From the category archives:
Leopard
Download and install apps from the App Store
Download and install apps from the App Store
Mac Tip #352, 20 August 2008
Recent software updates for the iPod touch and iPhone have made it possible to add software that isn’t installed by default. Do this through the App Store — a name that suggests apps cost money, although many are in fact free.
Call up the App Store from within iTunes
Connect to the Internet, open iTunes, and click on iTunes Store in the left-hand column of the window. When the iTunes Store appears click the link for the App Store.
Browse the App Store
The App Store page appears in iTunes. Notice the quick link for a list of all free applications, under Categories on the left of the App Store page.
See more information about an app
Browse around the App Store until you find an app you like. Click the name of the app to find out more, or click the Get App button to initiate a download. The screenshot shows more information about Evernote, a free application I thoroughly recommend. If you decide you want the application click the Get App button.
You may find you need to log in to the iTunes Store.
Confirm the purchase for apps that have a cost
If the app has a cost attached you may see an alert, asking you to confirm this purchase. Click Buy or Cancel, as appropriate. Free apps don’t spark an alert.
The app downloads — probably very quickly, as most are small.
See all downloaded apps
Click on Applications in the list of sources on the left of the iTunes window. A page displays all applications you have downloaded. In my screenshot, the free Sudoku game is now available under Applications, along with some others I’d previously downloaded. Next time I sync my iPod the game will be transferred.
All iPod apps automatically show up on the Home Screens of the iPod.
Sync your iPod to transfer apps
Sudoku is being installed on my iPod, during a sync.
The app is available on my iPod
Sudoku is displayed along with some other applications on Page 2 of my iPod’s Home Screen.
Notes
Other iPods don’t have all the features of an iPod touch and cannot run apps, but otherwise synchronise in the same way. The iPhone should be very similar to the iPod touch, but unfortunately I don’t have one and can’t check exactly how it works.
If you can add useful information for other readers about synchronising or using apps on an iPod touch or iPhone, please leave comments below.
New feature: download this Tip as a PDF, with full size images (2.4Mb).
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Sync the versatile iPod touch
Sync the versatile iPod touch
Mac Tip #351, 13 August 2008
The iPod touch is a miniature computer you can use for web surfing, email, watching videos, listening to music, checking maps and all kinds of other activities.
It’s tiny:
- Height: 4.3 inches (110 mm)
- Width: 2.4 inches (61.8 mm)
- Depth: 0.31 inch (8 mm)
- Weight: 4.2 ounces (120 grams)
You interact with it by touching the screen directly — there’s no keyboard or mouse. If you need to enter text, such as a web address or to type an email an onscreen keyboard is displayed where you can tap out the letters and numbers you need.
See a gallery of photos of my iPod touch in use.
Like any other iPod you plug it into your computer and iTunes transfers across any music, videos, podcasts, audiobooks, photos, contacts and even bookmarks that you tell it to.
Plug in your iPod and wait a moment or two for iTunes to recognise it.
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Select the iPod in the list of Devices on the left hand side of the iTunes window. A summary of information about your iPod is displayed, including its capacity in Gigabytes, the software version and its serial number. Click the Serial Number label once to see instead the iPod touch’s Identifier number.
Click the tabs across the top of the window to access specific settings for Music, Movies, TV Shows, Podcasts, Photos, Info and Applications. The Info tab allows you to choose settings for synchronising Contacts and Calendars, Mail Accounts, Safari Bookmarks and MobileMe.
The iPod should Sync automatically, but to force it to sync, especially if you’ve changed any settings, click the Sync button in the bottom right corner of the window.
Recent software updates have made it possible for iPod touch and iPhone owners to add applications through Apple’s App Store — some free, some not. A Tip coming soon will explain how that works.
Notes: other iPods don’t have all the features of an iPod touch, but otherwise synchronise in the same way. The iPhone should be very similar to the iPod touch, but unfortunately I don’t have one and can’t check exactly how it works.
If you can add useful information for other readers about synchronising an iPod or iPhone, please leave comments below.
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Clean up a Thumb Drive
Clean up a Thumb Drive
Mac Tip #350, 06 August 2008
Many people use thumb drives — those tiny ’sticks’ you plug into a USB port — for storing backups of important documents, and they’re great for that purpose: quick, easy, convenient. Copy files to the drive, drag files from the drive, add, delete — it all takes but a moment. In the screenshot my No Name thumb drive has a bunch of files on it.
Until, maybe, something goes wrong, as friend found recently when one file claimed to be corrupted, and the daily backups wouldn’t complete. This problem isn’t unique to thumb drives, by the way — it can happen any time to any storage medium.
In my friend’s case we did some troubleshooting and then decided to reformat the thumb drive. Here’s how to do that.
Start up Disk Utility. You should find it in the Applications - Utilities folder. The Disk Utility window opens and displays a list of disks in the left-hand column.
Plug in the thumb drive you’d like to reformat. It should also show up in the list of drives.
In the screenshot you can see a list of the internal hard drive and DVD drive on my Mac. My No Name thumb drive is listed, and I’ve selected it in the list. Click on the thumbnail images in this post to see larger versions.
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Click on the thumb drive in the list to select it.
Now take great care in the next step. When you reformat a drive it completely erases everything that’s on it. Make sure you select the correct disk and also make sure you have copies of any files on the thumb drive that you wish to keep.
After selecting the thumb drive in the list click on the Erase tab on the right hand side of the window.
Choose a Volume Format from the pop-up — try Mac OS extended (Journaled), and if you wish, give the thumb drive disk a name.
Double check that you will be erasing the correct disk and then click the Erase… button. An alert appears reminding you that all data will be erased and asking you to confirm that you wish to erase the drive. Click Erase to wipe everything or Cancel to abandon what you’re doing.
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My screenshot shows that I’ve selected a thumb drive called 964 MB Ut165 USB2FlashStorage Media and am about to click the Erase button on the alert.
After a few moments the disk is wiped clean. When I look at the disk in the Finder I see that no files remain. In my screenshot you can see the thumb drive now shows up in the left-hand column of Disk utility with the name I assigned it.
Security Options…
If you wish, click the Security Options… button before you erase the thumb drive. Choose from the different methods for erasing, depending on your purpose. If all you want to do is wipe a drive you’ve been using so you can start fresh choose Don’t Erase Data, or Zero Out Data. If you’re cleaning up a drive someone else gave you, to be sure there’s nothing nasty on it, or to give the drive to someone else, choose a more secure option such as 7-Pass or 5-Pass Erase. The more secure the option you choose the longer it will take to erase the drive.
By the way: if you want to reformat a memory card to be used in a cellphone or camera first check the manual and help files for that device. You may be best to reformat the card in the camera or cellphone itself so it uses the correct formatting options.
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is jointly authored by Miraz Jordan and Maria Langer.