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Ah, good old Dashboard. This feature of OS X is usually the most loved or most unknown part of the operating system for most users. Dashboard has a nearly limitless amount of uses. Some widgets are for fun, like hangman or Texas Hold'em Poker. Widgets can also help increase your productivity. Today, I am going to focus on some Dashboard widgets which can help increase productivity.

Widgets are great because they only require a button push to open. Web searching or specific internet tasks can be sped up greatly with the help of widgets. Here are 10 great widgets with a short description as to why it is helpful.


1. Dictionary - I use this widget all the time. Great when reading a homework assignment which uses scientific words which you might not know the meaning of. This widget also comes in handy when writing a paper. It has a build in thesaurus in case you can't quiet decide which word you want to use to describe what you are feeling. This widget comes built into OS X.




2. Calculator - Don't dig around your computer desk for that old solar-powered calculator. Use the calculator widget. This widget also comes standard with OS X.








3. Business - Do you often find yourself searching through the Yellow Pages? This handy widget will find any business you want. Just enter in what you are looking for and you will receive a number and address in no time. This also comes standard with OS X.


4. People - Pretty much the same concept as the Business widget. This works great when mailing party invitations. Don't search through the phone book for each name. Just type in the first and last name of the person you want and search. This widget comes standard with OS X.


5. CallWave Text Messaging - Send text messages for free to any cell-phone in the U.S. or Canada. This is great if you want to send someone a quick message, but you don't want go find your cell-phone. It also works with Address Book so that any name and number you have in that program is easily selectable. This widget can be found here.


6. Gas Price Finder - Need gas? Check the prices of all local gas stations before you head out. Could easily help you save a couple cents per gallon every time you fill up. This widget can be found here.


7. Google 2 in 1 - The ultimate Google addition to your Dashboard. This widget has a lot more features than the standard OS X widget. You have the ability to search maps, images, froogle, video services from Google. It also gives the recent news stories below the search bar. This monster search widget can be found here.


8. iStat Pro - Want to know how your Mac is running? Check out this widget with an impressive feature set. Check out your disk space, memory info, and the temperature of your system with this sweet widget. Extremely customizable. This widget can be found here.


9. Translator - I am currently in my second semester of Japanese. This widget is very useful when I need to find a word to use in an assignment. Translates into 13 different languages. Very helpful for anyone foreign language student. This widget comes standard with OS X.


10. Digg RSS Widget - Great if you like keeping up with tech news like I do. This widget checks the Digg.com RSS feed and gives you all the top stories through your Dashboard. Click on any story subject and a link to the story is immediately opened in your browser. This great widget can be found here.



I hope everyone finds these widgets useful. Obviously, this is is only a small list which contains some of the best widgets OS X has to offer. For more great widgets, check out Apple's website here. Feel free to tell me about your favorite widget by e-mailing me at TeenageFanboy@gmail.com or by leaving a comment.

NOTE: If you are looking for more great tips and tutorials for OS X, check out my new website, www.appleinfive.com

We are about 5 months away from the launch of the iPhone. I feel like I have gone on about the subject long enough and no longer need to discuss how great this phone is. Today, I am actually going to discuss what improvements the iPhone needs. It is never too early to start speculation about the second version of the iPhone. Here are a few things that could really revolutionize the revolutionary iPhone.

1. Vibrating Touch Feedback - One big complaint I have seen about the phone has involved the lack of feedback when a button is pressed on the phone. When you press a button on your current cell-phone, you feel the button press in. You have some sort of feedback. A touch-screen doesn't have this. What if the phone contained a small rumble motor which would vibrate when a button is pressed? It might sound odd, but you can imagine how well this would work if you own a Nintendo Wii. When you hold the Wiimote, the controller vibrates when you move the cursor over an on-screen option button. This would be a similar feature which would allow for a great sense of feedback whenever a button is pressed.

2. Hard-drive based - Battery life is a big decision behind the decision to use a flash-based player. Today, news has been floating around the internet regarding a new type of battery which would last about ten times longer than current batteries. That story can be found here. If that kind of battery would work on a cell-phone, I think it would make sense to make the phone hard-drive based. It would allow for 30 GB or even 80GB worth of space for holding songs and files.

3. GPS built-in - Or at least as an add-on. The Google Maps integration looks amazing. However, it would be a better if GPS was used so that it was not necessary to type in current location while on the go.

