This one goes out to all the night owls. As much as I love my iMac, I was surprised to see how little control it gave me over the screen's brightness. I often work on my iMac late at night in an otherwise darkened room, and even at the lowest brightness setting, the iMac is really, really bright. All of the Mac laptops I've used have the ability to dim the screen down to completely dark, but the iMac does not.

That's where Shades comes in. Shades is a free preference panel which gives you the ability to control the brightness of your Mac through the menu bar or a floating slider control, or even keyboard shortcuts/hot keys: for example, to increase brightness when Shades is running, I can simply use the option/alt key and the up arrow (or the down-arrow to dim). I can also enable or disable Shades entirely or open the menu bar controls, all via the keyboard.

Shades will let you set a minimum brightness level so you don't accidentally make the screen so dim you can't see anything (although if you have enabled the Hot Keys feature you can use the keyboard to increase the brightness even if you can't see the screen). I recommend setting a minimum brightness that's still visible, especially if you have set your Mac to require a password on waking from sleep.

Shades supports multiple monitors, giving you independent control over each one. While I think this is a good feature (each monitor can have its own setting) the keyboard commands only change the main monitor. You have to adjust the secondary monitor's brightness with a slider control, which is easily done through the menu bar. However, if you have two monitors and have both of their controls in the menu bar, there is no easy way to know which one is which. There is a workaround for this: go into the Shades preference panel and click the tab for one of the monitors and set the "Menu control" to "Shades Icon"; then go to the tab for the other monitor and set the "Menu control" to "Brightness Icon". Now you will have two distinct icons in the menu bar, making it easier to know which monitor's brightness you are adjusting.

You could also use the "Menu control" for one monitor and the "Slider control" (which floats on-screen) for the other. The ability to sync the brightness levels of both monitors would be nice, but this is a very minor complaint. My external monitor has no brightness controls whatsoever (and I know other monitors which make you hunt through a series of on-screen menus) so without Shades I would have no way of controlling its brightness level.

Most laptop users may not need Shades, but it does offer finer control than what the built-in controls offer. If you're an iMac user (or a Mac Pro user with a monitor with hard-to-access brightness controls) who works late at night, give Shades a look. When you're done, simply quit Shades and the monitor will return to its regular brightness level.

Shades runs on either PPC or Intel Macs, and requires Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard or later.

Whenever I'm traveling on business, I rely on my lightweight and compact MacBook Air. There's only one problem with my MBA as far as I'm concerned -- the screen can sometimes seem too small when I have a lot of applications running simultaneously. What I need is a portable monitor that I can just hook up to display a frequently updated window off to the side of my primary display.

That's where the Mimo 710-S USB-powered monitor (US$149) could help out. It's a tiny, foldable 800 x 480 pixel monitor that weighs less than a pound.While this is predominantly a Windows-oriented product, the company provides a place to download a Mac driver. The driver install does require a reboot, which is a bit annoying but to be expected with a proprietary display driver. There's a swivel built into the monitor so that it can be rotated into a portrait configuration. While the monitor doesn't automatically rotate what is being displayed on the screen, it's a simple matter to go into the Display system preference pane for the monitor and choose "Rotate 90°."

Videro is one of those silent-but-cool application suites you've probably never heard of, but you may see it being used every day. I met some of the Videro team at WWDC, and they were happy to demo a little of what the tools do: electronic signage and interactive kiosks. If you happen to need an animated in-store (or museum) display, fed from a server, easy to set up and deploy, complete with iPhone access to check on the servers (so they say), then Videro is an impressive tool.

To start, Videro has a composition tool that allows you to drag and drop your animations, complete with images, video and audio. In fact, Videro has extensive in-app tools for cropping, rotating and otherwise "fixing" your assets for display. But wait, there's more! This isn't just Keynote all gussied up. Videro is designed for business, and a server application makes sure mission-critical displays are functioning properly. There's solid asset management support both in the client and the server applications, making sure your displays never fire off with a dreaded "black box of nothing" where a product shot should be.

Videro mentioned an iPhone app in the video but I have been unable to locate it in the store and a search on their website revealed nothing. Still, it wouldn't be terribly difficult to provide some baseline stats via password-protected web app. We weren't able to get Wi-Fi at our location, so some features weren't visible and this might have been one of them.

Unfortunately Videro's site mentions nothing about price. In my experience that means we're talking about an expensive solution, and likely a custom one for the high-end customers. If you're looking for something simpler, don't miss Dave's excellent post about using Keynote and Dropbox to create an updating and easy presentation solution that would work in a pinch.

