TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

Ask TUAW: Mac mini as Time Machine server, baby monitoring with a Mac, and more

Mat Lu — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST

Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we have questions about accessing a shared Google calendar, baby monitoring, sharing music between user accounts, scanning over an Airport Extreme, using a Mac mini as Time Machine target, and more.

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Leave your questions for next week in the comments section at the end of this post. When asking a question, please include which machine you're using and what version of Mac OS X is installed on it (we'll assume that you're running Snow Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify), or if it's an iPhone-related question, which iPhone version and OS version you have.

Continue reading Ask TUAW: Mac mini as Time Machine server, baby monitoring with a Mac, and more

Ask TUAW: Mac mini as Time Machine server, baby monitoring with a Mac, and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 28 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask TUAW: DVD Sharing on an iMac, menubar calendar, network scanning, and more

Mat Lu — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST

Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we have questions about using DVD Sharing on an iMac (instead of a MacBook Air), ignoring Software Updates, getting a drop-down calendar in the menubar, seeing Wi-Fi network channels, using iChat with other services, and more.

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Leave your questions for next week in the comments section at the end of this post. When asking a question, please include which machine you're using and what version of Mac OS X is installed on it (we'll assume that you're running Snow Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify), or if it's an iPhone-related question, which iPhone version and OS version you have.

Continue reading Ask TUAW: DVD Sharing on an iMac, menubar calendar, network scanning, and more

Ask TUAW: DVD Sharing on an iMac, menubar calendar, network scanning, and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask TUAW: Clocks, screen guards, MacBook hard drive replacement, NFS automount, and more

Mat Lu — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST

Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we have questions about replacing a MacBook hard drive, refreshing a NFS mount, getting a simple clock on screen, improving iCal's note handling, and more.

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Leave your questions for next week in the comments section at the end of this post. When asking a question, please include which machine you're using and what version of Mac OS X is installed on it (we'll assume you're running Snow Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify), or if it's an iPhone-related question, which iPhone version and OS version you have.

Continue reading Ask TUAW: Clocks, screen guards, MacBook hard drive replacement, NFS automount, and more

Ask TUAW: Clocks, screen guards, MacBook hard drive replacement, NFS automount, and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 14 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask TUAW: File ownership and permissions, converting FLV and OGG, extra displays, and more

Mat Lu — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST

Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we have questions about changing file ownership and permissions, adding two external displays to a MacBook Pro, converting OGG and FLV files on an older Mac, transferring a Time Machine backup to a new disk, and more.

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Leave your questions for next week in the comments section at the end of this post. When asking a question, please include which machine you're using and what version of Mac OS X is installed on it (we'll assume you're running Snow Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify), or if it's an iPhone-related question, which iPhone version and OS version you have.

Continue reading Ask TUAW: File ownership and permissions, converting FLV and OGG, extra displays, and more

Ask TUAW: File ownership and permissions, converting FLV and OGG, extra displays, and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask TUAW: Shopping for new Macs, iPhone home screens, home folder on external disk, and more

Mat Lu — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:00:00 EST

Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we have questions about whether to buy a 27" iMac or a MacBook Pro, increasing the number of iPhone home screens, moving your home folder to an external disk, and more.

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Leave your questions for next week in the comments section at the end of this post. When asking a question, please include which machine you're using and what version of Mac OS X is installed on it (we'll assume you're running Snow Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify), or if it's an iPhone-related question, which iPhone version and OS version you have.

Continue reading Ask TUAW: Shopping for new Macs, iPhone home screens, home folder on external disk, and more

Ask TUAW: Shopping for new Macs, iPhone home screens, home folder on external disk, and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask TUAW: Key remapping in Boot Camp, iPad tethering, file-sharing with a media extender, and more

Mat Lu — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:00:00 EST

Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we deal with some technical issues on our production Mac before turning to questions about Windows key remapping in Boot Camp, sharing files with a LaCie media extender, downloading images in Safari, recovering from a hard drive failure, and more.

