A few weeks ago my microwave broke, which you might think has nothing to do with clocks but I actually never use the microwave for anything except to check the time. With the giant clock aka microwave broken, I set about to find some clock screen savers for Mac OS X so my unused Mac could tell me the time. The first one I came across is the retro styled flip clock screen saver Fliqlo, which I really like but it doesn’t count seconds, so I searched around some more and came across “Today” which you can see in the screenshot above.
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It was recently discovered that Mac OS X Lion will have SSD TRIM support, but OS X users with SSD devices may not have to wait until 10.7 is released this summer to get TRIM support.

AppleInsider has discovered that newly released MacBook Pro 2011 updates are shipping with a unique build of Mac OS X 10.6.6 Snow Leopard that includes native TRIM support for SSD drives. Thus far the custom 10.6.6 build 10J3210 has only been reported to appear on the latest MacBook Pro models, while existing OS X 10.6.6 installations remain at build 10J567.

This information strongly suggests that Apple may release a software update to Mac OS X 10.6 that includes the native TRIM function, this would be a welcome update for Mac users with solid state drives. It is possible that TRIM could arrive with Mac OS X 10.6.7, but this is only speculation.

Update: Ethan submitted the following screenshot corroborating that SSD TRIM support is included in new versions of 10.6.6:

This is from the new MacBook Pro 13″ Core i7 2.7GHz model.

News that iOS 4.3 will bring the WiFi Personal Hotspot feature to AT&T iPhone 4’s is welcome, but I’m going to reiterate my opinion from the past regarding the Personal Hotspot usage fee. If you missed it, it goes like this: what you’re really paying for is convenience and ease of use.

Jailbreaking & MyWi vs AT&T’s Personal Hotspot

Here’s how this breaks down:

• Jailbreaking & MyWi: Slightly more technical to enable, requires jailbreaking the iPhone, one time $20 MyWi purchase, works on iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 with any version of iOS.
• AT&T Personal Hotspot: Convenient & easily enabled, costs $20 every month in addition to your standard data plan charges, works only on iPhone 4 with iOS 4.3.

Just like with Verizon, paying for AT&T’s Hotspot use over the course of the year will rack up $240 in additional charges. If you jailbreak and use MyWi, you pay $20 once for the app and then you just use your existing data plan.

Who should pay the AT&T Personal Hotspot fee? And who should jailbreak?
As I’ve said before, paying AT&T (or Verizon) the personal hotspot usage fee is for those who want ease and convenience. There’s practically no setup involved, it’s just signing up for the hotspot plan and then selecting the option on the iPhone 4 to enable the feature, it’s as easy as it gets. For anyone that is less technical or who doesn’t mind paying for simplicity, forking over the cash to AT&T or Verizon is the way to go.

And then there’s people like me. If you’re technically inclined and familiar with jailbreaking, just buy MyWi and create your own iPhone wireless hotspot (it works on older iPhones too, while Personal Hotspot is limited to iPhone 4 only). The other nice thing about MyWi is that it offers a free 3 day trial, so you can jailbreak your phone and then test out the wireless hotspot functionality without any obligation to buy anything. If you hate it or it doesn’t work for you, reverse the jailbreak and just go with the monthly plan option.

PS: Jailbreaking is legal
Finally, a reminder that jailbreaking is not illegal. No Apple doesn’t like jailbreaks, and you’ll want to undo the jailbreak by restoring your iPhone before you take it in for Apple service, but it’s perfectly legal.

This glorious piece of work is an Apple corporate video from 1984 that was apparently used during the original Macintosh launch to get the sales team stoked. Three decades later, the video is still working its magic. From the production, to styles, to the Apple hardware, retro  Apple logo, to the amazingly eighties soundtrack of a super cheesy “We are Apple, Leading the Way” theme song, you absolutely can’t miss this.

Be sure you turn your speakers sound on and way up for this one, it’s hysterical and so very 80’s.

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If you’re a heavy tab user, pay attention. With Chrome 9 or later, you can activate a really cool hidden feature called “Tab Overview” that works great with Mac multi-touch devices. The name Tab Overview doesn’t really describe much of anything, but the behavior of Tab Overview is basically like Mac OS X’s Expose but for your Chrome tabs.

How to enable Tab Overview in Chrome

This should be cross platform, but you’ll need Chrome 9 or later and a multi-touch device, then:

• type “about:flags” in the Chrome URL bar and hit return
• Under “Experiments” look for “Tab Overview” and click on ‘Enable’
• Restart Chrome for changes to take effect

Relaunch Chrome and open a few tabs, then use a three-finger swipe down on your multitouch trackpad or mouse to activate the Expose-like tab overview.

