MacSwitching.com

Let’s face it, when it comes to quick-and-dirty missions, there’s no better place than Terminal.
Provided you know how to use it, what to use and which parameter to feed in, you can do almost anything…

Take wget for example, that incidentally is not part of the standard stuff that Mac OS X comes with.

You can bypass almost any browser problems, you just give it a feasible URL and, boom there you are.
It’s by far the best way to get files, updates, SVNs or stuff like that.
It’s also the best way to hack your way through embedded flash videos so popular these days.

Syntax at the lowest level goes like this:

wget [URL]

You can specify a horde of options in between, output dir, HTTP auth options and so on.
My favorite is -b which runs the process into background-land and gives me command line back.

Fact is, as most *nix commands you get source code and so need to compile it.
Here’s a tip: Quentin Stafford compiled a wget so you get binaries comfortably running with Leopard.

Check his page on wget here and download wget Mac OS X-ready binaries from here.

Stop all rumors!
Apple has just updated Mac Pro, iMac and Mac Mini (after a few hours of down-service for world-wide online Apple Store).

Mac Pro -> new versions with 4- and 8-core, both with a redesigned interior,
iMac -> four versions: from 20″ (now US$ 1,199) and three 24″ versions (all with 4 GB RAM),
Mac mini -> all rumors confirmed: it’s totally revamped with NVidia 9400M graphics, in two models.
The new Mac mini sports two outstanding features:
- it’s the “greener” products from Apple ever (less than 13 W of power when idle, Apple says)
- has a crowded backside with 5 USB 2.0, DVI and mini-DisplayPort (and yes, FireWire 800!).

Long-tim friend and Mac-Guru Lux has just received his brand new MacBook Pro 17″ unibody and couldn’t stand booting anything but and 8 GB behemoth!

Here’s the complete upgrage process, taking the unibody MacBook Pro 17″ from the out-of-the-box 4 GB RAM up to full 8 GB!

[ for truth’s sake: Lux’s MBP 17 comes fully equipped with the top 2.93 GHz processor and top 320 GB @ 7200 RPM ]

First screw…

… putting them all together (tiny screws slip easily away)

Off we go! Three bigger screws and a bunch of little ones and you can finally see what’s inside.

And here we go… taking off the lid!

A full top view, from top left, clockwise: SuperDrive DL, twin fan, hard disk 320 GB @ 7200 RPM (!) and (last but not least) the huge non-user-replaceable battery!

… side view…

The battery seal.

Upper top, the RAM dual banks.

Again the RAM banks.

No RAM at all!

Again, no RAM at all!

two 4-Gigs RAM modules fitting!

Closing the cover and…

Here’s the result: “About this Mac” reveals amazing details!

Check all pictures here.

Have you been to Mars when Apple early this January announced the new MacBook Pro 17 unibody?
Time to refresh your memory, since it’s now available!

At first glance, you could easily mistake the new 17-inch MacBook Pro for its predecessor, the legendary 17-inch PowerBook G4 ( ; January 2006 ). The new model has roughly the same dimensions—at 15.4-by-10.4-by-1.0 inches and 6.8 pounds, it’s a shade wider, but a tenth of a pound lighter—and it retains the familiar aluminum enclosure and sleek design.

Inside, however, the new top-of-the-line Apple laptop incorporates not only a completely different processor, but a slew of other changes you should consider before deciding whether—or when—this is a machine for you. (you should…)

The MacBook Pro 17″ desktop replacement of Apple can also be classified as a multimedia notebook, because of its 3.1 kg and only 2.59 cm height.

Feature list at a glance:

Some of you may still remember the 1984 tv-spot (still available here).

The Macintosh 25th birthday comes in a moment critical for world economy at large, in a moment when iPods and iPhones are best known Apple products, yet the best moment for Mac OS X (still the best OS around) and MacBooks (Pros as well) are almost everywhere and recovere from single-figure market share of the 90s.

