November 2011
1 post
3 tags
October 2011
1 post
2 tags
July 2011
1 post
3 tags
The Green Button of Nondescript Function
I installed OSX Lion. I quickly got used to the natural scrolling. It works, it does.
However, i now have a full screen button on some apps. Awesome! Top right hand corner i have a full screen button!
Wait, so, what does the green button do? I want a button that makes the window use all the space available on the desktop, even if that means not using the space that the dock and the status bar...
February 2011
1 post
2 tags
Open With...
Good one this one.
I use VLC to read media files - easiest way forward is the old right-click ‘open with’ menu. Awesome.
However, lets say i update VLC.
Now when i try ‘Open With’ - it doesnt work - why?
Because “VLC 1.1.6 is in the trash”.
Just open VLC, its in the same place as the last one, and its called the same thing.
I mean, seriously apple, sort it...
November 2010
1 post
2 tags
Hackintosh'ing with the wonderfully closed OSX
I’ve been trying to hackintosh one of my laptops. I have so far, failed.
Why?
OSX doesn’t seem to support the motherboard. Wait. Lets just stop a moment. OSX DOESN’T SUPPORT THE MOTHERBOARD.
What?
I could download any linux distro and it would install immediately, guaranteed. I could install windows 95, memphis, 98se, 2000, 2000 ME, XP, Vista, Media Centre, Windows 7, and...
October 2010
1 post
Snow Leapord Exchange Support!
I mean, what a brilliant move by apple!
Enterprise support on a beautiful device (yes, my love for my mac is deepening).
Caveat: no public folders support. Frankly, ridiculous.
OK, Microsoft are deprecating it, but itll be around for years to come. They just haven’t bothered doing it, which means we’ll never be getting it.
Typical apple. Promise a lot, and achieve a lot in a...
September 2010
4 posts
...Finished
Well, thats it - im convinced.
Apple’s time machine is amazing.
I just changed my drive, and restored from the backup… and its running on the new drive now.
Painless. Totally and utterly.
Mac owners, if you aren’t using time machine yet - go and get yourself a drive, and get it going.
I bought a WD Elements 1TB drive when i got my mac, and its just proven its value to me -...
Upgrading my MBP Pro Hard Drive...
So. I should have got a bigger drive when i got my mac.
Upshot, I’m about to void my warranty on my MBP and swap the hard drive for a new Samsung HM500J (500 of those gigabyte things) i bought from eBuyer (great next day service).
Ill be following one of the many guides there are for upgrading the mbp hard drive.
I have a time machine, and according to this page, transferring the system...
Expression Engine Gallery Module..
So, was talking with a developer friend (yes, hes a developer, despite his insistence that he isn’t), and he said how great it’d be to get a gallery module.
Iv started planning it - but wanted some further input. If you’re interested in this, drop me a tweet and let me know what you’d want!
S
August 2010
1 post
Inertial Scrolling....
Dear Apple,
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.
Regards
Mr...
July 2010
1 post
If you don't like apple products...
… don’t buy them!
I was tweeted something to the effect of this last week.
Seems to be a fairly obvious solution to my problem - but the point is - i LIKE apple products. I love how they get some stuff so very right, and as a direct result of that love, I completely hate when there is something so wrong.
Im just talking about my day-to-day experiences with my mac. Unlike most Mac...
June 2010
1 post
2 tags
OSX Folder Merging
If you don’t know, or didn’t previously care im a developer by trade.
Recently I’ve been working on a few Flex and AIR projects that required me to build up my own SDK’s. To do this, i simply had to merge two folders which had ALMOST the same files, but not quite.
In windows, or linux gui, if you want to merge folders, you just drop one on top of the other and agree to...
May 2010
13 posts
2 tags
HTC Desire vs iPhone – Conclusion... The winner...
Whats with the Huge Paws?
Well, it’s been some days since the last post.
I paused for a few days more because i went back to my iPhone to see if I missed anything from the Desire. The unfortunate truth is - I did.
