Bodega is a Mac app store that gives just a different experience than what you’re used to with the standard Mac Store. It offers much the same apps, and even works with the apps you have already downloaded from the Mac Store. It also includes a few extra options that I didn’t even know I wanted in the Mac Store until I found them on Bodega.

First and foremost, the app isn’t available in the Mac Store, for obvious reasons, so you’ll nee to download it direct from the website. Opening up the Bodega app, you’re greeted by the bright yellow awning, not to mention the rest of the very colorful interface, a stark difference to the Mac Store. The focus here is obviously on making the app look like a “store” and giving you that total experience. Similar to the Mac Store, it features the New Releases on the main page, along with “Shopkeeper’s Picks,” Top Free Apps, and Top Paid Apps.

A worthwhile addition to the front page of this store is the news area. It features the most prominent tech news at the current time, along with a section of apps in the news. This is great if you’re looking to download the apps that are hot and that everyone else is talking about. If you’re just browsing for a new app and don’t have anything particular in mind, it’s a great place to start.

Another great feature, and different from the Mac Store, is the short summaries of each app that are visible in the app listings. As they sit on their shelves, if you click once on the app, it gives you a short summary of what the app is all about. In the Mac Store you have to open every app listing to see what it entails, but with Bodega, you are shown the price, a short summary, and options to download it right away, if you wish.

If you double tap on the apps, you’re taken to even more information. Provided here is a more in-depth explanation of the app, as well as detailed version history. Sometimes apps in the Mac Store tend to give you too much information in their quest to sell themselves to you. It can be hard to find the information you really need. This solves that by only telling you what you need to know. As with the Mac Store, reviews by other users are included. Bodega also includes any published press about the app.

Despite the fact that the apps I have on my Mac were either from a website or from the Mac, they show up here in Bodega in an easy-to-access Applications list. If the apps have updates available, that information is not only available, but they can be updated directly through this list. Mac Store doesn’t have any listing of the sort.

I saw the sub-heading “Wishlist” in the left-hand margin of Bodega. That sounded great, but I couldn’t figure out how to add apps to my Wishlist. It turns out I was trying to make it much harder than it needed to be. While I thought there might be a button in each app listing to add it to Facebook, that wasn’t the case. I perused the menu bar and everything else, and finally I realized it was much more simple than that. I simply had to drag the desired apps into the Wishlist.

Because Bodega doesn’t include Apple apps, it can’t completely replace the Mac Store. However, it’s still a great way to look for new apps, as well as managing your apps to see which ones need to be updated. The next obvious step is for them to release a similar app for iOS.

What do you think? Can Bodega be a great alternative to Mac’s App Store?

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1. iPhoto for Mac

iPhoto is the photo management application that we all know and love. iPhoto comes with all Macs, or $14.99 if you purchase it from the Mac App Store. iPhoto for Mac is more than enough of a photo management and editing application for the average user. You can organize your photos by date, location, individuals, and more. iPhoto for Mac also allows you to do color correction with the “Enhance” tool, add filters like Sepia and Black and White, as well as your run of the mill cropping tools.

For professional photographers, iPhoto for Mac is more useful as a photo management app rather than a photo editing app. Personally, I use it for personal photos and when I need a nice database of all of my imported photos.

iPhoto for Mac ($14.99)

2. Aperture For Mac

If you enjoy the feel of iPhoto, but need to take advantage of more professional features to get any use out of it, then Aperture is for you. You can still organize your photos into folders, providing a great home for them once imported. You can also edit the photos, like found on iPhoto. On top of that, Aperture allows you to make use of brushes for making light touchups and even more for making heavy changes. If you are unfamiliar with the setup at first, Aperture comes with professional preset effects so you can learn while you use it. If you feel like going on the wild side, you can even create some yourself. Once the photos are complete, you can find them available on your iPhone and other iOS devices and Macs through Photostream. With RAW importing support, advanced search tools, and the ability to adjust white balance and more, Aperture is the step up for Apple photographers just growing out of iPhoto, but not experienced enough for Photoshop just yet.

Aperture For Mac ($79.99)

3. Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements

Now we are at the point where you can navigate through iPhoto with your eyes closed and can probably help someone else out with their Aperture for Mac needs. If this is you, then it’s time to upgrade your applications to Adobe Photoshop and/or Photoshop Elements. Let’s look a bit into both of them. First, we have the household name photography software – Adobe Photoshop. Adobe Photoshop is the ultimate photography application that allows you to add 3D effects, process your photo, and even share within Photoshop with a support of a ton of file types. The features that Photoshop has are endless. It is (almost) the industry standard for professional photo-editing and the latest version (CS6) makes it even better.

Along with Photoshop, there is also the Photoshop Elements which is more appealing to the average consumer. If you feel the need to compare, Photoshop is like to Apple Aperture as iPhoto is to Photoshop Elements. They are the elements, the basics, of what Photoshop is. Photoshop Elements allows you to make subtle changes to your photos, share the photos on various social networking websites, and more. Photoshop Elements, unlike iPhoto, will cost all users money because it doesn’t come shipped on any desktop.

Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements

4. DoubleTake

Panorama photos allow you to get the full landscape of the subject you want to shoot to fit all in one photo. These images are perfect because they don’t require any special file types, meaning there can be JPEG, PNG, or even GIF landscape photos, the only difference is that the aspect ratio is usually the length being double the width. DoubleTake allows you to make panorama photos easier to not exactly take, but to match together into one photo. DoubleTake can even be useful outside of photography. If you have a large document you want to make easier to read, DoubleTake makes this possible. If you want to make a book easier to create, DoubleTake makes this a possibility.

DoubleTake ($24.95)

This is definitely not a conclusive list of the photo apps for Mac. Let us know which photo apps is your favorite, in the comments.

Image credit: By raruschel

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Downloading Printopia to your Mac automatically opens up the System Preferences pane. This allows you to set up Printopia exactly as you would like to use it. It finds all the printing options available to you on your Mac. This includes your home and work printers, and other transferring options, such as Evernote and Dropbox. It also automatically puts in an option for “Send to Mac.” At the bottom you can add in any other saving option you want, such as saving either a .pdf or image to any application, folder, or PDF workflow.

Those of us without an AirPrint printer are used to seeing no available printers. Instead, when I try printing out the confirmation email after I purchased Printopia, I get all the options I just set up on in the Preferences on my Mac. I don’t use Dropbox, as I just never liked it, and I chose not to send files to Evernote either. That leaves me with just the two options to either print the email directly to my printer or save it to my Mac.

Choosing to send the email to my printer brings up a dialog box where my only option is how many copies to print. The other options such as paper size, print quality, etc. are available in the System Preferences app on the Mac by double clicking on the printer where it’s listed. That isn’t the best way to have to configure it, but more often than not it’s just a quick printing of an email, file from an email, or a web page anyway that usually doesn’t require a special size or quality.

After I tried saving a file to my Mac, I didn’t like where it sent it, which was my Documents folder. It’s probably great for others, but I prefer storing all my new files in a Downloads folder. It’s more or less my “go to” spot, where I always know I’ll find what I have just downloaded, sent, saved, etc. I went back into the System Preferences and added this option. In the bottom I clicked on the plus sign and chose to “Save to Folder on Mac.” I then chose my Downloads folder, which added it as an option here. Now if I want something saved to my Downloads from my iPad or iPhone, I simply have to click Print, then tell it to Send to my Downloads, and it will be there waiting for me.

This app just solved many problems for me. And Windows users aren’t left out in the cold either. While researching this, I turned up a comparable app that says it will do the same for Windows that Printopia does for Macs, AirPrint Activator.

Enjoy!

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Understanding Your Battery

Before you can maximize your battery life, you must first understand its status. There are two ways of finding out this. The first way is by just looking in the menu bar at the top right corner. You can get more detailed information from the battery icon by clicking on it, go to “show” and get it to show percentage. You also have the option to see how long you have until the battery is out. This is the easiest way to check the status of your battery, though the information is not enough to determine the lifespan of your battery.

The most informative way is by clicking the “Apple icon at the extreme far left -> About This Mac -> More Info…“. From there, click on “System Report”, and finally click “Power” under the “Hardware” section. Here, you can find out the number of charges, the battery condition, and more. This is essential in knowing the exact problem that your Mac may be experiencing, or how long you have until your Mac will burn out. Most Macs burn out after a thousand or so charges.

