Archive for February, 2009
Installing and using DropBox
Posted by Jordan Patterson in Tutorial on February 27th, 2009
This is the second installment in synchronizing your data across multiple devices. DropBox is a small application installed on your Mac, Windows, or Linux computer that creates a shared folder that can be accessed from any computer with the DropBox software, the web, or any mobile device with a full web browser. DropBox excels at simple file synchronization because users already know how to interact with a folder. Follow the link below to create a free DropBox account and to download the installer software. A free account includes 2GB of storage while a payed account, $99 per year, includes 50GB of space. The first 12 people to sign up via the link provided will receive a free 250MB of storage added to the 2GB.
Safari 4 Beta for Windows and Mac
Posted by Jordan Patterson in Tutorial on February 25th, 2009
Yesterday Apple released the Safari 4 public beta and I am very pleased with it both on Windows and Mac. This new version of Safari adds new features , offers UI changes, and drastic speed increases. I have upgraded my Mac browser from the latest build of Safari 3 to the Safari 4 beta and I am very happy with it. I also have switched from firefox to the new beta on windows. The speed of this new browser is sensational and I recommend that you give it a try.
Update: With a little over a day of Safari 4 browsing under my belt I have some additional comments. First I think the Mac version is the fastest browser available today, and the most significant change in my opinion, moving the tabs to the title bar, was a good one. Today during work on my windows machine I switched back to Firefox. Safari seemed to slow the system down a little bit even though I was on a XP machine with 2 GB ram and a 2 GHZ Core 2 Duo. So to close I feel that on the Mac side the beta is a good choice for everyday use, but i’m afraid the windows version isn’t quite ready yet. Additionally there are dome hidden preferences that can restore the look of Safari three with some simple terminal hacks, follow the link below for the specifics.
Update 2: There was an error in the links that has been corrected.
AppTrap, the best application uninstaller for OS X
Posted by Jordan Patterson in Tutorial on February 20th, 2009
I have been looking for a seamless application uninstaller since I switched to the Mac last summer and I have found it. AppTrap is a free application, actually it is a preference pane, that moves every file associated with an application to the trash when an application is dragged to the trash. Please watch the video posted and subscribe.
DragNDrop files between multiple finder windows.
Posted by Jordan Patterson in Tutorial on February 19th, 2009
Yesterday afternoon I stumbled upon a great free application on MacThemes . Posted by user joeyh, this application in one click opens two finder windows that allow for simple file management via dragging and dropping. Then when you are done one more click and you return to your previous one finder window . Its great time saver and best of all its free. A video tutorial that covers installation and how to place this app in your finder toolbar is posted above.
Review – DLO Surface Sheild for iPhone 3G
Posted by Jordan Patterson in Review on February 15th, 2009
During my last visit to the Apple store I purchased a set of Power Support anti-glare screen protectors for my wife’s original iPhone and it got me in the mood to start using a screen protector again. I have used the Power Support Crystal for my original iPhone and was really happy with it but have not used one on my 3G. I was being impatient and decided that I would check out the screen protectors that Best Buy had available and purchased the DLO Surface Shield for iPhone 3G. I paid around 18 dollars for five anti glare screen protectors and am very happy with this product. They provide less anti glare/anti finger print properties than the power support but they are more optically clear and are very smooth to the touch. The best feature of these screen protectors is how well they fit the iPhone screen. They are cut incredibly close to the home button and earpiece and if properly applied make the iPhone appear to have matte glass rather than just a screen protector. I give this product a 9 out or 10 and highly recommend them.
Syncing Calendars between multiple devices
Posted by Jordan Patterson in Tutorial on February 13th, 2009
This is going to be a three part post detailing how you can synchronize important data between multiple computers and your mobile phone. There are many ways to accomplish this task such as Apple’s Mobile Me and Microsoft’s Exchange which are both payed services, but I am going to walk you through the free method that is working great for me.
The first installment will be focusing on calendar syncing. Before I even begin this tutorial please backup your data, this information is very important. A video tutorial is posted below along with the links presented in the video.
Jailbreaking your iPhone is now illegal
Posted by Jordan Patterson in News on February 13th, 2009
Well Apple has finally taken a stance on jailbreaking. A post from the EFF states that Apple now recognizes jailbreaking the iPhone and iPod touch as “copyright infringement and a DMCA violation”. This story came to the cheap geek via Bwana.org, and after reading his post on the subject I agree that Apple is not to blame. They have to protect the revenue stream of the App Store developers, and a recent pirating app Crackulous made it simple to steal software from the App Store. Will this make you restore your iPhone or iPod touch to official software?
My First Post
Posted by Jordan Patterson in General on February 12th, 2009
This is simply an introduction to my blog. This is aimed not only to be yet another technology blog, but mix in product reviews and tech support. My plan is to answer questions received via email, twitter, and comments here via blog posts and videos. Please contact me with any questions, comments, or ideas for the site.
Thank You
Jordan - The Cheap Geek
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Posts From February, 2009
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