TipOfTheDay
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Typing the euro symbol - Tip of the day
Want to type the € euro symbol on your keyboard? How you this depends on your region. In the US, the secret combination is option+shift+2. For many (but not all) Europeans, it's Option-E. Apple's TA26547 knowledge base post contains a handy list of other region-specific solutions.
Restore Apple TV - Tip of the day
You can restore your Apple TV both on the unit itself and through iTunes. Choose Settings > General > Reset and click Restore to return your device to its factory-fresh state. If you can't make this happen directly, there's also iTunes. Make sure you have a micro USB cable on-hand (a lot of Bluetooth earpieces use this style for recharging, or you can buy one from a local computer store). Disconnect the HDMI cable and plug in the micro USB to your computer. Launch iTunes. You may need to disconnect power as well -- although TUAW's results on this vary. Once iTunes recognizes the unit, you can select it and click Restore. This downloads (if needed) and installs the latest firmware.
Apple TV DFU mode - Tip of the Day
Need to put your Apple TV into DFU mode? Hold down both Menu and Down button for about 6 seconds (until the device starts to reboot) and then switch immediately to Menu and Play buttons. If you are connected to iTunes via a micro USB cable, keep holding Menu and Play until iTunes says that it has found an Apple TV in recovery mode.
Reset your Apple TV - Tip of the day
Apple TV acting wonky? If you're dealing with a blank screen or your unit no longer responds to the remote properly, a reset might help. Reset your unit by holding Menu and Down on the Apple remote until the Apple TV status light blinks rapidly. Once you see the blinking white light, release the buttons and wait for the unit to reset. You can also reset Apple TV by unplugging it for about a minute and then plugging it back in.
Setting your Apple ID in Lion
While it only affects a few functions now, like AirDrop, your Apple ID will be even more important when iCloud is available. To set your Apple ID in Lion (provided you have one), go to System Preferences and click on Users & Groups. There you will see your login information plus a button to set your Apple ID. If you don't already have an Apple ID or want to learn more about it, check out Apple's page on it here.
Speed up Empty Trash
If you've got a bunch of locked files in your Trash, the 'really delete?' warnings can be a drag. You can speed up the Empty Trash process and bypass all the warnings (use with caution!) by holding down the Option key before choosing the command from the Finder menu. Notice that the ellipsis disappears from the command name, indicating that you won't be bothered (or checked with) again.
Quick-change your audio devices
The stealthy and powerful Option key strikes again. If you need to quickly switch between audio input or output choices, no need to open up System Preferences and click around. Just hold down Option and left-click on the Sound menu icon at the right side of the menu bar. You can adjust your input or outputs to suit.
Clearing old addresses from Mail's auto-complete list
If you find yourself inadvertently emailing friends or colleagues at the address they quit using years ago, chances are Mail.app's Previous Recipients list is at fault. It's easy enough to clear out the cruft; just go to Mail's Window menu and choose Previous Recipients. Select the addresses you want to get rid of (Cmd-click or shift-click to select more than one) and then click Remove From List. So long, bad addresses!
Tip of the Day 20100528
Did you know that you could use Command-A with text fields on the iPad? It's very handy when using an external Bluetooth keyboard. It selects all the text in the field and displays a touchable Cut - Copy - Paste menu, letting you easily replace the field text or copy it to the system pasteboard. Supported keyboard shortcuts include Cmd-C (Copy), -X (Cut), and -V (Paste). You can also use the arrow keys to navigate around text views, and access the iPad's brightness controls (F1 and F2), volume (F11 and F12), as well as audio playback (F7, F8, and F9). Although the keyboard can be used on the Mac for Expose (F3) and Dashboard (F4), these keys do not work on the iPad (yet).
Tip of the day: Reset Leopard's Printing System
Printer sharing not working on Leopard? Try resetting the print system; right-click the printer list in the Print & Fax pane of System Preferences. This will wipe out your configured printers and let you start over.Here's the contextual menu. You can get a shortcut to the reset button by option-clicking the 'minus' button.Here's what the dialog box looks like. Note that it will, in fact, delete all your existing printer queues and jobs, so don't use this nuclear option unless you're having ongoing problems with printer usage or sharing.Want more tips and tricks like this? Visit TUAW's Mac 101 section today!
