Category Archives: os x

QuickLock Is The Quickest & Most Convenient Way To Lock Your Mac

QuickLock is a terrific little tool from ThinkDev that makes it quick and convenient to lock your Mac when you leave your desk. It sits in your menubar out of your way, and a click (or a keyboard shortcut) is all it takes to keep your Mac safe.

With the latest version of QuickLock, users can enjoy a brand new interface and a number of new features. Best of all, it’s completely free.

QuickLock is a must-have if you use your Mac in an office, a classroom, a library, or another public place where you might leave it unattended for a while. You probably already use a password to ensure no one can gain access to your computer while you’re away from it, and the quickest and easiest way to activate that password and lock your Mac is with QuickLock.

“QuickLock is the absolute best way to lock your Mac,” ThinkDev says. “Unlike OSX’s hot corners, QuickLock works with a simple keyboard shortcut or menubar click, and never gets in the way of your workflow.”

And here’s what’s new in its latest update:

- Completely redesigned user interface
- Revamped user experience
- New icon
- Great new animations for locking/unlocking
- An awesome screen bounce or lock animation when typing
- Upgraded security features
- New display features
- Major bug fixes and improvements

Because QuickLock’s new features are currently in beta testing, you can get a copy of the app and try them out completely free. Just visit the QuickLock website and download it to get started.

ThinkDev has another awesome app that called QuickRes, which has been developed to make it super simply to switch between display resolutions on a Retina MacBook Pro. Like QuickLock, it sits in your menubar.

QuickRes is the best way to switch between screen resolutions on your Mac. With the MacBook Pro with Retina Display, you can set your resolution all the way up to an extreme 3840 x 2400! With other Macs, you can set your resolutions to things you’ve never seen before, including a HiDPI mode, which is as close as you can get to a Retina Display on a standard display.

A free version of QuickRes can be downloaded from the Mac App Store, but due to Apple’s restrictions, it only allows you to switch to one resolution — and you have to go into System Preferences to switch back. The paid version, however, let’s you switch between resolution as much as you like.

It’s just $1.99, but Cult of Mac readers can get 50% off for a limited time.

New Mac Malware Breezes Past Gatekeeper Because It’s Signed By An Apple Developer ID

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A new Mac malware has been found in the wild that allowed attackers to steal data and install unauthorized apps on a compromised machine. What makes this malware different than other recent Mac malware, though, is that it breezes right past Gatekeeper… and the people behind it might have been gunning for the life of their malware victim.

Known security researcher and privacy activist Jacob Applebaum discovered the malware — which is being called OSX/KitM.A by Finnish antivirus firm F-Secure — on the laptop of a human rights activist at the Oslo Freedom Forum earlier this week.

KitM.A got on the machine as a result of a spear phishing attack, which is a phishing attack in which specific individuals (instead of a wider range of victims) are targeted. The malware takes screenshots of what is happening on the Mac amd sends them to servers in the Netherlands. It can also download and install other malware, executing commands on behalf of attackers and manipulating the network activity monitor so that its presence remains undetected.

What’s so interesting about this specific malware is that it was signed by a valid Apple Developer ID. This means that it just blew past Gatekeeper, OS X Mountain Lion’s anti-malware firewall that is supposed to keep out just this sort of program. But it also means that Apple can just revoke the app’s certificate, killing it instantly on all computers with Gatekeeper turned on. And hopefully, it means that the attackers behind this particularly insidious form of malware can be tracked down and prosecuted, because they’ve left a signature: their own Apple Developer ID.

Applebaum said that he may publish more details on the attack once he ascertains the threat to the victim’s life. Someone was gunning for him, after all, and given what’s going on in Angola these days, that’s a sensible precaution.

Source: Macworld
Image: MyFWCMedia

Save Space On Your Hard Drive – Disable SafeSleep Mode On Your Mac [OS X Tips]

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Warning – this tip is fairly advanced. Use it at your own risk.

There’s a feature that debuted back in 2005, called SafeSleep. Basically, it’s a hibernation mode designed to save the current state of your running Mac, so that it can start up exactly the same way you left it when you put the Mac to sleep, even if the battery runs out and it shuts down completely.

In OS Lion, Apple introduced two new features, called Autosave and Resume which mirrors this functionality. Turning off SafeSleep, then, is really just disabling a duplicate feature. It shouldn’t affect Autosave or Resume if you’re running OS Lion or later, and it could potentially save you gigabytes of hard drive space.

Here’s how to do it, though we caution you not to do this if you’re even slightly uncomfortable with the idea.

