MacMost: Archives

The 4.2.1 update for iOS brings many new features to the iPad. You can now run several apps at once, organize apps into folders, print to some wireless printers and search inside web pages. There are also improvements to Mail ;and other default apps.

If you are not a computer expert, you may not know some of the terms used to describe your Mac. Learn about your processor, graphics processor, memory, hard drive and other aspects of a computer.

Today is the traditional start for the American holiday shopping season. Here are ten tips for shopping online to buy gifts. Also, check out http://macmost.com/apple-store-discounts for better prices on Apple products.

The long-anticipated update to the iPad version of iOS came out this week. The iPad has now caught up to the iPhone and iPod Touch with many new features.
In particular, multitasking allows the iPad to run several apps at once. Double tapping the home button will bring up a list of currently running apps and allow you to switch between them. Some apps, like Pandora, will already run in the background. This means you can listen to music while you work on other apps.

In Adobe Premiere Elements you can blur out an area using multiple layers and a mosaic filter and matte. You can even make that area move along with an object in the video using the timeline and keyframes.

If you find the default Stocks app for the iPhone lacking, you may want to try some of these free alternatives. Each allows you to track your list of stocks. You can also get real-time quotes and news from your favorite financial news sources.

Beat Markers allow you to set points in an audio track and then drop in video with cuts that match the beats. After timing out the beats in a soundtrack, all you need to do is drag and drop video or photos into iMovie and the video will be cut to match the markers. You can even add transitions that fit along with the beats.

Ever since the launch of iTunes, the absence of The Beatles has been the focus of much attention. Even as the songs have been remastered and re-released in traditional formats, the catalog has not appeared on any downloadable music service.
That changed this week as The Beatles catalog went on sale in iTunes, with much publicity from Apple and coverage by the press.
You can now buy all 13 original Beatles albums in iTunes. They are DRM-free and can be purchased per song or by album. Each album purchase includes a short video documentary.
In addition, the Past Masters collection of non-album tracks is available, as well as the greatest hits collections known as the Red Album and Blue Album. You can also buy The Beatles Box Set which includes everything plus some additional video.
Take a look at all of The Beatles content on iTunes. Also, see the blog post below if you are new to The Beatles.

While iWork Numbers doesn't have true pivot tables, you can get similar results using Table Categories. This feature lets you group data together in various ways to reveal the same summaries that you can get with pivot tables.

Now that The Beatles are finally available on iTunes, you have to wonder who would be buying those songs there? I’ve had the CDs since the 1980s (and vinyl before that). I ripped my CDs into iTunes before it was even iTunes (SoundJam) and still listen to those MP3 files today.
So if you are buying Beatles tracks at iTunes then chances are you may be somewhat unfamiliar with the group’s works. You are new to The Beatles. You are about to become a fan. So, assuming that you don’t want to pay $150 for the box set, here is on Beatles’ fans look at what songs a new Beatles fan should start with. (Complete with affiliate links!)
The Beatles released 13 albums from March 1963 to May 1970. They had 20 number one hits (27 if you count the U.S. and U.K. together). That’s an incredible output of music. And some of the songs best known today aren’t even part of those 27.

In iPhoto 11 you can touch up your photos in several ways. You can cure red-eye, fix blemishes, straighten photos and more. You can also enhance or alter the colors in your photos in a number of ways. iPhoto always remembers the original photo, so you can revert even after changes have been made.

If you don't like the default Weather app that comes with the iPhone, there are a number of alternatives in the iPhone App Store. There are several free apps, as well as some more advanced paid apps. You can also use a local app or visit a weather web site.

Apple released the fifth major update to Snow Leopard yesterday, patching 131 security issues and adding a variety of stability fixes. The update is available through running Software Update on your Mac.
You can find a full list of what Apple has included in the update at http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4250. The update weighs in at more than 500MB for most users. The exact size depends on your hardware and which version of OS X 10.6 you are upgrading from. You can also download a stand-alone installer that is 977MB at http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1324. This comes in handy if you have several Mac you need to update and want to download only once.

The simple task of adding a column of numbers in iWork Numbers can be done elegantly using right-sized tables with footer rows. Learn how to easily add a list of amounts and perform other function like averages using iWork 09 Numbers.

You can order individual prints, books and cards in iPhoto 11. Ordering prints is quick and easy if you already have an account with Apple. iPhoto 11 features a new book browser and new options for making books. You can also order letterpress cards. You have the option to save books as PDF files or print them on your home printer.

iMovie 11 offers a variety of new special effects, most of which are shortcuts to existing features. You can quickly implement slow motion, instant replay, rewind, freeze frames and filters.

iOS 4.2 is nearing completion. Several sites report that the new operating system is at “gold master” status. This version will be for the iPhone and iPod Touch, but it will also be the first major update for the iPad. For the first time the iPad will have multitasking and other features that have been available in the iPhone for months. Apple originally promised the new iOS version for November.
A new release of Mac OS X, version 10.6.5, may also be near release. The new version is expected to only bring stability and bug fixes.

iPhoto 11 has new slideshow themes and a new way to customize the themes. You can simply play a slideshow, or create one in the left sidebar to use later. You can also export slideshows as video files.

Learn to use three different types of video layering in iMovie 11. You can cutaway to a second video and then cut back, even making the second video semi-transparent. You can include a video as picture-in-picture with borders and a drop shadow. You can also put two videos side-by-side. These features also work with still photos.

Learn about GarageBand 11's new features that help you adjust the timing of recorded tracks. You can force one track to match the beat of another, adjust individual notes or force a track to adhere to consistent timing.