So Long TUAW. Gonna Miss Ya!

I guess it’s just the way things are these days. Long-time staples of the Mac community are dropping like flies. Last year, Macworld Magazine ceased publication of their print version and let go (fired) a large percentage of their editorial/writing staff. Shortly thereafter, IDG, Macworld’s parent company announced their annual Macworld conference was on indefinite “hiatus” and this year’s conference wouldn’t happen. The event that hosted the introduction of the iMac in 1997, the iPod in 2001 and the iPhone in 2007 is no more. I know, the official word is “hiatus”, but c’mon, let’s be real here. Jesus is more likely back and living in New Jersey than the Macworld Conference ever happening again. Now, TUAW (The Unofficial Apple Weblog) is shutting down and being folded into another AOL publication, Engadget. The reality is, most of the TUAW writers and editors have been given a pink slip so the unique Apple-centric content that was TUAW is (most likely) gone forever.

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iMac Retina Bargain

15” MacBook Pro Retina: 221 PPI (pixels per inch), iPad Air: 264 PPI, iPhone 6 Plus: 401 PPI. That covers three of the four Apple devices I use regularly.  Is it any wonder that I feel like something is wrong with my eyes whenever I login to my 2009 27” iMac with its paltry 109 PPI? And to think, I used to believe the big guy with its 2560 X 1440 display was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. Now, compared to all my other Apple devices, every pixel on the 27” screen looks as big as a golfball. Somethin’s gotta give.

Enter the new 27” iMac 5K Retina. With its 5120 X 2880 resolution and 218 PPI density, Apple’s most recent desktop offering is just what the doctor ordered to relieve my blurry vision.  I looked at one at my Apple store and it is as beautiful as all the reviews say. There’s only one word for the 5K display: Stunning! And now, I can get one at a significant discount. It’s been just long enough after the launch for the big beauties to start showing up on Apple’s refurbished site.

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I HATE Android!

This may sound a bit self-serving coming from an admitted Apple geek, but every time I try to give my Nexus 7 a chance I just wind up pissed off. It’s not the device itself, it’s dealing with Google (more specifically Android) that’s so frustrating. My iPhone and iPad experiences aren’t perfect by any stretch, but they are a walk in the park compared to my dealings with the Android tablet. I’ve been trying to understand why I haven’t been able to get the OTA (Over The Air) Android 5 Lollipop update on my 2013 WiFi Nexus 7. I’ve been reading Lollipop reviews for about a month now. I’ve even been reading reviews of Lollipop on the Nexus 7. Why can’t I get it? Every time I check the update status on the device, Google tells me that it’s up to date. But I’m still running 4.4.4!!! When will it be available? Nobody but Google knows for sure and they don’t seem to be telling.

And THAT is my beef!

Who can I call to find out?

Uh…..

Anybody?

OK. I’ll just keep waiting then. It turns out that people that have Android 5 on their Nexus 7 have side loaded it. That involves downloading the Android SDK from Google, putting my device in Developer mode and pretty much giving it the “Nuke & Pave” treatment. Oh, and by the way, you have to use a Windows machine to do it. Sorry Google. I’m not some nerd living in my mom’s basement. I don’t have all day to dork with the stupid tablet you sold me. I just want to install the OS you started releasing NEARLY SIX WEEKS AGO!!! Silly me. I thought buying a “pure” Android device (one unadulterated by the manufacturer) would ensure there would be no barriers to installing updates. That was dumb of me, I guess.

So, the Nexus 7 is back on the charger and I’m back to my iPad. Man is it nice being an Apple geek.

New Mac for Christmas? 3 Free Apps You Shouldn’t Be Without

I’m certain there’s a ton of new Macs warming up for the first time this Christmas. The way Apple is growing the platform, there’s probably more Macs given as gifts than any time before and lots of these new Macs went to first-timers. I bought my first Mac in 2006 and haven’t bought a Windows PC since. It’s hard to remember those early Mac days, but while I do remember how I instantly fell in love with my new 17” MacBook Pro, I often forget the challenges I faced as a noob to the platform. If you’re one of those using a Mac for the first time I have one simple piece of advice that I wish I’d heard way back in ’06: DONT OVERTHINK IT!

If you’ve just ventured away from the world of Windows, you have a ton of mental garbage to forget. Just remember, if you’re not sure how to do something on your Mac, just try the simplest, most logical approach and nine times out of ten you’ll be right. There may be things you need to re-learn, but believe me, you’ve just walked from the dark into the light. So, let’s get you started with a few free apps that will make your life simpler and easier than the Mac already does.

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Übersicht: Finally, a Good Widget Solution for OS X

Widgets are popular for a reason. They serve a useful purpose and users really seem to like them. It seems everyone except Apple realizes this. Android, Linux and Windows operating systems all have facilities for displaying widgets on home screens and/or desktops. Conversely, Apple sweeps them onto a quasi-desktop called the “Dashboard” that takes a special effort to view. You know the old saying, “Out of sight, out of mind”. And that’s where Dashboard widgets stay. And Apple keeps making it easier to get rid of them altogether. As of OS X 10.9 (Mavericks), there’s a dropdown in System Preferences-> Mission Control that lets you select to use Dashboard normally, as an overlay or turn it off completely. I select “Off” because I never seemed to use the hard-to-get-to widgets. It’s a real shame, because there’s some really useful ones like for viewing stock prices, weather, calendar, world clocks, package tracks, etc., but if I have to make a special effort to view a limited-function widget for information, I figure I might as well open an app or web page and do it right.

Well, now there’s a great alternative called Übersicht which, according to Google Translate is German for “overall view”.  I don’t know how accurate that is, but what I do know is...

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