4. Homebrew - Apple has gone on record to say that this device will not run unauthorized 3rd-party applications. Apple needs to open the device up so that small communities can develop homebrew applications. This powerful machine could produce some amazing applications if independent developers or basement programmers were given free reign.

5. VOIP support - The phone has WiFi capabilities. It would be great if the phone had some sort of ability to run something like Skype. This will most likely never happen due to agreements with Cingular or any other future carrier. The ability to use Skype would be amazing with how wide-spread WiFi networks are becoming.

I hope everyone enjoyed these five ideas. While the second generation of the iPhone could be a year or two away, it is fun to speculate. If you have any comments about my suggestions or if you have suggestions of your own, feel free to post it in the comments section, in the message board, or e-mail me at TeenageFanboy@gmail.com

It's hard to believe that the Macworld keynote was only a mere 10 days ago. We now know all about the iPhone, a release date for the Apple TV, the 802.11n capabilities of the Core 2 Duo Macbooks, and we are only three weeks into the new year. If you have been living under a rock or on an island for the past three weeks, you might of missed out of some of the big announcements. Hell, if you have been on the internet constantly for the last three weeks you still might have missed some announcements. I have decided to put up some news summaries and a time line of the next few months for Apple users.

1. iPhone announced - It was the most popular story of all-time on Digg.com. During the Macworld keynote address, Steve Jobs revealed a cell-phone that could revolutionize the way we view cell-phones in the same way the iPod revolutionized the way we view MP3 players. The phone features a touch-screen, a video iPod, a full-fledged Safari web browser, and the ability to listen to any voice-mail without listening to previous voice-mails first. The phone will be released in June with a $499 price-tag for 4GB of flash memory as well as $599 for the 8GB model.

2. Apple TV to be released in February - You could also call this the forgotten announcement of Macworld 07. Steve Jobs announced that we will see the Apple TV ship in February. It is now available for pre-order at Apple.com. The Apple TV will feature a 40GB hard-drive to keep programming on the device. The device also has the ability to stream songs, TV shows, movies, and podcasts from up to 5 computers in any household. The Apple TV will retail for $299 and will see a release in February.

3. New build of Leopard seeded to developers - This isn't news that will catch the eye of a typical Mac user. OS 10.5, also known as Leopard, should see a ship date sometime this summer or late spring. No announcements from Apple on an exact date yet, however the new OS seems to be coming along nicely.

4. 802.11n has been already been shipping on new Macs. - 802.11n is a new WiFi standard that allows information to be transfered over a network faster. The speed boost means nothing if you only use your router for the internet. However, if you plan on transferring long video files to your Apple TV, it would be beneficial to have a faster transfer speed. This new technology solves this problem. Apple didn't tell users that any computer shipping with a Core 2 Duo processor can already handle this new technology. This nice bonus for recent Mac buyers will be enabled after the user pays a small $2 fee. The download to allow this feature should be available by the launch of the Apple TV.

5. Beatles available on the iTunes Music Store - Many critics gripe at Apple due to a lack of the Beatles on the iTunes Music Store. This problem seems to have been all but solved in the last two weeks. Beatles album art was shown at Macworld and several sources have claimed to have seen new iPod ads featuring more Beatle album art. Beatles fans can now rejoice and put out money for digital Beatle downloads.

6. The Super Bowl commercial. - It seems that Apple Inc. has bought a chunk of commercial time during the Super Bowl in which they will reveal a new product. The internet is running rampant with rumors of a touch-screen video iPod. The announcement of the Beatles on iTunes is much more likely.

7. Apple is not a monogamist. - The Macworld keynote brought up several interesting partnerships. Cingular and Apple reached agreements for exclusive rights to the iPhone as well as a couple other projects. Apple also announced partnerships with Google and Yahoo! to bring great features to the iPhone.

8. Paramount to add movies to iTunes. - Macworld also brought an announcement about movie content on the iTunes Music Store. Paramount will be adding movies to the store which should double the amount of videos currently available on the service. This will be great for when the Apple TV is launched and users are looking for new movies to watch. If only Apple would announce a subscription or rental service...

9. Office 2008 for the Mac. - Microsoft recently announced Office 2008 for the Mac which should see a launch later this year. Take that PC users who just got Office 2007. Microsoft loves us more. I'm just kidding, don't kill me! Anyways, Office 2008 should bring Mac users the features and functionality which PC users will enjoy with Office 2007. This announcement is important because it shows that the Mac user base is important to big developers like Microsoft.

