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Long-time community member and contributor Lamarr has long been a die-hard Windows fan. However, as evidenced in this video, he is beginning a switch over to the other side. Whether Apple is the Dark Side or not remains to be seen. This is something Lamarr has researched and thought about for months. He is convinced that he is making the best decision for himself and his business.

That’s what it boils down to, folks – a personal decision. I cannot tell you what to buy, nor can I condemn you for your choices. Until I am paying for your devices, I’m pretty sure I have no say at all. It’s my job as a tech reviewer to give you honest feedback about the various devices and gadgets that I have bought or which have been sent to me to review. Those videos and blog posts are simply additions to the ways in which you can learn about each product for yourself. They’re not there as a means of my telling you what is the right thing for you to buy.

What’s right for me may well not be right for you. What’s right for Lamarr may not be what’s right for you. What’s right for you… well, you get the picture. This is the beautiful thing about the tech industry: we each have our own sets of desires and needs. There are millions of product out there aimed at fulfilling whatever hole it is you have in your life or business. Yes, it can be difficult at times to narrow down the choices. In the end, though, it’s your choice to make. Bashing someone for what they CHOOSE is pretty dang stupid if you ask me.

It’s a HUGE deal to have Lamarr switching over to Mac. For fifteen years, he’s built computers for himself and others – based around Windows. He didn’t hate Macs, but he admits he used to wish that they had never been created. The closed atmosphere bothered him greatly… and there were limited software choices years ago.

Lamarr’s vision of what “closed” means has drastically changed in recent years. Back in the day, it meant simply that you were limited by choices on software and portability. Today, closed (in relation to Apple) means simply that Apple controls their hardware and other features as closely as possible. Lamarr has begun to see the light – by having this control, Apple is able to deliver solid performance every single time. This also marshals protection for the users.

I commend Lamarr for making a change that he felt was necessary to move him forward. It doesn’t matter to me that he went from Windows to OS X. What matters is that he did his homework, weighed his options and decided what the best choice was for him. Hate on him all you want, Windows fanboys – but he had the guts to try something new and realize that it fit his needs better than what he had in the past.

Good on you, Lamarr!

How to Switch from Windows to Mac

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Matt Ryan is one of the bloggers on LockerGnome. He is an expert at being a Frugal Geek – he also has great tips and tricks in many areas of technology. A community member recently emailed to ask him how to play .AVI files on QuickTime within OS X. Luckily, Matt had the answer – as usual!

There are many different applications which can be used to play back these particular files on your Mac. However, many of them are convoluted and confusing. While some of you may be uber geeks, not everyone is. What the masses need is something simple which allows them to play their files without fuss and muss.

Perian is the “Swiss Army Knife for QuickTime.” It’s an open-source (free!) project which adds support for several different file types to your installation of QuickTime:

• File formats – AVI, DIVX, FLV, MKV, GVI, VP6, and VFW
• Video types – MS-MPEG4 v1 & v2, DivX, 3ivx, H.264, Sorenson H.263, FLV/Sorenson Spark, FSV1, VP6, H263i, VP3, HuffYUV, FFVHuff, MPEG1 & MPEG2 Video, Fraps, Snow, NuppelVideo, Techsmith Screen Capture, DosBox Capture
• Audio types – Windows Media Audio v1 & v2, Flash ADPCM, Xiph Vorbis (in Matroska), and MPEG Layer I & II Audio, True Audio, DTS Coherent Acoustics, Nellymoser ASAO
• AVI support – for AAC, AC3 Audio, H.264, MPEG4, VBR MP3 and more
• Subtitle support – for SSA/ASS, SRT, SAMI

Once you arrive on the Perian site, click on the Download tab and download the file. A click on that saved file will mount it very quickly to begin the installation process. Click “Perian.prefpane” on the left and your system preferences page will be pulled up.

After choosing whether to allow access for only yourself or all users, you’ll be asked to enter your administrator password twice. The first entry allows the program to install and the second gives permission to make changes to the system. Once you’ve stepped through this process, Perian is now installed – you never have to deal with it again.

