One Minute Mac

links for 2009-02-24

• Apple launches iTunes Pass content
  Apple has introduced the concept of the iTunes Pass, a new shopping option in the music section of the iTunes Store. The Pass automatically subscribes a person to all of the tracks and videos in a particular collection, downloading existing material and anything new as it becomes available. Apple notes that all the material provided in a Pass is DRM-free, and encoded with 256kbps AAC audio. Currently featured is the $20 "Sounds of the Universe" Pass, which provides two songs from the upcoming Depeche Mode album and will fill out with material as the record's June 16th release date approaches.

  The scheme should not be confused with the one used for Microsoft's Zune Pass, which is a true subscription service that lets users play an unlimited number of tracks, keeping 10 permanently each month for a regular fee. A similar offering has been rumored from Apple for some time, but has largely been dismissed by industry sources.

  
  
  

links for 2009-02-21

• How To: Hackintosh a Dell Mini 9 Into the Ultimate OS X Netbook
  I am typing on this on a 9-inch, 3G-equipped, almost-pocketable computer, running the best consumer OS money can currently buy. It costs around $400. Do you want one too? Here's how to get yours.

  There are a lot of netbooks on which you can install and run OS X, but if you're mindful of the handy comparison chart those lads at Boing Boing Gadgets have compiled, you'll know that the Mini 9 is about as ideal a platform as you'll find for a Hackintosh ultraportable: Everything from wi-fi, sound and the function keys down to the optional integrated mobile broadband card and the SD card reader are supported and work as they should. No hardware compromises at all. It's awesome.

  
  
  

links for 2009-02-19

• macosxhints.com - Update an already-shared iWork.com document
  If you wonder how to update an already-shared document to your iWork.com account, it's somewhat hidden in the interface. The Share menu will keep saying Share via iWork.com. However, if you do it like this, iWork.com will replace the document, but keep the comments intact: Share the first version, add contacts and a title. Edit some content ... or don't. Share the document again, making sure you select the Title from before in the "Copy to iWork.com as:" drop-down. If you do this first, you will see the former contacts filled in again, and you can then customize the Subject and Message. Hint: Open the online version while doing step three, and see how iWork.com auto-fetches the update in the browser.
  (tags: iwork)
• Sharing multiple files at once with Apple’s MobileMe iDisk
  Here's how:

  1) Select the files or folders you want to share. (To select multiple files hold down the Command key on a Mac or the Control key on a PC as you click on each one.)

  2) Use the Actions menu via the Gear icon in the Toolbar, and select Compress items. This will automatically create a single compressed file named Archive.zip that contains your files or folders.

  3) Share Archive.zip file just as you would any other iDisk file. (Before you share it, you can change the "Archive" part of the name to something more descriptive, but keep the .zip extension so the receiver's computer will know to decompress the files when the receiver opens it.)

  
  
  (tags: mobileme)
  
  
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  Troubleshooting OS X start-ups
  
  
  Your Mac was running fine. It started up quickly, it was zippy when you worked and snappy when you played. But suddenly something’s wrong: when you start it up, it takes longer—maybe a couple of minutes, maybe more—than it once did. What’s slowing things down?
  There can be a lot of reasons your Mac is taking longer to start up. Here are the troubleshooting steps you should take, in order, to find out what’s wrong and fix it.
  
  
  (tags: hardware troubleshooting)
  
  

links for 2009-02-17

• 69 really useful OS X timesavers
  The whole ethos of Apple products is to get things done more quickly and elegantly, and with our guide to 101 essential Mac timesavers you'll get the best out of your Mac, iPod or iPhone and learn some great timesaving tricks as well.

links for 2009-02-16

• Google’s ‘Understudy’ plugin brings Hulu and Netflix to Apple Macs’ Front Row
  Google's "Understudy" plugin allows access to streaming video through the Front Row interface of Mac OS X. The user can subscribe to multiple feeds, and select a video to watch from them. "Understudy" currently supports Hulu and Netflix.

  According to Google, "Understudy" is stable, but is also a work in progress. Please feel free to report any problems on the issue tracker.

  "Understudy" is not affiliated with any of the streaming video sites the plugin supports, and will only work in cases where those site would (typically this means you must live in the United States).

  
  
  

links for 2009-02-03

• How to restore iPhone App Store data from a backup
  Disable automatic syncing in the iTunes preferences under Devices. Replace ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/abc123 with an older version from Time Machine. Note that abc123 is a very long alphanumeric key identifying to your iPhone -- make sure you get the right one, in case you sync with several phones or iPods. Plug in the iPhone. Control-click (in the iTunes sidebar) on the iPhone and choose Restore from Backup. At the end of the process, your iPhone will automatically restart.
  (tags: iphone)

links for 2009-02-02

• Creating keyboard shortcuts
  There is. Recent versions of the Mac OS allow you to create keyboard shortcuts for many applications. To do what you’re after, launch System Preferences, select the Keyboard & Mouse item, and in the resulting window click the Keyboard Shortcuts tab. At the bottom of the window click the Plus (+) button.

  In the sheet that appears choose Safari from the Application pop-up menu and, in the Menu Title field enter Merge All Windows. Click in the Keyboard Shortcut field and enter a shortcut—Command-Option-M, for example. Click the Add button in the sheet and close System Preferences. When you return to Safari you’ll discover the keyboard shortcut assigned to the Merge All Windows command in the Windows menu.

  
  
  

links for 2009-01-31

• Beyond YouTube: 10 Top iPhone Video Apps
  Since its debut in 2007, iPhone owners have been capable of consuming video in two ways: via iPod software as well as a YouTube application. And these options presumably remain the exclusive utilities employed for viewing clips. But they are other methods available now. The launch of the App Store this summer enticed a number of third-party developers to make use of the iPhone’s video playback capabilities. The Web-based television outfit Joost [iTunes] is the latest to joint the fray. Naturally, we thought it’d be fitting to see what’s what in that part of the iPhone market as a whole. Here are ten free highlights. We invite you to share your favorites, too!
  (tags: iphone)
• 15+ Incredibly Useful Mac Apps For Freelance Web Designers
  In today’s post you will find 15 incredibly useful Mac Apps for freelance web designers to get their website or application styled in a fraction of the time it took before and help them manage their project efficiently to get their job done.
• macosxhints.com - Link to emails from Stickies
  I just discovered that you can drag an email from Mail.app onto a note in Stickies to create a link back to the original email. This is useful if your To Do references some information someone emailed you; you no longer need to search for that original email to find the details ... just click the link in the sticky!