Want to hide the Mac menu bar? You can do that and set a few more options to automatically hide and show the menu bar with a free utility called MenuEclipse, the end result is pretty similar to the way you can automatically hide and show the Dock. In the screenshot above, I have the menubar completely hidden, but it will activate if I move the cursor over the menu bar.

If you rely on the menu bar often, hiding it from view isn’t the most practical thing in the world, so instead you can give it a subtle shade that automatically dims when it’s not in use. Below is the Mac OS X menu in the dimly “hidden” mode, but it’s still visible:

The effect is actually closer to auto-dimming and auto-highlighting of the menubar, since the menu bar shades and then brightens again when you hover over it with your cursor. Below is the screenshot of when the cursor is over the menubar, which brightens it up to be usable again:
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Ever wondered when Steve Jobs birthday was? It turns out Steve was born February 24 in San Francisco in the year 1955.

Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs turned 56 on the day this was originally published, 2/24/2011, and every one of his birthdays from here on out he will be missed. February 24 is a special day for Apple fans indeed.
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Believe it or not, that’s not an iPhone 3GS you’re looking at, that’s the Meizu M8, a popular Chinese iPhone knock-off that looks practically identical to iPhone 3GS. The only problem of course is that unlike the iPhone, the Meizu doesn’t run iOS at all, it runs Microsoft Windows CE 6.

That whole OS problem is being resolved though, according to a thread on Meizu forums the iPhone lookalike has been hacked to run the now outdated iOS 3.0.1. Not everything works yet, even call features aren’t reliable due to issues with microphone drivers. But phone calls or not, you can go so far as to access and download things from the iTunes App Store, and the hackers are actively working to get voice and everything else functioning as you would expect.
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Yesterday several rumors floated about that iPad 2 will be released on March 2 and today invites went out to select members of the press to cover an Apple event scheduled for March 2 at San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center for the Arts at 10:00 am. The invite, sent to Jim “The Beard” Darymple, shows the page of a calendar being torn away from an iPad, leaving little to guess as to what the events intention is.

Now we’re just left to wonder what the iPad 2 specs will be. Most recent reports suggest the iPad 2 will be thinner and lighter with a more powerful CPU and GPU, but maintain the existing iPad screen resolution.

Update: The MacBook Pro 2011 refresh is out, check out specs and prices, all Pro models have been updated.

The MacBook Pro 13″ 2011 refresh hardware specs have been leaked. Most notable is the addition of Core i5 processors to the 13″ lineup, and the new Thunderbolt (Light peak) high speed I/O port that doubles as the Mini-Displayport. Despite the rumors, there is no case redesign.

MacBook Pro 13″ 2011 Refresh Specs

These specs are transcribed from the above image:

• 2.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 Processor with 3MB shared level 3 cache
• 4GB of 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
• 320GB 5400-rpm hard drive
• 13.3″ LED-backlit glossy display at 1280×800 pixels
• Intel HD Graphics 3000 processor with 384MB of shared SDRAM
• FaceTime camera
• Thunderbolt (Lightpeak) port doubles as high speed I/O and Mini-Displayport
• SDXC card slot, Firewire 800 port, two USB 2.0 ports
• Optical audio shared in/out port
• 10/100/1000BASE-T ethernet
• 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1
• Backlit keyboard and ambient light sensor
• Size & Weight: 12.78×8.94×0.95 inches, 4.5lbs
• Aluminum unibody enclosure

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The Mac defaults to using Safari as the default web browser, but what if you prefer to use Google’s Chrome web browser instead? There’s a few ways to change the default browser, but perhaps the easiest if you’re looking to use Chrome is through the Chrome browser itself. With that in mind, here is how to switch Mac OS X to use Chrome as your full time default web browser, meaning all links opened or clicked from third party apps will open in Chrome rather than Safari.

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The official version of Minecraft is coming to the iPhone and iOS platform later this year according to developers Mojang. Previously, an unofficial version of the popular game appeared on the app store before being pulled.

If you’ve never heard of Minecraft, it’s a sandbox construction game where what you can build is limited only by your imagination. You create things with boxes that represent different materials and elements in a three dimensional grid, and there’s two gameplay variations, one with monsters that are out to destroy your creation, and the other just a classic build mode. The game has become a runaway hit and is considered by many to be one of the best indie game releases of all time.
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Update: iPad 2 has been announced! The ship date is March 11 for USA, and March 25 for some international customers.