Some Maximizing Tips

First of all, you should never let your battery stays on the charger longer than what’s needed. This will essentially kill your battery faster than it should. Battery is meant to be charged and discharged. When connected to the charger, your battery stays at 100% constantly due to the fact that your battery is taking up more energy from the outlet to keep it constant. This will essentially fry your battery over time and it will give out.

In addition, you should charge your battery in full and let it run its course over the day. When you get the alert that your battery is 10% capacity, then bring out the charger. This is the true time when your Mac is preparing itself to shut down completely. A second tip is to monitor the lifespan of each discharge cycle. Charge your battery to full and run the course of the battery life until it shuts off. Jot down how long it took. Overtime, when you notice that the time it takes to shut down decreases drastically, you know that it is in for a repair.

Recommended Settings

One setting that can affect your battery life more than anything is the screen’s brightness. Whether you are typing a paper in Microsoft Word or playing a battery intensive game, the screen’s brightness can still play a huge factor. For this reason, you should access your “Energy Saver Preferences” and enable the automatic brightness settings so your Mac can go to sleep after a certain amount of time of inactivity.

You must also remember that your Mac’s applications run in the background when not in use. This means that, even though you exited out the window, you must still click “Command+Q” on most applications to successfully end them. To make sure that the applications you want to quit are, in fact, ended, you can look in your dock. The applications that have a light under their icon are still running. You can quit them by also clicking the icon with two fingers and pressing “Quit”. Always quit Bluetooth and WiFi when not in use.

When the Time Comes to Change

A Mac will usually reach the end of its life between two and a half to three and a half years or longer from original purchase, depending on the usage frequency. At this time, you are at the dilemma of having to replace the battery or just purchasing a new Mac all together. In this economic time, it’s cheaper to replace the battery when the external condition of the Mac is still quite usable. If you do choose this route, you should remember to get your battery replaced professionally by Apple and their authorized dealers. This will prevent a lot of headaches if someone not authorized did it incorrectly. You also won’t have the damage officially covered by Apple.The average cost of getting a battery replaced ranges from $120 and up to $300. This means that you are saving close to $600 and $900 by purchasing just the purchasing a new battery rather than purchasing a new laptop outright.

Conclusion

As you can see, while the hard drive may be the memory of the Mac, the battery is the heart. Without the battery working properly, your Mac’s activity may range from a few glitches to a full on system problem. You can make sure that your Mac is in perfect operating condition by doing regular checks in “System Info” in the “About This Mac” section. When your Mac’s battery eventually dies out, the Apple store can be there to repair the battery correctly. While it is a bit costly, it is worth it in the end, preventing you from hundreds of more dollars in repairs.

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1. Mint for iOS

Mint is an application that allows you to manage your money, budget, and more. All you have to do is add your credit card and bank account information, from there you will see where your money is being allocated and where you can begin to save on. This is done very easily, without you having to manually enter each transaction. This is great for allocating a budget for your garage sale or stand, allowing you to set how much you will spend on supplies like cups, boxes, and signs. Everything is safe and even password protected, preventing prying eyes from seeing your financial information. Plus, everything is available on the Internet, preventing you from having to have your phone near when checking on your account. Mint.com is available for free.

2. Microsoft Office for Mac

You may be confused as to why an office suite is on this list. You may be surprised to learn that Microsoft Office comes with the ability to make nice, vibrant signs and posters for free. In Microsoft Office, when you click on Microsoft Project Gallery, just click events or flyers and you are presented with many choices for advertising your sale. They are templates that allow you to customize the text and photos, allowing you to make your posters to be a bit more personalized. Microsoft Office for Mac comes with Microsoft Word, the word processing application, Microsoft Excel, allowing you to make spreadsheets, Microsoft PowerPoint, allowing you to make presentations, and Microsoft Entourage, the emailing client.

3. Square for iOS

Square for iOS is almost an essential application for anyone looking to sell during a garage sale or lemonade stand. Square allows you to accept credit cards while on the run, instead of having to depend on money. Square is simple. All you have to do is to enter the totals and information, swipe the card, and everything is charged and sent to your bank account. Square is very easy to set up and works by having a receiver inserted into your iOS device’s headphone jack. All you have to do is pay a very small fee. Square allows you to keep also keep track of all of the money you receive. You can also send receipts to your customers to their phones and emails. Square is free to sign up, and is available in the App Store.

4. Facebook for iOS

It may seem like an unlikely choice at first to have Facebook as one of your essential applications for your next garage sale and lemonade stand; however, it’s actually an application to look to for promoting your next sale. Through Facebook Events, you are able to promote the sale, have a set time, view the individuals expected to stop by and more. You can use the photos feature to allow the expected visitors to view what you are selling at the garage sale. The directions feature allows you to add the location and even have a map. The Facebook integration allows you to also answer any questions that some of the customers present to you through messages. Facebook for iOS is a free application you should look into for your next sale.

5. eBay/Craigslist for iOS

If you are looking for a completely virtual garage sale, then eBay or Craigslist may be the best application for you. While it can be a bit time consuming to post each item individually on the site, you are expected to get more in the end. While eBay does have a special allowing you to post on the site for free, you aren’t sure how long it will last. Despite this, eBay and Craigslist, in the end, will give you the best return. In addition, you are able to open your products to a wider audience. Both the Craigslist and eBay applications allow you to both view and post onto the website. You can monitor how your item is doing on the eBay application, and also correspond with interested buyers on both applications. Both are free and something you should check out today.

Image credit: Real Garage Sale Sign by BigStockPhoto

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Interface

The interface of Instant is pretty simple while still being amazing. The interface is some sort of Polaroid camera facing toward you. However, the Polaroid doesn’t seem to have a special function. It’s simply a design. Where you really get to work is with the Finder window.

In the all-important Finder window, accessed by clicking on the screen, you will be able to select the photo that you want to use in the Instant application. Once your photo is selected and goes through the Polaroid camera, you can do many things with the photo to give it the Polaroid feel. You can add text to the bottom of the photo, as if you were titling it. However, the filters are the reason that Instant is a hit.

Filters and Features

Instant allows you to, along with adding text, add filters to your photos to give them that nice vintage finishing touch. There are a lot of filters to choose from, a noticeable amount more than the Instagram application. Applying filters are pretty straightforward. All you have to do is just select them to apply. You can adjust each filter as well, by making them more or less intense. Want to have your picture look as if it came straight out of the 80s, Instant allows you to add Vignette to your photos for a nice finish. It works great with black-and-white.

To Buy or Not To Buy

Now is the important question, should you purchase Instant or not? Well, it all lies on how you will use the application. For individuals interested in Instant solely for the effects, then you’ll regret purchasing after about five uses. It will soon get old and you’ll find the same features in many of the other photo applications available for Mac. Additionally, you can do a bit more with the other applications out there. Plus, there aren’t many social networking features, aside from being able to post onto Flickr.

Unless you’ll find yourself adding the photos onto Facebook for example, then Instant will be a waste of money. However, it would be unfair to ignore the amazing quality of these features and how real they look when compared to Polaroid photos. The simplicity also may be attractive to individuals who find that they never had a liking toward photo applications due to the difficulty of use. If only Instant could offer some form of a printing service, like “postagram” does, then I would be sold! Instant is available for $4.99 on the Mac App Store.

Download Instant for Mac today from the Mac App Store.

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How to Begin

ScrapPad is easy to use. When you first start the app, it has an on-screen tutorial to guide you how to begin with the application. To begin, you can either click the “+” in the top right corner or you can click “Create Book”. From there, you are presented with three choices: Add your multimedia, add borders and other elements or add pages from ScrapPad’s theme kit. The theme kit offers many options for individuals just starting out with scrapbooking.

Options and Features

The ScrapPad theme kit allows you to add preset options and features onto your scrapbook without having to do much. They are set based on events and themes. They include the starter kit, great for beginners. There are also many holiday ones, including mother’s day, fourth of July, spring themes and more. However, these are only presets and they are highly customizable. If you don’t see a holiday you celebrate, customize and create it yourself.

Aside from the themes, you can create custom backgrounds using prints and even your own images. They can be added and changed at anytime, so don’t worry about being pressured to choose. The same applies for the borders in ScrapPad. However, what’s a scrapbook without stickers? No matter how much it hurt me to type that, it’s true. ScrapPad has many stickers and designs to choose from. You can even customize them by writing your own message inside a sticker. As always, unlike photo applications like iPhoto, where when you create a book and want to change the theme, the design is compromised, ScrapPad preserves your original design even when switching to a different theme.

