A very good website that provides history and analysis on Apple's release cycles for its products such as Macbook, Macbook Pro, Macbook Air, iMac, Mac Pro, Mac Mini, iPod shuffle, iPod nano, iPod classic, iPod touch, iPhone etc
You wouldn't want to buy a product when the line-up is going to be refreshed in another week. So go to MacRumors: Buyer's Guide to check out!
If you happened to have bought Apple's old line-up product, Apple has a price protection for 14 days after the purchase. So you can bring it back to Apple Store for upgrade or change for pretty much free (unless the new line-up is more expensive that the one that you have bought). Terms and conditions might vary with different countries.
via:
MacRumors: Buyer's Guide
If you have used haoting.com to play asian (Chinese, Cantonese, Japanese, Korean, English) music, you would realize that haoting.com only works fine with Internet Explorer (and Windows). If you are using Firefox on Windows, you will realize that the song will play, but it will not move down the list. Also if you are on Mac, you are in a tough luck since haoting.com uses Windows Media Player (WMP) to stream the music, and Microsoft no longer supports WMP for Mac.
So the only solution to keep enjoying asian music on your Firefox / Mac is to find a website that streams through flash. And I have found one such website!
99.cn is one of the many asian music streaming websites from China. It uses flash, so it will definitely work on any web browser that has Adobe Flash plugin!
Based on my observations, all those streaming websites have the same musc catalogs, if not almost the same.
Go ahead and enjoy your favorite asian music from 99.cn
Note: These music streaming websites from China might not have the proper licenses from artists to broadcast music. Please listen at your own risk.
To follow up on the A2DP (stereo bluetooth) post on Mac OS 10.4 (Tiger) here, here and here, I would like to introduce the method to get A2DP to run on your Windows XP via Boot Camp on Mac computers.
If you are still using Windows XP and refused to upgrade to Vista (and probably waiting for Windows 7 to release later this year), you would realize that Win XP does not allow you to use headset profile (mono or stereo). It is because Microsoft did not include those profile stacks in Win XP and never bothered to include them in the subsequent Service Packs!
As a result of that, you cannot enjoy neither mono nor stereo sound on your computer even though your laptop/pc comes with built-in bluetooth (especially true for Macbook/Macbook Pro/Macbook Air).
The solution is first proposed by U.C. and further explained by reesd at InsanelyMac forum. I decided to combine their solutions to make an easy-to-understand step-by-step guide.
Also, this guide deals primarily with getting those profile stacks installed on Mac computer running boot camp in Windows XP. However, it also works with any laptop that has built-in bluetooth.
1) Download the Toshiba bluetooth stack profile and driver from http://aps2.toshiba-tro.de/bluetooth/?page=download
*Please know that the Toshiba Bluetooth Stack only valid for 30 days. After that, you would probably have to purchase the software in order to continue to use it. HOWEVER, if you are savvy enough, you can search and download it from torrent site.
2) Install the Toshiba Bluetooth Stack. It will reach a point where it tries to find for a compatible hardware, but cannot find it. Click "cancel".
3) Go to Device Manager and look up your built-in bluetooth device info under Bluetooth (the device is probably called Apple Bluetooth). Look for DeviceID and copy the info down.
For example, my DeviceID is USB\VID_05AC&PID_8205
4) Browse to the folder "Program Files\Toshiba\Bluetooth Toshiba Stack\Drivers\tosrfusb"
5) Open tosrfusb.inf file using notepad or any text editor.
6) Scroll down the file to the middle until you reach [Standard] section. You will need to assign a new number that has not been taken by other items in the [Standard] section.
For example if the list has up to 140 items, I will type in the following line after the line %TosrfUsb.DevicDesc140%=TosrfUsb_Device, .....
%TosrfUsb.DeviceDesc144%=TosrfUsb_Device, USB\VID_05AC&PID_8205
7) Scroll down the file until you reach [Strings] section.
Type in the following line after line
TosrfUsb.DeviceDesc140 = "xxxxxx"
TosrfUsb.DeviceDesc144 = "Apple Built-In Bluetooth Toshiba"
8) Save the tosrfusb.inf file and reboot your computer.
9) Return to Device Manager. Select the first Bluetooth device and choose to Update Driver. Don't let Windows search for the driver, but choose the option that you want to search for the driver on your own.