I wanted to be definative, and honestly, up until last week, I was resolute that the iPhone was still the way to go - the question is, has that changed?
There are so many...
2 tags
HTC Desire vs iPhone - Part 7 - Making Calls
Ok. Somehow we’ve gotten to part 6 before talking about what the devices are actually supposed to be. This is probably an indication of what we’ve come to expect from a ‘Phone’.
Anyway, this one is nice and easy - er, not.
You press the call button on the iPhone, and it calls the number you tapped. Sound quality is great, and it just works. Visual voicemail, as an...
3 tags
HTC Desire vs iPhone - Part 6 - The Camera
The HTC Desire wins.
Both need a dedicated hardware camera button, the iPhone needs one more.
These photos were taken either side-by-side, or consecutively (seconds apart).
Test One - iPhone Pic 1 - Desire Pic 1
Test Two - iPhone Pic 2 - Desire Pic 2
Test Three - iPhone Pic 3 - Desire Pic 3
To me - its clear cut. More megapixels, and a better lens. Sky over-exposes often on iphone, but not...
2 tags
HTC Desire vs iPhone – Part 5: Contacts Management
Contacts management on the HTC Desire is a dream.
You can sync your contacts with google easily - which is how I got my contacts to my phone initially. It just worked. Getting contacts on if you don’t use google contacts, if you are on a mac – could be a chore, ill concede. I can’t comment on the HTC Sync app, as there isn’t an OSX equivalent – and any Mac owners thinking...
HTC Desire vs iPhone – Part 4: Battery
As anyone who owns an iPhone will be able to tell you - the battery life is rubbish. Even if you don’t think it’s rubbish, at the very least, it’s disappointing.
Well, as it turns out, its actually about average when you compare it to devices that do similar things. It’s not great, but then, you wont find a device that accomplishes everything the iPhone that does while...
2 tags
HTC Desire vs iPhone - Part 3 - App Store vs...
It really annoys me how Apple seems to have - at times – an arbitrary app approval process.
The market is open, and some developers may love this. I’ll admit, the whole thing just seems easier to me (as a developer). The idea of bundling an application for as many mobile devices as possible – attracts me more, but Apple may well be doing all they can to prevent this at the moment – I...
2 tags
Its not only Apple who remove good...
WMP11 Had a toolbar option so you could get media controls on the taskbar. Great idea, really helpful.
WMP12 doesn’t have this feature.
iPhone vs HTC Desire Pt3 coming later!
** edit, altho there is a workaround: clicky **
#microsoft #fail
2 tags
HTC Desire vs iPhone - Part 2 - Settings
On the HTC Sense UI, iv been able to drop a few widgets, one of which makes a huge case for the Desire alone. Its essentially a power management strip, but it consists of a series of buttons to toggle wifi, bluetooth, gps, sync, and brightness.
This, is frankly wonderful.
When I get out of my car, I don’t need bluetooth (bluetooth is something else ill go into). One swipe (to the correct...
3 tags
HTC Desire vs iPhone - Part 1 - The Screen
The desire screen looks so much nicer than the iPhone’s. It’s OLED; black is real black, red is real red, furry creatures from alpha centauri are real furry creatures from alpha centauri.
The screen is responsive, and it leads to a pretty engaging experience. Photo’s are vibrant, movie clips look great. It actually makes the iPhone screen look subpar. In fact, if the...
HTC Desire vs iPhone
So, iv lived and breathed HTC Desire for over 10 days or so. Iv given it two full weekends and a full normal week, and i have reached some conclusions.
Ill put one up at a time, because all this is not exactly straightforward.
To people who think im going to blindly defend the iPhone, i think this blog shows that i am not shy of criticising my mac stuff…. and those who think im just...
2 tags
Alt + Tab...
The task-switching keystroke that saved us at school from letting the librarian know we were playing mario when you were supposed to be revising, and the keystroke universally adopted as the ‘boss key’ once you grow up (or get older).