You’ve already drooled over iPad 2 specs and decided you want one, right? Great, but it might not be that easy. Considering there are no pre-orders this time around, there could be long lines and you’ll probably be competing against campers and early birds. What to do? Know where to shop and increase your odds!

Where to Buy iPad 2

iPad 2 becomes available for sale on March 11 at 5pm, here’s where you’ll be able to buy it:

• Apple Store – expect long lines and waits, maybe even campers
• Apple Store Online – if you’re patient enough to wait for shipping to begin on March 11, buying online will be the easiest way to get hands on the new iPad
• Best Buy – iPad 2 will be available for sale in all Best Buy stores, no word on quantity in stock, so don’t be surprised if these sell out too
• Walmart – if you don’t live near an Apple Store, you probably live near a Walmart, and they’re expected to have iPad 2 in stock starting on March 11
• Sams Club – Walmart’s sister membership store will also carry iPad 2
• Target – Target has also confirmed they will be carrying iPad 2 starting on launch day

If you don’t want to endure the potential launch mania, I’d highly recommend buying online directly from Apple. Sure you’ll have to wait a few days while it’s shipped to you, but you won’t have to deal with the hectic stores or the high possibility of them selling out of stock on hand.

Launch Locations for 3G iPad 2 Models
If you want a 3G model, you may be able to get them at:

• AT&T Stores
• Verizon Stores – Verizon has confirmed iPad 2 models with 3G access will be available on March 11 in stores

Neither company has confirmed availability on launch day, but we assume they’ll have 3G models in stock right away.

Worst Case Scenario: Paying Inflated Rates
I’d say this is an absolute worst case scenario, but if you’re absolutely determined to get an iPad 2 you’ll be able to pay inflated rates by getting them on the second market through sites like Ebay and Craigslist. Going through a site like Craigslist almost guarantees you’ll get your hands on one on launch day, but they typically come at highly inflated prices. Chances are you’ll pay at least a $200 premium if not more, I would say this is really the worst way to go.

[ Updated on March 7, 2011 ]

iOS 4.3 GM has been released for developers to download. The update supports iPad, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and iPod touch 3G and 4G. As we noted with iOS 4.3 beta releases, iPhone 3G and earlier generation iPod touches are not eligible to upgrade to 4.3.

Registered developers can get the update from iOS Dev Center.

iOS 4.3 GM build is 8F190 and includes several new features and enhancements, including improvements to AirPlay streaming, faster Safari, iTunes Media Sharing, the addition of the iPad orientation lock switch, and Personal Hotspot for iPhone 4.

If you’re not an iOS developer, you will have to wait until the public release of March 11 to download the free iOS 4.3 update.

This is a really interesting commercial, it’s a car ad for the Hyunadi Equus, but the commercial does double-duty and sells the iPad too. What do cars and iPads have to do with each other? I wondered the same thing when I was sent this, but I guess some new Hyundai cars are shipping with an iPad as the cars owners manual.

The iPad is the 16GB WiFi model and it comes wrapped in a custom case with the Hyundai Equus Owner Experience iPad App (direct iTunes link) preinstalled. This is certainly an innovative approach to the owners manual, but what if the battery dies on the iPad?

Heads up to Mark for the submission.

The tablet arms race is in full force, so how does the newly released iPad 2 stand against the tablet competition? This chart compares the new iPad 2 specs with the Motorola Xoom, HP TouchPad, and BlackBerry Playbook.

Similar Hardware, OS & Apps Make the Difference
From a hardware standpoint, each tablet is pretty comparable, so what becomes the differentiator is the operating system and app market. In my view, this is where the iPad 2 and iOS clearly win out, the OS is minimalist and out of the way, and there are 65,000(!) iPad specific apps available on the iTunes App Store. The App Store alone is a huge uphill battle for competitors to catch up to, although admittedly some of the competing OS offerings are looking impressive.