You will reach a point where there is an option "Have Disk". Click it and select Program Files\Toshiba\Bluetooth Toshiba Stack\Drivers\tosrfusb as the directory.
It will prompt you about unsigned driver. This is because you have edited the .inf file. Proceed with the driver update.
10) With the update, you can click on the toshiba bluetooth icon on your taskbar. Enable the bluetooth and choose new connection to search for your bluetooth device.
**The usual default passkey for pairing bluetooth devices is 0000 (as in four zeroes)
***I assume you know how to set your bluetooth device to pairing mode. If not, read your user manual. It is usually by holding the power button on your device for a certain amount of time (a couple of seconds) until both LEDs blink continuosly (usually red and blue)
****Handsfree (hf) is a newer mono bluetooth profile than Headset profile. Both are mono audio, but handsfree seems to support more options.
11) After you have paired the device to your built-in bluetooth, you can go to Bluetooth Settings (or double click on the icon on taskbar), double click on the selected bluetooth stereo device.
*****If you are using A2DP and the audio skips, go to Bluetooth Settings->Right click on your paired device name->choose a lower Quality setting such as Standard to see if there is any improvement.
12) Enjoy your full headset/A2DP/AVCRP support on Windows XP! (for up to 30 days or unlimited if you decided to torrent)
13) To disconnect, go back to Bluetooth Settings and right click on the bluetooth stereo device, choose Disconnect.
Note: Another software that enables A2DP on Windows XP and Vista (non-mac) is covered here.
If you have read the Tim Hewett's method to implement A2DP on your Mac OS 10.4 (Tiger) - (2a) and have problems with the sudo kext command, this post will try to assist you to get things going.
Again, the errors and solutions stated below are obtained from the the user comments at David Connolly's blog. This post is to summarize the most common problems mentioned and how to solve them. (and save you from going through 200 comments)
Common errors
1) kextload: extension /System/Library/Extensions/AudioReflectorDriver.kext is not authentic (check ownership and permissions)
Type the following command in Terminal (each sentence is in one line):
sudo chown -R root:wheel /System/Library/Extensions/AudioReflectorDriver.kext
sudo chmod -R 755 /System/Library/Extensions/AudioReflectorDriver.kext
sudo kextload /System/Library/Extensions/AudioReflectorDriver.kext
2) If you have problems with the choppiness of the sound and adjusting the value in /usr/local/bin/a2dpcast aa-bb-cc-dd-ee-ff 20 did not help, you can try to unload kext and reload it.
However, according to Tim, a2dpcast-0.3 shouldn't give you this problem. So you should not try this solution unless you have tried all other options.
Type in the following:
sudo kextunload /System/Library/Extensions/AudioReflectorDriver.kext (you may need to do this twice)
sudo kextload /System/Library/Extensions/AudioReflectorDriver.kext
3) a2dpcast does not work with Motorola S9! If you have S9, you best bet would be to use Softick Audio Gateway for Mac OS which is mentioned here.
You will see the following message in Terminal when you run /usr/local/bin/a2dpcast aa-bb-cc-dd-ee-ff with Motorola S9.
Found audio device "Motorola S9"
No such audio device 'Stereo Bluetooth Headset'. Using System Default.
Using audio device "Motorola S9"
sample rate is 8000, channels is 2
discover : received
SEID = 2
SEID 2 : MPEG codec
SEID = 1
Sent set configurations command
set_config : accepted
open : stream channnel
open_stream : ok
start_stream : ok
mtu = 672
frm_len = 2
6000 bytes/sec, hdr.sampling_frequency is 0
Transmitting A2DP, press RETURN to stop.
Bus error
Notice the bus error. If for any reason when you use your bluetooth stereo headset (other than Motorola S9) with a2dpcast and Terminal gives Bus error, it probably means your headset cannot use method (2).
4) Here is a list of supported and unsupported bluetooth stereo headset available from another post on David Connolly's blog.
Working (intel mac):
Motorola HT820
Griffin Bluetrip
Plantronics Pulsar 260
Plantronics Pulsar 590A
Jabra BT 620s (1 report of performance problem, Other reports of success)
iMuffs
Sony CMT-HX5BT
Sony DR-BT22A
Not working (intel mac):
Sony Ericsson's HBH-DS970
Omiz Combo BT headphone
Motorola S9
Motorola DC800
Jensen WBT212
Enjoy A2DP on your Mac!
