Apple Mac HQ

It’s not unusual for software to be abandoned by its developer. Software developers move on, lose interest in the project, or otherwise don’t find the time to support or develop the software they created. That being said, it is unusual for a leader in a particular space to abandon their product. This very scenario happened today.

Techspansion, the developers behind Visual Hub, have called it quits. I’ve written about a few of Techspansion’s products here at Apple Mac HQ. Visual Hub is a dead simple piece of software I use to convert videos for my Apple TV. It is perhaps the best video conversion utility around and that’s why it came as such a surprise that the software is being abandoned. The website for Visual Hub has been stripped and the dmg file is no longer available for download. If you look hard enough, you can download it however. I downloaded a copy to serve as a backup in case I need to reinstall it (I bought it earlier this year).

It’s sad to see the developer abandon this great piece of software. Best of luck to him in his future endeavors!

[Via TUAW]

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Did you miss the presidential debate last Friday? Don’t worry, iTunes has you covered. CBS has posted the first 2008 presidential debate as a video podcast. You can download the video or subscribe (there are two more presidential debates) to the podcast here.

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I’ve wanted to write about Skitch for some time now. In its most simple form, Skitch is a screenshot application. In its most complex form, Skitch is a drop dead simple, yet powerful, image manipulation tool.

When you launch Skitch, it shows up as a menu bar icon. You’ll most often use Skitch when you activate it with a keyboard shortcut, though you can click the menu bar icon too. You can capture images several different ways.

1. Drag-able cross-hair snapshot
2. Full screen snapshot
3. iSight snapshot

Once you take a snapshot, you’ll be presented with the image in the Skitch window.

From the Skitch window, you have an enormous number of options. You can add text to images, add arrows, erase, circle, color fill, resize, and so much more. Once you’re done manipulating the image, just click the “drag me” tab (see the red arrow) and move the image wherever you want. You can drag the image straight from the Skitch window into emails, the Flickr upload tool, or just about anywhere else. You don’t need to save the image, just drag it!

Along with the Skitch software, there is also Skitch.com. Skitch.com is a webservice that gives you “1-click uploading of images for fast and fun image sharing.” Skitch.com gives you a place to store your Skitch images if you don’t have online storage else where. You can set the Skitch images to public, secret (open but with a secret URL), and private. People can even add comments to your Skitch.com images. If you want to get comments from multiple people on an image, Skitch.com will certainly come in handy.

If you take screenshots of any kind or frequently add text to images, Skitch is absolutely invaluable. If you are blogging and don’t have Skitch, you’re wasting time. Skitch is perhaps the single most useful tool on my Mac. Don’t know if Skitch is for you? Watch the video below for a quick 3 minute video tutorial.

Skitch has been in beta for quite some time. Skitch is currently free, though I’m sure it will cost something once it leaves beta. Skitch was created by Plasq, the folks behind Comic Life.

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My favorite gadget wielding super spy is back! Chuck returns to NBC tomorrow, Monday September 29th at 8PM EST. If you can’t wait, you can actually watch the first episode online now. I tried to watch the episode online, but the video was very choppy. The quality was good, but playback was unacceptable. Perhaps your luck may be better.

So why am I talking about Chuck on a Mac blog? Chuck and Sarah (the hot blond spy/love interest) were both sporting iPhones last season. In addition to iPhones, Chuck was sporting other Apple goodies in his room. Anyone else watching Chuck tomorrow?

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Got an iPhone? Help Technologizer get to the bottom of iPhone owner satisfaction from around the globe. After crunching the numbers, they’ll report back on the findings.

Update: That was quick, the survey is now closed.

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Have a Wii and a Mac? Want to share your movies, music, and pictures directly to your Wii? If you answered yes to both those questions, you need to check out Wii Transfer. Use the coupon code “NEWSLETTER” to save 20% off the already low $19 price.

New in version 2.6: The ability to copy your Miis to your Mac!

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Did you ever think that charging your iPhone or iPod could be fun? If it’s up to Peter Thuvander, charging those devices might soon indeed become fun. Peter has posted some pictures and conceptual diagrams of the iYo on his website. The iYo is an induction powered yo-yo that stores the energy created by yo-yoing. The energy is stored on a Lithium Ion cell. Once you have enough energy stored, you plug your iPhone or iPod connector into the device and it charges it.

Though the device doesn’t seem to be in production, the concept itself is pretty amazing. Head on over to Peter’s website and watch a short video and read a little more about the device. In places where electricity is scarce, this could be a lifesaver for those who just can’t put down their iPhone.

[Via TreeHugger]

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