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Use Eve to learn Mac OS X shortcuts
Eve is a brilliant little program that I just installed on my MacBook -- it's got one function only, and that is simply to pop up on the screen whenever you do something with your mouse, and remind you that there's a way to do it with your keyboard. I am a huge fan of keyboard shortcuts, but I have a terrible memory for them, and Eve is designed to fix exactly that problem. Most people know Command-X, Command-C, and Command-V for cut, copy and paste, but I often forget about other shortcuts for common tasks, so I'm hoping Eve can help me build up some muscle memory for them. Eve is an open source project, so it's being added to all the time (and it looks like a "learned button" is one of the first features on the list, which makes a lot of sense -- you wouldn't want a warning to keep showing up after you've learned the shortcut). It's free to download. This kind of instant feedback could be just what you're looking for if you want to increase your keyboard-fu. [via OTW & Lifehacker]
The Daily Grind: How many skill options do you really need?
Massively's own Justin Olivetti recently opined that Guild Wars 2's skill system struck him as more regressive than progressive; he's suggested the game is a reaction to older MMOs that went overboard loading players up with so many skills and hotbars and options that gamers got lost in the mess. Lord of the Rings Online has always had that effect on me whenever I return to it and find six hotbars stuffed with more skill buttons than anyone can possibly push in a single fight or even a single dungeon. Blizzard has been trying to address a similar problem in World of Warcraft for several years. Of course, those second-generation MMOs were fighting against the first-generation games, which were notorious for offering melee classes a grand total of one attack button to push. GW2 provides 10 skills at a time, two more skills per bar than in classic Guild Wars, but maybe the franchise is going too far in its attempt to simplify combat options for third-gen MMO players. What do you think? How many skill buttons do you really need available for every fight so that you feel as if you always have options... but not too many or too few? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
LG Optimus Vu launches in Korea, gets priced
LG's 5-inch smartphone has finally arrived -- at least over in Korea. While 4:3 ratio display raised a few eyebrows during its debut at MWC, the IPS display, lightweight frame and stylus has us chasing after a review model to give it the full run-down. Anyone in LG's homeland can beat us to the punch -- it's now on sale priced just under the Galaxy Note, a device that's been around for a few months. Expect to pay 990,000 won ($890) for a carrier-free version, but importers should 'note' that they won't be able to take advantage of that built-in TV tuner. We're still sniffing out details on prices and launch dates for the US. Hopefully, the international model will arrive with a rubberdium stylus -- we just want to know what rubberdium is.
LG Optimus Vu officially revealed ahead of MWC with stylus, 1.5GHz CPU (Updated)
Similar to its pre-CES reveals, LG just couldn't wait for Mobile World Congress to get underway on the 27th before showing off its new Optimus Vu handset. These new pics offer a much clearer look at its 4x3 aspect ratio, 1024x768 res, stylus-friendly 5-inch IPS LCD display, while the official specs confirm rumors it would pack a 1.5GHz dual core CPU, 8MP camera, LTE, 2080mAh battery and Android 2.3 in a slim 8.5mm thick frame. An upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich is promised within three months of its launch, currently scheduled for March on Korean carriers SK Telecom and LG+. Check the gallery for a few more glamour shots of this new Galaxy Note competitor, and see if wider truly is better.Update: You'll find a few more official pictures in the gallery below and the English PR with details on its "QuickClip" hotkey for one-button screenshots and memos and the "Rubberdium" stylus after the break, plus a quick size comparison vs. the Note, Galaxy S II Global and iPhone 4S.
SMK-Link releases Wireless Ultra-Mini Touchpad Keyboard for your inner sloth
Exerting energy goes against the very fiber of our 21st century ethos -- which is why SMK-Link has come out with the Wireless Ultra-Mini Touchpad Keyboard. Available in both Mac- and PC-compatible versions, this little handheld allows users to surf the web, send texts, or control their home entertainment systems from up to 30 feet away. Featuring both a raised QWERTY keyboard and capacitive touchpad, SMK-Link's latest battery-powered creation boasts 20 function keys, seven hot keys and a dedicated Windows Media Center Start button (on the PC version, naturally). And, since it doesn't require any software drivers, all you have to do is plug in the RF receiver, sit back, and marinate your afternoon away. You can grab one now for $69 at the source link, below. Otherwise, swerve past the break for a drop of PR.
Mac 101: Locking your Mac with a hotkey, like you can with Windows
One of the things that confused me the most when I switched to the Mac platform was the fact that there's no built-in way to lock the computer manually with a hotkey when walking away from it. This is something that was drilled into me from working in an office full of pranksters where leaving your computer unlocked was virtually a guarantee that you would be hosting a party for all of your co-workers that coming weekend. It turns out that this is an oversight in Mac OS X, and a 3rd party utility is required to be able to lock your computer with a hotkey. For a simple solution I would suggest installing a very basic preferences pane called LockTight. LockTight does exactly what you're looking for: assign a specific hotkey that when pressed will lock your Mac, requiring a password to unlock it if you have it configured to require a password to wake from sleep or screen saver (which you should). Update: Reader Chad reminds us that if you actually want your machine to go to sleep with a keystroke (as opposed to simply locking the screen) you can use the Option-Cmd-Eject key combo. [via Lifehacker]
Breakfast Topic: Consumable consumption
So I have a question: how exactly do you use your consumables?I noticed a few weeks ago now that I never really used my consumables when I was supposed to. On my Resto Shaman, I have Nature's Swiftness bound to Q (since my left hand is always on WASD) as a panic button-- need a heal instantly, hit it fast. But consumables like potions and healthstones just sat in my bag-- I almost never remembered to whip them out when the party was going down.So recently, I opened up the second hotbar on the right side, and put all my various pots and healthstones there. That way I'm just one click away from one if I need them. And that's worked pretty well-- now, even the tank sometimes forgets to use his healthstone, but I always have them available in a clinch.But they're still all the way on the side of the screen, and it seems like I could do it faster. How do you have your consumables set up? Do you forget to use them all the time, or do you have them bound to a certain key, ready to jump into action at a moment's notice?
AppleScript to view next unread message in Mail
If you've ever wished for the ability to go to the next unread message in Mail, instead of having to shuffle through all the unread ones, some enterprising AppleScript.net forum members have put together a script that might go well with your favorite app/script launcher, such as FastScripts.I tried this out with my preferred everything-launcher, Quicksilver, and it worked like a charm. I saved the script in Script Editor, then simply added it as a Trigger in Quicksilver with a keyboard shortcut. This has the fortunate side effect of being accessible from anywhere in the OS, so when I press my hotkey, Mail comes to the front and moves to the next unread message in the selected mailbox. Here's hoping Apple's Mail engineering team is listening and has something a little more integrated cooked up for Leopard's Mail.[via Hawk Wings]
Immediately delete messages from Mail.app with a hotkey
Sure, you can simply hit the delete key in Mail.app to send a message to the Trash, then empty the trash or go in and manually delete the message again to remove it for good. Or, you could use a simple, handy little tip that MacOSXHints tracked down to immediately and permanently delete any message from any folder in Mail.app. You simply need to use the cut command (cmd-x) on any number of messages to permanently remove them from Mail, no Trash middle-man required.Of course, a mild word of caution might be needed here: bypassing the Trash means you're bypassing the trash. That message is gone for good if you use this command, so use it wisely, young Mail.app padawan.[via Hawk Wings]
