How to restore the sidebar in iTunes 11

Restore the sidebar in iTunes 11Yesterday, Apple launched iTunes 11. One thing you’ll notice is that it is very minimal – replacing menus for beautiful coverart.  In addition, the sidebar where you could easily organize your playlists and access your devices is now missing as well.

For most users, iTunes 11 will take some getting used to.  Fortunately, if you want the missing sidebar in iTunes 11, you can bring it back – without any hacking or special tweaks. All you need to do is follow these instructions.

How to restore the missing sidebar in iTunes 11

Continue reading How to restore the sidebar in iTunes 11

How to use dictation in Mountain Lion

One of my favorite new features in OS X Mountain Lion isn’t reminders or Messages – they’re pretty awesome in their own right. Instead, I’ve been using the dictation and speech tool.

If you’re not familiar with this feature, what it does is it lets mac users speak to their mac – when composing emails, performing a Google search, writing a Microsoft Word document, sending and posting a status update in Facebook – among other applications.

To help you use dication in Mountain Lion, I’ve put together instructions along with a short video walking you through how to use dictation in Mountain Lion.

Continue reading How to use dictation in Mountain Lion

50+ dictation shortcuts in OS X Mountain Lion

Dictation in Mountain LionDictation is an extremely powerful tool in OS X Mountain Lion. Not only can you use it to have your mac type the text that you speak, but it also works extremely well across many third-party apps such as Microsoft Word, Google, and even Facebook.

What this means is that instead of typing a status update on say Facebook, you can have your mac do it for you.

To help you get started using dictation in OS X Mountain Lion, I have compiled a list of 50+ dictation shortcuts in Mountain Lion that you can use to manipulate text, insert symbols, and use just your voice to compose documents, emails, status updates and more in OS X Mountain Lion.

Continue reading 50+ dictation shortcuts in OS X Mountain Lion

Hide the Safari Reading List icon from Safari Bookmarks Bar in Mac OS X Lion

Turn off Safari Reading List in Mac OS X

One of my favorite features of Mac OS X’s Safari web browser is Safari Reading List. For those of you unfamiliar with Safari Reading List, this feature within the Safari web browser, give you the ability to save articles to read whenever you like.

This is a great feature for anyone who users other Apple devices such as an Apple iPhone or iPad, because you can use iCloud to keep articles you have stored for reading within Safari Reading List synced across devices.

For those of you who don’t use this feature, you can easily turn it off in your Safari web browser using these steps.

Hiding the Safari Reading List icon from the Safari Bookmarks bar

Continue reading Hide the Safari Reading List icon from Safari Bookmarks Bar in Mac OS X Lion

How to install OS X Lion from Apple

Hot on the heals of another blowout quarter from Apple, today, Apple launched their latest operating system, OS X Lion.  With over 250 new features and a price-tag of just $29.99, it’s practically a no-brainer. With features like AirDrop, Mission Control along with new multi-touch gestures, Apple is certainly hitting its stride as far as innovating.

For those of you looking to upgrade, I can caution that you need to be sure you’ve upgraded your software first — and have enough free space on your hard drive.

To help you get started, here’s a short video on how to install OS X Lion. If you’re ready to purchase Lion – minus the tutorial, click here.

So what are you looking forward to most about this new operating system (if anything)? Leave a comment. Continue reading How to install OS X Lion from Apple

How to take a screenshot in Windows and OS X

Taking a screenshot is one of those things that we “assume” everyone just knows how to do – kind of like knowing how to turn on a computer or how to tie our shoes.  Unfortunately, this isn’t a feature that is highlighted and paraded in front of customers looking to buy a computer.  Instead, you’re left to figure it out on your own (if you ever do).

As a technically savvy individual, I find knowing how to do this to be a HUGE timesaver during the work day and wanted to share instructions on how to take a screenshot in both Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X.

Windows XP

  1. Decide on a screen to capture
  2. Hold Alt and the Print Screen keys (this takes a screen capture and saves it to memory)
  3. Open Microsoft Paint (Start >> Programs >> Accessories >> Microsoft Paint)
  4. Click Control-V or Edit >> Paste
  5. Click File >> Save as… and save to your hard drive
  6. To email your screenshot, attach it through your email program

With Windows Vista and Windows 7, you have a couple of different options. Option 1 is to use the Alt and Print Screen method mentioned above. Fortunately, Microsoft also provides a tool called the Snipping Tool as well, which let’s you get more granular about what you are taking a screenshot of – here is how to take a screenshot using the Snipping Tool and Windows Vista / Windows 7.

Windows Vista/Windows 7

  1. Open the Snipping Tool. Start >> Programs >> Accessories >> Snipping Tool
  2. Select the type of snipping tool you would like to use
  3. Drag around the area you would like to “snip”
  4. Click the save snip button
  5. Enter a name and save your file
  6. To email your screenshot, attach it through your email program

Mac OS X offers a very comprehensive tool for taking screenshots. Below are the keystrokes you need to take screenshots. Perform the following key combinations to take your desired screenshot.

Mac OS X

  1. Command – Shift – 3: Takes a screenshot of your current screen and saves it to your desktop
  2. Command – Shift – 4: Let’s you select an area. Takes a screenshot and saves it to your desktop
  3. Command – Shift – 4 – Space – then click on a window: Takes a screenshot of a window, saves it to your desktop
  4. Command – Control – Shift – 3: Takes a screenshot of the screen, saves it to your clipboard
  5. Command – Control – Shift – 4: Let’s you select an area and then takes a screenshot and saves it to your clipboard (think copy and paste)
  6. Command – Control – Shift – 4 – then space – then click a window: Takes a screenshot of a window and saves it to your clipboard

Note: In Leopard and later, the following keys can be held down when selecting an area (when using Command – Shift – 4 or Command – Control – Shift – 4:

  • Space: This locks the size of the region you have selected. When you move your mouse, it moves the region
  • Shift: Allows you to resize one edge of the selected area
  • Option: Allows you to resize the selected area with its center as the anchor point

Need a video tutorial? I’ve put one together below to help  you out. Continue reading How to take a screenshot in Windows and OS X