SquareSpace a Great Alternative to iWeb and MobileMe

Over the last couple of years, Apple has been pulling back its efforts of making website creation easy. Namely, iWeb has not been updated in over a year, and new Macs don't even come with it, nor is it available on the Mac App Store. iWeb was a super simple tool that many consumers and businesses could use to create a simple website, fast. In fact, many businesses (including us!) would use iWeb to create their first site after incorporating, until they designed and published a more capable website. Unfortunately it's not so easy anymore.

The nail in the coffin for Apple's web creation efforts was the discontinuation of its MobileMe service, which allowed your iWeb-created website to be published to the web in one click. Many of our customers have not only had to jump through hoops to install iWeb on their new Macs, but are now having to publish their iWeb-created websites to a traditional hosting provider. Although this is a working solution, the writing on the wall indicates that if you want to continue updating and editing your website, it's time to find a new tool to design your website. Better yet, if you can find a total package that makes design and publishing a snap, like iWeb and MobileMe used to, then you'd be set.

There are a few options out there, but none that I've felt proud enough of to recommend to our friends and customers as a complete alternative to iWeb. The criteria I am looking for are as follows:

1. Easy and quick to add content and publish to a host.
2. Customizable to a point where you can still show your own brand and personality.

For example, Godaddy.com's Website Tonight doesn't make the cut. It's fast and simple, but the tools encourage in-the-box thinking, and the end result is often sterile. Bludomain.com is neat, but isn't too customizable, and is primarily geared toward creative professionals.

For those of you who are looking for a more advanced alternative to iWeb, and lets you have more customizable control with HTML and CSS, check out RapidWeaver. It's not quite as easy to use as iWeb, but I want to mention it if iWeb was beginning to hold you back from your website goals.

However, if you want to hit both of these goals above for simplicity and customizability, then I would highly recommend checking out SquareSpace. SquareSpace has been around since 2004, and they seem to be constantly updating their templates and capabilities with new services. Here are few things I like about them:

• Drag and drop images to upload to your site.
• Mobile versions for your website are created automatically.
• The designs reflect the look and feel of today, and you can further customize them with your own layout and your brands colors.

There are two pricing options, $8/mo and $16/mo, and you can also start with a 14-day free trial.

Every business and website has different goals, so it's hard to make a recommendation for everyone. However if you're using iWeb now, and are looking for a newer alternative, SquareSpace will be the best replacement for overall simplicity in designing and publishing your website.

- Lucas

[Video] Foojee's Favorite Business Apps

In our July video, Lucas takes a few minutes to answer a question we get often from our customers, and he erases is own personal iPad! And yes, the halo above his head is real.

If you found this information helpful, please pass along to a friend!

Help us Welcome Brian Shim to the Foojee Team!

I'm excited to share we have found our first Apple Enterprise Specialist. As we have grown into new industries and complex environments, we wanted to bring on someone who could be dedicated to our business and education projects. It's only been just over a month, and it's been awesome having Brian around. Besides his uplifting get-it-done spirit, we've come to learn he's like having our own walking wiki of hacks, scripts, and tricks. We wanted you to meet him too, so here's a look into Life of Brian... I had to say it.

What do you do at Foojee?

I am an Apple Enterprise Specialist. You'll find me working on our customers' servers, or testing scripts we want to use to make our customers' lives easier. I'm always up for a new challenge, so ask away!

What did you do before Foojee?

I have done lots of different kinds of work. Most recently, I was an ACMT at Apple, then at PeachMac.

Which app could you not live without?

1Password - hands down.

Coolest place you've ever been?

This is a toss-up between Seoul, South Korea, and a village called Lepan on the Yucatan Peninsula. Really good folks at both places.

What do you do for fun?

Does it surprise you that a computer dude enjoys anime and video games? Probably not. But I also enjoy spending time with my wife, running, and swimming.

So...what are your plans for tonight?

I'm currently fortunate enough to be on a JAMF Jumpstart in Houston… so, hanging out in the hotel.. haha. Seriously, if it's after 7pm, I'm likely to be hanging out with my better half.

What’s your favorite apple?

It would sound self-serving to say Fuji apples, but they're delicious. So are McIntosh apples. Huh. :)

Help us Welcome Bill Rogers to the Foojee Team!

We're thrilled to announce our newest Apple Product Specialist, Bill! With our growing customer base, we were looking for someone who could assist our customers in the field, join in our marketing efforts and help with our larger projects. Bill has been on our team for just over a month now, and he brings an incredible amount of creativity and drive to our family. Rather than me telling you all about him, he answered some questions for you too. Look out for Bill, and his Southern style, the next time you call us. And, yes his 2 month-old boy, named Banks, is as cool as his name!

What do you do at Foojee?

I am an Apple Product Specialist, that basically means that I have the privilege of talking with our clients on a consumer and business level about their products, networks, and all things apple.

