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Mac 101: How to add custom artwork to your iTunes songs and movies
A significant chunk of my iTunes library is comprised of CD rips and a few independent recordings from musician friends. As a result, a fair number of tracks lack the excellent artwork that graces iTunes. If you are in a similar situation, you can quickly add artwork to individual tracks or even several tracks with just a few clicks. This trick also works with video, too. Individual Tracks To add artwork to an individual clip, simply select the track in iTunes and use Command-i to open the inspector (or File > Get Info), which will show all the details of the track. You can change other details from this interface, but we are most interested in the "Artwork" tab as shown above. Select the Artwork tab and use the "Add" button to insert your custom artwork. You also can drag the artwork from Finder into the artwork area. Multiple Tracks You also can add artwork to several tracks at once by selecting a handful of tracks and then clicking on File > Get Info or Command-i to open the inspector. Click "yes" if you are warned about editing multiple files and then select "Info" to view the contents of the information pane. You then can drag the image to the Artwork area to assign new art to all those tracks at once. Other Details iTunes 11 supports adding JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, and Photoshop files as artwork. The app will resize the images to proper size so you don't have to worry about sizing down the artwork before you add it to iTunes. You also can have iTunes do the artwork importing for you if the track is from a known album by a known artist. Just control-click the songs without artwork and choose "Get Album Artwork" from the pop-up menu. This automatic method pulls the art from a central database and is less reliable than the manual import described above as the song matching is not always accurate.
iPhone 101: Always show walking directions in iOS Maps
Occasionally, I will travel to Boston, where it is much easier to get around by foot than by car. Apple's default Maps application will provide you with walking directions, but you have to switch from the default driving directions to walking directions by tapping the "walking person" icon in the navigation section of the Maps app. I don't mind switching between directions on occasion, but if I walked around the city every day, I would get irritated by this extra tap that is needed to jump from driving to walking directions. You can save yourself save some time and possibly a bit of frustration by changing the default directions from driving to walking. To change the default directions, just open the iOS Settings app, scroll down and then tap on Maps. Scroll to the bottom of the Maps settings and look for "Preferred Directions." The default option is "Driving," but you can select "Walking" if you travel primarily by foot. The next time you fire up Maps to navigate from one location to another, the app will show the walking directions first. Sweet!
Mac 101: Send a message with a screen grab quickly through OS X Notification Center
OS X's Notification Center is great for receiving incoming alerts, but you also can use the panel to compose a quick message and send it via the Messages app. Even more useful is the ability to add a screen grab right along with your text, making it perfect for those "you gotta see this" moments. To use Notification Center to pen quick messages, you need to enable the feature by opening System Preferences > Notifications and then selecting the "Share Button" option in the left-hand column. Make sure the checkbox next to "Show share button in Notification Center" is selected as shown above. Once the share button option is enabled, you can open Notification Center by clicking on the icon in the top right-hand corner of the menu bar. You now should see a box at the top with the label "Messages" as shown below. If you don't see the Messages option, you may have to drag down on the Notifications pane, which is the same gesture you use to expose the "Do Not Disturb" option in OS X. When you see the Messages icon, you can click on it to open a small message composition box where you can enter the recipient's contact information and your message. The contact information is pulled from your OS X address book so you can easily type in a few letters of a person's name and OS X will list the compatible address book entries. Just click on the address book entry you want to use. Type in your message, and when you have finished composing it, you can send it along by clicking the "Send" button. One useful option in this quick messaging is the ability to add a screen grab to an outgoing message. Follow the steps above to create a new message, add a recipient and type in your text. Before you hit send, right-click (or control-click, or two-finger click on a trackpad) on the text entry box to open the contextual menu. At the bottom of this contextual menu is an option to "Capture Selection From Screen," which provides you with the ability to select a region of your screen that you want to embed into your message. To add the screen grab, just select the "Capture Selection From Screen" option, use the crosshairs to select the area you want to capture and wait a few seconds for OS X to do its thing. Depending on what you are capturing, you may have to size up the windows in advance so your content appears on the screen when notifications is open, Once you select the region of the screen you want to capture, the screen grab will appear in your message and you can send it along by pressing the send button.
