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| Tutorial: Snow Leopard guide for new users Posted: 03 Apr 2011 04:00 AM PDT  Mac OS X is packed to the brim with clever little tricks that will enhance the way you work and help you save time. But so much of the operating system is easy to use that you could hardly call yourself a pro. However, that's all about to change. We show you just how easy it is to become a Mac OS guru with the best collection of power tips for a wide range of tasks. From Finder shortcuts to image manipulation, we've got all the techniques you need to get even more from your Mac use. We will even demystify the obscure apps lurking in the Utilities folder that you may never have used. While the majority of tips found in this feature will focus on the OS in general, we've also included some sections that cover pro tips for media and other files as well as a good bunch of tweaks to be found within System Preferences. We take an expert look at making your own icons and walk you through speakable commands. We also offer up some handy tips for AirPort Utility and Boot Camp Assistant. And we even show you how to enjoy iTunes through Spotify and add more radio stations. With so many powerful nuggets of information available across the next few pages, you're bound to become the Mac master in your household in no time at all, and soon you could be the one people turn to for all Apple-related advice. Pick out the tips you need and save this feature for future reference or settle down and read each one to achieve that ultimate pro status… Mac OS X timesavers 1. Add your own icons
You don't have to stick to the default Mac OS X icons. Select the app or folder you would like to give a new icon to and press Command+I to bring up the Get Info screen. Now find the icon you would like to use and open it in Preview. Press Command+A to select the image and hit Command+C to copy it. Now head back to the Get Info screen for the folder or app you want to adjust and select the small icon image at the top of the display before hitting Command+V to paste your new icon image. 2. Make your own shortcuts If there's a command you use frequently that doesn't have a shortcut assigned to it, you can create one yourself. In System Preferences, head to Keyboard and click on the Keyboard shortcuts tab. Now click on the Application Shortcuts option from the pane on the left and pick your app from the drop-down menu. Now you can fill in the Menu Title field and create your shortcut. Make sure you pick a memorable command so you can remember it easily next time you need to access the function. 3. Quit from Switcher When you have a bunch of applications open you can jump between them using Command+Tab or Command+Shift+Tab to invoke the Application Switcher, which enables you to pick the icon of a running application and move to it. You can also quit apps from the Application Switcher by keeping the Command key held down, pressing the Q button when you have selected the app you want to close. Keeping the Command key held and moving between the Tab and Q key will enable you to close multiple apps quickly. 4. Open with… If you right-click or Control-click on a file you can choose to open it in any compatible application from the Open With menu. If you want to set all files of this kind to open in a specific app, simply select the file and hit Command+I. From the Get Info window, select the app you want from the drop-down menu under Open with: and then click the Change All… button. Now all files of this type will open in the application you selected. 5. Events from emails
Say your friend invites you for dinner at a restaurant on a specific date at a set time via email. When you receive the message you can click on the date and time, and opt to create a new iCal event from it. All time and date entries in Mail offer a drop-down menu that enables you to add information to the event and add it to iCal without having to leave Mail. You can also check your events on a specific date from within Mail so you don't create conflicting appointments. 6. Choose custom system sounds
If you're a little bored of the standard Mac OS X system sounds you can add your own to the mix. As long as they're nice and short (and in the AIF or WAV format), you can drag and drop audio files into the MacintoshHD/Users/"your username"/Library/Sounds folder and then apply them to any application that makes use of the system sound library, such as Mail or iChat. There are a bunch of sounds available to download for free online, ready to freshen up your audio experience. 7. Quick Email Links If you're browsing the web and decide you want to share a link with a friend via email, you don't have to bother with the hassle of copying and pasting. Simply press Shift+Command+I to open a new message with the link and subject included for you. 8. Speakable commands Save keystrokes, mouse clicks and a whole load of effort by controlling certain commands with your voice. Head to System Preferences and, under Speech, turn Speakable Items on. You can now speak simple sentences such as "Get My Mail" and your Mac should react accordingly. Make sure you're in fairly quiet surroundings to avoid accidental inputs or use a hot key to set when you want to speak a command. You can also set a keyword that triggers your Mac to begin listening for commands so you can preface a sentence with "computer" to avoid confusion. 9. Grab your screen
There are a number of shortcuts in Mac OS X that allow you to capture an image of your computer's screen. Pressing Shift+Command+3 will take a full screen grab as well as a grab of any secondary displays you may have attached. Pressing Shift+Command+4 will allow you to select a portion of the screen to grab or, if you press [Space] before selecting an area, you can hover over individual windows and click to snap an image of just that. Screenshots are stored to the desktop. 10. Address Book type If you have difficulty when viewing a contact in Address Book, try clicking on the phone type (Mobile or Home, for example) next to the contact's number. You can then select Show in Large Type to view the number at an easily readable size as you dial. 11. Login Items You might know that you can set applications to launch when your Mac boots using the Accounts pane of System Preferences, but did you know you can hide an app after it has launched in this way? Simply check the box next to the app's name. 12. Mail To Dos If you have a whole bunch of things to be getting on with during the day, you can add a set of To Do notes using the button at the top of the Mail interface. You can check off each task as you go from within Mail or iCal. 13. Stick to your sites Safari's Top Sites feature is an extremely handy way to jump to your recently viewed websites. But if you want one site to always feature you can pin it to the Top Sites screen to keep it there permanently. All you have to do is simply click on the Edit button and then the Pin next to the page. 14. Quick spell check If someone sends you an email with a word you're not sure you understand, simply hover the cursor over the word and press Shift+Command+D to check out the dictionary definition. This works in Text Edit as well as a number of other Apple apps. 15. Schedule sleep If you're inclined to work too late or you keep forgetting to shut your Mac down, head to the Energy Saver screen within System Preferences. From here you can schedule your Mac to sleep, wake and even start up and shut down at specified times. 16. Dock folders You can drag and drop any of your folders to the right-hand end of the Dock to keep it there permanently. This is particularly useful when used in conjunction with the Applications folder so you can access apps right from your Desktop. 17. vCard signatures If you want to make sure everyone has your correct details, you can include a vCard in your email signature that can be added to most address books. Simply locate your card in Address Book and drag it to the signature space in Mail Preferences. 18. Bring back the Fs In System Preferences select to return the F keys (!, @ and so on) back to their standard functions - handy if you keep adjusting the volume or brightness when you want to use a shortcut… Effective tips and tricks to make life on the Mac even smarter 19. Preview Fonts
If you want to change the font you're using, it's not necessary to wait until you apply changes to see what your document willl look like. This can be fiddly and annoying when you are trying to work, especially if you are on a deadline. To solve this you can get a live preview as you browse. Start by tapping Command+T to bring up the Font Viewer in compatible apps, which include Mail, iWork apps, Text Edit and more. Now, simply drag the small dot at the top of the display down to show a preview of the currently selected font. You can also view the preview by clicking on Show Preview from the drop-down menu at the bottom of the Fonts pane. 20. Make use of Disk Utility
Some of you might have used Disk Utility to repair permissions and verify disks before, but it has plenty of features that a lot of people don't know about. It is possible to quickly erase and partition any drive attached to your Mac and you can even burn discs from within the interface. Disk Utility is also very handy when it comes to creating images of existing discs to copy or burn to a new drive or disc. It's worth taking some time to experiment with Disk Utility and you'll soon find it's a whole lot more than just a first aid tool. 21. Use Mail as an RSS reader Apple's own email app is full of useful tricks. As well as receiving new emails from friends and co-workers, Mail can also be a source of updates for websites you're interested in. By adding any RSS feeds to your inbox you can be notified of new posts and breaking news in the same way you receive emails. All you have to do is set Mail as your default RSS reader in Mail Preferences and then add your favourite feeds. You can set Mail to check for updates every day, hour or 30 minutes and opt to remove them manually or automatically after a set period of time to prevent things getting too clogged up. 22. Document properties If you want to make sure people know who wrote a document or where it came from, you can embed certain information into your rich text documents with Text Edit. Head to Text Edit's Preferences pane and fill out the Properties section to include Author, Organisation and Copyright details to your document before you save it. Now, even when you email or share the document, others can select Show Properties from the File menu to see the information you added. Note that this isn't a replacement for copyright but it can certainly help your case. 23. Empty Trash securely
You've been beavering away on work projects, which have sensitive information included in them. You're done so you send the early drafts to the Trash. Once you empty the Trash your work's gone forever, right? Wrong. All Mac OS X does when it empties the Trash is allocate the space those files take up as free. Until they're overwritten it's possible these files could be recovered, which is less than ideal if they contain confidential information. As an alternative, you might want to consider using the Secure Empty Trash option from the Finder menu. This will completely clear the Trash without leaving a trace of your deleted files and folders and provide you with peace of mind. 24. Advanced MobileMe sync Apple's suite of online services MobileMe provides a particularly handy icon included on the Mac OS X menu bar, which will show you how things are ticking along. If you click on it you can find out lots of useful information, including when the last sync happened and if there are any conflicts. If there are conflicts you can instantly review them. However, if you hold down the Option key and click on the icon you will receive even more detailed information, including when each individual sync took place. You'll be surprised at how handy this type of information can be, especially when you're troubleshooting. You can also start iSync, open Sync Diagnostics and reset Sync Services directly from this menu without having to open the System Preferences pane. 25. Advanced audio control The volume control on your menu bar looks like a simple slider but becomes a far more powerful menu if you hold down the Option key when you click on it. A new menu will now appear and enable you to make changes to your speaker setup as well as microphones. For example, you could change your speakers from the Mac's built-in system to a USB option, or change the microphone input from the default to your headset's option. And all this from one little button on your desktop. Brilliant. 26. Quickly find content In most applications on the Mac you can hit Command+F and enter a word to search for and Safari is no different. Hit Command+F with a page loaded, type the word you're loking for into the search field and every instance will be highlighted on the page. You'll find this is a really handy tool, particularly for large documents. 27. Investigate packages
Most Mac OS X apps aren't executable files but merely folders full of content and resources. If, for any reason, you want to dig around inside an app, to access its icon image for example, you can treat it as if it was a normal folder. Simply right click or Ctrl-click on the app's icon and choose Show Package Contents. From here you can browse all of the files within as you would a folder. Make sure not to edit, move or delete anything without making a backup first, though. 28. Customise Spotlight Spotlight's System Preferences pane offers handy ways to customise and improve your search experience. This includes removing specific items from your searches and blocking files and folders from appearing in results. You can also adjust the shortcut to invoke a Spotlight search. 29. Quick File Moves If you look at the top of any application you're running, you should see a small file icon situated next to the name of the document. This image can be dragged over like any other regular file in order to copy it to a new location or open it in another application. 30. Save any files as PDF When you open up the print dialog for any document you have open, you should also have the option to save the file as a PDF. Just click on the PDF drop-down menu to save the file, email it or send it to an application for editing. 31. Force Quit If you have any unresponsive applications, you can force them to quit by pressing Option+Command+Esc to open the Force Quit window, but you can also kill individual apps right from the Dock. If an app stops responding, click and hold its icon until you see the Force Quit option. 32. Drag and drop links You can drag and drop links between applications and even share them in emails. Try dragging a URL or a link from a web page on to your desktop or onto the Mail icon for a quick way to share websites. 33. Quickly resize icons If you're using a laptop or a desktop Mac with a Magic Trackpad, you can quickly adjust the size of your desktop icons. Select the desktop and then use a two-finger pinch gesture to set the icon size. 34. Dragging tabs Safari tabs can be dragged and moved within the browser's interface but you can also create a new window by simply dragging a tab away from the main window. If you want to add a page to an existing collection of tabs, drag it onto the tab bar. 35. Get info about files Do you need to find out information about a bunch of files rather than just a single one? If so, rather than lump them all into one folder, select them all and press Option+Command+I to show information for the entire selection. This includes information on size and more. 36. Annotate in Preview You may not realise it, but Preview isn't just for looking at images and documents on your Mac. You can also use it to make notes on your PDFs and other files. Just go to the Annotation options, which can be found in the Tools menu. Add text, highlights, arrows and even links and then share them with others. OS X media tips 37. Access media from Finder
If, when you work, you find yourself opening up your Pictures, Movies or Music folders frequently, you might want to consider adding them to your Finder sidebar. It's really easy to do - just open up a new Finder window and right-click or Ctrl-click on the sidebar and select Open Sidebar Preferences. From the pane that appears you can select which items are shown, including searches for Images and Movies. When clicked, these icons will search for all movie or image files on your Mac. Alternatively, you can drag over your Music, Movie and Pictures folders straight onto the sidebar to create a shortcut. 38. Backup iMovie projects to DVD
iDVD isn't seeing the upgrades of other iLife apps of late, but that doesn't mean you can't make really good use of it. For safekeeping as well as sharing with others, you can create a disc of your iMovie projects using iDVD with a slick interface and convenient menus. Launch iDVD, select the movies you want to add and, when you're done, commit them to DVD. You'll find not only will this save much-needed space on your hard drive but you can always rip the movies back to your Mac from the DVD at a later date if need be. 39. Quick media previews Many Mac owners don't realise it is unnecessary to launch a native audio or video app in order to check out a file in Mac OS X or even play the whole thing through. Compatible audio and video files can be played in Quick Look by simply selecting them in the Finder and hitting the spacebar. A small controller appears at the bottom of the Quick Look window allowing you to move to specific sections of the file, and you can even jump between multiple files in a folder with Quick Look activated by using the up and down arrows on the keyboard. 40. AirPlay From iTunes
Apple's new AirPlay feature isn't just for iPad and iPhone users. While playing music or movies in iTunes you can use the drop-down menu at the bottom right of the interface to select which speakers or devices you would like to send the media to. Connections can be made via Ethernet or Wi-Fi, and you can even control the output using the Remote app on your iPhone or iPad. A number of devices are compatible with AirPlay, including systems from Denon and JBL. 41. iTunes in Spotify If you listen to music with Spotify but also enjoy songs in your iTunes library, why not merge the two for a more seamless experience? Under the Local Files section on the left of the Spotify interface you can import your existing iTunes library, which will then become available alongside streamed music. With both Spotify and your iTunes music working together you can build playlists that include both Spotify tracks and your iTunes music, and share them with friends online. Spotify also won't play ads when you listen to your local music through the app. 42. Convert files in QuickTime Any file that can be opened in QuickTime can be saved in an alternate format. This works for audio and video files and allows you to quickly make compatible versions of your media for particular apps or for the web. Load your file and then select Save As from the File menu to select the output format. Alternatively you can select Save For Web from the File menu to create a web friendly version of your file that will load quickly when viewed online. 43. Add more iTunes radio stations You probably already know that iTunes comes with an impressive selection of streaming radio stations pre-loaded. But, did you know you can add even more to your library extremely easily? The best source for radio stations is Shoutcast, where you can browse a number of genres from New Age to Jazz, from stations all over the world. Clicking the station should normally load it in iTunes automatically, or alternatively you can Ctrl-click on a station and download its link as a PLS file to drag into iTunes. However, be aware these files will be added to your library and not the Radio section, but you can build playlists from them for easy access. 44. Move your iTunes library
If you want to move your sizeable iTunes library to an external disk in order to save space, it's possible in a few simple steps. Start by selecting Preferences from the iTunes menu and moving to the Advanced tab. Check the Keep iTunes Media folder organized box and click OK. Now click the Change button and set a new location on your external drive for your library. Select Organize Library from the File menu and click OK to copy your library. You can now delete your old iTunes library from your Mac. 45. Record your screen This is really handy for whether you need to show someone something on your screen or are creating a screencast. QuickTime offers a brilliant feature for recording video of your screen. Select New Screen Recording from the File menu to begin. Get to iTunes quickly When viewing iTunes media in the List view, hold down Option and click on the disclosure triangle next to a title to view all instances of a band, show or album in your library. Hold down Command to view all entries on the iTunes Store. 46. Edit in Preview If you just want to make a really quick adjustment to an image, you don't have to wait for iPhoto to launch. Simply open up your chosen picture via Preview and use the Adjust Color pane from the Tools menu to make any basic changes. 47. Trim in QuickTime QuickTime offers a really convenient way to edit your video and audio clips, if you want to remove sections you don't need anymore. Just open up your chosen file in QuickTime and select Trim from the Edit menu. You can then drag the yellow marker over the area in the project you want to keep. 48. Remote control You can use the Apple Remote to control a number of apps on your Mac including Front Row, iTunes and even Keynote. The remote can be paired up with your Mac to avoid accidental use and is ideal for moving through slides in a presentation. 49. Quickly to YouTube If you have a video on your Mac that you want to send to YouTube, you can bypass the site login and upload screens and do it all from the QuickTime interface. Select Share from the QuickTime menu to begin uploading. 50. Switch tracks fast Most Apple keyboards have shortcuts included along the F1-F12 keys. Media shortcut keys enable you to move between tracks in iTunes, adjust volume, and play and pause tracks. These keys also work in other media apps such as Spotify. 51. QuickTime URLs Rather than watch a movie through your web browser, you can opt to open it in QuickTime if you have its URL. Most links ending in .Mov, .MP4 and so on will play when you paste them into the Movie URL box found under the QuickTime File menu. 52. Add pics to iPhoto When viewing images in QuickLook there's a handy button that enables you to send the selected file to iPhoto. Select an image in the Finder, hit [Space] to view it in QuickLook and then hit the Add To iPhoto button. Handy OS X applications 53. Migration Assistant
If you're upgrading your Mac or moving to a new computer, Migration Assistant is one of the most useful tools you can find. Tell the software whether you want to send your data to a new computer or add it to your existing machine and it will gather all of the files and place them as they were on your original system. You can even make a copy of your Mac, copy it to an external drive and then use Migration Assistant to restore from that copy. 54. System Profiler You can quickly find out detailed information about your Mac by launching System Profiler from the Applications > Utilities folder or from the About This Mac window. From the application you can learn the model and manufacturer of all your drives, check various connections and investigate how much RAM you have and how many slots are available. This is one of the first places a tech-support person will point you to in order to gain information about your system too. Get to know your Mac better by browsing the various sections of System Profiler. 55. Audio MIDI Setup If you're an advanced digital music maker you can make use of Audio MIDI Setup to configure your MIDI devices, but for the rest of us, you can also make adjustments to your speaker and microphone settings so they work just the way you want. 56. Apple Loops Utility If you use GarageBand, Logic or Soundtrack you can have a more detailed look at the Apple Loops you use with Apple Loops Utility. By adding new tags you can better organise the files you use in your projects and adjust the tempo and key information so they can be better matched with other loops. This is a little more involved than simply previewing sounds and music in the GarageBand loop library but it could help you organise your project more easily. 57. Bluetooth file exchange