Clayton Morris noted on his blog Sunday that iPhone 3G demo units have been removed from display at his local Apple store.

While it is not uncommon to see one or two displays missing for various reasons, Clayton noted that there were at least nine units missing from the main iPhone display tables. Couple this with reports from some Apple stores that they have additional staff scheduled for the next couple of weeks (starting today), and you have some pretty good signs that the new iPhone model might just be available today.

[via AppleInsider]

Police say an inebriated man threw a brick at the front window of Chicago's Magnificent Mile Apple Store on Tuesday night. The man also broke another window a short distance away.

A Tribune photo shows a single broken panel of glass in front of one of Apple's "giant iPhone" displays. From the photo, it looks as if the brick did not go through the glass, and the display appears unharmed.

Robert Grilly, 61, of Chicago was booked on two misdemeanor counts of criminal property damage, Chicago PD said.

Thanks, Paul!

While Jason D. O'Grady considers anything more than ordinatrix inflagrante to be success when he's installing a new operating system, he and others are still reporting on the various and sundry issues that have cropped up since Tuesday's 10.5.7 update:

• I can't find my brain: Some users are reporting that their Buffalo (among other) external disks aren't mounting after installing the update. Solution: Nothing concrete, though many people are suggesting installing the combo update you can download from Apple's site, rather than using Software Update. You can participate in Apple's Support Discussion on the topic if you share this problem. [via MacNN.]

• Blue screen of death: No joke: since the update restarts your computer up to three times, some users are getting hung up on the first blue screen that appears after the gray Apple logo screen. Solution: Wait until disk activity stops, then shut down the computer hard by holding down the power button. [via PowerPage.]

• I was blind, but now I see: The update is causing some video cards to output non-native display resolutions. Instead of outputting 1920 x 1200, instead Mac OS X will try and output 1920 x 1080 (which works fine for HDMI, but not many widescreen displays). Solution: An oldie-but-goodie: Zap the PRAM by holding down command + option + P + R at startup until the computer restarts a few times, then letting go. [also via PowerPage.]

• Cold fusion: VMWare is suggesting people hold off on updating if their configuration includes an ATI graphics card and they use Fusion to run 3D Windows apps. (2D apps are just fine.) Slow and poor rendering and general crashiness are symptoms of the problem. Solution: None yet. Apple and ATI are working on an update. [via MacNN.]

Got problems of your own? Let us know by leaving a comment.

The e-mails have been arriving here at TUAW headquarters for a good portion of the morning with many asking the same question: "What happened to the 20-inch Cinema Display?"

It's true. A check of the direct link to the 20-inch Cinema Display's page reroutes you directly to the main Apple page. The portion of the Apple site dedicated to displays, however, not only still lists the 20-inch Cinema Display, but its departed brethren the 23-inch Cinema Display.

Oh where, oh where, have the 20-inch monitors gone? It leaves a devastatingly slim choice for people wanting an Apple-branded monitor. The new 24-inch LED Cinema Displays won't play nice with either the Mac Pro, iMac, Mac mini, or any other machine that doesn't have a Mini DisplayPort connector -- which pretty much means it's the unibody MacBook family or nothing. The price of the 30-inch Cinema Display is most likely out of reach for a lot of people, as well.

What to do? Take no fear, Amazon still has the 20-inch Cinema Display in stock with free shipping. There's also a host of very nice third-party panels out there. I supplement my MacBook with a 20-inch display from Acer that I picked up at Best Buy for less than $150.

Anyone else have any recommendations for a good non-Apple branded monitor? Let us know in the comments!

Thanks to all who submitted this!

Quick! The boss is coming! Hide your screen! What, you don't have Spaces set up so you can switch to that handy Excel worksheet you've got open? That's okay -- just put your display to sleep.

Of course, there are other reasons to want to quickly turn off your display, but they all have one simple key combination: Control + Shift + Eject.

It works with both desktop and laptop Macs. Moving the mouse or pressing a key on the keyboard wakes it right back up when you're ready.

Of course, if you want to put your whole computer to sleep, you can use Option + Command + Eject. There are other helpful shortcuts, too, in this article deep in the TUAW archives.

Thanks to our own Michael Rose for this one. Want more tips and tricks like this? Visit TUAW's Mac 101 section.