From the previous post on getting stereo bluetooth to work on Mac OS 10.4 (Tiger) at here, there is actually two more methods available. One is first proposed by David Connolly at his blog and another by Tim Hewett in David's blog comment section. Both methods are almost similar, but the one by Tim Hewett is more elegant and easier to use (but harder to set it up).
David's blog has a lot of useful information in the comments section, but I am writing this comprehensive guide to save you the trouble from searching through the all the comments.
I will describe Tim's method on this post since I think it is easier to use after you have successfully setting it up.
However, Tim's method requires a bit of Terminal knowledge. If you don't know what Terminal is, don't worry. This post will have a step-by-step guide to help you to enjoy A2DP on your Mac.
==========================================================
*I suggest you download the following 2 items onto your Desktop
1) Download a2dpcastAudioDevice.tgz file from http://www.coolatoola.com/a2dpcastAudioDevice.tgz
2) Download a2dpcast from http://www.coolatoola.com/a2dpcast-0.3.zip
3) Turn on your built-in bluetooth on Mac OS and allow your bluetooth stereo headset to pair with it. The usual default passkey for bluetooth equipment is 0000 (as in four zeroes).
4) After pairing, go to Preference->Bluetooth->Devices. Click on the name of your device and copy down the Device Address. It will be in aa-bb-cc-dd-ee-ff format (12 characters).
5) Launch Terminal. What is Terminal? It is similar to the "command prompt" in Windows or the "Terminal" in Linux. You can access Terminal by:
Click on your Mac HD -> Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal
6) A new window will pop up with the word "Welcome to Darwin!".
Type the following and press enter:
cd /
7) Type the following and press enter:
sudo tar xfzp DOWNLOAD_DIR/a2dpcastAudioDevice.tgz --same-owner
where DOWNLOAD_DIR is the directory where you have downloaded/saved the file
For example, my Mac OS user account name is linkopia and I have saved my files on desktop. So I will type the following:
sudo tar xfzp users/linkopia/Desktop/a2dpcastAudioDevice.tgz --same-owner
Terminal will ask for your password. Type in your password and press enter.
8) Type the following and press enter:
sudo kextload /System/Library/Extensions/AudioReflectorDriver.kext
9) Double click on the a2dpcast-0.3.zip to extract the zip file. A new folder called a2dpcast-0.3 will appear.
10) Click Finder. You will then see "Finder", "File", "Edit", "View", "Go" ... on the menubar on top of your screen.
11) Click "Go" and choose "Go to Folder".
Type in the following:
/usr/local/bin
and click Go
12) Copy the file "a2dpcast" from the a2dpcast-0.3 folder to bin folder. Mac OS might prompt for login name and password or confirmation to copy the file. Allow the file to be copied to bin folder.
13) You are almost there. Now go to Terminal again. Type in the following and press enter:
/usr/local/bin/a2dpcast aa-bb-cc-dd-ee-ff
where aa-bb-cc-dd-ee-ff is the Device Address of your Stereo Bluetooth Headset.
**If your music skips, you can try to lower the sound quality. I think the default value is 32 (You can change the value anything from 0 to 32, the lower the value, the sound quality gets worse). So you can type the following:
/usr/local/bin/a2dpcast aa-bb-cc-dd-ee-ff 20
14) Launch iTunes and enjoy your music wirelessly!
15) Leave the Terminal open while you are using A2DP. You can minimize it, but don't close it! Go to Terminal and press "Enter" to stop A2DP when you don't want the stereo bluetooth anymore. You can close the Terminal now.
***When you want to use A2DP again, enable your Bluetooth on Mac OS. Launch terminal, and type the following again:
/usr/local/bin/a2dpcast aa-bb-cc-dd-ee-ff
or
/usr/local/bin/a2dpcast aa-bb-cc-dd-ee-ff 20
==========================================================
Enjoy A2DP on your Mac OS 10.4 (Tiger)!
If you encountered errors while going through the steps above, click here to read about some workarounds that might help you to get a2dp fully running.
A2DP (Stereo bluetooth) on Mac OS Tiger (10.4) - (2b)
If you are still using Mac OS Tiger (10.4) and haven't upgraded to Leopard (10.5), there are two workaround solutions to get A2DP (stereo bluetooth).
