A major update for Snow Leopard was released this week that sets up the Mac App Store for the Lion upgrade expected in July. It also fixes many security issues and bugs. You can get the update by running Software Update on any Mac with Snow Leopard. You can read details about the update at Apple’s site.
The Thunderbolt connectors on new MacBook Pros and iMacs became useful this week with the release of the first RAID disk drive system and an official Apple Thunderbolt cable.
I’ve been using an iPhone for years now and I still can’t type text messages very quickly on the screen. But with HeyTell I don’t have it. I can speak messages and send them to someone else who also has HeyTell. Then they can just hear my voice. If we both have the app open, it works like a walkie-talkie. You can even send your location and it works over 3G, so it is like walkie-talkies with unlimited range.
If you find something in your System Preferences, Accounts, Login Items list that you can’t identify, then Control+Click on it. Select “Reveal in Finder” and you will be shown the program’s location. Often these items are utility applications that are found inside the package of a larger applications. For instance, iTunes Helper is inside the iTunes application. Doing this will often help you figure out what a Login Item is.
“Kodiak, Cheeta, Puma, Jaguar, Panther, Tiger, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Lion.”
Apple Fanboys don’t count sheep.
With the release this week of Final Cut Pro X, both Final Cut Studio and Final Cut Express have been replaced by a new version of Apple’s video editing software.
In addition to a new interface and new features, Final Cut Pro X is distributed solely through the Mac App Store for $299.99, a price much lower than the previous version of Final Cut Studio Pro and only a little more than Final Cut Express. Companion applications Motion and Compressor are also available through the App Store at $49.99 each.
Reviews by Final Cut users are mixed as they get used to the new interface. Some features expected in Final Cut Pro X are not yet available and Apple has already said they expect to use Mac App Store updating to add more features soon.
So many of the games in the app store are imitations of the arcade games of the 70s and 80s. So why not play the originals? With the free Atari’s Greatest Hits app comes with Missile Command, and you can buy many different games at 99 cents for groups of four including some of my favorites like Battle Zone and Star Raiders.
The Inspector window is the key to accessing most advanced features of Pages. But you can sometimes find yourself rapidly switching between tabs in the Inspector. You can open up more than one Inspector window by holding down the option key when you click on a tab icon at the top of it. This would allow you, for instance, to see the Text Inspector and the Metrics Inspector at the same time. Or all Inspectors at once if you prefer.
“Tomorrow will be iCloudy with a chance of Snow Leopard.”
“There’s something different about his forecasts ever since we switched to Macs.”
While unlocked iPhones have been available for years in other countries, Apple has finally started selling them in America. An unlocked iPhone can be used on AT&T’s network without a 2-year plan, on T-Mobile with the slower Edge network, or taken overseas to use on other carriers. They will not work with CDMA carriers like Verizon. Other GSM carriers may also now be able to offer service to the owners of unlocked iPhones.
You’ll need to pay a premium for these unlocked iPhones with prices starting at $650. Models with a plan from AT&T or Verizon are cheaper as they have been subsidized by the carriers.
DropBox and services like it have become very important to Mac and PC users. If you have an iPhone or iPad, you can get the free DropBox app and have access to your files on your iOS device as well. You can view documents, of course. But you can also upload photos and even save email attachments.
If you are sending an email that has an image as an attachment, look at the bottom right corner of the message window in Mail before sending. If the image isn’t already small you will have options there to shrink the image before sending.
1976
Woz: “I’d be happy to give my design of the Apple Computer to HP.”
HP: “No thanks.”
2011
Jobs: “Today we announce the plans for the new Apple Headquarters, built where HP used to be.”