If you use a Bluetooth device with a hard drive or even a Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone, you can quickly transfer files to it using Bluetooth File Exchange. Start by selecting the file or folder you want to send and then select the Bluetooth device to send it to from the list of connected or available devices. You can opt to remember a specific device so it appears in this list each time you launch Bluetooth File Exchange Alternatively, you can use the app to browse devices connected via Bluetooth. In Leopard, you could right-click on a file and under the contextual menu's More option, opt to send a file to a Bluetooth device. In Snow Leopard, this option is missing by default, but it's easy to get back. Navigate to Finder > Services > Services Preferences, and click the box marked Send File to Bluetooth Device. 58. Boot Camp Assistant
Macs can run both Windows and Mac OS X from the same hard drive. Boot Camp Assistant is your first step in the process and enables you to set how much space you dedicate to the Windows partition of your hard drive and then install the Windows operating system. 59. AirPort Utility
While most wireless features work with an Apple AirPort base station, the AirPort Utility is there when things don't work quite so well. As well as diagnostic and setup work, you can also use AirPort Utility to create guest networks that provide only an internet connection without networking features and also to share USB devices over the wireless network to more than one Mac. If you're having trouble with your base station or need to make changes, this is the tool you need to use - it will find all AirPort devices within range of your Mac. 60. AppleScript Editor AppleScripts are pieces of code that perform various tasks on your Mac, from shortcuts to folder actions, and can be used in menus or toolbars. AppleScript Editor enables you to open and adjust AppleScripts or create them from scratch. One of the easiest ways to do this is to start a new recording from the main interface and then perform a task. Once done, AppleScript Editor will build a script based on your actions. This action can then be saved and added to a menu or placed on the Dock. 61. Keychain Access Every password you use on your Mac can be stored in your Keychain if you give it access to do so and you will often be prompted by Mac OS X to store information to it. Opening the app, you will find your password info as well as secure documents and certificates. If you can't remember a password, find the app or service in Keychain Access and then enter your administrator password to view it. You can also view the strength of a password within Keychain Access. 62. System lookout System behaving a little sluggishly? Open up Activity Monitor and look at which processes are using up your CPU resources to diagnose the slow-down. You can even close down apps from this window for a quick speed-boost. 63. VoiceOver utility If you use Mac OS X's assistive technology VoiceOver to speak information to you, you can fine-tune it with VoiceOver Utility. Adjustments include voice types, reading speed and a number of controls to change the way VoiceOver works. 64. Terminal The Terminal in Mac OS X is a rather scary-looking command prompt but, with a little know-how, it can be a very handy tool to have. Simple commands enable you to make system-wide changes that would normally take a long time. Google some useful ones and give it a go. 65. Network Utility Network Utility enables you to monitor your networks, be they Bluetooth, wireless or Ethernet, and can also help provide diagnostic information for tech support teams. It also enables you to perform a 'Whois' lookup on domain names to discover the owner of a URL. 66. DigitalColor Meter Have you ever wanted to find out the exact value of a specific colour but not been able to locate it? DigitalColor Meter enables you to mouse over any pixel on your screen and discover the Red, Green and Blue values quickly. 67. Get more from Expose To get really nifty in Snow Leopard, in System Preferences you can set different corners of your screen to trigger Exposé. These hot corners will show all open windows, the Desktop and more by simply moving the cursor to the relevant area. 68. Switch to a Space Set a Spaces shortcut in System Preferences to switch to the desired space when you press the Command key with the corresponding Space number. You can also use Option and Shift as the modifier key. 69. RAID Utility If you are using a Mac Pro with more than one hard drive or Mac OS X Server, you can make use of RAID Utility to improve disk speed or create a failsafe drive should one fail. A definite tool for the pros, but useful nonetheless. 70. ColorSync Utility ColorSync Utility is an advanced tool that is used for managing colour profiles on your Mac. Many Mac owners find that one of its best uses is for performing first aid on profiles to make sure colours appear as they should. If you have installed new graphics software it's worth running the test. 
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| Tutorial: Snow Leopard guide for new users Posted: 03 Apr 2011 04:00 AM PDT Mac OS X is packed to the brim with clever little tricks that will enhance the way you work and help you save time. But so much of the operating system is easy to use that you could hardly call yourself a pro. However, that's all about to change. We show you just how easy it is to become a Mac OS guru with the best collection of power tips for a wide range of tasks. From Finder shortcuts to image manipulation, we've got all the techniques you need to get even more from your Mac use. We will even demystify the obscure apps lurking in the Utilities folder that you may never have used. While the majority of tips found in this feature will focus on the OS in general, we've also included some sections that cover pro tips for media and other files as well as a good bunch of tweaks to be found within System Preferences. We take an expert look at making your own icons and walk you through speakable commands. We also offer up some handy tips for AirPort Utility and Boot Camp Assistant. And we even show you how to enjoy iTunes through Spotify and add more radio stations. With so many powerful nuggets of information available across the next few pages, you're bound to become the Mac master in your household in no time at all, and soon you could be the one people turn to for all Apple-related advice. Pick out the tips you need and save this feature for future reference or settle down and read each one to achieve that ultimate pro status… Mac OS X timesavers 1. Add your own icons
You don't have to stick to the default Mac OS X icons. Select the app or folder you would like to give a new icon to and press Command+I to bring up the Get Info screen. Now find the icon you would like to use and open it in Preview. Press Command+A to select the image and hit Command+C to copy it. Now head back to the Get Info screen for the folder or app you want to adjust and select the small icon image at the top of the display before hitting Command+V to paste your new icon image. 2. Make your own shortcuts If there's a command you use frequently that doesn't have a shortcut assigned to it, you can create one yourself. In System Preferences, head to Keyboard and click on the Keyboard shortcuts tab. Now click on the Application Shortcuts option from the pane on the left and pick your app from the drop-down menu. Now you can fill in the Menu Title field and create your shortcut. Make sure you pick a memorable command so you can remember it easily next time you need to access the function. 3. Quit from Switcher When you have a bunch of applications open you can jump between them using Command+Tab or Command+Shift+Tab to invoke the Application Switcher, which enables you to pick the icon of a running application and move to it. You can also quit apps from the Application Switcher by keeping the Command key held down, pressing the Q button when you have selected the app you want to close. Keeping the Command key held and moving between the Tab and Q key will enable you to close multiple apps quickly. 4. Open with… If you right-click or Control-click on a file you can choose to open it in any compatible application from the Open With menu. If you want to set all files of this kind to open in a specific app, simply select the file and hit Command+I. From the Get Info window, select the app you want from the drop-down menu under Open with: and then click the Change All… button. Now all files of this type will open in the application you selected. 5. Events from emails
Say your friend invites you for dinner at a restaurant on a specific date at a set time via email. When you receive the message you can click on the date and time, and opt to create a new iCal event from it. All time and date entries in Mail offer a drop-down menu that enables you to add information to the event and add it to iCal without having to leave Mail. You can also check your events on a specific date from within Mail so you don't create conflicting appointments. 6. Choose custom system sounds
If you're a little bored of the standard Mac OS X system sounds you can add your own to the mix. As long as they're nice and short (and in the AIF or WAV format), you can drag and drop audio files into the MacintoshHD/Users/"your username"/Library/Sounds folder and then apply them to any application that makes use of the system sound library, such as Mail or iChat. There are a bunch of sounds available to download for free online, ready to freshen up your audio experience. 7. Quick Email Links If you're browsing the web and decide you want to share a link with a friend via email, you don't have to bother with the hassle of copying and pasting. Simply press Shift+Command+I to open a new message with the link and subject included for you. 8. Speakable commands Save keystrokes, mouse clicks and a whole load of effort by controlling certain commands with your voice. Head to System Preferences and, under Speech, turn Speakable Items on. You can now speak simple sentences such as "Get My Mail" and your Mac should react accordingly. Make sure you're in fairly quiet surroundings to avoid accidental inputs or use a hot key to set when you want to speak a command. You can also set a keyword that triggers your Mac to begin listening for commands so you can preface a sentence with "computer" to avoid confusion. 9. Grab your screen
There are a number of shortcuts in Mac OS X that allow you to capture an image of your computer's screen. Pressing Shift+Command+3 will take a full screen grab as well as a grab of any secondary displays you may have attached. Pressing Shift+Command+4 will allow you to select a portion of the screen to grab or, if you press [Space] before selecting an area, you can hover over individual windows and click to snap an image of just that. Screenshots are stored to the desktop. 10. Address Book type If you have difficulty when viewing a contact in Address Book, try clicking on the phone type (Mobile or Home, for example) next to the contact's number. You can then select Show in Large Type to view the number at an easily readable size as you dial. 11. Login Items You might know that you can set applications to launch when your Mac boots using the Accounts pane of System Preferences, but did you know you can hide an app after it has launched in this way? Simply check the box next to the app's name. 12. Mail To Dos If you have a whole bunch of things to be getting on with during the day, you can add a set of To Do notes using the button at the top of the Mail interface. You can check off each task as you go from within Mail or iCal. 13. Stick to your sites Safari's Top Sites feature is an extremely handy way to jump to your recently viewed websites. But if you want one site to always feature you can pin it to the Top Sites screen to keep it there permanently. All you have to do is simply click on the Edit button and then the Pin next to the page. 14. Quick spell check If someone sends you an email with a word you're not sure you understand, simply hover the cursor over the word and press Shift+Command+D to check out the dictionary definition. This works in Text Edit as well as a number of other Apple apps. 15. Schedule sleep If you're inclined to work too late or you keep forgetting to shut your Mac down, head to the Energy Saver screen within System Preferences. From here you can schedule your Mac to sleep, wake and even start up and shut down at specified times. 16. Dock folders You can drag and drop any of your folders to the right-hand end of the Dock to keep it there permanently. This is particularly useful when used in conjunction with the Applications folder so you can access apps right from your Desktop. 17. vCard signatures If you want to make sure everyone has your correct details, you can include a vCard in your email signature that can be added to most address books. Simply locate your card in Address Book and drag it to the signature space in Mail Preferences. 18. Bring back the Fs In System Preferences select to return the F keys (!, @ and so on) back to their standard functions - handy if you keep adjusting the volume or brightness when you want to use a shortcut… Effective tips and tricks to make life on the Mac even smarter 19. Preview Fonts
If you want to change the font you're using, it's not necessary to wait until you apply changes to see what your document willl look like. This can be fiddly and annoying when you are trying to work, especially if you are on a deadline. To solve this you can get a live preview as you browse. Start by tapping Command+T to bring up the Font Viewer in compatible apps, which include Mail, iWork apps, Text Edit and more. Now, simply drag the small dot at the top of the display down to show a preview of the currently selected font. You can also view the preview by clicking on Show Preview from the drop-down menu at the bottom of the Fonts pane. 20. Make use of Disk Utility
Some of you might have used Disk Utility to repair permissions and verify disks before, but it has plenty of features that a lot of people don't know about. It is possible to quickly erase and partition any drive attached to your Mac and you can even burn discs from within the interface. Disk Utility is also very handy when it comes to creating images of existing discs to copy or burn to a new drive or disc. It's worth taking some time to experiment with Disk Utility and you'll soon find it's a whole lot more than just a first aid tool. 21. Use Mail as an RSS reader Apple's own email app is full of useful tricks. As well as receiving new emails from friends and co-workers, Mail can also be a source of updates for websites you're interested in. By adding any RSS feeds to your inbox you can be notified of new posts and breaking news in the same way you receive emails. All you have to do is set Mail as your default RSS reader in Mail Preferences and then add your favourite feeds. You can set Mail to check for updates every day, hour or 30 minutes and opt to remove them manually or automatically after a set period of time to prevent things getting too clogged up. 22. Document properties If you want to make sure people know who wrote a document or where it came from, you can embed certain information into your rich text documents with Text Edit. Head to Text Edit's Preferences pane and fill out the Properties section to include Author, Organisation and Copyright details to your document before you save it. Now, even when you email or share the document, others can select Show Properties from the File menu to see the information you added. Note that this isn't a replacement for copyright but it can certainly help your case. 23. Empty Trash securely
You've been beavering away on work projects, which have sensitive information included in them. You're done so you send the early drafts to the Trash. Once you empty the Trash your work's gone forever, right? Wrong. All Mac OS X does when it empties the Trash is allocate the space those files take up as free. Until they're overwritten it's possible these files could be recovered, which is less than ideal if they contain confidential information. As an alternative, you might want to consider using the Secure Empty Trash option from the Finder menu. This will completely clear the Trash without leaving a trace of your deleted files and folders and provide you with peace of mind. 24. Advanced MobileMe sync Apple's suite of online services MobileMe provides a particularly handy icon included on the Mac OS X menu bar, which will show you how things are ticking along. If you click on it you can find out lots of useful information, including when the last sync happened and if there are any conflicts. If there are conflicts you can instantly review them. However, if you hold down the Option key and click on the icon you will receive even more detailed information, including when each individual sync took place. You'll be surprised at how handy this type of information can be, especially when you're troubleshooting. You can also start iSync, open Sync Diagnostics and reset Sync Services directly from this menu without having to open the System Preferences pane. 25. Advanced audio control The volume control on your menu bar looks like a simple slider but becomes a far more powerful menu if you hold down the Option key when you click on it. A new menu will now appear and enable you to make changes to your speaker setup as well as microphones. For example, you could change your speakers from the Mac's built-in system to a USB option, or change the microphone input from the default to your headset's option. And all this from one little button on your desktop. Brilliant. 26. Quickly find content In most applications on the Mac you can hit Command+F and enter a word to search for and Safari is no different. Hit Command+F with a page loaded, type the word you're loking for into the search field and every instance will be highlighted on the page. You'll find this is a really handy tool, particularly for large documents. 27. Investigate packages
Most Mac OS X apps aren't executable files but merely folders full of content and resources. If, for any reason, you want to dig around inside an app, to access its icon image for example, you can treat it as if it was a normal folder. Simply right click or Ctrl-click on the app's icon and choose Show Package Contents. From here you can browse all of the files within as you would a folder. Make sure not to edit, move or delete anything without making a backup first, though. 28. Customise Spotlight Spotlight's System Preferences pane offers handy ways to customise and improve your search experience. This includes removing specific items from your searches and blocking files and folders from appearing in results. You can also adjust the shortcut to invoke a Spotlight search. 29. Quick File Moves If you look at the top of any application you're running, you should see a small file icon situated next to the name of the document. This image can be dragged over like any other regular file in order to copy it to a new location or open it in another application. 30. Save any files as PDF When you open up the print dialog for any document you have open, you should also have the option to save the file as a PDF. Just click on the PDF drop-down menu to save the file, email it or send it to an application for editing. 31. Force Quit If you have any unresponsive applications, you can force them to quit by pressing Option+Command+Esc to open the Force Quit window, but you can also kill individual apps right from the Dock. If an app stops responding, click and hold its icon until you see the Force Quit option. 32. Drag and drop links You can drag and drop links between applications and even share them in emails. Try dragging a URL or a link from a web page on to your desktop or onto the Mail icon for a quick way to share websites. 33. Quickly resize icons If you're using a laptop or a desktop Mac with a Magic Trackpad, you can quickly adjust the size of your desktop icons. Select the desktop and then use a two-finger pinch gesture to set the icon size. 34. Dragging tabs Safari tabs can be dragged and moved within the browser's interface but you can also create a new window by simply dragging a tab away from the main window. If you want to add a page to an existing collection of tabs, drag it onto the tab bar. 35. Get info about files Do you need to find out information about a bunch of files rather than just a single one? If so, rather than lump them all into one folder, select them all and press Option+Command+I to show information for the entire selection. This includes information on size and more. 36. Annotate in Preview You may not realise it, but Preview isn't just for looking at images and documents on your Mac. You can also use it to make notes on your PDFs and other files. Just go to the Annotation options, which can be found in the Tools menu. Add text, highlights, arrows and even links and then share them with others. OS X media tips 37. Access media from Finder
If, when you work, you find yourself opening up your Pictures, Movies or Music folders frequently, you might want to consider adding them to your Finder sidebar. It's really easy to do - just open up a new Finder window and right-click or Ctrl-click on the sidebar and select Open Sidebar Preferences. From the pane that appears you can select which items are shown, including searches for Images and Movies. When clicked, these icons will search for all movie or image files on your Mac. Alternatively, you can drag over your Music, Movie and Pictures folders straight onto the sidebar to create a shortcut. 38. Backup iMovie projects to DVD
iDVD isn't seeing the upgrades of other iLife apps of late, but that doesn't mean you can't make really good use of it. For safekeeping as well as sharing with others, you can create a disc of your iMovie projects using iDVD with a slick interface and convenient menus. Launch iDVD, select the movies you want to add and, when you're done, commit them to DVD. You'll find not only will this save much-needed space on your hard drive but you can always rip the movies back to your Mac from the DVD at a later date if need be. 39. Quick media previews Many Mac owners don't realise it is unnecessary to launch a native audio or video app in order to check out a file in Mac OS X or even play the whole thing through. Compatible audio and video files can be played in Quick Look by simply selecting them in the Finder and hitting the spacebar. A small controller appears at the bottom of the Quick Look window allowing you to move to specific sections of the file, and you can even jump between multiple files in a folder with Quick Look activated by using the up and down arrows on the keyboard. 40. AirPlay From iTunes
