Focus on Apps Easier & Apply Background Filters with Isolator for Mac OS X

Feb 6, 2012 - 5 Comments
Isolator blur effect

It’s easy to be distracted by other open applications and windows while using a computer, and sometimes even the best of us need a bit of help to focus. Lion’s full screen mode can be helpful, but when that’s not enough or when you need access to other windows and apps, then Isolator is your … Read More

Switch Background Styles of Launchpad in OS X 10.7.3

Feb 6, 2012 - 11 Comments
Launchpad Background Styles

The OS X 10.7.3 update brought with it a variety of subtle changes, including a minor adjustment to how the Launchpad background image style is switched. In previous Mac OS X versions, Command+B would switch between the background effect styles, but this is now achieved with Control+Option+Command+B. Try it yourself by opening Launchpad and then … Read More

iPad Split Keyboard Has 6 Hidden Keys to Make Typing Even Easier

Feb 5, 2012 - 4 Comments
Hidden Keys on iPad Split Keyboard

Did you know the split iPad keyboard in iOS includes six hidden ‘phantom’ keys that make typing even easier?

Mac OS X 10.7.3 Combo Silently Updated?

Feb 4, 2012 - 24 Comments
Comparing OS X 10.7.3 Updates

Apple looks to have quietly updated the troubled Mac OS X 10.7.3 Updater, first noticed by several of our readers and confirmed by OSXDaily. No official change was announced and there is no revised version number provided by Apple’s Support page, but presumably the new build addresses any potential installation problems or CUI errors that … Read More

Rosetta Crashes Resolved with Mac OS X 10.6.8 Security Update 2012-001 v1.1

Feb 4, 2012 - 2 Comments
Security Update 2012-001 v1.1 for Snow Leopard

Apple has released an updated version of Security Update 2012-001 to v1.1, which resolves the Rosetta issues in the first release that caused many PPC based applications to either crash or not run at all. If you have been experiencing problems with apps like Microsoft Office, Photoshop, Quicken, crashing after installing the security update, downloading … Read More

How to Boot into Recovery HD Partition on a Mac OS X with Yosemite, Mavericks, & Mountain Lion

Feb 3, 2012 - 13 Comments
Recovery HD

All Macs with OS X Mavericks, Yosemite, Lion, Mountain Lion, have a bootable Recovery partition that can be accessed in case of system problems, allowing you to troubleshoot, restore from Time Machine backups, and even reinstall Mac OS X. There are two ways to reach Recovery mode on a Mac: Hold down the OPTION key … Read More

Fix Rosetta in Mac OS X Snow Leopard After Security Update 2012-001

Feb 3, 2012 - 5 Comments
Mac OS X Snow Leopard

The problems updating to Mac OS X 10.7.3 aren’t the only issues with Apple’s recently released Mac OS X updates, as MacRumors reports that SecurityUpdate 2012-001 aimed at Mac OS X 10.6.8 has caused significant problems with Rosetta apps in Snow Leopard. Applications effected seem to be anything that relies on Rosetta PowerPC support to … Read More

Reindex Spotlight from the Command Line in Mac OS X

Feb 2, 2012 - 9 Comments
Spotlight

Spotlight is generally very good at keeping a valid index of a drives contents up to date, but if you’ve recently restored a drive or had to delete the Spotlight index for one reason or another, you may need to reindex the drive manually. This is easy from the Spotlight control panel, and can also … Read More

Web Server Added to OS X Lion Server with 10.7.3 Update

Feb 2, 2012 - 5 Comments
OS X Lion 10.7.3 Web Server

The recently released Mac OS X 10.7.3 update is proving to be a more significant upgrade than originally anticipated, with the update for OS X Lion Server adding a simple web server. The web server pane is found in the Server application, and has the standard features you would expect. Apple specifies the following capabilities … Read More

Change the Time Machine Backup Schedule

Feb 2, 2012 - 32 Comments
Time Machine Scheduler

Every Mac owner should be using Time Machine, it’s by far the easiest and most painless backup solution, running in the background and allowing for easy recovery of files or the entire operating system should something go wrong during an OS X update or otherwise. There’s no way around it, having backups of your Mac … Read More

Fix Mac OS X 10.7.3 Update Problems, CUI Errors, Stuck Installs, and Crashes

Feb 1, 2012 - 89 Comments
Fix OS X 10.7.3 Installation Problems with the Combo Updater

Mac OS X 10.7.3 update was just released, and for the vast majority of users the update installed trouble free. But not everyone was so lucky, and a series of problems have cropped up for some users, ranging from being stuck on an endless spinning loop progress indicator, to apps crashing nonstop, to a very … Read More

Use an iPhone Without a Data Plan

Feb 1, 2012 - 102 Comments
Use an iPhone without a data plan

To get the most out of an iPhone you’ll obviously want to have internet access, but for those who live in regions where wi-fi access is ubiquitous, you can potentially save some money on a monthly cell phone bill by not having a data plan. No, I don’t mean only turning off data on the … Read More

How to Send Contacts from iPhone to Another iPhone

Feb 1, 2012 - 19 Comments
iPhone Contacts icon

Sending contacts from an iPhone is very easy, and all data about the contact, from name, phone number, picture, email, URL, etc, can be exported as an inclusive vCard bundle and sent to someone else by email or text message. While we’ll focus on sending contacts between iPhones, these vCards are also usable by other … Read More

Animated Glowing iPhone & iPad Charger is the Coolest USB Cable Ever

Jan 31, 2012 - 10 Comments
Glowing iPhone charger

It’s pretty hard to get excited about a USB cable, but the Dexim Visible Smart chargers are ridiculously cool in a super geeky way. You need to watch the video below to see the effect, but basically the cable glows while it is charging or syncing to “visibly show the electrical current flowing through the … Read More

Convert AIFF to M4A Directly in Mac OS X Easily & For Free

Jan 31, 2012 - 5 Comments
Convert AIFF to M4A

Using Mac OS X’s powerful built-in media encoding tools, large AIFF audio files can be quickly and easily converted to compressed high quality M4A audio, ready for use on in iTunes or an iPod, iPhone, or elsewhere.

How to Set Up Find My iPhone (or iPad, or Mac)

Jan 30, 2012 - 16 Comments
Find My iPhone

If you haven’t set up iCloud and Find My iPhone yet, now is a good time to do so. Follow our guide below on how to get this configured on an iPad, iPhone, iPod, and a Mac, then read on for a story about how a police officer used the application to locate an iPhone … Read More

Extract Installer and Package Files in Mac OS X Easily with Pacifist

Jan 30, 2012 - 4 Comments
Pacifist for Mac

Pacifist is a powerful Mac OS X utility that gives you full access to package and installer files and their contents, without running the installer itself. Using Pacifist, you can open installers and disk images, find out what is in them, discover what is going to be installed and where, and best of all, extract … Read More

Author of “Inside Apple” Talks Apple Corporate Culture and Secrecy [Video]

Jan 29, 2012 - Leave a Comment

Adam Lashinsky, the author of the newly released book “Inside Apple: How America’s Most Admired – and Secretive – Company Really Works”, recently appeared on an episode of InDay Speaker Series to discuss his work. The interview is about 50 minutes long and covers the corporate culture of Apple, how some internal processes work, and … Read More

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