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Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Learn Photography With Gunther Deichmann At The Power Mac Center

The Power Mac Center in Greenbelt will be conducting photography seminars tomorrow, Dec 27, 2007. There will be a starter course on Aperture from 2 to 4pm (paid training), and a free seminar entitled "Photography on Mac" from 6 to 7pm. Both classes shall be conducted by internationally renowned and multi-awarded photographer Gunther Deichmann.

The Power Mac Center is located at the 2nd Level, Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati
Tel: 729-7087 / 88
Email: training [at] powermaccenter [dot] com

Friday, December 14, 2007

Ynzal's Annual Inventory Sale 2007



Ynzal is once again having an inventory sale form December 17-19, 2007. Get huge discounts on Macs, iPods and other products. Visit ynzal.com for more details.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Mac Ads Parody: Mac vs PC - South Park Style

I found this cute and funny parody of the "I'm a Mac. And I'm a PC" ads.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Ailing Student Uses iChat To Stay In School

Here's a great article about a young boy who, though suffering from leukemia, is able to participate in class and stay connected with his classmates thanks to iChat.

I absolutely love iChat. It's such a simple yet powerful program. I use it to have video chats with my bestfriend who moved to the US and it really makes us forget that we're thousands of miles apart.

Do you have a nice iChat story?

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Apple Announces SDK For iPhone And iTouch

Mr. Steve Jobs writes a letter (which you can read at the Apple Hot News page) telling us that a Software Development Kit (SDK) for the iPhone and the iTouch will be made available to developers by Feb 2008. Hooray for native third party apps!

Friday, October 12, 2007

iPhone and iPod Touch Web Apps

iPhone and iPod Touch users can now visit www.apple.com/webapps/ to browse through a growing library of hundreds of web apps. Play Poker, Sudoku or Bejeweled; browse through Facebook or check out the latest photos on SmugMug; look for recipes; get the latest ESPN podcast, and so much more! So go visit www.apple.com/webapps/ on your iPhone or iPod Touch and start finding those web apps that you can enjoy!

Thursday, October 11, 2007

The iCouch


That's a couch made from 2 dozen+ old Mac II computers. Hooray for recycling! But that can't possibly be a comfortable thing to sit on.

[Source]

Thursday, October 04, 2007

Mac OS X Tip: Another Way To Open Files

From the Finder window or from your desktop, drag the file icon onto the dock icon of the application you want to use to open it.

This is a quick way to open files in an application that is NOT its default handler. You can also force a file to open in any application. Simply do the same process mentioned while holding down command + option on your keyboard. However, if the application cannot handle the file you are forcing it to open, you will end up receiving an error message.

Monday, October 01, 2007

Power Mac Center October 2007 Training Calender

The Power Mac Center Flagship Store is located at Level 2, Greenbelt 3 Ayala Center, Makati City.

Tel: 729-7087 / 88
Email: training [at] powermaccenter [dot] com

Disclaimer: PinoyMacLovers is not affiliated with the Power Mac Center. Please contact them directly for any questions regarding these seminars.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

How To Create Invisible Folders On Mac OS X

If you want to make an invisible folder on your Mac, you can do so through Terminal. Here's a handy guide from MacRumors on making those hidden folders: http://guides.macrumors.com/Creating_Hidden_Folders. It'll teach you how to create a new hidden folder, hide a folder that's already existing, unhide a folder that's currently hidden, and how to access those hidden folders that you create on your Mac. It's pretty useful for those of you who have a lot of "secret" files. ;)

If you're looking for something a little simpler, here's a little trick that you can do:

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Ynzal September Anniversary Special 2007

Ynzal is celebrating their anniversary this September and they are offering Macs and iPods at low, low prices! This special anniversary sale is from September 10-22, 2007.


You can get in touch with Ynzal by calling 413-7575/74 or you can send an email to sales [at] ynzal [dot] com.

