MacMost: Video Podcast

You can use GarageBand as a simple audio file editor. Just drag and drop a sound file into GarageBand to edit it. You can adjust the volume, cut out parts of the sound and apply filters. You can then export as a standard sound file or a compressed file.

Apple announced a new product today: the iPad. Essentially a large iPod Touch, the iPad is capable of running iPhone apps at a higher resolution. You can use it to purchase and use music, videos and books. It comes in a WiFi and a WiFi+3G version and will be available at the end of March for prices starting at $499.

What to do when your Mac slows down. If you are experiencing a slowdown, there are several things you can check before having a pro take a look. Learn how to use Activity Monitor, Disk Utility and the System Preferences to look for obvious problems. There are also some other tips for clearing up trouble.

Learn how to use iTunes on your Mac to arrange your iPhone and iPod Touch apps. You can move them between screens and decide which ones sync. You can get Gold Strike at the App Store.

Take a closer look at Quick Look, the ability to view the contents of a file without opening it. Just select a file in the Finder and press the spacebar. You can also navigate between files with Quick Look active, and browse around inside the contents of a file. Quick Look also works in Time Machine, Mail and iChat.

Since your Mac can handle more than one audio device, it is important to know how to tell it which device to use for output and input. For instance, you can have external speakers and a USB headset, as well as several microphones. You can set this system-wide, or for individual applications like iChat, GarageBand, Audacity and Skype.

You can use Airport Utility to configure your Airport Extreme so you can access your Macs for file sharing and screen sharing. It involves both DHCP reservations and Port Forwarding. It also helps if you have a static IP address for your home Internet access.

On the Mac you can select single multiple items in the Finder or in applications in many different ways. Take a look at how selections work in a variety of situations using modifiers like the Command and Shift keys.

It can sometimes be tricky to set up a printer on your Mac. Make sure you are buying one that is Mac-compatible and that you have a USB cable if you need one. Also, typically ignore the CD-ROM that comes with the printer and download fresh drives from the Web site. Check reviews and support sites for for tips and information.

It is easy to hook up a second monitor to most Macs. Once you get a monitor and the proper cables to connect it, you can use the Displays preferences to control how the monitor fits into your desktop.

The Ken Burns Effect in iMovie 09 is the default setting for photos inserted into an iMovie project. But you can use it for more than just adding a little motion. You can pan and zoom to focus on objects or move along an image. You can even zoom in and then back out and other similar effects.

Gary Rosenzweig hopes Apple will improve MacBook Pros and Mac Pros in 2010. He also wishes for changes to MobileMe, AppleTV and iTunes. Perhaps 2010 will be the year the iPhone goes beyond AT&T. He also hopes that a new Apple tablet device will be more than just a media player. Leave your wishes below in the comments.

MacMost's look at what could be in store for Apple fans in 2010. Rumors point to a new tablet product, as well as changes in iTunes. We can also expect updates as usual, including a new iPhone in 2010. Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Take a look back at the year in Apple news. Steve Jobs leaves and returns, new iPods, new Macs, Snow Leopard, AT&T and iPhone controversy, the iPhone 3GS and more.

Do you use a dictionary word, date or common password for your online accounts? Then it is only a matter of time before your accounts are compromised. Learn how to use strong passwords for your online accounts to protect yourself. You can use the Mac OS X Password Assistant to create random letter and number combinations. Read more about online password security at http://macmost.com/online-password-security.html.

If more than one person uses your Mac, you should set up multiple user accounts so each person has their own space for files and their own application preferences. You can use Fast User Switching to keep multiple accounts logged in at the same time so applications remain running and documents remain open.

You can use Smart Albums in iPhoto 09 to get a list of all photos taken with a single camera, like the iPhone 3GS. You can also use other criteria like camera settings, keywords, descriptions, ratings and dates. Smart Albums update automatically and will sync back to your iPhone or iPod Touch.

Take a look at Back to My Mac, a feature of MobileMe that allows you to easily connect to your home Mac while away. You can share files and the screen. Back to My Mac will communicate with MobleMe so you can connect even if you are on a different network and have changing dynamic IP addresses.

Skitch is a free tool that can be used to capture your screen and then draw on the image. You can also start with a blank image, photo or any file. You can export the result or upload it to the Skitch Web site to share.

Web developers creating pages specifically for the iPhone can ask for GPS location data on their Web pages with some simply JavaScript. See a basic example that can be used to get the latitude and longitude of the iPhone viewing the Web page.