iPhone 101: Quickly change camera modes in iOS 7 without accidentally snapping a photo
One of the main reasons why I love my iPhone is its outstanding camera that allows me to capture a photo at a moment's notice. As noted when iOS 7 was released last year, Apple's latest version of iOS significantly improved the camera app, providing options for panorama mode, square photos and slow-mo video on select models. When you are shooting with the default iOS 7 camera app, you can swipe to switch between the modes to select the one you need for the moment. Most people instinctively swipe on the small bar where the modes are labeled in the iOS app. This small area can be difficult to tap especially when you are in a hurry, leading you to accidentally take a photo, choose a filter or open the thumbnail view. There is an easier way to switch between modes -- instead of swiping on the labels, swipe anywhere on the screen. Swiping anywhere on the screen will cycle you through the modes. If you are lazy with your swipe, you may accidentally activate focus, but if you are prompt, you will be able to select your photo mode in just a few seconds.
Mac 101: Use Command-P to print and other useful Finder keyboard shortcuts
Yesterday, our Editor-in-chief Victor Agreda misfired in one of his keyboard combinations -- selecting multiple files and then hitting Command-P, instead of Command-O when trying to open the documents. He was reminded of this longstanding "Print" feature and other similar shortcuts that are often overlooked by new and veteran OS X users alike. Besides Command-O to open documents and Command-P to print them, there is a long list of keyboard combinations specifically for the Finder. Below you will find the list as documented by Apple. Key combination Action Command-A Select all items in the front Finder window (or desktop if no window is open) Command-Option-A Deselect all items Command-Shift-A Open the Applications folder Command-C Copy selected item/text to the Clipboard Command-Shift-C Open the Computer window Command-D Duplicate selected item Command-Shift-D Open desktop folder Command-E Eject Command-F Find any matching Spotlight attribute Command-Shift-F Find Spotlight file name matches Command-Option-F Navigate to the search field in an already-open Spotlight window Command-Shift-G Go to Folder Command-Shift-H Open the Home folder of the currently logged-in user account Command-Shift-Control-T Add to Dock Command-I Get Info Command-Option-I Show Inspector Command-Control-I Get Summary Info Command-Shift-I Open iDisk Command-J Show View Options Command-K Connect to Server Command-Shift-K Open Network window Command-L Make alias of the selected item Command-M Minimize window Command-Option-M Minimize all windows Command-N New Finder window Command-Shift-N New folder Command-Option-N New Smart Folder Command-O Open selected item Command-Shift-Q Log Out Command-Shift-Option-Q Log Out immediately Command-R Show original (of alias) Command-T Add to Sidebar Command-Shift-T Add to Favorites Command-Option-T Hide Toolbar / Show Toolbar in Finder windows Command-Shift-U Open Utilities folder Command-V Paste Command-W Close window Command-Option-W Close all windows Command-X Cut Command-Option-Y Slideshow (Mac OS X v10.5 or later) Command-Z Undo / Redo Command-1 View as Icon Command-2 View as List Command-3 View as Columns Command-4 View as Cover Flow (Mac OS X v10.5 or later) Command-Comma (,) Open Finder preferences Command-Accent (`) (the Accent key above Tab key on a US English keyboard layout) Cycle through open Finder windows Command-Shift-Question Mark (?) Open Mac Help Command-Left Bracket ([) Go to the previous folder Command-Right Bracket (]) Go to the next folder Command-Up Arrow Open the folder that contains the current folder Command-Control-Up Arrow Open the folder that contains the current folder in a new window Command-Down Arrow Open highlighted item Command-Shift-Up Arrow Make the desktop active Right Arrow (in List view) Open the selected folder Left Arrow (in List view) Close the selected folder Option-click the disclosure triangle (in List view) Open all folders within the selected folder Option–double-click Open a folder in a separate window, closing the current window Command–double-click Open a folder in a separate window Command-click the window title See the folders that contain the current window Command-Tab Switch application–cycle forward Command-Shift-Tab Switch application–cycle backward Command-Delete Move to Trash Command-Shift-Delete Empty Trash Command-Shift-Option-Delete Empty Trash without confirmation dialog Space bar (or Command-Y) Quick Look (Mac OS X v10.5 or later) Command key while dragging Move dragged item to other volume/location (pointer icon changes while key is held--see this article) Option key while dragging Copy dragged item (pointer icon changes while key is held--see this article) Command-Option key combination while dragging Make alias of dragged item (pointer icon changes while key is held--see this article)
