Quick Online Tips » Apple

Now Send MMS on iPhone 3G, 3GS!

QuickOnlineTips — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:52:26 +0000

AT&T has finally enabled MMS support for iPhone 3G and 3GS customers, who can now can send text, photos, audio, video messages from these mobile gadgets. MMS has finally come to the iPhone!

How to start MMS on iPhone 3G?
1. Connect your iPhone to your computer
2. Click “Check for Update” in iTunes, complete update
3. Restart your iPhone – turn it off then on again.
4. Picture and video messaging now available

Remember that iPhone OS 3.1 is required (you may need to update your software first). Also note MMS messaging works only on iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS, and not the original iPhone. Here is MMS troubleshooting guide if you get stuck.

What is MMS cost on iPhone 3G?
Here are some highlights for different plans
For individuals – Unlimited: $20; 1500 Messages: $15; 200 Messages: $5
For Family Talk - Unlimited: $30
Pay Per Use - $0.20 per text message; $0.30 per picture or video message

Note prices are valid for use in the U.S. only on AT&T. If you have an iPhone 3G or 3GS, you got to update from iTunes right now, restart iPhone and start enjoying MMS messaging today.

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Original article: Now Send MMS on iPhone 3G, 3GS!
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How to Replace an Apple iPod Hard Drive

QuickOnlineTips — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 04:30:36 +0000

Guest article by Uttoran Sen.
How can you replace your Apple iPod hard drive? It’s almost guaranteed that in the life of your iPod either the hard drive or battery will fail. Apple expects you to contact them, pay an exorbitant amount of money, ship it in for a few weeks, and get it back working like new again. But, it doesn’t have to be that way.

Photo credit bamcat (under CC)

It’s very easy to replace either a broken hard drive or dead battery with a little ingenuity and some side cash. You’ll save yourself a lot of hassle and money by doing it yourself and the experience is invaluable. So, let’s go step by step to get your hard drive replaced!

(Note this guide is for iPods with hard drives such as the iPod Classic and previous click wheel generations. Not the Nano, Mini, Shuffle, or iPod Touch.)

Replace Ipod Hard Drive

The first thing you’re going to need to do is remove the iPod backing to access the dead drive. The metal casing that holds the iPod back together is easily removed. To pry it off you’ll need a very thin flat head screwdriver. If you look closely at where the metal joins the colored plastic, you’ll see there’s a very thin crevice and gap where the two are affixed. Gently slide the screwdriver into the crevice and push down and outwards as though you’re trying to force the screwdriver head into the bottom. Much like prying the lid off of a paint can, you’ll have to work your way around the entire iPod by gently prying and pulling to remove the steel casing.
Once you’ve made your way into the iPod, you’ll see a silver, rectangular, drive that lies on top of all of the other components. It should be encased in a rubber border with a piece of felt cloth glued to the back of the drive. Before you move any further, place the steel backing next to the iPod like an open book. The next step is to take the hard drive, gently of course, and “flip” it over so it lies in the steel casing.
Once you’ve made the “flip” you should see the rest of the innards lying in the iPod, a small cable that connects the hard drive to the innards, and the hard drive resting on the steel casing. The cable looks like a computer IDE cable. Carefully remove the cable from the back of the drive and take the drive aside.
Your next job is to remove the rubber and cloth that are attached to the drive. This can be done fairly easily so do what you have to do to get both off.
On the back of the hard drive, printed on the old drive under the cloth, is a drive model number. This guide will not cover how to obtain a new drive but a quick Google search for the model number should yield plenty of results. You can also look around for larger drives that have more space and capability if you’re so inclined.
Once you have the new drive in your possession, it’s time to put everything back together. From here on out we’re going to essentially reverse engineer the previous steps. First you’ll want to reattach the rubber casing and the cloth to the back of the hard drive. This can be done with a little bit of tape or work glue you have lying around. No need to get fancy. Just make sure both parts are reattached properly.
Next, reconnect the IDE cable to the back of the hard drive and put the drive back into the iPod housing on top of the rest of the components just like how you took it out. Now, we’re home free.
Take the metal backing and simply pop it back into place on the back of the iPod and… Bam, we’re done!
All that’s left to do now is head over to Apple’s website to download the latest firmware and drivers for the type of iPod you have. Once the drivers are downloaded, hook your “new” iPod up to the computer, let it charge for a little while, and run the firmware installer. With all of that done, your new iPod is good to go and ready to use.