It swaps one app for another you know is running. It rocks, aside from helping you pretend to work, it can actually help you work… swap between...
3 tags
iTunes for Windows Sucks.
Every time i get an update, it sets itself as the default media player. Stop it!
Since the last update (not 9.1.1 but the one before) we’ve lost a great feature. Well, a feature has been moved.
You used to have right-mouse click context for ‘Convert to…’. Its been moved to the advanced menu now.
I used to love this feature as when im making beats or going through the...
1 tag
Connecting to a Windows Network...
So, i bring my mac laptop into work.
As is the case in 99.9999999999999999999999999999% of office workplaces, we run a MS network here.
I have a share set up on my server, and i can connect to it on the mac so i can copy files to it.
Open finder, click on server in network (osx reads keychain for stored password), shares listed, open share. Easy.
However, if i happen to close that finder...
April 2010
24 posts
Select Contact, Text Message...
So, go to contacts. Select a contact. Scroll to the bottom and hit ‘Text Message’.
It asks what number to send it to, right?
It always does that. Why? Can it not learn that you only ever text one number? Could you not - like you could even on the n70 i had 5 years ago - select preference numbers for texting, for calling, etc?
I don’t care how, just stop asking me which...
3 tags
Apple Fanboyism in Effect Mode...
No monobrow-90s Rnb here, just something i noticed recently.
Case One An iPhone 4 is found in a bar (or whatever the story is), it is torn to shreds by gizmodo, but generally levelled information is given out on the device, battery, camera, buttons etcetera.
It doesn’t work and doesn’t charge, but this is presumed to be because its been locked remotely.
Some comments are made how...
1 tag
Right, i definately don't need these files, but...
OSX Trash is useless.
People often say that windows Recycle Bin is just like mac trash. Which came first? I dunno. Which is better? Recycle Bin.
I can chuck stuff in the recycle bin, safe in the knowledge it’ll stay there until i decide, yes, i definately am safe to delete it.
I might actually decide that some of the stuff in there is safe to delete, but be unsure about the rest. I want...
1 tag
Enter Passcode...
I’m on a call, and the person on the other end wants to check a number with me.
Cool, so lets follow the steps.
Step 1. Press Home button
Step 2. Enter Passcode (my exchange email syncs to my iphone so i must use a passcode).
Step 3. Get contact info.
So, thats easy enough.
What IS quite annoying, is it seems the act of ending a call, resets that i already entered the passcode...
Exposé
I guess the more cynical amongst us (ie: windows fanboys) will say, ‘thats just there to make up for a deficiency in the tidiness of the osx desktop’, and i suppose they have a point, but, the fact is…
Exposé is pretty.
It’s not just pretty, its an example of form and function.
I need an app window i know is running.
Step 1 > F3.
Step 2 > Choose App.
Im a...
2 tags
Soundcard Switching...
This is one for the people out there using more than one soundcard. I have three, in fact. One in my TTM57-SL. One for my bedroom producing stuff, and the internal one.
On windows, setting the plugged in device to be the default system audio device for all sounds could be somewhat incongruous (or, depending on your perspective, modus operandi).
On the mac, it goes like this.
Step 1 > Plug...
Open Sesame...
Windows laptop manufacturers (tho i suspect, this should be a letter to microsoft):
When i close the lid on my mac, it stops what its doing, then and there.
When i open the lid, it starts where i left it. It takes at most, 2 seconds to do this.
Please, achieve the same on a windows laptop. Thanks.
#apple #win
The Right Mouse Button... Pt 2
This is for apple fanboys and fangirls. I’m not talking about people that LIKE apple and their products, im in that bracket. I’m talking about blind followers.
The right mouse button is a nice point of proof for this phenomenon.
For years, windows users (and windows fanboys, also guilty of this behaviour), said that one thing they used that macs didn’t have, was the right...
The Right Mouse Button...
I mean seriously apple, if you’re going to implement it, implement it properly.