Ransomware worries? Turn off Find My Mac/Find My iPhone
Note: Here's how to enable 2-step authentication for your Apple ID. It's been a rough day Down Under; several iOS and Mac users have found their devices held "ransom" by a hacker leveraging Apple's Find My iPhone and Find My Mac services. Australia's The Age reports information acquired by recent security breaches, combined with the human tendency to reuse security credentials across services, may have led to the lockouts. The normally-helpful (or at least benign) Find My X services can indeed be used for ill, as Wired's Mat Honan learned last year to his regret. It's noteworthy that iPhone users who have a passcode in place should be able to recover access, as long as the passcode was created outside of setting up Find My iPhone. In this post, I'll explain how to disable Find My iPhone/iPad and Find My Mac, as well as how to create a passcode on your iOS device. First, let's disable those services. Note that you must know your iCloud account information to turn off either of the Find My X services -- that's the point, really, as a thief presumably would not know your password and wouldn't be able to unlock or reinstall your purloined device with FMx turned on. Disable Find My iPhone/iPad This is quite easy to do. Just follow these steps: Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad. Tap iCloud. Scroll to the bottom of the list, and move the slider labeled "Find my iPhone" to the Off position. You'll need to authenticate with your iCloud password. That's it. On the Mac, the process is just as simple. Disable Find My Mac Launch System Preferences. Click iCloud. A new pane appears. Scroll to the bottom of the list on the right. De-select Find My Mac. (If you aren't using it, best to uncheck Back to my Mac as well -- if your iCloud password was compromised then BTMM could also be a security risk.) Again, you'll need to authenticate with your iCloud password. Create an iOS passcode Just to be sure that you can unlock your device locally if you do re-enable Find My iPhone, it's a good idea to set a passcode. (If you have an iPhone 5s and you enabled the Touch ID feature, iOS forced you to create a passcode, so you're all set.) These screenshots are for iOS 7, but the iOS 6 process is similar. Open the Settings app. Scroll down to Passcode. If you've never created a passcode before, toggle Turn Passcode On. You'll be prompted for a short (4-digit) numeric "simple passcode" or a longer/complex alphanumeric passcode. Pro tip: Even if your employer or educational institution requires a complex passcode via MDM, you can still access the "quick entry" numeric keypad for your passcode... just create an all-numbers passcode of the minimum length or longer, and you won't have to peck out the unlock code on the full keyboard.) Once your passcode is enabled and verified, you can set the timeouts for passcode access, which apps can be accessed from the lock screen, and more. In general, Apple's recovery/security services like Find My iPhone are a very good thing, and beneficial to have up and running -- as long as you observe reasonable password hygiene with your iCloud credentials, which are the "keys to the kingdom" for iOS app purchases, iTunes music, your iCloud email and iWork online documents... well, you get the idea. But turning off Find My iPhone is a reasonable temporary measure if you're concerned about this kind of hack attack, or worse things that could happen with a compromised iCloud password. Michael Rose contributed to this post.
Mac 101: How to type an accented character in just a few seconds
If you communicate internationally, there will be times when you need to use an accented character in your prose. If you don't use these special characters very often, you may fumble around OS X looking for a way to add to your text. Don't waste extra time hunting through the preferences or the character viewer looking for a match, these accented characters are right at your fingertips if you know where to find them. The quickest way to add an accented letter also is the easiest one to remember. Just tap and hold the letter key and a box will appear with a selection of the available accents. You can click on the correct character or type the number underneath the character that you want to enter. It works with all the vowels as well as a few consonants that have special accents, like C, L and N. Now that you this trick, it'll only take you a few seconds to enter "olé" the next time you want to express your enthusiasm.
