tips and tricks - page 42

Most days, our iPhones sit in our pockets, not seeing too much use, maybe a phone call here, a tweet or text there. Then there are the days where we’re on Facebook all lunchbreak, playing games on the train both ways to and from work, and then watching a little Netflix while cooking dinner. You know, a heavy use day. There are a kajillion power managers out there, but this one seems to have enough cool features that we thought we’d pass it along to you as today’s iOS tip.

We’ve shown you a couple of cool tips for screenshots, because let’s face it: we all take quite a few of them. Sadly, though, the default screenshot Command-3 doesn’t show the mouse cursor, and the Command-4 shortcut actually uses the mouse to define the area of the image capture, therefore leaving it out of the shot by definition. Lucky for you, though, we found a way to change that, using an app, named appropriately enough, Grab.

Let’s face it, the only reason I don’t get lost four times a day, even in the town I live in, is because my iPhone has Maps on it. No other navigation app I’ve tried hits that sweet spot of simplicity and helpfulness. I even use Maps for finding local business phone numbers. It’s that useful.

The inclusion of public transportation routes has been equally useful, I’m sure, for folks who live in more urban areas with good bus and rail systems. If you’re one of those lucky folks, here’s a tip just for you.

Last week, we showed you how to create a stack to show all your recent items. Today, we’re going to show you a way to change the default look of all your stacks, to a list view. This might be easier on your eyes, might appeal to your inner aesthetician, or it just might be a neat way to change the way your OS X Lion Mac behaves.

Is your iBooks library starting to outgrow those beautiful bookshelves that Apple provided for you? Have you purchased way too many Jim Butcher novels, only to find them crowding out your beloved Harry Potter collection?

Well, there’s a simple way to manage a burgeoning iBook collection, and we’re here to tell you how.

Are you one of those highly organized people who have their computer windows set up just right, each one pixel-perfect aligned to each other and the edges of the monitor screen? Yeah, me neither.

For those of you who are,though, or who just like to be able to set things up the way you like them and have them stay that way, there’s a Mac app to do just that.

In the five years since the iPhone Photography Awards (IPPA) launched, the iPhone camera has gone from disappointing to out-snapping Nikon as the most popular camera on Flickr.

As the March 31 deadline for this year’s award approaches, IPPA founder Kenan Aktulun talks to Cult of Mac about his favorite pics, the distinction between good and great iPhone photos and why apps may not help you create them.

Last week, we showed you how to make Spotlight work faster with a little reindexing trick in System Preferences. Today, we’ll do the same thing, only we’ll use some Terminal magic to make it happen.

Sick of all those icons cluttering up your Desktop? Need to give a presentation at work but don’t want your boss seeing all the imgur images you downloaded during the sales meeting? This two dollar app from the Mac App Store may be just what you need to de-clutter and hide all those pesky Desktop icons.

Some recent reports have suggested that the new iPad can use more data than its predecessor while on 4G LTE networks. This shouldn’t surprise anyone since faster download speeds on the new iPad will certainly lead to more online activity. It’s like saying an engine won’t get you somewhere faster after its been turbocharged.

One of the biggest features in the new iPad is its ability to use 4G data speeds on AT&T, Verizon, and select carriers in other countries. In most cases one can get faster speeds on the new iPad than a home DSL connection offers. It’s truly phenomenal.

Since you can’t get unlimited data on the iPad here in the states unless you’re grandfathered in, it’s important to be careful about how you use your iPad when you’re away from a WiFi network. It can be easy to blow through 1GB of data in a month if you don’t watch your activity. Here are some helpful tips and tricks for saving 4G data on your new iPad.

If you’re not using the RSS screensaver on your Mac, we’ll forgive you. This time. With a little terminal code and your favorite RSS feed, however, you can get this bad boy to display behind all your apps and desktop icons, as your desktop wallpaper. Cool, huh?

