Are you tired of reading about all the available third party programs for the iPhone, and not being able to use them because you're just not experienced enough? Never fret, because the updated iPhone Installer over at Nullriver will enable less tech-savvy users to install programs over Wi-Fi and EDGE.

Using the iPhone Installer is as easy as pie, just remember to deactivate your iPhone's automatic synchronization to iTunes before you start to install the application. The steps that follow will involve tweaking some of the scripts in your iPhone, but Gizmodo has provided a comprehensive step-by-step procedure in how to install the application.

Once you're done installing the iPhone Installer, launch it on your iPhone, and it will connect to the internet and give you a list of the available third party programs available for download and use. Just click on the Install button (you can also check out more info by taking a look at the "Community Resources" section in the Install tab, before actually installing the program of your choice), and you're ready to go!

The zip file of the installer does not have a read me file, but you can check out the Read link for the installation guide. Enjoy!

Download: iPhone Installer

The Beta version of Skype 2.7 for Mac is now out and ready for use. For those unfamiliar with this program, it allows users to chat and send text messages for free. In addition to this, it can be used to place calls to both cellular phones and landlines for a nominal fee.

Originally PC-based, the software has been reworked to run on multiple Mac platforms. If you'd care to recall, the previous version implemented a lot of new features, and the trend continues with this version. There are quite a few improvements to the program, here's a complete list of all the new features:

• Group contacts: organize your contacts into as many groups as you need. While there are some pre-defined groups (like Online, Waiting Authorization, Recently Contacted), youÂ?re free to add new ones that suit your life. This should be a godsend to those whose contact list has ballooned to hundreds of Skype users. Explore this nifty feature under the cogwheel icon on the main screen.

• See your Apple Address Book contacts in Skype: easily call or SMS anyone who has a phone number in their address-book profile. When texting, just make sure the number is one that belongs to a mobile phone.

• Create and manage public chats: by clicking on Chats in the menu bar and choosing Start Public Chat. A public-chat assistant will walk you through the necessary steps.

• Auto Redial for busy or unconnected calls: When your call hits the busy signal, Skype will give you the option of automatic redial every two minutes until the call goes through. This setting can also be adjusted in Skype > Preferences > Calls.

• Easy sound-level controls: when you need to tweak the sound level during a call, use a simple slider in the call window

• Overhauled file transfer: wearing a more fashionable jacket, file-transfer now looks elegant and acts even nicer, especially when receiving many files at once

So if you're a Mac user and use VoIP for raiding in World of Warcraft or chatting with loved ones, there's no reason for you not to pick this up. Head on over tot he Skype site to download the program.

Apple has pulled the plug on AppleWorks relegating it to the realms of abandonware. As solid as this program was during the height of its run, it has reached the end of its software life-cycle and will no longer be supported by the company when iWork 08 comes out.

In the spirit of the moment, let's take a short look at the long and illustrious life of the program. Originally written by Robert Lissner, the software suite was released way back 1984. It was designed for use by both the Apple and the Apple II computers.

The company followed this up with AppleWorks 2.0 in 1986. The year after that, this project was turned over to Apple's then new software subsidiary Claris. They went to work immediately, releasing version 3.0 in 1989.

The next update wouldn't happen until 1993, when AppleWorks 4.0 was released and was followed by AppleWorks 5.0 the year after. The last iterations of the program resemble what most would expect from an office application suite with a word processor, a drawing program, a painting program, a spreadsheet, a database program, and even a terminal program for communications.

While it might be painful for the old school Mac user to let this program go, the iWork 08 looks to be a good successor. From all indications, it will live up and surpass the venerable old program in terms of functionality and ease.

 

Have you fired up your Adium messenger recently? Well, I did just a few hours ago, and lo and behold, it's a version update! The Adium ducks are now quacking up to version 1.1! Although the previous update was released just a month ago, Adium v1.1 has actually been in the making for about a year now.