Not only is a MacBook Pro refresh due out in the very near future, but the iPad 2 is scheduled to be released next week as well, according to a report from AllThingsDigital. Citing “several sources close to the situation,” AllThingsD claims event invites will be sent out soon and that the date is “confirmed” (by who remains unclear).

The report suggests the event will be held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, the centers calendar reveals that no events are scheduled for Wednesday March 2:

“There are no programs on Wed, March 2, 2011. The next day with upcoming programs is Thu, March 3, 2011.”

Several other nearby dates have no scheduled events listed either, so this doesn’t really provide much proof of anything.

It seems a little strange for Apple to have two major product releases within just a few days of each other, since the iPad 2 would clearly take the limelight off a significant MacBook Pro update. Maybe this means the MacBook Pro update won’t be as significant as many had hoped?

Update: New York Times and Reuters have chimed in with their own sources saying March 2 is the release date of iPad 2.

Update 2: This is all but confirmed, as event invites have been sent out for an iPad event on March 2.

The next time you get an email with a date mentioned in the body, you can use this neat trick to quickly add that date to your Calendar on iPhone or iPad.

This is easy and it shortens the steps required to add events to a Calendar in iOS. The secret? It’s simple, you can quickly add dates to your iPhone Calendar by just tapping on any date in the Mail client for iPhone or iPad.

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As most modern OS’s go, Mac OS X is generally pretty intelligent with how it prioritizes processes. That said, if you want to give any running task an extra kick in the pants, you can use a free tool called Process Renicer.

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Rumors of a MacBook Pro 2011 refresh are absolutely on fire at this point, and now Apple’s very own online store is showing a shipping delay of 3-5 days for any MacBook Pro order online. This is the strongest indicator yet of an imminent product update, since Apple rarely has a shipping delay on existing products.

Release Dates of MacBook Pro 2011 Refresh: Thursday February 24 or Tuesday March 1?
There are two likely dates of the MacBook Pro refresh, one is this Thursday, February 24, which also happens to be Steve Jobs birthday, and the other is Tuesday, March 1. Apple traditionally releases new products on Tuesdays, but a 3-5 day shipping delay more closely matches with a release this Thursday. Of course, being rumors, it’s possible both days will pass without any product update.

Timeline of the MacBook Pro 2011 Refresh Rumors
It all started with reports from several EU resellers that their existing MacBook Pro inventory had dried up, and then an Intel ad appeared that sparked a slew of speculation and mockups suggesting the next MacBook Pro would have a significant chasis redesign. This was followed up with BestBuy’s internal inventory showing new model numbers and prices. Finally, this weekend, BestBuy.com slipped up and posted SKU’s and prices for five new MacBook Pro models before removing them from their public website.

Adding all of this together and the evidence certainly looks overwhelmingly in favor of an impending MacBook Pro refresh. The question now is whether or not the updated models will feature the same aluminum unibody enclosure that existing models have, or if a significant chasis redesign is in order, taking cues from the MacBook Air, and perhaps even resembling the Mac-like laptop appearing in the recent Intel ad.

You can instantly change file permissions in Mac OS X without getting your hands dirty in the command line by using the Finder instead. All you need to do is access the “Get Info” panel for the file, folder, or application in question. These instructions demonstrate locating the file permissions manager, and how to adjust privileges for items found in Mac OS.
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If you need to rename a folder in iOS on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, you’ll find the process to change folder names is a complete piece of cake.

This walkthrough will show you how to rename any folder name in iOS, it works exactly the same on iPhone and iPad.

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Update: This app was intended to be free only on 2/20 but it is now 2/21 2/22 and the app is still free to download. Get it while you can!

If you have a Mac media center pay attention, Mobile Mouse Pro turns your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad into a fantastic remote control, and for today only the app is free to download!

Turn your iPhone & iPod touch into a full featured remote control
Mobile Mouse Pro is great because it gives you an application switcher, full trackpad support, full virtual keyboard access, ability to use the iPhone/iPod as media remote with play/pause/stop/volume adjustment, web remote, and so much more. Seriously this app is awesome, so grab it while you can for free. The other bonus? The app is cross platform compatible, so if your media center isn’t a Mac but a Windows PC, it will still work.

Download Mobile Mouse Pro from the iTunes App store – FREE for today only
The wireless remote app is free to download today only from the iTunes App Store.