Guest author Uttoran Sen is a webmaster and a professional blogger, and you can follow him on twitter. You can also share your tips and hacks by writing a guest article on QOT.

WARNING: Use this tutorial to open your ipod at your risk. It may void your ipod warranty and may permanently damage your ipod. We take no responsibility for your actions. Seeking Apple professional support is always the best way.

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Original article: How to Replace an Apple iPod Hard Drive
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Preorder Apple Mac OS X Snow Leopard

QuickOnlineTips — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 19:30:03 +0000

The next generation Apple Mac OS X software is here – Snow Leopard. Mac OS X Snow Leopard is available for preorder exclusively at Amazon.com and current Mac OS 10.5 Leopard users are eligible to upgrade to Snow Leopard at the very low price of $29.

Snow Leopard claims to be the world’s most advanced operating system and the new version features half the footprint of previous versions, great new features in Expose & Stacks, quicker Time Machine backup, and faster wireless network interaction.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard is releasing in September 2009 and you can preorder the Apple software and get it first. The following products are available at Amazon for preorder:

Mac OS X version 10.6 Snow Leopard for $29
Mac OS X Snow Leopard Family Pack (5-User) for $49
Mac OS X Server version 10.6 Snow Leopard for $499
Mac Box Set (with Snow Leopard) for $169
Mac Box Set Family Pack (with Snow Leopard) for $299

NOTE: Only Apple OS X Leopard users are eligible for the Snow Leopard upgrade. Tiger & earlier OS users will need to purchase either versions of the upgraded Mac Box Set. Snow Leopard will only run on intel-based Mac computers.

NB: You might also want to preorder the book Mac OS X Snow Leopard: The Missing Manual (Paperback), updated edition of David Pogue’s popular Mac guidebook, with lots of information about Apple’s newest operating system.

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Apple Store Apps Wall Tracks 20K Live App Downloads

QuickOnlineTips — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:23:31 +0000

A highlight of the WWDC was the Apple Store App Wall that showcases 20,000 most popular iPhone apps on a huge hyperwall created by multiple Cinema Displays, and synced with every App Store download!

Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) at the San Francisco’s Moscone Center West, greeted visitors with the 20 edge-to-edge 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Displays, each powered by a Mac Pro running Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. It was programmed in Quartz Composer using OpenCL APIs. Every time an app was downloaded, its icon lit up. Since over 3000 apps are downloaded every minute, it was an amazing display. Here are some photos of the grand display.

These videos shows what it looked like

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New Apple MacBook Pro with 7-8 Hours Long Battery Life

QuickOnlineTips — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:37:53 +0000

Apple has released new MacBook Pro computers with 40% longer battery life. On a single charge, the new MacBook Pro lasts up to 7 hours, while 17-inch MacBook Pro lasts 8 hours! Moreover now they can be recharged up to 1000 times, compared with only 200 to 300 times for typical notebooks.

They say Advanced chemistry and Adaptive Charging allows the battery to maintain charging capabilities longer and determines the optimal way to charge the battery�s cells. Because the battery lasts up to five years, MacBook Pro uses just one battery in the same time a typical notebook uses three. Read more about the Macbook Pro battery.

The new MacBook Pro also includes an LED-backlit display with greater color intensity, the innovative glass Multi-Touch trackpad, an illuminated keyboard, an SD card or ExpressCard slot, a FireWire 800 port and state of the art NVIDIA graphics. Compare all Macbooks now.

The new 13-inch MacBook Pro, 15-inch MacBook Pro, 17-inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air are now available for purchase through the Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Resellers, starting at just $1,199. Mac OS X Snow Leopard is shipping in September 2009, and any new Mac system purchased without Snow Leopard from Apple or an Apple Authorized Reseller between June 8, 2009 is eligible for the Mac OS X Snow Leopard Up-To-Date upgrade package available for a product plus shipping and handling fee of $9.95.

Newer notebooks and laptops are featuring longer battery life and it was about time that Apple got into the game. Recently Dell Latitude claimed 19 hours battery life, while the Acer Aspire Timeline series got to 8 hours too.

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New Apple iPhone 3G S with 3MP Autofocus, Video Recording

QuickOnlineTips — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:14:28 +0000

Apple has released the new iPhone 3G S which claims to be the fastest and most feature rich iPhone yet. The new iPhone 3G S� is twice as fast as iPhone 3G, has got a longer battery life, a 3 megapixel autofocus camera, easy video recording and hands free voice control. Compare the iPhone 3G S and iPhone 3G and see what has changed.

iPhone 3G S is powered by iPhone OS 3.0 mobile operating system and has now built in over 100 most requested features like Cut, Copy and Paste, MMS, Spotlight Search, landscape keyboard etc. iPhone 3G S uses OpenGL ES 2.0 standard for high-quality 3D graphics, while supporting 7.2 Mbps HSDPA for faster networking speeds.

Simply “tap to focus”� and the new autofocus 3MP camera adjusts focus, exposure, color and contrast for the best possible image and also includes an automatic macro focus for extra close up shots. Now record high-quality video clips and edit them right on your iPhone 3G S by simply trimming the start and stop points.

The voice control feature allows hands free operation – speak the appropriate commands into the built-in microphone or headset microphone to dial by name or number, and control your favorite music by artist, album or playlist.

iPhone 3G S also features a new built-in digital compass for instant navigation, which integrates well with the iPhone�s built-in GPS that automatically displays the coordinates of your current location.

iPhone 3G S will be available in the US on June 19 for $199 (16GB) and $299 (32GB). Remember now iPhone 3G S requires a new two year contract with AT&T.� iPhone OS 3.0 software will be available on June 17 as a free software update via iTunes 8.2 for all iPhone customers. So that means the previous iPhone 3G just got cheaper at $99 only for the 8GB model!

I hope Apple reduces the expensive� iPhone prices and data plans in India for mobile users, and makes it more affordable for one of the largest mobile markets in the world.

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Use Apple Mighty Mouse on Windows PC

QuickOnlineTips — Mon, 04 May 2009 15:22:54 +0000

After my amazing experience with Apple Mac keyboard, I also tried the Apple Mighty Mouse on my Windows PC and was equally delighted with the mouse in terms of quality and compatibility.

Apple Mighty Mouse and Windows PC Compatibility

Mighty Mouse is available as a wireless and wired version. So I checked the site for Mighty Mouse specifications for Windows compatibility, and I found Wireless mouse required Mac OS X v10.4.8 or later while the wired version could work with Mac OS X 10.4.8 or Windows 2000 or Windows XP. Though I use Windows Vista, I guessed it should� work (but Apple would have good reasons not to add it there). Though I preferred the wireless mouse, the published compatibility encouraged me to buy the wired mouse.

I realized that though both wired and wireless mouse appear to be similar, there are some key differences� – Wireless� mouse is a laser mouse, but wired is an optical mouse only.

Mighty Mouse Installation

As I opened the Mighty Mouse box, the packaging was amazing as usual. I held the fine white smooth mouse in my hands, and plugged in the USB cord to my computers USB port. As I moved the mouse, it worked instantly. No software needed.

The left and right keys are not visible and the entire mouse is encased in a nice and smooth white body. But the moment you click the touch sensitive keys, both the left click and right click work just as they should. Though the keys are not as easily clicked as my Microsoft mouse, yet they do a fine job.

