iOS 6 Release Times around the world

How to Use Teleport to Share a Keyboard, Mouse, & Clipboard Between Different Macs

Share a keyboard, mouse, and clipboard with different Macs

Teleport is a great free app that lets you share a single keyboard and mouse between multiple Macs, in addition to providing for a single clipboard and even the ability to drag and drop files between different Macs without using traditional file sharing. This is ideal solution for those of us who have a desk with a couple Macs and don't want to constantly flip between different keyboards, mice, and trackpads, instead you can use a single Macs keyboard and trackpad/mouse and control them all.

Setting this up is easier than you might think, and we'll walk you through the entire process.

The primary Mac with keyboard and mouse will be referred to as "server" and other Macs as "client". All Macs must be on the same network, Teleport works over both Wi-Fi and ethernet.

    First download Teleport on all Macs involved, it's free and you can download it here

    Install Teleport on each client and server Mac by double-clicking the "teleport.prefPane" file and choosing "Install" when System Preferences opens. In OS X Mountain Lion, you will need to right-click on "teleport.prefPane" and choose "Open" from the menu to bypass GateKeeper

    Bypass Gatekeeper in Mac OS X

    Check the box for "Activate teleport" and on the Macs, and check the box for "Share this Mac" on the client Macs

    When asked to enable Assistive Devices, click "Enable" on each individual Mac

    If you get a popup asking "teleportd wants to sign using key "<key>" in your keychain" click "Always Allow" on each Mac

    teleportd allow

    Now on the server Mac, you should see the other client Mac(s), click and drag them to orientate them alongside the server Mac in much the same way as setting up multiple monitors and the primary display

    Set up Teleport in Mac OS X for easy keyboard sharing

    On the client Mac, a "Trust request from certified host" message will appear, click "Accept" to trust and accept the server to control the Mac

    Wait a second or two and drag the servers cursor to the client Mac, and you're ready to go

    Accept mouse and keyboard sharing in Mac OS X 

You're now sharing a single keyboard and mouse between the different Macs!

Teleport displays a menu bar in OS X that lets you know where the mouse is currently, and which computer is controlling the mouse. You will also see a quick icon overview float over the desktop when the mouse and keyboard focus switches, making it easy to tell when you are moving between Macs.

To move files between the Macs with Teleport, just drag a file from one Macs screen to another, just like you would with multiple monitors. The file transfer works best with smaller files, but it can transport large files too if you don't mind the wait. The shared clipboard is also simple and automatic, copy on one Mac and you can paste to another, and vice versa.

We've covered a similar sharing keyboards and mice with Synergy before, but not all users could get it working on their Macs, whereas Teleport definitely works in OS X Mountain Lion, Lion, and even Snow Leopard. The only downside to Teleport is there is no cross-platform support, so if you're looking to share a keyboard and mouse between Macs and Windows or even Linux computers you'll need to use Synergy instead.

Hands-on with the sharp, slim iPhone 5 (pictures)

The look: Thin, metal, light as heck
You know its look, even if the look has been subtly transformed over the years: circular Home button, pocketable rectangle, familiarly sized screen. Can that design be toyed with, transformed a little, changed?

The newest iPhone has a wide metal body that stretches above previous iPhones, but is also thinner; still, this isn't a massive phone like the Samsung Galaxy Note or HTC One X. The iPhone 5 rises above the iPhone 4 and 4S, but subtly.









 

From the front and sides, it looks very similar to the iPhone 4 and 4S. The same rounded metal volume buttons, sleep/wake button on top, and silence switch remain. The headphone jack has moved to the bottom of the phone, just on like the iPod Touch. Some will like it, some won't; it makes standing the iPhone upright and using headphones a virtual impossibility. Actually, the entire bottom is all new: the headphone jack, the larger, redesigned speakers, a different type of perforated grille, and a much tinier Lightning connector port.

 

The Gorilla Glass back of the last iPhone is gone, replaced with metal. The two-tone look might seem new, but it's a bit of a reference to the silver-and-black back of the original iPhone. The very top and bottom of the rear is still glass. That anodized aluminum -- which Apple claims is the same as that on its MacBook laptops -- feels exactly the same, and is even shaded the same on the white model. So far, it's held up without scratches. I'd say it'll do about as well as the aluminum finish on your 2008-and-later MacBook. On the black iPhone, the aluminum matches in a slate gray tone. On my white review model, it's MacBook-color silver. That aluminum covers most of the back and also the sides, replacing the iPhone 4 and 4S steel band, and lending to its lighter weight. The front glass sits slightly above the aluminum, which is cut to a mirrored angled edge on the front and back, eliminating sharp corners.

