
This 21.5" baby is sitting right in front of me. I am so happy with it performance and the whole package. First time to own a desktop. Kind of joy and I will work hard for the iPhone apps as well as all those APPLE scripting.
by James Galbraith, Macworld.com Feb 12, 2011 1:01 am
When Apple introduced Time Machine with OS X 10.5 Leopard, it became easier than ever to prepare for a data disaster—the only serious effort Mac owners running Leopard or Snow Leopard need to make is to plug in a hard drive. While we hope your hard drive never goes south, if it does actually fail, you'll thank Time Machine for backing up your data.
Time Machine backs up your system settings, documents, and applications, making it easy to not only recover from a failed hard disk, but also to migrate these files to a new computer, or to a hard drive that's faster or has more capacity. Here's how to restore your data from Time Machine.
Unlike some utilities that simply make a bootable clone of your hard drive, Time Machine saves your files, applications, and system settings in a format that can be used to restore this data to a formatted hard drive with OS X already installed.
If you have a new hard drive, or had to erase and repair your old drive, you first need to install Mac OS X 10.5 or 10.6 on the drive, using the discs that came with your computer or a retail version of Mac OS X that supports different types of Macs. When the OS installation is done, the system restarts and you're treated to a little tune.
If instead, you've purchased a new Mac and want to transfer your data from an old Mac to the new one, it's a piece of cake. Since the new Mac has a fresh installation of Mac OS X, simply start up the system and the music will start playing.
When you've booted off your new installation of Mac OS X (whether on the new computer, new hard drive, or an erased and repaired old hard drive), you'll be guided through the steps to set up your Mac. You'll see a screen titled," Do You Already Own A Mac?" asking if you'd like to transfer your information.
Choose the third option, From a Time Machine Backup. Click Continue.
Connect the hard drive containing your Time Machine backup via USB or FireWire. The Time Machine backup will show up in a list called Select a Backup Volume. You can also find and restore from a Time Machine backup on your local AirPort network. Select your backup and click Continue.
That's it. Your files will transfer over and when finished, your computer will restart. If you chose to copy over all file types, your desktop picture, dock settings and everything else will appear just as they did on your old hard drive.
Too many of my friends having problem to backup their iPhone when the SYNC pc was down. Here I forwarded a guide for your reference. My suggestion is... don't use PC, please use MAC if you holding an iPhone. It is the best buddy to work with each and other!!!
The iPhone is for sure one of the most popular portable devices for sale now. Endless films and shows can be enjoyed on the iPhone. YouTube videos can be watched on the iPhone. And it is an extremely sophisticated music library, a link is provided to iTunes Store which makes you can download the latest songs easily. You will ascertain that this tremendous device will be able to let you enjoy countless hours of your your favorite songs, videos.
It’s amazing all the things you can do with an iPhone and it is remarkable how it syncs so easily with the iTunes software. However, Apple made it difficult when you need to backup iPhone when you suffered a computer crash and lost all the data on the computer.
So, what you can do if you want to backup iPhone to a new computer, PC or Laptop?
How to backup iPhone to your friends iTunes?
How to backup an old iPhone to a new iPhone?
…
The good news is that there are actually quite a few programs that meet this demand now, for both Mac and Windows users.
The best one is iPhone Tool Kits because it is a versatile program for you to backup iPhone.
iPhone Tool Kits – Backup all your iPhone files, including Music, Video, Photos, SMS, Call list, Contacts and iBooks, etc. Its screenshot as follows:
It is a comprehensive tool, which can take roles as iPhone Music Transfer, iPhone Video Transfer, iPhone Photo Transfer, iPhone SMS transfer, iPhone Call List Transfer, iPhone Contacts Transfer, and iPhone iBooks(.epub format) Transfer and so on.
iPhone to PC Transfer – Backup iPhone music, videos, photos, playlists and more.
