We’ve all been waiting for it. As Google Chrome for Mac and Linux veers right around the corner, many of us will take a sigh of contentment to finally be able to run it on an operating system other than Windows. Even Google co-founder Larry Page called the lack of a Mac version embarrassing, mentioning that he has to use VMware on his Mac just to run it.
The good news is we have a precompiled, binary version of the latest build for those who want to have a feel of Chrome on a Mac. Except that it hasn’t even reached an open beta, so it will be buggy. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s been almost one year since the last post and it would almost seem that this blog had died. I’m sure many have been wondering where all the updates have gone to.
The truth is that it has been difficult for me as the sole writer of this blog to continue churning out posts on a constant basis. Schoolwork had been keeping me busy, along with other personal issues. Although I have not been able to reply to a lot of comments, I have read almost every one. I hope that you’ve found the posts informative and useful.
Another reason why I haven’t been able to update this blog is because my beloved MacBook was stolen. As paranoid as I am with all the security features I had installed, it still didn’t protect me against a theft of my bag with a powered off MacBook inside. Of course I’d contacted Apple Care and the local police about this, but nothing has turned up since.
That said, I now have a new aluminum MacBook that I hope to use to continue writing this blog. In addition, I was able to pick myself up an iPhone. With that I’ll be able to write about iPhone related hacks and app reviews.
I thank the readers who have supported macBound thus far; stay tuned for even more articles.
—Eric
SmackBook was originally a name given to the method used to switch between virtual desktops in Richard Wareham’s Desktop Manager using the MacBook’s built-in motion sensor. You would “smack” the MacBook on the side, and the sensor would read the movement and trigger the program to go to the desktop corresponding to the direction of the smack. Leopard’s spaces has made Desktop Manager nearly obsolete, but thanks to Jason Shen we can once again use it for SmackBook thanks to a script he’s written.
First you will need to download a few files:
- smackleopard.command, the file that contains the sensitivity information and calls for the system event to switch spaces, and
- AMSTracker, the command-line program that retrieves acceleration data from the Sudden Motion Sensor
Read the rest of this entry »
Rather than having a single Print Screen key to copy the entire desktop to the clipboard like in Windows, OS X has a series of key combinations that you can use to perform various screenshotting tasks.
- Command + Shift + 3: Takes a screenshot and saves it on the desktop
- Command + Shift + 4: Allows you to select a portion of the screen and saves it on the desktop
- Command + Shift + 4, then space bar: Allows you to select a window and saves it on the desktop
- Command + Control + Shift + 3: Takes a screenshot and saves it on the clipboard
- Command + Control + Shift + 4: Allows you to select a portion of the screen and saves it on the clipboard
- Command + Control + Shift + 4, then space bar: Allows you to select a window and saves it on the clipboard
Aside from using those key combinations, OS X has its own utility for taking screenshots called Grab. It supports several features like timed capture and the ability to change the pointer type when taking the screenshot. The application is located at /Applications/Utilities/Grab.
Apple has recently released an upgrade for the Leopard operating system that boasts a heaping 341MB in file size. The update mostly consists of bug fixes, but it does contain a few new features such as List view for Stacks, better RAW image support, and a menu bar option for accessing Time Machine’s features.
The entire list of updates follows right after the bump. Read the rest of this entry »
