Apple news blog

I use iTunes in list view, and also use the column browser (at the top) in order to quickly jump to the music I want to hear. My music albums are sorted by Album by Year (click the Album column header), like most people with many albums, I guess.

Here’s my problem: When I jump to Cover Flow view mode, and when using the column browser, albums are sorted alphabetically. I have the same problem on my iPhone. I found out how to override that strange behaviour: I simply copied album’s release year into the Sort Album field of the sorting tab.

With this value set, the albums sort properly in all view modes, and in the column browser. Unfortunately, doing this by hand is tedious; any script solutions in the comments are appreciated!

[robg adds: I tested this, and it works as described, though I’m not sure if there are downsides to storing the Year value in the Album sort field. A starting point for a script solution might be Doug Adams’ …

In OS X, you can change Spaces, apps, and windows with the keyboard. What’s missing? An easy way to globally navigate tabs in a Web browser, Terminal window, or other tabbed program. Many programs come with a keyboard shortcut to change tabs, but they vary by program and are frequently hard to reach. The solution: use System Preferences to change the shortcut to a single, easy-to-reach command for all programs.

I’ll go through the steps of creating a shortcut for Apple’s Safari browser. Other programs work the same way.

1. Open System Preferences and go to the Keyboard Shortcuts tab of the Keyboard Pane. Click Application Shortcuts in the list on the left, and then the [+] button to add a new shortcut.
2. Open the application you want to create a shortcut for, and find the Menu Bar commands to switch tabs (usually in the Window menu). Remember exactly what they are called. In Safari, they are Select Next Tab and Select Previous Tab.
3. Back in System Pr…

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

The Wall Street Journal reports (subscription required) on AT&T’s recent efforts to beef up its cellular network in the face of criticism from customers over performance. As part of the report, the Journ…

HeavyLifters Network today announces MathTappers: ClockMaster 2.0, a major upgrade to their children’s game for iPhone and iPod touch. Math educators Tim Pelton and Leslee Francis-Pelton from the University of Victoria have designed this app to help children make sense of analog clocks and time. MathTappers: ClockMaster also has a “word clock” mode to help children and English language learners to master common English word phrases for telling time.

Independent web developer, iPhone app developer, and entrepreneur Scott Bedwell today released My DJ 2.0 as a free update to all current My DJ owners, and a free version of the app called My DJ Free, both for iPhone and iPod touch. My DJ offers a new way of listening to music by playing random parts of the user’s songs rather than playing whole songs at once. Users can specify how long of each song to play in the settings of their device.

MacFriendly has released their new Bundle just for Mac users. Available for a limited time, the Bundle represents a savings of over 85% off the list prices. The bundle includes 14 downloadable software applications, and the latest version of each application is included in the bundle. The 14 programs included are Flux, Data Guardian, Label & Addresses, Neutrino, jalada Collage, Spyder, NetMine, PrintSprint, Macvide ScreenCap, Cinedition, MPEG2 Works 4, HDCleanUp, Encrypt Mail and Librarian Pro.

Auckland based Mello Apps Limited today announces Halal Scanner 1.0 for iPhone. Halal Scanner takes a photo of the ingredients label of a food product and determines the halal status of any food additives contained in the product. Users also have the option of searching through a database of food additives on the iPhone instead of using the iPhone camera. This is done entirely on the iPhone and no network connection is required for any of the features in Halal Scanner.

Onederr Inc. today released SF Way 1.0 for iPhone and iPod touch users who live in or visit San Francisco. SF Way is jam packed with information about city-specific places, happenings and services. It contains fifty different apps, which list various businesses, events, activities, services and much, much more. SF Way covers topics such as safety, WiFi spots, emergency help lines and free events in the area.

Informatica Kamalert SL today released APP KamAlert 1.01, the latest version of their powerful security app for iPhone users. KamAlert is a brand new concept based on personal wellbeing and security combined. It has a built-in motion detector surveillance camera, automatically sends for help and provides panic buttons for medical emergencies or imminent danger. All of this peace of mind is packed into one unique application for the iPhone.

toolsfactory software has released rubiTrack 2.2, an update to its GPS enabled activity and exercise journal for the Mac. rubiTrack lets you display, analyze and organize your indoor and outdoor workouts for sports such as running, biking, walking, hiking, skiing and many more. rubiTrack reads tracks from GPS enabled devices like the Garmin Forerunner, Garmin Edge, Nike iPod, Suunto and Polar devices and the iPhone 3GS and 3G.