, fascinating way to learn about the new browser.
For web developers, Chrome will include strong Gears integration, and a JavaScript virtual machine that generates super-fast machine code out of JavaScript instructions. For end users, it will include a new start page that lists the last several pages and search terms you've used. It also includes a private browsing mode.
Google is planning on formally launching the project on Wednesday, but the Chrome website isn't visible to the public yet. Update: Google is releasing a version for Windows tomorrow, with Mac and Linux versions coming soon, once Chrome is "faster and more robust." (Thanks, Bryan!)
Here's something to look forward to. The band Snow Patrol have announced the pending release of their first "interactive album," A Hundred Million Suns, for iPhone and iPod touch via the iTunes Store.
So what's "interactive" about it? According to the band, users will be able to access content like lyrics, additional images and artwork plus video from the iPhone and iPod's touchscreen. The album's project manager called it "...a digital booklet that will take you into the videos and content."
Sounds like a fun way for musical artists to take advantage of touch technology. Expect A Hundred Million Suns to be released in October.
A few weeks ago, I wrote about the sorry state of global search in iTunes. Basically, the iTunes Store has grown so large that it's difficult to find what you're after. Type something into the search field and you'll see results for albums, podcasts, movies, TV season, apps and more. Stop the insanity!
iphonexe is offering a solution for the App Store. They've got 3,000 titles sorted by category. Enter the name of your target application and you're brought to a results page with a summary, version number, screenshots and an App Store (sponsored) link.
They've also got a directory of jailbroken apps which works the same way. It's not the solution I'm looking for, but does limit search results to iPhone/iPod touch apps.
Google Gears has been around for Firefox on the Mac for quite a while. However, Safari users have been left in the cold. Google Gears allows you to access certain Google services, most notably Docs and Reader, offline (as well as other offline-enabled web services like Remember The Milk). This week, a beta for Safari has become available.
With Google Gears, for example, you can view all of your Google Docs offline -- and even edit them (word processing docs only, spreadsheets and presentations are viewable but not editable). When you connect back to the internet, you will be able to sync the changes back to Google.
We're glad that Google has finally seen the light and released a version for our Safari-using counterparts. To make Google Gears work with Safari, you will need to download and install the Google Gears package for Mac OS X. Once installed, navigate to a "gears enabled" page, you will be able to use the Google Gears system. Remember, this is a beta and we've heard there might be issues if you've tweaked Safari in certain ways.
Panic has released Coda 1.5, a free update to my favorite all-in-one web development application.
Coda 1.5 adds several major new features, including find-and-replace across multiple files and a fully-integrated Subversion client.
Also included in the update is a user-customizable bookshelf, which allows you to specify any given website as a "book." You can also enter a sample search URL with a wildcard character, and command-click on terms to look for them in the book you created. Syntax highlighting has also been improved, as well as performance running under Leopard. Full release notes are available, too.
The update is free for all registered Coda users, and $99 for new users. Discounts are available for registered Transmit owners, too.
A new tool for designers (or anyone who needs client input on proofs) is premiering today. ProofHQ is a web-based application for uploading, annotating, commenting and approving proofs with controlled access for multiple clients. It's not Mac-specific, but it's worth mentioning considering the large portion of Mac users (and TUAW readers) who fit into the creative/design category. It doesn't work on the iPhone, (why would you want to upload and proof on an iPhone, really?), but it's fully Safari-compatible and Mac-friendly.
Using ProofHQ's upload page or the Java-based Uploadr, you can send PDF, PSD, GIF, TIFF, JPG, BMP, Word and Powerpoint files and have them converted into Flash-based proofs at full quality. There's currently no support for Pages or Keynote documents, but you can export PDF versions and upload those. PDF files can be multi-page, and vector support is on the way. Comments and various levels of approval can be added from the viewer. You receive a public url, private url and embed code. The embed code makes it easy to incorporate ProofHQ into other collaboration systems such as Basecamp or Central Desktop. There's also direct API integration with Basecamp. New clients who access the proof can subscribe to it without signing up for ProofHQ, making it a less confusing system for clients than some of the other available options.
14 day free trials of all plans are available which allow full access to features. Plans range from the free personal account and the $29USD/month Solo plan up to the enterprise-level Corporate plan at $499USD/month.
RapidWeaver is our "favourite" WYSIWYG (What you see is what you get) web design tool that gives you more flexibility than what iWeb. Realmac Software, the developer of RapidWeaver, has updated the software to version 4.1, and included some new features that are worth a look, including:
QuickLook support is now standard
.Mac references have been changed to show "MobileMe"
Images pasted into a Styled Text area keep their names as specified in Finder
Page inspector updates when/if a page changes
PPC support for iMedia Browser
Owners of RapidWeaver 4.0 and 3.6 are eligible for a free update to version 4.1. You can see all of the updates on the RapidWeaver Version History page. RapidWeaver 4 is available from the Realmac website for $79 (US). There is a free demo available as well.