Disclaimer: PinoyMacLovers is not affiliated with Ynzal. Please contact them directly for any inquiries.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

iPhoneSimFree Updates Website, Posts Links To Online Resellers

iPhoneSimFree, makers of a software unlocking solution for the iPhone, just launched their new webstie. It features a new design and they've also added a tutorial section on how to unlock the iPhone with their software. They've also posted a "where to buy" section that has links to online resellers of the iPhoneSimFree unlocking software.

I just checked the website of one of the resellers from Australia, iPhoneWorldUnlock, and you can buy the software from them via PayPal. They accept USD for international customers. As of this post, they are selling it for $50 (USD).

Wireless Imports, on the other hand, is selling it for almost double the price at $99 (USD). And according to their website, they "now have the software and are beginning to test it and will begin to email out the unlocking software shortly to those who have already placed an order in the order in which they were recieved.".

So does this mean that iPhone users in the Philippines can now get a copy of iPhoneSimFree and unlock their iPhones for use with any of our local GSM networks? So it seems. But I won't confirm this 100% unless I actually see one. So if anyone out there gets to unlock their iPhones using iPhoneSimFree, let us know!

You also might want to check out Engadget's video of an iPhone being unlocked on camera from start to finish.

The World's Most Expensive iPod


The iDiamond by jewelry designer Thomas Heyerdahl of Norway is a gold and diamond encrusted iPod Shuffle. Decorated with over 400 diamonds, this mp3 player is valued at around $41,000 (USD). I don't think this one's going to get a price cut anytime soon.

According to the Heyerdahl website, the iDiamond is not for sale and will be on display in their Oslo shop until October 1.

Saturday, September 08, 2007

Open-source Software For Mac OS X

Where to find a list of open-source applications for Mac OS X...

OpenSourceMac.org is a great place to visit if you're looking for some open-source applications for Mac OS X. The site design is very simple and they only showcase the ones they think are the best and easiest to use, so you won't end up getting too confused with so many choices. But the selection is extensive enough. There are the basic apps grouped into categories which include web browsers, IM clients and media players to name a few. They also feature other applications that are more specialized such as 3D modeling software and IDEs.

So if you're looking for any open-source apps, do visit OpenSourceMac.org. Even if you're not looking for anything specific, just check out the list and you might find something interesting.

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Apple Announces New iPod Line

Apple today revealed the new iPod family.
The iPod Shuffle now comes in 4 new colors and the original silver.
The iPod Classic holds up to 160GB of music, pictures & videos, and comes in a sleek, all-metal design.
"A little video for everyone."

I love the tag line for the new iPod Nano, which now has video capabilities. It's as thin as the previous Nano, shorter, but wider. It comes in 5 different colors, has a 2-inch color LCD, and holds up to 8GB.

(PRODUCT) RED is now available as a Nano and a Shuffle. Proceeds go to the Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa.

And lastly...

Rumors of an upcoming widescreen iPod have been around since early 2006. And now, Apple finally announces the new iPod Touch. It's got a 3.5-inch widescreen display, a multi-touch interface and Wi-Fi capabilities that let you browse the web, watch videos from YouTube, and buy music from the iTunes store. And it looks just like an iPhone. A pity it only comes in 8GB and 16GB models. But I still think it's awesome.

So what about you? Do you like 'em? Check out the new iPod family.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Power Mac Center September 2007 Training Calender


The Power Mac Center Flagship Store is located at Level 2, Greenbelt 3 Ayala Center, Makati City.

Tel: 729-7087 / 88
Email: training [at] powermaccenter [dot] com

Disclaimer: PinoyMacLovers is not affiliated with the Power Mac Center. Please contact them directly for any questions regarding these seminars.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

NJ Wizkid Unlocks iPhone

This is last week's news (which in the blogging sense makes it ancient), but in case you haven't heard this story yet, let me tell you about George Hotz. He is a very smart 17-year old from New Jersey who was able to unlock his iPhone via a rather complicated hardware unlocking method (as in taking the phone apart and doing stuff with it that is beyond the understanding of common folk such as myself). He has a step-by-step guide posted on his blog.

