Remember iSight camera on your Mac? iSight is the name Apple used for the webcam on Mac computers before its transition to the current “FaceTime” or “FaceTime HD” camera naming. When Apple launched the new iPad, it refers to the new 5MP camera as an iSight camera. And iSight name is prominent in iPad’s product literature. More than just the new iPad, Apple has just applied the iSight name to the camera in iPhone 4/4S. The camera on both the new iPad and iPhone 4S appears to be the same going by specification.
The iSight branding is expected to extend to the camera on the Mac during their next refreshes later in the year. It is safe to say that the resurrection of the name only make sense when Apple plans to make it a differentiating product feature. To speculate, Apple might be adding motion sensing detection technology into the iSight camera. This new technology might be enabled as part of Mountain Lion and in iOS 6. There might even be a standalone iSight webcam accessory for the AppleTV, with full gaming API support for its motion detection technology. Will Apple play catchup with Kinect? We will know for sure when Apple unveils iOS 6 in June.
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.
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”.
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:
MacBook Pro (Late 2008 or newer). MacBook Pro (17-Inch Late 2008) does not support AirDrop.
MacBook (Late 2008 or newer). White MacBook (Late 2008) does not support AirDrop.
Mac Mini (Mid 2010 or newer).
Mac Pro (Early 2009 with AirPort Extreme card, or Mid 2010).
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.
You might be familiar with the File > Duplicate (Command-D) command in Finder. New in OS X Lion is the function “Duplicate Exactly”. You can access Duplicate Exactly by pressing Command-Option-Shift keys while in the File menu. The “Duplicate” menu item will change to “Duplicate Exactly”. Or you can just press the keys Command-Option-Shift-D.
When you choose the normal “Duplicate” command, OS X will create a copy of the file and set the file owner to your login account. “Duplicate Exactly” will create a copy of the file but the ownership of the file follows the source, thus ensuring the exact same file even for file permissions.
New in OS X Lion is the build-in support for Emoji characters. Feeling moody or a little playful? You can now add smiley faces and cute animals to your email, chat or the monthly report. In TextEdit, Pages. iChat or any apps that support this system feature, select from menu File > Special Characters… or press Command-Option-T. A “Characters” window will popup. Select Emoji from the sidebar. Choose the category such as “People” or Nature”, and double-click on a character to place it into your document or chat window.
Jenga for the iOS is possibly the best electronic approximation of a game of physical blocks. This is the official game designed with the help of the original Jenga creator Leslie Scott. The standard poke, flick and pull controls are all translated to your mobile screens, except for the tactile feedback. The game now even sports online multiplayer mode for emulating the social nature of the physical game. And there is a version for the Mac as well.
Apple has delayed the requirement for all apps in the Mac App Store to be sandboxed till March 01, 2012. The original date is November 1, apparently there are issues preventing the enforcement. This is a relief for developers with apps in the Mac App Store, most are rushing to change their apps in order to meet the sandbox requirement.
When an app is sandboxed, it is more secure to the users as the app is limited on what it can access on the Mac. This is similar to the sandboxed environment of iOS. By limiting access to system resources, app also is limited to what it can do. This is especially apparent for utilities apps which most often than not are manipulating system resources. Certain type of system access is forbidden under sandbox, thus we might see a number of existing Mac App Store apps drop out after March next year.
Sanbox requirement applies to apps on the Mac App Store. For apps that you downloaded or install via disc, it is still the same open world as before.
