Archive for June, 2006
Tuesday, June 27th, 2006
I have been using Safari for a good few days now and I really enjoy using it. Besides loading up a lot faster than Firefox, Safari is a lot more Mac like than Firefox. For instance, the Google homepage displays in a generic way within Firefox, as seen below:
However, in Safari, the page is more OS X like, with the blue shades outlining the text box and the round sided glass type
Search and
I’m Feeling Lucky buttons:
However, Safari does have its shortcomings. In fact, I feel it has quite a few missing features.
(more…)
Posted in Switching | Comments Off
Monday, June 26th, 2006
Finding the software on Mac OS 10 to do what I used to do on Windows XP has not been too difficult for me. My every day applications back on the PC included Firefox, Microsoft Outlook, GAIM/MSN Messenger, Flickr Uploadr and Nokia PC suite.
More after the jump.
(more…)
Posted in Switching | 2 Comments »
Sunday, June 25th, 2006
From my
previous post, you may have already seen my very
first iWeb creation. As you might expect, it didn’t take very long at all to create the page. And it sure looks nice. However, iWeb has a long way to go before I would use it to create webpages that I can fully customise.
(more…)
Posted in Switching | 2 Comments »
Friday, June 23rd, 2006
I really like how my mac simplifies and automates a lot of tasks, but one of the biggest things that irks me is all the junk that fills up my desktop after downloading and installing things. I generally keep my desktop clean (with no HD icon) except maybe one or two things that are currently important (and I keep these on the far left of the desktop, out of the way of all the detritus that builds up on the right). Using the wonders of applescript I wrote a simple script that will trash the files and folders that are on the right hand side of my desktop, but not the left hand side! Here’s how I did it. (more…)
Posted in Hacks, Hot Tips | 1 Comment »
Thursday, June 22nd, 2006
The switcher in me was born after I used an iBook G4 for a few weeks last year. Since then, I never stopped considering permanently to Apple! And now that MacBooks have been introduced with Intel Core Duo technology, built in iSight and all the rest, I decided it was time to sell my Inspiron 9200 and get a MacBook!
I will be keeping you posted on my experience of the switch over the next few weeks, but until my next post, you are invited to take a look at my first iWeb creation:
A photo page of the unpacking of my MacBook.
Posted in Switching | 1 Comment »
Thursday, June 8th, 2006
We showed in our last post that you can make a free 1GB file storage account at Box.net and mount it on your desktop. While it’s very easy to set up, it’s not perfect, Let’s see why… (more…)
Posted in Hacks | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, June 7th, 2006
Box.net is a file host service that offers both free and paid accounts. The free account offers 1GB of storage and has a nice and simple web interface for interacting with your files. What does this have to do with Macs you ask? Well the guys over at
UNEASYsilence found out that this web storage can be mounted on your Mac in a similar way to Apple’s own iDisk (which Apple charge for as part of their .Mac services).
Creating an account at box.net is very simple (they require and email address, which serves as your login ID, and a password; the free account is then created right away). Mounting the online storage as a virtual hard-drive is also very simple.
Get your free Box.net account here:
1. Make sure the Finder is in focus and press command-K (this is the keyboard shortcut to connect to a server).
2. Now type in https://www.box.net/dav into the Server Address dialogue box and click connect (as shown below).
3. Enter the email address you provided as the “Name” and the password as the “Password”. You may also want to add this to your keychain if you are the only user of your account. Now click OK and the 1GB storage should be mounted on your desktop much like an external hard disk or CD is.
You can drag and drop files to and from the server, and if you are away from your Mac you can log into the box.net website and have access to the files; Great! Well almost…See our next post for info regarding an annoying bug to do with this service and using your Mac to upload files. The workaround for the bug can now be found here.
Posted in The Apple Files | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, June 7th, 2006
I dropped by the local Apple Store this morning and they had the all new and all black U2 iPod on display! Yes, the back enclosure is really all black! However, it’s not a change to the matt black look of the new Macbook. It’s still a metal enclosure and slightly reflective as you can see in the pictures. Also, just like the traditional stainless steel mirrored finish enclosure, it is a fingerprint magnet.
What was interesting with the U2 iPod on display though is that it didn’t have any U2 music tracks on it!
[Update]:
Bob Reck on Flickr has just received his new U2 iPod and posted some better quality
pictures of the black metal back.
iLounge have also posted some shots of back enclosure the new iPod, some including the traditional iPod side by side with the new one for a fair comparison.
Posted in News, Reviews, iPod | Comments Off
Tuesday, June 6th, 2006
Since the introduction of the 5th Generation iPods with video, the U2 iPod has been discontinued! Well, until today that is when Apple released it again not only in 5th Generation with video but also with a black metal back enclosure! That’s not all:
Even Better Than the Real Thing
The iPod U2 Special Edition also comes with an exclusive iTunes Music Store coupon you can redeem for a 30-minute video of music videos and band interviews.(2) Think of it as your virtual backstage pass.
The all new U2 5th Generation iPod retails for £239 ($329 in the US) and features solely 30GB storage. That’s an extra £20 ($30 for the US) for the red click wheel, the U2 signatures and the ITMS 30-minute video coupon. It is worth it? I suppose it depends on how big a U2 fan you are or how badly you want an all black iPod!
So, where is this business of all black enclosure going? Are we going to see an all black metal back enclosure in future iPods? Last summer, we saw Apple giving away free iPod minis (in the form of a rebate) for students who bought a Mac. Was this an attempt to help clear their stock of iPod minis to make way for the upcoming iPod nanos?
It looks like the same thing is happening again this year with the nano, at least in the US for now. Buy a Mac and get a free iPod nano. So, are we going to see an updated version of the nano towards the end of the year? Maybe with an all black metal back enclosure?
Original of The Species
Like no other, iPod U2 Special Edition stands out. Jet black, it bears a prominent red Apple Click Wheel, a full-color display and, on the flip side, the autographs of each U2 band member on striking black metal. Thanks to this unique partnership between U2 and Apple, U2 fans can finally find what they’re looking for.
Posted in Reviews, iPod | Comments Off