George devoted his summer trying to unlock the iPhone, and succeeded with the help of his online hacking friends and some generous donors. He is now in RIT where he plans to major in Neuroscience. He has also been interviewed by CNN, and has traded one of his unlocked iPhones for a Nissan 350Z (for himself) and 3 8GB iPhones (which he gave to three of the people who've helped him on his journey to unlocking it).

In a world that bombards us with images of dimwitted super sweet sixteeners and coked up young celebrities, once in a while it's nice to be reminded that there are teenagers out there with highly developed brains.

Sunday, August 26, 2007

iPhone Unlocked

Engadget made an announcement a couple of days ago saying that a full SIM unlocking software solution has been developed for the iPhone. A team of programmers from iPhoneSimFree.com claims that they have finally cracked the iPhone's SIM lock making it functional using "any SIM card from any network provider in any country". According to their website, per unit licenses of their unlocking software will be made available to the public starting next week. Oh how much money they will make!

For those who are doubtful, Engadget has a video that shows their iPhone being used with a T-Mobile account.

[UPDATE 29-August-2007]
iPhoneSimFree has put up an FAQ section, which states that they "are hoping to release [the software] in the next 48-72 hours"

Monday, August 20, 2007

Free DVD Ripper For Mac OS X

A DVD ripper is an application that extracts the contents of a DVD-Video disc onto your hard drive. Here's one free DVD ripping app that you might want to try (still FREE as of this post):

Handbrake

Handbrake is an open-source video transcoder available for MacOS X, Linux and Windows.

It can capture from DVD-like sources such as VIDEO_TS folders, DVD images and some .VOB and .TS files.

It outputs to the ff formats: MP4 and MKV file formats, MPEG-4, H.264, or Theora video formats, and AAC, CoreAudio AAC (OS X Only), MP3, or Vorbis. AC-3 pass-through, DTS pass-through (MKV only) audio formats.

Oh and remember, ripping DVDs that you do not own the rights to and redistributing them is illegal.

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Free FLV Player For Mac OS X - How To Play FLV On A Mac

How to play FLV files on a Mac...

If you want to play FLV (Flash Video) files on your Mac, you'll need to use a player that can handle FLV files. Here are a few recommendations (and all of them are FREE as of this posting):

1. Standalone Desktop FLV Players

Wimpy Desktop FLV Player by Wimpy - a Mac Flash video player that lets you watch FLV and SWF files from your desktop.

flvThing by Automagic Software - lets you watch FLV files from your desktop.

2. Perian

Perian is a free, open source QuickTime component that adds native support for many popular media formats including FLV, MKV, AVI, DivX, 3ivX, FLV1, FSV1, Flash ADPCM and many more.

3. VLC Media Player

The VLC Media Player is a free, cross-platform media player that supports a large number of multimedia formats, without the need for additional codecs. It can handle FLV, WMV and VOB files to name a few.

My picks:

I'd go with either Perian or the VLC Media Player since they will allow me to play not only FLV files, but other media formats as well. A plus for the VLC Media Player would be its ability to play videos in full screen. QuickTime won't let you do that unless you buy the PRO version.


Related articles:
Downloading Videos From YouTube And Playing FLV Files On Your Mac

Friday, August 03, 2007

Dusty iMac G5 Vent

I looked at the back of my iMac G5 the other day to plug something in one of the USB ports and realized that I've never really taken a good look at the back of my Mac since I got it about a year and a half ago. I came to this realization because when I looked slightly up, this is what I saw:

It was actually even a lot dirtier than it looks in the picture. The flash from the camera somehow made it look a little less dusty. In case you're wondering, that round thing is the vent where air is sucked in as part of the iMac G5's (the older versions have it placed somewhere else, if I'm not mistaken) cooling system. And I don't think having it covered in dust is a good thing. So do check those vents once in awhile and give them a good cleaning (using a dry cloth or tissue) to prevent dust build-up. Just a friendly reminder from PinoyMacLovers. :)

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

How To Check The Progress Of Messages Being Sent And Received In Mail.app

When using Mail.app, you can check the progress of the email being sent and received by opening the Activity Viewer (go to Window > Activity Viewer or press command + zero on your keyboard). This is useful especially when checking the status of mail with large attachments.