Here is an abbreviated time-line. If you don't have time to read the whole post, which I guess you might have already done if you are reading this at the end of the post, check this out.


I hope you all enjoyed this little news summary/ time-line. As always, feel free to leave your opinions by sending me an e-mail at TeenageFanboy@gmail.com or by posting in the comments section. I also invite everyone to register for our message board to post opinions here.

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So, you have been using OS X for a while now? You know your widgets from your tabbed browsing? Well, I still have some tips for you! OK, I apologize for the lackluster introduction. However, I do think that you will learn a few things from these little known OS X tips.

Unlike my previous blog post, these tips are aimed toward helping more experienced Mac users become better on the system.

1. Securely empty your trash.

If you use your Mac to keep important financial documents or other private data, be sure to use "Secure Empty Trash" when deleting important documents.

2. Turn off Bluetooth and WiFi.

The MacBook and MacBook Pro are two of the fastest selling laptops around. Turn off Bluetooth and WiFi if you are using your laptop while away from a power supply and depending on your battery. This will help you save precious battery time.

3. Widgets are your friend.

Do you always find yourself visiting an online dictionary? Did you routinely spend 10 minutes searching the desk for that old calculator? Set up a widget! A simple search of the Apple website shows hundreds of widgets which can help you with any number of things.

4. Organize your mail with rules.

If you receive large amounts of e-mail, it can be nearly impossible to sort and organize mail. Many important e-mails might be ignored if they become surrounded by less important messages. If you check out Preferences in Mail, you will find the Rules tab. Here you can set up specific folders or colors for e-mails that are important to you. If you need help setting up Rules, check out Free Mail Tutorials.

5. Find movie times, stock quotes, and eBay prices without even opening up Safari.

Don't open up Safari, use Sherlock instead. Sherlock allows you to preform internet searches, check out movie times and reviews, check out up to the minute stock quotes, book a flight, translate words or sentances, check eBay, search Mac help files, and much more. It is a great search program that not many Mac users are aware of. Check it out in your Applications folder.

6. Customize your toolbar.

Do you often find yourself creating new folders or deleting items? Customize your Finder toolbar to include these actions for easy use.

7. Add commonly used folders to your sidebar.

I am always saving and opening files for college. I need to open my College folder at least twice a day. Thanks to a simple drag and drop, my College folder is easily located on my Finder sidebar. Now, it only takes seconds to find important class files.

8. Remove unused icons from your task bar.

Many people are unaware of this and it simply amazes me. Don't clutter your task bar with useless icons. With a simple secondary-click (aka a right-click), you can easily remove unused icons from your task bar.


I hope you found these tips useful. While simple, many of these features will help make you much more efficient on OS X. Like always, feel free to leave your opinion by sending an e-mail to TeenageFanboy@gmail.com or by leaving a comment. You could even leave a post on the forums.

Speaking of the forums, I also would like to invite everyone to my new forums. Here you can chat with other Fanboy readers. Be sure to check it out!

Well, it's over. The Macworld keynote has come and gone. The big news of the keynote was the iPhone. The iPhone announcement has become the top story of the year on Digg.com in less than 10 hours. The phone has gone way beyond anything I imagined it could be. The price point is high, however the device will replace your iPod and cell-phone while providing features that neither device is currently capable of. As great as this device sounds, this post is not about the iPhone. This post is about the Apple TV and how it will revolutionize home entertainment as we know it.

Apple announced yesterday that the Apple TV will be released sometime in February. It will ship with a retail price of $299. I won't spend much time talking about the specs of the machine. All the technical mumbo jumbo can be found here thanks to Engadget.

The Apple TV hasn't really received the best of receptions. Many critics have cited that the X-BOX 360 does the same exact things for the $100 more. The 360 is also a great gaming platform which offers HD movie downloads.

The Apple TV is still a much better alternative for iPod or Macintosh users. The Apple TV is basically Front Row for a television. If you haven't used Front Row, it is a media center which uses nearly the same user interface as the iPod. Anyone who has used the interface understands that it is wonderfully intuitive. Music, videos, pictures, and podcasts are all perfectly arranged into categories.

I understand that the X-Box 360 might have a similar feature set. However, Apple announced a little something many people might of forgotten after they heard about the iPhone. I will quote this announcement from Engadget.

