I couldn’t wait to get my hands on iTunes 10, When i did i was very disappointed with the all Grey user interface. I didn’t like the icons down the side being Grey, and it turns out i wasn’t alone. I found this post on MacFixIt on how to bring back the coloured icons. Here is how to do it thanks to MacFixIt:

Unfortunately, changing the sidebar contents is not as easy or simple as typing in a command in Terminal and it working its magic. Instead, you must alter the “.rsrc” file in the program package, which is not a very straightforward task.

Luckily, some people have tried this effort and made their modified .rsrc files available for others to try out. Some of these can be found here and here, and some other places.

This is what iTunes 10 is with no modifications (Boring):

1, Once you have downloaded the file from one of the links above UnZip it so you can see the “iTunes.rsrc” file

2, Find the “iTunes.rsrc” file in the /Contents/Resources/ folder (Locate iTunes in your Applications folder, Right click it and then click show package contents) on your computer, and back it up by copying it to the Desktop or another safe location. Then copy the modified iTunes.rsrc that you just downloaded file into the /Contents/Resources/ folder, replacing the one that you just moved.

3, Restart iTunes and the icons should be coloured again.

You can undo this change by replacing the modified one with the one you backed up. Keep in mind  there is no guarantee that there wont be some side effects but seeming as you are not modifying iTunes binary files there should be no problem

MPEG streamclip is a great application for mac and windows to convert video files. It also allows you to download You Tube videos and convert them all at once.

Downloading and converting You Tube videos (Tutorial)

1, All you have to do is type in the link of the You Tube video select convert.
2, Next it will ask you a few questions including the quality you want to convert it as.
3, It’ll ask you were you would like to save it to and after you have done that select save and it will start downloading and converting the video for you.

Converting Video files (Tutorial)

MPEG Steamclip also allows you to just covert many video files, Just drag the video file on the the application.

1, Drag the video file onto the Application home screen.
2, Go up to file and then select you desired export format
3, It will then ask you the quality and settings and were you would like to save it and then you are all done it will start converting the video.

Features

• MPEG Streamclip lets you play and edit QuickTime, DV, AVI, MPEG-4, MPEG-1; MPEG-2 or VOB files or transport streams with MPEG, PCM, or AC3 audio (MPEG-2 playback component required); DivX (with DivX 6) and WMV (with Flip4Mac WMV Player). MPEG Streamclip can export all these formats to QuickTime, DV/DV50, AVI/DivX and MPEG-4 with high quality encoding and even uncompressed or HD video.

• Video conversion is performed in the YUV color space; you can choose to scale video to any frame size using a professional 2D-FIR scaler (better than bicubic) but you can also leave it unscaled. Other optional video processing features include a powerful motion-adaptive deinterlacer, a field dominance converter, a chroma reinterlacer and an option to perform interlaced scaling instead of progressive scaling. Audio can be converted to uncompressed or to IMA, AAC, MP2 or AMR using the high-quality MP1/MP2/AC3/PCM built-in decoders of MPEG Streamclip; it is also kept in perfect sync with video using a timekeeping system.

• MPEG Streamclip can save edited movies as MOV files, and (when possible) as AVI or MP4 files. Edited MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 files are saved as MPEG or TS files.

• MPEG Streamclip (with or without the MPEG-2 Playback Component) can also convert MPEG-2 transport streams into muxed MPEG-2 files, for immediate burning at full quality with Toast 6 or 7 and Sizzle; it can also demux MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 files and transport streams with MPEG, AC3, PCM audio to M2V and AIFF (or M1A or AC3) files, for immediate burning at full quality with DVD Studio Pro or Toast 6 and 7. A special demuxing option is available for Final Cut Pro 4/5: this application does not work well with M2V files, but MPEG Streamclip can write a special “unscaled” M2V file that preserves full video quality when imported into Final Cut Pro.

• MPEG Streamclip can handle files and streams larger than 4 GB, split in any number of segments, or with multiple audio tracks, and can also optionally handle timecode breaks. It is compatible with MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 video, MPEG layer 1/2 (MP1/MP2) audio, AC3/A52 audio, and PCM audio.

• The player included in MPEG Streamclip lets you preview the files and transport streams before doing the conversion; it also lets you visually set the In and Out points for the conversion so you can convert just the part of the file you are interested in, and also cut commercials and other unwanted parts, or edit the stream and join two streams with Cut/Copy/Paste.