Your video files will now play seamlessly within OS X without having to grab extra codecs or software. Matt has proven once again that you don’t have to be rich to enjoy technology.

How to Use .AVI Files on OS X

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A community member named Angie recently asked Lockergnome writer Matt Ryan if there is an easy way to do screen captures within OS X. In fact, there IS such a feature and it’s one that not everyone knows about.

Mac OS X has a set of key combinations that you can use to take screenshots in a variety of ways. The methods discussed in this video and writeup work on Mac 10.4 and above.

If you want to capture your entire desktop, you would hit Command + Shift + 3. By default, this will save a .PNG file of the entire screen to the desktop.

Let’s say that you only want to capture a portion of what you’re looking at. To do this, hit Command + Shift + 4. You’ll now see a small selection box which you can move and resize in order to highlight the area you want to screenshot. Once you let go of the mouse cursor, a .PNG of only that area will appear on your desktop.

Sometimes, you may want to take a screenshot of a single window and not have to re-define the area every time you need to do this. Use Command + Shift + 4 + Space. Hitting the space bar at the end of that key combination brings up a little camera icon on your screen. Using the camera, click on any window and save only that image to your desktop.

There are a few other little tricks you may want to know about:

• Adding the Ctrl key to the end of any of the above combinations will save your image to the Clipboard instead of saving as an actual file on the desktop.
• Change the default save-as file type by using a free utility such as Screenshot Settings.
• If you aren’t a fan of using key combinations, the Grab tool included with Mac OS X will work in a pinch. This is located in the Utilities folder under Applications.

If you have any OS X questions, feel free to leave them in the comments section and Matt will be happy to try and give you a hand.

How to Capture Your Screen in Mac OS X

I realize the Mac App Store workflow is designed for the “average” Mac user, but I happen to download Mac apps from across the Web. Does that make me an edge case?

I’ve just found the Mac App Store to be a bit… disappointing. Yes, I like that Apple is making it a bit easier to discover vetted software, but there are some places where the Mac App Store just falls short in my book.

You can’t expect something to get better if you do nothing but praise it.

1. What’s up with that interface? Seriously? If this is what we can expect in 10.7, fine – but give it to us then, not now. Is this where iTunes is headed after a much-needed overhaul?
2. You’re not surfacing my apps directory / subdirectory for updates on apps you know are already listed in the App Store. Why? I would have to “re-download” the app from the App Store in order for you to recognize that there’s an update available. You have a “Purchases” sheet, so why not a general “Installed” sheet, too? Bridge the gap, man.
3. You don’t give me a choice as to where I might install the app. Most people would choose the Applications folder, but I’ve reinstalled and moved computers one too many times to keep things in there. I created a “Tools” subdirectory, and you can (obviously) see that.
4. You always place an icon for an installed app in the dock. Do you not see that I keep killing them as quickly as you create ‘em? Finding an app quickly is what Spotlight is there for.
5. Sometimes you tell me that I’ve made no purchases, even though I have – and I’m still logged in. Baffling.
6. Why do I have to launch the App Store app to find out if any apps have been updated? Maybe Sparkle has spoiled me, maybe the App Store app needs to be more proactive?
7. You show me that I have apps installed, but… why not go a step further (for the every-man, in particular): make it easy to uninstall an App’s traces from your system, including cleaning up preferences that AppZapper usually has to get?
8. In the “Purchases” sheet, my inclination to get more information about an app is to click its name. But that doesn’t do anything, here. Sure, the clickable icon is right there – but what’s keeping you from hyperlinking the title, too? Seems more than a bit unintuitive.
9. It’d be nice to be able to browse changelogs, or see a zeitgeist of how often an app has updated (and when). Unfortunately, most developers are horrendous at marketing or revealing information, so if you’re really trying to boost the ecosystem, at least put yourself in the user’s shoes.
10. Still no clear software refunds policy. I’ve been burned a few times (not through the App Store, but if the App Store doesn’t provide me a blanket of security – what’s the point of using it over a developer’s own Web site).