"There was an article recently stating that iTunes sales have slowed dramatically; I don't know what data they're looking at..." (Shows chart with insane upward slope.) "We are selling over 5 million songs a day now. That's 58 songs every second... the last time we talked we were the fifth largest music retailer in the US. We have now passed Amazon; we sell more music than Amazon and we are now #4."

Apple's big weapon is the iTunes Music Store. Many people might still pirate through torrents or P2P, but Apple has proven that there is a market for legal music downloads. Apple has shown with these statistics that people will pay for music. Plain out, people will spend money in an online music store. Apple is now the 4th largest music retailer in the US. Apple has proven that people will pay for digital content. Apple has greatly increased the amount of movies available on the store thanks to a recent agreement with Paramount. Apple needs to find a way to bring more television programs to the service while lowering the prices through some sort of subscription program.

The Apple TV might not win over X-Box 360 owners or those with HD capable TiVos. Apple will be able to win over users who have purchased large quantities of content from their online store. Apple might also be able to win over a large portion of young users. The young generation has shown that it would prefer one service at lower prices over multiple services. Land line phones have become a thing of the past among the twenty-something group of users who only own cell-phones. These users can now download and buy the single shows they watch weekly instead of giving anywhere from $50 to $90 a month into the hand of a cable company. This deal is sweetened by the fact that this content can be taken anywhere on an iPod they already own.

Digital distribution is a thing of the future. Apple has created a device that will connect an online store and the television better than any other product available. The product will revolutuonize how we look at entertainment when it launches next month.

I will be in this chat discussing Macworld for a while. Come on in and enjoy the fun with fellow Mac users!

EDIT 2: Thanks to everyone who showed up in the chat room! The keynote is over and we have now been introduced to an Apple TV and the iPhone. Thanks again for showing up in the chatroom, I will be posting by tomorrow so be sure to check out the blog regularly.


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NOTE: If you are looking for more great tips and tutorials for OS X, check out my new website, www.appleinfive.com

I said it. Please don't send in your hate mail yet, let me explain. Actually, let me rephrase that sentence. The iPhone won't change the world right away. Ah, much better.

Macworld kicks off next week and Apple websites have been abuzz with rumors concerning the keynote address. The keynote begins at 9AM Pacific and a live feed will be available at MacUser here.

One product which has been featured predominantly in rumors is a cell-phone from Apple. The cell-phone has actually been rumored for over five years. If you are interested in an Apple cell-phone rumor history, check out FierceWireless here.

Apple did collaborate with Motorola to produce the ROKR in 2005. The phone was the first cell-phone to integrate iTunes. However, the cell-phone received poor reviews because of a 100 song limit which was plagued by poor music transfer speeds.

It has been heavily rumored that Steve Jobs will announce an Apple cell-phone during his keynote address Tuesday. Little is known about the phone. We do know that the phone will not be called the iPhone. This name is a copyright of Linksys and was used on a recently release VOIP phone. It is also heavily rumored to have a battery broken into two halves; one for phone use and another for music playback. I have also seen several rumors which have speculated that the phone will run a mobile version of OS X.

It is highly probable that Steve Jobs will announce a mobile phone on Tuesday. Heck, it might even be in stores by Wednesday. This makes the Apple fanboy in me jump for joy. The idea of a great cell-phone that doubles as a great audio player is wonderful. However, I must admit that I will not rush out to buy one.

First, Apple needs to prove to me that they are capable of producing a quality cell-phone. I know that Apple produces better computers better than any other company in the world. However, a cell-phone is not a computer. Many people e-mailed me and called me biased after my "Top 10 Things to Know" post. They said I would never speak bad of an Apple product. Well, the ROKR was a bad phone. I understand that the ROKR was not completely developed by Apple. Nevertheless, the phone was poorly developed and still tarnishes Apple's record in regards to cell-phones. Apple still needs to prove to me that they can create a powerful cell-phone.

Second, Apple also needs to convince me that I should sell my iPod and my RAZR in exchange for a single device. I love my 4th generation iPod. The screen might not be in color and it isn't nearly as slim as the newer version, but it is still my favorite MP3 device. This mindset also applies to my RAZR. The phone is slim, sleek, and sexy. It handles my contacts and calendar great. I also have great reception with the phone. I really don't see any reason for loosing these devices in favor of a single device. Apple really needs to prove to me that this new device keeps the same great features of my old products while improving upon performance.

