A fair amount of Mac users have encountered long lasting Wi-Fi connection issues, whether it’s a dropping connection, a refusal to reconnect after waking from sleep, or any other number of oddities pertaining to wireless networking. Often these connection problems can be resolved with renewing a DHCP lease and changing the MTU size, but sometimes things are more stubborn and a wireless connection will continue to drop or throw unusual connection errors when waking from sleep. If you find yourself struggling with persistent wifi problems, try deleting all preference plist files associated with wireless settings in OS X:
Panorama Mode on the iPhone is easily one of the better features of the devices camera, and it makes taking incredible panoramic images easier than ever. The panorama camera defaults to taking pictures from left to right, but there are times where you’ll want to take a picture from right to left instead, and doing so is just a matter of tapping the screen.
This guide will show you how to easily change the direction of panorama on iPhone. Read more »
So you got iTunes 11, launched it for the first time, and now you’re wondering where everything is and why it looks so different? You’re not alone, any time an apps user interface is redesigned it’s sure to leave some people confused as things are switched around, hidden, and adjusted. If you’re a creature of habit like me, you’ll want to make iTunes look “normal” again, that is, more familiar to what we’ve long become accustomed to with the past versions, and here are five simple tricks to do just that.
iTunes 11 has been released by Apple, offering a fairly significant update to the music player and iOS device syncing app. A variety of new features have been added, the user interface has been redesigned and modernized, a new mini-player has been included, and there’s even a redesigned icon to go with it. This is the first major update to iTunes in quite some time and is available for both Mac OS X and Windows users.
Download iTunes 11
There are a variety of ways to grab the latest version:
Download from the Mac App Store (OS X 10.8 or later)
Get it from Software Update from the Apple menu (OS X 10.7 and before)
If you find any particular method unavailable, downloading directly from Apple should work without incident. Entering email addresses is not necessary to get it from Apple, clicking the giant blue Download button is sufficient to start downloading the installer.
Need to locate some embedded page resources in Safari on MacOS? You can do that with Page Resources feature, a handy capability for any web developer, web designer, or web worker.
While past versions of Safari included a feature called Activity Monitor that let you easily see and access resources loaded on a web page and even download embedded files like javascript, images, css, FLV video, mov files, and audio, that capability is no longer available. The Activity Monitor feature was widely used by web developers, but it has been removed from Safari 6 onward, meaning if you want to track down files embedded into web pages and see other resources, you’ll have to use the Page Resources feature found within the developer menu instead.
This guide will demonstrate how to use the Page Resources feature to find embedded media and other source files on a web page. Read more »
Whether you’re new to the Mac or just can’t figure out where a specific preference option is buried, you’ll love the convenience of the built-in search function in OS X System Preferences. This is an often overlooked feature that can prevent a lot of frustration when looking for some less-than-obvious settings panels, and it’s very simple to use:
Open System Preferences from the Apple menu as usual
Type what you are looking for into the Search box
Either select the preference panel icon, or, select the item from the search box to jump directly to options
System Preferences will cast a shadow over the preference panels that don’t contain what you’re looking for, and a very obvious spotlight onto the preference panels that do contain the terms. Even better, you can actually navigate in the search box to jump directly to the preference option, even if it’s buried several options and tabs deep within a panel.
In the example screen shot, we’re searching for “DHCP”, which is set through a tab in a sub-preference panel for TCP/IP, something that if you’re new to the Mac you may not know. This works with a wide variety of things that are both obvious and not obvious, and it will even find non-exact phrases like “Lock Screen”, which will match up to the security panel where the “Require password for sleep and screen saver” feature is enabled, despite not even coming close to sharing the searched phrase.
FlipClock is an appropriately named and wonderfully simple screen saver for Mac OS X that does nothing but show you the time in a very nice retro flip clock fashion.
FlipClock is visually pleasing and quite simple, as there are no major frills and no major features to FlipClock, nor do there really need to be, it’s just a simple lightweight clock that shows AM/PM and current time, with the traditional flip animations when the time changes.
The iPhone gained a handy feature that is now standard in iOS which allows you to quickly respond to an incoming phone call with a preset text message. This is a perfect solution if you’re busy in a meeting, classroom, driving, or in any other situation where you can’t take a phone call, but the caller is important enough to let them know they’ll be contacted as soon as possible.
Air Display is a great iOS app that turns an iPad into an external display for just about any Mac or Windows PC. It’s been around a while, but now there’s a new free version available that lets you try out a full featured ad-supported version before buying the regular version, offering an excellent way to see if AirDisplay fits into your workflow. Though the screen size makes it best for iPad, Air Display Free technically works with iPhones and the iPod touch too, and there’s no shortage of helpful ways to use it on whatever device you run it on.