Strengths and Faults

The faults are very minimal, especially for those who are looking to ScrapPad as your final destination for your photos before they appear in your scrapbook. Individuals looking to do more to their photos than just adding them into their scrapbook will be mildly disappointed. Don’t expect any options for adding Sepia or black and white to any of your photos once added. That should be done well before hand. Aside from that, the concept is strong and the sharing options are something that will make ScrapPad your only needed scrapbooking application. However, expect to find yourself falling back to iPhoto from time to time for a few image tweeks.

Sharing Your Work

The sharing options available are very similar to that we find on iPhoto and iBooks Author applications (aside from the store availability of course). For example, you can email your book, save as a PDF, or save it as a .jpg. PDF is great for individuals who are looking to email, but still want to save a finished copy on their machines. In addition, if you are looking to print it out for a handy copy, PDF is your best bet. For individuals wanting a better quality finished product, saving as a .jpg will be the best choice however you must remember that each page is saved. That means it’s not recommended for larger books. Now, others can enjoy your amazing work!

Download ScrapPad Today!

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Interface

The interface used with FX Photo Studio is almost dead simple to use, there are no special manoeuvres that you have to take when editing photos. The application takes many of the lessons found with other multimedia editing applications like iMovie and Final Cut Pro, where you have a dedicated region for seeing the editing process, a bottom region for the dirty work, with the right side dedicated for editing options. The very top of FX Photo Studio is where you’ll find an area for loading the photo, saving the photo, and sharing it onto the web. Next to that, you have options for undoing and redoing your edits. You then have a region for zoom, fitting the photo to its true size, and fitting the screen. You can compare the two photos (original and edited), as well as view the application in full screen. The interface has three regions, all selected on the top right side. The first region page is for effects, second is focused on cropping, and another for adjustments etc.

Features and Filters

FX Photo Studio has various features and filters that make for having an easy experience when editing. You have a choice for a ton of filters and effects, so many that it took some time to go through and try all of them. For this reason, FX Photo Studio has a “favorite” feature, allowing you to like some of your most used filters and effects for quicker referral. While some people refer to it as the “Instagram of Mac”, FX Photo Studio has many more features from filters. FX Photo Studio allows you to crop and rotate your images, as well as add other features, turning your photos into great masterpieces.

Share Your Work

Once you are done editing your photo, you are now able to share it with your friends and family. FX Photo Studio allows you to share it on Facebook, post it onto your Tumblr, upload it to Flickr, post to Twitter, and even email it to your friends. Along with sharing the photo onto various websites, FX Photo Studio allows you to have the photo exported to iPhoto and onto your Mac. But, you must remember that when share through email, it will launch the Mail application, so make sure you have that set up or if you even wish to do that.

Conclusion

All in all, FX Photo Studio allows you to do a ton of things with your photos. From choosing amazing, high quality filters to cropping. Your photo will be perfect for your Facebook profile, or the next holiday greeting card. While you can’t do exactly everything in iPhoto on FX Photo Studio, individuals looking for a nice iPhoto companion in terms of the available filters, FX Photo Studio is the application for you. While the FX Studio Pro version is available for $40, the standard version (shown in this review) is only for $9.99. With very little feature differences, the standard version (with a couple of less features) seems like a very attractive choice.

Download Links: FX Photo Studio and FX Photo Studio Pro

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For those who love the font and wish to use it on their applications such as Microsoft Word, Pages, Photoshop, Gimp, or even on their website, Google has kindly released the font for free and you can now use it without any restriction (under the Apache Software License).

Here’s how you can use it (almost) everywhere.

1. First, go to the Roboto font site and download the font (zipped file).

2. Extract the zipped file. You should see a folder named “Roboto_Hinted_20111129″. Open the folder and you should see all the roboto fonts (in (under the Apache Software License). (under the Apache Software License). (under the Apache Software License). various weight) in .ttf format.

For Linux (Ubuntu):

Open your home folder and enable the option to view hidden files/folders. Locate the “.fonts” folder. If it doesn’t exist, create it. Next, move the Roboto font folder to this “.fonts” folder.

Restart your LibreOffice, GIMP, Photoshop or whatever apps you are using. You should see the Roboto font available for selection.

For Windows

Open the Roboto font folder. Select all the fonts. Right-click your mouse and select “Install”.

This will install the fonts to your Windows machine. You can now use the Roboto font in your applications.

For Mac

Simply drag all the Roboto fonts to your Font Book.

For Android Phone

Since the font is a system level application, you won’t be able to change the font easily in your Android phone. For those who have an older Android phone (prior to Android 4.0 ICS), you will have to root your phone and install the Font Changer app (Play store link).

Open your File Manager app, navigate to the root of the SD Card (/sdcard) and create a folder (if not exist) “.fontchanger”. Place all the Roboto font in this folder. Open the Font Changer app and grant it SuperUser permission. Once it is loaded, you should see the Roboto font for selection in the main menu.

For iOS

There is no way to change the iOS system font without jailbreaking the device. Be prepared to void your warranty.

1. Jailbreak your iOS device and install BytaFont from Cydia.

2. Next, go to “Cydia -> Section -> Fonts” and install the Roboto font

3. Lastly, run the BytaFont app and you should see the Roboto font in the list, ready to be applied.

For the Web

If you wish to use the Roboto font in your website, you can use the CSS3 @font-face syntax to embed external font to your webpage.

1. Go to FontSquirrel Roboto font page and click the “@font-face Kit” link. Download the “@font-face kit”.

(under the Apache Software License).

2. Extract the zipped file to your website font folder. Open your web stylesheet and add the following code:

@font-face {
    font-family: 'Roboto';
    src: url('Roboto-Regular-webfont.eot');
    src: url('Roboto-Regular-webfont.eot?#iefix') format('embedded-opentype'),
         url('Roboto-Regular-webfont.woff') format('woff'),
         url('Roboto-Regular-webfont.ttf') format('truetype'),
         url('Roboto-Regular-webfont.svg#RobotoRegular') format('svg');
    font-weight: normal;
    font-style: normal;
}
 
@font-face {
    font-family: 'Roboto';
    src: url('Roboto-Italic-webfont.eot');
    src: url('Roboto-Italic-webfont.eot?#iefix') format('embedded-opentype'),
         url('Roboto-Italic-webfont.woff') format('woff'),
         url('Roboto-Italic-webfont.ttf') format('truetype'),
         url('Roboto-Italic-webfont.svg#RobotoItalic') format('svg');
    font-weight: normal;
    font-style: italic;
}
 
@font-face {
    font-family: 'Roboto';
    src: url('Roboto-Bold-webfont.eot');
    src: url('Roboto-Bold-webfont.eot?#iefix') format('embedded-opentype'),
         url('Roboto-Bold-webfont.woff') format('woff'),
         url('Roboto-Bold-webfont.ttf') format('truetype'),
         url('Roboto-Bold-webfont.svg#RobotoBold') format('svg');
    font-weight: bold;
    font-style: normal;
}
 
@font-face {
    font-family: 'Roboto';
    src: url('Roboto-BoldItalic-webfont.eot');
    src: url('Roboto-BoldItalic-webfont.eot?#iefix') format('embedded-opentype'),
         url('Roboto-BoldItalic-webfont.woff') format('woff'),
         url('Roboto-BoldItalic-webfont.ttf') format('truetype'),
         url('Roboto-BoldItalic-webfont.svg#RobotoBoldItalic') format('svg');
    font-weight: bold;
    font-style: italic;
}
 
@font-face {
    font-family: 'Roboto';
    src: url('Roboto-Thin-webfont.eot');
    src: url('Roboto-Thin-webfont.eot?#iefix') format('embedded-opentype'),
         url('Roboto-Thin-webfont.woff') format('woff'),
         url('Roboto-Thin-webfont.ttf') format('truetype'),
         url('Roboto-Thin-webfont.svg#RobotoThin') format('svg');
    font-weight: 200;
    font-style: normal;
}
 
@font-face {
    font-family: 'Roboto';
    src: url('Roboto-ThinItalic-webfont.eot');
    src: url('Roboto-ThinItalic-webfont.eot?#iefix') format('embedded-opentype'),
         url('Roboto-ThinItalic-webfont.woff') format('woff'),
         url('Roboto-ThinItalic-webfont.ttf') format('truetype'),
         url('Roboto-ThinItalic-webfont.svg#RobotoThinItalic') format('svg'); (under the Apache Software License). 
    font-weight: 200;
    font-style: italic;
}
 