• MPEG Streamclip supports batch processing: just drag some files in the batch list, choose a conversion and a folder, click the Go button and MPEG Streamclip will automatically convert all your files.

Supported video formats

MPEG, VOB, PS, M2P, MOD, VRO, DAT, MOV, DV, AVI, MP4, TS, M2T, MMV, REC, VID, AUD, AVR, VDR, PVR, TP0, TOD, M2V, M1V, MPV, AIFF, M1A, MP2, MPA, AC3, …

Download for windows or mac: http://www.squared5.com/

2 years have passed since Google Chrome first hit the web. Over those 2 years Google Chrome has gained control of over 7.5% of the browser market share.

Google has now released the 6th version of the Chrome browser on its second birthday. Google says that Google Chrome version 6 is ‘The Modern Browser’. Chrome 6 boasts a number of new improvements, the focus still remains on speed, stability and simplicity.

Like the previous version of Chrome it includes Adobe Flash which i think is a good idea because then you don’t have to go through the annoying Adobe download process, But the best thing is that the handling of HTML 5 is still top-notch.

I cannot wait to try out the new version of Chrome because i currently use Safari 5 but sometimes if a tab crashes the whole browser crashes (Which is a lot in Safari) but in Chrome when a tab crashes only the tab crashes not the whole browser.

Why use Google Chrome?

• Speed
  Chrome is designed to be fast in every possible way: It’s quick to start up from your desktop, loads web pages in a snap, and runs complex web applications fast.

• Simplicity
  Chrome’s browser window is streamlined, clean and simple.
  Chrome also includes features that are designed for efficiency and ease of use. For example, you can search and navigate from the same box, and arrange tabs however you wish — quickly and easily.

• Security
  Chrome is designed to keep you safer and more secure on the web with built-in malware and phishing protection, autoupdates to make sure the browser is up-to-date with the latest security updates, and more.

• And more features
  Chrome has many useful features built in, including extensions, translation in the browser, themes, and more.

Download & Find out more: http://www.google.com/chrome/intl/en/landing_chrome_mac.html?hl=en&brand=CHMP

Apple today held a Special keynote to release all their new glorious products. Here is what they announced:

iPod Touch:

• Retina Display.
• Facetime. Between iPod and iPhones aswell.
• Front Facing camera.
• Thinner.
• IOS 4.1.
• 8GB , 32GB and 64GB.
• 40 hours of music batter life.

iPod nano:

• No click wheel.
• MultiTouch touchscreen.
• Basic IOS 4 interface.
• Clip to attach to your clothing like the iPod shuffle.
• 24 hours of music battery life.
• 46% smaller and 42% lighter

iPod shuffle:

• Buttons.
• Smaller.
• Design is like the 2nd gen iPod shuffle.
• Voiceover.
• 15 hours of music battery life.

IOS 4.1 & 4.2:

• Bug fixes.
• Game center.
• 4.2 for the iPad comes in November.
• Multitasking for iPad (4.2).
• HDR photography for IOS.
• HD video upload over WiFi.

iTunes 10:

• Simpler interface.
• New icon, No CD in the icon as iTunes is set to pass CD sales.
• Ping, A social network for music.
• Ping for iPhone and iPod touch aswell.

One more thing…

Apple TV:

• A fourth of the size of the old Apple TV.
• Cloud storgae.
• Cheaper rentals.
• Rental only, no purchases.
• Hollywood movies, TV shows.
• Stream content from Netflix and your computer.
• $99

Later today will be Apple’s September event and this year Apple will be streaming the keynote live on Apple.com! Its about time they streamed it live on the web.

Predictions:
iPod Touch:

• Retina display
• Camera, Maybe a front facing camera for facetime
• Gyroscope?
• 3G capable?

iPod nano:

• 1″ Touchscreen that we have seen pictured
• No click wheel

iTunes:

• Tech blog CNET was reporting Monday that the length of song samples that users can listen to in the iTunes Store will double from 30 seconds to a minute.
• iTunes overhaul?
• The Beatles songs on iTunes?

