How to make OS X run faster!

Apple | Hacks/Mods 0 No Comments

For the most part OS X is very fast and nimble. However, with just a little bit of time and effort, you may find that you can get even more performance out of your mac. Try starting with these apps.

1. ATIccelerator II is an overclocking app for ATI based video cards. This app allows you to increase the clock speed, and thus increase performance of ATI based video cards on your Mac.

I recommend atMonitor to monitor GPU temps to insure your card doesn’t overheat after overclocking. If you see increased temps after overclocking, try installing smcFanControl to increase system fan speeds.

2. Xslimmer works by removing unnecessary bits of code from apps you have already installed on your mac. The slimming of the apps can often speed up launch time as well as recover gigabytes of hard drive space. (I saved 3.8GBs over the span of 28 apps)

3. Repair your permissions. Repairing permissions allows OS X to automatically fix errors which may have cropped up while installing various software on your system. Open Disk Utility and select the drive which houses your OS X installation. Click “Repair Disk Permissions”.

 

If your Mac is a bit on the older side, you may be able to eek a bit more performance if your not attached to the “Dashboard’. OS X’s Dashboard feature can consume upwards of 100MBs of RAM in addition to stealing some CPU performance. If your not using it everyday, try disabling it until you find you need it. Just paste this string of code into a terminal window. defaults write com.apple.dashboard mcx-disabled -boolean YES Press enter, then this killall Dock

atMonitor. An OS X system monitor to rule them all.

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atmonitorNot to long ago I was in search of a system monitor utility that was able to monitor the temperature of my graphics card. The OS X Activity Monitor simply didn’t cut it. I wanted advanced reports of my GPU including GPU load and Temp. Thankfully there is atMonitor. Developed by atPurpose, atMonitor is a full featured system monitoring app that includes the following features:
atMonitorpreview

CPU Monitoring [Load and Temp]

  • GPU Monitoring [Load and Temp]
  • VRAM and FPS Monitoring
  • Hard Drive I/O
  • Network I/O
  • Actively displays the top 3 resource hungry apps.
  • Logging and saving of all data to XML files.

Some features require a newer graphics card and atMonitor currently requires OS X 10.5

You can download and learn more about atMonitor here.

Mac App Store get closer to seeing daylight.

Apple | OS | Software/Freeware 0 No Comments

Inside sources” claim Apple has set December 13th as the official launch date for the upcoming Mac App Store. Mac App Store submissions started rolling into Apple around the 3rd of November. So the store it self should be fairly well stocked at the time of launch.

I love the idea of the Mac App Store simply for the fact that it will be so convenient to discover new apps. There is no doubt that all apps available for OS X will not be in the app store, but I believe it will still benefit the majority of OS X users.

The Mac App Store has another benefit as well, updates! All apps installed via the app store will also be able to receive updates directly through the app store. This centralized update hub should definitely help to keep everyone up to date with the freshest software release.

Apple to sell iLife, iWork apps individually

Sparrow – Minimalistic mail for OS X

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Sparrow is a minimalist mail application for Mac. It was designed to keep things simple and efficient. No fancy stuff here… just your mail and nothing else. Quickly flick through threaded conversations on your mac like never before.

  • Growl integration for instant notification of new messages
  • Threaded conversations make for easy reading and organization
  • Support for multiple accounts

http://www.sparrowmailapp.com Read More

Apple to sell iLife apps individualy

Apple | Featured | Rumor 0 No Comments

The preview page for Apple’s upcoming Mac App Store for OS X has a little sneak peak of what that finished app will look like. But in addition to just showing off the interface, there are also some apps listed in the store preview that are for sale. Specifically iMovie, iPhoto, and Garageband, all for $14.99. Keynote and Pages are also listed, but for $19.99 a piece. Read More

Apple drops PowerPC support for iLife ’11

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PowerPC support takes another blow with the announcement that Apple’s iLife ’11 will require an Intel processor and 10.6.3 to run.

The move to drop PPC support is understandable considering all G4 systems and most G5′s won’t have enough power to run the new version of iMovie and Garageband. It’s unfortunate though because higher-end G5 systems have more then enough power to run the new software suit.

I guess I was expecting Apple to support it’s legacy pro machines for longer then 6 years, but in the computer industry, 6 years is a lifetime.

What we love about the new MacBook Air

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Right off the bat, our favorite feature is the fact that it comes in two flavors. A 13″ and an  11″, with the latter having a sub $1000 price tag! Now, we understand that $999 for a glorified netbook is a bit much, but the new Air has plenty of tricks up it sleeves to justify the price. Read More

HyperDock: Increase the functionality of your dock!

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HyperDock adds long awaited features to your Dock: Select single application windows just by moving the mouse on a dock item, use mouse clicks to quickly open new windows and many more.” -bahoom.de

HyperDock for OS XI would try explaining the full functionality of HyperDock, But the picture will sum it up better then I ever could.

It can see minimized windows and windows from other spaces and is fully drag & drop aware. I’ve been using the beta for only a couple of hours but I’m already addicted to the increased functionality it offers me!

Download the beta and learn even more about HyperDock from the developer.

VLC Media Player for iPad now available!

Apple | Gadgets | iPhone/iPod 0 No Comments

VLC is a free and open source cross-platform multimedia player and framework, that plays most multimedias files and various streaming protocols. VLC has all codecs built-in. It comes with support for nearly every codec there is.

Requires: iPhone OS 3.2+

8.9 MB

Download and learn more about VLC Media Player for iPad here.

Apple TV gets major refresh, Finally does Netflix streaming

Apple | Gadgets | iPhone/iPod 0 No Comments

At $99, it is hard to be upset with the new Apple TV. Especially with the fact that you can stream HD Netflix, YouTube, and iTunes TV shows and movie rentals right from the Apple TV. You can also stream content from any iOS device (iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad) right to the Apple TV.

The HD streaming is made possible by built in 802.11n WiFi and a HDMI port. It’s all powered by Apple’s revolutionary A4 chip. The step away from purchasing and storage to a pure rental system is something I’m not overly thrilled about, 
however the fact that I can wirelessly stream my data from my Desktop to my Apple TV kinda makes up for it.

A huge price drop and increased streaming compatibility finally make the Apple TV a viable option for those looking to cut the ties with their monthly TV bill.

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