Apple's new AirPlay feature isn't just for iPad and iPhone users. While playing music or movies in iTunes you can use the drop-down menu at the bottom right of the interface to select which speakers or devices you would like to send the media to. Connections can be made via Ethernet or Wi-Fi, and you can even control the output using the Remote app on your iPhone or iPad. A number of devices are compatible with AirPlay, including systems from Denon and JBL. 41. iTunes in Spotify If you listen to music with Spotify but also enjoy songs in your iTunes library, why not merge the two for a more seamless experience? Under the Local Files section on the left of the Spotify interface you can import your existing iTunes library, which will then become available alongside streamed music. With both Spotify and your iTunes music working together you can build playlists that include both Spotify tracks and your iTunes music, and share them with friends online. Spotify also won't play ads when you listen to your local music through the app. 42. Convert files in QuickTime Any file that can be opened in QuickTime can be saved in an alternate format. This works for audio and video files and allows you to quickly make compatible versions of your media for particular apps or for the web. Load your file and then select Save As from the File menu to select the output format. Alternatively you can select Save For Web from the File menu to create a web friendly version of your file that will load quickly when viewed online. 43. Add more iTunes radio stations You probably already know that iTunes comes with an impressive selection of streaming radio stations pre-loaded. But, did you know you can add even more to your library extremely easily? The best source for radio stations is Shoutcast, where you can browse a number of genres from New Age to Jazz, from stations all over the world. Clicking the station should normally load it in iTunes automatically, or alternatively you can Ctrl-click on a station and download its link as a PLS file to drag into iTunes. However, be aware these files will be added to your library and not the Radio section, but you can build playlists from them for easy access. 44. Move your iTunes library
If you want to move your sizeable iTunes library to an external disk in order to save space, it's possible in a few simple steps. Start by selecting Preferences from the iTunes menu and moving to the Advanced tab. Check the Keep iTunes Media folder organized box and click OK. Now click the Change button and set a new location on your external drive for your library. Select Organize Library from the File menu and click OK to copy your library. You can now delete your old iTunes library from your Mac. 45. Record your screen This is really handy for whether you need to show someone something on your screen or are creating a screencast. QuickTime offers a brilliant feature for recording video of your screen. Select New Screen Recording from the File menu to begin. Get to iTunes quickly When viewing iTunes media in the List view, hold down Option and click on the disclosure triangle next to a title to view all instances of a band, show or album in your library. Hold down Command to view all entries on the iTunes Store. 46. Edit in Preview If you just want to make a really quick adjustment to an image, you don't have to wait for iPhoto to launch. Simply open up your chosen picture via Preview and use the Adjust Color pane from the Tools menu to make any basic changes. 47. Trim in QuickTime QuickTime offers a really convenient way to edit your video and audio clips, if you want to remove sections you don't need anymore. Just open up your chosen file in QuickTime and select Trim from the Edit menu. You can then drag the yellow marker over the area in the project you want to keep. 48. Remote control You can use the Apple Remote to control a number of apps on your Mac including Front Row, iTunes and even Keynote. The remote can be paired up with your Mac to avoid accidental use and is ideal for moving through slides in a presentation. 49. Quickly to YouTube If you have a video on your Mac that you want to send to YouTube, you can bypass the site login and upload screens and do it all from the QuickTime interface. Select Share from the QuickTime menu to begin uploading. 50. Switch tracks fast Most Apple keyboards have shortcuts included along the F1-F12 keys. Media shortcut keys enable you to move between tracks in iTunes, adjust volume, and play and pause tracks. These keys also work in other media apps such as Spotify. 51. QuickTime URLs Rather than watch a movie through your web browser, you can opt to open it in QuickTime if you have its URL. Most links ending in .Mov, .MP4 and so on will play when you paste them into the Movie URL box found under the QuickTime File menu. 52. Add pics to iPhoto When viewing images in QuickLook there's a handy button that enables you to send the selected file to iPhoto. Select an image in the Finder, hit [Space] to view it in QuickLook and then hit the Add To iPhoto button. Handy OS X applications 53. Migration Assistant
If you're upgrading your Mac or moving to a new computer, Migration Assistant is one of the most useful tools you can find. Tell the software whether you want to send your data to a new computer or add it to your existing machine and it will gather all of the files and place them as they were on your original system. You can even make a copy of your Mac, copy it to an external drive and then use Migration Assistant to restore from that copy. 54. System Profiler You can quickly find out detailed information about your Mac by launching System Profiler from the Applications > Utilities folder or from the About This Mac window. From the application you can learn the model and manufacturer of all your drives, check various connections and investigate how much RAM you have and how many slots are available. This is one of the first places a tech-support person will point you to in order to gain information about your system too. Get to know your Mac better by browsing the various sections of System Profiler. 55. Audio MIDI Setup If you're an advanced digital music maker you can make use of Audio MIDI Setup to configure your MIDI devices, but for the rest of us, you can also make adjustments to your speaker and microphone settings so they work just the way you want. 56. Apple Loops Utility If you use GarageBand, Logic or Soundtrack you can have a more detailed look at the Apple Loops you use with Apple Loops Utility. By adding new tags you can better organise the files you use in your projects and adjust the tempo and key information so they can be better matched with other loops. This is a little more involved than simply previewing sounds and music in the GarageBand loop library but it could help you organise your project more easily. 57. Bluetooth file exchange
If you use a Bluetooth device with a hard drive or even a Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone, you can quickly transfer files to it using Bluetooth File Exchange. Start by selecting the file or folder you want to send and then select the Bluetooth device to send it to from the list of connected or available devices. You can opt to remember a specific device so it appears in this list each time you launch Bluetooth File Exchange Alternatively, you can use the app to browse devices connected via Bluetooth. In Leopard, you could right-click on a file and under the contextual menu's More option, opt to send a file to a Bluetooth device. In Snow Leopard, this option is missing by default, but it's easy to get back. Navigate to Finder > Services > Services Preferences, and click the box marked Send File to Bluetooth Device. 58. Boot Camp Assistant
Macs can run both Windows and Mac OS X from the same hard drive. Boot Camp Assistant is your first step in the process and enables you to set how much space you dedicate to the Windows partition of your hard drive and then install the Windows operating system. 59. AirPort Utility
While most wireless features work with an Apple AirPort base station, the AirPort Utility is there when things don't work quite so well. As well as diagnostic and setup work, you can also use AirPort Utility to create guest networks that provide only an internet connection without networking features and also to share USB devices over the wireless network to more than one Mac. If you're having trouble with your base station or need to make changes, this is the tool you need to use - it will find all AirPort devices within range of your Mac. 60. AppleScript Editor AppleScripts are pieces of code that perform various tasks on your Mac, from shortcuts to folder actions, and can be used in menus or toolbars. AppleScript Editor enables you to open and adjust AppleScripts or create them from scratch. One of the easiest ways to do this is to start a new recording from the main interface and then perform a task. Once done, AppleScript Editor will build a script based on your actions. This action can then be saved and added to a menu or placed on the Dock. 61. Keychain Access Every password you use on your Mac can be stored in your Keychain if you give it access to do so and you will often be prompted by Mac OS X to store information to it. Opening the app, you will find your password info as well as secure documents and certificates. If you can't remember a password, find the app or service in Keychain Access and then enter your administrator password to view it. You can also view the strength of a password within Keychain Access. 62. System lookout System behaving a little sluggishly? Open up Activity Monitor and look at which processes are using up your CPU resources to diagnose the slow-down. You can even close down apps from this window for a quick speed-boost. 63. VoiceOver utility If you use Mac OS X's assistive technology VoiceOver to speak information to you, you can fine-tune it with VoiceOver Utility. Adjustments include voice types, reading speed and a number of controls to change the way VoiceOver works. 64. Terminal The Terminal in Mac OS X is a rather scary-looking command prompt but, with a little know-how, it can be a very handy tool to have. Simple commands enable you to make system-wide changes that would normally take a long time. Google some useful ones and give it a go. 65. Network Utility Network Utility enables you to monitor your networks, be they Bluetooth, wireless or Ethernet, and can also help provide diagnostic information for tech support teams. It also enables you to perform a 'Whois' lookup on domain names to discover the owner of a URL. 66. DigitalColor Meter Have you ever wanted to find out the exact value of a specific colour but not been able to locate it? DigitalColor Meter enables you to mouse over any pixel on your screen and discover the Red, Green and Blue values quickly. 67. Get more from Expose To get really nifty in Snow Leopard, in System Preferences you can set different corners of your screen to trigger Exposé. These hot corners will show all open windows, the Desktop and more by simply moving the cursor to the relevant area. 68. Switch to a Space Set a Spaces shortcut in System Preferences to switch to the desired space when you press the Command key with the corresponding Space number. You can also use Option and Shift as the modifier key. 69. RAID Utility If you are using a Mac Pro with more than one hard drive or Mac OS X Server, you can make use of RAID Utility to improve disk speed or create a failsafe drive should one fail. A definite tool for the pros, but useful nonetheless. 70. ColorSync Utility ColorSync Utility is an advanced tool that is used for managing colour profiles on your Mac. Many Mac owners find that one of its best uses is for performing first aid on profiles to make sure colours appear as they should. If you have installed new graphics software it's worth running the test.
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| Posted: 03 Apr 2011 03:00 AM PDT  Marmitek's Gigaview 820 looks like a serious contender even before it's plugged in. The transmitter and receiver units are nearly as large as the iTrio units, but have a pleasing, sweeping design and a glossy black finish. Rather thoughtfully, the units come with rawl plugs and a mounting plate should you wish to wall-mount them near or behind kit. Because the transmitter has two HDMI inputs plus one loopthrough HDMI output you can have the same video and audio running in two rooms on two displays. Without it you would need to use a separate switching device to feed both your main viewing screen and the video sender. In addition to this improved HDMI connectivity, there is also a mini jack for a supplied IR repeater, a USB connection for firmware updates and a simple remote control to select HDMI inputs. Once powered up, the Gigaview 820 takes longer than its rivals to locate and lock to its stablemate receiver. However, once connected, both hi-def and SD transmissions stream without judder. A standard IR blaster extension connects to the transmitter and there's an optional IR collector that plugs into the receiver, which is helpful should you wish to place the unit out of sight. Our second challenge, which involved streaming 1080p from a Blu-ray player in another room, really saw the Gigaview 820 come into its own. Not only was a Dolby Digital 5.1 bitstream delivered to our waiting AV receiver, when we switched the Blu-ray player from a bitstream output to multi-channel PCM this too was transmitted effortlessly – all without any low-level background noise. The Gigaview 820 is one of the only systems we have seen that is able to transmit and deliver multichannel PCM. The system's video performance is equally praiseworthy. The transmitter streamed our 1080p test material without stutters, judders or slipped frames. Related Links
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| Posted: 03 Apr 2011 03:00 AM PDT Marmitek's Gigaview 820 looks like a serious contender even before it's plugged in. The transmitter and receiver units are nearly as large as the iTrio units, but have a pleasing, sweeping design and a glossy black finish. Rather thoughtfully, the units come with rawl plugs and a mounting plate should you wish to wall-mount them near or behind kit. Because the transmitter has two HDMI inputs plus one loopthrough HDMI output you can have the same video and audio running in two rooms on two displays. Without it you would need to use a separate switching device to feed both your main viewing screen and the video sender. In addition to this improved HDMI connectivity, there is also a mini jack for a supplied IR repeater, a USB connection for firmware updates and a simple remote control to select HDMI inputs. Once powered up, the Gigaview 820 takes longer than its rivals to locate and lock to its stablemate receiver. However, once connected, both hi-def and SD transmissions stream without judder. A standard IR blaster extension connects to the transmitter and there's an optional IR collector that plugs into the receiver, which is helpful should you wish to place the unit out of sight. Our second challenge, which involved streaming 1080p from a Blu-ray player in another room, really saw the Gigaview 820 come into its own. Not only was a Dolby Digital 5.1 bitstream delivered to our waiting AV receiver, when we switched the Blu-ray player from a bitstream output to multi-channel PCM this too was transmitted effortlessly – all without any low-level background noise. The Gigaview 820 is one of the only systems we have seen that is able to transmit and deliver multichannel PCM. The system's video performance is equally praiseworthy. The transmitter streamed our 1080p test material without stutters, judders or slipped frames. Related Links
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| Posted: 03 Apr 2011 03:00 AM PDT Marmitek's Gigaview 820 looks like a serious contender even before it's plugged in. The transmitter and receiver units are nearly as large as the iTrio units, but have a pleasing, sweeping design and a glossy black finish. Rather thoughtfully, the units come with rawl plugs and a mounting plate should you wish to wall-mount them near or behind kit. Because the transmitter has two HDMI inputs plus one loopthrough HDMI output you can have the same video and audio running in two rooms on two displays. Without it you would need to use a separate switching device to feed both your main viewing screen and the video sender. In addition to this improved HDMI connectivity, there is also a mini jack for a supplied IR repeater, a USB connection for firmware updates and a simple remote control to select HDMI inputs. Once powered up, the Gigaview 820 takes longer than its rivals to locate and lock to its stablemate receiver. However, once connected, both hi-def and SD transmissions stream without judder. A standard IR blaster extension connects to the transmitter and there's an optional IR collector that plugs into the receiver, which is helpful should you wish to place the unit out of sight. Our second challenge, which involved streaming 1080p from a Blu-ray player in another room, really saw the Gigaview 820 come into its own. Not only was a Dolby Digital 5.1 bitstream delivered to our waiting AV receiver, when we switched the Blu-ray player from a bitstream output to multi-channel PCM this too was transmitted effortlessly – all without any low-level background noise. The Gigaview 820 is one of the only systems we have seen that is able to transmit and deliver multichannel PCM. The system's video performance is equally praiseworthy. The transmitter streamed our 1080p test material without stutters, judders or slipped frames. Related Links
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| Review: Prestigio Emporio PWHD01 Posted: 03 Apr 2011 02:30 AM PDT  With a name like Prestigio Emporio, this wireless sender appears to be trying a little too hard to impress – even its packaging is extravagant. But there is substance behind the style. Both transmitter and receiver have a pancaked Mac Mini-style design that is rather attractive. Build quality is good, although there is some creak in the plastic casings. Given how slim the units are, there's only room for a single HDMI connection on each. Also supplied in the box is an IR blaster and an HDMI lead. Thanks to the paucity of connections, hooking up the PWHD01 is simplicity itself. Once the transmission source and receiving screen have been wired via HDMI, the units can be powered up. A simple onscreen text display then informs that the devices are 'Linking'. By way of confirmation, a few moments later a Sky channel appeared on our second-floor set. The IR blaster enabled us to pull up the EPG, with little obvious delay. It was as if a fully functioning Sky box was connected. In terms of ease of use, the PWHD01 proved to be the best system on test. Prestigio says the Emporio can transmit 1080p HD resolution video across 25m, with 720p HD video reaching twice that. This wireless HDMI video sender uses Motion JPEG compression rather than an H.264 codec, but the results are not great. On received footage there were clear mosquito noise artefacts around fine detail (not present on the source material). Even worse, our Blu-ray test platter confirmed significant judder and skipping during rapid horizontal movement. This all added up to poor video performance. As with the Eminent iTrio EM7100, the Prestigio receiver outputs stereo only. Related Links
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| Review: Prestigio Emporio PWHD01 Posted: 03 Apr 2011 02:30 AM PDT With a name like Prestigio Emporio, this wireless sender appears to be trying a little too hard to impress – even its packaging is extravagant. But there is substance behind the style. Both transmitter and receiver have a pancaked Mac Mini-style design that is rather attractive. Build quality is good, although there is some creak in the plastic casings. Given how slim the units are, there's only room for a single HDMI connection on each. Also supplied in the box is an IR blaster and an HDMI lead. Thanks to the paucity of connections, hooking up the PWHD01 is simplicity itself. Once the transmission source and receiving screen have been wired via HDMI, the units can be powered up. A simple onscreen text display then informs that the devices are 'Linking'. By way of confirmation, a few moments later a Sky channel appeared on our second-floor set. The IR blaster enabled us to pull up the EPG, with little obvious delay. It was as if a fully functioning Sky box was connected. In terms of ease of use, the PWHD01 proved to be the best system on test. Prestigio says the Emporio can transmit 1080p HD resolution video across 25m, with 720p HD video reaching twice that. This wireless HDMI video sender uses Motion JPEG compression rather than an H.264 codec, but the results are not great. On received footage there were clear mosquito noise artefacts around fine detail (not present on the source material). Even worse, our Blu-ray test platter confirmed significant judder and skipping during rapid horizontal movement. This all added up to poor video performance. As with the Eminent iTrio EM7100, the Prestigio receiver outputs stereo only. Related Links
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| Review: Prestigio Emporio PWHD01 Posted: 03 Apr 2011 02:30 AM PDT With a name like Prestigio Emporio, this wireless sender appears to be trying a little too hard to impress – even its packaging is extravagant. But there is substance behind the style. Both transmitter and receiver have a pancaked Mac Mini-style design that is rather attractive. Build quality is good, although there is some creak in the plastic casings. Given how slim the units are, there's only room for a single HDMI connection on each. Also supplied in the box is an IR blaster and an HDMI lead. Thanks to the paucity of connections, hooking up the PWHD01 is simplicity itself. Once the transmission source and receiving screen have been wired via HDMI, the units can be powered up. A simple onscreen text display then informs that the devices are 'Linking'. By way of confirmation, a few moments later a Sky channel appeared on our second-floor set. The IR blaster enabled us to pull up the EPG, with little obvious delay. It was as if a fully functioning Sky box was connected. In terms of ease of use, the PWHD01 proved to be the best system on test. Prestigio says the Emporio can transmit 1080p HD resolution video across 25m, with 720p HD video reaching twice that. This wireless HDMI video sender uses Motion JPEG compression rather than an H.264 codec, but the results are not great. On received footage there were clear mosquito noise artefacts around fine detail (not present on the source material). Even worse, our Blu-ray test platter confirmed significant judder and skipping during rapid horizontal movement. This all added up to poor video performance. As with the Eminent iTrio EM7100, the Prestigio receiver outputs stereo only. Related Links
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| Buying Guide: 6 best photo editors and organisers for OS X Posted: 03 Apr 2011 02:00 AM PDT  You might think image editors such as Photoshop are the be-all and end-all of digital photography. But the more photos you take, the more the issue of organisation rears its head. You can file away a small amount of photos in named folders and be reasonably sure of being able to find them again. But when you run into thousands, filing problems take on a new dimension. This has led to a new type of all-in-one photo cataloguing and editing app, with iPhoto at one end of the spectrum and Aperture at the other. They also offer 'non-destructive' enhancements where the original photo is left untouched, and any adjustments are stored within the program's photo database instead. Picasa takes the same approach, while Lightroom is an 'alternative Photoshop' for photographers who need organising tools first and image-editing second. But you've still got classic image-editing apps like Photoshop and Elements, which are bundled with their own separate photo management programs. So which one of these is best? We've approached the problem from the point of view of amateur photographers looking for a combination of organising and editing tools, ease of use and value for money. And we think we've found a worthwhile winner… Apps on test Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 - £67 Test one: Picture management
Photoshop comes with Adobe Bridge, which has hidden depths. It can sort and filter photos according to keywords or metadata, and organise them into Collections. It can even stack related photos. Picasa is also a file browser, but while its professional appeal is limited, it's extremely good at fast keyword searches and can display your whole photo collection in a single window. But neither can really keep up with the others. We all know iPhoto, which is fast, simple and effective, but it doesn't offer stacking tools, and stores your photos in an internal filing system. The new Photoshop Elements Organizer is much better in that it works with your existing filing system and offers more transparent control. Top dogs, though, are Lightroom and Aperture. Lightroom is the easiest step up from an ordinary browser like Adobe Bridge since it shows your photos' folder locations, but Aperture can't be beaten for its speed, flexibility and interface.