My magic mouse requires me to do have both fingers on the mouse, then lift my left finger, then click with the right.
Ok, i’ll concede its not hard, but are you seriously telling me with all the effort that went into that mouse, you couldn’t come up with something better? I dunno, a button on the...
1 tag
Integrated Calendar, a Missed Opportunity
So, I can add an anniversary date to a contact on my phone… that’s cool, great, and brilliant, but why bother?
That date is not automatically pulled through to my calendar, making the feature somewhat superfluous.
Its not a feature gap as huge as forgetting to put a front facing camera on, admittedly, but its a missed opportunity nonetheless.
#iphone #missedopportunity
Hi Guys! This is my new number!
Okey dokey, ill save the number to an existing contact with my great iPhone.
Find the contact, yep.
Yeah, thats the number, ill put it in as a mobile number.
Ok. Lets delete the old number.
Contacts, find contact.
Ok. Which one is the new number? I don’t ever dial his number, and i didn’t take a note of it.
Its great i can have multiple mobiles for one contact, but at least...
WatchGood fun this one, happens pretty much every time i get off a call…
No, its not to do with the screen not being clean. No, there isnt a screen protector on it. No, its not the case.
Yes, i have updated.
Sorry for no music, ill learn that lesson for next time.
#iphonefail
3 tags
Just a thought....
We are expecting great #iphone multitasking from the same people who brought us the red button on #osx. A close application button that, above all things, doesnt close the application.
Steve Jobs had this to say about multitasking:
“In multitasking, if you see a task manager… they blew it. Users shouldn’t ever have to think about it”
That in mind, osx blew it, because...
Why do i need BOTH bars?
Just a question, but why must i have a status bar, AND a dock?
Surely, if a mac is intended to be good for designers, screen real estate is of vital importance.
Just a thought….
1 tag
Maximise Window... No, i said Maximise...
The green button makes the application window bigger, but that just does a slightly bigger version of the current window.
‘Full Screen’ is not an option.
Windows does it, every linux distro iv used does it, even os2 warp used to do it… why not osx?
I can expand it out manually, sure (#userexperiencefail), but this brings me to my next winge… (tomorrow!)
2 tags
Found the app you're looking for? Great! Hang on a...
You hear about an app, you go looking for it, and you find it.
You hit the ‘FREE’ button (hopefully), and it asks for your password for your itunes account. Very wise, ensure no accidental purchases.
But wait! Apple have changed their agreement. Please read it.
You obviously do so carefully (you wouldn’t dream of skipping to the end without perusing it fully) and then you...
1 tag
I have another call coming...
Im mid-conversation, so i’ll let it go at the moment, i’ll check who it is when a convenient moment arrives in the conversation.
Ok, so let me just check who that was.
Home button *click*.
Green ‘phone’ option, yep, lets find out who missed called me, oh, wait, i cant.
It seems the phone log is intrinsically tied to the phone… if im on a call, i cant get the log...
2 tags
Desktop Preferences, Set Solid Colour BG
Right, just want plain black on my desktop, simple things and all that.
Where’s the colour picker where i can decide whatever solid colour i want to set my desktop to be?
There isn’t one.
#osxfail
1 tag
2 tags
Select Files, Cut, Paste.
What do you mean i cant cut and paste files?
I HAVE to drag with the mouse to move a file?
#osxfail
3 tags
Im British.
I want my speechmark key above my 2, and my @ above my single quote please, the same as every other keyboard i use daily.
What do you mean, there isn’t an option to buy my mac laptop with a UK keyboard layout?
‘There has never been a british keyboard option’ is not a reason.
1 tag
Why?
Frankly, I love my mac, because there is some stuff it just rocks at. That said,there is some stuff it just sucks at.
We hear lots of mac fanboys moaning about PCs. We hear lots of PC fanboys moaning about Macs. Amongst all this whining, there is not enough realism about the day-to-day experience of mac / apple ownership.
For those who are wondering what Apple hardware i have, I own a 15”...