You can also click on the red octagon on the right to cancel the task.

Power Mac Center August 2007 Training Calender


Disclaimer: PinoyMacLovers is not affiliated with the Power Mac Center. Please contact them directly for any questions regarding these seminars.

Thursday, July 26, 2007

How To Type The Copyright Symbol On A Mac

My StatCounter tells me that I received a visitor yesterday who was inquiring on how to type the copyright symbol on a Mac. All you have to do is press option + g on your keyboard.


You might also be interested in:
How To Type The Apple Symbol On A Mac
How To Type An Enye (or an N with a tilde) On A Mac

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Invitation: Mobile Studio Seminar

Ynzal in cooperation with the Philippine Center For Creative Imaging will be conducting the Mobile Studio Seminar:

The seminar will feature Apple Aperture and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and will show how these tools can make post-production more efficient.

For additional details, please visit: http://ynzal.com/mobilestudio.html
To register, please send an email to events [at] ynzal [dot] com

Disclaimer: PinoyMacLovers is not affiliated with Ynzal or the Philippine Center for Creative Imaging. Please contact them directly if you have any inquiries.

Saturday, July 14, 2007

The Arduous Task Of Reinstalling Windows XP

Every now and then, I am reminded why I am NOT so fond of Windows. My dad's laptop which runs on it has gone all wonky, so I decided to just reinstall the OS instead of trying to fix the numerous problems it had one by one. My intention was to erase everything and then reinstall XP. So I took out the installation discs (two recovery CDs, one software drivers CD and another one for Norton AntiVirus), did some stretches & took a few deep breaths, and began the arduous task of restoring my Dad's laptop to a decent working state. Long story short, after 3+ hours (littered with numerous alert messages, changing from one CD to another and one too many restarts), XP was reinstalled. But this would apparently NOT mark the end of my troubles, because when I checked my program files, I was surprised to see that all of my other programs from the previous installation were still there. As it turns out, I simply reinstalled Windows but did not reformat my hard drive. I suppose I only have myself to blame for expecting the whole process to be simple (or any process on a Windows system for that matter). On a Mac, if you wanted to reformat your hard drive and reinstall OS X, you run the installation disc and choose an option called "Erase and Install". It's THAT straightforward. But NOT in XP. Apparently (now that I know), you have to boot the recovery CD from the CD-ROM drive. To do this, you must power up the system, press F12 and select CD-ROM as boot device, insert recovery CD in CD-ROM drive, and press any key on the keyboard within 5 seconds once the "press any key to boot from CD" message appears. And then to format your hard drive, you'll have to press a few more keys, select partitions, remove partitions, create new partitions, etc... My point is, it's not that simple. And if you're the type of person who gets a heart attack with any alert message that pops up on your computer screen, you'll definitely have to find someone else to do this for you.

So here I am lamenting about the 3+ hours of my life wasted, all in vain because I have to do everything again hoping that things will go smoothly the second time around. But the next time my dad decides to get a new computer, I am telling him to get a Mac. He'll be much better off. And ultimately, so will I.

Friday, July 13, 2007

iBook G4 Still Available

I was doing some window shopping at Greenbelt last weekend and I came across a still-brand-new iBook G4 for sale at Avante (the electronics shop near Power Books at Greenbelt 4 2/F). I asked the sales guy how many of it they still had in stock and he said they had three left. If I remember correctly, it was the 14-inch model with the 1.42GHz processor. That was the last of the 14-inch iBook G4s which was discontinued in May of 2006, so those three remaining units must have been in Avante's stock room for a loooong time now. The price tag is Php 64,990, which to me seems way too expensive since you can get a MacBook that's more than twice as fast for around the same amount. But anyway, if any of you (for whatever reason) are still looking for an iBook G4, you can head on over to Avante. They probably still have it in stock since I was just there last week. It ain't exactly an iPhone, you know?

Monday, July 09, 2007

What Computer Should You Buy?