Why the move away from a glass back? Is it about creating a better, more durable finish, or is it about weight reduction? Apple's proud of its claims of how light the iPhone 5 is, and the new aluminum back is part of that. So is the move to a Nano-SIM card (making SIM swaps once again impossible and requiring a visit to your carrier's store). So is the thinner screen and the smaller dock connector. You get the picture.

Hold an iPhone 4S up to the new iPhone, and I could see the difference in thickness. It's not huge, but it feels even slimmer considering its expanded width and length. What I really noticed is how light it is. I still feel weirded out by it. The iPhone 5's 3.95-ounce weight is the lightest an iPhone's ever been. The iPhone 4S is nearly a full ounce heavier at 4.9 ounces. The iPhone 3G was 4.7 ounces. The original iPhone and iPhone 4 were 4.8 ounces. This is a phase-change in the nearly constant weight of the iPhone -- it's iPhone Air.

Yet, the iPhone 5 doesn't look dramatically different like the iPhone 4 once did. Actually, it seems more like a fusion of the iPhone with the iPad and MacBook design.



 

And, of course, there's the new, larger screen. You may not notice it from a distance -- the screen's still not as edge-to-edge on the top and bottom as many Android phones, but extra empty space has been shaved away to accommodate the display. There's a little less room around the Home Button and below the earpiece. The iPhone 5 screen is just as tall as the screen on the Samsung Galaxy S 2, but it's not as wide. That thinner body design gives the iPhone the same hand feel, and what I think is an easier grip. The extra length covers a bit more of your face on phone calls.

Over the last week with the iPhone 5, I started to forget that the phone was any larger. That seems to be the point. And, the iPhone fit just fine in my pants, too: the extra length has been traded out for less girth, so there's little bulge. And, with that awkward statement having been uttered, I'll move on.

Microsoft promises fix for IE security flaw in next few days

Microsoft said today it will issue a fix soon for a security flaw that affects users of Internet Explorer versions 6 through 9.
Uncovered this past weekend, the security hole could compromise the PCs of IE users who surf to a malicious Web site. The flaw is being actively exploited to deliver a back-door trojan known as "Poison Ivy."
The software giant said in a security advisory this afternoon that a solution to the flaw would be released in the next few days.
"While we have only seen a few attempts to exploit the issue, impacting an extremely limited number of people, we are taking this proactive step to help ensure Internet Explorer customers are protected and able to safely browse online," Yunsun Wee, the director of Microsoft's Trustworthy Computing initiative, said in the post.
Microsoft said the fix would be an "easy-to-use, one-click, full-strength solution" that any IE user could install, promising "it will provide full protection against this issue until an update is available."
While it works on a fix for the flaw, Microsoft issued a security advisory offering several recommendations to help IE users avoid being victims of the zero-day exploit. In addition to running updated antivirus and antispyware software and using a firewall, Microsoft suggests installing its Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit, which tries to ward off attacks on software holes by putting up a wall of security obstacles that the malware writers must circumvent.

So, what's new? Comparing the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5

The iPhone 4S (left) and the new iPhone 5 (right).
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)
After months of rumors, endless "leaked" images, and tons of analyst reports, Apple finally introduced its latest smartphone, the iPhone 5 last week. In addition to its new look, it also received some hardware and feature updates. To see what changed and what stayed the same, CNET put together this handy comparison chart that stacks up the device with its previous iteration, the iPhone 4S. Take a look and be sure to read our full iPhone 5 review.

Twitter for iPad gets a new landscape UI, profiles with header photos, and enhanced photo streams

Twitter just updated its universal iOS app with a few new improvements, the most notable of which is a new landscape UI for iPad. Other aspects of the iPad UI have been slightly tweaked over the previous version, while version 5.0 of the app also brings new profiles with header photos, photo streams on profiles and events, and various other fixes and enhancements for both the iPad and iPhone client.

Among the improvements to the iPad UI: Tweets now come in a compact view and can expand with a single tap to view videos, web pages, and photos directly from within your timeline.

