How to respond to the Service Battery warning

Last weekend, while testing some battery conditioning software for a future story, I noticed a distressing alert in my Battery menu in the Menu Bar. It said "Service Battery" accompanied by that nasty triangle with the exclamation point in it. Not a happy thing. NOT awesomeness. Fortunately, I'm spending most of the week creating videos at Mac Station in Abbotsford, so I have access to skilled and certified Apple Specialists who are able to check out my battery and see if it's really finished. Fortunately for you, this level of service as not reserved just for friends and family of Apple dealers. If ...

Mover Lite …transfer pics and contacts between iPhone, iPad and Mac

Mover Lite is the FREE version of Infinite Labs' Mover+. ((I'm actually using Mover+ in the video, but I'm pushing Mover Lite here since it's the FREE introductory app)) The app runs on the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch and allows you to transfer contacts and photos between your iDevices over wifi. With a 99¢ add-on to the Lite app, you can also transfer those files to your desktop Mac running Mover Connect. If you want to be able to transfer files between your devices when they're not connected to wifi, Mover+ allows for connectivity and transfer over Bluetooth for $1.99. I've found ...

Teleport …and a Feat of Geek Strength

If you don't know about Teleport from Abyssoft, you should. It's a donationware application that allows you to use one keyboard and mouse to control many Macs—a virtual KVM switch of sorts. In the video below, I show how I am able to drag a single folder from one iMac across the screens of two other Macs to a fourth Mac situated across the room from the mouse I'm using to control it. You probably have no use for such a Feat of Geek Strength, but one situation where I've used Teleport with great success is when I'm sitting at my ...

Automated DVD and Blu-Ray backup, encoding and tagging… right to iTunes

First written back in October of 2009, this post on the Handbrake forums is the backbone of my AppleTV home theater setup. While it takes a bit of fiddling to set up, it allows me to use my old MacBook Pro as a "Media Mac" that backs up my DVD collection while also making that media available via iTunes and shared across my network to my AppleTV. Using the system is simple: I insert a DVD and the Batch Rip Dispatcher Automator action asks if it's a DVD of a movie or a TV series ((this can be set to auto-run if ...

EpicWin!

This is new. I don't mean that in a "it just came out" sort of way…though it basically did. I mean, I have tried a lot of productivity, task management, to do list and GTD ((Getting Things Done)) applications in my time and this is the first time I've tried one that actually hides within the disguise of an RPG. ((Role Playing Game …get to know your acronyms!!)) EpicWin! is an iPhone app that allows you to assign yourself tasks, schedule repeating chores and set priorities like any other task management app, but it does so by rewarding task completion with ...

Xtand and LogMeIn Ignition

I give credit to my buddy Brent Flink ( @indivisual ) for showing me LogMeIn and it's super cool (and somewhat overpriced at $29.99 US) iPhone/iPad app LogMeIn Ignition. LogMeIn is a web-based VNC service that allows you to install its free software on your Mac (or PC) and not only access, but control that computer from a supported web browser. Unfortunately, though Mobile Safari on the iPad and iPhone is one of those supported browsers, when you try to control the cursor within LogMeIn's web-based VNC, you only end up controlling the view of the screen in the browser. So, in ...

DJay from Algoriddim

DJay from Algoriddim is very cool DJ software for your Mac. It sells for $49.99 US and has an iPhone App that allows you to control it remotely over wifi for $4.99 US (djay Remote - algoriddim). The app itself features iTunes integration (it will grab you iTunes Library and playlist—any of the music you have can then be analyzed for its tempo for easy matching), Automixing ((Note: Real DJ'ing is an art form performed by talented musicians. The true sound of a brilliant mix cannot be automated.)) (DJay will grab song after song out of your iTunes playlists and ...

News

Watts battery maintenance and calibration

So, in my last video, I showed you the test that Mac service techs run to determine whether a battery has failed or not and, sure enough, mine had. It...

Follow Friday—The Blog Edition

Follow Friday is a weekly tradition on Twitter where users recommend other users for people to follow. I’ve kept up with it pretty well but sometimes...

How to respond to the Service Battery warning

Last weekend, while testing some battery conditioning software for a future story, I noticed a distressing alert in my Battery menu in the Menu Bar. It...

Photographer skins his iPhone 4 as a Leica M9

San Francisco photographer, Joey Celis ( @joeyjoeyjoey ) has turned his iPhone 4 into a Leica M9 with this ingenious skin. I had to look this up, not...

Mover Lite …transfer pics and contacts between iPhone, iPad and Mac

Mover Lite is the FREE version of Infinite Labs’ Mover+.1 The app runs on the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch and allows you to transfer contacts and...

NetFlix instant streaming movies to your iPhone …awesomeness?

The Mac web, or more specifically, the iPhone web is buzzing about Netflix for iPhone today. This is huge for NetFlix subscribers who find themselves in...

Teleport …and a Feat of Geek Strength

If you don’t know about Teleport from Abyssoft, you should. It’s a donationware application that allows you to use one keyboard and mouse to...

Watts battery maintenance and calibration

So, in my last video, I showed you the test that Mac service techs run to determine whether a battery has failed or not and, sure enough, mine had. It...

How to respond to the Service Battery warning

Last weekend, while testing some battery conditioning software for a future story, I noticed a distressing alert in my Battery menu in the Menu Bar. It...