Next I test the Scroll Wheel. It is not a bidirectional wheel, but a small pea-sized roller with which you can scroll 360 degrees in any direction! And� it works really well once you set the mouse settings on your computer. Press the scroll wheel and the whole front of the mouse depresses to act as a middle click button. May seem a little awkward at first, but now I am used to it.

Then there are 2 force sensing side buttons, which were really hard to press (but maybe that’s why they are called force-sensing) – they worked as the back button by default in our browser.

Try Apple Mighty Mouse

So basically all the mouse buttons and scroll wheel were working as they should by default and was fully compatible with my Windows PC without any software. Now I have been using the Mighty Mouse for a few weeks, and it is working really nice. My major concern is the difficult usability of the hard side buttons. The best feature was the amazing 360 degree scroll wheel, which takes care of all your scrolling needs in every direction (try scrolling diagonally!).� The product is of superb quality, like all Apple products are.

Now I have an Apple keyboard and Apple Mighty Mouse running on my Dual Monitor Dell Windows Computer and its just great. Well there are other better computer mouse out there which are cheaper, with more buttons, easier clicking,� more ergonomic – but for Windows users looking to try the Apple experience, you can try this� mouse as it is well compatible. And the cost is $49 only! You can buy it online from the Official Apple Store.

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Use Apple Mac Keyboard on Windows PC Computer

QuickOnlineTips — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:05:03 +0000

I have started using a new Apple keyboard commonly used with the Apple iMac computer, replacing my old Microsoft Windows Vista PC computer keyboard. Although I was concerned if the Apple keyboard would work properly without errors, it displayed an excellent compatibility with Windows and is totally amazing.

Apple Windows PC Computer Compatibility

I was always inspired to buy a Apple keyboard after I tried the amazing iMac at a friend’s place. I checked the Apple keyboard page, but the system requirements clearly stated

Mac computer with available USB 1.1 or USB 2.0 port
Mac OS X v10.4.10 or later
Keyboard software update

There was no mention of Windows compatibility. But I still went ahead and bought the full size wired Apple keyboard with numeric keypads.

Wireless or Wired Apple Keyboard?

Why I preferred a wired over the Apple wireless keyboard?

No numeric keypad - I personally find the numeric keypad on the right side very useful in my daily computing tasks and calculations, but the wireless model has no numeric keypad.
Small Arrow Keys - I play many games which require arrow keys to navigate. The wireless keyboard squeezes them in one corner to fit all keys in, making arrow keys difficult to use freely.
Missing keys – the middle column is gone in the wireless model – so no home, delete, end, page up or page down keys. Not workable.
Bluetooth Required -� While I was still concerned if the keyboard would work, adding another bluetooth compatibility issue was avoidable.
Bluetooth Adapter - My PC would required a bluetooth adapter to communicate with the wireless keyboard. Buying one more gadget to make a new gadget work… pass.
Batteries Needed – Wireless keyboards are powered by batteries (three AA batteries), while wired keyboards draw power from the USB port, which also makes them lighter. Wireless keyboards can run out of battery and make your computer tasks difficult till you replace them.
No USB ports - The wired version had enough space to fit in 2 USB ports in the footpads, which is great to attach the USB mouse and flash drives. The wireless mouse needs that space to fit in batteries.

Apple Keyboard installation

The Apple Keyboard installation was easier and smoother than I thought. Upon unboxing the new keyboard, I found no CD or software to install. I simply plugged in the USB cable into my Windows PC USB port and started it up.

The keyboard started working instantly at startup and continued to work just fine. Some keys changed though like the Command key functioned as the Windows Key. The function keys worked just as usual like F5 for refresh, F11 for full screen etc. Of course on Mac they had some more great functions to perform and could be easily customized.

Non working keys – some keys did not work since they had no function assigned to perform. Extra function keys from F13-F19 were of no use right now. The Eject key used to eject DVD on Mac also served no purpose now.

Missing keys -� I really missed the popular 3 keys on the top right corner� – Print Screen, Scroll Lock and Pause Break. Also can’t find the Num Lock. Of these I used the Print Screen the maximum to take quick screenshots, but as an alternative I continue to use Snagit or Pearl Crescent Page Saver Firefox extension for this purpose.