Dunno. It has promise. But, as far as scanning my system for software updates is concerned, I’m just as inclined to use AppFresh (while imperfect) over anything else.

10 Reasons I Don’t Like the Mac App Store

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Matt Ryan of The Frugal Geek blog on Lockergnome shows you how to lock your Mac OS X Screen using a password protected screen saver.

From the Desktop & Screen Saver settings in Mac OS X, be sure you have turned on a screen saver. You then configure a hot spot on your screen to activate the screen saver when you move the cursor to that location. Configure the password for your Mac OS X user account. From the Security System Preferences page, check the box to require your password be entered when screen saver is activated.

Lock Your Screen in OS X

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Matt Ryan is the Frugal Geek on Lockergnome. He regularly writes articles with ideas and tips to help you save money in technology and other areas. Today, though, he is talking about the Twitter App for Mac OS X.

Matt notes that it is simple to install and set up your accounts. His general consensus is that the “Twitter App for OS X is a solid release that has much of the same functionality you would find in a paid program. Though it may not have everything a power user might be looking for such as ability to post to multiple accounts with a single tweet, it seems like a solid candidate for the majority of Twitter’s users.”

Which Twitter client are you using – and why do you feel it’s the best?

Twitter App for Mac OS X

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A chat room visitor asked me if it’s necessary to have an anti-virus program installed on Mac OS X. Most people will tell you that it isn’t needed, but I have a feeling my assistant Kat won’t agree with that assessment.

Guess what? I happen to agree with her. You should run security software on your Mac. Just because there aren’t “many” pieces of malware out there for OS X doesn’t mean there are “none.” There are a few running around the wilds. Nothing is perfect. As more people turn to Mac more vulnerabilities will be released.

If you want to be safe, you want to run something that’s going to keep you clean and free from all digital nasties… not just a virus. Mac OS X can suffer from Spyware, yes. There may not be a lot of it, again, but it is there.

If you’re going to connect to the Internet, you need to do so safely – even on Linux.

What do YOU think?

Does a Mac Need Security Software?

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Someone in chat asked if there are tips and tricks to fine-tune OS X. Why yes, young grasshopper, there are actually many ways you can optimize your Mac!

I recently came across MacKeeper. If you’re interested in this software, I can try to get you a discount on it. It’s a piece of software that is a bundle of most important system utilities for performing different tasks on your Mac. It helps you navigate through files and even clean out your cache quickly. It includes unparalleled support, which is fantastic. I was having an issue on my Mac that no one could figure out… until I asked MacKeeper.

It even scans all of the software on the computer to tell you what updates you may need. It even lets you know if you are lacking in some areas, such as anti-virus and anti-theft. You can also use the application to encrypt or shred your data and files.

If you’re looking for a Mac system optimizer, this is the best one out there as far as I’m concerned.

How to Optimize OS X

Good software is insanely expensive. Great software is usually out of the realm of purchasing possibility for many of you. This is why MacGraPhoto has worked hard to bring you nine fantastic graphics applications for a seriously low price. There are only nineteen days left to take advantage of this offer, so you’d better not procrastinate. Even if you don’t think you’ll need all of these titles yourself, why not grab them while you can and then give a few away as gifts during the holidays?

Included in your $39.99 bundle (which would normally sell for over four hundred bucks) is:

• AtomicView – AtomicView is a digital asset manager (DAM) software program that allows users to organize, browse, and output photos, images, videos, and sounds. A flexible and fast video and image conversion and transformation tool optimized for multicore computers.
• Hydra – Hydra provides human eye-like perception to your photographs by allowing you to create High Dynamic Range (HDR) images from a series of regular photographs.
• ImageFramer – ImageFramer is an easy-to-use but powerful application for framing your images and photos with beautiful photo-realistic and artistic frames.
• Layers – Layers captures every window, every palette, every menu, every menu and status bar icon, every icon on the Desktop, and even the Dock and the Desktop background for each of your connected displays will be saved as a separate editable layer in the resulting Photoshop image file.
• Posterino – With a focus on ease-of-use, Posterino 2 creates life posters, photo collages, frames, postcards, greeting cards and contact sheets from digital images. Posterino does the hard work while users just have to fine tune the results.
• Snapshot – Snapshot brings the power of a photo lab to your computer. Printing your digital images has never been easier.
• Sandvox – Sandvox is easy-to-use, popular, award-winning, do-it-yourself web site builder for Mac. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro — when it comes to building a website on your Mac, Sandvox is considered the best web design software for Mac.
• Sketch – An innovative and fresh look at vector drawing for the Mac. Its intentionally minimalist design is based upon a drawing space of unlimited size and layers, free of palettes, panels, menus, windows, and controls.
• Swift Publisher – With Swift Publisher, publishing attractive and informative documents for business, social and home activities becomes a snap.
• DVD Library BONUS! – DVD-Library lets you catalog, manage and backup your DVDs on Mac in a visual library. Just enter part of the title or UPC of the DVD (including Blu-ray DVDs), DVD-Library will automatically retrieve the DVD’s cover and all relevant info from Amazon, quick and easy.

You can even end up getting this entire bundle for free. When you purchase your bundle, you will receive an email with a personalized link in it to give out to others. If three or more people purchase the bundle themselves using your link, you will receive a full refund when the promotion ends! How cool is that?

Life is much easier when you have great software to help you accomplish your goals. Life is even sweeter when that software is affordable!

Cheap Mac Software with MacGraPhoto 2

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Out of the entire iLife suite, iPhoto is likely the app that’s most frequently used. I’d have to say, these improvements are most welcomed. Then again, when are software improvements admonished? There are several noticable changes, including the Facebook integration:

To share photos to Facebook in the new iPhoto ‘11, users simply highlight the photos, click “Share” at the bottom of the screen, and select Facebook from among other choices including email and Flickr. Users don’t have to create a new album, and can instead choose to post to their wall, the wall of a friend, or make the photo their profile picture.

Printing books and cards has been improved. Books now use better application logic to decide how to lay out pictures, using the key photo from the iPhoto album for the cover and grouping together pictures that were taken at the same time and in the same place.

Apple is also now letting users create letterpress cards. These cards are made using the letterpress printing process which is pretty cool. You can take advantage of several different awesome new themes to create them, or do any number of other things within iPhoto ’11.

What are your favorite new features?

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iPhoto 11 Review

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Apple recently released the first public beta of the free FaceTime Mac desktop app. It’s not without its share of flaws, but for the most part works as advertised. I’m happy enough – for now.

FaceTime for Mac makes it possible to talk, smile, wave, and laugh with anyone on an iPhone 4, iPod touch, or Mac from your Mac over Wi-Fi. So you can catch up, hang out, joke around, and stay in touch with just a click. Sure, it’s great to hear a voice. But it’s even better to see the face that goes with it.

The only thing you need to get started is an Apple id and an email address… and the beta download, of course. Your address book is already integrated, so you don’t have to worry about having to add anyone. You CAN add anyone you want to at any point in time. With a MobileMe subscription, you can have several different accounts… choose one for friends, one for family and one for business to keep things more organized.

I don’t like that it won’t work on Windows or Linux. That’s depressing, Apple. You dont want to get leap-frogged by Skype, now do you?

I hate that you cannot block someone from within FaceTime. I had to change one of my usernames due to someone guessing it and trying to call repeatedly. There’s no way to just block them from calling at will. I hate that it won’t run full-screen natively. You have to toggle it during the call itself. Having some automated features would make it much better.

Call anyone who has a FaceTime account and see the smile you put on their face.

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FaceTime Beta for Mac – Not Windows, Yet

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I bet you’re either running Mac OS X or some kind of dock software on Microsoft Windows (RocketDock or ObjectDock). Either way, I’ve received a few emails from y’all asking what I have in my dock. I hate to disappoint, but there’s not much in it.