I’d just like to share Larry Magid best wishes for a 26th Mac anniversary for Steve.

On the prosaic side, Alan Zeichick post is about money - and Mac.

Last word for CNN’s story: Apple fans mark 25 years of Mac devotion.

So far I read Rafe Needleman posts on Cnet News with much interest and somewhat agreed with his point of view.

This time I don’t.

His recent post Switcher’s lament: The case against Mac has several points that may ignite discussions from die-hard Mac lovers as well as from Mac-switchers.

An example: iTunes library moving from Windows to Mac OS X.
I’ve been either too lucky or dumb, but I’ve been moving music libraries back & forth since, say, iTunes 6.
Didn’t even relied on specific apps, just copy and wait for iTunes to rebuild its library on target PC/Mac.

The User interface part of the post is simple nonsense: it’s Mac OS X interface. Period. Sometimes Windows interface is not so consistent, isn’t it?

Skype on Mac auto-starting? Happy about running Vista under Boot Camp?

I’m thrilled.
As I wrote, previous posts by Mr. Needlman made sense to me, but this family tragedy tale about a couple of MacBooks mistreating a couple of grown-up professionals doesn’t compute.

I’d like to know your opinion about this.

Still have to sort out all stuff that’s been announced yesterday.
In a nutshell:

Apple MacBook Pro 17″ with unibody, 8-hour battery (even though non user-replaceable) and up to 8 GB RAM (!!!)

iLife ‘09 which, along with all updates, introduces an interesting Garageband feature: music school lessons with the best artist around!

iWork ‘09
that introduces iWork.com, right now a public-beta online service for document sharing

iTunes pricing changes:

(check our partner site iPodPalace.com about this iTunes-related topic)

Highly recommended: check these Garageband previews with music lessons from selected artists!

An alternative to iTunes, VLC and, maybe, the new Songbird from Mozilla: Vox comes in quite handy when you need to play an album without the need for importing into iTunes.

Free, lightweight and functional: Vox sports a minimalistic look, doesn’t rely on the same Quicktime codecs and therefore allows playback of some hard-to-play formats such as FLAC, MP3, AAC, Musepack, Monkey’s Audio, OGG Vorbis, Apple Lossless, AIFF, WAV, IT, MOD, XM, Games Music and many others.

The main windows, simple yet efficient, can be enriched by equalizer, special effects and search add-on windows.

In addition to this [that’s really cool] Vox can be used a conversion tool TO common audio formats like Wav, AAC, MP3, Flac and Ogg Vorbis.

Try yourself Vox by clicking here!

Happiness is a warm Mac mini pie!

Check here for more!

Adobe Systems announced the Adobe Creative Suite 4 product family, a milestone release of the industry-leading design and development software for virtually every creative workflow. Delivering radical workflow breakthroughs that bring down the walls between designers and developers and packed with hundreds of feature innovations the new Creative Suite 4 product line advances the creative process across print, Web, mobile, interactive, film and video production.

Adobe Creative Suite 4 combines virtually all of Adobe’s new design and development applications, technologies and services in a single box the most comprehensive creative environment ever delivered.

Customers can choose from six suites or full version upgrades of 13 stand-alone applications, including Photoshop CS4, Photoshop CS4 Extended, InDesign CS4, Illustrator CS4, Flash CS4 Professional, Dreamweaver CS4, After Effects CS4, and Adobe Premiere Pro CS4.

A simplified workflow in Adobe Creative Suite 4 enables users to design across media more efficiently by making it easier to complete common tasks and switch between mediums without leaving a project. InDesign CS4 includes a new Live Preflight tool that allows designers to catch production errors and a newly customizable Links panel to place files more efficiently. The revolutionary new Content-Aware Scaling tool in Photoshop CS4 and Photoshop CS4 Extended automatically recomposes an image as it is resized, preserving vital areas as it adapts to new dimensions. An expanded version of Dynamic Link in CS4 Production Premium enables users to move content between After Effects CS4, Adobe Premiere Pro CS4, Soundbooth CS4, and Encore CS4, so updates can be seen instantly without rendering.