There's an interesting article at Macworld.com entitled What computer should I buy? I think it's a great article for those of you who are thinking of making the switch. It highlights a few of the great reasons why the Mac is a good choice, but also presents some points on why it may not be for everyone. So if you're deciding whether or not to jump into the world of Macs, go read the article, and hopefully it'll help you make a good decision.

Thanks to Roncastry for letting us know about the article.

Friday, July 06, 2007

Power Mac Center Updated July 2007 Training Calender

The Power Mac Center Flagship Store is located at Level 2, Greenbelt 3 Ayala Center, Makati City.

Tel: 729-7087 / 88
Email: training [at] powermaccenter [dot] com

Disclaimer: PinoyMacLovers is not formally affiliated with the Power Mac Center. Please contact them directly for any questions regarding these seminars.

Saturday, June 30, 2007

iPhone Mania!

It has finally been released! And Apple fans in the US waited in line by the hundreds at their local Apple and AT&T stores to get their very own iPhones. For the rest of us who live outside the US, we'll just have to contend ourselves with internet pictures & videos, and hope that one day, the shelves of our local Apple retail stores shall also be lined with iPhones so that we, too, can have the chance to own this revolutionary phone, widescreen iPod and breakthrough internet device rolled into one.

Check these out:
iPhone unboxing photos on Flickr
Flickr group for pics taken using the iPhone
Pics of the iPhone being disassembled (gasp!) at ifixit.com

And here is a video of the iPhone being unboxed:


[via TUAW]

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Ligaw Liham: 2007 Cinemalaya Finalist, Proudly Made On A Mac

Ligaw Liham, a film by Jay Abello, is one of the 10 finalists in the upcoming 2007 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Festival. It stars the very talented singer, Karylle, and newcomer John Michael Lee. This film also features two of Bacolod’s finest actors, John Gilbert Arceo and George Macainan. Ligaw Liham was shot entirely in Negros and beautifully pieced together on a Mac.

The film was edited seamlessly using Final Cut Pro HD on a fast Power Mac G5 2.5GHz Quad supercharged with the Blackmagic Decklink HD realtime engine and 1.22 terabytes of hard disk space.

Synopsis
Sometime in the 70’s, in a small town in Negros, the post office simply stops its operations. No one knew about this except for the postman and his caretaker. When Nor, the town simpleton, finds out about this secret, he finds an opportunity to sway to the dance of love when he assumes the identity of another man. Nor reads the letters hidden in an old warehouse and takes over the pen of Karen’s husband who was working in Saigon. Soon after, a correspondence between Nor and Karen takes place. And Nor finds himself truly falling in love.


I encourage you all to support Philippine independent cinema and watch Ligaw Liham at the CCP Theater on July 20-29, 2007. It will also be shown at the UP Cine Adarna, formerly UP Film Center, sometime in August, and at the Robinsons Galleria's IndieSine some time after. You may visit the Ligaw Liham website or Ligaw Liham on Multiply for more details.

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Playing WMV Files On Your Mac

I looked at the downloads page of the Apple website today and saw that the Windows Media Player 9.0 for Mac was among the top 10 downloads. I was a bit surprised to see that a lot of people are still downloading this player since Microsoft had already ceased its development (which they announced in January 2006) and it also isn't universal binary. But if you're looking for a way to play WMV files on your Mac, don't worry. There are still a lot of great options out there such as...

VLC Media Player
The VLC Media Player is a cross-platform media player (which means it can run on many different operating systems). It supports a large number of video formats including WMV, WMA and ASF. Best of all, it's FREE! I've installed it on my Mac and I find it to be a great alternative to the QuickTime Player.

Download the VLC Media Player for Mac OS X


Flip4Mac
Flip4Mac's Windows Media® Components enables Mac users to play WMV files using the QuickTime player. This feature comes with the FREE trial version. You can also purchase software upgrades which give you added features such as the ability to import Windows Media files in QuickTime Pro and to export to WMV format using iMovie or Final Cut. Visit flip4mac.com to download WMV components for QuickTime and to get more information.