1) Softick Audio Gateway for Mac OS X
This is the easiest to use solution to get your a2dp fix on your Mac. You can download the beta version for free (unlimited duration, but only works on Intel Mac). It installed easily and
has no problem detecting my stereo bluetooth headset (Sony DB-BT22).
A final version is also available for purchase at 19.95 USD. However, it seems that the development for this software has died along with the support of A2DP in Leopard. There is scarce information about the difference between the beta and final version. I would assume that you get more control with the purchased version.
Compared with solution (2), the beta version do skip when playing music on my iTunes. You'll get about a second of no sound every once in a while. The final version might have solved this problem, but I believe the skip is mainly due to the bluetooth bandwidth problem (older bluetooth specification, especially version 1.0+).
Lastly, solution (2) seems to have a better sound quality than the softick audio gateway.
Solution (2) will follow shortly after this piece. Stay tuned.
Download Softick Audio Gateway for Mac OS 10.4 (Tiger)
Click here to read about Solution 2
If you are a heavy internet user, and your ISP has a cap on your download/upload limit per month, SurplusMeter is the software that I would recommend you to use (Note: only if you are using Mac OS).
============================================================
Quote from the website:"If you have a broadband internet service with a monthly download limit, you may find SurplusMeter comes in handy. It measures the download and upload traffic on your Internet connection and keeps a record of your traffic volume. It gives you all kinds of useful output statistics, like daily allowance, average daily usage, accumulated surplus, and more. Statistics are presented in three ways: simple bytes in/out; summaries of megabytes used and remaining, and graphic meters which display at a glance when you're getting close to exceeding your limit.
Privacy Note: SurplusMeter measures only the volume of traffic on your connection. It does not look at the content of data in/out or record where it comes from. Also, SurplusMeter is completely passive; it does not send any information to anyone.
SurplusMeter is freeware. It's open-source, released under the GNU General Public Licence. You can download the source code from our Downloads page.
Current Version: 2.0.2
What's New:
- Today's Usage figure only turns red if it exceeds daily allowance and surplus combined.
- Archive gives data in GB as well as MB and bytes.
- Slovak localization (courtesy Rudolf Gavlas).
- Universal Binary (now supports only 10.4 or later)."
============================================================via:SkoobySoft - SurplusMeter
Samgine.com is a relatively new website that strives to provide next generation puzzles for all generations. If you looked carefully, Samgine is the reverse for Enigmas :) The website has a lot of free online puzzles available that will certainly entertain you for hours.
Quote from website:"Samgine (enigmas backwards) regularly adds free online puzzles and logic games. We also create original puzzles and provide a fun family-friendly experience you cannot get elsewhere."
Check it out at Samgine.com!Have fun playing the puzzles.
There are another a few more interesting menubar applications for Mac OS X which improves your desktop experience! Let's get to the list-->
Note: All the apps below work with Mac OS 10.4 (Tiger) except for Menubar Countdown which only works with Mac OS 10.5 (Leopard).==========================================================
1) Caffeine Caffeine is especially useful when you are watching long YouTube clips or movies on your computer. If you have enabled screen dim or screen saver, they will pop-up and annoy you during the middle of you videos and basically you have to either nudge the mouse or keyboard to resume. Here comes Caffeine! You can set the time duration (1 hour to indefinite) that you want your screen to remain active and keep the screen dimmer/saver settings out of sight. Furthermore, it is a freeware!
Quote from the website:
"Caffeine is a tiny program that puts an icon in the right side of your menu bar. Click it to prevent your Mac from automatically going to sleep, dimming the screen or starting screen savers. Click it again to go back. Hold down the Command key while clicking to show the menu."Download Caffeine
==========================================================2) Menubar CountdownMenubar Countdown is a useful tool if you need some sort of a countdown for your work. For example, you want to remind yourself to get the brewing coffee after 5 minutes. Instead of having to keep reminding yourself that the coffee is done in 5 minutes, you can go back to your work and use this application to pop-up when the time is up! And it is a freeware too!
Quote from the website
"Menubar Countdown is a simple countdown timer that displays itself on the right side of the Mac OS X menu bar. To set the timer, click the display and select the Start... menu item. A dialog will appear that allows you to specify the countdown time in hours, minutes, and seconds. The dialog also allows you to specify which of the following forms of notification you want when the timer gets down to 00:00:00:
- Play the system alert sound
- Display an alert window
- Make a spoken announcement. You can specify the text to be spoken."