Apple just updated QuickTime to version 7.5.7. This update is big news for users of the MacBook and MacBook Pro unibody computers because it fixes the problem where some users were unable to play protected movie files from iTunes on external displays. This is a problem that TUAW noted last week.

Here's what Software Update has to say about this update: This update is recommended for owners of MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro with Mini DisplayPort. The update addresses an issue where some standard definition purchases from the iTunes Store do not play on some external displays.

We're sure that this update will make many MacBook and MacBook Pro users happy when it comes to video playback on external displays. You can download this update by opening Software Update (Apple menu > Software Update), or by visiting the Apple Support Download Website. Continue reading to see a screenshot of Software Update.

Update: Please note that this update does not allow the playback of HD (High-Definition) content on external displays, you will only be able to view SD (Standard-Definition) content.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

While some of us are waiting to purchase the new 24" LED Cinema Display, Apple has quietly pulled the old 23" Cinema Display from the online store. Apple is still selling the 20" and 30" Cinemas, but they have put the words "Ships: Discontinued" on the 23" model.

I'm sure these are very sad words for the folks who don't like glossy screens; however, this could also mean local retailers (and Apple Stores) might have 23" models on sale very soon (did someone say black Friday sales?).

If you still want a 23" model, you can check Apple's online refurb store where they are currently being sold for $749 (US).


Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

In a move that surprised everybody and nobody simultaneously, Apple has released a brand-new 24-inch LED Cinema Display to spruce up the languishing product line.

In addition to a new form factor that brings their look in line with newer iMacs (and now the new MacBook and MacBook Pro models announced today), the displays have an iSight camera, speakers, and a MagSafe power connector to charge your laptop. They have a native resolution of 1920 by 1200 pixels.

Also, the displays are more environmentally friendly, moving away from the mercury-vapor backlights to newer LED backlights now available throughout Apple's line of laptops. The surface of the display is glass, with a glossy finish.

The display includes three USB ports, but no FireWire ports featured on older Cinema Displays.

The new 24-inch display will be available in November for $899.

Update: "Old" Cinema Displays still appear to be on Apple's website, so it looks like other screen sizes in the older form factor will continue to be available. For how long, we don't know.

[Via Engadget.]

Not a surprise for those who have suffered from the issue, but a welcome admission nonetheless: Apple has now acknowledged that some recent MacBook Pro models contain faulty GeForce 8600M GT chips that cause video display problems. Dell and HP have already told customers similar stories.

In a support document posted yesterday, Apple testily admitted that while NVIDIA assured Apple that Mac computers were not affected, an internal investigation revealed three models of MacBook Pro indeed had problems.

Our own Cory Bohon wrote about his experience with (what he now believes to be) the same issue back in August.

The models affected were all manufactured between May 2007 and September 2008:

• MacBook Pro (17-Inch, 2.4GHz)
• MacBook Pro (15-Inch, 2.4/2.2GHz)
• MacBook Pro (Early 2008)

If your MacBook Pro is displaying distorted or scrambled video on the screen, or no video at all, you can take your computer to an Apple Authorized Service provider to have it repaired, free of charge. If you've already had your computer serviced for this issue, Apple may issue you a refund for the cost of the service. Free service is available to owners who bought their computer less than two years ago, even if the computer is out of warranty.

The problem is likely to cost NVIDIA up to $200 million to fix; this does not include the likely fallout from shareholder lawsuits alleging that the video-card manufacturer deliberately withheld information on the scope of the chip flaws.

[Via AppleInsider.]

Here's a very cool tip we first saw at Lifehacker. Jeff Kelley is a MacBook Pro user who, like many others, connects it to several displays, depending on context and the task at hand.

If you've done this, you may be familiar with the same irritation that has bothered Jeff. Namely, application windows re-sizing themselves across displays. The difference between Jeff and the rest of us is that he did something about it.

Here is a great AppleScript that notices his screen resolution and sizes his application windows according to his likes. Now, Mail, iCal and so on will appear just where they ought to. Very cool!

A new Apple patent showing a head-mounted laser display surfaced today. The patent, which looks like a rather odd pair of sun glasses, would allow you to view video (or your Mac's screen) in a manner similar to the MyVu products. This patent also includes a geeky looking device that attaches to the belt, probably for image/video processing, and battery.

Just as you see white ear buds on many iPod owners, you may soon see Mac users with frickin' lasers mounted on their heads. This would bring a whole new meaning to the word "Machead."

You can read the patent application on the US Patent & Trademark Offices' website.

[via Engadget]