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Leave your questions for next week in the comments section at the end of this post. When asking a question, please include which machine you're using and what version of Mac OS X is installed on it (we'll assume you're running Snow Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify), or if it's an iPhone-related question, which iPhone version and OS version you have.

Continue reading Ask TUAW: Key remapping in Boot Camp, iPad tethering, file-sharing with a media extender, and more

Ask TUAW: Key remapping in Boot Camp, iPad tethering, file-sharing with a media extender, and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Plants vs. Zombies hits the iPhone

Mat Lu — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 10:00:00 EST

Last week we noted the impending arrival PopCap's ridiculously addictive Plants vs. Zombies onto the iPhone / iPod touch, and now this marvelous time-waster has landed. A variant of the the tower defense genre, Plants vs. Zombies requires you to defend your house from mobs of raging zombies by placing various sorts of projectile-emitting, exploding, and zombie-eating plants between them and your front door.

Much like previous hits Peggle and Bejeweled, the PopCap team has produced a first-class iPhone port. On my 3GS it runs smoothly and the core gameplay is substantially unchanged from the desktop version, despite the smaller screen (you can get a free gameplay taste with the online version). Minor tweaks include placing your plant "catalog" along the left side of the screen and adding handy highlights which show you exactly into which row and column you're placing your plants.

Plants vs. Zombies is available now for iPhone and iPod touch for a bargain price of $2.99. Go get it; you won't be disappointed.

Plants vs. Zombies hits the iPhone originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 17 Feb 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask TUAW: iPad VGA out, changing keyboard shortcuts, Time Capsule worries, and more

Mat Lu — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST

Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we've got questions about changing keyboard shortcuts in Keynote, the iPad's dock to VGA adapter, Time Capsule failures, Mac-compatible scanners, iPhone voice control, and more.

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Leave your questions for next week in the comments section at the end of this post. When asking a question, please include which machine you're using and what version of Mac OS X is installed on it (we'll assume you're running Snow Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify), or if it's an iPhone-related question, which iPhone version and OS version you have.

Continue reading Ask TUAW: iPad VGA out, changing keyboard shortcuts, Time Capsule worries, and more

Ask TUAW: iPad VGA out, changing keyboard shortcuts, Time Capsule worries, and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 11 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask TUAW: Power adapters, Windows 7, iWork refresh, and more

Mat Lu — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 09:00:00 EST

Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we've got questions about MacBook power adapters, Windows 7 in Boot Camp and virtualization in general, resetting the Mac Setup Assistant, the next iWork refresh, and more.

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Leave your questions for next week in the comments section at the end of this post. When asking a question, please include which machine you're using and what version of Mac OS X is installed on it (we'll assume you're running Snow Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify), or if it's an iPhone-related question, which iPhone version and OS version you have.

Continue reading Ask TUAW: Power adapters, Windows 7, iWork refresh, and more

Ask TUAW: Power adapters, Windows 7, iWork refresh, and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask TUAW: Prepping a Mac for transfer, adding words to spell check, updating Boot Camp, and more

Mat Lu — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 12:00:00 EST

Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we've got questions about preparing a Mac that you're transferring to a new owner, updating Boot Camp, adding words to the built-in spell check, dealing with flaky network disks, FTP clients, and more.

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Leave your questions for next week in the comments section at the end of this post. When asking a question, please include which machine you're using and what version of Mac OS X is installed on it (we'll assume you're running Snow Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify), or if it's an iPhone-related question, which iPhone version and OS version you have.

Continue reading Ask TUAW: Prepping a Mac for transfer, adding words to spell check, updating Boot Camp, and more

Ask TUAW: Prepping a Mac for transfer, adding words to spell check, updating Boot Camp, and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 28 Jan 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask TUAW: Automatic file sorting, Disk Utility, iPod battery replacement, and more

Mat Lu — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 10:00:00 EST

Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we've got questions about automatically sorting downloaded files, using Disk Utility to change partitions and format external drives, using a KVM in a multi-platform environment, replacing an iPod touch battery, and more.