What did you do before Foojee?

I didn't know that there was time before Foojee but if I had to make something up, then I would say that I ran my own business doing social media and moonlighted at PeachMac.

Which app could you not live without?

Reeder, all my important reading in one app...Gotta love it.

Coolest place you've ever been?

Venice, Italy

What do you do for fun?

I have recently gotten into repurposing and refinishing furniture. I also read.

So...what are your plans for tonight?

Go home and have dinner with my wife (Amy), after we put our 2 month old son (Banks) to bed.  I know I know, you are super jealous of my incredibly fast paced lifestyle.

What’s your favorite apple?

It seems cliché to say Fuji so I am going to go with...Apple Jacks.

Automatic Security Updates coming in Mountain Lion

With the growing community of Mac users in recent years, we’ve seen a slight increase of Mac-based malware threats. Apple is addressing the expanding number of security threats head on, by making various security enhancements with the launch of Mountain Lion in July. One of the key features in Mountain Lion that we at Foojee are most excited about is a security check feature that will ensure Macs are current with the most up-to-date software protection. This feature will be incredibly beneficial to businesses and consumers alike, by providing automatic security checks that will run daily. Currently, Macs check for new software weekly, so this new features will allow Apple to distribute any security updates even easier, and faster.

To get the full scoop on security enhancements and other new features of Mountain Lion, coming out this month, check out their complete list.

CheatSheet: Learn keyboard shortcuts for the Mac.

Whether you are a seasoned Mac user or you just purchased your first, one thing is certain: while keyboard shortcuts can be incredibly useful and efficient, learning all of them can be a daunting task.

Fortunately, Media Atelier has come up with a brilliant solution for this dilemma.  Enter the application CheatSheet. Doing exactly what you would expect with the name CheatSheet, it gives you a key enabled pop up that shows keyboard shortcuts with one press of a button. Press and hold Command, it's that simple! What makes this so brilliant is that in order to do any sort of shortcut you must press the command key anyway. There are times when I sit at the keyboard holding the command key thinking about what letter or stroke comes next. Now, as I sit waiting, a convenient box pops up showing me some of the major shortcut that I may be looking for, cutting my wait time tremendously.

What makes CheatSheet even more useful is that it adapts to whichever app you are currently using. So as you jump between Mail, Safari, and Aperture, you can hold down Command to see the shortcuts for each app. We are all using it in the office, and love it! The best part about CheatSheet is that it’s a free download. What more could you ask?

Free Talk: Maximizing Your Apple Technology for Your Photography Business

I'm excited to share that Justin and I will be speaking at the SmugMug User Group (SMUG) this Wednesday, June 6 at 7pm. SMUG meets once a month and features a speaker on a different topic. It's always well attended, and serves as a great way to hone your skills, or meet and network with other photographers in Atlanta. The title of the free talk is "Maximizing your Apple Technology for Your Photography Business." The brief scoop is below. Full details and RSVP can be found on their event page. Would love to see you there.

Stop letting your technology hinder, control, and dictate how you work. You need to focus on your craft, and your business. Lucas Acosta and Justin McGough from Foojee will be covering several aspects of streamlining your photography business with a Mac, iPhone, or iPad... or all three. Whether you've owned every Mac since 1984, or are considering your first iPad, you'll walk away with tips to help you work on your craft, and your business.

At the June Atlanta SMUG meeting, Foojee will be discussing:

- Where the iPad fits in a photography business. - Aperture 3 overview and proven workflows. - Running a photography business in a fully integrated Apple environment.

Grow Your Business on a Mac: Daylite 4 is Here!

Yesterday Daylite 4 launched, and with it comes a whole heap of upgrades including a new sleek interface. I (and the other Foojee team members) have been beta testing Daylite 4 for the past few weeks, and we’re really excited to see our customers begin using it. It’s dramatically easier to use, and seems like Marketcircle really went to the drawing boards and started building Daylite 4 from the ground up.

We at Foojee want to give you a few points to breakdown some of the highlights, and help you decide whether or not you’re ready to upgrade from Daylite 3. Of course, if you’re brand new to the Daylite ecosystem, then this is a great time to jump in.

Daylite 4 is available in the App Store.

• Daylite 4 is a free download from Mac App Store and the licensing will be handled through the server.
• If you download Daylite 4 without purchasing, you can browse a sample database. We highly recommend doing this before making a decision.
• Daylite for iOS is available for download through the iTunes App Store. Be sure to download the Daylite 4 app, as Marketcircle is keeping the Daylite 3 app for organizations that need to wait to upgrade.
• Daylite Mail Assistant (formerly DMI) and Daylite Server can be found on the Marketcircle website as separate downloads.

What is included with Daylite 4?