Designers using the Adobe Creative Suite 4 product family will be able to gain unprecedented creative control using the new expressive features and visual performance improvements in Adobe Flash Player 10 to deliver breakthrough Web experiences across multiple browsers and operating systems.

Adobe Creative Suite 4 brings 3D center-stage providing the ability to paint, composite, and animate 3D models using familiar tools. Flash CS4 Professional now offers the ability to apply tweens to objects instead of keyframes, providing greater control over animation attributes. Also in Flash, the new Bones tool helps create more realistic animations between linked objects. With a searchable library of more than 450 dynamically updated device profiles from leading manufacturers, Adobe Device Central CS4 (see separate release) enables users to easily test mobile content designed using many of the Creative Suite 4 products.

Adobe Creative Suite 4 significantly expands access to services available to creative professionals and developers who want to collaborate online.
Adobe ConnectNow, a service of Acrobat.com, can be accessed from InDesign CS4, Illustrator CS4, Photoshop CS4 and Photoshop Extended CS4, Flash CS4 Professional, Dreamweaver CS4, Fireworks CS4, and Acrobat 9 Pro, allowing real-time collaboration with two colleagues or clients. Designers can also share color harmonies with Adobe Kuler™, which is now accessible from within InDesign CS4, Illustrator CS4, Photoshop CS4 and Photoshop Extended CS4, Flash CS4 and Fireworks CS4.
Other online resources include: Adobe Community Help for technical questions%3B Resource Central for accessing video and audio product-related news and tutorials, as well as Soundbooth scores, sound effects, and other stock media%3B and Adobe Bridge Home, a customizable resource for tips, tutorials, news and inspirational content.

Adobe Creative Suite 4 and its associated point products are scheduled to ship in October 2008.

For a limited time, validly licensed customers of eligible versions of Adobe Creative Suite, Adobe Production Studio and Macromedia Studio will be able to upgrade to Creative Suite 4 for the CS3 upgrade price.

The new LaCie Network Space, designed by Neil Poulton, is a networked attached storage (NAS) and media server aimed squarely at the home user and small office use and is available in capacities of 500 gigabytes to 1 terabyte.

The LaCie Network Space is a full-featured home server utilizing Gigabit Ethernet for localized data transfers from any networked PC or Mac. With an additional USB 2.0 port located on the front of the unit, users can connect any USB drive or camera to copy additional files or photos automatically without needing the local computer turned on.

The device comes pre-built with two separate shares. One share is public for easy open access from any networked computer, while the other is password-protected for secured private use. LaCie Network Agent software is included to make access to the shares quicker and easier.

The LaCie Network Space also has the ability to stream multimedia files through DLNA-compatible UPnP media players, such as Xbox 360 and or Sony Playstation 3, or act as an iTunes music server: this feature is so welcome in small home networks where iTunes music sharing may become nightmare with hours in moving iTunes libraries back and forth from PCs and Macs.

This benefits users by allowing them to watch videos on their television elsewhere in their house rather than needing to be in front of the computer. The device is also FTP accessible, enabling remote access to upload or download files from abroad through a static IP address.

The LaCie Network Space will be available starting in early September for Europe and early October worldwide. Prices will start at $149.99.

… and you better not disagree!

“Chuck talks, you listen!”

We all know that behind Walker Texas Ranger’s beard only lies another roundhouse kick (almost a copyright on its own)…

Now you can have all best facts & trivia about Chuck Norris right on your Dashboard with this widget!

Check here the developer’s website for Chuck Norris widget.

Developer’s note: “I am not responsible for any injuries related to the usage of the Chuck Norris Facts Dashboard Widget!”

May we add: no Mac was hurt or injured during development…