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Leave your questions for next week in the comments section at the end of this post. When asking a question, please include which machine you're using and what version of Mac OS X is installed on it (we'll assume you're running Snow Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify), or if it's an iPhone-related question, which iPhone version and OS version you have.

Continue reading Ask TUAW: Automatic file sorting, Disk Utility, iPod battery replacement, and more

Ask TUAW: Automatic file sorting, Disk Utility, iPod battery replacement, and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 20 Jan 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask TUAW: Firewall settings, Snow Leopard faxing, MacBook battery life, and more

Mat Lu — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 10:00:00 EST

Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we've got questions about firewall settings, SSDs, MacBook battery life, faxing in Snow Leopard, and much more.

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Leave your questions for next week in the comments section at the end of this post. When asking a question, please include which machine you're using and what version of Mac OS X is installed on it (we'll assume you're running Snow Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify), or if it's an iPhone-related question, which iPhone version and OS version you have.

Continue reading Ask TUAW: Firewall settings, Snow Leopard faxing, MacBook battery life, and more

Ask TUAW: Firewall settings, Snow Leopard faxing, MacBook battery life, and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 14 Jan 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask TUAW: recovering deleted files, encrypted backups, cheap scanning, and more

Mat Lu — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 21:00:00 EST

Welcome back to a new year of Ask TUAW, our weekly troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we've got questions about cheap scanners, encrypting backups, recovering deleted files, troubleshooting new hardware, and more.

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Leave your questions for next week in the comments section at the end of this post. When asking a question, please include which machine you're using and what version of Mac OS X is installed on it (we'll assume you're running Snow Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify), or if it's an iPhone-related question, which iPhone version and OS version you have.

Continue reading Ask TUAW: recovering deleted files, encrypted backups, cheap scanning, and more

Ask TUAW: recovering deleted files, encrypted backups, cheap scanning, and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Panic releases Unison 2, improves binaries support

Mat Lu — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:30:00 EST

Panic has released a major update to its Mac Usenet client Unison. Usenet is one of those historical districts of the Internet that's a bit off the beaten track these days, but still has its uses. It began as a global message board system and still has lots of folks doing that, but it has also become a huge repository of binaries and a good alternative to bittorrent and other peer to peer systems.

Back in the day I was a Usenet fiend, but I'd fallen away until very recently; I returned courtesy of NewsgroupDirect, a good, Mac-friendly third-party Usenet provider that provided a review account for TUAW use (you generally have to subscribe these days for Usenet access). What I was surprised to discover on my return was the advent of NZB files and search engines which make it extremely easy to find binaries (unlike the old days when you had to look for everything manually). The new version of Unison offers native support for NZB searching within the application (via binsearch.info and others). It also automatically takes care of finding missing parts, PAR recovery, and RAR unpacking. In short, Unison is now clearly your best bet on the Mac for Usenet binaries.

Of course Unison also retains its older message reading features and adds handy new ones like threading. There's an updated interface and the general level of Mac goodness one associates with Panic. Unison 2.0 is $29 ($18 upgrade from version 1) and a 7-day demo is available. If you need a Usenet subscription, Panic is offering the companion service Unison Access for $9 a month; NewsgroupDirect offers a range of plans from $8 to $20 per month.

Panic releases Unison 2, improves binaries support originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask TUAW: Mac mini HTPC, Find My iPhone with another iPhone, eliminate duplicate photos, and more

Mat Lu — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 12:45:00 EST

Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we've got questions about Mac minis running as HTPCs, eliminating duplicate photos, using an iPhone to access MobileMe's FInd My iPhone feature (for another iPhone), automatically mounting a network disk, and more.

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Leave your questions for next week in the comments section at the end of this post. When asking a question, please include which machine you're using and what version of Mac OS X is installed on it (we'll assume you're running Snow Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify), or if it's an iPhone-related question, which iPhone version and OS version you have.