Apple TV

• Hopefully we will see an updated Apple TV because a update is long overdue.
• Cheaper
• IOS based?
• Also, a recent unconfirmed news report said that iTunes may begin renting TV programming this fall to viewers for 99 cents per episode. If this is true, Jobs may want to make the news official.

iPhone:

• White iPhone 4 official release date

iLife

• I hope to see a new version of iLife (11) maybe without iDVD and with a new mystery application
• iLife 09 was/is being sold on Amazon for half the price it normally is which would suggest there could be a new version coming

Using Mozilla Prism you can easily and quickly create an Application on your computer which is a web based app, Such as Gmail, Google Docs, Facebook, Twitter etc.

How to create an App using Prism:

1, When you open up Prism you are greeted with the main screen. Simply enter the URL of the app (For this demo i will be using Gmail) then add a name for the App and whether you want to show a navigation bar, show status messages and progress or enable navigation keys.
2, You can select whether to add the Application to your Desktop and/or Applications Folder.
3, The third box down is to select the icon you want to use, For some sites like Gmail it detected the icon automatically but you can also manually select an image.
4, All done, Just hit Ok and then your App will open.

Features of Mozilla Prism
[From the Mozilla Labs site]

• Access web apps from system taskbar or dockNo more wading through web browser windows and tabs just to read your email or check your Facebook feed. Prism apps run directly on your desktop and can be accessed just like any other application. On Windows, you can launch applications from the Start menu and then access them in the taskbar. On Mac, you can launch and access applications from the OS X dock.

• Tray icon and dock menusWhen you do something often enough, even a single extra step can be a major hassle. With Prism, the most common features for an application can be added to a tray icon or dock menu. These features can then be accessed in one step, providing significant time savings.

• Associate applications with browser linksSome browser links cause an application to run rather than opening in the browser. A popular example are mailto: links that open your mail client and fill out the recipient (and optionally the subject line) for you. Until now, you were out of luck if you use a web mail client, but now Prism lets web apps handle these links just like traditional desktop apps.

• Rock solid web app stabilityModern web browsers are pretty stable, but then can still crash due to a rogue application or elusive bug. Prism apps run separately from the browser, so they stay up even if your browser doesn’t. Separating apps also reduces browser load, improving performance and stability.

• Run applications automatically when your computer startsSome web apps are so important that we want them running all the time. For some users this might mean Gmail, Facebook or Flickr. With Prism you can set an app to run automatically whenever your start your computer.

• Minimize to trayIs your desktop cluttered by too many running applications? Prism apps can be configured to minimize to the system tray on Windows so they stay out of the way when you donʼt need them. Accessed to a minimized app is still only a single mouse click away.

• System tray icon and dock badgesOn Windows, the system tray icon can be changed to give information about application status (e.g. adding a star to show that your web mail has new messages). On Mac, a badge can be added to the dock icon for the same purpose.

• Popup alertsApplications can be configured to display popup alerts for certain events. For example, your web mail could display an alert when a new mail arrives.

Mozilla Labs: http://prism.mozillalabs.com/
Download: http://prism.mozillalabs.com/started/

Mac & Windows
Free

Apple recently added the feature which enables you to export your paragraph styled documents from Pages into an ePub document.

1, Create a document (Paragraph style as most ePub readers cant view fancy styling just plain text)

2, Go to File, Export and go along to ePub. Then you can add a title, Author, Genre and you can also select to use the first page as the book cover image.

3, Hit next and save the document to the place of your choice.

All done.

When to use ePub or PDF

• Use ePub when text is the most important part of your document, for example when you create a book, a report, a paper, a thesis, or classroom reading material.

• Optimized for iBooks features such as changes in text size, font, and orientation (rotating your device between landscape or portrait).
• Support for video embedded in a document.
• Support for iBooks notes.
• Navigation using an automatically generated Table of Contents.
• Note that some content is not supported by the ePub file format standard and will be removed from your document when exporting to ePub:

• Smart-fields.
• Master/Background objects.
• Headers and footers.
• Floating graphics.
• Footnotes (converted to endnotes).
• Columns.
• Comments.
• Some image effects such as shadows.
• Images beyond the 11MB of un-encoded image data allocation per chapter.

• Only available for Pages word processing documents.

• Use PDF when layout is the most important part of your document, for example when you create a brochure, a flyer, or a manual with multiple illustrations.

