Official blog for Houdah Software. We will discuss news, tips & tricks regarding our Mac & iOS products: Tembo, HoudahSpot, HoudahGeo, SnipEdges, ACTPrinter, …
SnipEdges 1.0
SnipEdges is a drag-and-drop snippet manager. It keeps frequently used bits of text, images, … at hand for drag-and-drop. SnipEdges also works for creating file from templates. Ready with your letterhead, greeting, signature, …
Using SnipEdges is easy: drag-and-drop some text, an image, a file, … anything to the border of your main screen. SnipEdges will hold on to it in a snippet stuck to the edge of the screen.
To use a snippet, grab it and drag it to where you need it.
File snippets are special. Each time you drag one to the Finder, the referenced original file will be duplicated. SnipEdges thus allows you create new documents from templates. Right within the Finder.
SnipEdges requires Mac OS X 10.7 Lion or later.
SnipEdges is priced at $2.99
Productive Macs bundle
If you don't yet have a HoudahSpot license, go get your copy as part of the Productive Macs bundle. Or get the bundle for one of the 7 other applications!
Following a wide success of previous Productive Macs bundles, Apparent Software is launching a third Productive Macs bundle, starting on June 4th and running until June 18th.
Unlike most Mac bundles that lack focus, Productive Macs is focused on productivity. We have hand-picked 8 premium productivity applications and bundled them together, available just for $39.99 - at an 86% discount from their original price!
The applications in Productive Macs bundle will help Mac users to greatly enhance their productivity. The included applications are best in their class and are widely known throughout the Mac user community:
• RapidWeaver - Ridiculously easy website creation
• Printopia - This Macworld EDDY winner app allows mobile printing to any printer that is connected to Mac
• DEVONthink - Your smart information assistant
• Trickster - A re-write of popular app 'Blast', debuting at this bundle. Allows instant access to recent files.
Command-F
Command-F is a free utility that lets you set up hot keys to launch your favorite file search tool.
It supports the following utilities:
- Tembo
- HoudahSpot
- Find Any File
- EasyFind
- DataLore
With Command-F you may set up two such hotkeys. The first is active only when the Finder is frontmost. The second is active across the whole system. For the Finder hotkey some search tools offer the option to focus the search on the current Finder window.
Command-F requires Mac OS X 10.6.6 or later.
Command-F is available for FREE on the Mac App Store
A great setup: Type2Phone & Keyboard Maestro
Erik Hess has a nice write-up of his Type2Phone setup.
He uses Keyboard Maestro to trigger AppleScript actions to switch between devices.
HoudahGeo 3.0 - All new and shiny
Big news: HoudahGeo has reached 3.0!
HoudahGeo 3.0 is a complete rewrite with a focus on ease of use and performance.
HoudahGeo now presents itself with an all-in-one-window interface. The window has three 3 states: load, process and output. At each stage only the currently required elements are shown. While loading images and track logs into the project, a media browser gives you access to your iPhoto, Aperture and Lightroom libraries. During the process stage coordinates and metadata are added to images. For this HoudahGeo shows a map and an inspector pane next to the list of images. Once you are ready to output the newly created metadata, only toolbar buttons for export and publishing operations are shown.
HoudahGeo 3.0 also brings new features. Probably the most welcome addition is the support for many more GPS devices. This was made possible by several excellent open source projects: GPSBabel, igotu2gpx, iTU4l/sr2x and rgm3800.py.
The new offline reverse geocoding feature lets you perform reverse geocoding at top speed without requiring an Internet connection.
Type2Phone
Have you met Type2Phone?
Type2Phone does exactly what its name implies: you type (or paste) on your Mac and text appears on your iPhone / iPad.
More precisely, Type2Phone emulates a Bluetooth keyboard to which your iPhone 3GS or later can connect. iOS 3.2 required.
Start typing and your key presses are forwarded to your iPhone. Paste text and the iPhone receives the key pressed to input that text.
All this comes in handy to:
★ Type SMS text messages
★ Reply to emails on accounts mapped only on your iPhone
★ Send Tweets and update Facebook status from the office Mac
Type2Phone 1.2 supports the following keyboard layouts:
★ U.S American
★ Belgian
★ British
★ Canadian
★ Dutch
★ Dvorak
★ French
★ German
★ Hungarian
★ Italian
★ Japanese
★ Norwegian
★ Portuguese
★ Serbian
★ Slovenian
★ Swedish
★ Swiss-French
★ Swiss-German
Mac SuperBundle
HoudahSpot is currently available as part of the Fall 2011 Mac SuperBundle.
The bundle is priced at $49 and includes $365 worth of Mac software:
★ Camtasia for Mac - $149
★ Fantastical - $19.99
★ CleanMyMac - $29.95
★ DiscLabel - $35.95
★ HoudahSpot - $30
★ MacHider - $19.95
★ Ensoul - $9.99
★ Audio Converter Pro - $35.95
★ Font Explosion Volume I - $19.99
All apps in the Mac SuperBundle are OS X Lion compatible.
Tembo localized in French, German and Japanese
We have recently released Tembo 1.6 with French, German and Japanese localizations. This week's release of Tembo 1.6.1 irons out a few kinks and even adds a new feature.
You may now drag and drop a folder onto the main sidebar to easily set the search scope.
Other recent improvements include:
★ Option to extend an active search to all groups
★ Ability to rename search scopes
★ Result count in group headers
★ Display of begin dates for events registered with iCal
★ Option to use larger font size
★ Option to quit on close of last window
★ Advanced option to exclude files by type
★ AppleScript API to open search to a given folder
Tembo 1.6.1 is available both in the Houdah Software store and on the Mac App Store.