Continue reading Ask TUAW: Mac mini HTPC, Find My iPhone with another iPhone, eliminate duplicate photos, and more

Ask TUAW: Mac mini HTPC, Find My iPhone with another iPhone, eliminate duplicate photos, and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 24 Dec 2009 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask TUAW: Syncing photos, compressing and transferring large files, virtual printers, and more

Mat Lu — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:00:00 EST

Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we've got questions about syncing photo libraries, compressing and transferring large files, creating a virtual PDF printer, increasing screen readability, and more.

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Leave your questions for next week in the comments section at the end of this post. When asking a question, please include which machine you're using and what version of Mac OS X is installed on it (we'll assume you're running Snow Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify).

Continue reading Ask TUAW: Syncing photos, compressing and transferring large files, virtual printers, and more

Ask TUAW: Syncing photos, compressing and transferring large files, virtual printers, and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask TUAW: Simple spreadsheets, partitioning with Time Machine, iTunes with a NAS, and more

Mat Lu — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 11:30:00 EST

Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we've got questions about sharing peripherals, simple spreadsheets, backup configurations, using a NAS, and more.

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Leave your questions for next week in the comments section at the end of this post. When asking a question, please include which machine you're using and what version of Mac OS X is installed on it (we'll assume you're running Snow Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify).

Continue reading Ask TUAW: Simple spreadsheets, partitioning with Time Machine, iTunes with a NAS, and more

Ask TUAW: Simple spreadsheets, partitioning with Time Machine, iTunes with a NAS, and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 10 Dec 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask TUAW: iMac processor upgrade, 27" iMac as display, wireless input devices, and more

Mat Lu — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST

Happy holiday, and welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we've got questions about upgrading an iMac processor, using the 27" iMac as a display, sharing a Magic Mouse and Bluetooth keyboard with a Linux machine, and more.

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Leave your questions for next week in the comments section at the end of this post. When asking a question, please include which machine you're using and what version of Mac OS X is installed on it (we'll assume you're running Snow Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions.

Continue reading Ask TUAW: iMac processor upgrade, 27" iMac as display, wireless input devices, and more

Ask TUAW: iMac processor upgrade, 27" iMac as display, wireless input devices, and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Camino 2.0 offers Tab Overview and more

Mat Lu — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST

Camino seems a bit like the half-forgotten poor sister of Firefox. The goal of the Camino project is to produce a truly OS X-native browser built on the same Gecko rendering engine that drives Firefox. While it was popular among certain Mac geeks for a while (I even remember using it when it was still called Chimera), it seems like it's fallen somewhat out of favor of late given the richness of browser options on the Mac. No doubt part of this was the lack of significant development.

Well, no more. Camino is back with a new version number and lots of interesting new features. Perhaps chief among them is the new Tab Overview, which is a little like Exposé for open tabs. It also features improvements in handling tabs, Growl integration, phishing and malware protection and more.

Camino 2.0 is a free download from The Camino Project for OS X 10.4 and later.

[via Daring Fireball]

Camino 2.0 offers Tab Overview and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask TUAW: Silencing iPhone notifications, remote control a PC, printing over the internet, and more

Mat Lu — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST

Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we've got questions about controlling a PC over the internet, silencing iPhone email notifications at night, replacing a MacBook Pro SuperDrive with a hard drive, printing over the internet, setting iCal as the default calendar, and more.

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Leave your questions for next week in the comments section at the end of this post. When asking a question, please include which machine you're using and what version of Mac OS X is installed on it (we'll assume you're running Snow Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions.

Continue reading Ask TUAW: Silencing iPhone notifications, remote control a PC, printing over the internet, and more

Ask TUAW: Silencing iPhone notifications, remote control a PC, printing over the internet, and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask TUAW: Auto-tagging music, iPhone VoIP apps, replacing a hard drive and more

Mat Lu — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST

Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we've got questions about VOIP apps on the iPhone, auto-tagging music, Boot Camp, replacing a hard drive and more.