New keys I found and really liked was that the numeric pad had a� clear key and an equal key which was very useful.

On one USB port I quickly connected my mouse and on the other I fixed a 8GB USB flash drive. Super.

Apple Keyboard Usage

I have used many keybaords before, but the Apple keyboard is so amazing, I wondered why I never bought it before. Now as my fear of Windows System requirement was over, I really marvelled at the elegant anodized aluminum body, super thin contour and soft responsive keys which were a pleasure to type. The separation of the keys ensured I had much less typos too. The product quality was simply outstanding as was the packaging. All I can say is another great Apple product totally worth the price and highly recommended.

Windows PC users can buy the Apple keyboard and enjoy the typing experience which this amazing Apple product offers even without buying an iMac computer. Let me surprise you with ths cost of the keyboard – $49 only! You can buy it online from the Official Apple Store.

Update: I also tried the Apple Mighty Mouse on Windows PC. Read about my experience.

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Download Google Chrome for Mac OS X Computers

QuickOnlineTips — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 17:12:06 +0000

How can you download Google Chrome for Mac OS X computers? Google Chrome is Google’s revolutionary browser which is officially available for Windows Vista / XP-SP2 computers only. Though the� official Google Chrome for Mac is still under� development, there is a way out for early adopters…

Let me introduce you to some basic facts – Google Chrome is built with open source code from Chromium >> Chromium is an open-source browser project that aims to build a safer, faster, and more stable way for all Internet users to experience the web >> CrossOver Chromium is a Mac and Linux port of the open source Chromium web browser -� which means CrossOver Chromium runs the Windows version of Chromium natively on both Mac and Linux. It is available for download from CodeWeavers, free of charge.

Google Chrome for Mac

How to install CrossOver Chromium on your Mac? CrossOver Chromium is available as a native Mac .dmg file. (See top right of the CrossOver Chromium page).� Mac users can simply drag the .dmg file into their Applications folder. Requires OS X 10.4 or higher and an Intel CPU, PowerPC Macs are NOT supported.

Here is a screenshot showing Google Chrome on Mac -

CrossOver Chromium is a technology proof-of-concept to demonstrate Wine�s capabilities for rapidly migrating Windows software to new marketplaces, such as Linux and Mac. Wine is a free software application that aims to allow Unix-like computer operating systems to execute programs written for Microsoft Windows. They advise NOT using CrossOver Chromium as your main browser, because this is just a proof of concept, for fun, and to showcase what Wine can do.

Remember Chromium itself doesn’t have an autoupdater like Google Chrome. As for the official Google Chrome for Mac, they run an email announcement list which will inform you when Google Chrome for Mac OS X becomes available for public download and use.

WARNING - This is not the official version of Google Chrome for Mac. This is only recommended for expert Mac testers and developers, who know what they are doing. Try this at your own risk.

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Download iTunes 8.1 Free for Apple iPod, iPhones

QuickOnlineTips — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 18:09:22 +0000

Apple has released a new version of iTunes and now Apple ipod and iphone users can download iTunes 8.1 and enjoy the new features, higher quality and faster speed.

The most important improvement is speed boost, such that loading large libraries, browsing the iTunes Store, and syncing your devices is much faster than before. Notably the autofill feature now works with any iPod. And now you can automatically import music from your CDs as higher quality, 256-Kbps iTunes Plus files. Check out the large number of iTunes features to see what this amazing software can do.

iTunes is a free application for Mac and PC that plays all your digital music and video and easily syncs content to your iPod, iPhone, and Apple TV. Windows computers require Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later, or 32-bit editions of Windows Vista; 64-bit editions of Windows Vista or later require the iTunes 8 64-bit installer. Macintosh computers require Mac OS X version 10.4.10 or later.

Download iTunes now and enhance the experience of your Apple iPod and iphones. Remember that playing HD-quality videos purchased on the iTunes Store requires at least� 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo or faster processor and 1GB RAM.

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