(iPhone to Mac Transfer)
iPhone SMS Backup – Backup and Restore SMS on your iPhone
iPhone Contacts Backup – Backup and Restore contacts on your iPhone
In this article, we will demonstrate you how to backup iPhone to your Computer with the iPhone to PC Transfer.
Example:
How to backup iPhone music, videos, photos, playlists and more
Step 1: Connect your iPhone to computer and launch the program. The program will search the device automatically.
Step 2: Choose the files you want to transfer, click the ‘Start Transfer’ button.
Step 3: After you clicking the ‘Start Transfer’ button, the following window will pop up; you can choose transferring to computer or iTunes directly. You can set the output fold at settings option before transferring.
Step 4: When the transferring finished, the following window will pop up. It shows that how many files have been done. You can click the ‘Yes’ button to view the output files.
Well, that’s it!
As you can tell, it is very easy to backup iPhone to your computer. Now you can do your own iPhone backup to computer transfer with above guide!
iMovie is a great piece of movie editing software for beginning to intermediate videographers, but did you know it can handle some advanced features like picture-in-picture? This simple trick can improve the professional look and feel of any iMovie project and we’ll show you how you can put a custom logo as a lower third in any of your videos.
>> Mac capable of running iMovie
>> iMovie ’09 (or later)
>> Transparent PNG logo
The first step is using an application like Photoshop, Acorn, or Pixelmator, and then create a transparent PNG. Wherever there is full transparency in the image, you’ll be able to see the video through the logo. This makes for a cleaner effect than a single blog of color.
iMovie has a deep, dark secret. Okay, it’s not that secret, but there are a few hidden features in iMovie that you must enable to make this how to work properly. Head over to iMovie > Preferences > General and check the box labeled “Show Advanced Tools”.
This will enable various features, including a dual mode toolbar, keywork controls, cutaways, picture in picture, green screen, blue screen, replace modes, and chapter markers.
After enabling the hidden features, you can now drag and drop your transparent PNG overtop any video footage that you have in the project. When you drop the image on top of the video, a pop up menu will let you select “Picture in Picture.”
After doing this, your image will appear stacked on top of the video file, but it may not appear in the video preview the way you want. This is because we need to tweak the cropping.
To change the crop method, click the small gear icon on the image in the project viewer, then select “Cropping, Ken Burns & Rotation.”
The video preview pane will then change to let you select the cropping method, click the “Fit” option, then click Done.
After doing this, you’ll notice the image in the preview now has selection points on the four corners. You can drag this image around in the video preview window to the position you want. You can also resize the image by clicking and dragging on any of the four selection points. When you are finished, click Done.
You can repeat this process for any clip that you wish to add an image overlay to.
Great, now the combo update has been downloaded to the Documents folder. Go to your Apple TV menu and go NitoTV -> Settings -> Install Software -> Smart Installer
This will take a minute but when its done you can plugin USB drives and your Apple TV will recognize it. Volia!
TO ENABLE playback RMVB
go NitoTV -> Settings -> Install Software -> Install mplayer Codecs
Please restart your APPLE TV and you will be able to look for your USB drive in the Menu under Nito TV --> Files
Enjoy... Great way to play back all my download which were RMVB extension.
Today I hacked my 1st Gen APPLE TV. And I got it all working perfectly on my HD TV. Thanks for all the guide below. Just some detail here during the set up of this perfect project.
Using the USB to hack the APPLE TV was an easy job without any problem. Just plug it in and it will hack the ATV automatically. All my MAC devices able to read ATV in the network. May be it was because I am using APPLE airport Extreme router.
Problem facing when I tried to play HD video on it and the format was not supported by ATV. So I went to the menu to install some 3rd party software. I have forgotten the steps that I took. But somehow I ruin it, the menu of the ATV was missing after I installed the "ATVfiles" program. The ATV restarted with the opening video and blank menu. So I took the step below "which located far below this post" to resolve it.
