March 11, 2013
It's quite easy to accumulate hundreds or thousands of files and folders on your computer, but it is often more difficult to locate what you were looking for no matter how organized you try to be. For Apple users, the Mac operating system includes several ways to find and keep track of document files, photos, applications, and other saved content. Though I have been a Mac user for over 20 years, I am still sometimes have difficulty locating files.
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March 6, 2013
I've been a long time user of the Mac text editor, MarsEdit for writing and posting blog posts to WordPress. In fact, I'd fall to my knees in tears if I had to use the online WordPress editor to write posts. While MarsEdit does pretty much everything I need, a new Mac editor called PixelPumper looks like a very stylish alternative that is available for free in the Mac App Store (note - the app is free while the developers of the application are ironing out the bugs).
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March 4, 2013
Computers often pose a dilemma of power consumption. You'd like to do batch jobs like downloading, system repair or back-ups at night, when you aren't bothered by it. Then again, it seems a bit wasteful to keep your computer running all night long, especially if it should finish its work in an hour or three. Sure, it's easy that way, but it's also an incredible waste of energy.
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March 3, 2013
Last week we asked you which devices (desktops, laptops, tablets) should be available for children at school. While not many of you chose to answer this poll, the discussion that ensued in the comments was interesting and enlightening, with many different opinions brought to the table. But which answer got the most votes in the poll?
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February 27, 2013
Check out the weather on your Mac. Whether you want to see the weather in your tray, in your dashboard, or in a regular window, there are plenty of Mac programs out there perfect for helping you know what to expect outside. There are many ways to find the weather. You can check Wunderground, or [...]
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February 25, 2013
If you have amassed several hundred or thousands of PDF documents like I have, you probably have experienced the challenge of managing and accessing them in various folders on your computer. Since I have gone practically paperless in my day-to-day workflow, an application like PDF Stacks ($39.00) is one I should have started using a long time ago. We're giving away 25 copies of PDF Stacks for both PC and Mac. Find out how you can win one after the review.
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February 25, 2013
Network structure and management have their own lingo. Some of the terms thrown around will likely already sound familiar to you. Ethernet and Wi-Fi are largely self-obvious concepts, although it may require a little bit more effort to understand the intricacies of the different Wi-Fi standards. Knowing the meaning of these terms, and grasping the underlying concepts will help you to get a better grip on your own home or office network.
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February 16, 2013
Forismatic is designed to be inspiring without being a time sink. Its core functionality – showing you a single inspiring quote without completely covering up your work – is simple. But the app implements this functionality in three different ways: as a transparent overlay of your work, as a menubar popup or as a timed overlay encouraging you to reflect as long as possible.
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February 16, 2013
The purpose of this article is to introduce you to the basic ways to browse and download apps for your Mac, iPhone, iPad, and/or iPod touch. If you are an experienced user of Apple devices, you might want to pass this article along to beginners who might be bugging you about where to find the best and most popular apps for their Apple device(s).
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February 11, 2013
For me, RSS feeds are the ideal way to keep up to date with all the websites I'm interested in - a centralised news-pool, so you don't have to check your browser every five minutes just to stay on top of the news. Google Reader does a great job organizing your RSS feeds, and Reeder wonderfully integrates Google Reader on your Mac. There's no shortage of ways to access those RSS feeds, but part of the problem remains.
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February 9, 2013
Working collaboratively on projects involving computer software, or helping people troubleshoot problems on their computer is common practices these days. We have published articles about several software programs that enable Mac and PC users to share their screens via a network or online. As the demand for screen sharing increases, the software and features for doing so should improve.
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February 6, 2013
There are already a few articles on MakeUseOf about the features available for Mac's Skype such as its group video client, experience-enhancing tips, and even some shortcuts that you may not know about. However, we've never really talked about the app itself. Overall, Skype for Mac is an app that performs in a solid manner, and I have a feeling that I will end up using it time and time again.
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February 1, 2013
No matter what operating system or program you're using, keyboard shortcuts are a tool you can use to make things quite a bit easier for yourself. Simply not having to take your hands off the keyboard can save you lots of time wasted by reaching for the mouse. This is why learning keyboard shortcuts for the systems you use every day is so vital to productivity.
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January 31, 2013
A large number of FTP clients of old had hiccups when it came to large file transfers. The apps experienced the usual timeouts that you would expect when the computer sits there for 15 to 30 minutes, transferring massive files. More recently, noticing so many positive reviews around the web for FileZila, I decided to take a closer look at what the latest iteration of the software had to offer. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised.
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January 30, 2013
People have always adapted technology to their creativity, and computers are no different. What originally started out as a gigantic calculator became a device for communication, office filing, and now, artwork. With Sketchbook Express for Mac, you can draw all kinds of pictures with the aid of a pen and stylus. Furthermore, it's free, and although there's a price for its older brother – Sketchbook Pro – you can use Sketchbook Express for more basic image creation.
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