Category: Mac Treat

iCal is the built-in calendering application included with every version of the Mac operating system since OS 10.2. I admit that until the release of the newest version of iCal (included with Mac OS 10.5 Leopard), I wasn’t a big fan of the application. However, the newest version of iCal has a much cleaner look,…

Ever wonder where those pesky specials characters that aren’t written on your keyboard (e.g. ¢, ©, ®, ™) are when you’re writing? They’re all listed in Character Palette—part of OS X. Easy access can be found either as a part of your other Apple Apps (such as Mail, TextEdit, Stickies, etc.) or in the International…

There are hundreds of relatively unpublicized features hidden in every version of Mac OS X. Some of these features are neat-but-frivolous, but many others can quickly become indispensable. We share these hidden features every week, calling them “Mac Treats.” Here are my top three indispensable Mac Treats. I use these almost every single time I…

It’s sad but true: there are still many conference centers, hotels, and office buildings that lack Wi-Fi. However, many of these do offer hardwired internet access via Ethernet or (egads) a dial-up connection. If you’re solo, this is only a minor inconvenience. However, if you’re traveling or working with other people, a single wired connection…

…No App Store Required! Note: This Mac Treat is specifically for the iPhone and iPod touch. The App Store is great—it’s full of hundreds of different useful, fun and informative applications (save for the alarmingly large number of fart apps), and includes numerous applications dedicated to websites you normally visit through your computer’s browser. So,…

Here’s a tip for easily creating encrypted Disk Images in OS X, which are used to store sensitive files on your Mac. I thought of this as I began to scan my 2008 tax documents onto my MacBook Pro. I want to password-protect these documents, since they contain many personal details, such as my social…

I love me some Mac keyboard shortcuts. They speed up and simplify every day computer tasks. This week I’m going to share my favorite iTunes shortcuts. If there are any shortcuts you like that I didn’t include, email me at Ed@smalldog.com and I will add them when this article is posted to our blog on…

Yes, this is be more of an iPhone tip, but it’s a great one! If you have an iPhone and a library of music that you’d love to hear on your phone, this is for you. Open GarageBand and iTunes In GarageBand, open a new project and delete the default track (it usually opens with…

I almost always have multiple applications running on my Mac. Sometimes I find the visual clutter of multiple apps distracting, even on my iMac’s large 24” monitor. In the past, I’ve downloaded special word processors (such as Scrivener) that feature full screen/screen shading settings to hide other apps, so I could better focus on writing.…

Do you ever have two or more PDF documents that you’d like to merge together into one single PDF? It’s actually very easy to do this with Preview in OS 10.5 Leopard. This does not work in Tiger or earlier versions of OS X. To do this, open one of the PDF’s in Preview. Make…