Test two: Photo editing
The photo editing tools in iPhoto are effective at everyday image fixes, and you can have some fun with the Effects, but that's about all. Picasa looks equally simplistic, but you can actually do just a little more with your photos, thanks to things like the graduated tint and filtered black and white effects. Both use 'non-destructive' editing, where your changes are stored by the software rather than applied permanently to your photos. That's the approach taken by Lightroom and Aperture, too, but since these are professional apps it's no surprise to discover their editing tools are far ahead of iPhoto's and Picasa's. Aperture is terrific, but Lightroom has the edge, with new lens correction profiles and easy-to-use adjustment presets. But if you need layers, filters and other fullon image manipulation tools, you need an image-editor. Elements is a lot closer to Photoshop than people imagine, especially version 9, but Photoshop is still top dog.
Test three: Ease of use
This category is harder to judge because these programs all have flaws. iPhoto is the simplest, but little things can still trip you up (where exactly has it put your photos?). And despite being revised in the latest version, its geotagging/mapping tools are still hard to fathom. Picasa's problem is that it's a cross-platform app that uses an effective but odd folder display and management system quite unlike what Mac users will be accustomed to. Photoshop is, as you'd expect, very technical from the start, and while Elements is a lot better, it tries a bit too hard to help you - sheer choice becomes confusing. Aperture and Lightroom are professional apps, so you're dropped in at the deep end. But it doesn't take too long to figure out the basics. Aperture is the one with the most longterm flexibility, but you'll figure out Lightroom quickest, since it's not too big a step up from a file browser like Adobe Bridge, and the tools are less daunting.
Test four: Value for money Picasa looks like it's the best value for money since it's free, but then you could say the same for iPhoto, which is paid-for only if you upgrade from an older version. At the opposite end of the scale you've got the hugely expensive Photoshop, which doesn't do a whole lot more than Elements, at least as far as photography is concerned. In fact, given that the Organizer app supplied with Elements is actually more effective at organising photos than Adobe Bridge, Elements looks better still. But let's not rule out Aperture and Lightroom. Neither is cheap, but both are highly capable apps designed for pro photographers. Of the two, though, Aperture is the best value because it's significantly cheaper. In the end, though, we'll go for Elements. iPhoto and Picasa might cost nothing, but they lack depth and and you could soon outgrow them. Photoshop, Aperture and Lightroom deliver diminishing returns for amateur snappers.
The winner: Photoshop Elements 9
We were looking for the application that delivered the best all-round combination of photo organising and editing tools, ease of use and value for money, and the program that ticks all the boxes is Photoshop Elements 9. It offers a large proportion of Photoshop's image-editing tools at a fraction of the price, and the new Organiser app is powerful and simple. Its one disadvantage is its old-school approach-switching between two separate apps for the editing and organising functions. If this gets your goat, look at iPhoto and Picasa. They cater well for the beginner, but don't offer enough for enthusiasts, while Aperture and Lightroom cater very effectively for professional needs.
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| Posted: 03 Apr 2011 02:00 AM PDT  Pushed to receivers over the air or available from the Humax website (for USB transfer), TV Portal adds a degree of broadband-based functionality to Humax's Freeview HD boxes, starting with the HDR-Fox T2 PVR (at the time of writing, the HD-Fox T2 zapper was set to get TV Portal within weeks). Using this free upgrade requires getting your receiver online by hooking up its Ethernet port to your broadband connection or attaching a Humax W-LAN stick (£29 from Humax's web shop) via USB, which also allows for wireless media streaming from networked devices. If you're recording using either box, you can still use TV Portal regardless. The latest software also gives HDR-Fox T2 owners the ability to export recordings to remote storage via FTP (you'll need to transfer them back to directly connected storage to play), background delete and automatic file deletion options, the ability to modify multiple folders, SMS text entry and a power saving in standby option. Homebrew looks Accessed by pressing the TV Portal button on the handset or via the main menu, considering how slick the remaining software is (on the HDR-Fox T2 especially) the TV Portal interface looks incongruously 'homebrew'. There are two display modes. Full Mode has the current channel displayed top left with icons for each service on the right, while simple mode leaves the icons running in a bar along the bottom of the screen.
BBC iPlayer offers both radio and TV streaming. The interface (apparently grabbed from the BBC's 'big screen' online version and tweaked to better suit the receivers) presents a slideshow of highlights and thumbnails allowing you browse TV or radio, shows by channel or day shown, or use an onscreen keyboard to keyword search. There are normal or high-quality (HD) streams – all up-scaleable to 1080p. You can skip to the start or end using the remote, but not forward or rewind. The remaining applications aren't as slick. Wiki@TV repurposes Wikipedia pages with pictures in scrollable form with SMS-style searching enabled (useful for solving TV-related family arguments, perhaps). The Humax-created Flickr photo browser is limited, displaying a scrolling slideshow of newly added images which can be blown up. You can browse friends' libraries and mark favourites but not perform a general search. Better is the internet radio application, where you can search by category, country or keyword and mark favourites. Sky Player was not available at launch, but a sneak peek at the beta version revealed all the familiar features in place, including the Sky EPG. Future updates will include YouTube, shopping, and a Humax customer area with software downloads. Related Links
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| Posted: 03 Apr 2011 02:00 AM PDT Pushed to receivers over the air or available from the Humax website (for USB transfer), TV Portal adds a degree of broadband-based functionality to Humax's Freeview HD boxes, starting with the HDR-Fox T2 PVR (at the time of writing, the HD-Fox T2 zapper was set to get TV Portal within weeks). Using this free upgrade requires getting your receiver online by hooking up its Ethernet port to your broadband connection or attaching a Humax W-LAN stick (£29 from Humax's web shop) via USB, which also allows for wireless media streaming from networked devices. If you're recording using either box, you can still use TV Portal regardless. The latest software also gives HDR-Fox T2 owners the ability to export recordings to remote storage via FTP (you'll need to transfer them back to directly connected storage to play), background delete and automatic file deletion options, the ability to modify multiple folders, SMS text entry and a power saving in standby option. Homebrew looks Accessed by pressing the TV Portal button on the handset or via the main menu, considering how slick the remaining software is (on the HDR-Fox T2 especially) the TV Portal interface looks incongruously 'homebrew'. There are two display modes. Full Mode has the current channel displayed top left with icons for each service on the right, while simple mode leaves the icons running in a bar along the bottom of the screen.
BBC iPlayer offers both radio and TV streaming. The interface (apparently grabbed from the BBC's 'big screen' online version and tweaked to better suit the receivers) presents a slideshow of highlights and thumbnails allowing you browse TV or radio, shows by channel or day shown, or use an onscreen keyboard to keyword search. There are normal or high-quality (HD) streams – all up-scaleable to 1080p. You can skip to the start or end using the remote, but not forward or rewind. The remaining applications aren't as slick. Wiki@TV repurposes Wikipedia pages with pictures in scrollable form with SMS-style searching enabled (useful for solving TV-related family arguments, perhaps). The Humax-created Flickr photo browser is limited, displaying a scrolling slideshow of newly added images which can be blown up. You can browse friends' libraries and mark favourites but not perform a general search. Better is the internet radio application, where you can search by category, country or keyword and mark favourites. Sky Player was not available at launch, but a sneak peek at the beta version revealed all the familiar features in place, including the Sky EPG. Future updates will include YouTube, shopping, and a Humax customer area with software downloads. Related Links
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| Buying Guide: 6 best photo editors and organisers for OS X Posted: 03 Apr 2011 02:00 AM PDT You might think image editors such as Photoshop are the be-all and end-all of digital photography. But the more photos you take, the more the issue of organisation rears its head. You can file away a small amount of photos in named folders and be reasonably sure of being able to find them again. But when you run into thousands, filing problems take on a new dimension. This has led to a new type of all-in-one photo cataloguing and editing app, with iPhoto at one end of the spectrum and Aperture at the other. They also offer 'non-destructive' enhancements where the original photo is left untouched, and any adjustments are stored within the program's photo database instead. Picasa takes the same approach, while Lightroom is an 'alternative Photoshop' for photographers who need organising tools first and image-editing second. But you've still got classic image-editing apps like Photoshop and Elements, which are bundled with their own separate photo management programs. So which one of these is best? We've approached the problem from the point of view of amateur photographers looking for a combination of organising and editing tools, ease of use and value for money. And we think we've found a worthwhile winner… Apps on test Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 - £67 Test one: Picture management
Photoshop comes with Adobe Bridge, which has hidden depths. It can sort and filter photos according to keywords or metadata, and organise them into Collections. It can even stack related photos. Picasa is also a file browser, but while its professional appeal is limited, it's extremely good at fast keyword searches and can display your whole photo collection in a single window. But neither can really keep up with the others. We all know iPhoto, which is fast, simple and effective, but it doesn't offer stacking tools, and stores your photos in an internal filing system. The new Photoshop Elements Organizer is much better in that it works with your existing filing system and offers more transparent control. Top dogs, though, are Lightroom and Aperture. Lightroom is the easiest step up from an ordinary browser like Adobe Bridge since it shows your photos' folder locations, but Aperture can't be beaten for its speed, flexibility and interface.
Test two: Photo editing
The photo editing tools in iPhoto are effective at everyday image fixes, and you can have some fun with the Effects, but that's about all. Picasa looks equally simplistic, but you can actually do just a little more with your photos, thanks to things like the graduated tint and filtered black and white effects. Both use 'non-destructive' editing, where your changes are stored by the software rather than applied permanently to your photos. That's the approach taken by Lightroom and Aperture, too, but since these are professional apps it's no surprise to discover their editing tools are far ahead of iPhoto's and Picasa's. Aperture is terrific, but Lightroom has the edge, with new lens correction profiles and easy-to-use adjustment presets. But if you need layers, filters and other fullon image manipulation tools, you need an image-editor. Elements is a lot closer to Photoshop than people imagine, especially version 9, but Photoshop is still top dog.
Test three: Ease of use
This category is harder to judge because these programs all have flaws. iPhoto is the simplest, but little things can still trip you up (where exactly has it put your photos?). And despite being revised in the latest version, its geotagging/mapping tools are still hard to fathom. Picasa's problem is that it's a cross-platform app that uses an effective but odd folder display and management system quite unlike what Mac users will be accustomed to. Photoshop is, as you'd expect, very technical from the start, and while Elements is a lot better, it tries a bit too hard to help you - sheer choice becomes confusing. Aperture and Lightroom are professional apps, so you're dropped in at the deep end. But it doesn't take too long to figure out the basics. Aperture is the one with the most longterm flexibility, but you'll figure out Lightroom quickest, since it's not too big a step up from a file browser like Adobe Bridge, and the tools are less daunting.
Test four: Value for money Picasa looks like it's the best value for money since it's free, but then you could say the same for iPhoto, which is paid-for only if you upgrade from an older version. At the opposite end of the scale you've got the hugely expensive Photoshop, which doesn't do a whole lot more than Elements, at least as far as photography is concerned. In fact, given that the Organizer app supplied with Elements is actually more effective at organising photos than Adobe Bridge, Elements looks better still. But let's not rule out Aperture and Lightroom. Neither is cheap, but both are highly capable apps designed for pro photographers. Of the two, though, Aperture is the best value because it's significantly cheaper. In the end, though, we'll go for Elements. iPhoto and Picasa might cost nothing, but they lack depth and and you could soon outgrow them. Photoshop, Aperture and Lightroom deliver diminishing returns for amateur snappers.
The winner: Photoshop Elements 9
We were looking for the application that delivered the best all-round combination of photo organising and editing tools, ease of use and value for money, and the program that ticks all the boxes is Photoshop Elements 9. It offers a large proportion of Photoshop's image-editing tools at a fraction of the price, and the new Organiser app is powerful and simple. Its one disadvantage is its old-school approach-switching between two separate apps for the editing and organising functions. If this gets your goat, look at iPhoto and Picasa. They cater well for the beginner, but don't offer enough for enthusiasts, while Aperture and Lightroom cater very effectively for professional needs.
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| Buying Guide: 6 best photo editors and organisers for OS X Posted: 03 Apr 2011 02:00 AM PDT You might think image editors such as Photoshop are the be-all and end-all of digital photography. But the more photos you take, the more the issue of organisation rears its head. You can file away a small amount of photos in named folders and be reasonably sure of being able to find them again. But when you run into thousands, filing problems take on a new dimension. This has led to a new type of all-in-one photo cataloguing and editing app, with iPhoto at one end of the spectrum and Aperture at the other. They also offer 'non-destructive' enhancements where the original photo is left untouched, and any adjustments are stored within the program's photo database instead. Picasa takes the same approach, while Lightroom is an 'alternative Photoshop' for photographers who need organising tools first and image-editing second. But you've still got classic image-editing apps like Photoshop and Elements, which are bundled with their own separate photo management programs. So which one of these is best? We've approached the problem from the point of view of amateur photographers looking for a combination of organising and editing tools, ease of use and value for money. And we think we've found a worthwhile winner… Apps on test Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 - £67 Test one: Picture management
Photoshop comes with Adobe Bridge, which has hidden depths. It can sort and filter photos according to keywords or metadata, and organise them into Collections. It can even stack related photos. Picasa is also a file browser, but while its professional appeal is limited, it's extremely good at fast keyword searches and can display your whole photo collection in a single window. But neither can really keep up with the others. We all know iPhoto, which is fast, simple and effective, but it doesn't offer stacking tools, and stores your photos in an internal filing system. The new Photoshop Elements Organizer is much better in that it works with your existing filing system and offers more transparent control. Top dogs, though, are Lightroom and Aperture. Lightroom is the easiest step up from an ordinary browser like Adobe Bridge since it shows your photos' folder locations, but Aperture can't be beaten for its speed, flexibility and interface.
