Mac OS X, where’s the lock-in?
I’ve been accused of being a sell-out since I bought a MacBook Pro. I’m still struggling to see the huge lock-in that people have been telling me I’d find in Mac-land. The only thing I can currently...
View ArticleThoughts on a MacBook Pro – the hardware
A number of decisions were involved in choosing my new laptop. I’d pretty much known I’d go for the Core Duo option (i.e. the Pro). However, it wasn’t until I was in the store and asked Adrian where...
View ArticleNew computer, old peripherals
So one of the issues I’ve had with the MacBook is that whilst it is brand sparkling and shiny new, much of the rest of my hardware is not. My printer, for instance, is a very nice and usable HP …...
View ArticleOpenOffice vs NeoOffice (on free OS X apps)
In a previous post about my move to OS X, I mentioned that I’d managed to avoid the need to buy any software. The exceptions being Lightroom and ecto. It has been about a month since I got my MacBook …...
View ArticleSettling in with OS X
It has been over a month since I got my MacBook Pro. I’d never really used OS X before, and apart from a lightning introduction in the store (backed up by some sound and invaluable advice from Adrian)...
View ArticlePlazes: ecto Applescript, Dashboard widget
Regular readers will already know that I’m a big fan of Plazes. It is a service which, I think, deserves to have taken off more quickly. The default Plazer application already integrates nicely with...
View ArticleOn colo(u)r matching in Gecko on OS X
I’ve been merrily processing RAW files in Adobe Lightroom, and using jUploadr to get them onto my Flickr photostream. One thing I’ve noticed (and briefly commented on before) is the fact that the...
View ArticleThings that annoy me about OS X
To act as a bit of balance against the Apple fanboy posts you may have been reading on this blog lately, here are a few of the things that have disturbed my sense of peace as an OS X user. … Continue...
View ArticleSmall business finance on the Mac
A bit of an unusual one this. A few weeks ago I was asked to take a look at a new beta version (2.5) of some Mac software called Billings. I was slightly surprised to be asked, since I’ve only …...
View ArticleVegas toys, exhibit 1
Mighty Originally uploaded by andyp uk. Whilst in Vegas I picked up a couple of gadgets. The first one I’m highlighting is a lovely wireless Mighty Mouse. Actually my first wireless mouse at all. Works...
View ArticleMighty Wireless Windows Mouse
I mentioned the other day that I now own a wireless Apple Mighty Mouse. I wasn’t sure whether it would work with Windows. It does – for me, anyway. I switched on Bluetooth on my Thinkpad T60p and...
View ArticlePlaying around with Skitch
I’m sat in Edinburgh airport and thought I’d have a play with Skitch. Skitch is a new screenshot / drawing tool for OS X. It is currently in closed beta. The application is by plasq.com, the makers of...
View ArticleMore on handy Mac apps
Yesterday I did a little playing with various applications on the Mac to see if they were going to be helpful… endo I have been using using Vienna as a feedreader, and it works fairly nicely. I was...
View ArticleSafari on Windows
I was initially excited about Apple’s release of Safari for Windows. I’ve been a long-term Phoenix Firebird Firefox user and I use it as my primary browser on both Windows and OS X. I love the fact...
View ArticleAugh. Video editing torture…
Earlier this week I gave a talk at an internal IBM conference. I broke with tradition by using Apple Keynote to produce the slides, rather than Powerpoint. I love Keynote. The application is a joy to...
View ArticleTrying out ecto 3
The alpha version of ecto 3 was just released. Here’s a first post using the new version. I’m particularly impressed that it has picked up all of the various Technorati tags I’ve used in the past,...
View ArticleVideo imperfection
I left a previous blog post about my adventures with presentations and video on OS X hanging slightly, by not explaining whether I was successful in crunching a Quicktime video out of my Keynote...
View ArticleRationalising email: Gmail, IMAP and Mail.app
The current setup Over the years, I’ve accumulated a lot of email addresses… and a proportionately large amount of spam to go with them. For the past five or so years, my mail processing system has...
View ArticleThe Leopard Experience
A slightly-delayed post on my experiences with the new Apple OS… The complete experience As people who follow my Twitterings and Flickr photos will know, I went for the full-on Leopard experience by...
View ArticleMacWorld: space, time, air
Having followed the MacWorld news (go look at Maholo’s fantastic 60-second summary of the keynote), I’m left feeling a little annoyed. Maybe the feeling will pass, but the implication is that you need...
View ArticleiPhones, iPods, headphones
Although Steve Jobs described the iPhone as the “best iPod [Apple] ever made” back in January 2007, I have to say I’m not sure. I previously owned a 2nd generation nano, and loved it. Light, easy to...
View ArticleTwtrCtr – Tracking Twitter followers with an iPhone
I’ve already mentioned this on Twitter, but so far I haven’t had a chance to write about the culmination of my first “proper” efforts to create a mashup: TwtrCtr. For those not obsessed with Twitter or...
View ArticleThe Great Address Book Cleanup
This was fairly tedious, so I thought I’d share it with you, my loyal blog readers 🙂 Over time, my address book has become unmanageable. Until today, what I had managed to achieve was a curious fusion...
View ArticleA 3GS hit-and-run
I hadn’t intended to spend any time at all talking specifically about the iPhone 3GS here on the blog, but following a comment by Per[1] I thought I’d jot down a few notes. Firstly, given my previous...
View ArticleBack to my Mac, aka Lionification
There are simply so many things to write about lately, but the one which has finally prompted a post is this: … yes, it’s a computer desktop. Exciting stuff, huh? 😛 Background I’ve been a Mac user for...
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