Note: It works with Mac OS 10.5 only!Download Menubar Countdown
==========================================================3) CountdownCountdown serves the same function as Menubar Countdown. Both will appear on the menubar. Another mentioned feature of Countdown is the support for Growl notification. Growl is a notification system for Mac OS available for free. It will be covered in the next posting.
Quote from the website:
"Waiting, it's a fact of life. Whether you're cooking or waiting for a train, you don't want to miss your deadline. Countdown helps you keep track of these deadlines. All you do is enter how long you want to wait or enter the date that you're waiting for and Countdown will take care of the rest. Include a message and you won't wonder what you were waiting for. With Countdown, you won't miss a train or burn a cake again."Download Countdown
==========================================================Enjoy the post!
I came across three easy-to-use cross-platform remote access software that could save you all the headache if you are using Windows Remote Assistance. Since they are cross-platform, you could it any of them on Windows machine to control Mac, or on Mac to control Windows machine.
Remote access is very useful if you are good in computers and your friend needs your help but he is at another location. Just ask him to launch the remote access application, give you some info generated by that application on his computer, and voila, you can connect to his desktop and help him to solve his computer problems remotely!
==============================================================1) LogMeInNot as powerful as the pro version, but at least it supports voice. The other two software do not have voice support.
Download LogMeIn
==============================================================2) TeamViewerFor TeamViewer, the main selling point is that the person requesting for remote access or help from you do not have to install anything on his computer. He/she just needs to download and run an executable file either for Windows or Mac version. The app will generate the code and once he/she gives you that code, that app can be deleted from the his/her computer.
Another good feature of this app is that it has a portable version for Windows machine. So you can just download it into your flash drive and bring it wherever you go. Unfortunately, no portable version for Mac yet.
Download TeamViewer
==============================================================3) CrossLoopCrossLoop has just recently introduced the Mac version. As with TeamViewer, you don't have to register to use this software.
Download CrossLoop
==============================================================Happy remote accessing!
Ever wondered if you could check the current bandwidth that you are using straight from your menubar on Mac OS X? Here are two cool apps that could just do that:
iStat menus and
MenuMeters.
iStat menus
It is a freeware, so download it at
http://islayer.com/apps/istatmenus/. Do remember to donate if you have a spare change!
MenuMeters
MenuMeters is released under GNU GPL which means it is a completely free software. Unfortunately, the last update for this software was in January 25, 2006, a little over 3 years as of today's writing (2009).
However, if you are a proponent of open source and free software, you can download it at
http://www.ragingmenace.com/software/menumeters/index.htmlAgain, if you have a spare change, consider donating to the author of this software.
==============================================================
On to the next topic, the maker of iStat menus also has 2 different widgets for your Mac OS X dashboard.
i) iStat pro
Download it here at
http://www.islayer.com/apps/istatpro/==============================================================
ii) iStat nano
Download it here at
http://www.islayer.com/apps/istatnano/==============================================================
Happy tweaking your Mac OS X!!
If you have used btchina.net, you would have noticed that firefox could not display the list on the website. It seems that the website on works fine on Internet Explorer. However, there is a solution to use btchina.net on firefox without ever launching Internet Explorer anymore. Here is the simple 2 step:
1) Install Greasemonkey add-on for Firefoxhttps://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/downloads/latest/748/addon-748-latest.xpior you can read more about this add-on at here
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/748What greatmonkey does is allow user to customize the way a webpage displays using small bits of JavaScript.
2) Install this user scripthttp://userscripts.org/scripts/source/33286.user.jsor you can read about this script at here
http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/33286via (chinese language website)Linuxtoy.orgMozestUserscripts.org
From Consumerist.com,
Here's how it works:
- Search Google News: Pop the headline you want into the Google News and enjoy the link straight to the full and free content. You can alternatively build a Firefox keyword shortcut using this string:
http://news.google.com/news?q=%s+source%3Awall_street_journal - Use The Firefox Extension Refspoof: Step 1: Download the extension here.
Step 2: In the refspoof toolbar's "spoof:" field, type "digg.com.
Step 3: Also in the refspoof toolbar, click the R icon, and select "static referrer."
That's it. Click around the site; the WSJ thinks each click is coming from Digg. The WSJ is now yours for free!
LINK