You’ll need two small downloads to get going, the iOS app and a simple menubar utility for OS X or Windows that switches it on and off:
Install the menubar utility on the computer and launch the app and you’ll find some quick easy instructions on setting it up. You’ll be up and running in no time and able to enjoy the extended desktop that Air Display provides. The free versions ads aren’t terribly intrusive which makes it more than adequate for trying the app out and for occasional use, though if you’re happy with it you’ll probably want to shell out for the full version to get rid of the ads.
Performance varies a bit based on the computer in use and the iPad model. Retina iPads have the benefit of being able to function as an external HiDPI display for the Mac, but some older Mac models may struggle with HIDPI video output leading to CPU spikes and undesirable performance. For older computers, it’s probably best to run in lower resolution mode on retina iPads, but that’s a nonissue for iPad 2 and iPad Mini, and most any modern Mac or PC should be able to push the higher resolutions without incident.
All in all, Air Display is a great app, and with the new free version there’s little reason to not try it out on you iPad, iPhone, or iPod.
Listening to music in iTunes can be improved significantly by taking a moment to make three quick adjustments to preferences. Enabling these options takes a few seconds and will be valid for both Mac OS X and Windows:
Open iTunes preferences from the iTunes menu
Choose the “Playback” tab and check the box to enable “Crossfade Songs”, “Sound Enhancer”, and “Sound Check”
The names are fairly description but if you’re wondering what each option does a quick run through is below:
Crossfade Songs makes each song slowly fade into the next song, eliminating any gaps between song playback and providing for a nice continuous stream of music.
Sound Enhancer makes automatic adjustments to bass and treble that can have a really nice effect, particularly for those of us with cheaper computer speakers and not something like AudioEngines. Take the time to carefully adjust this based on speakers in use for best results.
Sound Check will adjust song playback so each song is played at the same volume level, a hugely important feature for anyone who has ripped older CD’s that have a tendency to play softer than newer albums downloaded from iTunes or elsewhere. This can also be done further on a per-song basis if need be.
For best results, spend a few minutes listening to music, listen for the differences with Sound Enhancer, and adjust the sliders accordingly. The Crossfade slider is set at a pretty good setting by default, but it can also be fun to go the full 12 seconds if your music collection is similar enough to not sound out of place blending each song into one another. It’s also worthwhile to adjust the iTunes equalizer to settings that are fairly neutral across all songs.
The first beta of OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.3 has been released to registered Mac developers. OS X 10.8.3 beta 1 is identified as build 12D32 and focuses on AirPlay, AirPort (wireless), Game Center, and graphics drivers, though it’s not yet clear if the intention is for bug fixing, feature enhancements, or a bit of both.
Installing the release must be done through a new OS X Software Update Seed Configuration Utility, which is a separate download available to developers. The release notes indicate several known bugs with the first beta build.
Those registered with the Mac Developer program can download the 10.8.3 beta and the required Seed Configuration Utility directly from Apple’s Developer Center. Everyone else will have to wait until a public release is available sometime in the future.
Don’t want to unlock your iPhone and launch the Calculator app? Bummed that iPad doesn’t even have a default Calculator? No big deal, because Siri can function as a regular old calculator, and it has the obvious added bonus of being handsfree. To have Siri calculate equations for you, just feed Siri numbers and thanks to the Wolfram Alpha backend Siri will quickly spit out the answer, complete with a number line.
The simplest forms of Siri calculation can be used as follows:
Number + number
Number / number
Number X number
Number – number
Try it out by saying the equation aloud to Siri just as it reads. You’ll find the results vary a bit based on the equation given:
Addition and subtraction, Siri will return an easy to follow number line showing movements to the sum.
Multiplication of large numbers, Siri returns the answer in addition to a number line that shows any potential exponents.
Division, Siri provides the answer, reduces the fraction, gives the number as a decimal, and even shows a mixed fraction.
You can string a variety of numbers together and make fairly complex equations, which Siri typically gets right. You’ll notice on some particularly complicated equations that Siri won’t necessarily obey the proper order of operations, so you may want to avoid using Siri as a calculator for complex algebra and calculus homework.
We covered a similarly themed tip recently discussing how Siri can function as a tip calculator, but with how useful the general calculation functions are it’s well worth mentioning the wider potential uses here.
This tip comes to us from Jason R. who uses Siri to add up receipts for expense reports, thanks for the idea J!
