tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343642890050334192024-03-23T06:13:54.331-04:00A New Mac Tip Every Day<!-- google_ad_section_start -->This is a blog where you'll find a new tip about Mac every day. It is aimed at both Apple desktop and laptop computers. Many useful features are hidden in OS X. It is time to uncover them!<!-- google_ad_section_end -->Frederic Tremblayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217907875517130801noreply@blogger.comBlogger789125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534364289005033419.post-54930577592518099212008-12-29T04:01:00.000-05:002008-12-29T04:01:00.615-05:00Mail Activity!The Mail that comes with Leopard has a feature called "Mail Activity". What is displayed in this is mail that is being sent or received. It is very useful to see when a large email with attachments is finally sent. You can also see mail arriving before it is even displayed in your inbox. To see the "Mail Activity" window, just click on the arrow in the lower left corner (2nd button from the Frederic Tremblayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217907875517130801noreply@blogger.com55tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534364289005033419.post-20735873241870644942008-12-28T04:01:00.000-05:002008-12-28T04:01:00.415-05:00The way Firefox handles mailto!By default, mailto links (websites that integrate a link to an email address) are loaded in Mail and it is not very useful if you only use webmail. In the Firefox preferences, you can change that to Gmail (website), Yahoo Mail (website), or another application. It is under "Applications" and the content type is "mailto".Don't forget to update your bookmarks, download the new widget and check Frederic Tremblayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217907875517130801noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534364289005033419.post-29586716575603382302008-12-27T04:01:00.000-05:002008-12-27T04:01:00.557-05:00Color of highlighted text!It is possible to customize the color of highlighted text. It is in "System Preferences", under "Appearance". The setting is "Highlight Color". The change won't just happen with highlighted text, but also when you select files and you take screenshots.Don't forget to update your bookmarks, download the new widget and check out the new website at http://www.tips4mac.info/ Tips will soon only beFrederic Tremblayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217907875517130801noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534364289005033419.post-59011871247985148992008-12-26T04:01:00.000-05:002008-12-26T04:01:01.036-05:00Shapes in Numbers!Using the "Shapes" icon in the toolbar to select a shape will automatically add a default shape that you can then resize and adjust. To actually draw the shape instead of modifying a default version, you want to hold down "Option" while clicking on the "Shapes" icon in the toolbar.Don't forget to update your bookmarks, download the new widget and check out the new website at http://Frederic Tremblayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217907875517130801noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534364289005033419.post-51037695647349874982008-12-25T04:01:00.000-05:002008-12-25T04:01:02.228-05:00The buffer size in iTunes!As you might know if you read my Tweets, my internet connection is not always as great as it should be and watching previews on iTunes doesn't really work well, because unlike YouTube when the buffers runs out, iTunes just closes the preview window and returns to the information page. I finally figured out how to fix this problem in the iTunes preferences. It is under "Advanced","Streaming Frederic Tremblayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217907875517130801noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534364289005033419.post-26300485256807449992008-12-24T04:01:00.000-05:002008-12-24T04:01:01.239-05:00Quit the Finder (not force quit)!I didn't even know this was possible until I found the feature in OnyX (OS X maintenance & optimization application). You can enable an additional "Quit Finder" menu item in the Finder menu. It is totally different than the "Force Quit Finder" feature that will quit the Finder and relaunch it immediately. This will actually quit the Finder ant it won't relaunch until you load it by Frederic Tremblayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217907875517130801noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534364289005033419.post-37283886182551696832008-12-23T04:01:00.000-05:002008-12-23T04:01:00.234-05:00Remove stationery in Mail!The Leopard version of Mail added the "Stationery" feature. One thing that isn't obvious about how to use the feature is if you have selected a stationery, how do you remove it to go back to a text only email. Here is how:1. Once you clicked "Show Stationery", choose the "Stationery" category.2. Click on "Original". Mail will switch back to the text only template.Don't forget to update your Frederic Tremblayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217907875517130801noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534364289005033419.post-89467721706697379302008-12-22T04:01:00.000-05:002008-12-22T04:01:00.936-05:00Time displayed in iTunes!The default way iTunes displays the total time of a song or a playlist in the lower bar is approximate. You can toggle between the approximate and exact time by clicking on the time displayed.Don't forget to update your bookmarks, download the new widget and check out the new website at http://www.tips4mac.info/ Tips will soon only be posted on the new website.Frederic Tremblayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217907875517130801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534364289005033419.post-79064803662380456562008-12-21T04:01:00.000-05:002008-12-21T04:01:00.420-05:00Audio tracks in Handbrake!The latest 0.9.3 update to Handbrake modified the way Audio Tracks are handled. You can now keep up to four audio tracks. I really like this feature because an advantage DVD had over H.264 QuickTime videos was the multiple languages. You can now decide to keep multiple tracks and multiple languagues. The default track is automatically set at 160 kbps, but additional tracks default at 128 kbpsFrederic Tremblayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217907875517130801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534364289005033419.post-2138184329920564192008-12-20T04:01:00.000-05:002008-12-20T04:01:01.024-05:00Color labels in ForkLift!ForkLift is one of the best Mac applications for FTP and it just got better with the last update (update 1.6). The 1.6 update added "Color labels" like in the Finder. Of course, "Color labels" are a feature of OS X, so that feature won't be available if you are accessing a Linux or Windows server.Don't forget to update your bookmarks, download the new widget and check out the new website at Frederic Tremblayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217907875517130801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534364289005033419.post-70024796721745195012008-12-19T04:01:00.000-05:002008-12-19T04:01:00.354-05:00Screenshots in Preview!I nearly always use the keyboard shortcuts for taking screenshots, but occasionally when I need more features, I use the "Grab" application. I have just discovered, however, that Preview now has most of the features available in Grab. The Grab feature is under the File menu and includes "Selection", "Window" and "Timed Screen".Don't forget to update your bookmarks, download the new widget and Frederic Tremblayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217907875517130801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534364289005033419.post-84600431364590542852008-12-18T04:02:00.000-05:002008-12-18T04:02:00.111-05:00MacUpdate bundle over soon!There are only a few hours left to get the MacUpdate 11 applications bundle.You can get the MacUpdate Holiday Bundle here (11 applications worth $467.64 for $49.99): DriveGenius X, RapidWeaver, Default Folder X, VirusBarrier X, MacGourmet Deluxe, LittleSnitch, KeyCue, MacPilot, WhatSize, iVolume and Pangea Arcade.Don't forget to update your bookmarks, download the new widget and check out the newFrederic Tremblayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217907875517130801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534364289005033419.post-91560627446040339142008-12-18T04:01:00.000-05:002008-12-18T04:01:00.783-05:00Upload from Aperture!A new Aperture plugin was just released by Pixelpipe and it lets you upload photos to many social networking websites, blogs, etc. Once you've downloaded the plugin, you have to create an account with Pixelpipe. It is a really great solution, because there are so many social networking websites now that it just takes too much time to upload photos separately to each website. You can download Frederic Tremblayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217907875517130801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534364289005033419.post-60592781380355152572008-12-16T20:00:00.000-05:002008-12-16T20:27:23.758-05:00Pangea Arcade added to the bundle!MacUpdate just added a bonus app to the bundle that ends in 2 days. It is the game "Pangea Arcade" (value of $19.95). Everyone who already purchased the bundle will get the serial number sent by email (can also be accessed through your web receipt). The bonus app is a limited time offer only available for the first 20 000 bundles sold.You can get the MacUpdate Holiday Bundle here (11 Frederic Tremblayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217907875517130801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534364289005033419.post-2960712484523552642008-12-16T04:01:00.000-05:002008-12-16T04:01:00.579-05:00Stealth mode for the OS X firewall!I talked about enabling the OS X firewall yesterday, but here is another feature to enhance security even further. In the firewall advanced preferences, you can enable the feature called "Enable Stealth Mode". This will ensure that traffic that you didn't allow won't receive a response, not even an acknowledgment.Don't forget to update your bookmarks, download the new widget and check out the Frederic Tremblayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217907875517130801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534364289005033419.post-75664918210284775802008-12-14T04:01:00.000-05:002008-12-14T04:01:00.766-05:00Tab Mix Plus!I really use Firefox because of the amazing add-ons and one I just discovered is Tab Mix Plus! It really improves the tabs in Firefox, adding a progress bar to each tab and highlighting the title of the tab when it is done loading. You can also use it to "Lock Tab" or "Protect Tab". The "Lock Tab" feature will keep the tab on that website, loading a new tab when you enter another URL. The "Frederic Tremblayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217907875517130801noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534364289005033419.post-74351889751396011282008-12-13T04:01:00.000-05:002008-12-13T04:01:00.648-05:00Send to iWeb from Numbers!A great feature that is part of Numbers (included with iWork) is "Send to iWeb". It is a great way to publish Numbers