iPhone 101: Five useful Clock app tips for iPhone and iPad owners
Since the beginning, Apple has always included a Clock app in iOS, providing iPad and iPhone owners with a world clock, an alarm clock, a stopwatch and a timer. You likely are familiar with the basic functions of the app, so here are five tips to help you get even more out this simple, yet handy utility. 1. Tap on the clock in World Clock to change the clock style (iPhone only) If you tap on the clock face in the World Clock on the iPhone you can switch between an analog clock and a digital clock. I prefer the analog version because its shows night and day, with a black clock face for locations where it is night and a gray one for daytime areas. 2. Tell the time down to the second using the Clock icon (iPhone and iPad) Did you know that the iOS 7 clock icon on your home screen is dynamic? It displays the current time and even has a red hand that ticks off the seconds. The seconds feature is useful when you need to time something for less than a minute and don't want to open a dedicated timer app. 3. View weather around the world (iPad only) Add your favorite cities to the Clock app in iOS 7, and you can quickly view their weather by selecting the World Clock tab. Only on the iPad, the World Clock displays a map that locates each city and highlights its time, temperature and weather conditions. 4. Drag to change the time for an alarm (iPad only) The iPad version of the Clock app displays each alarm on a calendar grid, allowing you to see your alarm schedule quickly and easily. If you want to change the time for an alarm, just tap, hold and drag it to a new time. You can adjust the alarm time in 15-minute increments using this method. 5. Use the timer to play music until you fall asleep (iPhone and iPad) You can use the timer in the iOS 7 clock app as a sleep timer that plays background music as you fall asleep. Just open the Clock app, choose timer and set the amount of time you want the music to play. Tap on the "When Timer Ends" option, choose "Stop Playing" from the list and then tap on "Start" to begin the countdown process. Now open the Music app, select your favorite "fall asleep" music and relax knowing that your music will stop playing when the timer ends.
Mac 101: How to scroll quickly through a web page or long document
In so many areas of OS X, Apple has added quick little tricks that make it easier for you to complete an action -- such as using the Option-Shift key when adjust volume to raise or lower it in smaller increments. When you are reading a long document that does not have a text entry field, you can use the space bar to scroll quickly down the document. The space bar will jump you down the page in large increments and is a much faster method of scrolling than the page down arrow, which moves you in smaller increments. When you reach the bottom of a document, you can use the shift-space bar combination to move back up the document in an equally quick manner. The only caveat is the space bar option does not work when the document has a text entry field as you need the space bar to add spaces between your words. As a result, you cannot use this trick when you are writing a long blog post in a web page editor or using a desktop text editor to modify a long document. It works perfectly, though, when you are reading a long webpage or browsing a PDF in Preview.
Mac 101: How to manage website Push Notifications in OS X Mavericks
OS X Mavericks added a new feature to Safari that allows websites to send you push notifications when there is breaking news and other new content. Websites that support this function will display a pop-up asking you if you want to receive alerts when you visit their website for the first time. If you are like me, you may click on the button just to get the alert out of the way without realizing what you just permitted. Thankfully, Apple provides an easy way for you to manage these push notifications within Safari. In Safari's preferences section, you can see which websites are sending you alerts and which ones are disabled. You also can disable those sometimes annoying push notification requests entirely. Follow these steps below to manage your Safari push notification list and other push notification preferences: 1. Open Safari and select "Safari" from the menu and then choose "Preferences." 2. Click on the tab labeled "Notifications." 3. The dialog box should display your website list at the top, with each site's push notification status clearly indicated as "Allow" or "Deny." 4. Select "Allow" if you want a website to send you push notifications or "Deny" if you want to disable the alerts. 5. You also can use the buttons at the bottom to remove websites from the list, individually via "Remove" or in bulk using "Remove All." 6. At the bottom, there is a checkbox labeled "Allow websites to ask for permission to send push notifications", which is the global switch that toggles on and off the notification request feature (the popup that asks if you want alerts). 7. If you select that checkbox, then websites will ask you whether you want push notifications. 8. If you deselect this checkbox, Safari will ignore all push notification requests and you can browse uninterrupted. Note: If you don't see this checkbox then you need to update Safari as it is only available in Safari 7.0.3. 9. If you want to fine tune your alerts, you can click on the "Notifications Preferences" button to open the system-wide notification settings for OS X. 10. This notification panel allows you modify how the alerts are displayed (None, Banners, Alerts) as well as prevent the alerts from appearing either on the lock screen or in Notification Center.