Yesterday, we showed you how to fix apps that get stuck “waiting” as you downloaded everything to your newly-restored iPad. That’s fine and all, but what if you really, really need to check your RSS reader of choice to read the latest Cult of Mac stories? With this incredibly simple tip, you can just tell the iPad to download that app right away.

Here’s a fun trick with stacks, OS X’s answer to the original rainbow Apple menu functionality, which used to feature recent documents and the ability to place folders in it for quick and easy access to them. This was replaced in Mac OS X with stacks, a visual way to do a similar thing, but from the Dock. Today, we’ll use Terminal to make a Stack that shows the recent items from your Mac. Fun!

Screenshots: we all take them. To show a co-worker or IT support person what’s not working on our computer, or to send a picture of a spectacular sunset in Minecraft to brag to our friends on Facebook, perhaps. Last week, we looked at a way to change the default screenshot name via some Terminal magic in OS X Lion. Today, we’re going to look at something perhaps even MORE useful: changing the default image type of those screenshots.

Ever plug your laptop into an LCD projector and have to switch to a much lower resolution than you’re used to? Do you use a lot of menubar apps? Have a hard time seeing all those menubar apps when you’re using a lower resolution display setting? If so, today’s tip is for you.

If you’ve ever taken apart an Apple device, you know what delicate work it can be.

Imagine trying to extract incriminating child pornography photos from a laptop and you’ll understand why tools that help you see what’s on the device before opening it up are increasingly important in law enforcement.

I have to admit it. I take a lot of screenshots here when trying to illustrate these daily tips. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a way to name them something more useful, say, like “Cult Of Mac Tips?” Well, it turns out there is a way to do that, requiring only a dip into the Terminal app and some copy and pasting. Ready?

Sometimes, we need to speed up the response of our mouse or our trackpad, like for a First Person Shooter game. Other times, we might need to slow it down, so we can work with more detailed graphics files in a drawing program. SmoothCursor, from the folks at leftbee apps, is a simple little utility that does just that.

Ever need to quickly change audio input or output settings on your Mac, but don’t want to hop into the System Preferences, find the Sound preference pane, then click around the tabs? Maybe you’re in the middle of a super important presentation and just need the sound to work for that amazing video you’re sharing? Well, todays quick tip will have you blasting the audience’s eardrums in no time.

Wondering how Spotlight works, or why it can’t find a file that you were SO SURE you had saved on your hard drive? Turns out that Spotlight is in essence an index of all the metadata from the files on your hard drive. When you type in a search query, the app searches the index, rather than the actual files on your hard drive. This is what makes it very fast in finding the info you are searching for. Unfortunately, that index itself can get out of date or corrupted, or can be deleted by mistake when restoring a hard drive, for example. Luckily, there are two ways to reindex, or rebuild, Spotlight’s database.

Devon Technologies offers up this free search app, EasyFind. They’re touting it as a free alternative or supplement to Spotlight, and say it’s faster and more responsive, especially when searching for text files. If you’ve used Spotlight lately, you know that it can have issues, especially due to the indexing feature, which may be out of date or corrupt.

MiniUsage is a clever little menu bar app for Mac OS X 10.5.8 or later. It allows users to see what’s going on within their system, from memory to CPU to disk access, right from the OS X menu bar. It’s also compatible with AppleScript, so savvy users can geek out a bit and customize the behavior of the app.

I myself have had issues with OS X Lion not remembering my home wireless network. Or, more accurately, not choosing it when waking my MacBook Air from sleep. So when I came across this tip, I figured I’d share with the rest of you.

Yet another new feature in Mac OS X Lion, Mission Control transitions with an animated shrinking and growing of the current Space, showing all the other Spaces and open app windows for easy control over all the display options. If you feel like this transition could use a bit of a speed boost, try this easy tip.

Optimizing your Mac can be a time intensive process, require expensive software, or need more knowledge of the inner workings of the computer than you’re willing to learn. When older Macs start to slow down or show quirky odd behaviors, using an app to optimize and clean things up can be a tremendous time and energy saver. It may also provide a zippier computer at the end of the process, something everyone will appreciate.