To disable the SafeSleep mode altogether, launch Terminal and type or paste the following command:

sudo pmset hibernatemode 0

This turns off hibernation mode, disabling SafeSleep. Now you need to delete the space-eating SafeSleep image file. Type or paste the following command into Terminal:

sudo rm /var/vm/sleepimage

If your Mac is usually plugged in while sleeping, and you don’t tend to run the battery down below 20 percent, you’re never really using SafeSleep mode, anyway, so disabling it to save some space makes sense. Macs with a non-SSD in them take a little bit of time to save the SleepSave image to their hard drives, but the SSD Macs take no time at all. The potential benefit, then, on an SSD-equipped Mac is the storage space.

If you want to re-enable SafeSleep mode again, type or paste this command into Terminal to reset SafeSleep mode:

sudo pmset -a hibernatemode 3

And things should be back to the way they were.

Source: TUAW

Apple releases Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.0 for mid 2012 MacBook Air

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Screen Shot 2013-05-16 at 2.41.24 PM

Apple has released a new firmware update for the mid 2012 MacBook Air today that helps to address problems with the device recovering from a crash. Apple release notes said the update addresses “a storage firmware issue that, in rare cases, may cause a system to fail to recover from crash.”

The MacBook Air Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.0 is available to download on Apple’s website here and should be hitting Software Update soon. The 1.69 MB update is available for mid 2012 MacBook Airs running OS X 10.7.5 or OS X 10.8.3.

Apple Releases iTunes 11.0.3 With New MiniPlayer, Improved Songs View, And Multi-Disc Albums

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Apple just released a new version of iTunes that comes with a couple of unexpected new features. The 11.0.3 update includes a new MiniPlayer, an improved songs view, and finally support for multi-disc albums along with some bug fixes.

New view for MiniPlayer from iTunes 11.0.3 update

The update for the MiniPlayer is by-far the biggest new feature. There’s a new MiniPlayer view that showcases album artwork much more prominently. The new view is quite a bit bigger than the original MiniPlayer view, but you can toggle between the two if you want.

Here are the full release notes on the update:

“This version of iTunes comes with several new features and improvements, including:

New MiniPlayer. MiniPlayer now includes a beautiful new view that showcases your album artwork. In addition, a progress bar is now built right into MiniPlayer.

Improved Songs View. You can now enjoy your album artwork while in Songs view.

Multi-Disc Albums. Albums with multiple discs now appear as a single album.

This update also provides performance improvements when searching and sorting large iTunes libraries.”

The new version of iTunes can be downloaded here.

Source: Apple

Save Space On Your Hard Drive – Delete System Logs And QuickLook Cache Files [OS X Tips]

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There are many files that help make your system usable, but they can build up over time. System logs, for example, keep track of usage, errors, and services running on your Mac, but unless you look at these often via an app like Console, you’ll probably not need a ton of log files taking up space on your Mac, especially if you have one with a low-volume SSD.

QuickLook cache files make your Mac feel zippy when you hit the spacebar to preview files in the Finder or Open/Save dialogs. If you can stand a bit of a wait to do this, deleting these files can save you some space as well.

Put together, you might save a decent amount of space on your hard drive, so give it a shot. Here’s how.

First up, launch Terminal from the Applications folder or your Dock, whichever is easier for you. Then, type or paste the following command into the resulting window:

sudo rm -rf /private/var/log/*

This should clean out the system logs up to and including when you run the command, so you might want to do this on a regular basis if you find it frees up a ton of space.

Now, close that Terminal window and open another. Type or paste the following command into Terminal:

sudo rm -rf /private/var/folders/

This will get rid of the QuickLook cache files, which will then start to accumulate again. This might be another regular task if space is at a premium on your Mac, and if the speed hit to QuickLook doesn’t bother you.

Each of the commands above will require you to enter your administrator password.

Via: OS X Daily

Save Space On Your Hard Drive – Check Application Support Folder For Steam Game Files [OS X Tips]

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I suppose since I’m a gamer, I assume everyone else is. If you’re not, or you don’t use the fantastic cross-platform digital gaming portal, Steam, this tip won’t apply to you. Check out the last couple of tips for great space saving ideas, instead. Or, heck, read a review or two on Cult of Mac. I hear they’re pretty good.

For you Steam gamers looking to save some space on your hard drive, there’s one place you should really look.

Go into the Finder, and open the ~/Library/Application Support/ folder. INside that folder will be a Steam folder, which may have a ton of files sitting around from games you don’t play anymore. Be sure to Calculate All Sizes in the View menu when viewing the Steam folder here, and sort by Size. You’ll see which games are weighing your hard drive down, and you’ll know which ones you can dump (these are the ones you don’t play any more).

When I checked my Steam Application Support folder, I found about 30 Gb of data in there, much of which is from games I don’t actually play anymore, like Civilization, or Sanctum. Deleting these files gave me a ton more space than I thought possible.

