PixelStick is a great utility for designers who want to quickly measure distances and angles on their screen. Just launch the app and start dragging the endpoints to adjust measurements and get the pixel dimensions.
This is an awesome tool, and it’s free to download.
You can grab PixelStick for free from the developer, Pixelated Software.
If you want to use an iPhone on T-Mobile in the USA and you don’t want to wait for it to be released (if ever), you’ll need to jailbreak and unlock the iPhone and use T-Mobile specific carrier settings. Here is a walkthrough that should work for iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 (which you can buy without contract):
You’re basically looking at a 3-step process: getting a SIM card, jailbreaking and unlocking the phone, then adjusting the settings. That’s it.
Now it’s time to update the iPhone configuration to T-Mobile specific carrier settings:
Now you’ll want to restart the iPhone, upon reboot the iPhone should find the T-Mobile network and everything should work as planned. Make a phone call, send an SMS, and access the data network to be sure everything is working.
Note about iOS updates and firmware: you may need to downgrade to another iPhone OS version before using certain jailbreaks. If necessary, you can download iPhone firmware that pertains to the version you would like to use instead, and then use PwnageTool to select that ipsw file. If the firmware has already been updated to your standard iOS 4.1 installation, you may be temporarily out of luck until iOS 4.2 is released. You can check what version you have by navigating to Settings > General > About > Version
If you’re looking for a solution to triple boot Mac OS X with Linux and Windows without using Boot Camp, you can do this using a third party boot menu called rEFIt, which shows a menu like the above screenshot on each system boot.
If you’re already familiar with multi-OS setups, partitioning, and the like, you probably won’t need a walkthrough since the setup is pretty straightforward to those who have experience in dual/triple boot environments.
If you’re new to the topic though and would like some more assistance in setting up a triple boot OS environment, LifeHacker has a write-up although it’s sort of just stating the obvious: install rEFIt, partition drives, install OS’s, and of course the rEFIt documentation is another great resource.
The iPad looks like it might be getting the black keyboard as a default setting in iOS 4.2, the change was noted first on the iPad Business Integration section of Apple.com but has since made the rounds of the web as more and more people notice the change.
I think it looks great, hopefully it’ll come as a customizable GUI option for all iOS devices in the upcoming iOS 4.2 update. iOS 4.2 is released for iPad in November, but the beta is available to download for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad now if you’re a registered iOS developer.
If you need to convert a .docx file to .doc, don’t pay for one of the many conversion sites or utilities out there. Your Mac has the ability to handle the conversion entirely on it’s own already built in and it’s completely free. We’re going to be using the textutil command line tool to get this done:
textutil -convert doc /path/to/filename.docx
For example, I have a docx file located in my Documents folder that I want converted, this would be the syntax:
textutil -convert doc ~/Documents/ImportantReport.docx
The ~ signifies your home directory, and the rest is just the path to your docx file.
As just a general Terminal tip, I would highly recommend using tab completion when entering in long directory strings and complex names, it’ll save you plenty of headaches. Basically you just start typing the name of a file or directory and hit tab to auto-complete the name.
You can now pre-order The Boxee Box on Amazon
According to Boxee, those who pre-order on Amazon will receive the Boxee Box before it goes on sale elsewhere later in the year.
Manufactured by D-Link, The Boxee Box is considered by many to be a more full-featured and open option to the Apple TV, Boxee hardware features:
The upcoming iPhone 5 will aim to use the latest 4G service in addition to the existing 3G network, according to a report on CNet. The same analyst reports that Qualcomm is expected to be the CMDA chip supplier for the long-rumored Verizon iPhone that may be announced at the same time.
AT&T and Verizon have been busy upgrading their network infrastructure in support of 4G over the last year, and the new iPhone is looking to take advantage of the increased bandwidth. 4G is actually just the marketing name for what is known as LTE, or Long Term Evolution, in the telecommunications world.
Not much is known about iPhone 5 due to Apple’s notorious shroud of secrecy around new products. Earlier reports from DigiTimes suggest the new iPhone will have a metal enclosure and feature an integrated antenna, which aims to resolve the reception problems in addition to the sometimes fragile glass backing of the current iPhone 4. With the news of 4G network compatible iPhone, there is also some speculation that FaceTime calls will be allowed over the cellular network rather than just WiFi.
In the past Apple has announced a new iPhone early in the year (January or February) and then the device is formerly released and shipped later the same year in June. We can only assume this general timetable will hold true for the iPhone 4G/iPhone 5, whatever it be called.
VLC is finally out for the iPad (iPhone version coming soon), this is great news for iOS devices because using the app you’ll be able to watch most video file types directly on the iPad without converting it first. In the past you’ve had to convert video to iPad and iPhone compatible formats which can take a while depending on the size of the file.
If you have an iPad, head over to the app store and grab a copy, it’s a free download.
VLC is a great application that’s been around on Mac, Linux, and Windows for a while now. It will play virtually any video file type or stream and even has a built in ability to rip DVD video for local storage. If you don’t have it for the desktop yet either, it’s highly recommended.
Update: based on our own experience and user reviews, it is still necessary to convert many videos to play them well on iPad and iPhone. You can learn more about converting video to iPad and iPhone.
AppleJack is a really handy troubleshooting utility for Mac that works even if you can’t load the Mac OS X GUI. Running in Single User Mode, it’s a simple menu-based tool to run a series of tests and repairs on the Mac OS. With AppleJack you can easily:
* Repair Disk
* Repair Disk Permissions
* Validate System Preference files
* Clear Caches
* Clear Swap Files
These are common Mac troubleshooting techniques, and really make AppleJack a handy utility in any Mac users toolkit. To use AppleJack, all you need to do is restart your Mac in Single User Mode by holding down Command+S during system start, then type applejack at the prompt. You’ll then be brought to the same menu you see in the screenshot above, where you can perform the necessary actions to get your Mac back in good health.
AppleJack is open source and free to download, highly recommended.
Who doesn’t love free software? MacScan is a full service anti-spyware detection tool for Mac OS X and for a short time is available entirely for free, so you need to jump on this one quick. For a limited time only (just today: 9/20) you can download this anti-spyware tool for FREE.
Get the free anti-spyware tool for your Mac:
After you get your serial number you just need to register it with MacScan by selecting ‘Register MacScan’ from the menu, this will unlock all the features.
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