Apple just released a new decoder that is visually lossless and provides uncompressed HD quality at SD data rates. This means HD quality in a smaller file size, which has been one of the biggest obstacles listed for why there isn’t HD content on the iTunes store today.

Of course, Apple isn’t saying anything about this being a possibility, but smaller file sizes with the same lossless quality streamed straight to your Apple TV… It’s only a matter of time.

You can get the new decoder here. It’s available for Windows and Mac.

Post from: EveryJoe

HD Content Coming To The iTunes Store

Hide Dock

I know the dock can autohide, but most of the time I prefer to have it out in the open. Occasionally, though, it simply gets in the way. Turns out you can dynamically hide and unhide the dock with [Command]+[option]+D.

Tab Browsing

I am a tab junky. Seriously. I just closed a bunch of tabs in Firefox and I still have 39 tabs open in 7 windows. What I really need is self control, but a way to navigate all those tabs would be nice instead.

[Command]+1 will bring you to the first tab in a given window (Windows users can use [Ctrl]+1). This works for the numbers 1-8 in the format [Command]+#. [Command]+9 will bring you to the last tab in that window, no matter how many tabs you have open.

But if you just want to scroll from tab to tab, [Ctrl]+[Page Down] (or page up) does just the trick.

With these two combined, you can move about your tabs fairly quickly. Of course, 39 tabs in 7 windows might be a bit much for your system resources, no matter how quickly you can move between them.

{This works in Firefox, so if there is a similar Safari feature, please comment below.}

Changing Programs/Windows

I love Expose and have been using it more now that I am hooked up to my 19″ widescreen LCD, but it still involves using a mouse to choose which window I want to switch to. [Command]+[Tab] will allow you to switch between programs quickly using only your keyboard. [Command]+` (right above tab) will let you switch between windows inside of the active program.

But Wait… There’s More

The Mac OS, along with a ton of popular programs, are filled with keyboard shortcuts that can save you time and wrist movement. These are the ones that are making my day better today. Which one’s are helping you out? Let us know below in the comments.

Technorati Tags: keyboard shortcuts, firefox, mac, osx

Post from: EveryJoe

Keyboard Shortcuts Are Making My Day Better

Post from: EveryJoe

Turn Your iPhone Into A Functional Camera

The Cintiq 21UX interactive pen display provides the best-of-class pen experience for working directly on the screen. It combines the advantages of a large-format LCD monitor with the control, comfort, and productivity of Wacom’s most sophisticated patented cordless, battery-free pen technology.

Naturally I am hoping that I win, but I thought I’d share the opportunity with you as well. You can enter once a day until September 5th.  If you win, be sure to let us know.

Enter to win Here

Post from: EveryJoe

Do You Want A Wacom Tablet?

iTunes was fairly easy. You change the iTunes Music Folder location under the Advanced tab in preferences. Click consolidate library under the Advanced menu and everything copies over. (Keep in mind, this copies, not moves, and you’ll need to delete the old copy if conserving space is your goal.)

iPhoto turned out to be even easier, but I was thinking that Apple products would behave roughly the same, but couldn’t find anywhere in the preferences that indicated location. But all you actually need to do is move your folder with iPhoto closed, then reopen iPhoto. iPhoto will ask you where your folder is. Point to the new one and your set.

Post from: EveryJoe

Spreading Out Your Mac to an External Hard Drive

From the Press Release:

VISTA, CALIF. – August 5, 2008 – TRITTON Technologies, a pioneering leader in USB external video card technology, today announced the launch of the SEE2 Xtreme. The long awaited Mac-compatible version delivers on the promise of providing an external USB 2.0 video card solution for Apple users. An ideal solution for multi-tasking, the SEE2 Xtreme enables users to connect multiple displays to their computer. The SEE2 Xtreme is now shipping for an MSRP of $119.99 through TRITTON’s network of online and retail partners.

The SEE2 Xtreme:

• Supports up to 1920 x 1200 for DVI and VGA
• Supports widescreen and rotated screen resolutions
• Supports video playback
• Features mirrored, primary, and extended viewing modes
• Includes DVI to VGA adapter

Windows user will be able to connect up to six SEE2 Xtremes to one computer while Mac users will be “limited” to 4. Just think… this means for only $480 (plus monitors) Mac Mini users will be able to have 5 monitors. I know for me, the lack of multi-monitor support has been one of the factors that have kept me from seriously considering a Mac Mini so this is great.

I am looking forward to getting my hands on one of these and seeing just how well it works. If it does what I think it will do, this opens up a ton of possibilities with out the cost or complication of buying individual video cards for each of my computers.

What do you think? Anybody used one of Tritton’s products on a windows computer? I am hoping to get one for review soon and will let you know all about it.