Finally, Apple needs to create something that stands out. The phone needs to be a fresh change in the cell-phone and MP3 market. The iPod currently dominates the MP3 market with it's great functionality and hip designs. Many cell-phones currently stand out with great features and designs in the cell-phone market. Apple must create and promote a product that stands out in both markets in order to sell a large amount of units.

Does this mean I think the Apple cell-phone will fail? I don't think it will fail at all. I am confident that Apple will produce a quality produce which will revolutionize the way we see our cell-phones and MP3 players. I just don't feel that this revolution will occur overnight. Once Apple proves that their device is really a killer product, I feel that we will see a drastic market change where multipurpose devices will become extremely popular.

Just don't expect this cell-phone to change the world overnight.


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I apologize for the lack of subject and short length of this post. I must admit, I didn't even plan on making a post until Tuesday. However, I felt I should really give thanks to those who deserve it.

Last week, I wrote an article about converting to OS X. The story can be found here. I also wrote a response to that article in which I write about several of the e-mails and comments I received which you can find here.

The original article received over 3100 diggs and was even the top story on Digg.com for a while. I received nearly 100 great comments on this site as well as nearly 300 on Digg.com. I also recieved about 30 great e-mails from people who read the post.

Thanks to e-mails from Photoguy and KrazyMike, I was informed that my article had been mentioned in the New York Times. My post was mentioned in the "What's Online" column written by Dan Mitchell.

LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP According to AppleInsider, more than two million Macs were sold this holiday season (appleinsider.com). Converts from Windows will spend much of January getting used to their new machines — and it’s not always as easy as Apple would have you believe. Cameron Banga offers a list of “Things I Wish I Had Known Before I Switched to a Mac” on his blog “Confessions of a Teenage Fanboy.” No. 1: “When you install an application, you might not have actually installed an application” (teenagefanboy.blogspot.com). DAN MITCHELL

Complete links are at nytimes.com/business. E-mail: whatsonline@nytimes.com.

The entire article by Dan can be found here. The column can also be found on page B5 of today's New York Times.

I would like to give a huge thank-you to Dan for writing about my article. I can't even explain how great it felt to see my name in the New York Times. I would also like to give a bigger thanks to the users of Digg.com. Your diggs definitely helped increase the popularity of my article. Digg is, without a doubt, the greatest user-focused website on the internet.

Again, sorry for the lack of a post today. Be sure to check out the blog next week. I will be posting my opinions of the announcements Apple makes during Macworld.

Thanks again to everyone. I really appreciate the feedback and support.

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NOTE: If you are looking for more great tips and tutorials for OS X, check out my new website, www.appleinfive.com

(Author's note: This article is in response to a previous post. The previous post can be found here.)

I received some great responses from my post the other day. I am a big Digg.com fan and was ecstatic to see my article make the Digg homepage. It was great reading all the positive comments left on both my blog and Digg. I also learned a valuable grammar lesson. I will remember to proofread every article because it is impossible to tell when a story might get dugg. I guess I "should of" worried less about lunch and more about spelling.

After reading all the comments and e-mails, I have decided to build upon my previous post a little. Many people made valid points that I wanted to continue to build upon. I hope you all enjoy these other viewpoints of OS X!

I use osx, i've been using apple products since the late 80s, but i can at least admit that their operating system has flaws. Finder needs a huge overhaul, and there are some very annoying unconfigurable stupid-proof options such as "do you really want to change the file extension to *.txt???" (which of course defaults to no). Also, it adds hidden .DS_STORE files to every directory regardless of weather or not it's removable media or networked devices. I could go on, but there's no point.

All systems have their pros and cons, and until you've tried them all (mac, windows, kde, gnome, et cetera), most of people's opinions are simply related to whatever they are more used to. At this moment, i've go a mac laptop, a linux desktop, and an old box running windows. Just find the one that works for you.

Here is some great advice by cypher35. You need to make the decision yourself. I have received numerous e-mails from people stating that I helped solidify their decision to buy a new Mac. I am really glad I helped lead you, but remember that it is your decision. I suggest sitting down at at Apple store for a while before the purchase. Play around with a computer similar to the one you plan on purchasing. I would even suggest voicing any concerns you have with a Mac Genius. Make sure you make the decision yourself.

I was very surprised how much my new mac DOESN'T suck for games. I can play CIv4 and WoW, that's really all I need, I can also play AoE3, America's Army, and more. PLUS with Bootcamp I can play windows games.

