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.

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.

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.

Apple Training Seminars At The Power Mac CenterMarch 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.

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.

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

The PinoyMacLovers Me & My Mac Project Entry#3

Hello, fellow Mac lovers! Today we have some cool pictures of a sleek-looking blacBook and an awesome setup sent in by my friend and loyal reader, Nic. Take a lookie...

His home setup involves a large 40-inch Toshiba Regza flatscreen TV hooked up to his very lovely MacBook via a mini-DVI to VGA adapter.



And just a few feet away is his spacious desk where he can work and play using his Apple Wireless Keyboard and Mighty Mouse.



This is definitely one pretty cool setup.

Thanks, Nic!

Also check out:
The PinoyMacLovers Me & My Mac Project Entry#2

Disclaimer: The PinoyMacLovers Me & My Mac Project is an independent project and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved in any way by Apple, Inc. The use of any of the images featured in this project, in whatever manner and for whatever purpose, is prohibited without express and written authorization from the author.

Buy A Mac And Get An iPod Free

For the month of March 2007, every purchase of select Mac models from Ynzal comes with a FREE iPod.

15” MacBook Pro 2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo MA609
1GB/120GB/SuperDrive/APX/BT/iSight/128MB Video
Promo Price..... P109,880
FREE iPod: 4GB Nano

15” MacBook Pro 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo MA610
2GB/120GB/SuperDrive/APX/BT/iSight/256MB Video
Promo Price..... P131,880
FREE iPod: 4GB Nano

iMac 24” 2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo MA456
1GB/250GB/8xSuperDrive/APX/BT/iSight/GeForce7300GT w/ 128MB Video
Promo Price.....P105,880
FREE iPod: 1GB Shuffle

You may contact Ynzal at 413-7575/74 | 413-7579/78 | 373-2232 | 373-3940 or send an email to sales [at] ynzal [dot] com.

Disclaimer: PinoyMacLovers is not affiliated with Ynzal. Please contact Ynzal directly and make the necessary inquries before entering into any transaction.

Hello There!

I've been getting quite a few visitors lately, many of them coming from the link that I got from the 2007 Philippine Blog Awards homepage as a result of being nominated under the Technology and Design categories. Hooray! So a big THANK YOU goes out to them. And to you, dear reader, I say welcome! Welcome to my humble blog. I do hope you stick around to read some of the articles. You might want to check these out...

The PinoyMacLovers Me & My Mac Project

as well as...

The PinoyMacLovers iLove iPod Project

Just click on the images. Enjoy your stay! :)

Trade-in Your PC And Get P10,000 Off On A Brand New Mac

Ynzal's Switch2Mac promo offers a P10,000 discount when you trade in your desktop PC (any model in good working condition) for a brand new Mac. This great deal from Ynzal is applicable when you purchase a 17-inch iMac with the following specs:

- 17-inch LCD
- 1.83GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
- 512MB DDR2 SDRAM
- 160GB Hard drive
- Built-in iSight camera
- 24x Combo (DVD/CD-RW) drive
- Intel GMA 950 graphics processor with 64MB DDR2 SDRAM

Price...P54,880
Trade-in Price...P44,880

Promo runs until March 15, 2007. Call Ynzal at 413-7575/74 or send an email to sales [at] ynzal [dot] com.

Disclaimer: PinoyMacLovers is not affiliated with Ynzal. Please contact Ynzal directly and make the necessary inquries before entering into any transaction.

The 2007 Philippine Blog Awards

Hello, my dear & faithful readers (there are two of you). I am happy to announce that PinoyMacLovers has been nominated in the Technology blog category for the 2007 Philippine Blog Awards. Hooray!!! Check out the list of nominees.

Power Mac Center in Greenbelt Holds Free Apple Seminars For The Month Of February

For the entire month of February, the Power Mac Center in Greenbelt 3 is conducting free Apple training seminars. These seminars are open to anyone and everyone who loves Macs! Topics to be covered include: (1) Mac Basics - Mac OS X Fundamentals, (2) Mac Music Day - iPod, iTunes & Garageband Essentials, and (3) Mac Movie Day - iMovie, iDVD & iPhoto. The seminars are held every Tuesday (Mac Basics), Thursday (Mac Music Day), and Saturday (Mac Movie Day) at 6-7 pm.

