Posts Tagged with os x
September 5, 2007 at 12:05 am · Filed under On the Web, Hardware, Applications
The popularity of my posts regarding the Mac, Apple, Parallels Desktop and the iPhone kept me blogging on those topics. That chatter has in turn been diluting the conversation that should be taking place here.
So, I’ve carved out another space on this big series of tubes, and this time it is just for those Apple topics. Please visit On a Mac for a continuation of the conversations which started here as well as new Apple-related content altogether.
Tags: Apple, Apple II, Apple Lisa, Apple Support, Apple TV, Applications, Hardware, iLife, iPhone, iPod, iTunes, Lisa Office System, MacBook Pro, Macintosh, On the Web, os x, OS X Disk Utility, Parallels Coherence, Parallels DesktopShare This
August 27, 2007 at 9:32 pm · Filed under Hardware, Beta, Applications
On my last stop at the official Parallels Desktop for Mac blog I saw a new post regarding another update to Parallels Desktop for Mac 3.0. The latest beta build, 5120, is being called Beta 2 (you guessed it, it’s the second one), and like its predecessor, it is a free download to anyone with a valid 3.0 key. The free doesn’t stop there either. Straight from the blog posting:
With all of the new improvements we’re introducing (Coherence with minimize and Expose support, new Shared Folders and more), this is shaping up to be one of the best updates ever. The best part? It’s COMPLETELY FREE to all Parallels Desktop 3.0 users!
Great news! And, the Beta 2 build brings more new functionality to the table. Some New Features in Parallels Desktop 3.0 Beta 2 - Build 5120:
- Visually, windows minimized to the dock now have the same transitions and behavior as windows minimized with Mac’s OS X
- You can now share folders much more seamlessly between OS X and Windows running under Parallels Desktop. In fact, you can set them up to mirror each other. Your Documents folder on the Mac is your Documents on the PC. It can be enabled for the Desktop, too! Before you ask-no, there are not two copies of the files being mirrored! Both the Mac and PC will be accessing the same file!
If you’re ready to buy the public release of the 3.0 version (or download the free trial version) as opposed to this beta version, visit the Parallels Desktop for Mac 3.0 page on their web site. For more details on this Beta 2 build, read the entire post on the Official Parallels Desktop Virtualization blog. There is also a link to download the beta in that article.
Tags: Apple, Applications, Beta, Boot Camp, Free, Hardware, MacBook Pro, Macintosh, Operating Systems, os x, Parallels Coherence, Parallels Desktop, Vista, WindowsShare This
August 9, 2007 at 11:38 am · Filed under Usability, Hardware, Applications, User Interface, User Experience
Since I downloaded SuperDrive Update 2.1 and ran it (on my MacBook Pro), whenever I restart my Mac, it still launches, telling me there are no devices requiring the firmware update. I know this, because I already updated it!
What the SuperDrive update doesn’t let me know is how to stop it from opening each time I restart my Mac. So, I hunt and pecked and found the answer. If you’re having the same issue, read on…
Removing SuperDrive Update 2.1 from a Mac’s startup sequence is easy:
- Go to
> System Preferences…
- Under the System header, click the “Accounts” option
- Select the “Login Items” tab
- Select the SuperDrive Update 2.1 Application (so it is highlighted-not the textbox-just click on the name of the application so it is highlighted)
- Click the ” - ” button to delete the application from your startup sequence
- Close the Accounts window
That’s it - you should no longer be prompted by the firmware updater at startup.
Tags: Apple, Apple Support, Applications, Hardware, Operating Systems, os x, Usability, User Experience, User InterfaceShare This
August 4, 2007 at 8:18 am · Filed under Hardware, Beta, Applications
I’ve been running Parallels on my Mac Book Pro for quite some time now. I’m very satisfied with the product. And, when it was announced a few days ago that anyone with a valid 3.0 license key (including trial keys) could try a beta version with some upgrades, I couldn’t resist. The installation experience (upgrade) was seamless, and I’ll report back on performance and the new features in a few days. A little about the 3.0 beta build:
Parallels Desktop for Mac (beta, build 5060) features:
- Expose for Coherence windows
- True stacking support for applications running in Coherence mode
- An improved version of the Image tool
- An enhanced version of the Explorer application, allowing browsing of virtual machines which are suspended
- iPhone support for Windows XP and Windows Vista
You can read more about the 3.0 beta on the official Parallels Virtualization blog as well as get the link to the features update information page and download.
Even before my testing started, I did have one thought: Please tell me this is a free upgrade for existing customers. After spending the initial $79, then $49 for an upgrade soon after, I’m not intending to spend more money on a Parallels update. I hope the smart folks over at Parallels aren’t expecting us to either.
Tags: Apple, Applications, Beta, Boot Camp, Free, Hardware, MacBook Pro, Macintosh, Microsoft, microsoft office, Operating Systems, os x, Parallels Coherence, Parallels Desktop, Vista, WindowsShare This
July 16, 2007 at 5:54 pm · Filed under Hardware, Mobile, Applications, User Experience
If you have an iPhone you may have noticed that when you plug it into a Macintosh, iPhoto launches right along with iTunes. I don’t mind iTunes launching as it is there to synchronize my music, and I have it open all the time anyway, but why iPhoto?
The reason why it is opening iPhoto is that OS X sees the iPhone as also being a camera. As with other camera’s, its default action is to (you guessed it) wake up iPhoto. I don’t use my phone to take pictures much, and I certainly don’t need iPhoto to open every time I sit my phone on its cradle to get a bit of juice. So, I poked around to figure out how to make it stop.
After fruitless adventures in both iPhoto and the iPhone’s Preferences/Setting (although seemingly the right places to look) I got a good lead on how to change the behavior. The application that controls how the Mac responds to how to handle what happens when a camera is plugged in is the Image Capture application, not iPhoto (and that’s the one kicker here-if you make this change, iPhoto will not automatically open for any camera).
To change the behavior:
- Open Image Capture (in your Applications directory)
- Open the Preferences panel (Image Capture > Preferences…)
- Change the drop down following “When a camera is connected, open:” to “No application”
That’s it.
Tags: Applications, Camera, Hardware, iPhone, MacBook Pro, Macintosh, Mobile, os x, Photography, User ExperienceShare This
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