Mac 101: How to add images to an iMessage
Adding images to an iMessage on your iPhone is easy to do as there is a "camera" icon right next to the message composition field. On the Mac, though, this option is not readily apparent, leaving many desktop users scratching their head when they want to add a simple image to a message they are writing. Though it is not intuitive, Messages for Mac does allow you to attach on image to an outgoing message. There are two basic ways -- one uses the Finder, while the other uses the sharing feature that is available in most apps. Using the Finder If you haven't started writing a new message, you can select the image in Finder and right-click on it to bring up the contextual menu. Select "Share > Messages" from the contextual menu to create a new message. This opens a small dialog box directly over the Finder window that allows you to enter the recipient information and a text note before sending the image. If you already have a message in progress, then you will need to follow the steps below: Position the Finder window and the Messages window side-by-side on your screen. This makes it easy to drag the image from one window to another. Select an image file in the finder. (This also works in iPhoto if you have that app open) Drag the file to the text entry field in Messages. You will see a "+" icon as you add the image. You can add text directly after the image or use Option-Return to add some line returns between the image and your text. Using the "Share" feature in third-party apps Many OS X apps that work with images, such as Preview or Acorn, allow you to select an image and then choose the Share option either from the main menu bar or from the contextual menu. When you share an image from a third-party app, Messages launches a small dialog box where you can enter the recipient information as well as add some text before sending it along.
Mac 101: quickly transform selected text into a new Stickies note
The Stickies app on the Mac goes back to System 7.5, believe it or not. And though it remains a part of OS X, I can't imagine it gets much use. Nonetheless, if you happen to be one of the few and the proud who still use Stickies regularly, you'll likely find this tip rather helpful. I'll even go out on a limb and say that this tip is so helpful that it may even create new Stickies users. If you'd like to transform any piece of selected text into a Stickies note, you can do it all without having to resort to good ole' fashioned copy and paste. Just select any piece of text and press Command + Shift + Y. A new Stickies note containing the text in question will appear right before your eyes, even if the Stickies app isn't yet open. It's worth trying out as this is a nifty little tip to help you write down, with minimal effort, any thing you want to save for later viewing. Note that this tip works on any selectable text on your Mac. If you really want to get into a Stickies state of mind, you can turn any Stickies note in the foreground translucent by pressing Command + Option + T. Also remember that Stickies houses more functionality than you might initially think. Not only can you drag photos and videos to a Stickies note, but you can ensure that particularly important Stickies notes always stay in the foreground by pressing Command + Option + F.
Automatically unhide the /Users folder after 10.9.3 update
Update 2014-05-17: There is strong evidence via The Mac Observer that this was caused by an odd combination of iTunes 11.2 and Find My Mac, not 10.9.3. Apple even mentioned a related permissions issue in the security release notes for iTunes 11.2.1 So the best fix for this is to download and install iTunes 11.2.1. Apple released Mac OS X 10.9.3 which seemed like a fairly minor update, but some users reported that their /Users/ folder was hidden after they restarted their Macs. I haven't seen this myself but Chris Breen at Macworld explained that the problem could be solved by running: chflags nohidden /Users in the Terminal. Unfortunately, when you restart your Mac, you will have to run the command again. Chris walked through the steps of creating an AppleScript app to do this, but that requires hard-coding your administrator password into an app. That's probably completely safe, but there's an easier way. (Well, it won't look easier at first, but bear with me.) You can create a launchd plist which will run this command every time that your computer starts, and it can be run as root without having to make it into an app. To do this, the plist has to be place into /Library/LaunchDaemons/ and must be owned by "root:wheel" and the permissions should be set to "-rw-r–r–" (chmod 644). The plist should look something like this: You can download my com.tjluoma.unhide-users.plist, install it to /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.tjluoma.unhide-users.plist and set the permissions and ownership if you want, or (here's where it gets easy) you can download Unhide-Users.pkg and run it using Apple's Installer.app. It will install the file for you in the proper place, with the proper permissions and ownership, and load the plist for you as well. You will be prompted to enter your administrator password. To uninstall: Regardless of which method of installation that you choose, uninstalling this is as simple as entering this line in Terminal: sudo rm /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.tjluoma.unhide-users.plist