Spidoman posted this on Digg. I must express that about 90% of my Mac usage has been restricted to my MacBook. If you do want to try games on your Mac, the MacBook is definitely not the route to go. The Mac Pro as well as the iMac can both be very capable of playing games. Heck, even the MacBook Pro can show off some nice games. However, the MacBook is definitely not the route to go for hardcore gamers. The main point I tried to show in my article was that OS X might not be the best system for hardcore gamers. I totally understand that some games run great on the Mac. Nevertheless, Windows blows OS X out of the water in the games category.

Simply uncheck the option in the 'Advanced' section of iTunes preferences for 'manage music library automatically' (or somesuch), and it will stop trying to manage the song files. You can just leave the files wherever you want them, and iTunes won't move them. This is the first thing I do when setting up iTunes. I can't stand how badly iTunes mangles my music library when it tries to organize it...

Here is a tip from WiseWeasel on Digg. I should have stressed that I am fully aware of this option. I was just unaware that is it turned on by default in OS X. On a PC, this option is off by default. New Mac users might be surprised by this when they initially make the switch.

"Useless applications start loading out of no where. AIM followed by MSN Messenger and Yahoo! EZ Web Chat something or another. Who the hell needs that many messaging clients? Why do they assume I want to use them when I start my computer, causing another 5 minutes of load time?"

I refuse to believe that any quasi-technically literate person who used Windows his entire life could fail to figure out how to set programs to start or not start automatically on the system startup.

I am glad you didn't believe it Gotamd. Personally, I could find out which programs are set to start on start-up and fix the problem. I guess no one saw my humor. I initially wrote to article to appeal to those who are typical Windows users. The hardcore PC user on Digg was not my target audience. I respect every hardcore user and totally understand that they are fully capable of keeping a safe and peaceful Windows PC. Users with computer habits like my Grandmother can't. I am sure that nearly every computer savvy reader of my post has experienced the pain that comes with attempting to fix a "non-techies" computer. That pain is what I tried to convey through my writing.

I agree with everything except item #1. I merely searched a mac-based forum for "installing apps" and found my answer. Once I realized the ease of installing/trashing apps I couldn't believe something like this wasn't created for Windows.

This came from GenghisKhan on Digg. In my opinion, I should have to search forums in order to get a program to work. Some programs are great. FireFox makes the whole process simple with arrows and a great ReadMe file. That makes everything great if FireFox is the first program you attempt to install. Some programs aren't so great and they can make the entire process confusing to a new Mac owner.

If you REALLY want a right-mouse click just get yourself a good USB mouse, which should work just fine.

Micheal suggests a USB mouse if right-clicking is a necessity. I totally agree. I just wanted to give this tip to people who are stuck using a trackpad. If you are looking for a mouse, I suggest Apple's Mighty Mouse. It is a great Bluetooth mouse if your computer has Bluetooth capabilities. A Bluetooth mouse is great because it doesn't take up a precious USB slot.

How much did Apple pay you to write these lies?

Not nearly enough.

Wow... all those comments and not a single person mentioned Quicksilver.

More powerful than Spotlight. Faster (in my opinion). Looks better (from a 2-paned "glass" style window to an overlay on the menu bar). Easier hotkey, for example, I double-tap the Apple key, and the menu appears, and I can start typing. Insane amount of plugins (Firefox/Mozilla, Disk Image, Terminal commands, iApps, Growl support (a notification app, growl.info), Keychain support, the list is endless.

I disabled Spotlight completely in favor of Quicksilver.

Here is a nice little suggestion from Modulo1. Quicksilver is a great app. It does take time to fully learn Quicksilver. However, once you learn the ins and outs of the program, it will really save you some time.

I've been a Windows user since birth, but am thinking of purchasing a Macbook. I don't do much gaming, so I'm not worried about the integrated graphics card. However, I don't know how to configure a Mac:

- Which Core 2 Duo - 1.83GHz? 2.0?
- How much Memory - upgrade to 1GB? 2GB?

Although I appreciate this article's discussion about some 'idiosyncrasies' of switching to OS X, I'd appreciate a hardware article as well.... Anyone?

Here is a question from Enrique. I would personally upgrade as much as I could afford. Just like any computer purchase, it will be well worth the upgrade in the long run. I am currently running a 2.0 Ghz Core Duo with 1GB of RAM. I feel like I have tons of power and would recommend this system to anyone.