@font-face {
    font-family: 'Roboto';
    src: url('Roboto-Light-webfont.eot');
    src: url('Roboto-Light-webfont.eot?#iefix') format('embedded-opentype'),
         url('Roboto-Light-webfont.woff') format('woff'),
         url('Roboto-Light-webfont.ttf') format('truetype'),
         url('Roboto-Light-webfont.svg#RobotoLight') format('svg');
    font-weight: 100;
    font-style: normal;
}
 
@font-face {
    font-family: 'Roboto';
    src: url('Roboto-LightItalic-webfont.eot');
    src: url('Roboto-LightItalic-webfont.eot?#iefix') format('embedded-opentype'),
         url('Roboto-LightItalic-webfont.woff') format('woff'),
         url('Roboto-LightItalic-webfont.ttf') format('truetype'),
         url('Roboto-LightItalic-webfont.svg#RobotoLightItalic') format('svg');
    font-weight: 100;
    font-style: italic;
}
 
@font-face {
    font-family: 'Roboto';
    src: url('Roboto-Medium-webfont.eot');
    src: url('Roboto-Medium-webfont.eot?#iefix') format('embedded-opentype'),
         url('Roboto-Medium-webfont.woff') format('woff'),
         url('Roboto-Medium-webfont.ttf') format('truetype'),
         url('Roboto-Medium-webfont.svg#RobotoMedium') format('svg');
    font-weight: 300;
    font-style: normal;
}
 
@font-face {
    font-family: 'Roboto';
    src: url('Roboto-MediumItalic-webfont.eot');
    src: url('Roboto-MediumItalic-webfont.eot?#iefix') format('embedded-opentype'),
         url('Roboto-MediumItalic-webfont.woff') format('woff'),
         url('Roboto-MediumItalic-webfont.ttf') format('truetype'),
         url('Roboto-MediumItalic-webfont.svg#RobotoMediumItalic') format('svg');
    font-weight: 300;
    font-style: italic;
}

Make sure you change the “src” to point to the path of the font folder.

Next, you can use the syntax

font-family:"Roboto";

to display the Roboto font on your web page.

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Setting Users and Groups

Users and groups allow you to have multiple people to use the same Mac in their own unique way. This is perfect for families that have just one Mac. This is regulated in the setting preferences section of your Mac. With users and groups, you have a section for the admin. This is the person who regulates all of the user rules and controls. In a family, the admin would be the parents or guardians of the children and guests. The other user setting is perfect for children, this group uses the applications pre-installed by the admin and can also surf online but they can’t delete or download more applications. Groups also are there for families who want a central account. Perfect for multiple admins (like both guardians).

Safety Controls: Protecting Children

The Mac has many settings that can help protect the little ones that use the family Mac. One major way that can protect children is with parental controls. These parental controls can set standards on what the child can view online, delete and download, and more. Under the safety controls settings, you can change access settings for applications, the Internet, People, and more. The application setting is where you want to go to set limits for the Finder feature, the hub of the Mac. Depending on the settings you set, the user will have to get the admin password to access the Finder.

Like all forms of entertainment, applications have ratings based on age. Instead of having to go through each and every application to block download, you can set which can be downloaded or not based on what their rating is. If you child does come to you for a password before download, don’t fret too much. There can be a case where the application could be perfectly safe, but restricted. For example, Opera the Web Browser was blocked to all under 18 due to the potential to view compromising information. However, a web browser isn’t one of the things out there that we feel would be harmful to children. So take each request with a grain of salt.

The settings area also allows you to set limits on what they can and can’t view online, including limiting adult content and other websites that can be considered inappropriate for younger audiences. In addition, if Facebook isn’t a website you feel your child should have access to, you can add it to the list to restrict your kid access.

Setting Timed Limits

From online games to watching funny television shows online, it can be easy for time to fly for your child while online. This makes it more important than ever to set limits on not just what they can view online, but also how long they can stay on the computer. In the settings tab, the time limit section allows you to set a certain number of hours each day that they can enjoy their Internet allowance. You can also set based on the day of the week, so you can set a more lenient rules for the weekend. To prevent your child from sneaking on after their bedtime, you can set a time to prevent logging in after a certain time. Once that time arrives, they are logged out for the rest of the evening.

The Issue With Multimedia

One thing that I should have reiterated more is that when you have an account, the account only includes your personal stuff and not others. That means that your seven year old won’t be able to access your files and move them to the trash. Everyone’s information and applications are kept separated. For content that you want to make available to all, a great way is to create shared folders. However, it’s important to remember that when something is shared, that means that everyone has the same ownership of that folder. So, when a file is taken away or added, everyone sees it. This may be one point that can encourage or discourage you from going through this route. Because if your family member(s) aren’t disciplined not to tamper with the folder, then everything from vacation memories to your costly iTunes playlist can be in the dust.

Your Mac and It’s Content

Lastly, let’s cover the task of saving your content. It is more important than ever to make sure that your content on your family Mac is backed up. You have many factors that go against you if you don’t do this. First, your Mac is more prone to water spills and mess-ups when children have their hands on the Mac. In addition, your family photos are most likely on there. When we are in a day in time when scrapbooks and family albums are now digital, a dead Mac can result in lost memories as well. That is why you should set your Mac up with Time Machine. This is the Mac’s dedicated backup software. With Time Machine, your Mac can periodically back up your information onto your external hard drive. Alternatively, you can also look into backing up some of your memories in the cloud, such as the iCloud or Dropbox for very low rates, and even free.

What are the ways you use to protect your family members on your Mac?

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What You Need To Know?

Before you begin using Time Machine, you need to have an external hard drive. Apple has an official external hard drive known as Time Capsule that is selling for $299 – $499, depending on whether you purchase a 500GB model or 1TB model. You can also use your own external hard drive.

Before purchasing or using the hard drive, you need to make sure it can be used for the space you want to backup. If it’s not large enough of a hard drive to accommodate your initial and additional storage, then you’ll have to go through the task of purchasing and setting up a new hard drive. To find out how large a folder is follow these steps:

1. Activate Finder
2. Just click “Command + I”.
3. Once on the page, you will then see how large your internal hard drive is. Your external hard drive must at least be this large to be able to hold your computer’s memory.

The Hard Drive and Your Mac

You have a couple of hook-up options with external hard drives and with Time Machine. Your first option is Thunderbolt, second being USB, and third is FireWire. To put it in a nutshell, Thunderbolt is the newest, USB is the most well known, and FireWire is the fastest. This will reflect in prices as well. USB hard drives are the cheapest while Thunderbolt and FireWire are the most expensive options. Your best option is to purchase a FireWire hard drive. Thunderbolt ports aren’t on all Macs and USB hard drives are a little too slow.

If you find that you don’t want to backup every single thing on your Mac, you have an option to choose what item should be backed up and what should not. This can be an option if your budget doesn’t allow you to get a hard drive that is large enough for your whole Mac. In addition, this will work if you only want to save documents and multimedia that you’ll keep for a long time, and not other miscellaneous stuff.

1. Activate Time Machine
2. Hook up your hard drive
3. Click on “Options”
4. To exclude a section to backup, click the “+” button

More on Setting Configuration

After you have hooked up your hard drive to your Mac, the Time Machine application will show up. You should click “Use as Backup Disk” to back up your computer appropriately. This box will come up every time you connect. You should remember though that the first time, will go without saying, will be a long one.

Any back up after that will be much shorter because you are adding to your initial backup. After the hard drive has been backed up, you are done! That’s the hardest and longest part of your whole backup. However, the length of time is also due to how much space will be added. There is a point when your hard drive will get full.

A Filled Time Machine: The Inevitable?

If you have backed up your files regularly, there will be a time when the external hard drive gets full. When this occurs, Time Machine will delete the oldest backup to fit the newest. However, if you’ve only had two backups and the second was of an astronomical size, you may not want to delete the information that you imported maybe just a week ago. In this case, it’s time for you to clean up your Mac and get rid of those useless stuff. Alternatively, it may be time for you to get a new and bigger hard drive.

Making Time Machine Work For You

You won’t get the most out of Time Machine if you don’t have it regularly back up your content. Especially with a laptop, it isn’t the easiest thing in the world to walk around with a big brick of a hard drive just hanging on your laptop. However, if you remember to continually hook up your hard drive, Time Machine will back up every time you hook up the hard drive. Thankfully, the icon at the menu bar will have an exclamation mark next to it to show when a backup is recommended. Heed those suggestions as soon as you can, because your content depends on it.