• MobileMouse Pro for iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad – Free from the iTunes App Store

After you get the client for your iOS device, grab the free server software for your computer:
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More Mac OS X rumors! An Apple patent has surfaced that gives credence to the idea that the next version of Mac OS X 10.7 will feature some kind of cloud storage capability. Last summer OSXDaily speculated the next version of Mac OS X would feature some sort of cloud support, this was based on a job opening at Apple’s Mac OS X team that emphasized technologies that are critical to cloud support. Will Pearson described how the job opening related to the cloud:

The biggest hint in the job posting is the favoring of candidates who have experience developing with “internet technologies and services” and more tellingly “participated in or lead the architecture of large web scale systems” with HTTP protocol experience. This naturally leads to the assumption that Mac OS X 10.7 will indeed have Cloud features built into the foundation of the operating system. HTTP and XHTML5 are core elements in the Open Cloud Computing Interface (OCCI) spec and are integral parts in most existing cloud computing services and platforms. When you combine this knowledge with recent news that Apple is building a massive 500,000 square foot data center, there is little room left to wonder what Apple is up to.

Now, seven months later, PatentlyApple has discovered a patent that may describe just how last summers job opening and Mac OS X “revolutionary feature” could tie into Mac OS X Lion. Dubbed “Safe Deposit Box”, the newly patented Mac OS X feature describes a way for the operating system to store certain files off-site, safely in a cloud environment and accessible from anywhere. PatentlyApple suggests how this may relate to day-to-day users:

One of the key attributes or selling points of Apple’s Safe Deposit Box Application or OS X feature is that your digital valuables could be stored “off site” or beyond the home computer to safeguard your digital valuables which could be something like a Will or Living Will, agreements, life insurance policies, home insurance policies, a simple home inventory list or video or perhaps something that’s really valuable to most every iTunes fan: a copy of your iTunes Library.

The idea of an iTunes cloud and streaming has been popularized through, of all things, iPhone 5 & iPhone Mini and wireless syncing rumors, which have strongly suggested that wireless syncing and streaming of your iTunes library is coming via a future free version of MobileMe. This creates the obvious question; if your iPad and iPhone with iOS will wirelessly sync to MobileMe, why wouldn’t Mac OS X and your Mac hardware too? It’s just a patent, but it suggests cloud-based streaming and syncing might just make an appearance in a future version of Mac OS X, maybe even Mac OS X 10.7, which is due for release this summer.

Update: Even more evidence of a refresh, the existing MacBook Pro models have a 3-5 day shipping delay.

Yesterday Best Buy’s internal inventory started showing SKU’s for the MacBook Pro 2011 refresh, and now they’re appearing publicly on BestBuy.com. There aren’t any details or specs listed alongside the new units, just the SKU and price tag, which both match yesterdays info, strongly suggesting this is the MacBook Pro update.

We took a few screenshots since these will probably be pulled from BestBuy.com quickly.

The SKU’s and prices are as follows:

• SKU 1535918 – $2499
• SKU 1535845 – $2199
• SKU 1535836 – $1799
• SKU 9755395 – $1499
• SKU 9755322 – $1199

Each entry is listed generically as “APPLE COMPUTER INC. – New SKU” with “Details coming soon” in place of hardware specs.
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Every day there’s a new set of rumors around Apple products, yesterday it was about the new cheaper iPhone with wireless syncing and today it’s about the MacBook Pro 2011 refresh and iPad 3.

MacBook Pro 2011 refresh prices, launch due on Thursday, February 24?

Up until now the rumors of a MacBook Pro refresh have been mostly speculation, much based on the recent Intel ad that showed a nice looking Mac-like laptop. Now several rumor sites are claiming that the Thursday February 24 will be the release date (which just so happens to be Apple CEO Steve Jobs birthday).

Adding some credibility to this claim is that BestBuy is apparently showing the following new MacBook Pro SKU’s and prices in their inventory:

• MC724LL/A-SKU# 9755395 – $1499 – 13 inch
• MC700LL/A-SKU# 9755322 – $1199 – 13 inch
• MC725LL/A-SKU# 1535918 – $2499 – 17 inch
• MC723LL/A-SKU# 1535845 – $2199 – 15 inch
• MC721LL/A-SKU# 1535836 – $1799 – 15 inch

Assuming these numbers are accurate, the pricing for the 2011 MacBook Pro’s will be the same as existing models. Some have took this to suggest the 2011 refresh may not feature the dramatic redesign that has been hotly speculated about (including the cool mockup shown above out of Italy).
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With all the new tools like Twitter for Mac, it’s easy to forget that email is still a dominant form of communication online. I use Gmail constantly and I like to be alerted to new messages coming in without having a dedicated window open at all times, so with this in mind here are three options to get Gmail notifications onto your Mac desktop, plus a bonus usability tip that’s essential for any Mac webmail user.

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