Play It On A Mac: Dark Souls - Prepare To Die Edition
In this weekly series I'll show you how to get your favorite Windows-exclusive PC games running on OS X. For more information on the programs used, check out the Play It On A Mac explainer. For suggestions and/or questions about any game, feel free to contact me on Twitter. Even though the game is the harsh, evil, despicable spawn of Satan himself, I love Dark Souls. The game, and it's newly-released sequel, are big hits on home consoles, but the Windows-exclusive version of Dark Souls, called Dark Souls: Prepare To Die Edition is a giant pain in demon ass even for those with Windows gaming PCs, so how are we going to get it running on a Mac? Let's see... CrossOver I kind of had a feeling that Dark Souls was going to be a problem with CrossOver, and I was right. Despite the game holding a seemingly incorrect Silver ranking on the official CrossOver compatibility list, you won't be able to get the game running on your Mac using this method. The problem here isn't so much with the game itself or CrossOver, but with the game's requirement of Games For Windows LIVE connectivity. Games For Windows LIVE has huge issues connecting to the internet through CrossOver and the game outright crashes before you even get started. On to the next option! Parallels After a trying install and several Games For Windows LIVE sign-ins and sign-outs, the game boots up and runs. On my decidedly modest test machine, the game is what I would consider to be unplayable, which is a huge bummer. No matter what settings I tweaked in Parallels, the game tops out at around 15 frames per second, which just isn't workable for a game that requires quick reflexes to avoid untimely deaths. This isn't necessarily the fault of Parallels, however, as Dark Souls on PC is notorious for being one of the most poorly optimized games in recent memory. If you have a more powerful Mac on your hands, Parallels may very well work for your Dark Souls excursion, but it didn't work out that way for me. At this point I considered it a bit of a personal challenge to get this game running on my lowly Mac mini, so we moved on to our last and final option. Boot Camp As in Parallels, the obnoxious install and update process eventually gave way to actual gameplay. As in Parallels, the game was running below my playability standards, but unlike in Parallels, I would occasionally see a glimpse of the coveted 30fps mark that I was searching for. You see, the way Dark Souls was coded forces the game to commit to a certain framerate depending on the resources available. If your PC has ample power to display what is needed, you are locked in at 30fps by default. If not, the game attempts to halve that speed and locks you at 15fps. During my Boot Camp play time I was constantly jumping back and forth between 15fps and 30fps, which made combat and exploration difficult. There is a tool used by Dark Souls PC diehards that is made to allow super powerful rigs the chance to run the game at 60fps with maxed out graphics and texture swaps. It's called DSfix (Dark Souls fix), and while there was zero chance I was going to be running the game at 60fps, I was able to use it to help me out a bit in my Boot Camp Dark Souls adventure. Here's how: First, download DSfix 22 and unzip it. Now, find the folder containing your Dark Souls executable file and copy the contents of your DSfix folder into it. Once this is done, open the DSfix configuration settings file using a text editing program. Here you'll be able to tweak the individual settings for DSfix. Find the Unlock Framerate option and change it from a "0" to a "1" and change the Frame Rate Limiter from "60" to "30." Make sure both antialiasing and motion blur are disabled. Now save and exit. Upon restarting Dark Souls, I found that rather than pushing me all the way down to 15fps when the game sensed it couldn't maintain a steady 30fps, the framerate only dipped down to 25fps occasionally before jumping back up to 30fps, which was the new limit I had set. The dip from 30fps to 25fps isn't nearly as noticeable as a plummet all the way to 15fps, and I found the game to be absolutely playable with these new settings in effect. Keep in mind, this is fast-paced action RPG in 1080p, and I'm running it on a Mac mini with Intel integrated graphics. That's a hell of an achievement if I do say so myself. Verdict After an unusually intense install and testing process, I found a way to make it work, and I'm extremely happy with the results. Some diehard PC gamers (which I consider myself to be, as well) might roll their eyes at the middle-of-the-road framerate mark, but for those dedicated to the Mac, and who have never had a chance to play this fantastic game, it's a perfectly adequate way to experience it.