Conclusion

If you take anything away from this article, remember that there are many hard drive options. From Thunderbolt, to USB and FireWire in between, the options range in speeds and prices. It all depends on what you Mac can support based on compatibility and ports. Once you find the one for you, remember it can take quite a long time to back up your stuff, so plan accordingly. Once backed up, you can keep the hard drive hooked to your Mac, which will back up your stuff every hour, or you can hook it up ever so often to keep information freshly updated. A hard drive is an important piece of hardware for both novice and veteran computer users alike

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Your Stuff, Everywhere

iCloud now comes fully to Mountain Lion. If you aren’t familiar with iCloud, it allows all of your documents, photos, iCal, Address Book, etc to be available over the air without having to be saved on a flash or hard drive. The cloud initiative is also found with many music sharing companies that allow songs to be available over the air for download once purchased. To use on your Mac, just sign in with your Apple ID. What ever you do on one device hooked up with iCloud, it will reflect on the other connected devices. It will be something you’ll find yourself using a lot with Mountain Lion!

iMessaging on a Mac

Facetime become available on the iPhone, before appearing on the iPad, then Mac. Now, iMessage followed suit. First becoming an iOS feature, before appearing on the iPad, and now it replaces iChat with the latest Mountain Lion update. Now known as Messages for Mac, the new messaging hub allows you to chat on the same services available through iChat, however you can also iMessage between Macs and iOS devices. Messages for Mac also has the ability to send photos and files, and if the device you want to conversate with has FaceTime, you can even hold a FaceTime conversation by clicking the special respective button that launches the FaceTime application.

Sharing Sheets

Throughout Mountain Lion, you will see a special button called Sharing Sheets. This allows you to share photos, documents, and more through Messages, adding a bookmark, reading for later, and more. This is the best way to share everything from links you have found online to photos you have taken on Photobooth, to even photos you have collected in iPhoto. In iPhoto and Photobooth, if you have created a video or taken a photo, you can even share them on Vimeo and Flickr, respectively. Have a PDF document you need to run by the boss? Share it through Mail with Share Sheets. Did we mention there’s also Twitter support?

Tweeting on Your Mac

With Share Sheets, you have the ability to share photos and links you have found onto Twitter. The tweeting feature and interface looks identical to that found on iOS. You have, what looks like a note card, where you can write your message, have the link or image clipped, and the ability to add your location. With a character counter on the bottom, you never have to worry about staying within the 140 characters. If you receive a mention or DM, you’ll know with Twitter integration.

Your Mac, Safer

OS X Mountain Lion is there to make sure your Mac is safer than ever. This is done with the addition of Gate Keeper. This makes sure that the applications downloaded are of your consent. You have three options for protecting yourself. You can have no setting at all, allowing you to download just about anything anywhere, but you’ll at least be protected in some minor way. You can set to only download from Apple accredited developers, simply those who have a Developer ID, or you can only download from the Mac App Store.

Notifications in One Place

Just like with iOS, Mountain Lion is bringing your Notification Center. If you aren’t familiar with Notification Center, it is the hub for all of the notifications and alerts you get on your iPhone, and now on Mac. Notification Center will show you when you have a new tweet, when you’ve received a new Message, when you’ve missed a Facetime “call”, and more. To activate, simply slide to the right with three fingers on your trackpad. To clear a notification, click the “X” or click to execute it. Just as is the case with iOS, you also receive discrete notifications without having to activate Notification Center, never having to miss a thing.

Gamer Friendly Mac

Game Center for iOS allowed you to keep of your stats and standings with the games you played alone and with friends. Now, Game Center has come to Mac. You can now check out your standings with the myriad of games available on the Mac App Store. Just sign in with your Apple ID to enjoy the fun. If you are already using Game Center on your iPhone or iOS device, all of your stats and information, including profile information, will match up. Have fun, but not too much fun!

Remember Everything

Reminders first appeared on iOS and it’s an application I use about everyday to remember tasks I have to get done for the day. Now, Reminders is made available on Mac through Mountain Lion. Now you can remember everything that has to get done, from projects to groceries. Reminders for Mac also uses iCloud to apply additions and changes made on your Mac with the iOS devices connected with the Apple ID. Reminders are categorized, like on iOS, making for easier retrieval.

Your Mac, On TV

Want to show of an iMovie creation or footage from your latest vacation? Or maybe you want to show off spreadsheets or a PowerPoint presentation to a class or coworkers. Now, with Airplay Mirroring, you have the ability to play your Mac screen on the big screen, or at least how ever big your TV is. All you need to do is make sure your Apple TV box and Mac are under the same WIFI network, and then you’re ready to begin.

Notes for Your Thoughts

Lastly, Mountain Lion finally has a stable, formal notes section. This allows you to add small pointers, instructions, or just reminders for yourself without having to waste a sheet of paper. If needed, Notes now allows you to add photos and attachments to your notes. Once your notes are completed, you can send them, through Share Sheets to Messages or Mail. Have a note you need to remember once you get back to your Mac? Notes allows you to pin them onto your desktop for later review. All of this works with iCloud, meaning the notes made, edited, and deleted on your Mac will reflect on your iOS device, vice versa.

Which one is your favorite Mountain Lion features?

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Launching Launch Pad

There are two ways to launch the Launchpad. The first way is to click on the application in the dock. The Launchpad application is next to the Finder application. The second way to launch Launchpad is to take your first four fingers, place them all apart on the track pad, and then spread all four fingers together. Once launched, Launchpad is very simple to use. Simply take your first two fingers and slide the track pad from right to left to navigate the pages. Using a mouse? Simply click and drag to navigate. One of the most important component of Launchpad are the folders.

Launchpad Folders

Launchpad folders, like on iOS, are simply folders where you are able to keep related applications in one place. Creating a folder is very simple to do. All you have to do is take an application, drag it on top of the other application, and there you go. To rename the application, simply launch the folder and click on the folder’s name to edit it. To move around applications, click until it moves, then drag the application to the location or folder you choose. Want the application to be deleted from your Mac completely? Very easy to do so on Launchpad.

Goodbye Applications

Find an application that you want to delete from your Mac? It’s very easy to do through Launchpad. To do so, simply click until it moves, then click the “X” on the application’s icon. Then, you will be given a prompt warning you that the application will be completely deleted. If this is your intent, then click “Delete” to finalize it. This, even with the prompt, could have been a mistake for you. If this is the case, or if you find yourself needing the application again, the application will be available in the App Store. Even if you paid for it, as long as you are signed in under the Apple ID used when downloading.

Conclusion

As I’ve mentioned before, the usefulness of Launchpad largely depends on the user. Some people may like how you can see all of the applications in one place, allowing the dock to stay less cluttered. While more seasoned Mac users will find the need to take the initiative to launch the application makes it useless. Either way, the concept is great, but a majority of users will find use in it if only it were more centralized as a program they needed to use (as is the case with docks).

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Note Taking

Soho Notes 9

Soho Notes is the Mac application that not only helps organize your written notes, but also PDF notes and documents, and other multimedia. This is the perfect Mac application for organizing documents floating around the office. Its well organized folder system allows you to make a place for everything. Have a receipt or document you have to scan? Soho Notes allows you to take your scanned notes and have them added to the application as well. Soho is integrated in many parts of your Mac, so you don’t even have to have Soho notes active to make use of it.

WriteRoom

As a writer, I find myself quite distracted sometimes. Even with a quiet office, my desktop around me can be a chaotic with many open applications and windows. WriteRoom gives me that clean slate to make my writing magic. With the use of keyboard commands, you can make many of the same commands as your desktop word processor. Once done, you can add your writing into your publishing software to make appropriate additions and multimedia. You can also use custom papers, backgrounds, and more for a personalized experience.

Caboodle Express

You find yourself sent online all the time to gather research and more. Caboodle allows you to keep all of this research together in one place. All entries are easy to find through visually appealing labels. Unlike Soho Notes, Caboodle is more for the text oriented organizers. If you have multimedia or text that is related to each other, then instead of making a folder, you have a chain of other related entries for easier retrieval. When Caboodle is running and you want to take a look at a file, simply drag the file out of the app to view.

Suites and Packages

The iWork Suite

Looking for a more official option? Then the iWork suite might be for you. iWork consists of Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. Pages is the writing application that allows you to make documents and text based flyers. Numbers is the more graphics based application that allows you to make charts and tables for presentations. Keynote is to iWork as PowerPoint is to Microsoft Office. Keynote allows you to add animations to slides, as well as photos and notes. iWork applications all work together. You can use Numbers presentations in your Keynotes powerpoint. You can add Numbers graphs in your Pages documents.