I'd like to add that printer compatibility kind of sucks with the Mac. It probably has to do with the manufacture than anyone else. That said, you might need to buy a new printer.

Valid point by Sigintop. Just make sure your printer is compatible with OS X and definitely make sure any new printer you buy is compatible. If you search Google for your printer model number and OS X in the same search term, you should find some some great insight from users who already have the printer. I also agree that the problem is definitely the manufacture.

@ brundlefly76, I'll bite.

-Apple being ahead of the Intel processor curve was a one-off for the Intel launch - from now on, you wait until the PC folks get new CPUs, and wait...
>That's funny, because I received my MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo the same time as those from other manufacturers were receiving theirs.

-If you are used to a 14" screen, dont get a 13.3" MacBook, because besides being smaller you cannot fullscreen apps in OSX for some reason.
>Wanting to "fullscreen" apps is a habit that takes most Windows users a week to get over. You didn't really own a MacBook, did you?

-MacOS has context menus but no right button, and it is as annoying as it sounds
>Get an external mouse, or learn to adapt. It feels perfectly natural for me to Control-click now (my hands are always by the keyboard anyways).

-Quicken for Mac cannot import your financial records from Quicken for Windows.
>Agreed. You should e-mail them and complain :-).

-The tiny black arrows show the apps which are currently running, and yes it is frustratingly obtuse
>What? This makes no sense. I don't get what is hard to understand about whether an app is running or not...

-The BSD underside of MacOS is different enough from Linux/BSD that you dont want to use it for Unix development.
>As a Mac OS X/Unix developer, I disagree. But you may have some points.

-The cool effect where the icons grow in the taskbar is the first feature you will turn off.
>It doesn't come turned on.

-GarageBand only records in aiff
>This is a valid concern, but is easily remedied by any number of numerous free converters.

-Going to the computer store to browse the software shelf is no longer any fun
>Hmm, I still find it tons of fun, considering most computer stores stock Mac software these days.

-You will want to punch you're friends when you see them playing BF2
>Actually, I'll join them! My MacBook Pro runs BF2 beautifully.

In conclusion, it sounds like you didn't own your Mac long enough to give it a chance. If you ever try it again, remember that the Mac OS is not Windows, and that you'll need to learn and change your ways. It is tough at first, but the reward is usually worth the effort :-).

Here is a great post on Digg by DaveyMcGav. He is responding to questions proposed by brundlefly76. I couldn't agree more with Davey's answers. I was actually going to write my own response to brundle, however Davey answered so well I didn't even bother wasting my time.


Well, that turned out to be more than five more things. I hope you don't mind. I also wanted to mention that I will also allow members to subscribe to my blog by e-mail. If you would like to subscribe by e-mail, just send an e-mail to TeenageFanboy@gmail.com with "subscribe" as the subject line.

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It seems like everyone is getting a Mac lately. AppleInsider reported that nearly 2 million Macs were sold this holiday season. Amazon also recently announced that the MacBook was their best selling laptop over the last several months. Heck, even my girlfriend and brother have picked up a Mac in the last two weeks. I hope these new users enjoy their systems.

I was also a new Mac user just six months ago. The MacBook was just too luring to me and I broke down and picked up my first Mac system. As I entered the wonderful world of Mac, I was alone and afraid. I basically jumped head into the computer with no knowledge of OS X. Fast forward six months and I am in love with my machine. It has been a great experience up to this point.

Anyways, I was helping my brother set up his new MacBook today. He has been a long time Windows user and has never spent quality time with OS X. While helping him, I remembered starting up my machine for the first time. Certain things on OS X are very different to long time Windows users. It reminded me of things that I wish I would have known when I first started using OS X.

So, I decided to put together a list for my brother, girlfriend, and everyone else who is new to the Macintosh operating system. I hope this list gives some good hints for newbies who might have picked up an iMac or MacBook this holiday season.

1. When you install an application, you might not have actually installed an application. - It took me a good couple of days to realize that I wasn't really installing NeoOffice. I couldn't understand what was going on. I looked at some help sites and finally realized that I needed to drag the application icon into my application folder. Most programs make this obvious, however some don't. If you're new to a Mac and you try to install a program that doesn't make this obvious, you could end up scratching your head for a while like I did.