Transferring your ePub document to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

1. Make sure you’ve downloaded the iBooks application from the App Store onto your device.
2. Connect your device to your computer, and then open iTunes on your computer.
3. Drag the ePub file to Books, listed on the left side of the iTunes window, under Library.
4. Sync your device with iTunes.

Preparing an existing Pages document for export to ePub format

[From the Apple site]
Documents exported to the ePub format automatically appear with page breaks before every chapter. A table of contents is automatically generated, which allows readers to jump quickly to any chapter title, heading, or subheading in the book. In order to create a meaningful table of contents, it’s important to apply appropriate styles within your document. The ePub reader uses the paragraph styles to determine which items should appear in the table of contents for your book.

Note: The Pages document must have been created using a word processing template.

Review your document to be certain that appropriate paragraph styles are applied to all chapters, titles, headings, and subheadings in your document.

If you want additional items to appear in the table of contents generated by the ePub file, make sure they are also styled with the correct paragraph style. Then open the Document inspector and click TOC (table of contents). Select all of the paragraph styles that you want to appear in the TOC, and then click Update. For more information about creating a table of contents, see “Creating and Updating a Table of Contents” in the Pages Help.

Generate a table of contents in the current document, to verify that it lists only what you expect it to (for example, chapter titles, headings, and subheadings). Correct any issues by selecting or deselecting paragraph styles in the TOC view of the Document inspector (as described above).

Reformat any images, shapes, or other objects in your document to make them inline objects. To learn about inline objects, see “What Are Floating and Inline Objects?” in the Pages Help.

Backing up, everyone should do it but sometimes myself included i find it a pain and a long process to drag and drop hundreds of files each time you back up. Smart backup is an Application that does this on the Mac for you!

It can backup to anything that is mountable on your Desktop, to external harddisks, flashdrives, iPods and any kind of network shares.

SmartBackup also includes a feature to allow you to create a fully bootable clone of you hard drive and after it has done the full clone the next time you backup it will only backup the files which have changed and new files that have been added and it will still be fully bootable.

SmartBackup backups your files the same way dragging or dropping them would so any Application etc can view, open and edit the files like you would without the Application. SmartBackup preserves all special Mac OS X file attributes and metadata when backing up your files.

You can exclude files or folders from being backed up even if they are in a folder you have told it to backup. You dont have to backup all your files you can select the ones you want to backup.

All your files are backed up as they are which makes them accessible even without SmartBackup. SmartBackup preserves all special Mac OS X file attributes and metadata when backing up your files.

SmartBackup makes it easy to search through the backup.

You can easily schedule backups using iCal or Automator workflow.

The only downside of this App that i have found is that you cannot backup to FTP which would be useful. I hope this is added in a later update.

Price: $25
Free Trial: http://freeridecoding.com/assets/SmartBackup.dmg
Website: http://freeridecoding.com/smartbackup/

System Requirements:

• Intel or PPC Mac
• MacOSX 10.5 or 10.6

Features:

• Features:
• Easy to use
• Fast sync engine
• Supports bootable clones
• Supports exclusion
• Supports Spotlight based backups
• Supports Spotlight based exclusion
• Keeps multiple versions of files
• Searchable backup archive
• Folder sync mode
• Automation via iCal or Automator
• Commandline mode
• 64 Bit (Intel only)
• Backup presets
• Automatic restore

Not supported:

• FTP
• CD/DVD

I found this on LifeHacker the other day and thought this was an ingenius idea!

All you need is a single Post-It Note.

1, Fold 1 third of the Post-It Note up from the bottom (Non sticky part)

2, Simply stick it below the place you would like to drill and then when you are done you can just bin it (Or re-use it). It is ideal to stop most of the dust and debris when drilling small holes.

CNET reports that Apple has developed a software fix for the iOS security hole exploited to enable a Web-based jailbreak over the weekend, and that the fix will be deployed in an upcoming software update.

On Wednesday an Apple spokeswoman said in a statement, “We’re aware of this reported issue, we have already developed a fix and it will be available to customers in an upcoming software update.”

Apple had reported just yesterday that it was investigating the issue, which actually comprises a pair of flaws, and has obviously moved rapidly to close the security hole.

While the vulnerability was exploited to offer users a simple method to jailbreak their iOS devices in this case, it could easily be used as an entry point for the execution of malicious code.

[Source: MacRumors]