Adobe Creative Suite

The Adobe Creative Suite is for the more artistic and visually based needs of your office and company. The Adobe Creative Suite 5 includes many applications including Photoshop, and a video editing software called Premiere Pro. Other applications include Adobe Story and After Effects. Adobe Creative Suite is a little more expensive and advanced than Apple iWork suite and Mac Microsoft Office. However, if your company is lower on funds, Adobe offers many great money saving options. This includes subscription based payments where you can purchase components by the month or at a lower price for a whole year (paid monthly).

Microsoft Office for Mac

Microsoft Office is a very well known word processing suite. Aside from the Mac based Apple iWork suite and the more expensive Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office is more affordable and available for both Windows and Mac. Microsoft Office for Mac includes Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Entourage. Microsoft Word is the word processing application. Excel is the Microsoft Office application that deals with spreadsheets. The Microsoft Powerpoint application allows you to make beautiful slideshow presentations, and Entourage is Microsoft Office’s mail application. You can create great flyers, cards, and more with Microsoft Project Gallery that comes with Microsoft Office.

Getting Things Done (To-Do)

The Hit List

The Hit List is a very visually appealing to-do application for Mac. The application allows you to see what needs to get done, based on two tabs. The first tab is for things to get done today, the other tab for future tasks. Folders on the left keep all of your to do tasks in order. Aside from the two tabs already out of the box, The Hit List allows you to also add more tabs that keep things personalized. Hit List is linked with iCal, meaning I can still make sure of my iCloud and iCal hook up too.

OmniFocus for Mac

OmniFocus is one of my favorite to do applications for Mac. OmniFocus takes all of your tasks and organizes them into a list for you. OmniFocus acts as your virtual assistant. You help OmniFocus with telling what you need to get done by providing a list of to dos. They don’t have to be organized just yet, just a random list of what needs to get done. The application organizes this into an action list. You action lists and to do tasks are all organized into referable folders. OmniFocus is even able to be linked with its iPhone app component.

Things for Mac

Things is a powerful but simple application that I have been using since it became public. The application allows you to see what you have to do based on the selected tab. You have tabs for home, as well as custom made tasks. The application is synced with your iCal, along with the ability to use the iPhone app available in the App Store. Things is linked with various other parts of your Mac, including the Spotlight search feature on your Mac. If there are certain tasks for your workers to assign, Things allows you to assign these tasks within the application.

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Ready From Start Up

iBooks Author is available for download in the Mac App Store. After downloading the free application, you have the average agreements shown that you must agree to, then you are shown the Template Chooser, as shown above. This page is what you see every time you start up. You have a choice of six templates, all with an educational theme. Less emphasis is put on your previous projects, all confined to a drop down menu at the bottom left of the window. If you have an old iBooks Author project, for example a finished one, you can access it by going to Open an Existing File, and search for the book from there.

iBooks Author’s Interface

The application’s interface gives me many memories of other applications I have used on the Mac. iBooks Author just has that classic Mac app look that we know. This also means that navigation is easy to catch on. You have the top left area that allows you to add a page or section. You can then change the page orientation at the top, edit text, add graphics and graphs, add widgets, and even preview and publish the book by clicking one of the selections at the top. The far right section is where you can access more intricate editing, add photos and other media, as well as customize color and font.

The left side is where you can see the cover, add an introduction photo, and view Table of Contents. This is the point when things get a little confusing. Instead of seeing the Table of Contents of the whole book, you see it for the section. You also have a section for a glossary, showing the application’s emphasis on education. The bottom half of this side allows you to see the full layout of the book, per chapter and section. When focusing on interface, we notice that it’s quite easy to understand. Everything is based on drag and drop. There isn’t a loading time, for example, when I dragged a six minute long video. When you drag multiple photos, the application has blue alignment lines that allow you to align all photos together.

Additional Features

iBooks Author allows you to add widgets into your book. The widgets include photo galleries, videos, the ability to add interactive tests, a Keynote powerpoint, interactive and 3D images, as well as a custom widget through HTML. The widgets section is the feature that allows you to add components that distinguish classic paper textbooks from digital ones. There are many possibilities with using widgets. For example, photo galleries can make the text in your book come alive. Videos can offer a better way of showing the content than what text and even photos can. Interactive tests allow the reader to know if they correctly or incorrectly answered a question, in real time. You also can see interactive images as great for showing off a globe or maybe the anatomy of a body, where the reader can click certain sections and learn more. The possibilities are endless.

The Finished Product

After completing the book, you may want to preview the book on an iPad. Simply connect your iPad, launch the iBooks app, click Preview in the iBooks Author Mac app, select your device, and preview from there. Once done, you have three exporting options. The first option allows you to publish your book on iBookstore. This is where your book is available for mass download/purchase. You then have the ability to export through PDF. Lastly, the whole book can be saved in a text file.

Each option has their benefits and drawbacks. The benefits with iBookStore is that you can publish and sell your books quickly and started making money. The export to PDF option has your book available in a widely shareable format. On the other hand, publishing to the iBookstore means that your content is now partially in the hands of Apple, who get a cut in profits. This also means your book is under their regulations. The PDF option is nice, but you have an iBooks Author tag on each page. The text option is convenient, but interactive content won’t show up.

Our Conclusion

We all want or at least wanted as a child to be an author. iBooks Author has made it incredibly easy to do so. The ease of use will allow Apple to be the gateway for many aspiring authors, creating a new batch of educational content for all to enjoy. However, this ease does come with some drawbacks for the author. If you have read the user agreements (I bet you don’t), it stated clearly that you cannot make money from your book on any other site. This prevents you greatly. Very few well published books stay on just one site. Many are on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other sites. This won’t be possible through iBooks Author. However, if iBookstore is sufficient for you, then you will greatly enjoy the application’s ease of use and accessibility. Why aren’t these eTextbooks available on iPhone? Beyond me, maybe the extra screen real estate, however it won’t be far fetched to see this change soon.

iBooks Author for Mac: Download Link

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The Hardware

To begin, you must obviously have an iPad to turn an iPad into a MacBook. At the moment, iPad 2 devices cost $499 for the entry model. This is close to being on-par with the average Windows PC that is available, while still being a little more than the average entry level netbooks on the market nowadays. This will give you a WiFi version. For 3G, you will have to cough up $629 for this model. Now, what if $499 is too much of a cost for you? No worries, you still have some options.

A great option to look into is Apple’s refurbished service. Many consumers cringe at the sight of the word, refurbished, but it is really not as bad as you may think. Refurbished, for those who don’t know, simply is when a gadget is returned to Apple and prepared for resell. This can range on the best side as a consumer wanting a different color iPad, and on the worst side, it being an iPad with a glitch that was fixed like new by Apple.

It’s important to remember that you aren’t really sacrificing anything with such a purchase. For $419 currently for a regular $499 iPad with WiFi and 16GB, you are saving some money. In addition, Apple has the previous model, the iPad, that garners even more deals. In addition, it’s important to remember that the iPad 3 is expected to at least be announced in the coming month. With reports of the possibility that Apple will keep the iPad 2 on the market at a lower price, you can find yourself with a better deal if you wait a bit longer.

The Cases: ZaggMate and ZaggFolio

The most important aspect of using your iPad as a Mac is to have the right casing. At the moment, the best company providing the most authentic iPad keyboard casing is Zagg. They have two models, the ZaggMate for the iPad 1 and the ZaggFolio for the iPad 2. Both models use Bluetooth to connect your iPad with the keyboard. The iPad itself is supported on a built-in stand, offering a laptop-feel angle. The case also has iPad specific keys and access to iPad controls like silence and volume rocker. If the $99 price tag is a little much for you, Apple also offers bluetooth keyboards for $49.99. These are the same keyboards used for iMacs, offering the exact feel as a desktop. However, you must purchase a case separately, which in the end will equal out the price.

The Applications

In addition to the hardware, you must also have the software for your iPad to match. The exact software you would need differs. Here is a nice list of almost every application on my Mac right now that has an iPad equivalent. I found a match for just about each application.

Skype for iPad

This is the obvious replacement of my Skype for Mac. All of the key features are still present with the iPad version. All you have to do is sign in with your Skype account and you can get a call started in no time. Individuals with the iPad 2 will be able to have a video conference with the iPad version of this application as well. You can hold calls with both other Skype for iPad users and Skype for Mac users (and Windows). If you want to make it into a mobile phone, a feature your laptop can’t do out of the box, then you can pay a bit more and enable landline calling with Skype. This is a Skype for Mac feature as well.

iMovie for iPad

I’m a bit surprised at how many people don’t know about iMovie for iOS, but it does exist. iMovie for iOS offers many of the same features that is on the Mac. All you have to do is drag and drop media into the timeline, tap and drag to extend or shorten clips. With an addition of photos and music, you can create a great project right on your iPad. Want to narrate a funny event? No problem, just tap to record audio, and then add it into your project. Once done, you can export your high definition project to YouTube and various other social networking websites.