Though most Mac users will likely prefer to use Preview to batch resize images because of the ease of use, advanced users often like to go with the command line for repetitive tasks. We’ve discussed sips before as a way to resize, rotate, and flip images, but if sips is combined with wildcards it can also function as a quick way to batch resize a group of photos. Read more »
This weeks Mac setup comes to us from Alex A., a student in Australia who has a wide variety of hardware that combines Mac OS X, iOS, and even Windows 8. Hardware shown includes the following:
Mac Mini – 1.42 GHz PowerPC G4 running OS X Leopard
BenQ 21.5″ LED Monitor
Toshiba Portege m930 slider convertible running Windows 8 Pro
iPad 2 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G White with Red Leather Smart Cover
iPod Nano 6th generation with HEX Vision metal watch band
Apple Keyboard
Apple Magic Trackpad
Apple Magic Mouse
AirPort Express
Bose MIE2 earphones
Apple EarPods
Buffalo 1TB External HDD
Logitech Speakers
You’ll be forgiven if you initially mistake the Toshiba hybrid running Fliqlo for the iPad, but the iPad is covered under the red smart cover on the right side of the desk. It looks like there’s an LED light strip behind the desk too, which is a great way of bringing some nice ambient lighting to any desk arrangement.
Have a nice Mac setup you want featured? Send us a good picture or two, a short description of the hardware, and what you use it for over to osxdailycom@gmail.com
The days after Thanksgiving are always great for bargain hunters and today is no exception. As usual, Amazon has loads of great deals right now on everything under the sun, and we gathered a few particularly good deals from there and elsewhere in a short set of lists below.
iPhone 5 Deals
By far the best deal on iPhone 5 is for refurbished AT&T GSM models at a whopping $100 discount. That means you can get an iPhone 5 16GB model for just $99 with a standard two-year contract, and 32GB models for $199. The refurbs are available at AT&T’s online store and come in all sizes and colors with free shipping.
See all other iPhone deals at AT&T, all refurb iPhone 5’s are $100 off, refurb iPhone 4S is available for $1 with a contract, and there are even great deals on Android and Windows smartphones if that’s what you’re in the market for.
Refurbished Apple gear is high quality and we recommend them highly for the great discounts complete with a standard warranty. Sure, the refurbed iPhone models may ship with a little scratch or ding, but at a 50% discount I’m guessing most people won’t mind.
Mac Deals
There are quite a few good Mac deals out there today. If you’re near an Apple Store or shop online through Apple you can get about $100 off any Mac model. Best Buy also has good deals in stores, but some of the best deals are coming from Amazon with 16% to 20% off some of the newest MacBooks including the Air, Retina 13″ Pro, and
Apple and Best Buy seem to have the best deals out there on iPads and iPod touch.
Apple Store – deals are valid from online store and in stores
$41 off iPad with Retina display at Apple Store (online and local)
$31 off iPad 2 at Apple Store (online and local)
$31 off iPod touch at Apple Store
If you were hoping to find a discount on the iPad Mini, you’ll be disappointed to find out it’s just not happening right now. It’s not just Apple though, no retailers are marking down the Mini, and even the popular competing 7″ tablets from Google and Amazon aren’t discounted either.
Surely everyone with an iOS device knows that Maps can be zoomed out by using a two-finger pinch gesture, and zoomed in by using a two-finger spread gesture, and repeating either gesture will continue to zoom the screen in or out as desired.
While the gestures are pretty quick, you can zoom in or out much faster by just using screen taps:
Zoom out by using a two-finger single tap on the active Maps screen
Zoom in by using a one finger double tap on the active map
The result of the taps are an immediate jump to a lower or higher zoom level, similar to what you’d experience on a desktop when clicking on the zoom in/out button in Google Maps on the web. Because of how Apple Maps handles location detail by zoom levels, don’t be surprised if you end up using these taps constantly, and remember that the detail level can be improved quite a bit by making a simple change to the Maps font size.
It’s worth mentioning that these one-finger and two-finger taps for zooming in and out are pretty much universal across apps in iOS, and you’ll get just as much use out of them in Mail, Safari, and your other favorite iPad and iPhone apps as you do in the Maps app.
Alright Apple fans, if you’re running late on the Thanksgiving cooking and haven’t made an Apple pie yet, you should probably toss whatever idea you had out the window and take the extra time to make this super geeky and cool Apple logo apple pie.
The Mac Mini Apple pie is basically your standard delicious apple pie baked in a rounded square tray that just happens to be shaped like a Mac Mini, topped off with a very well designed Apple logo. Cut the logo with whatever you want, but the guys that came up with this recipe went all out and used a laser to cut the Apple logo, which is why it looks as perfect as it does.
The quickest way to add a file extension to a group of files that don’t currently have one is by using the command line in Mac OS X. In the example below, we’ll add a “.txt” extension to all files in a single directory, but subbing .txt in the command string will add a different extension instead. Before beginning, it’s a good idea to do the following:
on everything under the sun, and we gathered a few particularly good deals from there and elsewhere in a short set of lists below.
(retina!)
(not retina)