In a post on the official Twitter blog, Product Manager Sung Hu Kim took us through a few of the updates:

Home

Tweets come alive in the new Twitter for iPad. Expand Tweets with a single touch to see beautiful photos, rich videos and web page summaries right in your timeline. Dive into the content with another tap to see the photo, play the video or read links from the web in fullscreen mode.
Connect

Keep conversations going by tracking your interactions with other people: See who has followed or mentioned you, retweeted or favorited your Tweets.
Discover

Tap into a stream of useful and entertaining information personalized for you. Read news stories that are popular within your network, see which Tweets and accounts are favorited and followed by the people you know, see what topics are trending, and find great new accounts to follow.
Me

Express yourself by adding a beautiful new header photo to your new profile. It appears consistently above your Tweets on iPad, mobile apps and twitter.com, and you can change it anytime. You can also remember the moments you’ve shared on Twitter by swiping through your photo stream on your profile or tapping photos to go fullscreen.
What’s New in Version 5.0

Twitter for iPad / iPhone 5.0
- New Twitter for iPad
- New profiles with header photos
- Photo streams on profiles and events
- Other improvements, polish, and fixes

Apple’s next huge data center will be in Hong Kong !!

Map of Hong Kong post handover

We’ve received word that Apple is building another enormous data center—this time in Hong Kong SAR, China.

Apple recently finalized a location in the New Territories region of Hong Kong near the Shenzhen China border for the data center. We spoke to a bidding contractor employee who, on the condition of anonymity, told us the planned data center’s scale is unprecedented for his business: “There is simply nothing to compare it to and therefore it is hard to make estimates on size based on the materials required.” We were told that construction is to begin in Q1 2013, and it will likely take over a year for operations to start in the data center. The aim is to have it operational by 2015, which is the same time that Apple’s Spaceship Campus 2 is scheduled to go online.

Apple is currently reviewing bids from various local and international companies for the construction of the data center.

Google and other companies typically select Hong Kong for their Chinese data centers because of the Special Administrative Region‘s “One country, two systems” autonomous legal structure which seems to keep the Mainland Chinese Government’s hands off the data physically housed on its soil.

Google says it chose Hong Kong as a Data Center location for the following reasons:

    Hong Kong offers an ideal combination of reliable energy infrastructure, a skilled workforce and a location right in the center of Asia, which has made it a trading powerhouse and a great place to provide services to our users around the region and globe. As with all of our facilities around the world, we chose Hong Kong following a thorough and rigorous site selection process, taking many technical and other considerations into account, including location, infrastructure, workforce, reasonable business regulations and cost.

Google did not mention it, but a big factor is likely also that Google and China have big “trust issues,” which involve a Mountain View security breach and the Mainland’s efforts to censor Google’s search results. Apple would also want to avoid physically putting its servers in Mainland China to avoid government snooping.  At the same time, Apple wants to be physically and politically close to its fastest-growing region and the world’s most populous nation.

Google’s Data Center is being finished in Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate in Kowloon. We were told Apple initially considered the same area, but the plots of land were not suitable to the construction cost/scale.

Greater China is Apple’s fastest-growing region and the biggest smartphone market on the planet. Apple CEO Tim Cook told analysts in July 2011 that Apple was “just scratching the surface” in China:

    Overseas markets
    China was very key to our results. As a reminder, for greater China—mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan—year-over-year it was up over 6 times. And the revenue was approximately $3.8 billion during the quarter. And that makes the year-to-date numbers through the three quarters we’ve had thus far around $8.8 billion. So this has been a substantial opportunity for Apple, and I firmly believe that we’re just scratching the surface right now. I think there is an incredible opportunity for Apple there.

Apple’s move here makes a lot of economic sense. Instead of renting data center space at a premium, Apple rolls its own infrastructure to save a lot of money. In addition, by building its own space physically close to China, it can improve performance of all those data packets, which will not need to traverse the Pacific from Apple’s U.S. Data Centers.

Apple currently has a data center in Newark, Calif., and it recently completed its biggest 500,000 sq. foot-installation in Maiden N.C. Apple is in the planning stages for additional data centers in Reno, Nev. and Prineville, Ore.

We hoping to hear more specifics in the coming weeks.

iPhone 5 Reviews: Thinner, Lighter, LTE "Stunningly Fast"

The embargo has just lifted on the first iPhone 5 reviews. Apple has provided some publications with an early review unit of the iPhone 5. We are collecting some of the more interesting points from each review, but you can click each title to read the full writeup. The iPhone 5 will officially launch on September 21st and will be available in retail stores beginning at 8am.


CNet Review

- "The screen size lengthening is subtle: but, like the Retina Display, you're going to have a hard time going back once you've used it."
- "LTE, in my tests, ran anywhere from 10 to 20 [Mbps], which is up to twice as fast as my wireless router's connection at home."
- "Still pictures taken while recording video aren't shot using the normal 8-megapixel Web cam; they're screen captures of the video itself. The aspect ratio is different, and the image quality's a bit weaker."
- "callers I reached via speakerphone noticed a crisper, clearer call on the iPhone 5 versus the iPhone 4S."
- "The phone's lasted roughly the whole day each day, unplugging around 8 a.m. and engaging in a mix of calling, web surfing, video playback, downloading, game playing, FaceTime calling over Wi-Fi and LTE, and even a little 4G LTE hot spot use via my MacBook Air."

The Loop Review by Jim Dalrymple

- "If you told me that I would be able to see another few rows of emails or more of a Web page, I don’t know that I would see the importance, but when you look at the iPhone 5, it’s more than that. You have to see it to get an idea of what can be done."

The New York Times Review by David Pogue

- "The new phone, in all black or white, is beautiful. Especially the black one, whose gleaming, black-on-black, glass-and-aluminum body carries the design cues of a Stealth bomber."
- "The camera is among the best ever put into a phone. Its lowlight shots blow away the same efforts from an iPhone 4S."
- "It’s just too bad about that connector change. Doesn’t Apple worry about losing customer loyalty and sales?"




iPhone 4S vs 5 photo via CNet

Engadget Review by Tim Stevens

- " At 112 grams it's 20 percent lighter than the 4S, a figure that doesn't seem like it would make much of an impact. It does -- so much so that it's the lightness, not the bigger display or the thinness, that nearly everybody praises when first getting a chance to hold the iPhone 5 in their own hands."
- "the Lightning connector is infinitely easier to connect. It slots in nicely and does so regardless of orientation, plugging in right-side-up or upside-down."
- "More problematic is the speed of this new connector. " -- Based on USB 2.0, so no faster than existing connector/cable.
- Taking photo speed is much improved.
- "On our standard battery rundown test, in which we loop a video with LTE and WiFi enabled and social accounts pinging at regular intervals, the iPhone 5 managed a hugely impressive 11 hours and 15 minutes."
- "In general, iOS 6 has seen some nice nips and tucks where it needed it. iCloud integration is tighter, Safari is better and the overall experience is more polished. But, it isn't a major step forward in any regard. "

Wall Street Journal Review by Walt Mossberg

- "I found the new iPhone screen much easier to hold and manipulate than its larger rivals and preferred it. In my view, Apple’s approach makes the phone far more comfortable to use, especially one-handed."
- "The iPhone 5′s battery lasted between 9 and 12 hours every day, in mixed use. For most people, the phone would last the day without recharging."
- "The biggest drawback I found is the new Maps app. Apple has replaced Google Maps with a new maps app of its own. "

T3 Review by Luke Peters

- "Don’t get us wrong, it’s a miracle how Apple has shed so much excess podge and millions of people will love the lightweight design, but we preferred the more robust, weapon-like nature of the 4S."
- "Given that iPhone 4S users can upgrade to iOS 6 and do just about everything the iPhone 5 can do, and that Android users can get similarly impressive handsets for less dosh, we reckon the smart money won’t all be going on a new iPhone this year, even if the mass market can’t get enough of it. It’s good, very good. But it’s no longer the best around."

Others

- TechCrunch Review by MG Siegler
- USA Today Review by Edward Baig
- Pocket Lint Review by Stuart Miles

Overall, the reviews are very positive. Regular iPhone users seem to enjoy the added space. Everyone seems to comment on the lightness and thinness of the device. Apple's 2x speed claims and battery claims seem accurate. The new Lightning connector seems to be physically nice, though there is disappointment there is no speed improvement in syncing as compared to the old sync cable/connectors.