Comparing Prices
What about pricing? The comparison chart doesn’t show price data, but here’s what we know:

• iPad 2: $499 to $829 depending on storage and 3G connectivity
• Xoom: $799
• TouchPad: $699? HP has been silent on pricing, but rumors say it starts high
• PlayBook: $499? BlackBerry is in the same situation as HP, only rumors tell us the cost

The fact that nobody yet knows what HP or BlackBerrys offerings are going to cost doesn’t really help to compare them against the iPad or Xoom, and witholding pricing data has led to speculation that their tablets will be on the expensive side. Some are saying Apple has already won the price war, but we don’t have enough information to know that yet.

iPad 1 vs iPad 2
While we’re comparing tablets, we might as well check out the iPad 2 vs the original iPad too:
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Apple didn’t livestream the iPad 2 keynote today, but you can watch Steve Jobs present iPad 2 and the entire media event directly from Apple.com. The keynote is about 70 minutes long and covers assorted Apple updates, iPad 2, iOS 4.3, and Garageband & iMovie for iPad.

If 70 minutes is too long for you, here is Apple’s official iPad 2 introduction video, it’s just 6 minutes long and is a great overview of the new device:
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iTunes 10.2 has been released, the update is required in order to install the upcoming iOS 4.3 and sync your Mac or PC with iPad 2. Release notes are brief in Software Update and pertain to iOS 4.3:

What’s new in iTunes 10.2

• Sync with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 4.3.

• Improved Home Sharing. Browse and play from your iTunes libraries with Home Sharing on any iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 4.3.

Download iTunes 10.2

Users can the newest version of iTunes directly from Apple (just click Download, no email is required) or through iTunes. Mac users can download iTunes 10.2 directly from Software Update.

iPad 2 ships on March 11, so what exactly will you get? Here are the tech specs from Apple for us geeks that like this kind of stuff:

• 1GHz dual-core A5 CPU
• 512MB RAM
• 16GB, 32GB, 64GB storage options
• Front & Rear Cameras, front is VGA, rear is 720p
• 9.7″ LED display with 1024×768 screen resolution at 132ppi
• GPU said to be 9x faster
• Video output supports up to 1080p
• Runs iOS 4.3
• 10 hour battery life
• White & Black color options
• 3G models are AT&T and Verizon compatible
• 1.3 lbs
• Thinner build

Pricing is the same as previous models and starts at $499. I’ve already covered the big stuff, but you can see the full tech spec list from Apple.

Most of the features are what iPad 2 rumors expected, the only things I am surprised by are the addition of direct video output and no storage capacity increases.

Overwhelming? Underwhelming? I think it looks great, I look forward to getting my hands on one.

iPad 2 has been announced and it looks awesome, so when can you get your hands on the all new device? That depends on where you are, but here’s the dates we have so far:

iPad 2 Shipping Date for USA: March 11

iPad 2 International Shipping Date: March 25 – for Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Ireland, Hungary, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK

And of course, more countries will get the new iPad in the coming weeks and months.

(image via Engadget livestream)

What medical leave? Apple CEO Steve Jobs has made an unexpected and pleasant surprise today, appearing full of energy and on stage presenting at the iPad 2 event!
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You can instantly print any Finder items full path and name into the Terminal by dragging and dropping an item from a Finder window and into a Terminal window. Once the Finder item has been dropped into the terminal, the entire path to the item is automatically typed out instantaneously, maintaining both proper capitalization as well as automatically filling in the appropriate \ before a space appears – two sources of error for many OS X users.

This is great for copying a file or folder path into the Terminal, which we’ve discussed before that part before, but it’s also incredibly useful for typing out a really long file name or application name into the Terminal without having to worry about casing and how to properly input things like special characters or spaces within file and folder names – the drag & drop trick covers all casing and the appropriate spacing code for you – and of course, it’s handy for moving around in the command line too.

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Remember when seeing a Windows desktop cluttered with icons was a bad thing? Well, don’t look at your iPhone or iPad, because we have icons all over our desktops now too.

Obviously this is a joke and there’s a huge difference in usability between the two, but there’s a funny element of truth to this picture as well. Besides, we pick on Apple’s competitors often enough over here, and sometimes it’s only fair to pick on Apple too.

Heads up to @joshuaschnell for finding this image.

Need to reveal hidden files and folders while opening or saving a file on the Mac? You can show them immediately with nothing but a quick keystroke.

To instantly show hidden files and directories in the Mac OS X “Open” and “Save” dialog boxes, all you need to do is hit Command+Shift+Period together and those hidden folder sand files will become visible in the active Open and Save windows.

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The kernel panic. You know the feeling when you get one, it’s that awful combination of dread and mortification knowing that you probably just lost whatever it is that you’re working on, and that your Mac might be in bad shape. You instantly start racking your brain with potential troubleshooting efforts to try and resolve what could be a worst case situation. It sucks.

If you’re feeling goofy and want to have a little fun with yourself or others, you could use this prank app on your Mac using and generate a fake kernel panic.
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