In fact, one of the biggest changes in this version comes all the way from 2006, built on a student project in the Google Summer of Code. The project has been incorporated into Adium v1.1 in the form of PSMTabBarControl, which allows you to customize your tabbing preferences on the fly. Here's the lowdown of that feature:

• You can arrange your tabs on any side of the message view, not just the bottom. Tabs are arranged vertically when you put them on the left or right edge of the window and horizontally when you put them on the top or bottom.
• Tabs handle overflow better by presenting a chevron (») menu, just like toolbars do.
• Tabs are now spring-loaded, so that if you drag something to a tab that isn't active, it will activate, so that you can position the thing you're dragging precisely within the inputline.
• You can have each tab display the number of unread messages, if any.

Of course, there's more to this, but the Adium team is encouraging all of us to discover the other new toolbar tweaks. Other notes from the changelog include the usual bug fixes and improvements. Aside from it being prettier and faster, there's also the following:

• Changes in the contact list, such as people coming online and going offline, animate smoothly.
• The contact list's ability to hide like the Dock at the edge of the screen has been improved.
• A new type of AdiumXtra, the menu bar icon xtra, has been created to let you customize the appearance of Adiumy in your menu bar; you can download AdiumMenuBarIcons packs from AdiumXtras.com.
• Buzz on Yahoo! and nudge on MSN are now fully supported.
• AIM DirectConnect should be more reliable and less memory intensive; it is now automatically initiated as needed.
• You can now import accounts and chat transcripts from iChat.
• Adium now warns you if you run Adium from the disk image. This will especially benefit new Mac users who aren't accustomed to working with disk images.
• Right-to-left text is handled property on MSN.

Download: Adium v1.1

We all knew that Apple is planning to release iLife before October but what we didn't expect is for it to be  officially unveiled this early. In fact, the Cupertino-based company came up with a press release the other day, officially announcing the new build for suite of digital lifestyle applications to the world.

"Apple has taken iLife '08 to a new level that is years ahead of anything available for the PC. We think iLife '08 gives Mac users even more reasons to love their Macs, and PC users even more reasons to switch," commented Apple CEO Steve Jobs. The following are the general changes applied to the program:

• iPhoto 08 automatically groups all photos into Events, each containing a day's worth of photos represented by a single picture
• iMovie '08 can import video from the latest AVCHD, HDV and DV camcorders, as well as from digital cameras, and displays a user's entire video library whether itÂ?s stored on internal or external drives
• .Mac Web Gallery is fully integrated with iPhoto '08 and iMovie '08, letting users share their photos and movies on the web with just a few clicks.
• iWeb '08 offers new features to make websites more interactive by adding live web widgets such as Google Maps, targeted ads using Google AdSense and photos or movies from .Mac Web Galleries
• GarageBand '08 offers powerful new features for more advanced musicians, including multi-take recording to capture the best performance, arrangements to cut, copy and paste intros, verses and choruses, and support for 24-bit audio interfaces

iLife is currently on sale for suggested retail price of US$ 79 through the Apple Store, Apple's retail stores, and Apple authorized resellers. If you want to know more about the latest version, click on our Read link below. It should take you to Apple's dedicated page for iLife 08.

It looks like the NES emulator for the iPhone is making some progress. The developers have released a video demonstrating the iPhone running the classic Super Mario Brothers. It has no sounds yet, which isn't surprising since it's in its development stages.

The speed is a bit slow though, which makes it a little discouraging. Also they seem to have done some liberties with the controls to compensate for it's diminutive scale. When the gamer pressed forward, Mario just kept moving forward even when he released the button. He opened other games but didn't demonstrate the keypads further so we'll have to wait and see how they fare with the developments.

Don't want to pay for installing a ring tone for your iPhone? Do you already have the perfect iPhone ring tone but you just can't install it? iPhoneRingToneMaker is just the thing for you.

Just as the name says, the iPhoneRingToneMaker makes ringtones for your iPhone. Great googlymooglies, is it true? What does it do exactly? It installs any mp3 file format from your PC to your iPhone as a ring tone. It is also a ring tone manager so it can delete the ring tone just as easily. You can also use the mp3 file for your mp3 alarm clock.

The developers assure us that there is no risk in using the application as it does not mess with the iPhone's programming in any way. All it does is transfer music files from your PC to your ring tone library in your iPhone. There are no extra fees aside from the purchase of the application.

iPhoneRingToneMaker is available for US$ 9.95. Check out the read link after the jump to purchase.

Thanks to Tunji Afonja from Efiko Software for the tip.

For some time now, the picking have been slim for Macs in terms of applications that can capture video from Blizzard's World of Warcraft. The most commonly used Snapz Pro X2 came with a rather steep (US$ 70) price tag.

In fact, a lot of people have turned to the 30 day trial version to work their magic. Well, Mac users don't have to worry about the price tag anymore. The new patch Blizzard rolled out on the PTR server now have the Mac Movie Capture.

The feature essentially allows the Mac client to capture in-game video to QuickTime movie files using a choice of codecs (H.264, Motion JPEG, or Pixlet), various resolutions, and even frame rate.  Specs? Well you'll be needing Mac OS X 10.4.9 and QuickTime 7.1.6 or better.

So try to get on the PTR to see if the new addition to the game works. If you're playing on the Europe servers though, be advised that copying characters into the server is still not working.

If you're 1st or 2nd generation iPod Shuffle isn't playing music anymore, Apple has released a utility that'll help you fix it. The iPod Reset Utility 1.0.2 for Windows resets your Shuffle back to factory settings.

You're probably going to be thinking that iTunes already has that functionality. Well, it doesn't always work as pointed out in the Apple official page, so this is a workaround for that problem. The program also came with a reminder that the iPod Reset Utility is only intended for use the iPod Shuffle. So don't even try running it on a different model.

Here's a short list of the problems that the program was built to fix as well as important things you have to know before using the application.

Use iPod Reset Utility to fix the following issues:

• iPod will not play music, and cannot be restored using iTunes.
• iPod is not recognized by iTunes, but is visible in My Computer or in Device Manager on a Windows PC, or in Apple System Profiler on a Mac.
• iPod shuffle (1st Generation) is identified as a device in "Recovery mode." iPod shuffle (2nd Generation) is identified as a "USB DFU device."

IMPORTANT: Read Before Using

• You must have administrator privileges to use this utility.
• iPod Reset Utility restores your iPod to factory conditions and installs current iPod software for that model, deleting all content on iPod.
• If iPod Reset Utility cannot reset your iPod, then your iPod may need service. Go to the iPod Service page for additional information.

If your Shuffle is busted, download the program then head over to the Apple site via our read link for full instructions on how to install and use the program. If it doesn't work, then you'll probably have to head over to the nearest Apple service center to have them look at it.

Download: iPod Reset Utility v1.0.2

Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference is just around the corner and Apple fans are pumped at what Steve Jobs has to show. The focus of the attention, of course, is the anticipated demonstration of the new OS X Leopard, but some insiders believe that the next-generation interface of the system just might steal the show.

The new look will be driven by a system called Core Animation which will make the visual experience more vibrant than ever. Imagine a 3D desktop where your windows flip in and out and on-screen objects are looking good with high detail.

"The revolution coming with Core Animation is akin to the one that came from the original Mac in 1984," says Delicious Library developer Will Shipley. He adds that a whole "new world" will open up once Core Animation hits.

And Shipley is serious. He says that the Disco CD-writing application will have an interface with smoke animations and it's quite possible for the user to actually play with the fumes. How about blowing air into the mic and seeing the on screen smoke get blown away? Sweet!

"We realized any app we released based on Tiger (the current version of OS X) was going to look really pathetic when Leopard came out," says Shipley. He then reminded users that they would have to buy the new product if they want to enjoy the new features.

We certainly hope Apple shows off this exciting new innovation that they've jacked up. Die-hard Mac addicts better get ready to bust out that wallet because the Leopard intends to pounce hard.