documents to the web. The options include "PDF" or "Numbers Document". Of course, if the people you are sharing the document with don't have iWork, PDF is the best option. The "Send to iWeb" feature is located in the File menu.Don't forget to update your bookmarks, download Frederic Tremblayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217907875517130801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534364289005033419.post-47298996239640186312008-12-12T04:01:00.000-05:002008-12-12T04:01:00.158-05:00Add Address Book Contacts to Skype!At some point, a Skype software update added my Address Book contacts to my Skype contacts and it is useful because I use Skype Out a lot. The latest software update did the opposite and removed my address book contacts from my Skype contact list. Here is why you can enable or disable this feature:1. Go to "Skype", "Preferences...".2. Enable or disable "Show Address Book Contacts".Don't forget Frederic Tremblayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217907875517130801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534364289005033419.post-32638030281487791912008-12-11T04:01:00.000-05:002008-12-11T04:01:00.735-05:00View info of multiple files!A great tip submitted by Dominic P. Tremblay: View info of multiple files! When you select multiple files in the Finder (but not too many) and you press "Command - I", the info will be displayed in a separate window for each file. There is a point when you select a lot of files that the information is combined in a single window. I find the multiple windows incredibly annoying and I have been Frederic Tremblayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217907875517130801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534364289005033419.post-73489964200910226052008-12-10T12:10:00.001-05:002008-12-10T12:10:37.075-05:00Review of Drive Genius 2!Drive Genius 2 is part of the MacUpdate 10 applications bundle (you can get more info or buy the bundle here from MacUpdate).Drive Genius is a very complete disk optimizing application that has a lot more features than Disk Utility that comes with the OS. One of the features of Drive Genius is "Defrag". It is argued that it is not necessary on OS X, because the OS does it on the fly. The truthFrederic Tremblayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217907875517130801noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534364289005033419.post-33270724414668536032008-12-10T04:01:00.000-05:002008-12-10T04:01:00.594-05:00Deleting words instead of letters!To delete more quickly, you can use "Option - Backspace" and instead of deleting a letter at a time, it will delete a word at a time. It is a much quicker and precise way of deleting text. YouTube video: Don't forget to update your bookmarks, download the new widget and check out the new website at http://www.tips4mac.info/ Tips will soon only be posted on the new website.Frederic Tremblayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217907875517130801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534364289005033419.post-10400635600759308262008-12-09T14:00:00.000-05:002008-12-09T14:00:00.174-05:00Review of Default Folder X!Default Folder X is part of the MacUpdate 10 applications bundle (you can get more info or buy the bundle here from MacUpdate).Default Folder X lets you access recent, favorite and open folders right from the toolbar of Default Folder X that can be accessed through the Open and Save dialog of any application. It also comes with a Dock icon and a menu bar icon. Another feature that I really Frederic Tremblayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217907875517130801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534364289005033419.post-36202529559804384362008-12-09T04:01:00.000-05:002008-12-09T04:01:00.873-05:00The new YouTube in HD!Well it looks like the day is here, the most popular video sharing website isn’t the worst in terms of quality of service anymore. Everyone was going to YouTube, because, well, everyone was on YouTube! But now at least it is on par with many competing services.The introduction of widescreen was long overdue. Widescreen just make videos look more professional even if they were shot on a Flip Mino.Frederic Tremblayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217907875517130801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534364289005033419.post-68703017245496645052008-12-08T04:01:00.000-05:002008-12-08T04:01:00.356-05:00Firefox zoom!In Safari, "Command +" makes the text bigger and "Command -" makes it smaller. In Firefox 3 however, it actually resizes the images and the whole page. Of course, images might look pixelated at some point, but it is still a much better way to zoom in than how it is handled by Safari. If you prefer, under the "View", "Zoom" menu, you can change the Firefox zoom to the way Safari works. The Frederic Tremblayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217907875517130801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534364289005033419.post-46520617885436857022008-12-07T04:01:00.000-05:002008-12-07T04:01:00.557-05:00Semi-transparent Dock icon for hidden apps!It is possible to enable a hidden feature in OS X that makes the Dock icon of hidden applications semi-transparent. You can use the following Terminal command:defaults write com.apple.Dock showhidden -bool YESYou then just have to use the Terminal command "killall Dock" to restart the Dock. An easier way of doing the same thing is with OnyX. Once OnyX is installed, the feature is under "Frederic Tremblayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217907875517130801noreply@blogger.com3