Hijinks Inc.

Author: Aaron Nelsen

  • Apple Store – Drop Off

    I dropped my Macbook Pro off at the Apple Store yesterday around 4pm, the Genius who was working told me that it would probably be ready some time today. Which means another trip to Omaha… this is getting kind of old.

    The one nice thing about taking it in to the store is that I’ll be able to inspect it for damage right then and there. Hopefully this will be the last of it though.

  • Hijinks Reviews: Fring


    Pros:     Hands down one of the best apps for the iPhone. Period. First to bring native Skype support for Wi-Fi calling. Replaces the need for running three or four chat apps.
    Cons: Leaving it running in the background does shorten battery life. Doesn’t play nice with your tunes.

    Platform: iPod Touch and iPhone

    Developed by: fringland ltd (www.fring.com)

    I was fairly impressed with iChabber, which was the first app to bring working GoogleTalk support to the platform, but I have to say Fring makes iChabber look like a toy. Both in terms of ease of use and available features.

    Continued after the jump…
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  • Top Ten iPhone Apps

    As my fellow blogger Fred has recently pointed out, we have a new reviews section and rating system for mobile applications for the iPhone/iPod touch. In honor of that, I decided I’d post a quick top ten list of the best apps in my opinion for the iPhone (this list only includes apps that I currently have installed).

    1. Installer.app – I know it’s a cop out, but without it installing apps is rather frustrating.
    2. Fring – Support for VoIP, GoogleTalk, Twitter, AIM, Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger, and ICQ.
    3. Touchpad – Awesome app for controlling your computer from across the room.
    4. iPhysics – Countless hours of fun
    5. Tris – The most polished version of Tetris available for the iPhone.
    6. MxTube – Easy to use application for downloading and saving YouTube videos.
    7. NES – Super Mario Bros on the iPhone, ’nuff said.
    8. Millionaire – Without Regis Philbin it’s a much better game.
    9. Pool – Excellent use of the touch screen for controls.
    10. AFPd – Makes copying files to and from your iPhone a breeze (assuming you’re on a Mac).

    What’s your top ten list of apps look like?

  • Usenet Newsreader for OS X

    Someone recently asked me if I knew of a free Usenet newsreader for Mac OS X, I do in fact. Pineapple News 0.9, it’s free and lightweight. Check it out if you’re in need of one.

    From MacUpdate:

    Pineapple News is a USENET newsreader for Mac OS X. It is primarily an offline reader, but it has features and user interface conventions that make it easy to use online also. As you can see, it uses the traditional three-pane paradigm. Pineapple News can decode binary attachments in several formats: yenc, uuencode, MIME base64, and MIME inline. If an attachment is spread across two or more message files, it will automatically search through all downloaded messages in the current newsgroup, find the necessary parts, and stitch them back together. Currently, the program can’t deal with RARs, PARs, or NZB files, but I’ll likely add support for them, if there is enough interest.

  • Apple Repair – The Apple Store

    Even if Apple contracts out to idiots who destroy your computer and hires customer service reps who tell you to bug off, they do end up making up for it. Eventually.

    I went to the Apple Store yesterday and with almost no hassle at all they replaced the battery right then and there, they also ordered all the replacement parts they’ll need to get my Macbook Pro back up to snuff. Those should be in tomorrow, then I’ll only have to go 24-48 hours without my computer while they repair it.

    Sweet.