Pages for iPad

Pages for iPad allows you to create beautiful documents for print and sharing on your iPad. Apple offer you with various beautiful templates to create a unique document. You can add text, change color, and even add some photos to brighten up the document. Interrupted while making your creation? No problem, iCloud will save everything you were doing and will allow you to continue when you can. You can also create charts within the application, allowing you to show the data in your paper in a much better way. Once done, you can export you document to various word processing programs, even including Word, or you can make it available online for viewing. At $9.99, this is a much economical option compared to Microsoft Office for Mac.

Keynote for iPad

Keynote is Pages for iPad’s friendly cousin. Where Pages excels in documents, Keynote impresses with slideshows and power points. You can create amazing presentations right from your iPad with Keynote for iPad. Just like with Pages, Keynote allows you to use various templates, add images and text, and even add other types of media into your project. You can have your project on an automatic loop or have it manually change slides. Your presentation can be exported afterwards to Powerpoint, as a PDF, and more. If you want a desktop quality presentation on your iPad, Keynote is for you.

Internet Service

The subject that differs the iPad from a laptop is the subject of Internet. The iPad has the option out of the box to either have a WiFi or 3G option. A majority of modern laptops only have the option of WiFi. Unless you have a data card, this is usually the only option you are presented with when on your laptop.

Some Advantages and Drawbacks

There are many advantages and disadvantages to having an iPad as a Mac alternative. Let’s begin with the drawbacks. One drawback is that if you do get the WiFi only version, which is more affordable in the short term, you don’t have the option to use a data card later on. This hinders use when away from a network. Individuals who do choose to go the 3G route may have the freedom of 3G, however Verizon charges are quite hefty and AT&T doesn’t offer many options for heavy data users like myself. Lastly, you don’t have much growth potential with an iPad. For example, if you want to add more programs, you have to be mindful of your current storage. Also, you can’t just plug in your USB drive and have it working in iPad.

These disadvantages make it ideal for the basic users, not so much for an advanced user. However, the advantages are that you save money in the short term and sometimes in the long term. If you want to forgo spending close to a grand on a laptop, this is a great alternative. In addition, some Internet companies that are out there can be a little more expensive than the 3G options for iPad, allowing you to cut the Internet bill. These advantages lead to this being a great money saving option.

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Transferring Data and Memory

One of the hardest things about switching to a Mac, let alone any computer, is transferring all of the files from one computer to another. Regardless which OS you are using previously, you sure have ton of files that need to be transferred to your new Mac. The fastest and easiest way is to use an external hard drive. All you have to do is connect, transfer, connect to Mac, and transfer.

Once you connect the hard drive to your Mac, you can transfer files by simply dragging in dropping in the section known as “Finder”. This is the beating heart of your Mac. You can access all files, and specifically look up documents, photos, and more. Dragging the files from your hard drive to the respective folders is all you have to do.

Alternatively, you can sync your files with Dropbox. By installing the Dropbox app for Mac, you can get all your files in your new machine once it is synced with the online account.

Understanding the Software

Your files are finally all organized in your Mac computer, but you find yourself missing some of your favourite software that you’ve been using on Windows. Luckily there are a bunch of pre-installed software that serve as a great alternative for the Windows counterpart.

The group of applications at the bottom of your Mac is an area known as docks. You have applications like Mission Control, allowing you to see at a distance all of the active applications. You can also click F3 to access Mission Control. This feature is more helpful than I thought at first. You have Safari, which is the browser, iChat is the IM software, iCal as your calendar, Preview which allows you to view PDF and lightly crop and export photos, FaceTime which is also a chat application, and more. The App Store also allows you to download more applications seamlessly.

Keeping Your Dock Organized

When you first get your Mac out of the box, you’re surprised with the applications that are already available for you. However, once you get hold of Mac App Store, you’ll find yourself downloading way more programs. This can create a cluttered dock. You must remember that removing an application from the dock doesn’t delete the application from your hard drive. Remember not to take this tip as a way of showing you how to clear your hard drive. To remove an application from the dock, first quit the program, then drag it away from the dock and release. It’s quite simple and pretty quick.

If you want to add an application, it’s just as easy. If you are currently using the application, simply press with your two fingers, go to options, and click on “keep in dock”. You can also add applications you aren’t currently using by dragging and dropping them in the dock to their respective location. It’s super easy to learn, and even easier to do. So there’s no worry about getting this wrong, it’s almost foolproof. Now time to understand Mac OS.

Getting familiar with Mac OS keyboard

If you have noticed, the keyboard in Mac is not exactly the same as the one in Windows. There is the “Command” button that will essentially replace the functionality of “Control”. For example, “Command + H” hides an application, “Command + Q” quits it. Other keyboard shortcuts include: F1 and 2 regulates screen brightness, F3 brings you to Mission Control, F4 takes you to widgets, F7 – 9 are exclusively iTunes controls. If you try to press them when iTunes isn’t active, the program will automatically launch. F10 – 12 controls all volume.

Where is my Start menu?

When looking at your Mac screen, there are more differences. For example, there isn’t a start menu. All of your programs are in docks, the closest start menu cousin is the menu bar at the top. This area is where you can access controls, and click the Apple to check for updates, access preferences, and shutting down/sleeping/restarting your Mac. Unlike Windows, the menu bar is always there, so once you get acquainted with it, you’re set.

Your Mac, Secured

There’s no secret, Windows computers are more prone to viruses than Macs. This shouldn’t necessarily be your sole factor in getting a Mac. The only reason Macs aren’t as prone is due to the fact that Windows computers are more common. Macs also have many safeguards right out of the box to protect you. Aside from the fact that Mac viruses exist, they rarely, if ever, do damage on the level of Windows viruses. I personally don’t have any virus protection I personally downloaded myself and I have been fine for the years I’ve been a Mac user, but hacks and viruses still are on my mind.

One huge thing to help protect yourself is keeping up with those software updates. They usually aren’t excessive, you will get a dozen or so a year, but they are well worth it and take a very short time in updating. Some help with application performance and experience, but most are for your Mac security and protection. In the end, you should know that your Mac is there for your protection and Internet safety.

What more do you want to know about a Mac OS?

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Interface Changes

Final Cut Pro X has been coined as a new system of its own rather than an update. For that reason, I’ll try not to use the word update too much in this article, but if I slip up, please forgive me. Contrary to the fact of it being a new system of movie editing, the interface seems like a Final Cut/iMovie combination with iMovie being dominant. With this being the case, Final Cut Pro X’s interface revolves mainly around the timeline, that little area in the lower mid-left region. This is where you will control most of what happens in the upper region, something very different from iMovie. This is very time efficient, but can be quite confusing when performing hard-core editing. One part of timeline that I really love is that if you drag any media into it, it will welcome the media with open arms. For example, when editing a video for YouTube, I dragged an older .mov clip in and the clip was added without any need of loading or processing.

Creating a New Movie

To create a new project, simply click with two fingers and click “New Project”. From there, you can name your project, set the default event, set video properties, and audio settings. This offers a lot of properties that you couldn’t preset in iMovie when creating a project. After creating the project, you are then forwarded to a blank timeline and an event filled with clips if you created an event already. From there, you can drag your clips in and create your movie. You have the option to adjust audio and video on the right hand side, add titles and effects from the bottom right, and more.

Speed and Processesing

Final Cut Pro X is a very fast video editing tool. As always, it depends on your hard drive space and speed, but from my tests, I can attest that it worked fine on a Macbook, Macbook Pro, and iMac. Without question, it also works without a hitch on a Mac Pro, but I didn’t have one available to test that for sure. So with good performance across the board, what is the reason behind this? The answer is in background tasks. Final Cut Pro X processes everything in the background, allowing you to get more things done faster. To be more informed of your background tasks, you can pay attention to the green circle with the percentage inside to know when a background task is complete. If it’s not, the percentage will reflect when it will be over. All in all, Final Cut Pro X presents you with true multitasking.

Options Galore

When editing your movie, you may find a title or an effect to be necessary for your project. Your options are now limitless with Final Cut Pro X. The system offers you with hundreds of effects for your video and audio. From boost of color to camcorder effect, there are a bunch of video and audio effects ready for you to use. You can click the camera to add photos from iPhoto, clicking the music allows you to add music from iTunes, audio effects, and more. Final Cut Pro X allows you to also add transitions, text, and more, just like with iMovie and the older Final Cut Pro, just with more options.