Safari 4.0 DP2 has a build number of 40A12. Just like the last build, this edition scored a perfect 100/100 on the Acid3 test. Developers with access to the Apple Connect website can download Safari 4.0 preview 2 for Mac OS X Leopard, Tiger, and for Windows.
The new version gives users the option to save web pages as an application that can be launched independently of Safari (similar in concept to the SSBs Prism and Fluid). There is no word on when Safari 4.0 might be released to the public.
Sure, Apple claims the 3G is fast, but with all the problems with 3Gs connecting all over the world, just how fast is it really? The folks at Wired.com have decided to find out, and they need your help. They'd like you to test your iPhone at the TestmyiPhone.com network speed testing site, and then hit up their global ZeeMap to register your speed.
Instructions are over on their website, and they're testing both Edge and 3G upload and download speeds, so you'll have to run three tests total. You'll also have to sign up for a ZeeMap account.
The eventual payoff will be a relatively clear look at iPhone speeds around the world. Wired says that they'll eventually average global data, but there's a lot of things that could be done with data like this -- heatmaps? Speed per carrier? Once they get a good set of figures together, there's probably all kinds of things that can be done.
KavaMovies is an interesting database application aimed squarely at all the movie fanatics out there. It allows you to catalog all the movies you have seen, own, hope to see or want to buy. It connects to online sources like the IMDB and Amazon to download cover art and other information.
Once you've entered your selections, KavaMovies offers recommendations based on your collection. Finally, it also keeps track of video files already on your Mac and facilitates downloading from iTunes or via bittorrent.
KavaMovies is $35US and requires Mac OS X Leopard. It's presently in beta and a demo is available for download.
If you were underwhelmed by the initial release of Evernote's client app for the iPhone ("Hey, I can't edit these notes -- what's up with that?") you might be a bit happier now that version 1.2 has been cleared for takeoff in the App Store [store link]. The geotagging, photo-note-taking, audio-recording backup brain now gets editing features on the device, longer audio clips, bug fixes and more.
One feature that's been in demand from iPhone users without unlimited data plans is a failsafe switch to prevent note synchronization unless the device is using a WiFi connection; it's present in this version, and it seems like a clever adaptation to the multi-network nature of the iPhone (of course, iPod touch users don't know from this 3G business, and Evernote works fine for them as well). You can download the updated version or check for updates in the App Store to get it.
You know if the App Store has been out for a month and we're posting about a web app, it has to be a good one. Google announced late last week that they've brought the terrific Google Translate service over to the iPhone. Of course, whenever you travel internationally, roaming charges (sometimes huge ones) can come into play, but if you find yourself tooling around Spain and need more phrases than ¿Dónde está el baño? or Tú eres mi chica, Google's web app will do the trick fast and easy.
And there's some nice coding in there, too -- the phrases translated get stored on the client side of the phone, so if you've already translated something, you don't have to reload the page to see it again. To use the service, just point your MobileSafari to translate.google.com. Folks in other countries probably still won't care too much what you have to say, but at least they'll know what you're saying.
Camino, the best Gecko-based browser NOT named Firefox 3, has just been updated to version 1.6.3. This update, which seems to have rolled in 1.6.2 along with it (at least I never got the 1.6.2 notification, and I use Camino pretty frequently), sports the latest update to the Gecko 1.8.1 branch, including several critical stability and security fixes with better ad-blocking. Plus, it no longer crashes if a pop-up is displayed while dragging a bookmark.
Even though Firefox 3 is now a largely native Cocoa application, I still appreciate Camino's interface and speed. If nothing else, it's great to use as a Firefox 2/Gecko 1.8.1 testing agent when developing websites for compatibility.
You can download Camino here; optimized builds aren't available as of this writing, but check this site over the next few days for updates.
A while back we noted that Amazon was planning to bring its video on demand service to the Mac. Well, it looks like they've finally flipped the switch because the service is now live. 
Sandvox is the WYSIWYG web editor from Karelia that's won praises from users and the design community (including an Apple Design Award) alike. You can read our previous coverage 
Here's something to look forward to. The band 
A few weeks ago, I wrote about 
Panic has released 
A new tool for designers (or anyone who needs client input on proofs) is premiering today. 
Apple has started seeding 
Sure, Apple claims the 3G is fast, but with 
If you were underwhelmed by the initial release of 
You know if the App Store has been out for a month and we're posting about a web app, it has to be a good one. 
Camino, the best Gecko-based browser NOT named Firefox 3, has just been updated to 
