Working Mac

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

Four reasons to switch to IMAP

Joe Kissell — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 06:00:00 -0700

You may know that your e-mail client uses either the Post Office Protocol (POP) or Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) standard to retrieve your messages. But do you know why you should care? Joe Kissell shows how you can reduce e-mail aggravations by changing the way you receive your messages.

Find and merge address book duplicates

Joe Kissell — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 07:30:00 -0700

Whether you use Apple's Address Book or Microsoft Entourage's built-in contact manager, duplicate contacts can make it harder to find information you seek. Here's how to clean up the mess.

Prune your contacts

Joe Kissell — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 07:30:00 -0700

If you no longer recognize half of the names in your address book, it might be time to clean house. Here's how to get rid of the clutter in Mail, Address Book, and Entourage.

Five reasons to watch Google Wave

Tony Bradley — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 07:30:00 -0700

Looking for a service that combines e-mail, instant messaging, blogging, document sharing, wikis, and multimedia content? Google thinks you should be. Here are five reasons the company might be right.

Top iChat etiquette tips

Christopher Null — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 07:30:00 -0700

Don't want instant messaging to add up to instant embarrassment? Then follow these simple rules whether you're at work or home.

What's your wireless signal strength?

Glenn Fleishman — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 07:30:00 -0700

When you're having trouble with your wireless connection, it can be frustrating to figure out the strength of the signal from your client to the base station. Glenn Fleishman shows three ways to get the information you need.

Three ways to improve Gmail

Joe Kissell — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 07:30:00 -0700

It's convenient, it's free, but sometimes Gmail can also feel a bit primitive. If you wish this popular e-mail service had a few more niceties, check out Joe Kissell's three favorite ways to improve the Gmail experience.

The seven most underused Mail features

Joe Kissell — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 07:30:00 -0700

Snow Leopard brings a whole new version of Apple's e-mail program, Mail. But most of us never used all of the old features. Joe Kissell reveals the seven most underused Mail features you should check out right now.

Five unexpected uses for the Option key

Sharon Zardetto — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 07:30:00 -0700

The unsung hero of the keyboard, the Option key can reveal alternative commands and unlock all sorts of hidden features. Here are five of Sharon Zardetto's favorite Option key tricks.

Five unexpected uses for the spacebar

Sharon Zardetto — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 05:30:00 -0700

In the quest for greater productivity, Mac users have an unlikely ally—the spacebar. Here are five things you didn't know the spacebar could help you do.

Six reasons desktop e-mail still rules

Joe Kissell — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:00:00 -0700

Did you find yourself stranded without e-mail during Tuesday's Gmail outage? Joe Kissell is here to tell you six more reasons conventional desktop e-mail programs are still better than even the best webmail.

12 words you can never say in the office

Carolyn Duffy Marsan — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 06:00:00 -0700

Is your computing lingo up-to-date? Check out this list of the 12 most out-dated terms you should purge from your vocabulary.

Is your network fast enough?

Glenn Fleishman — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 06:00:00 -0700

Everyone wants a faster network. But you can't speed it up until you know how fast it's going now. Glenn Fleishman shows you three ways to do that.

The art of creating strong passwords

Michael Scalisi — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 04:00:00 -0700

IT pro Michael Scalisi gives you solid advice about picking a good password.

Five favorite Excel tips

Sharon Zardetto — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 06:00:00 -0700

There's no reason to dread your spreadsheets. Learn how to save time on common Microsoft Excel tasks with Sharon Zardetto’s favorite tips for everyday use.

Five favorite Entourage tips

Joe Kissell — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 06:00:00 -0700

Ready to stop doing things the slow way in Microsoft Entourage? Joe Kissell shows his five favorite ways to boost your productivity in this popular e-mail program.

Cut your phone bill

Glenn Fleishman — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 06:00:00 -0700

Tired of paying through the nose for your phone? Glenn Fleishman outlines two ways you can save money on calls.

Five favorite Word tips

Kirk McElhearn — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 07:38:00 -0700

When it comes to Microsoft Word, each trick you learn can add up to significant time-savings—especially if you use the program every day. Here are five of Kirk McElhearn's favorites.

Outlook on the Mac: And they lived happily ever after?

John C. Welch — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:19:00 -0700

If you think the version of Outlook that will arrive on the Mac next year will is going to be 100-percent feature-compatible with the Windows edition, John C. Welch says you should prepare to be disappointed.

Five favorite PowerPoint tips

Tom Negrino — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 06:51:00 -0700

Tom Negrino picks his favorite tips for the popular presentation software—complete with some new tricks added by the recently-released Office Service Pack 2.