[BTW... A quick search gave me an actual street price of between $85 and $95 USD]

Post from: EveryJoe

Tritton SEE2 Xtreme Is Mac Compatable

Last week, the IEEE announced a new standard for IEEE 1394 that will bring FireWire speeds up to 3.2 gbps. With all of the advantages of FireWire and the new speed capabilities of the coming standard, I don’t see FireWire going anywhere anytime soon for the serious externals in your life.

Post from: EveryJoe

FireWire is Getting Faster

So how do you check the speed on your iPhone or iPod touch? Well DSL Reports has come up with an iPhone speed test page. Just click on how you are connected you’re off.

The site will also work on Smartphones, so I checked out my Moto Q. One thing I noticed was a huge difference between Opera and IE. I have wondered how Apple got faster speeds than other phone manufacturers, but it seems likely that the speed difference is software, not connection.

The other day I got 2027kbps on 3G in Opera. Today I am hitting between 950-1726kbps on Opera and between 268-389kbps in IE.

Have you tested the speed on your iPhone? Let us know connection (GPRS, EDGE, or 3G) and speed in the comments below.

And if you are a Windows Mobile user like me, apparently Opera really is worth the investment if your phone didn’t come with it.

Post from: EveryJoe

Speed Test for Your iPhone

Set up was truly a breeze. This is one of those programs that just seem to work. I have it installed on my Mac and on my Windows XP Desktop. From receiving the beta invitation to uploading files was 3 steps. I’d write a tutorial, but really, it’s just that easy.

The best part is that the software is designed, specifically, to sync one folder on your computer to the web. Whatever you put in the folder, syncs to the online service and in turn to your other computers that are linked to your account. Change that file at work, and it’s changed online and at home as well.

The one negative, I suppose, is that it only watches and syncs one designated folder on your computer. If you want it to be in sync, it has to be in that folder. I know they are working on more advanced ways to designate what syncs, but I would prefer not move stuff out of my folder/naming scheme to get it to sync.

Dropbox will also let you share folders of pictures as slideshow albums. I think Flickr (or other comparable service) would probably be a better tool for that particular feature, but might be useful for some people. It also lets you share public folders and individual files. Just think about the next time you need to email that 100 MB file. Just drag it to the public folder and email the link instead.

The timing on this is probably what I like the most. I’ve been debating about Mobile Me since the announcement, but with the bugs their facing and a $100 per year cost, I just haven’t convinced myself its worth it. And this is just one more free option that takes the place of one of Mobile Me’s features. (It looks like after the beta, 1 GB accounts will still be free).

Currently, Dropbox works with Windows Vista/XP or Mac OSX Tiger/Leopard. There is a Linux version soon to be released in Alpha. The program is still an invite only Beta, but I have invites available for the first 10 comments.

Check it out and let me know what you think. Could this, with a few other free tools, replace Mobile Me?

Post from: EveryJoe

Dropbox is File Back Up and Cross Platform Sharing, without the hassles

The comment I loved the most was one guys shocked disbelief with a simple question. “So why is it faster?” And I guess that’s my point for sharing this.

One of the things I dislike about Mac is their limited offerings of hardware configurations. BUT… by only offering certain configurations, they can insure that even the most basic system is going to be able to run the OS properly and quickly. Windows, on the other hand, has often been sold inside of “value machines” that are stripped down junk. They need an upgrade just to meet system recommendations. So whether you are buying XP, Vista, or a new Mac, lesson to be learned, don’t buy the bare minimum.

And more important lesson number two… You are the cause of most of your problems. Or at least I am the cause of most of my problems. My Mac is currently running slow as snot. BUT… I have just about maxed out the hard drive, I am running 5 or 6 programs with at least 30 or 40 tabs open in Firefox and I haven’t rebooted it in at least a week. A few weeks ago, I cleaned off the hard drive, exercised some self-discipline with the number of tabs I used at any given time, and rebooted every couple of days. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear they were different machines.

Same goes for my Windows PC’s. My old Dell is a fresh clean install of XP Pro with only a couple of apps and only one user. And as old as it is, it runs very well. The computer I am typing on at the moment is one my whole family uses. We have multiple accounts and often are logged into a couple of them at the same time. My wife tends to download little apps here and there and it has been at least 3 years since I have reformatted it. The hard drive is almost full and even though this machine has more RAM than my Dell, there is a noticeable lag most of the time.

So yes, Vista on a kick butt demo machine with Microsoft staff demoing the features is impressive. Honestly, I don’t mind the Vista interface and think a lot of the features are amazing. Of course, I had those same features on my Mac a year or two previous to them being available for PC, but that is beside the point. The question, and the issue Microsoft needs to address, is how is Vista working for the average user with the average PC? How is the average user supposed to pick which version they need?

What do you think? Any Vista users out there completely satisfied with their experiences? If so, on what kind of hardware?

Post from: EveryJoe

New Windows Marketing Campaign