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Leave your questions for next week in the comments section at the end of this post. When asking a question, please include which machine you're using and what version of Mac OS X is installed on it (we'll assume you're running Snow Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions.

Continue reading Ask TUAW: Auto-tagging music, iPhone VoIP apps, replacing a hard drive and more

Ask TUAW: Auto-tagging music, iPhone VoIP apps, replacing a hard drive and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask TUAW: Joystick as mouse, remote access, PC friendly zip files, and more

Mat Lu — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST

Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we've got questions about using a joystick as a mouse, remotely accessing a Mac from a PC, creating zip files without the Mac-specific metadata, replicating certain Windows features, and more.

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Questions for next week should be left in the comments. When asking a question please include which machine and which version of Mac OS X you're running (we'll assume you're running Snow Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions.

Continue reading Ask TUAW: Joystick as mouse, remote access, PC friendly zip files, and more

Ask TUAW: Joystick as mouse, remote access, PC friendly zip files, and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask TUAW: Syncing, custom keyboards, sharing iPhone apps, and more

Mat Lu — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:00:00 EST

Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly Mac troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we've got lots of questions about syncing, as well as customized keyboards, sharing iPhone apps, managing iTunes, and more.

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Questions for next week should be left in the comments. When asking a question please include which machine you're running and which version of Mac OS X (we'll assume you're running Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions

Continue reading Ask TUAW: Syncing, custom keyboards, sharing iPhone apps, and more

Ask TUAW: Syncing, custom keyboards, sharing iPhone apps, and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask TUAW: Making contact sheets, adjusting multiple files' properties, using network locations, and more

Mat Lu — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 10:30:00 EST

Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly Mac troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we've got questions about making photo contact sheets, adjusting properties for multiple files at the same time in the Finder, automatically managing settings based on location, changing the spell check language in iWork and more.

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Questions for next week should be left in the comments. When asking a question please include which machine you're running and which version of Mac OS X (we'll assume you're running Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions.

Continue reading Ask TUAW: Making contact sheets, adjusting multiple files' properties, using network locations, and more

Ask TUAW: Making contact sheets, adjusting multiple files' properties, using network locations, and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask TUAW: Connecting to a System 7 Mac, video management software, Apple's Up-to-Date program and more

Mat Lu — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EST

Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly Mac troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we've got questions about Apple Up-to-Date program, non-black LCD monitors, video management software, connecting to an old PowerMac 7200 to salvage files, and more.

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Questions for next week should be left in the comments. When asking a question please include which machine you're running and which version of Mac OS X (we'll assume you're running Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions.

Continue reading Ask TUAW: Connecting to a System 7 Mac, video management software, Apple's Up-to-Date program and more

Ask TUAW: Connecting to a System 7 Mac, video management software, Apple's Up-to-Date program and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 03 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask TUAW: More migration, expanding Apple's Dictionary, syncing iPhone notes, and more

Mat Lu — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:00:00 EST

Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly Mac troubleshooting Q&A column! This time we've got more questions on migrating user data when upgrading to Snow Leopard, expanding Apple's built-in Dictionary application, accessing iPhone notes without Mail.app, and more.

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Questions for next week should be left in the comments. When asking a question please include which machine you're running and which version of Mac OS X (we'll assume you're running Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions.

Continue reading Ask TUAW: More migration, expanding Apple's Dictionary, syncing iPhone notes, and more

Ask TUAW: More migration, expanding Apple's Dictionary, syncing iPhone notes, and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask TUAW: Migration, syncing, backing up, and more

Mat Lu — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 10:00:00 EST

Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly Mac troubleshooting Q&A column! This time we've got questions on migrating to a new Mac, using a Time Capsule for wireless backup, speeding up podcasts, syncing two Macs, and more.

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Questions for next week should be left in the comments. When asking a question please include which machine you're running and which version of Mac OS X (we'll assume you're running Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions.

