Apple, Mac, iPod and iPhone Help, Tips and Expert Advice

Bugs & Fixes: Screensavers in Snow Leopard

Ted Landau — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:09:00 -0800

After a little wait, many third-party screensavers are now compatible with Snow Leopard. But there are glitches. Ted Landau has details.

Toggle sidebar visibility in all open Finder windows

Rob Griffiths — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:42:00 -0800

Using an AppleScript, create a Service (in 10.6) that will let you toggle the visibility of the sidebar in all open Finder windows. This also works in 10.5, but it's not quite as useful there, as the script can't fully hide the sidebar.

Macworld Buying Guide: Mice

Rik Myslewski — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:42:00 -0800

We’re in the Golden Age of Rodents. It’s time to look at the mice you’re missing. However, the wealth of choices can be daunting. We have a few tips to help you.

Macworld Buying Guide: Keyboards

Dan Frakes — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:41:00 -0800

The keyboard you choose is based on a personal decision, but there are some features and terms you should understand so you make the proper buying decision. And that’s what this guide is here to do. Here are our tips to buying a new keyboard.

Use Tab key in Snow Leopard keyboard shortcuts

Rob Griffiths — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:34:00 -0800

Learn how to include the Tab key in user-created keyboard shortcuts in Snow Leopard -- something that wasn't possible in previous OS X releases.

Five unexpected uses for Copy and Paste

Sharon Zardetto — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:10:00 -0800

Did you know you can copy and paste a whole lot more than just text and graphics? When you start in the Finder, you can use the Copy command to lift all sorts of information from a selected Finder item. Here are some of Sharon Zardetto's favorite tricks.

Macworld's complete iPod buying guide

Christopher Breen — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:08:00 -0800

This holiday season, which iPod is the right one for you and for your loved ones? Our expert Christopher Breen helps sort out Apple's offerings so you can make the best choice.

Snapshot: When is an iPhone better than a DSLR?

Heather Kelly — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:30:00 -0800

Photographer Chase Jarvis shares one of his favorite iPhone images and explains why he thinks iPhones and camera phones are the future of photography.

Macworld's complete Mac buying guide

Roman Loyola — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:31:00 -0800

In this buying guide, we'll cover all the Macintosh models available, tell you how they've changed over the previous model, and how well they did in our benchmark tests.

Add, remove, and replace PDF pages

Pariah S. Burke — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:00:00 -0800

Pariah Burke walks you through the process of adding, removing, and replacing pages in complex Acrobat Pro PDF files.

Copy music off your iPod

Kirk McElhearn — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:19:00 -0800

There's nothing worse than losing your iTunes library to a hard drive crash. If you have music on your iPod, you can at least get it back with the right tools.

Open minimized windows in current space in Snow Leopard

Rob Griffiths — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:09:00 -0800

Learn a simple keyboard shortcut to release minimized windows into the active Space, instead of back into their original Space.

Pocket HD camcorders buying guide

Christopher Breen — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:07:00 -0800

The pocket camcorder may be the hottest holiday gift this year. To help you make a decision, here are some of our top-rated pocket camcorders from the products we’ve reviewed.

Full-sized HD camcorders buying guide

Christopher Breen — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:07:00 -0800

How to choose the right HD camcorder? We’ve got some shopping tips if you’re in the market for one this holiday season. And we’ve got a few camcorder recommendations based on what we’ve reviewed over the past year.

iPhone Hints: Access MobileMe site via iPhone

Dan Moren — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:48:00 -0800

Apple doesn't normally let you access MobileMe via the iPhone's Web browser, but here's a way you can sneak around that with the help of several third-party applications.

Extracting content from PDF files

Pariah S. Burke — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:35:00 -0800

Contrary to popular belief, it's really easy to retrieve content from finished PDF documents.

Digital SLR cameras buying guide

Roman Loyola and Ben Long — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:33:00 -0800

If you’re serious about digital photography, a DSLR camera is the way to go. How to pick the right one? We’ve got some shopping tips on what to keep in mind if you’re thinking of buying a DSLR this holiday season.

Enable global text replacements in Snow Leopard

Rob Griffiths — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:17:00 -0800

In Snow Leopard, text replacement must be enabled on a program by program basis. Use this hint to enable text replacements globally, at least in all programs that support them.

Bugs & Fixes: LaunchBar causes an unexpected surprise

Ted Landau — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:34:00 -0800

LaunchBar is an application (plus much more) par excellence. But a new feature in LaunchBar 5 has caused a headache for bug-finder Ted Landau.

A practical approach to protecting trade secrets

Russell Beck and Matt Karlyn — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:00:00 -0800

When you think about security, you probably think about computer viruses and worms. But what about your trade secrets? Here how your company's IT department and lawyers can work together.

Store photos outside of iPhoto's library

Derrick Story — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:00:00 -0800

Hate the way iPhoto takes control of your pictures? You can free them by created a referenced library that other apps can access as well.

Looking at the changes to Snow Leopard's top command

Rob Griffiths — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:26:00 -0800

Learn about some key changes to the Unix 'top' command in Snow Leopard

Get better prints

Dave Johnson and Kelly Turner — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:30:00 -0800

No matter how much you enjoy taking digital photos and sharing them electronically, there’s something special about photos that you hold in your hand. These days, it’s popular to let someone else make prints for you. But there are advantages to printing your photos.

Google's free airport Wi-Fi: Five ways to protect yourself

Jeff Bertolucci — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:27:00 -0800

Planning on taking advantage of free Wi-Fi at the airport during your holiday travels? Make sure you follow these tips for securing your wireless computing.

Explaining iPhoto Library size discrepancy

Christopher Breen — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:41:00 -0800

Why does iPhoto report a library of 7GB when the Finder says 21GB? There's more to the iPhoto Library package than meets the eye.

Secure your jailbroken iPhone with a password change

Dan Moren — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:54:00 -0800

A couple of vulnerabilities pray on jailbroken iPhones that use the same default password. Here's how to change that password to avoid getting bitten.

Four ways to access files from afar

Glenn Fleishman — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:00:00 -0800

If you work in lots of locations, you may find yourself wishing you could access your files from everywhere. Here are four ways to do just that.

Solve inkjet printer problems

Robert Ellis — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:00:00 -0800

Troubled by blurry prints or strange colors? Try these solutions to common printer frustrations.

Directly set screen sharing image quality level

Rob Griffiths — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:49:00 -0800

Learn how to set the quality level of a remote Mac's screen in the Screen Sharing application in 10.5 and 10.6.

Bugs & Fixes: What bugs Mac OS X 10.6.2 tackles

Ted Landau — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:27:00 -0800

The Mac OS X 10.6.2 update fixes several bugs that Ted Landau looked at in previous columns. Here's a rundown of what the updated OS addresses.

Photoshop tip: Global Light

Pariah S. Burke — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0800

What is the Global Light setting and when should you use it?

Speed-up iMovie clips

Christopher Breen — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:38:00 -0800

Here's the way to time-compress a very long video clip.

Finding your photos online

Dave Johnson — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:15:00 -0800

Are you worried about photo theft? Check to see if your photos are being posted without your permission on the Web.

Six ways to botch your backups

Michael Scalisi — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:35:00 -0800

Shocked that a company as prominent as Danger, Inc. could lose T-Mobile's Sidekick customers' data? Protect your business backups by avoiding these six mistakes.

Integrate your iWeb site with Facebook

Adam Berenstain — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0800

Here's a few tips on bringing iWeb and Facebook together.

Bugs & Fixes: Magic Mouse loses its way

Ted Landau — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:05:00 -0800

A pair of irritating symptoms have made Ted Landau's experience with Apple's latest mouse less than magical.

Add more effects to Photo Booth and iChat

Rob Griffiths — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:31:00 -0800

Learn how to add over 20 additional effects to photos taken in Photo Booth and iChat

How to print 35mm slide scans

Derrick Story — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:40:00 -0800

A quick trick for printing high resolution scanned 35mm slides larger than their original, tiny size.

Five unexpected uses for the Control key

Sharon Zardetto — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:05:00 -0800

Sure, you’ve nearly worn out your Mac’s Control key using it to open contextual menus. But did you know you can also add Control to common key combinations to access different commands? Here are five of Sharon Zardetto's favorite Control key tricks.

Switchers Guide: Moving from Windows to the Mac

Harry McCracken — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0800

More and more people are switching from Windows PCs to the Mac. Harry McCracken explains what's involved in the move.

Four hints about Mail and Spaces

Rob Griffiths — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:10:00 -0800

Four hints for the price of one ... learn how to easily switch between open windows of an app across Spaces, how to delete Mail messages without showing a preview of the next, and two tips for working with links in messages in 10.6's Mail app.

Shifting large media libraries

Christopher Breen — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:56:00 -0800

It happens to lots of us: Large media files choke our startup drive. Here are solutions for sharing the wealth between an internal and external hard drive.

Snapshot: High energy photos in low-light settings

Bryan Bruchman — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:00:00 -0800

Make low-light concert images pop. In this column, music photographer Bryan Bruchman shares the technique behind one of his amazing live event pictures.

Keep track of changes in Pages

Kirk McElhearn — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:37:00 -0800

Apple's Pages not only tracks changes and comments in your documents, but also lets you share those changes, even with Microsoft Word users.

Create pause-zoom-pause effects in iMovie stills

Rob Griffiths — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:01:00 -0800

Learn how to show a still image for some time in your iMovie project, then zoom/crop/move that image, and then pause on the final image again before moving on.

Power and the international Mac

Christopher Breen — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:50:00 -0800

No, you needn't purchase a power converter when you take your Mac traveling.

Google Voice makes small businesses sound bigger

Tony Bradley — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:00:00 -0800

Why is Google Voice worth a look? The free service gives small companies an opportunity to use advanced call management features typically reserved for big budget businesses.

iPhone Hints: Lock picture orientation in Photos

Dan Moren — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:11:00 -0800

If last week's iPhone hint was a little complicated, this week's is an exercise in simplicity. Here's how to keep a picture in Photos locked in either landscape or portrait orientation.

Creating a favicon for your Web site

Chris McVeigh — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 04:30:00 -0800

Go to any major Web site, and you’ll almost certainly see an icon to the left of the address in your browser. This tiny image is called a favicon (or Favorites Icon), and with a little effort, you can create one of your own.

Delete networked files without caution dialog

Rob Griffiths — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:43:00 -0700

Learn a timesaving (but potentially dangerous) method of deleting files stored on networked volumes without going through the Finder's "are you sure?" warning dialog.