Mr Macintosh Update May 11

Hello There Macintosh User!

If you are getting this email you have sometime been a client of mine — Thank you for your past custom!

1. Mac Defender Scareware Scam Targets Mac Users: There is a scam around that is targeting Mac users called Mac Defender. It is similar to heaps of scams that focus on Windows computers, trying to get you to hand over your credit card details to download a solution to you non-existent problem! But this time it’s targeting Macs as well as PCs. It happens when using Safari, a window pops up telling you that you have been invaded by malware and that their company, Mac Defender has the solution. The real company in Brisbane are nothing to do with the scam, it just taken their online identity. These pages explain it: http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/05/02/6570126-malware-attack-specifically-targets-mac-users http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-13453497

New Mac Security: So we need to get a little bit up-to-speed on our new security requirements for the Mac computer platform. And remember, never hand over any credit card or bank details to unsolicited online or email requests…

To Be Safe Easily: Download, install, open and run ClamXAV free from http://clamxav.com/ This page explains how to set it up: http://www.mrmacintosh.com.au/how-to-/50-using-applications/103-clam-xav-virus-checker.html Its a good idea to run it once a week or once a month, whatever time frame you feel happy with. And as the man said: Don’t Panic!

2. iPhone/iPad: File Sharing on the iPad is quite different than on a regular computer. Files are synced via iTunes and this article explains how: http://ptech.allthingsd.com/20110316/in-and-out-of-office-putting-ipads-to-work/ Photo Syth a free panoramic app takes pics automatically as you point the camera around a scene and then stiches them together into a panorama and even uploads them to Facebook if you want. QuickPix is cool: it takes 2 shots per second, can take them while videoing, and can take a shot as soon as the app opens so you don’t miss anything. Open much faster than the regular Apple camera app. Plus a heap more for $1.19 Camera+ has a stabiliser, separate exposure, constant light from the LED rather than a flash plus heaps of effects for $2.49! Hey Tell turns your iPhone 4 into a walkie-talkie! It sends sound files back and forth so you have to say “Over” at the end and wait for the other person to speak. Free and fun.

3. Al Gore’s iPad Book, ‘Our Choice’: After the success of his movie An Inconvenient Truth, comes this interactive app which presents a lot of the data on global warming in a interesting way. Offering solutions as well as simple facts and figures, it certainly is a good way to get to grips with the problem. $5.99 But its much better on the iPad than the iPhone because of the screen size.

4. Art Finder: A new start-up that hopes to make it easy to locate the type of art you like. They are doing deals with galleries in an ongoing capacity and will help you view your choices and offer books or prints of them and the locations of the pictures. Looks a fun way to do culture. http://www.artfinder.com/

5. FileMaker Go: FileMaker Go for iPad or iPhone is a fully fledged database application for $48, but is primarily for working on databases created by and used with the FileMaker Pro for computers. http://www.filemaker.com/products/filemaker-go/

6. Recycling Old Dead Computers: Byron Shire will now take your old equipment at the Myocum tip in Manse Road. Called eWaste they take any old stuff like printers, cameras, stereos and the like. Free for private citizens but there are charges for commercial quantities. http://www.byron.nsw.gov.au/free-recycling-for-computers-and-electronic-goods-e-waste

7. Archive Email As PDFs: Some of you have heaps of old email that it needed ‘just-in-case’ something needs to be referred to at a later date. This can clog up your Inbox and other folders. Email Archiver turns these emails into searchable PDFs that you can then stash away somewhere and clear out of your Inbox. It only works with Apple’s Mail though. $10 http://www.spotdocuments.com/emailarchiverapp/

8. Clarity for Facebook: Amongst us are heaps of Facebook users, me included. Clarity is a little program for your desktop or laptop Mac that aims to make using it a better experience, for $4.99 from the App Store. It can Bookmark entries so you can read or watch them later, it can group your friends into different groups for more relevance and you can control which groups see your comments. A lot of ideas to help you organise FB… http://www.clarity-app.com/

9. Deja Vu: If Apple’s Time Machine hasn’t enough options for you maybe Deja Vu will do it. It installs as a Preference Pane in System Preferences and is completely customisable as to how often it backs up or which folders it backs up. Of course you can do the whole computer as well. $30. http://www.propagandaprod.com/

10. Mac Security and Recovery from Orbicule: Although we don’t get a lot of breaking and entering theft around the Shire, it does happen. This company have a couple of products to help you identify where your stolen Mac is and get it back. Undercover from Orbicule, uses GPS to locate your stolen Mac and transmit the details to you. They also make Witness which turns your Mac into a home alarm system apparently. $40 and $50 http://www.orbicule.com/undercover/mac/index.html http://www.orbicule.com/witness/index.php

11. Add Extra Storage to Your MacBook Pro: Lightforce 66858796 are selling a very nifty extra storage solution for unibody MacBook Pros. It’s a little tray that replaces the DVD/CD drive and has another hard drive in it. So you have backup or just more storage space all inside the computer body. They can also put your DVD/CD drive mechanism into an external case for $99 and it becomes an external drive when you need it. Or you can switch between the DVD/CD and extra hard drives very easily. Very nice.  Often we might not use our DVD/CD drive for weeks on end and this is a way to have backup running all in the one machine. With huge capacity hard drives becoming very cheap lately you can have a 750GB drive installed for $298.

12. Text to Speech Website: Enter the text you want spoken, choose from the many different voices including Aussie, change speed and pitch and it will say it back to you. And the eyes follow you around the screen! Fun. http://www.oddcast.com/home/demos/tts/tts_example.php?sitepal

13. A Reminder of My Rates: I charge $88 per hour including GST. No call-out fee or travel charge in the Byron Shire. Half hour minimum. Telephone support costs the same in 15 minute increments. Email support is still free! Please include plenty of detail in your email inquiries. Serving the Byron Macintosh community for over 10 years.

Items for Sale is a free monthly service for my Mailing List. If you want to list something for sale send me the full description/specifications and contact details. Goes out around 14th of the month. Until next time, Thank you Tommi ;>)

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Mr Macintosh Tom Hain http://www.mrmacintosh.com.au PO Box 1040 Byron Bay NSW 2481 6685 5504 041 840 8869

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