Continue reading Ask TUAW: Migration, syncing, backing up, and more

Ask TUAW: Migration, syncing, backing up, and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 05 Aug 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask TUAW: AirPort Extreme bridge, iTunes smart playlists, USB drive backup, and more

Mat Lu — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EST

Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly Mac troubleshooting Q&A column! This time we've got questions on using an AirPort Extreme as a wireless to ethernet bridge, automatically backing up a USB flash drive, building smart playlists in iTunes, migrating an iTunes Library and more.

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Questions for next week should be left in the comments. When asking a question please include which machine you're running and which version of Mac OS X (we'll assume you're running Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions.

Continue reading Ask TUAW: AirPort Extreme bridge, iTunes smart playlists, USB drive backup, and more

Ask TUAW: AirPort Extreme bridge, iTunes smart playlists, USB drive backup, and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask TUAW: Lotus Notes to iPhone, Time Capsule storage, uninstalling Haxies, and more

Mat Lu — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EST

Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly Mac troubleshooting Q&A column! This time we've got questions on syncing an iPhone with Lotus Notes, expanding storage on a Time Capsule, preventing iCal event invitation emails, uninstalling Haxies, and more

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Questions for next week should be left in the comments. When asking a question please include which machine you're running and which version of Mac OS X (we'll assume you're running Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions.

Continue reading Ask TUAW: Lotus Notes to iPhone, Time Capsule storage, uninstalling Haxies, and more

Ask TUAW: Lotus Notes to iPhone, Time Capsule storage, uninstalling Haxies, and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 23 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask TUAW: Case-sensitive file system, writing apps, universal remotes, and more

Mat Lu — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 09:30:00 EST

Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly Mac troubleshooting Q&A column! This time we've got questions on using a case sensitive file system in OS X, applications focused on writing, controlling a Mac with a universal remote control, push email, using a MacBook with an external display, and more.

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Questions for next week should be left in the comments. When asking a question please include which machine you're running and which version of Mac OS X (we'll assume you're running Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions.

Continue reading Ask TUAW: Case-sensitive file system, writing apps, universal remotes, and more

Ask TUAW: Case-sensitive file system, writing apps, universal remotes, and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 15 Jul 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask TUAW: OpenCL support in Snow Leopard, Boot Camp, automatic importing into iPhoto, and more

Mat Lu — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 10:00:00 EST

Wednesday means it's time for another Ask TUAW! For this edition we've got questions about what Macs will support Snow Leopard's forthcoming OpenCL acceleration, using Boot Camp with multiple partitions, connecting a Mac mini to HDMI, automatically importing images into iPhoto, and more.

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Questions for next week should be left in the comments. When asking a question please include which machine you're running and which version of Mac OS X (we'll assume you're running Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions.

Continue reading Ask TUAW: OpenCL support in Snow Leopard, Boot Camp, automatic importing into iPhoto, and more

Ask TUAW: OpenCL support in Snow Leopard, Boot Camp, automatic importing into iPhoto, and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 08 Jul 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PS3 Media Server transcodes and remuxes in real time

Mat Lu — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 23:30:00 EST

For a while now I've been using MediaLink ($20) from Nullsoft to stream video from my Mac to my PS3, but last evening I discovered that I had some MKV (Matroska container) files that I wanted to stream but which the PS3 doesn't natively support. Naturally I assumed I'd have to convert the files and Googling around did turn up a method for doing so using QuickTime Pro. Even beyond the need for QuickTime Pro, however, it is also a somewhat time-consuming process. That's when I ran across a brilliant piece of open-source software called PS3 Media Server.

