I ran into the problem with the prohibitory sign on the gray screen on my iMac last week and I wasn’t able to find a solution straight away. After trying zapping the PRAM, doing a safe reboot, starting in target mode, I finally called Apple. I was running 10.6.2.

They wanted to know if I had done a check with the Disc Utility, which I confirmed. The hard disk was OK and I had also repaired the permissions.

They told me to archive and install from the Snow Leopard disk and assured me that the system wouldn’t change the user accounts installed on the machine.

So I proceded to do this. The installation went fine and nothing was changed whatsoever. Software Update alerted me to the fact that I had a combined system update waiting for me (107 MB) after I logged in.

I installed that, and the machine was back to normal again. Talk about an easy way to deal with a system software issue. I expected to be obliged to reinstall applications – maybe even users again, but no. It was smooth sailing all the way

Now if Apple could just come out with a new version of Aperture…

As stated in my previous post, there’s the run-down on the Jobo PhotoGPS (available at Fototrade, Luxembourg for 155€).
Derrick Story has been testing the device with his Mac and concludes that it is not bad. Your work flow gets a bit more complicated, but until the cameras will have GPS built-in, this is one of the better solutions. Derrick did however only shoot JPG’s and not in RAW.

The Jobo software is very simple and easy to use and does a decent job of helping you sort out the geotagging of your photos. As stated in the manual for the Jobo software, the geotagging information is written directly to JPG photos and to a XMP sidecar file when it comes to RAW files.

This is all good if you are shooting in JPG format, as the file can be imported into any of the major software programmes (Aperture, Adobe Lightroom, iPhoto).

Shooting in RAW is more complicated. If you have a setup with Adobe Lightroom, you are fine. The XMP format was invented by Adobe, so the format is of course supported. When it comes to Aperture of iPhoto, you are (currently) out of luck, as these two programmes don’t support the XMP sidecar files. I haven’t been able to find any third party solution to the problem either.

So, if you are shooting RAW and is using either Aperture or iPhoto for your photos, don’t buy the Jobo PhotoGPS as you won’t be able to import the information into these programmes.

I have submitted a ticket at Apple regarding this, and I suggest you do the same Maybe Jobo could come up with a solution, but I suppose they are more concerned with the Windows market…

UPDATE: as suggested by Derrick Story, you could go with a work flow that involves shooting RAW+jpg and then stack the versions together in Aperture… I personally find that a bit too heavy a lifting…

Just got the Jobo photoGPS thingy. Will try it out this week-end. Derrick Story has tested it with the Mac software, and he is pleased with it. I will see. It will be great for the Wales trip anyway (planned for the end of April).

So now I’m testing the Grocery IQ application for iPhone that is designed with the US market in mind. This is the reason why, the developers haven’t released abroad for the time being as the database (130,000 items) of the groceries contains mostly American goods (you can search on both products names and brands).

A review with several screenshots is available at TUAW.

I must say that the application looks very nice and it is very intuitive in use. The products are listed under categories (aisles), and you can move these around to match the layout of your grocery store. Heck, you can even rename them to something else (like translate them to match the names of the aisles in your grocery store or something different). Many of the brand names doesn’t sound familiar but the app also recognises the standard items on your shopping list like “milk”, “butter” and so on. Can you add your own items not in the database? No, but items you buy often or want to customise (because the specific brand of coffee or whatever is not in the database) can be added as favourites and are thus acting as your personal database of items.

I really don’t see a big problem in making the app available for sale to non US clients, as long as it is clearly indicated that the “helper” database is US “minded”. Over time, I would have my own “database” created if I added the items, I would want, as my favourites.

Here you can see that I have added a fruit “Jordbær” (Strawberry) and changed the name of the aisle to “Frugt & Grønt” (was Fruits & Vegetables):

Again I’m looking forward to seeing some competition from other developers, but GroceryIQ’s UI and ease of use will be very hard to beat!

PS! The application is of course a must-have app for the wives with an iPhone and husbands that don’t know their way around the grocery store, as the shopping lists can be emailed and thus printed for guidance…

And check the list of features at http://groceryiq.com/features

[From App Store Pick of the Week: Grocery IQ]

Thanks to Grocery iQ ($4.99), you may never have to write another shopping list. Now you can tap to quickly build a comprehensive and highly legible list on iPhone or iPod touch, arrange your list by aisle to match the layout of your grocery store, check off items as you add them to your cart, build a purchase history and a list of favorites. Grocery IQ even lets you email your list to a designated shopper.

Excuse me, but it doesn’t look very good when I end up with this clicking on the link:

This is not an app that should depend on any authorisation or approval from any one in another country, so why isn’t it available in my App Store?

I hope that TapTapTap‘s app “Groceries” will be available in my App Store…

Just received the news. Vox will have a launch party going on at their shop in Luxembourg City.

140 iPhones up for grabs. So youngsters, line up tonight if you want to be one of the first. No word on the data plan matrix yet, but I hope for Vox that it will be an attractive one. Otherwise I will stay on the fence for the time being, as I’m not a client.

From their e-mail:

140 additional iPhone3G’s are in stock !
In addition to the ones we blocked for the first 10 people, we have an extra stock of 140 phones that can be purchased during our launch party. As the demand is very high, we suggest you to be there on time to be sure to buy one on that evening.

Where and When ?
We welcome you as of 4 pm at our VOX shop in Luxembourg City, 1-5 rue Marché-aux-Herbes. Doors will be open from 6.00 pm til 9.00 pm.

Please bring your identity card and bank details with you.

We wish you a lot of fun during our launch party!

I won’t be joining the frenzy, but have fun

Poll to check the temperature in the Luxembourgish market. What is your take?

Harry McCracken:

Way back when, if software distribution for the Mac had been handled via a Mac App Store with a don’t-duplicate-Apple-products policy, Photoshop might have been refused distribution on the grounds that it was too similar to MacPaint.

Apple needs to revise its policy regarding the apps in the App Store. They can’t be sure to be the most suited company to develop all applications for the iPhone.

via Daring Fireball

Apple seems to have put to many things out at the same time on Friday: new iPhones, MobileMe is replace .Mac and new software for the 1G iPhone.
As Luxembourg doesn’t or at least not officially has the iPhone, I can’t say anything about activation woes or 1G phones in limbo after trying to update to the 2.0 software.
MobileMe is up and running now. The push of mails and calendar events seems to work fine between my iMac and my MBP. The price for the service has dropped to 69 € instead of 99€ (it is $99 in the States…) for European countries with the euro. I like that I can also modify my calendar from a Windows machine running Firefox 2 or 3. The MobileMe service is not fully compatible with IE7 (not that I’m interested in using it anyway).
So things are starting to normalise around Apple’s services… Thankfully!
Now if we could just have the iPhone here in Luxembourg…

Browsing through the App Store, finding many interesting applications. Downloads a few… But why? The iPhone still isn’t here, so why bother? Talk about getting ahead of yourself! And who wants an iPod Touch anyway?