Test two: Photo editing
The photo editing tools in iPhoto are effective at everyday image fixes, and you can have some fun with the Effects, but that's about all. Picasa looks equally simplistic, but you can actually do just a little more with your photos, thanks to things like the graduated tint and filtered black and white effects. Both use 'non-destructive' editing, where your changes are stored by the software rather than applied permanently to your photos. That's the approach taken by Lightroom and Aperture, too, but since these are professional apps it's no surprise to discover their editing tools are far ahead of iPhoto's and Picasa's. Aperture is terrific, but Lightroom has the edge, with new lens correction profiles and easy-to-use adjustment presets. But if you need layers, filters and other fullon image manipulation tools, you need an image-editor. Elements is a lot closer to Photoshop than people imagine, especially version 9, but Photoshop is still top dog.
Test three: Ease of use
This category is harder to judge because these programs all have flaws. iPhoto is the simplest, but little things can still trip you up (where exactly has it put your photos?). And despite being revised in the latest version, its geotagging/mapping tools are still hard to fathom. Picasa's problem is that it's a cross-platform app that uses an effective but odd folder display and management system quite unlike what Mac users will be accustomed to. Photoshop is, as you'd expect, very technical from the start, and while Elements is a lot better, it tries a bit too hard to help you - sheer choice becomes confusing. Aperture and Lightroom are professional apps, so you're dropped in at the deep end. But it doesn't take too long to figure out the basics. Aperture is the one with the most longterm flexibility, but you'll figure out Lightroom quickest, since it's not too big a step up from a file browser like Adobe Bridge, and the tools are less daunting.
Test four: Value for money Picasa looks like it's the best value for money since it's free, but then you could say the same for iPhoto, which is paid-for only if you upgrade from an older version. At the opposite end of the scale you've got the hugely expensive Photoshop, which doesn't do a whole lot more than Elements, at least as far as photography is concerned. In fact, given that the Organizer app supplied with Elements is actually more effective at organising photos than Adobe Bridge, Elements looks better still. But let's not rule out Aperture and Lightroom. Neither is cheap, but both are highly capable apps designed for pro photographers. Of the two, though, Aperture is the best value because it's significantly cheaper. In the end, though, we'll go for Elements. iPhoto and Picasa might cost nothing, but they lack depth and and you could soon outgrow them. Photoshop, Aperture and Lightroom deliver diminishing returns for amateur snappers.
The winner: Photoshop Elements 9
We were looking for the application that delivered the best all-round combination of photo organising and editing tools, ease of use and value for money, and the program that ticks all the boxes is Photoshop Elements 9. It offers a large proportion of Photoshop's image-editing tools at a fraction of the price, and the new Organiser app is powerful and simple. Its one disadvantage is its old-school approach-switching between two separate apps for the editing and organising functions. If this gets your goat, look at iPhoto and Picasa. They cater well for the beginner, but don't offer enough for enthusiasts, while Aperture and Lightroom cater very effectively for professional needs.
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| Posted: 03 Apr 2011 02:00 AM PDT Pushed to receivers over the air or available from the Humax website (for USB transfer), TV Portal adds a degree of broadband-based functionality to Humax's Freeview HD boxes, starting with the HDR-Fox T2 PVR (at the time of writing, the HD-Fox T2 zapper was set to get TV Portal within weeks). Using this free upgrade requires getting your receiver online by hooking up its Ethernet port to your broadband connection or attaching a Humax W-LAN stick (£29 from Humax's web shop) via USB, which also allows for wireless media streaming from networked devices. If you're recording using either box, you can still use TV Portal regardless. The latest software also gives HDR-Fox T2 owners the ability to export recordings to remote storage via FTP (you'll need to transfer them back to directly connected storage to play), background delete and automatic file deletion options, the ability to modify multiple folders, SMS text entry and a power saving in standby option. Homebrew looks Accessed by pressing the TV Portal button on the handset or via the main menu, considering how slick the remaining software is (on the HDR-Fox T2 especially) the TV Portal interface looks incongruously 'homebrew'. There are two display modes. Full Mode has the current channel displayed top left with icons for each service on the right, while simple mode leaves the icons running in a bar along the bottom of the screen.
BBC iPlayer offers both radio and TV streaming. The interface (apparently grabbed from the BBC's 'big screen' online version and tweaked to better suit the receivers) presents a slideshow of highlights and thumbnails allowing you browse TV or radio, shows by channel or day shown, or use an onscreen keyboard to keyword search. There are normal or high-quality (HD) streams – all up-scaleable to 1080p. You can skip to the start or end using the remote, but not forward or rewind. The remaining applications aren't as slick. Wiki@TV repurposes Wikipedia pages with pictures in scrollable form with SMS-style searching enabled (useful for solving TV-related family arguments, perhaps). The Humax-created Flickr photo browser is limited, displaying a scrolling slideshow of newly added images which can be blown up. You can browse friends' libraries and mark favourites but not perform a general search. Better is the internet radio application, where you can search by category, country or keyword and mark favourites. Sky Player was not available at launch, but a sneak peek at the beta version revealed all the familiar features in place, including the Sky EPG. Future updates will include YouTube, shopping, and a Humax customer area with software downloads. Related Links
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| Posted: 03 Apr 2011 01:30 AM PDT  Just over two years ago, Dream Multimedia launched its DM800 HD – a hi-def receiver into which a 2.5-inch hard drive could be fitted, thereby turning it into a single-tuner PVR. We were reasonably impressed with the overall functionality of this compact unit, which occupied much the same volume as a large paperback. Running the popular Enigma2 firmware, its replacement capitalises on two years of technology progress. A key difference to its predecessor is that the processor has been upgraded from 300MHz to 400MHz, which should aid responsiveness. The OLED display has been upgraded to colour, and you now get a 'true' HDMI port instead of DVI. Appearance and connectivity In other respects, the two receivers are very similar. The DM800 HD SE is slightly larger than its predecessor (225mm x 145mm x 52mm) although both are rounded off with near-identical glossy frontages. As only a standby button is provided, you'll need the UEI-made handset (which is also compatible with many brands of TV) to operate the unit. The presence of that tiny display, which is bright but can only be read close up, does allow you to sequence through radio stations without having to power up your TV. Under a flap is the twin card-reader – which, by default, supports the Dreamcrypt conditional access system. With different firmware or plug-ins it could support different CAMs; no CI slot is present. The DM800 HD se is powered by an external 12V mains unit. An advantage of this separates approach is cooler running, and that the receiver could be powered from a suitable 12V DC source – a moot point for travellers. That said, there's a quiet top-mounted cooling fan whose running speed can be changed in the setup menus. The single tuner, as before, is pluggable. You get a single DVB-S/S2 tuner which can be replaced with a digital terrestrial or cable one. Indeed, Dream supplies a replacement rear-panel for this very eventuality. What a pity that the included satellite tuner lacks the loopthrough output of the original DM800 HD – that surely ranks as a downgrade? The limited rear panel space bristles with connectivity. It's possible to switch the (single) Scart output between composite, S-video, component (up to 1080i) and RGB – all accompanied by stereo audio. Then there's HDMI, which is recommended for the best results with modern displays. In addition to the usual modes (720p/1080i – no 1080p here) are resolutions optimised for PC monitors. If for some reason you don't want to install a hard drive inside the machine, operation with external drives is allowed.
To this end, we're provided with an external SATA (eSATA) terminal and two USB ports (the latter cannot be used for recording). A third mini-USB port is intended solely for 'service' functions like firmware upgrades – the RS232 port of the old DM800 HD is gone. Finally, we have Ethernet, an analogue modem jack and a digital audio output. Setup Installing a hard drive is a five-minute job – not least because only a single power/data connector needs to be plugged into your 2.5-inch SATA drive, which screws to an internal bracket.
As mentioned, the DM800 HD se is pre-installed with the Enigma2 firmware. A series of wizards painlessly guides you through the process of installing the receiver. They cover language, TV system, time zone, initial dish/DiSEqC configuration and searching for channels – all parameters that can be modified later if desired. A key advantage of the Dreambox/Enigma approach is its plug-in architecture. There are many of these, serving a range of different applications. Among those included out of the box is a handy test-pattern generator to help you optimise display contrast and brightness. Another is dedicated to positioners. Indeed, the DiSEqC capabilities are good; in addition to 1.2, this receiver supports USALS and simple 1.0 switchboxes. All of the usual controls for dish movement are present. Searching can cover single transponders or complete satellites – you can also tell the receiver to search for all channels or just FTA ones. There's also an included satfinder plug-in that boasts large signal strength/quality bar graphs for the chosen transponder. Manual searching facilities are somewhat sparse; although FEC can be modified, Enigma2 doesn't allow PID entry. Also regrettable is the lack of blind search. It's a pity that no plug-in yet exists for this. Automated multiple-satellite searches are, however, permitted. Other menus cover different aspects of configuration. In the AV menu you can choose various resolutions, refresh rates and aspect-ratio defaults – lip-sync, audio modes and upscaling sharpness are also adjustable here. Then there are functions like parental-control, plug-ininstallation, user-interface customisation and readying (formatting) the HDD for recording. Basic use As with other Enigma-based receivers, channels are arranged in lists known as bouquets. These are accessed in a channel selection menu, from which the list can be sorted alphabetically, by satellite/provider bouquets, or 'favourites'. It's easy to modify bouquets according to preference. After selecting a channel, pressing the 'info' button yields an EPG-derived description of the current programme. A cool feature here is that you're alerted to 'similar broadcasts', depending on the available EPG data.
Talking of which, an EPG (another plug-in) which supports now-and-next and seven-day schedules, is also accessible from here offering two modes. The first focuses on one channel's schedule, while the other allows you to see what multiple channels are offering within a given time slot. If the relevant EPG data is in the machine, the name of the programme currently being broadcast by the channel is presented adjacently – together with a running-time 'bar graph'. Recordings can be scheduled via the EPG – manual timer programming and 'instant' recording are offered as alternatives. PVR and multimedia With one tuner on board, you can watch and record different channels provided that both are on the same transponder. In the channel list the restricted number of available services are highlighted. Not as flexible as a full-blown twin-tuner PVR, but worthwhile, nevertheless. When a recording is in progress you can view either this or an existing one – the 'video' button displays the list of available recordings. Timeshifting is engaged by pressing pause; playback can be resumed at your convenience, and the transport controls used to skip ads. Another of the included plug-ins is a powerful media player. Content stored on USB media can be played – or you could transfer multimedia files across to the HDD via FTP. Another plug-in adds network browsing/file streaming.
It may be compatible with a wide range of content that includes DivX/XviD, MPEG, mkv/x.264 and MP3 audio, but the media player isn't perfect. Some content doesn't fill the screen because it's being displayed at native resolution, and there's no zoom function. Quite unintuitively, a separate 'PicturePlayer' plug-in is required for photos. Moving back to the positives, another key advantage of Enigma2 is the web interface plug-in. Channels can be remotely selected from here – you can also start or stop recording, access EPG info and schedule timer events. If you have VLC Media Player installed on your computer, then you can remotely view the currently tuned channel in a window. Existing recordings stored on the external HDD can also be streamed or downloaded via the network – even while the machine records another programme. Other plug-ins cater for a wide range of possibilities. Among them are YouTube, internet radio, video editing, Google Maps and AV sync adjustment.
However, we couldn't manually install any from the relevant 'manage extensions' menu and none of the currently available plug-ins will synchronise the receiver's clock to a user-defined TV channel or internet time server. That's a pity, because the review unit's clock ran so spectacularly fast that its timer was close to useless. It gained a shocking 20 minutes overnight! Performance Shoddy timekeeping, recalcitrant plug-ins and media playback scaling issues apart, the DM800 HD SE performed well. As with the DM500 HD, the tuner reliably held onto channels from Astra 1x and Hot Bird. Not much of an issue, you might think, but the test in question involved a 45cm dish, multi-LNB and weather that was less than ideal. The user interface, menu system and channel selection were all found to be very responsive – a benefit of the faster processor. Searching was reasonably fast, although there were occasional pauses. We suspect that there's a connection with DVB-S2 services here. AV quality, from SD and HD channels, is excellent – especially via HDMI. Related Links
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| Posted: 03 Apr 2011 01:30 AM PDT Just over two years ago, Dream Multimedia launched its DM800 HD – a hi-def receiver into which a 2.5-inch hard drive could be fitted, thereby turning it into a single-tuner PVR. We were reasonably impressed with the overall functionality of this compact unit, which occupied much the same volume as a large paperback. Running the popular Enigma2 firmware, its replacement capitalises on two years of technology progress. A key difference to its predecessor is that the processor has been upgraded from 300MHz to 400MHz, which should aid responsiveness. The OLED display has been upgraded to colour, and you now get a 'true' HDMI port instead of DVI. Appearance and connectivity In other respects, the two receivers are very similar. The DM800 HD SE is slightly larger than its predecessor (225mm x 145mm x 52mm) although both are rounded off with near-identical glossy frontages. As only a standby button is provided, you'll need the UEI-made handset (which is also compatible with many brands of TV) to operate the unit. The presence of that tiny display, which is bright but can only be read close up, does allow you to sequence through radio stations without having to power up your TV. Under a flap is the twin card-reader – which, by default, supports the Dreamcrypt conditional access system. With different firmware or plug-ins it could support different CAMs; no CI slot is present. The DM800 HD se is powered by an external 12V mains unit. An advantage of this separates approach is cooler running, and that the receiver could be powered from a suitable 12V DC source – a moot point for travellers. That said, there's a quiet top-mounted cooling fan whose running speed can be changed in the setup menus. The single tuner, as before, is pluggable. You get a single DVB-S/S2 tuner which can be replaced with a digital terrestrial or cable one. Indeed, Dream supplies a replacement rear-panel for this very eventuality. What a pity that the included satellite tuner lacks the loopthrough output of the original DM800 HD – that surely ranks as a downgrade? The limited rear panel space bristles with connectivity. It's possible to switch the (single) Scart output between composite, S-video, component (up to 1080i) and RGB – all accompanied by stereo audio. Then there's HDMI, which is recommended for the best results with modern displays. In addition to the usual modes (720p/1080i – no 1080p here) are resolutions optimised for PC monitors. If for some reason you don't want to install a hard drive inside the machine, operation with external drives is allowed.
To this end, we're provided with an external SATA (eSATA) terminal and two USB ports (the latter cannot be used for recording). A third mini-USB port is intended solely for 'service' functions like firmware upgrades – the RS232 port of the old DM800 HD is gone. Finally, we have Ethernet, an analogue modem jack and a digital audio output. Setup Installing a hard drive is a five-minute job – not least because only a single power/data connector needs to be plugged into your 2.5-inch SATA drive, which screws to an internal bracket.
As mentioned, the DM800 HD se is pre-installed with the Enigma2 firmware. A series of wizards painlessly guides you through the process of installing the receiver. They cover language, TV system, time zone, initial dish/DiSEqC configuration and searching for channels – all parameters that can be modified later if desired. A key advantage of the Dreambox/Enigma approach is its plug-in architecture. There are many of these, serving a range of different applications. Among those included out of the box is a handy test-pattern generator to help you optimise display contrast and brightness. Another is dedicated to positioners. Indeed, the DiSEqC capabilities are good; in addition to 1.2, this receiver supports USALS and simple 1.0 switchboxes. All of the usual controls for dish movement are present. Searching can cover single transponders or complete satellites – you can also tell the receiver to search for all channels or just FTA ones. There's also an included satfinder plug-in that boasts large signal strength/quality bar graphs for the chosen transponder. Manual searching facilities are somewhat sparse; although FEC can be modified, Enigma2 doesn't allow PID entry. Also regrettable is the lack of blind search. It's a pity that no plug-in yet exists for this. Automated multiple-satellite searches are, however, permitted. Other menus cover different aspects of configuration. In the AV menu you can choose various resolutions, refresh rates and aspect-ratio defaults – lip-sync, audio modes and upscaling sharpness are also adjustable here. Then there are functions like parental-control, plug-ininstallation, user-interface customisation and readying (formatting) the HDD for recording. Basic use As with other Enigma-based receivers, channels are arranged in lists known as bouquets. These are accessed in a channel selection menu, from which the list can be sorted alphabetically, by satellite/provider bouquets, or 'favourites'. It's easy to modify bouquets according to preference. After selecting a channel, pressing the 'info' button yields an EPG-derived description of the current programme. A cool feature here is that you're alerted to 'similar broadcasts', depending on the available EPG data.
Talking of which, an EPG (another plug-in) which supports now-and-next and seven-day schedules, is also accessible from here offering two modes. The first focuses on one channel's schedule, while the other allows you to see what multiple channels are offering within a given time slot. If the relevant EPG data is in the machine, the name of the programme currently being broadcast by the channel is presented adjacently – together with a running-time 'bar graph'. Recordings can be scheduled via the EPG – manual timer programming and 'instant' recording are offered as alternatives. PVR and multimedia With one tuner on board, you can watch and record different channels provided that both are on the same transponder. In the channel list the restricted number of available services are highlighted. Not as flexible as a full-blown twin-tuner PVR, but worthwhile, nevertheless. When a recording is in progress you can view either this or an existing one – the 'video' button displays the list of available recordings. Timeshifting is engaged by pressing pause; playback can be resumed at your convenience, and the transport controls used to skip ads. Another of the included plug-ins is a powerful media player. Content stored on USB media can be played – or you could transfer multimedia files across to the HDD via FTP. Another plug-in adds network browsing/file streaming.
It may be compatible with a wide range of content that includes DivX/XviD, MPEG, mkv/x.264 and MP3 audio, but the media player isn't perfect. Some content doesn't fill the screen because it's being displayed at native resolution, and there's no zoom function. Quite unintuitively, a separate 'PicturePlayer' plug-in is required for photos. Moving back to the positives, another key advantage of Enigma2 is the web interface plug-in. Channels can be remotely selected from here – you can also start or stop recording, access EPG info and schedule timer events. If you have VLC Media Player installed on your computer, then you can remotely view the currently tuned channel in a window. Existing recordings stored on the external HDD can also be streamed or downloaded via the network – even while the machine records another programme. Other plug-ins cater for a wide range of possibilities. Among them are YouTube, internet radio, video editing, Google Maps and AV sync adjustment.
However, we couldn't manually install any from the relevant 'manage extensions' menu and none of the currently available plug-ins will synchronise the receiver's clock to a user-defined TV channel or internet time server. That's a pity, because the review unit's clock ran so spectacularly fast that its timer was close to useless. It gained a shocking 20 minutes overnight! Performance Shoddy timekeeping, recalcitrant plug-ins and media playback scaling issues apart, the DM800 HD SE performed well. As with the DM500 HD, the tuner reliably held onto channels from Astra 1x and Hot Bird. Not much of an issue, you might think, but the test in question involved a 45cm dish, multi-LNB and weather that was less than ideal. The user interface, menu system and channel selection were all found to be very responsive – a benefit of the faster processor. Searching was reasonably fast, although there were occasional pauses. We suspect that there's a connection with DVB-S2 services here. AV quality, from SD and HD channels, is excellent – especially via HDMI. Related Links
| ||||||||
| Posted: 03 Apr 2011 01:30 AM PDT Just over two years ago, Dream Multimedia launched its DM800 HD – a hi-def receiver into which a 2.5-inch hard drive could be fitted, thereby turning it into a single-tuner PVR. We were reasonably impressed with the overall functionality of this compact unit, which occupied much the same volume as a large paperback. Running the popular Enigma2 firmware, its replacement capitalises on two years of technology progress. A key difference to its predecessor is that the processor has been upgraded from 300MHz to 400MHz, which should aid responsiveness. The OLED display has been upgraded to colour, and you now get a 'true' HDMI port instead of DVI. Appearance and connectivity In other respects, the two receivers are very similar. The DM800 HD SE is slightly larger than its predecessor (225mm x 145mm x 52mm) although both are rounded off with near-identical glossy frontages. As only a standby button is provided, you'll need the UEI-made handset (which is also compatible with many brands of TV) to operate the unit. The presence of that tiny display, which is bright but can only be read close up, does allow you to sequence through radio stations without having to power up your TV. Under a flap is the twin card-reader – which, by default, supports the Dreamcrypt conditional access system. With different firmware or plug-ins it could support different CAMs; no CI slot is present. The DM800 HD se is powered by an external 12V mains unit. An advantage of this separates approach is cooler running, and that the receiver could be powered from a suitable 12V DC source – a moot point for travellers. That said, there's a quiet top-mounted cooling fan whose running speed can be changed in the setup menus. The single tuner, as before, is pluggable. You get a single DVB-S/S2 tuner which can be replaced with a digital terrestrial or cable one. Indeed, Dream supplies a replacement rear-panel for this very eventuality. What a pity that the included satellite tuner lacks the loopthrough output of the original DM800 HD – that surely ranks as a downgrade? The limited rear panel space bristles with connectivity. It's possible to switch the (single) Scart output between composite, S-video, component (up to 1080i) and RGB – all accompanied by stereo audio. Then there's HDMI, which is recommended for the best results with modern displays. In addition to the usual modes (720p/1080i – no 1080p here) are resolutions optimised for PC monitors. If for some reason you don't want to install a hard drive inside the machine, operation with external drives is allowed.
To this end, we're provided with an external SATA (eSATA) terminal and two USB ports (the latter cannot be used for recording). A third mini-USB port is intended solely for 'service' functions like firmware upgrades – the RS232 port of the old DM800 HD is gone. Finally, we have Ethernet, an analogue modem jack and a digital audio output. Setup Installing a hard drive is a five-minute job – not least because only a single power/data connector needs to be plugged into your 2.5-inch SATA drive, which screws to an internal bracket.
As mentioned, the DM800 HD se is pre-installed with the Enigma2 firmware. A series of wizards painlessly guides you through the process of installing the receiver. They cover language, TV system, time zone, initial dish/DiSEqC configuration and searching for channels – all parameters that can be modified later if desired. A key advantage of the Dreambox/Enigma approach is its plug-in architecture. There are many of these, serving a range of different applications. Among those included out of the box is a handy test-pattern generator to help you optimise display contrast and brightness. Another is dedicated to positioners. Indeed, the DiSEqC capabilities are good; in addition to 1.2, this receiver supports USALS and simple 1.0 switchboxes. All of the usual controls for dish movement are present. Searching can cover single transponders or complete satellites – you can also tell the receiver to search for all channels or just FTA ones. There's also an included satfinder plug-in that boasts large signal strength/quality bar graphs for the chosen transponder. Manual searching facilities are somewhat sparse; although FEC can be modified, Enigma2 doesn't allow PID entry. Also regrettable is the lack of blind search. It's a pity that no plug-in yet exists for this. Automated multiple-satellite searches are, however, permitted. Other menus cover different aspects of configuration. In the AV menu you can choose various resolutions, refresh rates and aspect-ratio defaults – lip-sync, audio modes and upscaling sharpness are also adjustable here. Then there are functions like parental-control, plug-ininstallation, user-interface customisation and readying (formatting) the HDD for recording. Basic use As with other Enigma-based receivers, channels are arranged in lists known as bouquets. These are accessed in a channel selection menu, from which the list can be sorted alphabetically, by satellite/provider bouquets, or 'favourites'. It's easy to modify bouquets according to preference. After selecting a channel, pressing the 'info' button yields an EPG-derived description of the current programme. A cool feature here is that you're alerted to 'similar broadcasts', depending on the available EPG data.
Talking of which, an EPG (another plug-in) which supports now-and-next and seven-day schedules, is also accessible from here offering two modes. The first focuses on one channel's schedule, while the other allows you to see what multiple channels are offering within a given time slot. If the relevant EPG data is in the machine, the name of the programme currently being broadcast by the channel is presented adjacently – together with a running-time 'bar graph'. Recordings can be scheduled via the EPG – manual timer programming and 'instant' recording are offered as alternatives. PVR and multimedia With one tuner on board, you can watch and record different channels provided that both are on the same transponder. In the channel list the restricted number of available services are highlighted. Not as flexible as a full-blown twin-tuner PVR, but worthwhile, nevertheless. When a recording is in progress you can view either this or an existing one – the 'video' button displays the list of available recordings. Timeshifting is engaged by pressing pause; playback can be resumed at your convenience, and the transport controls used to skip ads. Another of the included plug-ins is a powerful media player. Content stored on USB media can be played – or you could transfer multimedia files across to the HDD via FTP. Another plug-in adds network browsing/file streaming.
It may be compatible with a wide range of content that includes DivX/XviD, MPEG, mkv/x.264 and MP3 audio, but the media player isn't perfect. Some content doesn't fill the screen because it's being displayed at native resolution, and there's no zoom function. Quite unintuitively, a separate 'PicturePlayer' plug-in is required for photos. Moving back to the positives, another key advantage of Enigma2 is the web interface plug-in. Channels can be remotely selected from here – you can also start or stop recording, access EPG info and schedule timer events. If you have VLC Media Player installed on your computer, then you can remotely view the currently tuned channel in a window. Existing recordings stored on the external HDD can also be streamed or downloaded via the network – even while the machine records another programme. Other plug-ins cater for a wide range of possibilities. Among them are YouTube, internet radio, video editing, Google Maps and AV sync adjustment.
However, we couldn't manually install any from the relevant 'manage extensions' menu and none of the currently available plug-ins will synchronise the receiver's clock to a user-defined TV channel or internet time server. That's a pity, because the review unit's clock ran so spectacularly fast that its timer was close to useless. It gained a shocking 20 minutes overnight! Performance Shoddy timekeeping, recalcitrant plug-ins and media playback scaling issues apart, the DM800 HD SE performed well. As with the DM500 HD, the tuner reliably held onto channels from Astra 1x and Hot Bird. Not much of an issue, you might think, but the test in question involved a 45cm dish, multi-LNB and weather that was less than ideal. The user interface, menu system and channel selection were all found to be very responsive – a benefit of the faster processor. Searching was reasonably fast, although there were occasional pauses. We suspect that there's a connection with DVB-S2 services here. AV quality, from SD and HD channels, is excellent – especially via HDMI. Related Links
| ||||||||
| In Depth: How to get a career in open source Posted: 03 Apr 2011 12:34 AM PDT  Many people are absolutely enthralled by Linux and open source, and what could be better than taking your hobby and making it your career? Is it really possible that you could be paid to do something that you love? In this article, I'm going to share some tips and advice on how to get your dream open source job. I'm going to discuss the kinds of opportunities that are available, how you can set yourself apart from the pack and ways of making your CV stand out. I'm also going to throw in some personal experiences and anecdotes that may help you move towards being gainfully employed in the open source industry. The good news is that the open source world is brimming with opportunities for many different kinds of roles. While you might worry that companies are only looking for programmers who can code C with one hand tied behind their back, this isn't actually the case. Programmers, artists, designers, documentation writers, testers, business development and sales, plus many more, are all options available to you. The challenge isn't finding the right job; it's putting yourself in a position in which you have everything the employer could possibly want in a candidate. Part of the reason that I was keen to write this article is that I'm lucky enough to have my dream open source job: I work as Ubuntu's community manager. Not only this, but I've also had two other dream jobs too, as both a full-time journalist and professional open source consultant. It really is possible to get the gig you want - it's all down to hard work and effort. Finding the jobs The first thing you should do is get a firm idea of what kinds of roles are available and what they involve, as well as whether they interest you and match your skills. While I'd always encourage you to expand your horizons, when you go for a job the employer wants to know that you have a strong foundation in the role they're looking to fill. If you're expecting to be able to find a job and learn what's needed to do it as you go along, you're going to struggle unless you soak up knowledge and skills like a sponge. To prevent this, always look for jobs that play to your primary skills. To find out what jobs are available, you should first take a look at the websites of organisations that you'd love to work for. Would you want to work for a Linux distributor, for instance? If so, check the careers pages of Canonical, Red Hat, Novell, Mandriva and others. Note down the jobs that interest you and read their requirements carefully. Here's my first tip: really, really read the job requirements. There's nothing more infuriating than reading an application from a candidate who clearly didn't read the job description. Also, listen to those requirements and honestly assess whether you fit them - if the employer's looking for five years of Python programming experience and you only have a year's worth, don't apply anyway thinking you can change the company's mind. You want to avoid getting a black mark against your name for future job opportunities. Employment websites are another place to look for jobs. Bear in mind, though, that many hiring managers only ever post roles to employment websites if posting them publicly on the company website and spreading the word themselves yields few decent candidates. In such situations, you might find that the hiring manager is a little more anxious to get the role filled, but will arguably have a lot more candidates. This is why I always recommend you keep a keen eye on company websites for new positions as they open up. Experience Many of us face the same question at one point or another in our careers: all jobs seem to require lots of experience, but if you can't get a job because you don't have enough experience, how do you get the experience in the first place? Fortunately, this is the area in which you have quite possibly the biggest opportunity open to you. The very nature of the open source community is that it's one in which anyone is welcome to participate. If you're new, there's always someone who's keen to help you learn the ropes. If you don't have the necessary experience for the jobs you want, now is the time to get some - and the open source community is a wonderful place to do this. Let's look at an example - imagine you want to be a programmer. There are thousands of projects out there that are crying out for help. Get involved, and get some code included. When you have more experience with the project, work on a new feature and get it included. All of this experience of writing code that hits the mark is great for your CV. This reminds me of a story I heard some years back of a smart young kid who was desperately trying to get his break and find a job. He had no commercial programming experience, left school when he was 16 and had a pretty thin CV. Unfortunately, the guy that interviewed him was an arrogant, disrespectful idiot who immediately started dragging this kid over the coals and accusing him of wasting his time. When the interviewer rather pointedly asked what experience he had and why he should get the job, the kid pointed to the Firefox window running on the interviewer's computer and proceeded to tell him which features he had contributed to. He got the job for two reasons. Firstly, he'd demonstrated his capabilities by using open source and community development as a place to both improve these skills and to help a project. He had real code included in a product used by millions of people, and he had worked with people and processes in order to achieve this. That was only half of what impressed the interviewer, though: the other reason is that he'd shown the foresight to get out there and get experience for himself. This kid wasn't just seen as a talented programmer, but also as having the golden ticket that all hiring managers are looking for: a combination of personal and professional motivation. This is one of the most wonderful opportunities offered by free and open source software. We have a global network of projects that not only provides a stunning place to learn new technologies and collaborate with leaders in those fields, but also provides a means of demonstrating your personal sense of motivation. You have the chance to further your life, while all the time helping to make free and open source software better for other users. As such, the strongest piece of advice I can provide in this entire article is for you to get out there and contribute to some open source projects. Get stuck into projects, participate in public discussions (these show how good you are at working with other people), handle conflict and disagreements professionally and politely, and build up a growing list of projects that you can cite as using your contributions. Being able to walk into an interview and tell someone that millions of people are using your code already gets you into the category of applicants to be taken seriously. This piece of advice does have one caveat, though: if you're going to participate, make sure that your contributions are significant and sustained. Providing 100 examples of projects you've worked on where each only represents a few minor contributions before you got bored and moved on doesn't send the desired message. You want to prove that you have an eye for detail and a commitment to solving real problems in a long-term way, and being a drive-by contributor doesn't show that. If I were interviewing someone, I'd much rather see two or three examples of solid sets of contributions, in which they'd delivered significant value and had the respect of their peers in the community. This sends out a much stronger and more positive message. There's one final positive to note about carrying out significant, sustained work for a project - it will build your reputation. So many people get their dream jobs because they have a positive reputation for great work in a community. Many people I know started out by hanging around on IRC channels and mailing lists, contributing to open source projects. They were then often offered jobs as a result of their community credentials and achievements. Show professionalism In this modern world of social media, where a constant flurry of information surrounds us, the traditional approach of separating our professional and personal lives has been thrown out of the window. Back in the old days, you were in professional mode when you put the suit on, and when the suit came off, it was time for five rounds of Sonic The Hedgehog and a box of wine. There was a clear distinction between work and play. Today, things are different. Most of us use Facebook, Twitter, Identica, Linked In and other sites, and many of these can easily intermingle the two. Facebook is a great example of how it can get complicated. I know many people who have started on Facebook with a policy of adding only friends and family. If only it were that simple. What about colleagues that you're friends with? If a colleague adds you as a friend on Facebook, it's going to feel awkward when you deny the request and tell them that you don't accept colleagues. As such, what typically happens is that a fairly locked-down profile page ultimately gets filled with work colleagues, blurring the dividing line between the two. I've always been of the view that you should be who you are, both at work and at home. I've always been happy to share my personal life professionally, and vice versa. I still have much to learn in the world, but I'm happy for my professional peers and the community at large to know that I listen to metal, that I love my wife and that I enjoy playing gigs with my band. Those characteristics are not things that I can switch off - they're defining ingredients in what makes me who I am. The trick isn't segregating the people in your life into different groups, it's being sensible and conscious of how you communicate to the group as a whole and in different places. This is even more important in the open source world. The open source community is exactly that - a community. It's a set of professional relationships, but also a set of relationships that were forged and furthered in bars, at social events and in other casual environments. Our social nature is what makes our community so much fun to be a part of - don't hide that too much under a professional veneer. Your CV: a foot in the door Ever since I became a manager and started hiring people, I've felt privileged to know what it's like to be on the other side of the interview desk. I almost wish that everyone had the opportunity to know what it's like to hire people, because it helps you to understand and fix deficiencies in your own approach when applying for a job. Not everyone has an opportunity to learn these things, so I'll share some of the most important things to focus on when hunting out your dream job. The first area of focus absolutely has to be your CV. With the open source industry being so popular and so many people wanting their dream job, positions often get many people applying for them. Each and every position I've ever hired for has had a queue of people who want to get the job (Canonical is a place that a lot of people want to work at) - and the CV is their first point of contact with me, and what I use to decide whether I want to interview them or not. CVs come in many different forms. Some are a single piece of paper, some are a short novel. Some are boring and flat, and some are vibrant and colourful. The trick lies in getting the balance right. A flashy, colourful CV with little or no content is not impressive. Neither is a boring CV with reams and reams of content. Some CVs are littered with spelling mistakes and other rookie errors. My recommendation is to stick to the following guidelines: Keep it short and sharp. Cover all of the key bits of information that you want the employer to know, but don't overload someone with too much detail. Present your best attributes and do so honestly and clearly, without jargon. Ensure the important points stand out. While I read every CV I receive in full, I know many managers who don't, and who merely skim-read them. To counteract this, make sure the key pieces of information - such as your skills, educational achievements and employment history - are highlighted in a bold font to make them stand out. Cover the major bases. A CV is a document with the purpose of presenting you and the skills that you can offer to a prospective employer. Make sure that you give them all the information they need. There is plenty of reference material online on how to build an awesome CV. Remove all traces of ego. I've read some CVs in the past that have been filled with self-congratulatory fluff. This doesn't send a positive message. Sure, your CV is there to sell you, but let your skills and experience speak for themselves - rather turning it into a long, corny advert. Don't lie. This seems obvious, but it bears repeating: don't lie. While you may get away with it on your CV, the interview will usually uncover any untruths. Getting caught telling fibs puts your future opportunities at risk. Once you've got a rocking CV, it's on to the interview! The advice for this stage of the hiring process is simple: be modest, honest, and answer the questions as best as you can. Also, when the interviewer asks if you have any questions for them, use it as an opportunity to learn more about the role. Always have at least two or three questions ready in your mind. Getting your dream job is a large topic, and there isn't room to cover it all here, but I hope that some of these tips will help you progress along the road. Good luck! 