Launch Tembo using AppleScript
Tembo implements a service to create a new search window. This makes it easy to start a Tembo search upon a single keystroke. Just follow the instructions from the Tembo > Preferences > Shortcuts to the Keyboard System Preferences Pane. There you may assign a hotkey to the "Search in Tembo" service.
If you want more flexibility, you may use AppleScript to launch Tembo:
1. Download the LaunchTembo script
2. Move the script to ~/Library/Scripts/
If you wish to assign a hotkey to the script:
3. Download and install FastScripts (free for up to 10 keyboard shortcuts)
4. Set your hotkey in FastScripts
Tembo 1.3 - A major update
Yesterday, we released Tembo 1.3. This is the biggest "dot" update in the history of Houdah Software.
The biggest challenge of Tembo is too keep the interface lean and simple all the while adding new features. Tembo 1.3 responds to most of the feature requests we heard since first releasing Tembo. Yet on the surface, the UI remains unaltered.
Improvements include:
★ Option to specify the folder to search
★ Support of quotes to specify a phrase to search for
★ Display of total sizes for folders
★ Display of begin dates for events registered with iCal
★ Wildcard support to filters in Messages & Bookmarks
★ AppleScript access to search results
★ Mac OS X Service to search a selected folder
Head over to AppGiveaway.com for your chance to win a free copy of Tembo. Or visit Tembo on the Mac App Store.
MacTech / TUAW Interview
While in San Francisco, TUAW (The Unofficial Apple Weblog) and MacTech Magazine teamed up to speak to developers at Apple's WWDC 2011 about the keynote and how Apple's new technologies will help them and their customers.
In this video Brett Terpstra interviews Pierre Bernard of Houdah Software. Pierre reveals that future plans for Tembo include localizations in German, French and Japanese.
Also, check out the free trial subscription offer for MacTech Magazine here.
Alain Le Gallou reviews Tembo
Alain Le Gallou has written an review of Tembo. His in-depth article - written in French - includes a walkthrough of some of Tembo's features and set-up options.
He concludes:
Being based on the Spotlight engine, Tembo enjoys the same performance as Spotlight. It adds the ergonomic quality upon which the reputation of the Macintosh was built, but which Apple forgot to implement for Spotlight.
Tembo: The Elephant is Back
By popular demand, the elephant icon will return in Tembo 1.4. He brings a magnifying glass and is cuter than ever.
Tembo 1.4 will itself bring quite a few enhancements.
Group headers will show result counts.
There will be an option for advanced users to exclude certain file types.
And much more…
LogicielMac.com likes Tembo
The French LogicielMac.com web site reviews Tembo 1.2. The title, Tembo, Spotlight, mais en mieux, says it all. Tembo: The better Spotlight.
Tembo offers better options for managing criteria and leads to more precise results.
VVMac Magazine: 5 star review for Tembo
The French "Vous et Votre Mac" magazine has just published a glowing review of Tembo 1.0.
Tembo was awarded 5 out of 5 possible stars.
Download the full review as a PDF file. The article walks through all the major features of Tembo: grouped results view, drill-down and filters.
In conclusion, the reviewer writes: "A very practical window with grouped results; many pre-definded filter functions; an easy interface inspired by the iPad, but very efficient; works well as extension the Mail, iChat and Safari applications."
Tembo on the Mac App Store
On January 6, the Mac App Store opened its doors. Since then Tembo 1.0 is available for purchase. Tembo 1.1 has already been submitted for review and should be available shortly.
Unfortunately, a bug in the Mac App Store prevents Tembo from being listed in the Utilities and Productivity categories. You may still find Tembo by searching for it by name.
Tembo - Searching Made Easy & Fun
Houdah Software is proud to pre-announce it's latest product. Tembo has reached draft / public beta status.
Like HoudahSpot, Tembo is a search tool based upon the Spotlight engine. The job of Tembo is to make searching (and finding) of files, mail messages, bookmarks, … as easy as possible.
At first sight you will find Tembo to have been inspired by the original Spotlight interface as we knew it under Mac OS X Tiger.
Search results are grouped by categories. Preferences allow for categories to be enabled, disabled and reordered.
Behind a small arrow on the header bar for each group you will find the real power of Tembo. Tembo provides appropriate result filters in each group.
Tembo may list up to 2500 search results. Rather than have you scroll through the long list to find the desired result, you would apply filters to narrow down the list. The Messages group, for example, offers filters on author, recipient and subject.
Thus Tembo is much more than a file search tool. It works as extension to Mail.app / iChat.app to locate messages.
Give Good Food to your Mac
The fourth edition of Give Good Food to your Mac is now open!
For two weeks only, download and taste cool Mac applications and enjoy great discounts!
Give Good Food to Your Mac is a highly-respected promotion where you can find awide range of software at amazing prices.
Discounts range from 20% to 60% off; the more apps you buy, the less you pay.
The promotion runs from November 26th to the 10th of December 2010.
Applications on sale include HoudahSpot, HoudahGeo, BannerZest, PulpMotion, Pixelmator, Speed Download and many more.
iPhoto 9.0.1 / iLife'11
I finally received my copy of iLife.
The good news is that HoudahGeo should be fully compatible. Apple did not change the API.
The bad news is that the API used by HoudahGeo to notify iPhoto is broken in iPhoto 9.0.1.
I hope for Apple to fix this soon.
HoudahGeo 2.6 adds EveryTrail upload
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