In my dock, you’ll find a few things. Mine is kept at the bottom of the screen and hidden automatically. I have the Mac Finder, the Mail icon, iCal, my downloads folder and Trash. That’s it. I don’t have a great amount of icons. I like things nice and neat.

I don’t really need icons in my dock. I can get to apps really quickly using Spotlight. Once in a while, I will use QuickSilver to launch something quickly using a keyboard shortcut. Obviously, if an app is running it will be in the dock until I’m finished with it.

If you prefer the look of Windows 7, you can run a beta of HyperDock on your Mac.

If you’re a fan of ObjectDock and would like to win one of five copies for yourself, simply send a tweet with @chrispirillo in it, and something about #ObjectDock. I will select five people at random to win a copy of ObjectDock Plus 2.0. Your Impulse username will be required in order to receive the prize.

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What’s in Your Dock?

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Like many of you out there, I was excited for the Apple event that happened on Wednesday. I had my ideas as to what we would hear, and I know you did, as well. How much of what you hoped for was real? How close were your predictions?

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Were Your Apple Event Predictions Correct?

On Wednesday, Apple issued invitations to the press for an event on Wednesday October 20, 2010 at 10PM PST. Named “Back To the Mac,” the invitation shows an Apple logo slightly rotated with a lion lurking behind it. The lion image was plenty of clue that there will be a new operating system to Apple’s cat themed operating system. As MG Sigler puts it: “There are a few big cats left that Apple could have chosen from, but they’re going with Lion, the king of the jungle. To me, this means they intend this version of OS X to be big.”

If this upgrade is as big as we are expecting… what do you think we’ll see? Will there be major changes to the overall UI? What new features could possibly hidden inside this newest gem?

• Bing and Facebook are announcing new social features.
• Why would anyone want to Steampunk a Furby?
• How much would you pay for a trip to outer space?
• Facebook is now offering a single-use password.
• Will the iPad be sold in South Korea?
• How big of an external drive do you need?
• Why is a Mac “better” for media work?
• How do you avoid using too many words when writing?
• Create your own delicious cream cheese – right in your kitchen.
• Is Spyware the thief in the night?
• What does your geeky living space look like?
• You can control which applications users on Windows 7 run.
• Apple has trademarked a phrase that most of us use regularly.
• It’s hard to believe Ubuntu is up to version 10.10 already.
• Are there any homework excuses that still work?
• ObjectDock 2 has been released. Put a Dock on your Windows machine!
• An Indian firm is seeking a CDMA iPhone.
• Are you a Dreamweaver user?
• Which foreign languages are important to learn?
• Are mobile apps really safe?
• Is the teacher crazy – or are the students just obnoxious?
• How often do you get online?
• Why would anyone want to downgrade their BIOS?
• Don Jones is revisiting PowerShell.
• The way has been paved for a graphene-based spin computer.
• Do you need a guide to Facebook privacy?
• Can your file names lead to your arrest?
• Chrome is putting a little more shine on their browser.

Don’t forget to stop by our software center today.

What are Your Predictions for the Next OS X Version?

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On the heels of Parallels 6 being launched, the team behind the software today announced their new offering in itunes: the Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac Mobile App. The app will allow users of Parallels 6 or Parallels 6 Switch to Mac to use their iPad, iPhone or iPod touch to access and use Windows applications running on a Mac. This can be done from any network at any time.

If you have a copy of Parallels 6.0 or higher and have registered for an account, you can download the app for absolutely nothing. Load it up on your Apple mobile device of choice and access your virtual machine remotely. As you can imagine, you can pinch and zoom your way through each screen to get to where you need to be!

You can adjust various controls to optimize the visualizations as need be. Suspend, pause or shut down your virutal machine at home from your iPhone while you’re on the go. All of the normal functionality you have come to expect from Parallels are found in this new app.

This is pretty impressive, if you ask me. You know how often you end up needing something from your machine at home while you’re on the road or at the office. Parallels is now helping make it a snap for you to grab your files and go. It doesn’t get much better than that.

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A New Parallels Mac Download – for Your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch