Apple released the latest update to OS X Lion 10.7.3. This release includes support for new languages (Catalan, Croatian, Greek, Hebrew, Romanian, Slovak, Thai, and Ukrainian), improves compatibility with Microsoft Windows file sharing and Active Directory, new RAW image support for new cameras such as Canon S1 and Nikon 1, updates Safari to 5.1.3, and other bug fixes. Update is via the usual Software Update.
Alfred is a productivity app that can do many things. You invoke Alfred with a customizable hot-keys which will bring out the command bar. Enter an app name or search term and Alfred will execute your order. Alfred is an app launcher and a search helper. Alfred can also do basic calculations, check word spellings and helps you issue system commands.
New in OS X Lion is the ability to display a message when the screen is locked. This is useful to inform your co-workers not to meddle with your Mac in your absence. Go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy. Under the General tab, check the option “Show a message when the screen is locked” and key in your note below. If you’re not able to check the option or key in the note, click on the lock icon at bottom left corner to unlock for editing.
QuickTime Player in OS X Lion has the capability to merge multiple video clips into one movie. Simply drag the clips you want to add into a movie window. QuickTime Player will automatically scales or crops the clips so they match the dimensions of the movie. You can even trim the head or tail of any clips before saving the combined clips as new movie. If your video editing is just trimming and combining clips, instead of the more elaborate iMovie, you can just use QuickTime Player to achieve the same result.
If you find the sidebar icons in Finder and Mail a little too big or small, you can change it from System Preferences.
From System Preferences > General, click on “Sidebar icon size”. A drop-down menu will give the options “Small”, “Medium” and “Large”. The default settings is “Medium”.
If you find the options in System Preferences overwhelming, you can selectively hide those unwanted options from displaying.
Open System Preferences app. Click and hold on the “Show All” button to reveal a drop down menu. Select “Customize…” at the bottom of the menu.
From the customize screen, uncheck those options that you want to hide, and then click the “Done” button to save the changes.
If you use the dock but hate the blue indicator light below open applications, OS X Lion now allows you to turn the lights off. Go to System Preferences > Dock, uncheck “Show indicator lights for open applications”.
OS X Lion comes with a new “iTunes Artwork” screen saver, which displays album covers from your iTunes library as flipping grids of images. When you click on an album cover, the songs from the album will start playing.
The settings for screen saver is under System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver.
AirDrop is a new OS X Lion feature that provides an easy way to share files between Wi-Fi enabled Macs, using drag-and-drop right from within Finder. Unfortunately AirDrop is not available for all Macs running OS X Lion as the feature requires a Wi-Fi hardware feature available only on newer Macs.
If AirDrop is not listed on your Mac’s Finder window sidebar or under the Go menu, then your Mac doesn’t support AirDrop. Apple has a support document listing the Macs supporting AirDrop. Macs that are the same as or newer than the models listed below support AirDrop:
Apple Support Doc: Can I use AirDrop with my computer?
AirPrint is the printing module of iOS that enables wireless printing from apps from your iPhone and iPad. However in order to support AirPrint, printers need to have wireless networking feature and specifically enhanced in hardware in order to support AirPrint. You can check out the list of current AirPrint compatible printers from Apple support site. Before you rush out to buy an AirPrint printer specifically, read on.
If your current printer is not AirPrint compatible, you can still enable AirPrint by running an agent software such as AirPrint Activator on your Mac. AirPrint Activator app will broadcast the printers connected on the Mac to your iOS devices via the AirPrint protocol. When you send a print job from iPhone, AirPrint Activator will route the print job to the printer.
The prerequisite for AirPrint Activator is a running Mac in order for the connected printers to be accessible. You also need to enable OS X’s “Printer Sharing” from System Preferences > Sharing.
AirPrint Activator is a third party solution and is not endorsed by Apple. There are other similar apps but AirPrint Activator is recommended as it is simple, it works and it is free (donation is happily welcomed by the developer). Until Apple release similar feature in future OS X, AirPrint Activator is the next best thing without spending the extra for a new printer.