Glad that I managed to get it work once again. And I saved US$99 for 2nd gen ATV whereby my 1st Gen work similar to it with a harddisk inside to keep movies.
The uber USB flash drive creator for the AppleTV. Creates USB flash drive based installers that include patchstick, factory restore and various LInux distributions.
Brought to you by the creators of atv-bootloader and many others.
The Intel/PPC OSX version of atvusb-creator.
The Windows XP/Vista interim solution atv-win
Note that the current version is atvusb-creator-1.0.b13 and atv-win-3.0.zip
This version is comes with ssh, bin tools, and two plugins (XBMC/Boxee Installer/Launcher and SoftwareMenu). That's right, two full blown OSX applications with their own AppleTV plugin to launch AND get updates. And not only that but previous problems with launching an application into the front under all display resolutions has been resolved.
Remember that some USB flash drives just will not format correctly and if you have problems try another brand. Minimum flash size is 512MB. Follow the GUI and select "ATV Patchstick", make sure to select the correct disk and hit the circling arrows to the left of the drive menu if you insert the USB flash drive after launching atvusb-creator.
The contents of the patchstick will look like the following, if yours does not look similar or is empty, then the creation failed and you need to create again either by pre-formating two hfsplus partitions using disk utility or trying a different brand flash drive. All USB flash drive are different, some work, some do not work.
Standard patchstick rules: create the patchstick on your OSX box, power-down the AppleTV, insert the flash drive, power-up the AppleTV, wait for boot/patching, power-down again, remove flash drive and power up and enjoy XBMC for Mac (http://xbmc.org) or Boxee for Mac.(http://www.boxee.tv) Remember that Boxee requires an account so if you don't have one, head on over to http://www.boxee.tv/atvusb and register for an account.
One final note (sure, sure), Both XBMC and Boxee are net installed from XBMC/Boxee launcher so remember to first select "Update" and install the individual applications.
Oh yes, atvusb-creator can be found in the downloads section so have at it and enjoy XBMC and Boxee native on the AppleTV OS.
The other two platform (Linux and Windows) will be released later.
XBMC Launcher-0.8 has been released. Check the Update menu in either XBMC or Boxee Launchers. Not only can the Launcher update the Application but it can also update itself. Next for this version is the XBMC and Boxee Launchers have been combined into one. the launcher update will remove both of the older launchers and remove them with the new one. XBMC/Boxee Launcher issues should be goto http://code.google.com/p/atv-xbmc-launcher/issues/list
With your ATV unlocked and connected to your local network via either Wi-Fi or Ethernet, you’ll now use the Terminal software supplied with Mac OS X to connect to the box and install Remote HD. Head to your Applications folder, then open Utilities and double-click Terminal to run the app. After a moment, copy and paste the following command into Terminal:
ssh frontrow@appletv.local
Now you’ll be asked for your password, which is simply “frontrow” (no quotation marks). You’ll be connected to your white ATV and can now issue three separate commands into Terminal which will download, uncompress and finally install the Remote HD plug-in. Be sure to hit the Return key after each one!
scp ssh.remotehd.com:RemoteHelper.tar RemoteHelper.tar
tar xvf RemoteHelper.tar
./install-RemoteHelper
If you happen to get a password request, just type in “frontrow” once more, again without the quotation marks.
After the Remote HD plug-in installs, your Apple TV will restart and you’re ready to go. Open the Remote HD app on your iOS device and after a moment you should see your ATV box appear under the first section, “Computers around you.” Tap on the “AppleTV” selection and the app will connect to the box and you’ll be able to navigate your ATV remotely from the app. Note that the default password is empty, but you can always select one of your own for extra security.
Last but not least, you can open an AirPlay-compatible app, start playing a video and then tap the AirPlay button -- you should now see “AppleTV” as one of your video streaming options. Select it, and in a moment your video will be magically thrown directly to your orphaned white Apple TV box, all without wires.
SOLVING blank screen problem...