Related articles:
The VLC Media Player: A Great Alternative To The QuickTime Player
Perian: Adds QuickTime Support For Many Different Video Formats
Making Sure QuickTime Plays DV Files At High-Quality
Downloading Videos From YouTube And Playing FLV Files On Your Mac

Saturday, June 16, 2007

Widget World: Sudoku Fun

Sudoku Fun Widget
Sudoku is this highly addictive numbers game where you have to place numerals in a 9x9 grid. But it has to be placed in such a way that each of the nine rows, nine columns and nine 3x3 internal boxes contain the numbers 1 to 9 without any of the numerals repeating themselves. It's definitely one of my favorite brain teasers. So if you're a Sudoku fan like myself, or simply want to try it out, then you might want to download the Sudoku Fun Widget by James Pitts. It's a great way to exercise those brain cells.

Monday, June 04, 2007

How Do You Type An Inverted Question Mark In Mac OS X¿

Just hold down shift + option + ? and you get ¿

Now go forth an invert your question marks!

Thursday, May 31, 2007

Power Mac Center June-July 2007 Training Calendar


DISCLAIMER: PinoyMacLovers is not formally affiliated with the Power Mac Center. If you wish to attend any of their training seminars, please contact them directly to confirm the schedule.

Monday, May 28, 2007

Al Gore: Champion Of The Environment And Mac Geek

I came across this while reading the May 28, 2007 issue of Time Magazine:


That's Al Gore in his home office in Nashville, Te-Nuh-Say (you gotta say it with that Southern twang). And you may have also noticed his set of not one... not two... but THREE ginormous Apple Cinema Displays. *DROOLS*. If you look closely, you'll also see a tiny white speaker underneath the middle display. I think it's one of the two tiny ones from the JBL Creature II three piece speaker system. Al Gore's quite the hip geek, isn't he? I also like his ergonomic desk chair. Really looks like it gives great neck and back support. He definitely needs a bigger desk though. And also, what on earth is that giant frog ornament on his wall all about? The image caption states that "Mind-map software and huge Post-it notes help him order his thoughts." Maybe he should try cleaning his office, too.

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Name A Mac And Get A FREE Meal!

Someone sent me an email today about another person running a contest entitled "Name My Mac". Apparently, there is a recently acquired Mac out there that is in dire need of a unique name! And its owner is asking for creative suggestions from the Pinoy Mac lovin' community. If your name gets picked, you win a P500.00 gift certificate for a nice, hearty meal at the UCC! So c'mon and join the "Name My Mac Contest"!

Monday, May 14, 2007

The VLC Media Player: A Great Alternative To The QuickTime Player

VLCThe QuickTime Player isn't the only media player available for Mac users. If you're looking for an alternative, or are just curious to try out a different one, I would recommend the VLC Media Player. It handles various audio and video formats such as MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, mp3, ogg, etc... It also plays DVDs and VCDs, making it a suitable alternative to the Mac OS X standard DVD player as well. It can even handle VOB files ripped from DVD-Video discs (when I try playing VOB files using QuickTime, the audio doesn't come out). If I encounter any other video formats that I can't seem to play in QuickTime, I try opening it with the VLC Media Player and it usually works. What I also like about it is its ability to play in fullscreen mode, which in QuickTime is only a feature available in the not-so-free QuickTime Pro version. The VLC Media Player, on the other hand, is absolutely FREE. So give it a try!

Download the VLC Media Player

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Power Mac Center May 2007 Training Calendar

Click to enlarge:


The Power Mac Center Flagship Store is located at Level 2, Greenbelt 3 Ayala Center, Makati City.

Telefax: 729-7087 / 88

Disclaimer: PinoyMacLovers is not formally affiliated with the Power Mac Center. Please contact them directly for any questions regarding these seminars.

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Featured PinoyMacLover: Sam Oh
The PinoyMacLovers iLove iPod Project Entry#4

Hello, dear readers! Today, we have another featured celebrity. Yey! Those of you who are big fans of the ETC channel should be familiar with the very lovely and vivacious Sam Oh - Rated Oh's host extraordinaire. She would like you to meet her iPod.
sam oh pictures

Her iPod, being of the 4GB white Nano kind, clearly gives her so much joy as you can see in the pictures. Yes, such is the happiness that this music player can bring into people's lives.