What happened to my 'Most Recent' Newsfeed in Facebook v10 for iOS?
Facebook updated its iOS app this week to version 10.0, adding an offline writing mode and a new review feature that previews your posts and allows you to remove links before sharing your status with friends. As noticed by many users (myself included) and reported by iMore, Facebook also removed the popular "Most Recent" newsfeed option from the main screen and buried it in the settings. This feature lets you sort your newsfeed according to the most recent posts instead of the most popular, which is the default option. Follow these steps below to access your most recent newsfeed: 1. Open the Facebook app and tap the "More" button at the bottom right side of the screen. It is the one with three lines as shown above. 2. This opens the settings portion of the app, providing access to your events, pages, groups and more. 3. Scroll down until you see a section labeled "Feeds," as shown below. 4. Tap on the "Feed" title bar to expand this section. You should see a list of available feeds, including those from your close friends, family and others. 5. Scroll down until you see the feed labeled "Most Recent," as shown below. 6. Tap on the "Most Recent" link to open the newsfeed. The posts now should be sorted by date with the most recent status updates appearing at the top of the feed . Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do within the Facebook app to make it easier to access this most recent feed. You'll have to get used to jumping through several hoops instead of just one, if you want to view your friend's latest posts.
Mac 101: How to quickly hide desktop icons
If you need to use your Mac for a presentation at work or school, you may want to tidy up your machine by removing all the icons that are cluttering up your desktop. You can drag all the icons off your desktop for your presentation and then drag them back when you are done, but that method can be inconvenient and increases the chance that you could accidentally lose a file or two in the moving process. There is an easier way that allows you to temporarily hide the icons, while still keeping the files in their original location. The simplest way of hiding your desktop icons is to use a third-party app to do all the work for you. You can check out Camouflage (US$5.99), which has been around for a long time and is regularly updated to support the latest version of OS X. There's also Desktop Curtain ($4.99) that supports a variety of options for setting the curtain coverage amount, extending the cover to external monitors and more. If you prefer a no-frills option, then you should download the free HiddenMe app and see if that does what you need it to do. OS X owners who are comfortable with the terminal app can use the following command to hide all icons on the desktop without deleting or moving the files stored in the desktop folder. This first command will remove the icons: defaults write com.apple.finder CreateDesktop -bool false && killall Finder While this second one will restore all the icons: defaults write com.apple.finder CreateDesktop -bool true && killall Finder If you have any other interesting Finder or terminal tips, please share them in the comments.
Mac 101: How to work with two apps without switching windows
OS X has a little known feature that allows you to scroll open windows while they remain in the background. Usually, you discover this feature by accident when you are using an app in one window, hover your cursor over another open app window and scroll your fingers by mistake. You then are shocked when the background window contents move in response to your fingers. The ability to scroll the content in a window that does not have the focus (is in the background behind the window in which you are working) is available in OS X and many Linux distributions, including Ubuntu. I use this background scrolling all the time when I write. I keep my text editor in the foreground and the web browser in the background. This arrangement allows me to scroll a web page and not have to switch windows when I am done reading and want to type in my text editor again. This background scrolling works with any combination of apps. One bonus feature is the ability to interact with a web page that is in the background using the command key. If you are reading a page and it has a link, you can open the link in a new tab without losing your focus by holding down the command key and then clicking on the link. This option is useful when you are multitasking and don't want to be slowed down by switching windows. For example, I can stay in my email client and open a few browser windows while I wait for an email attachment to download. If you have any other OS X tips, please share them in the comments.