2. When on a MacBook, two fingers on the trackpad plus a click can equal a right click, if you know how to set it up. - Windows users love their right-click. When on a PC, if all else fails I would right-click. New Mac users will obviously notice single-click bar on MacBooks or MacBook Pros. Control+Click works as a right-click, but it is kinda awkward. However, if you go to System Preferences>Mouse and Keyboard, you can find settings for the trackpad which allow you to right-click if you have two fingers on the trackpad while you click.

3. Embrace iLife. - Windows users are used to searching the internet for programs that fit their every need. Apple solves a lot of this for Macintosh users out of the box with Apple-made software. Mail, iChat, iTunes, and iPhoto might all be lacking features for the extremely hardcore, but everyday users will be amazed by their usability. The programs also work together very well. I must admit I was impressed when iChat allowed me to view what songs other Mac users were listening to while I chatted with them. I was even more impressed when I could easily link to that song in tne iTunes music store and listen to see if I liked it.

4. Use the built in search. No, really use the built in search! - Windows users should all be aware with the horrible monstrosity of a search found on XP. The search dog might look cute and cuddly at first. Except, I think a dead dog could find search results faster. Windows searches also often gave me useless files which never really seemed to match the terms I was searching. Basically, Windows search features are useless. However, do not hold that grudge against Spotlight! Apple's search feature is much more useful. Search any term and I would almost guarantee a useful result. You will also get your results back before the apocalypse.

5. You will no longer dread turning off your computer. - Nearly every Windows user I know cringes at the thought of shutting down a PC. They hate the idea of waiting five minutes before the computer loads into a state of usefulness. I am sure everyone reading this knows what I am getting at. First, you go through 2 minutes of a Windows XP logo with a little loading blue bar. Next, you log-in. Done, right? Hahaha, you couldn't be more wrong. Useless applications start loading out of no where. AIM followed by MSN Messenger and Yahoo! EZ Web Chat something or another. Who the hell needs that many messaging clients? Why do they assume I want to use them when I start my computer, causing another 5 minutes of load time? On my Mac, I see a short load screen followed with a prompt for my user password. I am then loaded and ready. Start up literally takes less than 20 seconds.

6. With BootCamp or Parallels, you can boot into Windows. Except, you really won't need to. - I was really worried when I bought my Mac. Even my parents were worried . They even went to the extent of buying me a new copy of Windows XP to install on the Mac with BootCamp. When college came along, I assumed I would boot into Windows almost every day to edit documents or print papers. Well, I was wrong. I only booted into Windows once during my first semester in college and that was only to prove that it was possible to a Mac-hater who lived down the hall. After about a month, new user will realize that nearly every program they could ever want was on a Mac.

7. Don't bother with games, even 2 year old games. - If you're a PC gamer, don't buy a Mac. Simply stated, you won't find any games you like and I don't want to hear you bitch about it. You're right, I couldn't even get Halo to run decently on my MacBook. You know what, I don't care. That is why I just spent $250 on a Nintendo Wii. Mac users don't tend to be the biggest computer gamers. We would rather e-mail and blog with ease and without fear of computer crashes or spy ware.

8. iTunes automatically makes copies of songs when you add them to your song library. - I am one of those guys who knows nearly every file on his machine and how large it is. I have this odd fixation over how much hard-drive space is left on my disk even when it really doesn't matter. I transfered over some albums I owned in .mp3 form from another computer using a thumb drive and noticed that twice the size of the files was taken away from my available disk space. This confused the hell out of me. On a Mac, iTunes has a default setting which causes it to "organize your music". This feature is great, but I was unaware of it. It basically makes an exact copy of your music files in another location on your computer. Just remember this and delete the file you originally placed on your computer.

9. Exposé is your friend. - In your System Preferences folder, you will find a nifty little icon for Dashboard and Exposé. Be sure to set up Exposé either as a keyboard button (default is F9) or as an active corner. Exposé takes every open window on your desktop and makes a smaller version of it. You then chose which screen you would like to view. You will become ten times more productive after you start using this feature. Exposé sounds simple or pointless at first but with use it will become one of your favorite parts of the operating system.

10. Don't second guess your decision. - It took me a couple weeks before I finally talked myself into getting an Apple computer. I worried about nearly one thousand different things before I finally made the decision. If I can give you any advice in this post it is this; jump into the Mac experience and enjoy the ride. The experience will amaze you and while the price tag might seem a little steep at first, it will be an investment well made. After a month on the system, you will have no regrets.


Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this post. I especially hope it was useful to new Mac users. Please e-mail any questions, comments, or suggestions you have to TeenageFanboy@gmail.com




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