You were right, my problem was due to ATVFiles. Things working perfectly after installing ATVFiles-1.3.0b1. You can either ssh ATVFiles-1.3.0b1 to Atv or run the following command from terminal Type: wget http://ericiii.net/sa/appletv/ATVFiles-1.3.0b1.run Once the .run file is on atv you can install from terminal Type: chmod +x ATVFiles-1.3.0b1.run Type: ./ATVFiles-1.3.0b1.run
Right on cue, Apple released a Mac OS X 10.6.6 update which includes the Mac App Store first previewed back in October. Launching with over 1,000 apps stocking its virtual shelves, and potentially just as many questions which we’re all too happy to answer for you.
Apple is hoping for a worthy sequel to its iOS App Store first launched in July, 2008 with Thursday’s launch of the Mac App Store. On the surface, the Mac App Store offers the same ease of use as the iTunes-based App Store, but many users (especially those who just got their first Mac for Christmas) will likely still have questions -- and as always, MacLife.com is here with answers.
First the potentially bad news: You’ll need a Mac capable of running Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard in order to get it. That immediately disqualifies all older Macs with Power PC (or earlier) processors, since an Intel processor is required to install Snow Leopard. This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, since Apple long ago laid down an edict that the future of the Mac lies with Intel processors, and even recent updates to its own software (including iLife ’11, Final Cut Studio and Aperture 3) all leave Power PC systems in the past.
Getting the Mac App Store is simple: Under the Apple menu, select Software Update and you’ll shortly see a Mac OS X 10.6.6 update pop up. Run that update (along with any others that appear, for good measure), then restart your computer. When your Desktop reappears, you’ll see the Mac App Store icon in the Dock, to the right of the Finder icon.
As mentioned above, after installing Mac OS X 10.6.6, you’ll find a new Mac App Store icon in the Dock, in the second position, to the right of the Finder icon. From there, you can open with just a click.
Not only can you move the Mac App Store icon off the Dock by dragging it up and letting go of the mouse button to make it vanish with a poof of smoke, you can also move it to any other position in your Dock, the same as with any other app. If you do choose to remove it, you can always access it directly from your Applications folder or even move it back to the Dock -- but take note, the app is actually called “App Store” rather than “Mac App Store” in the Finder.
Even though the Mac App Store is a separate app, it works pretty much the same as the iOS App Store within iTunes. Click on any software title to get more details on it, including when it was released, what version number it is, the download size and what language(s) it supports. There are also plenty of screenshots to entice you with, and of course, the requisite button in the upper left to allow you to purchase and download to your computer.
Most everything you’ll need is right at the top of the screen, with five buttons covering the key areas: Featured, Top Charts, Categories, Purchases and Updates. Arrows at the left side allow you to maneuver back and forth through the virtual aisles, and a search field at the far right helps you quickly find a specific title you’re after.
When you click on one of the five buttons, it will turn blue to indicate it’s selected. Featured shows 12 apps from select categories such as New and Noteworthy, What’s Hot and Staff Favorites, with a Quick Links section at the right, followed by top 10 charts for Top Paid, Top Free and Top Grossing apps. If it all sounds familiar, that’s because the iOS App Store has had the same general appearance for quite awhile.
Top Charts will show you an expanded view of the Paid, Free and Top Grossing charts, while Categories allows you to drill into 21 different areas of interest, ranging from Business to Games, News to Productivity and much more.
Once you’ve made a purchase on the Mac App Store -- even a free one -- they’ll show up in the Purchases panel, complete with the title, name of the publisher, date of purchase and a graphic showing whether or not the app is currently installed. Last but not least, the Updates button will alert you to which apps have been updated -- but don’t expect to find anything there yet, since the doors have only been opened a few hours at this writing.
