How to Use Windows

Without an operating system – Mac OS X, say, or Windows XP – a computer is just a dumb box of chips, and even the most exciting application will have no environment in which to run. And, it’s easy to forget that you have a choice of which OS you run. In fact, as a Mac user, you’re uniquely positioned because an Intel Mac is the only computer in the world that can legally run all three major operating systems, Mac OS, Windows and Linux. Indeed, you can, if you like, load all three on the same computer and pick which one you want to load when you switch your Mac on. Even given that you have the choice, though, why would you ever want to install a different OS?

The full story can be found on Tech Radar

Intel has launched an Atom-based platform for use in storage devices aiming to add a little processing power to your home network. With partners such as LaCie, LG and Synology, Intel is hoping that the option of single or dual-core Atom processors can make network attached storage (NAS) devices more popular in the home and small businesses. “NAS systems have traditionally been found in businesses to manage, store and access data,” said Seth Bobroff, general manager, Intel Data Center Group, Storage.

The full story can be found on Tech Radar

As your hard drives fill with photos, music files, images, documents, movies and apps, you could waste substantial storage space by holding duplicate copies of the same file. Tidy Up! 2 is here to seek them out. There’s a comprehensive range of search modifiers on offer, and you can set specific exclusions, which is especially useful if you use Time Machine. On completing a search, you can manage or delete duplicates, with options to burn them to disc, archive in another location or label them in Finder for later identification, among other things. You can replace deleted files with aliases or symbolic links, which is excellent if you want to dump the duplicates but retain the overall organisation

The full story can be found on Tech Radar

The founder of Bare Bones Software calls Yojimbo a ‘digital junk drawer’. It’s an honest description of a tool that won’t transform your Mac life, but helps you rationalise and keep track of odd documents that inevitably accumulate on your hard drive. You can copy files to Yojimbo in many text and image formats, as well as PDF and HTML, and tag them with descriptive keywords if you wish, then dump the originals in the Trash. Importing documents is easy, via either drag and drop or a dialog, and if you want to import a non-supported file type (such as a spreadsheet), you can print a PDF directly to Yojimbo from an app that does support it

The full story can be found on Tech Radar

Tired? Sluggish? Lost your get-up-and-go? Yes, Mac, we’re talking to you! You used to be so fresh and sprightly. But you’ve been working long hours and not looking after yourself, and now you can’t seem to do things as quickly as you used to.

The full story can be found on Tech Radar

While QuickTime X offers basic screen recording in Snow Leopard, ScreenFlow is an all-in-one solution, enabling you to record several sources at once – screen, camera, audio – and edit and export the results. A year back, we liked ScreenFlow 1.2, and this is a strong upgrade, still offering excellent performance and a userfriendly editor. Control over video is improved via several new settings and features. There’s basic colour correction and effects, such as rotation – previously a little abrupt – which can be softened via the Curve feature’s ‘ease’ settings.

The full story can be found on Tech Radar

Mac users with a MobileMe subscription may well be familiar with the Back to my Mac feature that enables you to connect to and use your Mac from another one anywhere in the world. But it only works between Macs, and chances are you’ll only have access to a PC when you really need access to that one essential file. Step forward, GoToMyPC for Mac. GoToMyPC has been available to PC users for some years. Now the company has made a version for Mac users, so you can connect to your home Mac from any computer anywhere, as long as it’s on the internet and can run Java

The full story can be found on Tech Radar

Apple’s Mighty Mouse (now also called an Apple Mouse) has a dirty little secret. While the scroll ball performs its duties as intended when the mouse is new, it can become clogged with dirt and grime over time. Its performance then deteriorates dramatically, with the ball sticking and failing to scroll. There are a number of things you can do to try and free the ball, and return it to its full 360-degree scrolling glory. First of all, try turning it upside down and rolling the ball around.

The full story can be found on Tech Radar

Although many designers and illustrators have a natural eye for colour, there’s science behind great colour schemes. ColorSchemer Studio is an interactive colour wheel that provides shortcuts to creating schemes, enabling you to pull palettes from images, use a colour wheel to identify harmonies, preview colours via drag and drop into several predefined layouts, and export your creations in text or image formats. Version 1 of the app was a little limited, but the new LiveScheme feature brings to mind Code Line’s discontinued Color Consultant Pro, in that it enables you to pick a lead colour, then combine and experiment with various harmony types to create exciting colour schemes. Schemes can be accessed via the SchemeBrowser, which also offers several predefined schemes

The full story can be found on Tech Radar

Deleting an application by dragging it into the Trash leaves behind files such as preference and support data, but AppZapper deletes the app and all its associated files at the push of a button. It’s hardly essential (the files left behind are generally small and inconsequential), but if you try out a lot of software, it’s good to completely remove the ones you decide not to keep. But is AppZapper 2.0 worth the £8 when programs such as AppDelete and AppTrap do a similar job for free?

The full story can be found on Tech Radar