PS3 Media Server is a cross-platform Java application (and, unfortunately, it looks like it), which not only streams video from your Mac to your PS3, but also utilizes the open source Mplayer/FFmpeg backend packages to transcode / remux media in real time. What this means is nothing short of remarkable: you no longer have to convert supported media (MKV/FLV/OGM/AVI) ahead of time for playback on the PS3. I was able to stream a 720p MKV file without a hiccup (though I do have both my Mac and PS3 connected to the router via ethernet cable). Being impressed at the performance I decided to try it with a 1080p movie trailer I had downloaded from Apple and after a brief blip about 10 seconds in it streamed beautifully as well. (Note that both of these files were already H.264, which the PS3 does natively support, so I believe the PS3 Media server was only remuxing and not actually transcoding.)

PS3 Media Server is a free download over at Google Code (donations requested). There's also a Mac-specific beta (pictured above) that offers more features (including iTunes and iPhoto library support). Overall I'm shocked by how well it has worked with what I've thrown its way (which is admittedly limited). Highly recommended.

PS3 Media Server transcodes and remuxes in real time originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask TUAW: Online backup, Bluetooth with iPod touch and OS 3.0, converting DVDs for iPhone, and more

Mat Lu — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST

In this round of Ask TUAW we've got questions about connecting a MacBook to a plasma TV, using a Bluetooth headset with an iPod touch, backing up online, ripping DVDs to watch on an iPhone and more.

As always, your suggestions are welcome. Questions for next week should be left in the comments. When asking a question please include which machine you're running and which version of Mac OS X (we'll assume you're running Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions!

Continue reading Ask TUAW: Online backup, Bluetooth with iPod touch and OS 3.0, converting DVDs for iPhone, and more

Ask TUAW: Online backup, Bluetooth with iPod touch and OS 3.0, converting DVDs for iPhone, and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 24 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Friday Favorite: Dasher

Mat Lu — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:30:00 EST

Another Friday Favorite, our weekly opportunity to gush over one of our favorite apps.

This week I'm going with an oldie but goodie that I use every day. Way back when Dashboard first appeared, my biggest problem with it was that I simply forgot about it. My main use of Dashboard is for displaying information that I want to remember, e.g. appointments with iCal Events, iCal ToDos with DoBeDo, the weather, etc. However, for this to be really useful it needs to be in front of my face a lot. And since I generally tend to forget to invoke Dashboard on my own this pretty much fails.

Enter the basic preference pane app Dasher, which does one simple, but amazingly useful thing: it automatically invokes the Dashboard after a set period of time. Everytime I step away from my Mac and return, the Dashboard is displayed with my appointments, etc. so that now they're in my face enough for me to remember them and Dashboard finally works for me.

Dasher is a free download from Splasm Software. It's an old piece of software that has not been updated in quite some time, but it still works fine on my 10.5.7 machine.

Incidentally, there's another way to accomplish something similar using an OS X screen-saver. DashSaver (donation requested) from High Earth Orbit installs as a standard screen saver and will also display the Dashboard after a set period of time.

Friday Favorite: Dasher originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Emoji for iChat adds... emoji to iChat

Mat Lu — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:00:00 EST

With the release of iPhone OS 3.0, I was wondering if emoji icons still worked (they do), and then it finally dawned on me: why not iChat? A quick search turned up exactly what I was looking for: Emoji for iChat. This free downloadable icon pack basically adds the iPhone Emoji icons to iChat, accessible from the standard smiley-face dropdown menu. For it to work, however, both sides have to have it installed; if your recipient does not use the tool, all they'll see is gibberish.

Emoji for iChat is a free download from Einar Andersson & Tor Rauden Källstigen. The download includes an installer which will require you to restart iChat.

Emoji for iChat adds... emoji to iChat originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask TUAW: Return to open, messed up Mighty Mouse, PDF alternatives, Boot Camp expansion, and more

Mat Lu — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 14:00:00 EST

It's time once again for Ask TUAW! For this round we take questions about cleaning a malfunctioning Mighty Mouse, opening files and applications with the return key, expanding a Boot Camp partition, finding alternatives to Adobe Acrobat, caring for your notebook battery, and more

As always, your suggestions are welcome. Questions for next week should be left in the comments. When asking a question please include which machine you're running and which version of Mac OS X (we'll assume you're running Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions!