Buying is just a click away -- whether you’re on the detail page of a title or even looking at one of the category pages, you simply click on the price below. The Mac App Store will ask for your username and password the first time around (and you’ll need to enter your password for future purchases), then you’ll see the app icon fly out of the window and onto your Dock, complete with a small progress bar showing how the download is proceeding. The same process occurs for free apps as well.
While an app is downloading, you can also go to the Purchases page to pause, resume or cancel the download. If you have multiple Macs, this is also where you’ll go to download a previous purchase onto the second (or third or fourth) Mac as well.
Mac App Store apps are downloaded and install with a single click into your system Applications folder, which is also the best place to keep your non-App Store installs. To make it easy for newbies, the Mac App Store also keeps a purchase pinned to the Dock, where you can choose to move it to another position or drag it off the Dock to remove it completely. But don’t worry, your app is still quite safe in the Applications folder, same as before.
Good question -- for all of the simplicity of the Mac App Store, there is currently no easy way to remove an app you don’t want any longer.
However, you can do it the manual way by going to your Applications folder, selecting the app in question and dragging it to the Trash -- you’ll be prompted for an administrator password (which is probably different than your Apple ID account used for purchasing) and then the app will be moved to the Trash.
Returning to the Purchases tab, you’ll now see the option to Install the app again, or you can simply reverse the process by dragging the app out of the Trash and back into the Applications folder and entering your administrator password to approve the process. Now the Purchases tab will again show the app as “Installed.”
This is something of a tricky area -- with the current version of iLife ’11 installed, the Mac App Store versions of iPhoto, iMovie and GarageBand show “Installed” rather than list the price, although they don’t appear in the Purchases tab with apps that were actually bought in the Mac App Store.
In the case of non-Apple, third-party apps, the news gets worse. Several apps we already had installed, including Evernote, Stuffit Expander and TextWrangler, did not recognize as being installed by the Mac App Store. However, since these are free apps, you can easily delete the existing versions from your Applications folder and then “purchase” them on the Mac App Store again. Your preferences will remain intact, so in the case of Evernote, for example, you’ll be back in business with the Mac App Store version without having to even reenter your login credentials.
A word of caution, however: If you attempt this trick on a paid app, you’ll have to purchase it on the Mac App Store all over again -- there is currently no upgrade path for existing users of paid third-party apps. We don’t view that as a problem, since most developers will likely continue to offer direct updates to their apps until a new major version is released, which you can then purchase at the Mac App Store to keep everything in one place.
Buying from the Mac App Store is exactly the same as iTunes -- that is, everything is tied to your Apple ID, so whatever payment method you have there (credit card or PayPal) applies to the Mac App Store as well.
That also includes iTunes gift cards or certificates, which you can add via the Quick Links section on the main Mac App Store page. Click “Redeem,” enter a code and then the Redeem button, and your credit will be applied to your iTunes account, where you can spend it from any iOS device, iTunes or the Mac App Store.
You can view your account information at any time by clicking “Account” from the main Featured page under Quick Links, or go to the Store menu and select “View My Account.”
But of course! Mac App Store purchases are tied to your Apple ID account, which means that you can download and install them on your main system, then log into the Mac App Store on your other Macs and install them there as well. There is no limit to how many systems you can install it on, and subsequent installs are free, even for paid apps.
If you’re the more adventurous type, you can even copy your downloaded app from one Mac to another -- when you open it on the second Mac, you’ll be prompted for your Apple ID in order to use it. Enter your account info and you’ll be off and running, but your other Macs will still need to be running Mac OS X 10.6.6 or they won’t work.
We didn’t have any problems with this, but judging from Twitter posts, it’s a problem for many. According to TUAW, if you get an error message when trying to make a purchase -- something like “An unknown error occurred (100)” -- quit the store app, restart your computer and launch the Mac App Store again, which appears to clear it up just fine.
So what are you waiting for? Update to Mac OS X 10.6.6 and see what the future of Mac software purchasing looks like -- just be sure to keep those piles of old software discs out of sight so they don’t start sobbing.