I also wanted to know what type of music she's into, so I asked her - "What's on your iPod?"

1. Dig by Incubus
2. Time to Say Goodbye by Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli
3. Sand in My Shoes by Dido
4. Hear Me Out by Frou Frou
5. Such Great Heights by The Postal Service

Quite an eclectic list, I should say. One that seems to be reflective of her overall style and personality, I might add.

Thanks for the lovely pictures, Sam! :)

Also check out:
PinoyMacLovers iLove iPod Project Entry#3

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Power Mac Center April 2007 Training Calendar

The Power Mac Center in Greenbelt has been holding FREE monthly seminars for Mac users. Here's the April 2007 schedule:

Paid short courses are now available as well.

The Power Mac Center Flagship Store is located at Level 2, Greenbelt 3 Ayala Center, Makati City.

Telefax: 729-7087 / 88

For more information regarding these seminars, send an email to training [at] powermaccenter [dot] com.

Disclaimer: PinoyMacLovers is not formally affiliated with the Power Mac Center. Please contact them directly before you choose to attend any of their seminars.

Thursday, April 05, 2007

How To Write An Enye (or an N with a tilde) On A Mac

To write an Enye (or an N with a tilde) - ñ - on your Mac, simply follow these steps:

(1) Press option + n on your keyboard, then release. You should see the tilde (the little squiggly line).

(2) Then press n (or shift + n for the uppercase version).

What other characters can I put a tilde on?
You can also put a tilde on the letter A and the letter O:

• option + n, a = ã
• option + n, o = õ

[UPDATE 22-March-2011]

If you want to type the n with a tilde on an iPhone or iPad:
1. Touch and hold the N key until the pop-up menu comes out
2. Slide your finger to the ñ key and release

Related articles:

Get More Out of Your Mac
Take a training course today!

Excel for Mac 2011 Essential TrainingiMovie '11 Essential TrainingCreating a Vacation Video with iMovie

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Apple Releases 8-core Mac Pro

The Mac Pro is now available in a staggering 8-core 3GHz configuration. Now that is definitely one sexy beast.

I've been able to play around with a first gen Mac Pro at this local reseller near my house, but I've never actually been able to really use one as in for most of the regular things I do like graphic design and video editing. I keep fantasizing about how fast it would be to render a Final Cut Pro video project in one of those super machines (add in a few 30" Cinema HD Displays and that would most definitely bring me to an ultimate geekgasm).

Read more about this intensely arousing machine at apple.com/macpro.

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

The Griffin TuneFlex + AirClick - For A Functional In-Car iPod Music System

A few weeks ago, I posted some pictures of PinoyMacLovers reader Nic's very cool Mac home setup. Today, we are going to take a peek inside his automobile and see his very functional in-car music system.



His iPod sits securely on a Griffin TuneFlex docking cradle. It has a flexible stem which allows you to adjust the cradle's position to your liking. It also plugs into your car's 12 Volt accessory outlet allowing you to charge and power your iPod. TuneFlex is also equipped with a standard 3.5mm line-out port so you could easily connect it to your automobile's stereo system.


It also features a pass-through dock connector so that you can use it simultaneously with other devices like iTrip or AirClick.

Nic uses the Griffin AirClick so that he can easily control his iPod using the remote, which conveniently straps to the steering wheel (you can also attach it to the hand brake).
It has five simple buttons (pause/play, previous, next, volume up and volume down) which you can easily navigate through using your thumb without having to take your eyes off the road.

Friday, March 23, 2007

Mac OS X Tip: How To Create Zip Files

The ZIP file format is a very popular data compression format and is very useful if you want to maximize disk space. When I store items in my USB flash drive, I usually ZIP them in order to save space. You can easily create ZIP files on your Mac by following these very easy steps:

Right-click (or control + click) on the file or folder that you would like to ZIP, then click on "Create Archive"

Voila! All zipped up. And you can unzip these files even if you open them in Windows.