After the Fact

By now, your movie is finished and you’re ready to export. The best option with any Apple movie editor (iMovie, Final Cut, etc) is to click “Share -> Export Media”. With Final Cut Pro X, this will allow you to choose the best format to export in, you can also choose the last used settings for easier and faster exporting. A rule of thumb, the options may be overwhelming but for videographers who frequently share video online, you should export mainly in H.264. When exporting, you are brought to where you can choose where the movie will go after it’s exported, then the exporting begins.

Exporting took a very short time, usually about as long as the movie was. For example, my five minute video I edited last night took about four and a half to five minutes to export. Final Cut Pro X also has great organizational skills, including the ability to sort based on search keywords, remove shakiness, and to delete silent portions of your video. Don’t worry, all of these organizational adjustments are only implemented if you select them. So your silent film is safe.

Strengths and Faults

Final Cut Pro X is a great, fast video editing software. The background task feature allows you to truly multitask without a hitch. The familiar iMovie interface makes it appealing to former iMovie users who either were scared off from purchasing video editing software or would have gone to the now discontinued Final Cut Express. For many of those same reasons, we can now understand why the professionals in the video industry aren’t loving it so much. Final Cut Pro 7 for now seems like the best option for individuals in videography, like myself. Final Cut Pro X is too, shall I say it, watered down for the professionals out there.

To conclude, if you are new to Final Cut Pro X but not to Final Cut in general, don’t let the familiar design fool you. There are many navigations that have changed, so be patient and prepared to learn a couple of things.

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Best of Communication

1. Facetime

Facetime has been available on iPhone for a very long time. This year, the service became available for all iDevices, including Macs. The application comes free with iLife, and 99 cents for those without it. The application is great and you don’t even need the application open to receive calls.

2. Echofon

Echofon is the best application on Mac for Twitter. The simple, yet high quality, application is available for iPhone as well. The application has multiple account support and full Twitter feature support. There is also a paid $19.99 version that is ad-free.

3. Skype

The Skype for Mac application allows you to communicate with friends and family on the other side of the world, or the other side of the street. Skype is the program that put VOIP chat on the market. Calling Skype to Skype is free, calling landlines are at a low cost. But Skype provides many promotions and sales that go toward landline calls.

4. Sparrow

This was one of the first downloaded mail clients that I downloaded on my Mac. Sparrow provides a clean, streamline email client on your Mac. Creating, replying, and making attachments to emails are very easy to do. If you’re a Gmail user, Sparrow is a must.

Best of Entertainment

1. Angry Birds

Angry Bird made its debut on iOS, but now it’s available for Mac. If you don’t know what Angry Birds is, the game involves attacking the green pigs that have stolen your eggs. The pigs hide behind wooden planks and boxes, but it’s your mission to make them vanish.

2. Monopoly

There are a large number of classic games available on the Mac App Store. The newest release is Monopoly for Mac. The game, released on the 15^th of December, brings the original classic Monopoly game to your Mac. One drawback to this new game is its large file size, contributing to many crashing reports, but it’s just like the original board game with beautiful graphics.

3. Pac-man

Pac-Man for Mac brings the game that created child memories to a modern system. The Pac-Man application does come with a few drawbacks, including some glitches. But the game works great a majority of the time, available for endless game play – or at least until you get taken by one of the ghosts!

4. Flight Control HD

Flight Control HD is a hit on the iOS App Store, and now it’s available for Mac users alike. The main objective to Flight Control is as easy as, well, Angry Birds. You guide the planes to the runway. If they make it there without a plan crash, you move forward to the next level.

Best of Productivity

1. Evernote

The notebook application Evernote is the bin for all of your Internet discoveries. If you have a quick note you need to create, a to-do list, or class notes, Evernote is the perfect application to keep all of your notes in one place.

2. iProcrastinate

The free iProcrastinate application helps you to know what needs to get done, and how to get it finished. iProcrastinate partners with your iOS application, allowing you to have everything done on your iPhone, reflected on the Mac application.

3. Things

Things are the ultimate application for getting your tasks organized. Things for Mac act as your personal assistant, giving you an idea of what you have to get done for that day. You can add notes to yourself and sync all of this with your iCal for Mac and Things for iPhone.

4. Smartr

This is the ideal application for students. Smartr allows you to create and study flashcards that can also come with images. Smartr is also a smart application and can base what you are understanding and form a great study guide for you to master the information.

Best of Photography

1. iPhoto

Any Mac user with iLife knows what iPhoto is. The native Mac application allows you to edit photos in a snap. You also have the ability to organize photos based on events/folders. In addition, when you connect your iDevice, you have the ability to import photos from the device to iPhoto.

2. Snapheal

This is the newest photo application to hit the scene. This application puts erasing on the front burner, allowing you to edit out objects and individuals in the photo. Snapheal is a great Photoshop alternative for individuals who don’t understand or can’t afford the software.

3. Pixelmator

Detail oriented Mac photographers will appreciate Pixelmator. The application is made to add the finishing effects and touches to amazing photos. This is unlike other photo editing applications that are there to change the photo’s look. In addition, Pixelmator was also awarded “Best of Mac App Store 2011”.

4. Aperture

Aperture is an application brought out by Apple, made for Mac photographers. The software provides a ton of photography tools that work great with other Mac applications as well. Individuals interested in Aperture should remember that it isn’t supported on Windows.

Best of Music

1. SoundCloud

The popular artists of today all had to start from somewhere. SoundCloud is the platform for the new artists of today to get some of their music out there. SoundCloud is also a community of individuals interested in hearing these new artists. Plus, it’s free; so what more can you ask for?

2. Garage Band

All Mac users know about Garage Band. This consumer friendly music application allows you to create wonderful tunes and tracks straight in your Mac, free with iLife. Garage Band also partners with the other Mac apps in your system. So if you created a song in Garage Band for a movie you’re creating, it is easily accessible in iMovie as well.

3. Djay

Long gone are the days when being a DJ didn’t include a computer. The application Djay now allows you to integrate your iTunes library and mix tracks. Anyone who uses Djay can find himself or herself easily lost in the application. For $50, it’s worth the price tag.

4. Take Five

Music lovers always have that time when they must pause their song and attend some other responsibilities. But when we come back, we may sometimes forget to play the music again. Take Five automatically plays the song you were once listening to after five minutes once you pause the song.

Best of 2011…

swackett X

This year, for Mac applications, we chose swackett X as the top Mac app for 2011. The concept and UI were the two main points that brought me to this decision. The concept of basing the weather report on your attire is something that I can see grow even outside of Mac applications. They represent this with great-animated “peeps”. You can also purchase themes for $0.99 each.

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The Interface

Initially, I felt the interface was too simple for me to make use of. However, as testing went on, I found the benefits to a simpler interface. Anxiety is an application that makes sure it doesn’t get in your way. Anxiety mainly occupies a small section of your task bar and a small box (only when opened). The Anxiety application’s main box can be activated by clicking the application icon or by clicking the small check circle in the task bar. When activated, a small box with all of your tasks are revealed. You can click the top, middle section to view each category. Settings are accessed at the bottom left.

How does it Work?

Anxiety is made for quick reference to your to-do list. The application is made to be kept on throughout the day as a way of accessing your tasks without launching iCal. When doing more date dependent tasks, iCal will be of use for you. However, for lists, Anxiety will help out. To add to Anxiety, you have two choices. First, you can control through iCal on the right sidebar. You can also add tasks directly in Anxiety. Here’s how:

1. First click the check or press “enter”.

2. Name the task and choose the category

Optional: Click the calendar on the right to make a new iCal calendar.

3. Then click “add” to apply it to iCal.

How to Download?

Anxiety is available for free to anyone interested in a download. However, Anxiety appreciates donations to keep the application up and running. The application is only available for Mac and you must have at least Leopard. Anxiety can be downloaded through their website directly. The application is downloaded as a .dmg file. When downloaded, the application can be used right out of the “box”. The settings allows you to customize appearance, start up settings, lists, and more.

Strengths and Flaws

To start, Anxiety is one of those love it or hate it applications. Those who love it will include individuals who are heavy on to-do lists while on their Mac and want a simple application. Anxiety, on the other hand, would be too simple for other individuals. In addition, individuals like myself, appreciate more mobile to-do applications for when on the go. This may turn some individuals away from the concept of Anxiety. All in all, Anxiety is a powerful application for those who will find use in it.

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