Click on the graphic below for more details:

*The Power Mac Center is located at the 2/F, Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati City, Philippines
Tel: (632) 729-7128 | Fax: (632) 729-7087

Note: PinoyMacLovers is not formally affiliated with Power Mac Center. You are advised to contact them directly, if you wish to avail of a slot in any of their seminars.

The Right Time To Buy A Brand New Mac

Now, this is tricky. It's tricky for any type of computer or gadget for that matter because new and upgraded versions will always come out. I remember a few years ago (2005, I think) when I was all set to buy a 20-inch iMac. On the day I planned on getting one, I was just so busy with work that I wasn't even able to call the store to place my order. This turned out to be quite fortunate for me because the very next day, Apple announced the release of the very first iMac with a built-in iSight. So I ended up buying that instead. I know I've mentioned that the release of upgraded models is inevitable, but in this case, it would really suck big time to find out about a new model on the very next day that you buy a product. So luckily for me, I didn't end up being in a situation that would surely have caused me to pull a few strands of hair off my head.

So the question remains - when's a good time to buy a brand new Mac? or an iPod? or a plutonium-powered flux capacitor? I usually go with the 6 months rule. If a specific model has been out for atleast 6 months, I'd much rather wait for a new release to come out. And then I also do a little research for any rumors and speculation about upocoming new models. Now, for those of you who don't have the time or patience for that, you might want to look at Mactacitc.com. Their website says - "We estimate the release date of new macs so you get a chance to buy when they are the best value." They have a list for Macs as well as iPods and Apple accessories. An item can be labeled caution - may be replaced, still good value or buy immediately. They also give information about how long a particular model has been in the market and an estimtate on when it might be replaced. Now, I have no idea how they come up with those figures so I think you should take them as recommendations instead of fact. In the end, what's important is that you make a well-informed decision before you make your purchase. Get a Mac or an iPod or an Apple accesorry that suits your specific needs. If it can do the things that you need it to do, then that's a lot more important than being on the cutting-edge all the time.

[via TUAW]

Perian: Adds QuickTime Support For Many Different Video Formats

There are so many different video formats out there that won't play in QuickTime unless you download and install a specific video codec. Perian, touted as the "swiss army knife for QuickTime", tries to make things a little easier for us Mac users by enabling Apple's standard media player to playback many different video types. It is a free, open source QuickTime component that adds native support for many popular video formats which include:

• AVI and FLV
  
• 3ivX, DivX, Flash Screen Video, MS-MPEG4, Sorenson H.263, Truemotion VP6, and Xvid
  
• AVI support for: AAC, AC3 Audio using A52Codec, H.264, MPEG4, and VBR MP3
  

This is great because Mac users don't have to download and install a bunch of different codecs to add support for the many different video formats out there. Perian provides all of those for you all in one package. I also like how it adds native QuickTime support for the Flash video (flv) format. Up until I discovered Perian, I was using a separate standalone FLV player to playback my Flash videos. Now, I don't have to.

You can log on to Perian.org to download and learn more about Perian.

The iSkin Protouch Keyboard Protector For Your Apple Keyboard

Throughout the years, my very first Apple keyboard went from a lovely shade of pure white, to this horrendous yellowish color.


So before my newer keyboard suffers the same fate, I have decided to protect it with the iSkin keyboard protector by Protouch.

Made of durable high-grade silicone, this removable and washable product effectively protects your keyboard from dirt, grime and the occasional booger that sticks to your fingertips.

The instructions indicate that the iSkin keyboard protector be "massaged" into position until perfectly fitted. After "massaging" it on for a few minutes, it still didn't fit as snug as I'd wanted it to, but it was still quite unobtrusive and made typing on the keys feel more soft and jelly-like.


The iSkin Protouch Keyboard Protector - don't eat cheetos in front of your computer without it.