Mac OS

MKV files are usually high quality videos compressed within a Mastroska container format. Typically you’ll encounter these with Bluray rips or video exported from an HD stream, and you might have discovered they won’t open in a standard movie player app. Not to worry though, MKV files can be played on a Mac easily, you … Read More

The most straight forward way to burn an ISO from a Mac is using Disk Utility, but you can also burn ISO’s and disk images directly from the command line with the help of a tool called ‘dd’. This works for Mac OS X and Linux, but we’re going to be focusing on the Mac … Read More

Apple has updated Safari to version 5.1.4, and although the version number signifies a minor release the update includes several notable performance enhancements and bug fixes. From the average end-users perspective, an 11% boost in Javascript performance and improved handling of Safari extensions will be most noticeable, though the update includes many more changes and … Read More

Now that the Mac has native Emoji support, you can set up text substitutions to automatically convert specific text to emoji when typing shorthand, abbreviations, or emoticons. Here’s how to configure the text-to-emoji conversions:

Modern versions of Mac OS X include a nice new ability to be able to duplicate and paste files exactly. Basically this means that if a file is owned by another user, Duplicate Exactly and Paste Exactly will preserve the files original ownership and permissions, rather than copy the file with the current user becoming … Read More

Spotlight is the powerful built-in search engine on Mac. Not only will it find just about any file or folder buried on your file system or attached drives, but it also doubles as a fantastically quick application launcher, dictionary lookup tool, and so much more. If you aren’t using Spotlight on a regular basis yet … Read More

iTunes now allows you to convert higher bit rate songs to three options: 128 kbps, 192 kbps, and 256 kbps. Enabling this option lets you save storage space on an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad by compressing the music stored on the device. While intense audiofiles and those who want the absolute highest audio quality … Read More

If you’re spending the time and money to develop an iOS app, don’t skimp on the icon. This may sound like silly advice, but the fact is a good icon can make your app stand out in the App Store and on a users home screen, encouraging both downloads and use.

iTunes 10.6 has been released alongside iOS 5.1. The update includes 1080P support for movies and TV shows downloaded from iTunes Store, but otherwise is fairly minor and includes several bug fixes and improves song matching and how album art is handled. You can grab the 10.6 update directly from Apple at the link below, … Read More

The next time you’re reading a web page that you want to share with someone else through email, just hit Command+Shift+I while viewing that website. A new email draft will open in the default email application, with the web pages title as the message subject, and the URL contained within the message body. The keyboard … Read More

What happens when you merge classic Super Mario Bros with the modern classic Portal? It’s hectic, it’s a ton of fun, it’s Mari0. Basically you get old school Mario re-imagined with a portal gun and a variety of Portal puzzles and mechanics. There’s also an insane four player co-op mode, level editor, and downloadable third … Read More

Apple has released a supplemental update to Mac OS X 10.7.3 to address a potential issue with restoring from Time Machine backups. The update can be found from Software Update via the  Apple menu or downloaded directly from Apple. Installing the update does not require a reboot. Despite being a minor update, it is … Read More

If you have attempted to partition a drive from Mac OS X and received a “Partition failed” message with the error “Couldn’t modify partition map because file system verification failed.” you can fix the problem with the file system check command line utility. To issue the file system check and repair function properly, you’ll need … Read More

The Messages app for Mac keeps track of all chat history through iMessage and SMS, providing you with a lengthy record of conversations in an easily reviewable and scrollable chat log. Unlike iOS, there isn’t an in-app method to delete the chat history in Mac OS X, and though you can close a window it … Read More

Macs are notoriously trouble-free and easy to maintain, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore system maintenance entirely. Here are four simple Mac maintenance tips that will help you keep your Mac in tip-top shape, running at its best.

You probably know by now that Windows 8 Consumer Preview was released recently. This is what Microsoft is betting their future on, combining their traditional desktop experience with the all new tiled Metro interface, aimed at tablets and portable computers. Thanks to virtualization, anyone can try Windows 8 easily right on top of their current … Read More

Can’t wait for OS X Mountain Lion to be released this summer? You can get many of the features of the next generation Mac OS X version right now. Whether you are running OS X Lion or to an extent, OS X Snow Leopard, read on to find out how to get everything from notifications, … Read More

Do you need to force quit an unresponsive Mac app? Is your Mac seeing the infamously dreaded spinning beachball of death? Is an app failing to respond to any input? Maybe you have an errant process or two? When any of the above happens, you’ll probably want to forcibly quit the application in question, and … Read More