| ||||||||
| In Depth: How to get a career in open source Posted: 03 Apr 2011 12:34 AM PDT Many people are absolutely enthralled by Linux and open source, and what could be better than taking your hobby and making it your career? Is it really possible that you could be paid to do something that you love? In this article, I'm going to share some tips and advice on how to get your dream open source job. I'm going to discuss the kinds of opportunities that are available, how you can set yourself apart from the pack and ways of making your CV stand out. I'm also going to throw in some personal experiences and anecdotes that may help you move towards being gainfully employed in the open source industry. The good news is that the open source world is brimming with opportunities for many different kinds of roles. While you might worry that companies are only looking for programmers who can code C with one hand tied behind their back, this isn't actually the case. Programmers, artists, designers, documentation writers, testers, business development and sales, plus many more, are all options available to you. The challenge isn't finding the right job; it's putting yourself in a position in which you have everything the employer could possibly want in a candidate. Part of the reason that I was keen to write this article is that I'm lucky enough to have my dream open source job: I work as Ubuntu's community manager. Not only this, but I've also had two other dream jobs too, as both a full-time journalist and professional open source consultant. It really is possible to get the gig you want - it's all down to hard work and effort. Finding the jobs The first thing you should do is get a firm idea of what kinds of roles are available and what they involve, as well as whether they interest you and match your skills. While I'd always encourage you to expand your horizons, when you go for a job the employer wants to know that you have a strong foundation in the role they're looking to fill. If you're expecting to be able to find a job and learn what's needed to do it as you go along, you're going to struggle unless you soak up knowledge and skills like a sponge. To prevent this, always look for jobs that play to your primary skills. To find out what jobs are available, you should first take a look at the websites of organisations that you'd love to work for. Would you want to work for a Linux distributor, for instance? If so, check the careers pages of Canonical, Red Hat, Novell, Mandriva and others. Note down the jobs that interest you and read their requirements carefully. Here's my first tip: really, really read the job requirements. There's nothing more infuriating than reading an application from a candidate who clearly didn't read the job description. Also, listen to those requirements and honestly assess whether you fit them - if the employer's looking for five years of Python programming experience and you only have a year's worth, don't apply anyway thinking you can change the company's mind. You want to avoid getting a black mark against your name for future job opportunities. Employment websites are another place to look for jobs. Bear in mind, though, that many hiring managers only ever post roles to employment websites if posting them publicly on the company website and spreading the word themselves yields few decent candidates. In such situations, you might find that the hiring manager is a little more anxious to get the role filled, but will arguably have a lot more candidates. This is why I always recommend you keep a keen eye on company websites for new positions as they open up. Experience Many of us face the same question at one point or another in our careers: all jobs seem to require lots of experience, but if you can't get a job because you don't have enough experience, how do you get the experience in the first place? Fortunately, this is the area in which you have quite possibly the biggest opportunity open to you. The very nature of the open source community is that it's one in which anyone is welcome to participate. If you're new, there's always someone who's keen to help you learn the ropes. If you don't have the necessary experience for the jobs you want, now is the time to get some - and the open source community is a wonderful place to do this. Let's look at an example - imagine you want to be a programmer. There are thousands of projects out there that are crying out for help. Get involved, and get some code included. When you have more experience with the project, work on a new feature and get it included. All of this experience of writing code that hits the mark is great for your CV. This reminds me of a story I heard some years back of a smart young kid who was desperately trying to get his break and find a job. He had no commercial programming experience, left school when he was 16 and had a pretty thin CV. Unfortunately, the guy that interviewed him was an arrogant, disrespectful idiot who immediately started dragging this kid over the coals and accusing him of wasting his time. When the interviewer rather pointedly asked what experience he had and why he should get the job, the kid pointed to the Firefox window running on the interviewer's computer and proceeded to tell him which features he had contributed to. He got the job for two reasons. Firstly, he'd demonstrated his capabilities by using open source and community development as a place to both improve these skills and to help a project. He had real code included in a product used by millions of people, and he had worked with people and processes in order to achieve this. That was only half of what impressed the interviewer, though: the other reason is that he'd shown the foresight to get out there and get experience for himself. This kid wasn't just seen as a talented programmer, but also as having the golden ticket that all hiring managers are looking for: a combination of personal and professional motivation. This is one of the most wonderful opportunities offered by free and open source software. We have a global network of projects that not only provides a stunning place to learn new technologies and collaborate with leaders in those fields, but also provides a means of demonstrating your personal sense of motivation. You have the chance to further your life, while all the time helping to make free and open source software better for other users. As such, the strongest piece of advice I can provide in this entire article is for you to get out there and contribute to some open source projects. Get stuck into projects, participate in public discussions (these show how good you are at working with other people), handle conflict and disagreements professionally and politely, and build up a growing list of projects that you can cite as using your contributions. Being able to walk into an interview and tell someone that millions of people are using your code already gets you into the category of applicants to be taken seriously. This piece of advice does have one caveat, though: if you're going to participate, make sure that your contributions are significant and sustained. Providing 100 examples of projects you've worked on where each only represents a few minor contributions before you got bored and moved on doesn't send the desired message. You want to prove that you have an eye for detail and a commitment to solving real problems in a long-term way, and being a drive-by contributor doesn't show that. If I were interviewing someone, I'd much rather see two or three examples of solid sets of contributions, in which they'd delivered significant value and had the respect of their peers in the community. This sends out a much stronger and more positive message. There's one final positive to note about carrying out significant, sustained work for a project - it will build your reputation. So many people get their dream jobs because they have a positive reputation for great work in a community. Many people I know started out by hanging around on IRC channels and mailing lists, contributing to open source projects. They were then often offered jobs as a result of their community credentials and achievements. Show professionalism In this modern world of social media, where a constant flurry of information surrounds us, the traditional approach of separating our professional and personal lives has been thrown out of the window. Back in the old days, you were in professional mode when you put the suit on, and when the suit came off, it was time for five rounds of Sonic The Hedgehog and a box of wine. There was a clear distinction between work and play. Today, things are different. Most of us use Facebook, Twitter, Identica, Linked In and other sites, and many of these can easily intermingle the two. Facebook is a great example of how it can get complicated. I know many people who have started on Facebook with a policy of adding only friends and family. If only it were that simple. What about colleagues that you're friends with? If a colleague adds you as a friend on Facebook, it's going to feel awkward when you deny the request and tell them that you don't accept colleagues. As such, what typically happens is that a fairly locked-down profile page ultimately gets filled with work colleagues, blurring the dividing line between the two. I've always been of the view that you should be who you are, both at work and at home. I've always been happy to share my personal life professionally, and vice versa. I still have much to learn in the world, but I'm happy for my professional peers and the community at large to know that I listen to metal, that I love my wife and that I enjoy playing gigs with my band. Those characteristics are not things that I can switch off - they're defining ingredients in what makes me who I am. The trick isn't segregating the people in your life into different groups, it's being sensible and conscious of how you communicate to the group as a whole and in different places. This is even more important in the open source world. The open source community is exactly that - a community. It's a set of professional relationships, but also a set of relationships that were forged and furthered in bars, at social events and in other casual environments. Our social nature is what makes our community so much fun to be a part of - don't hide that too much under a professional veneer. Your CV: a foot in the door Ever since I became a manager and started hiring people, I've felt privileged to know what it's like to be on the other side of the interview desk. I almost wish that everyone had the opportunity to know what it's like to hire people, because it helps you to understand and fix deficiencies in your own approach when applying for a job. Not everyone has an opportunity to learn these things, so I'll share some of the most important things to focus on when hunting out your dream job. The first area of focus absolutely has to be your CV. With the open source industry being so popular and so many people wanting their dream job, positions often get many people applying for them. Each and every position I've ever hired for has had a queue of people who want to get the job (Canonical is a place that a lot of people want to work at) - and the CV is their first point of contact with me, and what I use to decide whether I want to interview them or not. CVs come in many different forms. Some are a single piece of paper, some are a short novel. Some are boring and flat, and some are vibrant and colourful. The trick lies in getting the balance right. A flashy, colourful CV with little or no content is not impressive. Neither is a boring CV with reams and reams of content. Some CVs are littered with spelling mistakes and other rookie errors. My recommendation is to stick to the following guidelines: Keep it short and sharp. Cover all of the key bits of information that you want the employer to know, but don't overload someone with too much detail. Present your best attributes and do so honestly and clearly, without jargon. Ensure the important points stand out. While I read every CV I receive in full, I know many managers who don't, and who merely skim-read them. To counteract this, make sure the key pieces of information - such as your skills, educational achievements and employment history - are highlighted in a bold font to make them stand out. Cover the major bases. A CV is a document with the purpose of presenting you and the skills that you can offer to a prospective employer. Make sure that you give them all the information they need. There is plenty of reference material online on how to build an awesome CV. Remove all traces of ego. I've read some CVs in the past that have been filled with self-congratulatory fluff. This doesn't send a positive message. Sure, your CV is there to sell you, but let your skills and experience speak for themselves - rather turning it into a long, corny advert. Don't lie. This seems obvious, but it bears repeating: don't lie. While you may get away with it on your CV, the interview will usually uncover any untruths. Getting caught telling fibs puts your future opportunities at risk. Once you've got a rocking CV, it's on to the interview! The advice for this stage of the hiring process is simple: be modest, honest, and answer the questions as best as you can. Also, when the interviewer asks if you have any questions for them, use it as an opportunity to learn more about the role. Always have at least two or three questions ready in your mind. Getting your dream job is a large topic, and there isn't room to cover it all here, but I hope that some of these tips will help you progress along the road. Good luck!
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| In Depth: How to get a career in open source Posted: 03 Apr 2011 12:34 AM PDT Many people are absolutely enthralled by Linux and open source, and what could be better than taking your hobby and making it your career? Is it really possible that you could be paid to do something that you love? In this article, I'm going to share some tips and advice on how to get your dream open source job. I'm going to discuss the kinds of opportunities that are available, how you can set yourself apart from the pack and ways of making your CV stand out. I'm also going to throw in some personal experiences and anecdotes that may help you move towards being gainfully employed in the open source industry. The good news is that the open source world is brimming with opportunities for many different kinds of roles. While you might worry that companies are only looking for programmers who can code C with one hand tied behind their back, this isn't actually the case. Programmers, artists, designers, documentation writers, testers, business development and sales, plus many more, are all options available to you. The challenge isn't finding the right job; it's putting yourself in a position in which you have everything the employer could possibly want in a candidate. Part of the reason that I was keen to write this article is that I'm lucky enough to have my dream open source job: I work as Ubuntu's community manager. Not only this, but I've also had two other dream jobs too, as both a full-time journalist and professional open source consultant. It really is possible to get the gig you want - it's all down to hard work and effort. Finding the jobs The first thing you should do is get a firm idea of what kinds of roles are available and what they involve, as well as whether they interest you and match your skills. While I'd always encourage you to expand your horizons, when you go for a job the employer wants to know that you have a strong foundation in the role they're looking to fill. If you're expecting to be able to find a job and learn what's needed to do it as you go along, you're going to struggle unless you soak up knowledge and skills like a sponge. To prevent this, always look for jobs that play to your primary skills. To find out what jobs are available, you should first take a look at the websites of organisations that you'd love to work for. Would you want to work for a Linux distributor, for instance? If so, check the careers pages of Canonical, Red Hat, Novell, Mandriva and others. Note down the jobs that interest you and read their requirements carefully. Here's my first tip: really, really read the job requirements. There's nothing more infuriating than reading an application from a candidate who clearly didn't read the job description. Also, listen to those requirements and honestly assess whether you fit them - if the employer's looking for five years of Python programming experience and you only have a year's worth, don't apply anyway thinking you can change the company's mind. You want to avoid getting a black mark against your name for future job opportunities. Employment websites are another place to look for jobs. Bear in mind, though, that many hiring managers only ever post roles to employment websites if posting them publicly on the company website and spreading the word themselves yields few decent candidates. In such situations, you might find that the hiring manager is a little more anxious to get the role filled, but will arguably have a lot more candidates. This is why I always recommend you keep a keen eye on company websites for new positions as they open up. Experience Many of us face the same question at one point or another in our careers: all jobs seem to require lots of experience, but if you can't get a job because you don't have enough experience, how do you get the experience in the first place? Fortunately, this is the area in which you have quite possibly the biggest opportunity open to you. The very nature of the open source community is that it's one in which anyone is welcome to participate. If you're new, there's always someone who's keen to help you learn the ropes. If you don't have the necessary experience for the jobs you want, now is the time to get some - and the open source community is a wonderful place to do this. Let's look at an example - imagine you want to be a programmer. There are thousands of projects out there that are crying out for help. Get involved, and get some code included. When you have more experience with the project, work on a new feature and get it included. All of this experience of writing code that hits the mark is great for your CV. This reminds me of a story I heard some years back of a smart young kid who was desperately trying to get his break and find a job. He had no commercial programming experience, left school when he was 16 and had a pretty thin CV. Unfortunately, the guy that interviewed him was an arrogant, disrespectful idiot who immediately started dragging this kid over the coals and accusing him of wasting his time. When the interviewer rather pointedly asked what experience he had and why he should get the job, the kid pointed to the Firefox window running on the interviewer's computer and proceeded to tell him which features he had contributed to. He got the job for two reasons. Firstly, he'd demonstrated his capabilities by using open source and community development as a place to both improve these skills and to help a project. He had real code included in a product used by millions of people, and he had worked with people and processes in order to achieve this. That was only half of what impressed the interviewer, though: the other reason is that he'd shown the foresight to get out there and get experience for himself. This kid wasn't just seen as a talented programmer, but also as having the golden ticket that all hiring managers are looking for: a combination of personal and professional motivation. This is one of the most wonderful opportunities offered by free and open source software. We have a global network of projects that not only provides a stunning place to learn new technologies and collaborate with leaders in those fields, but also provides a means of demonstrating your personal sense of motivation. You have the chance to further your life, while all the time helping to make free and open source software better for other users. As such, the strongest piece of advice I can provide in this entire article is for you to get out there and contribute to some open source projects. Get stuck into projects, participate in public discussions (these show how good you are at working with other people), handle conflict and disagreements professionally and politely, and build up a growing list of projects that you can cite as using your contributions. Being able to walk into an interview and tell someone that millions of people are using your code already gets you into the category of applicants to be taken seriously. This piece of advice does have one caveat, though: if you're going to participate, make sure that your contributions are significant and sustained. Providing 100 examples of projects you've worked on where each only represents a few minor contributions before you got bored and moved on doesn't send the desired message. You want to prove that you have an eye for detail and a commitment to solving real problems in a long-term way, and being a drive-by contributor doesn't show that. If I were interviewing someone, I'd much rather see two or three examples of solid sets of contributions, in which they'd delivered significant value and had the respect of their peers in the community. This sends out a much stronger and more positive message. There's one final positive to note about carrying out significant, sustained work for a project - it will build your reputation. So many people get their dream jobs because they have a positive reputation for great work in a community. Many people I know started out by hanging around on IRC channels and mailing lists, contributing to open source projects. They were then often offered jobs as a result of their community credentials and achievements. Show professionalism In this modern world of social media, where a constant flurry of information surrounds us, the traditional approach of separating our professional and personal lives has been thrown out of the window. Back in the old days, you were in professional mode when you put the suit on, and when the suit came off, it was time for five rounds of Sonic The Hedgehog and a box of wine. There was a clear distinction between work and play. Today, things are different. Most of us use Facebook, Twitter, Identica, Linked In and other sites, and many of these can easily intermingle the two. Facebook is a great example of how it can get complicated. I know many people who have started on Facebook with a policy of adding only friends and family. If only it were that simple. What about colleagues that you're friends with? If a colleague adds you as a friend on Facebook, it's going to feel awkward when you deny the request and tell them that you don't accept colleagues. As such, what typically happens is that a fairly locked-down profile page ultimately gets filled with work colleagues, blurring the dividing line between the two. I've always been of the view that you should be who you are, both at work and at home. I've always been happy to share my personal life professionally, and vice versa. I still have much to learn in the world, but I'm happy for my professional peers and the community at large to know that I listen to metal, that I love my wife and that I enjoy playing gigs with my band. Those characteristics are not things that I can switch off - they're defining ingredients in what makes me who I am. The trick isn't segregating the people in your life into different groups, it's being sensible and conscious of how you communicate to the group as a whole and in different places. This is even more important in the open source world. The open source community is exactly that - a community. It's a set of professional relationships, but also a set of relationships that were forged and furthered in bars, at social events and in other casual environments. Our social nature is what makes our community so much fun to be a part of - don't hide that too much under a professional veneer. Your CV: a foot in the door Ever since I became a manager and started hiring people, I've felt privileged to know what it's like to be on the other side of the interview desk. I almost wish that everyone had the opportunity to know what it's like to hire people, because it helps you to understand and fix deficiencies in your own approach when applying for a job. Not everyone has an opportunity to learn these things, so I'll share some of the most important things to focus on when hunting out your dream job. The first area of focus absolutely has to be your CV. With the open source industry being so popular and so many people wanting their dream job, positions often get many people applying for them. Each and every position I've ever hired for has had a queue of people who want to get the job (Canonical is a place that a lot of people want to work at) - and the CV is their first point of contact with me, and what I use to decide whether I want to interview them or not. CVs come in many different forms. Some are a single piece of paper, some are a short novel. Some are boring and flat, and some are vibrant and colourful. The trick lies in getting the balance right. A flashy, colourful CV with little or no content is not impressive. Neither is a boring CV with reams and reams of content. Some CVs are littered with spelling mistakes and other rookie errors. My recommendation is to stick to the following guidelines: Keep it short and sharp. Cover all of the key bits of information that you want the employer to know, but don't overload someone with too much detail. Present your best attributes and do so honestly and clearly, without jargon. Ensure the important points stand out. While I read every CV I receive in full, I know many managers who don't, and who merely skim-read them. To counteract this, make sure the key pieces of information - such as your skills, educational achievements and employment history - are highlighted in a bold font to make them stand out. Cover the major bases. A CV is a document with the purpose of presenting you and the skills that you can offer to a prospective employer. Make sure that you give them all the information they need. There is plenty of reference material online on how to build an awesome CV. Remove all traces of ego. I've read some CVs in the past that have been filled with self-congratulatory fluff. This doesn't send a positive message. Sure, your CV is there to sell you, but let your skills and experience speak for themselves - rather turning it into a long, corny advert. Don't lie. This seems obvious, but it bears repeating: don't lie. While you may get away with it on your CV, the interview will usually uncover any untruths. Getting caught telling fibs puts your future opportunities at risk. Once you've got a rocking CV, it's on to the interview! The advice for this stage of the hiring process is simple: be modest, honest, and answer the questions as best as you can. Also, when the interviewer asks if you have any questions for them, use it as an opportunity to learn more about the role. Always have at least two or three questions ready in your mind. Getting your dream job is a large topic, and there isn't room to cover it all here, but I hope that some of these tips will help you progress along the road. Good luck!