• The Daylite license now includes the ability to use Daylite, Daylite Mail Assistant, Daylite for iOS, and email support from Marketcircle. This is much different from the previous Daylite, because all licenses and options have now been consolidated into one product. From the beta testing program we took part in, this actually makes it much easier to manage licenses, and avoids the licensing errors that  some Daylite 3 users experienced.

Pricing

• As a reminder, you will actually purchase the licenses from Marketcircle’s website, then download the Mac and iOS apps from their respective App Stores.
• Daylite is now $279.95 per license.
• Daylite upgrades from version 3 (which is the version most people are currently using) cost $179.95 per user.
• Daylite 1 users will have to pay the full license price to upgrade.
• When purchasing licenses from Marketcircle.com  you will be asked for your Daylite 3 license to validate the upgrade purchase, so keep that handy.
• There is new volume pricing based on a 3-tier model.  1-2 licenses will not be discounted, 3-9 users will receive 5%, and 10+ users will get a 10% discount.
• Volume pricing is not available on upgrades.
• All of these licenses are a one time cost, unlike other CRMs that have annual fees. Once you purchase a Daylite 4 license, you will receive all Daylite 4 software updates at no additional cost.

Lion Only

• Daylite 4 is only compatible and supported on 10.7.4 or higher.

Snow Leopard Users

• Daylite 3.15.1 will still be for sale until the end of 2012.

Incompatibilities

• Daylite Connectors and 3rd party plugins are currently not expected to work. Please check with us if you use either of these before purchasing anything so we can ensure your environment will work with Daylite 4.
• Custom reports will also need to be update for use on Daylite 4.

What if I just purchased Daylite 3?

• Users that have purchased up to 30 days ago will receive a free upgrade to Daylite 4.  You can contact Marketcircle Support for details.

As we use Daylite 4 with our customers over the coming weeks and months, we’ll be learning more of its capabilities, changes, and upgrade considerations. Overall, we’re thrilled it’s finally out. The new design is going to be a real winner on all regards. Not only is it easier for new users to get started with Daylite, the layouts also allow you to see more information at any given time in a clean, well thought out manner. Do you have any questions we didn’t mention? Ask us in the comments, we’d love to help.

MobileMe to iCloud and the Flashback Trojan

Lucas covers some tips on the MobileMe to iCloud transition, and gives some advice on the recent security threat that affected 1% of Macs. Two minutes you won't regret!

iCloud and Flashback from Foojee on Vimeo.

AT&T iPad vs Verizon iPad

One decision you will be faced with when purchasing your new iPad is the right carrier to go with. I've put together the differences between the Verizon and AT&T iPads to get a good bird's eye view of the options in one place. As you compare these details, keep in mind that the most important factor in deciding on your data provider is the quality of service in your geographical area. While both offer super fast LTE speeds, there are some important details to consider.

Coverage Maps

Here are the coverage maps for Verizon and AT&T. One thing to note here is the difference between 4G and LTE. There's plenty of heated commentary on why companies are mislabeling their services with these buzz labels, and the bottom line is this: LTE is true 4G and will be blazing fast with any carrier. However, the term "4G" is used by AT&T and T-Mobile to describe its newer generation of 3G technology called HSPA+. While faster than traditional 3G, HSPA+ is not near as fast as LTE. So while AT&T's 4G coverage might be the "largest in the U.S.", Verizon's and AT&T's LTE coverage (real 4G) is similar nationwide. Make sense?

Speed

While speeds very from city to city, and even neighborhood to neighborhood, tests show AT&T typically has faster LTE. These Atlanta, GA results came from a forum on Macforums.com. These are merely casual tests and you very well might get different speeds based on signal strength. Listed are the averages of what I saw on people's tests.

Verizon:

• Slow 10Mbs down and 4Mbs up
• Fast 38Mbs down - 14Mbs up

AT&T:

• Slow 20Mmbs down and 7Mbs up
• Fast 58Mbs down - 21Mbs up

Other tidbits: Verizon iPad

• Personal Hotspot feature! The iPad shares its Internet connection with nearby devices is available at no extra cost. This is huge.
• Compatible with AT&T 3G micro SIM cards.(But not AT&T LTE)
• Data service is compatible around the world with a local SIM.
• Data prices tend to be more expensive than AT&T by a few bucks. (See chart below.)

Other tidbits: AT&T iPad

• Personal Hotspot currently not available.
• Data service is compatible around the world with a local SIM.
• Data prices tend to be less expensive and Verizon by a few bucks. (See chart below.)

Conclusion

So while AT&T offers faster speeds and more "4G" coverage nationwide, Verizon's true LTE coverage is similar to AT&T's around the country. The biggest advantage of the Verizon iPad, however, is that the Personal Hotspot feature as a part of the data plan, at no additional cost. However, you are paying a bit more monthly for the data service. Either way, both devices will get the job done while on the run. I personally have a Verizon iPad, and so far the Personal Hotspot has been useful and the LTE coverage around Atlanta has been more than fast enough.