Another place to check is the main Application Support folder. Not all games, even Steam games, put their big files in the Steam folder. There may even be app support items in here from apps you deleted a long time ago. Take a look through this folder and dump what you can. Remember, though, that if you delete files a current app actually needs, you’ll probably break it and need to reinstall.

I found some great stuff in this folder, like support files for EVE Online, a game I haven’t played in way too long. Deleted!

Via: OS X Daily

Gear up for new Macs, D-Link releases four next generation ultra-fast 11AC WiFi routers

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From 9to5Toys.com:

Last month we were tipped to some clues in the latest OS X 10.8.4 beta which indicated that Apple is ramping up to release new Macs and accessories sporting the next generation wireless technology, 802.11ac. It’s entirely possible that we could see these Macs introduced as early as next month at Apple’s WWDC. If you’re planning to upgrade your Mac, you’re going to need an AC compatible router to take advantage of this new wireless technology. Below are four new options for you to consider when making the switch.

D-Link announced the immediate availability of four new 11AC wireless routers, starting at just $80. The next generation wireless technology, 11AC delivers more coverage and up to 3 times the speed of the current wireless standard “N.” The proliferation of mobile devices and streaming content has necessitated the move towards AC wireless as a faster, more reliable wireless connection for home and businesses users.

The new D-Link wireless router lineup consists of the AC750 (DIR-810L), AC1000 (DIR-820L), AC1200 (DIR-860L) and AC1750 (DIR-868L), ranging from $80 up to $170. These cloud routers offer remote network management via the free D-Link Lite iOS app, which “enables users to see what websites are being visited, block unwanted connections, and set up automatic email alerts when unauthorized connections are made.” The top of the line AC1750 and AC1200 feature four ultra fast Gigabit Ethernet ports.

Even though most devices we have aren’t AC compatible yet, if you’re currently in the market for a new router it may make sense to go AC in an effort to future proof your network.

All four of these routers are now available for order from D-Link or major retailers like Amazon.

Save Space On Your Hard Drive – Delete Unwanted Speech Voices From Your Mac [OS X Tips]

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Hard drive space is at a premium these days, with files getting larger and solid state drives (SSD) becoming more affordable and ubiquitous. I’m typing on a Macbook Air right now, and making sure I don’t clutter up the drive with unnecessary files is important to me.

One way to do this is to get rid of the voices that Mac OS X uses for text-to-speech. These files can take up a decent amount of space, which may well be why iOS only allows the one onboard, now that I think about it.

Anyway, if you’re not using those text-to-speech voices, you might as well clear them off your drive and save some space. Here’s how.

If you want to get rid of the whole kit and caboodle at once, launch Terminal from the Applications folder, the dock, or with an app launching system, like Alfred. Type or paste the following command:

cd /System/Library/Speech/

This will change the directory (cd) you’re focusing on to the one in which the speech files are contained. To delete them all, simply type or paste the following:

sudo rm -rf Voices/*

This will dump every single text-to-speech voice on your system, so don’t do it if you want to keep one or more voices. In that case, navigate to the /System/Library/Speech/Voices/ folder on your hard drive and delete the voices you aren’t going to use, like Cello, or Bahh. Because, really, how often do you have your Mac read to you in the sound of string instruments or sheep?

Via: OS X Daily

Save Space On Your Hard Drive – Delete Unwanted Speech Voices From Your Mac [OS X Tips]

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Anyway, if you’re not using those text-to-speech voices, you might as well clear them off your drive and save some space. Here’s how.

cd /System/Library/Speech/

This will change the directory (cd) you’re focusing on to the one in which the speech files are contained. To delete them all, simply type or paste the following:

sudo rm -rf Voices/*

Via: OS X Daily

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Category Archives: os x

QuickLock Is The Quickest & Most Convenient Way To Lock Your Mac

New Mac Malware Breezes Past Gatekeeper Because It’s Signed By An Apple Developer ID

Save Space On Your Hard Drive – Disable SafeSleep Mode On Your Mac [OS X Tips]

Apple releases Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.0 for mid 2012 MacBook Air

Apple Releases iTunes 11.0.3 With New MiniPlayer, Improved Songs View, And Multi-Disc Albums

Save Space On Your Hard Drive – Delete System Logs And QuickLook Cache Files [OS X Tips]

Save Space On Your Hard Drive – Check Application Support Folder For Steam Game Files [OS X Tips]

Gear up for new Macs, D-Link releases four next generation ultra-fast 11AC WiFi routers

Save Space On Your Hard Drive – Delete Unwanted Speech Voices From Your Mac [OS X Tips]

Save Space On Your Hard Drive – Delete Unwanted Speech Voices From Your Mac [OS X Tips]