How to save offline maps in Google Maps 3.0
Google recently improved its offline maps feature in the popular Google Maps app (version 3.0), making it easier to both save a map to your iPhone or iPad for offline use and access it when you need it for travel purposes. Here is a quick rundown on how to save a map for offline use and how to access the list of saved locations so you can view them or delete them as needed. Saving a map for offline use 1. Open Google Maps when your iPhone or iPad is connected to the Internet. You will need an active Internet connection to download the maps before you head offline. 2. Search for the map area you would like to save or move the map to that location if your destination does not have a landmark compatible with search. 3. Open the search location information that appears at the bottom of your screen, or tap the search field if you moved the map to your location. This displays an information sheet with details about the area and an option to save the map for offline use. 4. Tap the "Save map to use offline" button in order to begin the process of saving the selected area of the map. 5. You can adjust the area being saved by panning and zooming the map. When you have selected the correct region, tap "Save" at the bottom of the screen. 6. Enter a name for the map and then tap "Save" to begin downloading the map to your phone. Google Maps will start the download process and will display a confirmation message when the map area has been saved. Accessing your saved maps while offline 1. Open the Google Maps app on your iPhone or iPad when you are offline. 2. Tap the person icon in the top right corner of the home screen to open your Maps Activity page. 3. Scroll down to the "Offline maps" section at the bottom of the Maps Activity page. 4. Tap the saved map that you would like to view or tap "View all and manage" to see all your saved maps. Remember that you can only access the saved maps data when offline. You cannot search or retrieve driving directions as they both require an active internet connection. Managing your offline maps 1. Open the Google Maps app. 2. Tap the person icon in the top right corner of the home screen to open your Maps Activity page. 3. Scroll down to the "Offline maps" section at the bottom of the Maps Activity page. 4. Tap the "View all and manage" link to see a list of all your saved maps. 5. Tap the menu icon (set of 3 dots) to the right of the saved map in order to edit the map details. 6. Tap either Rename, Update, or Delete. Rename and Delete are self-explanatory, while Update allows you to expand or contract the map area that is saved in your offline map. 7. Make your modifications and then confirm changes.
A roundup of last week's popular and featured articles on TUAW
Last week was a busy one with your favorite TUAW writers posting some excellent How-To guides, commentary and other useful articles. Here's a quick roundup of our recent feature worthy posts you may have missed: HealthPatch biosensor bandage brings clinical-grade monitoring to iOS iPhone 101: How to use Control Center when the keyboard gets in the way Samsung's business strategy detailed: Copy, counter-sue, and delay Crowdfunding Roundup: News from Kickstarter and Indiegogo Steve Jobs' wise decision to avoid Blu-ray Mac 101: How to use OS X macros to quickly enter long strings of text The foolhardy notion that Apple is "too rooted to hardware" and that hardware is "becoming a commodity." Play It On A Mac: Outlast When Steve Jobs and Apple started taking patents seriously Bad App Reviews: Minecraft iPhone 101: Control Center getting in the way? Here's how to disable it Please don't attempt to hunt down your stolen iPhone on your own How to copy text when previewing a document using Quick Look in OS X Dish Network's mistake is a blast from the Mac past Rumor Roundup: Year of the Mockup TUAW will be back next week with another round of handy features, so be sure to drop by to see what's new and what's useful.
iPhone 101: How to use Control Center when the keyboard gets in the way
When you are writing an email or typing a note in iOS, the iOS keyboard takes over the bottom part of the screen, making it impossible to access Control Center. This singular focus on the keyboard is useful for entering text, but it is not so handy if you need to switch quickly to Control Center to brighten your screen or switch to the next track of your background music. There is a workaround, shared by reader Mark Ducoff, that allows you to access Control Center even when the keyboard open. As a refresher, Control Center is an excellent addition to iOS as it makes it easy for you to access commonly changed settings such as WiFi, brightness, volume and more. You can open Control Center by swiping up from the bottom of the screen, and you can close it by swiping down. These swiping gestures work remarkably well, as long as you don't have the keyboard open. Opening the keyboard interferes with the opening upward swipe -- instead of registering the swipe, iOS picks up a space bar press. When you want to open Control Center and not exit from your typing session, you can just double tap the Home button to open the iOS app switcher. The switcher places the keyboard into the background, allowing you to swipe up from the bottom to bring up the Control Center drawer. To get back to your typing, just tap the Home button once to close Control Center and then tap it again to return to the original app. Easy peasy. If you have any other Control Center tips, please share them in the comments.