Continue reading Ask TUAW: Return to open, messed up Mighty Mouse, PDF alternatives, Boot Camp expansion, and more

Ask TUAW: Return to open, messed up Mighty Mouse, PDF alternatives, Boot Camp expansion, and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 04 Jun 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask TUAW: Switcher questions, WiFi stumbling, dual-band WiFi, hard drive upgrading, and more

Mat Lu — Thu, 28 May 2009 02:00:00 EST

We're back with another shot of Ask TUAW! This time we've got a couple of common switcher issues, as well as questions about upgrading a hard drive, using WiFi stumbler software, setting up a dual-band WiFi network, and more.

As always, your suggestions are welcome. Questions for next week should be left in the comments. When asking a question please include which machine you're running and which version of Mac OS X (we'll assume you're running Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions!

Continue reading Ask TUAW: Switcher questions, WiFi stumbling, dual-band WiFi, hard drive upgrading, and more

Ask TUAW: Switcher questions, WiFi stumbling, dual-band WiFi, hard drive upgrading, and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 28 May 2009 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask TUAW: WiFi on an older PowerMac, creating contact sheets, managing iPhone apps in iTunes, and more

Mat Lu — Thu, 14 May 2009 01:00:00 EST

We're back with another shot of Ask TUAW! This time we've got questions about getting WiFi in an older G4 PowerMac, creating photo contact sheets, blanking a display, automatically opening downloaded files, managing iPhone apps in iTunes, and more.

As always, your suggestions are welcome. Questions for next week should be left in the comments. When asking a question please include which machine you're running and which version of Mac OS X (we'll assume you're running Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions!

Continue reading Ask TUAW: WiFi on an older PowerMac, creating contact sheets, managing iPhone apps in iTunes, and more

Ask TUAW: WiFi on an older PowerMac, creating contact sheets, managing iPhone apps in iTunes, and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 14 May 2009 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask TUAW: Syncing folders, hard drive problems, reinstalling OS X, and more

Mat Lu — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 13:30:00 EST

For this go-around of Ask TUAW we're taking questions about moving an iTunes library between user accounts, dealing with a misbehaving Western Digital external hard drive, syncing folders containing sensitive information, reinstalling OS X without losing iLife, and more.

As always, your suggestions are welcome. Questions for next week should be left in the comments. When asking a question please include which machine you're running and which version of Mac OS X (we'll assume you're running Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions!

Continue reading Ask TUAW: Syncing folders, hard drive problems, reinstalling OS X, and more

Ask TUAW: Syncing folders, hard drive problems, reinstalling OS X, and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 29 Apr 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nambu native Twitter client for Mac

Mat Lu — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 15:00:00 EST

In the most recent Ask TUAW, we addressed a question about Twitter (follow TUAW!), and asked readers for their favorite clients. Several users suggested Nambu, and having just put it through its paces, I can see why it's so popular.

Nambu is a native Mac application designed for multiple social networking services, but in practice it seems like its primary strength is as a Twitter client. It offers support for multiple Twitter accounts, which can in turn be viewed in several different ways. It also integrates support for the tr.im URL shorting service and the pic.im image service.

There's the standard list view which will automatically integrate tweets from multiple accounts into a single timeline. There's a three-pane view, somewhat similar to Mail, with a sidebar allowing you to choose between accounts, and finally (my favorite) there's a multi-column view reminiscent of the Adobe AIR-based TweetDeck and you can, of course, choose what appears in each column: main timeline, replies, sent messages, searches(!), etc.. In addition, replies are automatically threaded so they appear indented under the most recent tweet from the person to whom you are replying (as well as within the normal timeline). Another nice feature is that it automatically displays the domain of shortened URLs that appear in your timeline.

In short, I think I've found my new Mac-native Twitter client. Nambu is a free download from The Nambu Network.

Nambu native Twitter client for Mac originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 16 Apr 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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