Thursday, March 22, 2007

The 2007 Philippine Blog Awards Finalists

The list of nominees for the 2007 Philippine Blog Awards has been narrowed down to 5 entries per category. And I am so happy to announce that PinoyMacLovers has been chosen as one of the finalists for Best Technology Blog. Hooray! I am so excited! :)

Check out the roster of finalists.

Saturday, March 17, 2007

Apple Training Seminars At The Power Mac Center
March 2007 Calendar

Click on thumbnails for larger view:



For more information, you can contact the Power Mac Center at 729-7087 / 88 or send an email to training [at] powermaccenter [dot] com.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

More On Icon Creators For Mac OS X

In the previous post, I talked about the nice little application called Pic2Icon, which is a great tool to use if you want to create icons out of picture files. What Pic2Icon does is it uses the contents of an image or picture file to create an icon, which it then applies to that original image file. So in effect, the original image file, ends up having a thumbnail of itself. There are other icon creation programs out there that are able to convert images into actual Apple Icon Image files (this type of file has a .ICNS extension), instead of just creating thumbnails. These Apple Icon Images or ICNS files can then be used as icons for your Mac applications.

One such application that creates ICNS files is Iconverter by Extraneous Software. This FREE program allows you to convert image files into ICNS files. It supports formats such as JPG and PNG, to name a few. You can use it to convert single files or choose to process an entire batch. It also allows you to go the other way around and convert ICNS files into image files instead. Oh, and it lets you convert pictures into Windows Icons too (those files have .ICO extensions).

Pic2Icon vs Iconverter
Pic2Icon has options for anti-aliasing and adding drop shadows, while Iconverter does not. However, these are things that you can easily add when you create your images using a graphics editor like Adobe Photoshop. If you have a poor quality image to begin with, applying anti-aliasing and adding a drop shadow to it using Pic2Icon is NOT likely to result in a significant improvement in quality. Iconverter, on the other hand, can create actual ICNS files. This feature makes it the icon creator of my choice.

Monday, March 12, 2007

Free Icon Creator For Mac OS X

I've always wanted to create my own Mac OS X icons eversince I found a few cool ones while surfing for some nice artwork at DeviantArt.com. My problem was that I couldn't find a FREE application that could let me do so. The only thing I could find was IconBuilder by the IconFactory. It's a plugin for Adobe Photoshop designed to help you easily create icons. Price tag: $79(USD). Ouch! As much as I wanted to create my own icons, I wasn't willing to shell out that much money. Of course IconBuilder does come with a few extra features such as the ability to create 1024x1024 icons (that's LARGE - if your display has a resolution of 800x600, your icons would actually be BIGGER than your desktop) as well as the ability to create icons for Windows (can't imagine what I'd use that feature for). But really, all I wanted was a simple icon creator. And finally, after months of searching, I found Pic2Icon. Developed by Mike Margolis, Pic2Icon is an application that allows you to create icons out of picture files (supports TIFF, JPG, PNG and many other formats). And it's FREE! Yey! It also works great and has easy drag and drop functionality.

To create an icon, drag your picture file into the Pic2Icon well (for this example, I used the apple from the PinoyMacLovers logo, which I saved as a PNG file with a transparent background).


Voila! Pic2Icon turns the actual picture into its own icon, retains the transparency and applies anti-aliasing (prevents jagged edges).

Pic2Icon was created way back in 2002. The developer site seems to be unavailable now. But if you read the readme file, here's an exerpt from what the developer has to say about the cost of the application:
Besides being 100% freeware, Pic2Icon is 'Get Mike an internship at Apple doing Cocoa development'ware. Basically, whoever gets me the coolest internship at Apple this summer gets a registered copy of all future versions of Pic2Icon.

Thanks for developing this app, Mike Margolis. I do hope you got that Apple internship. :)

[UPDATE 2011-01-04]
Pic2Icon is a pretty old app and hasn't been updated in awhile. For something newer, you might want to try Img2Icns. You can download the free version that exports to .icns files and folder icons. The pro version lets you export iPhone icons and favicons, and lets you convert icons into images.

Also check out:
- Cute Mac Icons
- More On Icon Creators For Mac OS X
 

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