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| Opinion: The future of computing is ARM Posted: 03 Apr 2011 12:00 AM PDT  The future of computing isn't x86. It's not Windows-based either, condemning both halves of the 'Wintel' alliance to death row. But then it's been a long time since anything from Microsoft looked like the future rather than the past. As it happens, Microsoft was partly responsible for the announcement that inspired my smell-the-coffee moment. I speak, of course, of the Windows-for-ARM announcement at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas back in January, where Microsoft head honcho Steve Ballmer revealed that the next version of its core Windows OS would support ARM processors as well as x86 chips. The other half of the equation was Nvidia's Project Denver, an attempt by the graphics specialist to create a high-performance ARM processor for desktops and servers. It's a catastrophic cliché, but when I put the two announcements together, I immediately knew my world of computing would never be the same again. Don't get me wrong. I'm not suggesting that Windows for ARM itself is going to be a big deal. On the contrary, it's probably best characterised as a lumbering giant's desperate attempt to remain relevant in a fast-changing world. Likewise, I've no idea whether Project Denver will be the success Nvidia needs it to be. Established trend Instead, it hit home because everyone instinctively knows that any trend behind-the-curve Microsoft is picking up on must already be well established and widespread. And Microsoft has seen that the future of computing might be ARM instead of x86. You might argue that this is hardly a profound observation. After all, ARM chips already dominate most mobile and embedded applications including the increasingly ubiquitous smartphone segment. But what the Microsoft and Nvidia announcements underlined was that ARM has a real shot at extending up into the traditionally performance-orientated desktop and server segments - x86 territory, in other words. Likewise, Windows for ARM and Project Denver put Intel's efforts to move down into ARM's traditional mobile and embedded segments with the Atom processor into new context. Previously, Atom seemed like a sensible tactic to get Microsoft into an ultramobile market experiencing explosive growth. What I hadn't truly considered was that Intel, and by extension AMD, was at risk in its core desktop and server market. The way I see it, the likely scenario goes like this. As transistors become smaller and smaller, the issue of outright performance in all computing devices becomes less critical. Already, you could argue that a decent quad-core desktop PC processor provides all the general purpose performance most consumers are likely to need. The fastest ARM chips remain a long way off the performance of any quad-core x86 CPU. But with the latest out-of-order Cortex A9 core and the emergence of multi-core ARM designs, it's only a matter of time before that gap is closed. That's not to say I expect processor technology to remain static - quite the contrary. But instead of ever more general purpose cores being added, future chips will sport a mix of special-purpose circuitry designed to accelerate specific tasks. Think graphics, media encoding, encryption and maybe even features like facial recognition, all accelerated in hardware. What future processors won't be are wall-to-wall general purpose cores. Strong ARM Massively multi-core is not the answer. To my mind, this scenario plays to the strengths of ARM chipmakers. ARM itself doesn't make chips - it licenses the IP needed to make ARM-based processors, leaving Samsung, Qualcomm, Nvidia and up to 15 other outfits to bring in their own tech and that of third parties to create a product tailored for an application. Intel and AMD's traditional approach has been a one-size-fits-all chip designed, manufactured and distributed by a single company. That demands both be experts in all areas of chip design, and compete with specialists in areas like graphics and multimedia. More recently, AMD has spun off its manufacturing arm, leaving it positioned halfway between ARM and Intel in terms of business model. Similarly, Intel revealed a deal with Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC to build Atom processors containing third-party IP. But the implications are clear enough. Desktops, laptops and servers are currently dominated by processors from just two companies. In five years or so, AMD and Intel could well look like the victims in a cheap horror flick, covered by and being consumed by a swarm of small nasties. Some kind of future, eh? 
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| Opinion: The future of computing is ARM Posted: 03 Apr 2011 12:00 AM PDT The future of computing isn't x86. It's not Windows-based either, condemning both halves of the 'Wintel' alliance to death row. But then it's been a long time since anything from Microsoft looked like the future rather than the past. As it happens, Microsoft was partly responsible for the announcement that inspired my smell-the-coffee moment. I speak, of course, of the Windows-for-ARM announcement at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas back in January, where Microsoft head honcho Steve Ballmer revealed that the next version of its core Windows OS would support ARM processors as well as x86 chips. The other half of the equation was Nvidia's Project Denver, an attempt by the graphics specialist to create a high-performance ARM processor for desktops and servers. It's a catastrophic cliché, but when I put the two announcements together, I immediately knew my world of computing would never be the same again. Don't get me wrong. I'm not suggesting that Windows for ARM itself is going to be a big deal. On the contrary, it's probably best characterised as a lumbering giant's desperate attempt to remain relevant in a fast-changing world. Likewise, I've no idea whether Project Denver will be the success Nvidia needs it to be. Established trend Instead, it hit home because everyone instinctively knows that any trend behind-the-curve Microsoft is picking up on must already be well established and widespread. And Microsoft has seen that the future of computing might be ARM instead of x86. You might argue that this is hardly a profound observation. After all, ARM chips already dominate most mobile and embedded applications including the increasingly ubiquitous smartphone segment. But what the Microsoft and Nvidia announcements underlined was that ARM has a real shot at extending up into the traditionally performance-orientated desktop and server segments - x86 territory, in other words. Likewise, Windows for ARM and Project Denver put Intel's efforts to move down into ARM's traditional mobile and embedded segments with the Atom processor into new context. Previously, Atom seemed like a sensible tactic to get Microsoft into an ultramobile market experiencing explosive growth. What I hadn't truly considered was that Intel, and by extension AMD, was at risk in its core desktop and server market. The way I see it, the likely scenario goes like this. As transistors become smaller and smaller, the issue of outright performance in all computing devices becomes less critical. Already, you could argue that a decent quad-core desktop PC processor provides all the general purpose performance most consumers are likely to need. The fastest ARM chips remain a long way off the performance of any quad-core x86 CPU. But with the latest out-of-order Cortex A9 core and the emergence of multi-core ARM designs, it's only a matter of time before that gap is closed. That's not to say I expect processor technology to remain static - quite the contrary. But instead of ever more general purpose cores being added, future chips will sport a mix of special-purpose circuitry designed to accelerate specific tasks. Think graphics, media encoding, encryption and maybe even features like facial recognition, all accelerated in hardware. What future processors won't be are wall-to-wall general purpose cores. Strong ARM Massively multi-core is not the answer. To my mind, this scenario plays to the strengths of ARM chipmakers. ARM itself doesn't make chips - it licenses the IP needed to make ARM-based processors, leaving Samsung, Qualcomm, Nvidia and up to 15 other outfits to bring in their own tech and that of third parties to create a product tailored for an application. Intel and AMD's traditional approach has been a one-size-fits-all chip designed, manufactured and distributed by a single company. That demands both be experts in all areas of chip design, and compete with specialists in areas like graphics and multimedia. More recently, AMD has spun off its manufacturing arm, leaving it positioned halfway between ARM and Intel in terms of business model. Similarly, Intel revealed a deal with Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC to build Atom processors containing third-party IP. But the implications are clear enough. Desktops, laptops and servers are currently dominated by processors from just two companies. In five years or so, AMD and Intel could well look like the victims in a cheap horror flick, covered by and being consumed by a swarm of small nasties. Some kind of future, eh?
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| Opinion: The future of computing is ARM Posted: 03 Apr 2011 12:00 AM PDT The future of computing isn't x86. It's not Windows-based either, condemning both halves of the 'Wintel' alliance to death row. But then it's been a long time since anything from Microsoft looked like the future rather than the past. As it happens, Microsoft was partly responsible for the announcement that inspired my smell-the-coffee moment. I speak, of course, of the Windows-for-ARM announcement at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas back in January, where Microsoft head honcho Steve Ballmer revealed that the next version of its core Windows OS would support ARM processors as well as x86 chips. The other half of the equation was Nvidia's Project Denver, an attempt by the graphics specialist to create a high-performance ARM processor for desktops and servers. It's a catastrophic cliché, but when I put the two announcements together, I immediately knew my world of computing would never be the same again. Don't get me wrong. I'm not suggesting that Windows for ARM itself is going to be a big deal. On the contrary, it's probably best characterised as a lumbering giant's desperate attempt to remain relevant in a fast-changing world. Likewise, I've no idea whether Project Denver will be the success Nvidia needs it to be. Established trend Instead, it hit home because everyone instinctively knows that any trend behind-the-curve Microsoft is picking up on must already be well established and widespread. And Microsoft has seen that the future of computing might be ARM instead of x86. You might argue that this is hardly a profound observation. After all, ARM chips already dominate most mobile and embedded applications including the increasingly ubiquitous smartphone segment. But what the Microsoft and Nvidia announcements underlined was that ARM has a real shot at extending up into the traditionally performance-orientated desktop and server segments - x86 territory, in other words. Likewise, Windows for ARM and Project Denver put Intel's efforts to move down into ARM's traditional mobile and embedded segments with the Atom processor into new context. Previously, Atom seemed like a sensible tactic to get Microsoft into an ultramobile market experiencing explosive growth. What I hadn't truly considered was that Intel, and by extension AMD, was at risk in its core desktop and server market. The way I see it, the likely scenario goes like this. As transistors become smaller and smaller, the issue of outright performance in all computing devices becomes less critical. Already, you could argue that a decent quad-core desktop PC processor provides all the general purpose performance most consumers are likely to need. The fastest ARM chips remain a long way off the performance of any quad-core x86 CPU. But with the latest out-of-order Cortex A9 core and the emergence of multi-core ARM designs, it's only a matter of time before that gap is closed. That's not to say I expect processor technology to remain static - quite the contrary. But instead of ever more general purpose cores being added, future chips will sport a mix of special-purpose circuitry designed to accelerate specific tasks. Think graphics, media encoding, encryption and maybe even features like facial recognition, all accelerated in hardware. What future processors won't be are wall-to-wall general purpose cores. Strong ARM Massively multi-core is not the answer. To my mind, this scenario plays to the strengths of ARM chipmakers. ARM itself doesn't make chips - it licenses the IP needed to make ARM-based processors, leaving Samsung, Qualcomm, Nvidia and up to 15 other outfits to bring in their own tech and that of third parties to create a product tailored for an application. Intel and AMD's traditional approach has been a one-size-fits-all chip designed, manufactured and distributed by a single company. That demands both be experts in all areas of chip design, and compete with specialists in areas like graphics and multimedia. More recently, AMD has spun off its manufacturing arm, leaving it positioned halfway between ARM and Intel in terms of business model. Similarly, Intel revealed a deal with Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC to build Atom processors containing third-party IP. But the implications are clear enough. Desktops, laptops and servers are currently dominated by processors from just two companies. In five years or so, AMD and Intel could well look like the victims in a cheap horror flick, covered by and being consumed by a swarm of small nasties. Some kind of future, eh?
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| Posted: 02 Apr 2011 03:00 AM PDT  Yes, an Arctic Cooling gaming mouse. And it's just about as good as you'd think it would be… As cruel as you might think that sounds you have to admit that when a company very much known for one thing strikes out in a completely new direction, with an incredibly low-end product, it's on a hiding to nothing. As obvious a sentiment as it is, the company really ought to stick to what it's good at; making decent cooling solutions for CPU and GPU alike. And even the odd tube of thermal paste. We like AC for all that. For it's gaming mouse, less so. Indeed every one of the team to lay paws on the mouse gave the same initial reaction: a guttural exclamation of disgust. Clamping hands on its strangely slippy surface does not a comfortable gaming experience make. The big problem is the supposed 'ergonomic' design. The Dali-esque off-centre slant of the entire mouse twists your hand into a surprisingly uncomfortable position and the way the main buttons drop away to the desktop makes the simple action of clicking a trial. Usually I'd employ the tips of my fingers to press the main mouse buttons, but the M571 seems to want you to use a completely different part of your digits. Any mouse which forces you to use it in a very specific way is in trouble. Maybe the designer liked that particular method, but forcing it onto everyone else is going to do nothing for you. Sure, it's a cheap mouse, and boy does it feel like it, but there's no excuse for such uncomfortable action. Stick to cooling, guys. Related Links
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| Posted: 02 Apr 2011 03:00 AM PDT Yes, an Arctic Cooling gaming mouse. And it's just about as good as you'd think it would be… As cruel as you might think that sounds you have to admit that when a company very much known for one thing strikes out in a completely new direction, with an incredibly low-end product, it's on a hiding to nothing. As obvious a sentiment as it is, the company really ought to stick to what it's good at; making decent cooling solutions for CPU and GPU alike. And even the odd tube of thermal paste. We like AC for all that. For it's gaming mouse, less so. Indeed every one of the team to lay paws on the mouse gave the same initial reaction: a guttural exclamation of disgust. Clamping hands on its strangely slippy surface does not a comfortable gaming experience make. The big problem is the supposed 'ergonomic' design. The Dali-esque off-centre slant of the entire mouse twists your hand into a surprisingly uncomfortable position and the way the main buttons drop away to the desktop makes the simple action of clicking a trial. Usually I'd employ the tips of my fingers to press the main mouse buttons, but the M571 seems to want you to use a completely different part of your digits. Any mouse which forces you to use it in a very specific way is in trouble. Maybe the designer liked that particular method, but forcing it onto everyone else is going to do nothing for you. Sure, it's a cheap mouse, and boy does it feel like it, but there's no excuse for such uncomfortable action. Stick to cooling, guys. Related Links
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