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

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.

Bugs & Fixes: Snow Leopard's Spelling Ignore button is ignored

Ted Landau — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:43:00 -0700

After upgrading to Snow Leopard, have you noticed that words continue to be flagged as potentially incorrect even after you've clicked the Ignore button in the Spelling Checker? Ted Landau gets to the root of the problem.

The secret to spooky jack-o-lantern photos

Ben Long — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 07:00:00 -0700

Show off your ghoulish creation with these simple photography tricks.

Restore your old pictures with iPhoto

Derrick Story — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:55:00 -0700

Return your scanned old photos to their former glory with a few easy adjustments in iPhoto.

See icon previews in folder Quick Look windows

Rob Griffiths — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:41:00 -0700

Learn how to see a rotating set of icon previews for files within folders in Quick Look mode - perhaps not terribly useful, but visually intriguing

Five unexpected uses for the Esc key

Sharon Zardetto — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:15:00 -0700

The Esc key has long been the “get me outta here” panacea for many things: canceling a dialog box, getting rid of a button-less splash screen, you name it. (Esc is, after all, short for "escape.") Here’s a handful of less-than-obvious solutions the Esc key provides.

How to provide tech support for your family

Christopher Breen — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:38:00 -0700

When should you as family tech support intervene in a technical issue between your loved one and a tech? Before, during, and after.

Four smart tips for managing scanned photos

Derrick Story — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:00:00 -0700

Bring order and security to your scanned printed media with these smart iPhoto management and back up strategies

Self-promotional sites with iWeb

Adam Berenstain — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 05:30:00 -0700

Pulling together a self-promotional Web site can be complex. Using iWeb for the task can make your job easier.

Two more Snow Leopard Expose tips

Rob Griffiths — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:41:00 -0700

Learn how to change the Expose All Windows sort order, and how to control whether or not Expose searches across Spaces in Application Windows mode.

Outsource your photo scanning projects

Derrick Story — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 07:00:00 -0700

Scanning all your old photos is a daunting process. Should you use a third-party scanning service can help you migrate old photos from the shoe box to the computer?

Avoiding death by e-mail

Tom L. Barnett — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 06:35:00 -0700

Do you love your e-mail? Come on, it's just the two of us. Do you really? If you feel imprisoned by your inbox (and like you never get any work done as a result) check out one company's idea for breaking out.

Upgrading a MacBook Pro's hard drive

Christopher Breen — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:07:00 -0700

Laptop in one hand, replacement raw drive in the other. No, you needn't reinstall everything when you install the new hard drive.

iPhone Hints: Subscribed calendars on your iPhone

Dan Moren — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 07:00:00 -0700

MobileMe users can sync their subscribed calendars from their Mac to their iPhone, but what about the rest of us?

Maximize your iMovie editing space

Jeff Carlson — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:30:00 -0700

The designers of iMovie have included several options for maximizing the editing environment for any screen size. Whether you want to focus on your project instead of your video library, or just want to recover some elbow room while editing, the following techniques will help.

Add notes to events and contacts created with data detectors

Rob Griffiths — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:14:00 -0700

Data detectors in Mail in 10.5 and 10.6 can help you create new contacts and events from dates, addresses, and phone numbers. Learn how to automatically associate notes with these new entries.

Bugs & Fixes: Font duplicate misadventures

Ted Landau — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:40:00 -0700

After upgrading to Snow Leopard, Ted Landau was surprised to find 16 duplicate font warnings. And it took some effort to resolve the matter.

Find recently-used apps and documents in Snow Leopard

Rob Griffiths — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:45:00 -0700

In Snow Leopard, you can use the Recent Items menu to help you quickly find where you saved a recently-used document (or application).

All about iTunes windows

Kirk McElhearn — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:08:00 -0700

Whether it's adjusting the width of iTunes' interface, using multiple windows, or controlling how videos play back, there's a lot you can do with windows in iTunes.

Caching iPod touch driving directions

Christopher Breen — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:45:00 -0700

You say your iPod touch isn't much good for providing directions while on the road? With a little planning it can be a better navigator.

Snapshot: Shoot new angles with kite photography

Heather Kelly — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 07:15:00 -0700

A reader shares his experience using kite photography to take a picture of the Statue of Liberty.

When to use Twitter instead of e-mail

Joe Kissell — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:15:00 -0700

Twitter versus e-mail? From evading junk mail filters to serving as a quick group messaging service, sometimes Twitter works best.

Two ways to download software updates in Snow Leopard

Rob Griffiths — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:29:00 -0700

Snow Leopard removed a useful 'download only' option from Software Update. Learn two ways to replace that lost functionality.

Sharing home movies with iWeb

Adam Berenstain — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:00:00 -0700

The My Albums templates in iWeb aren’t just for pictures––they can hold videos, too. Here’s how to use them to organize your movies in one convenient place online.

Move Finder items more efficiently

Christopher Breen — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:22:00 -0700

There must be easier ways to move items from place to place on your Mac. I provide a few and then solicit your ideas.

Apple, Sonos, or Squeezebox: What's best for getting your audio all over your house?

Dan Frakes, Jason Snell — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:29:00 -0700

We love Sonos' Digital Music System and Logitech's Squeezebox, but Dan Frakes and Jason Snell set out to determine if they could build a comparable system from AirPort Express units and other Apple gear. Their experiences can help you decide which is the best system for getting your music around your house.

Cartoon you: Photoshop gradients for monotone or duotone effects

Pariah S. Burke — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 06:30:00 -0700

Here's how to use Photoshop's gradients to create an elegant duotone avatar for social networking Web sites or chat clients.

Protect your privacy on Facebook and Twitter

Tony Bradley — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 06:00:00 -0700

Sure, you've heard the horror stories about people getting fired because of something they said on Facebook and Twitter. But do you know how to make sure that doesn't happen to you?

See which processes are using the Internet

Rob Griffiths — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:11:00 -0700

Use Terminal to see which processes are using your Internet connection

Bugs & Fixes: Solving Safari cookie problems

Ted Landau — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 05:36:00 -0700

Sometimes, solving a cookie-related problem requires more than just deleting cookies from Safari, as Ted Landau details in this week's Bugs & Fixes column.

Switch between app windows in different Spaces

Rob Griffiths — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:20:00 -0700

Learn another method of switching between application windows for one program, when those windows are open in multiple Spaces

Printing mailing labels

Christopher Breen — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:19:00 -0700

No need to search for a special tool to print address labels. The tool is built into OS X.

Better collaboration with Word’s Track Changes

Kirk McElhearn — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 07:30:00 -0700

Need to work with others to create a document? Microsoft Word's powerful features for tracking changes can make the job easier.

Design basics: The alignment analysis

Lesa Snider — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 06:00:00 -0700

You don't need a degree in graphic design to create great-looking documents. You just have to follow a few simple rules. Today we learn about alignment.

Create Mail accounts manually in Snow Leopard

Rob Griffiths — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:36:00 -0700

Learn how to bypass Snow Leopard's automatic Mail account setup feature.

Filtering foreign e-mail

Christopher Breen — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:36:00 -0700

Looking for an easy way to filter e-mail that contains foreign character sets? Here's one suggestion, but the job may require sterner measures.