GeekwithEnvy

OS X

Apple’s WWDC is Nearing

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Image credit: 9to5 Mac

Apple’s upcoming World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) is creating a lot of buzz in the tech community and rumors are at critical mass. What’s next for iOS, OSX and will there be any hardware announcements?

It’s highly likely that Apple will announce iOS 7 at this years event especially considering that banners, like the one above, are being placed at Moscone West in San Francisco, California where the event is being held.

iRadio could be a Spotify or Pandora replacement and with the recent announcement of Apple closing deals with all three major music labels, WWDC could be the perfect place to introduce the new service. OSX 10.9 is also very likely, especially considering we didn’t get any news about an OSX refresh earlier this year and the fact that there’s also a big banner with an “X” on it at Moscone, much like the iOS one. I’m thinking that we will see more integration of iOS features into OSX along with Jony Ive’s UI changes in look and feel, which is rumored to be much “flatter”.

What about hardware? Apple could be refreshing the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro with new 4th generation Intel hardware, which we mentioned earlier this week. It’s hard to believe that the MacBook line up could get much thinner but they may do just that as well. If you have never picked up a MacBook Air, it almost feels fake and making it thinner would actually be pretty impressive. We have also been waiting quite a while for a big update for the Mac Pro and anything at all about this would be nice. There are also hopes to hear things like an Apple TV announcement or an iWatch release but like with any of this, we won’t know till the conference begins.

The conference is June 10-14 and you can get complete details including a schedule on Apple’s developer page.

Mac Startup Keys / How to Reset your NVRAM

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Often we need to access specific features on our computers when things go wrong or if we start tinkering around with our hardware configurations. Sometimes you just want to see how things are running or maybe your just curious. Either way, here is a list of different key combinations that you can use to access special features built into your Intel Mac.

All of these key combinations should be pressed as soon as you hear the startup sound when turning on your Mac. You will want to keep these keys pressed until your Mac performs the requested function.

 

AppleWirelessKeyboard for Mac Startup Keys

Resetting NVRAM

(Having issues with your startup disk, screen resolution, audio issues? Resetting the NVRAM may help resolve these issues. )

Press Option-Command-P-R until you hear startup sound a second time.

Want to start your Mac with bootable media, USB thumb drive or DVD? 

Press “C” during startup.

Eject Removable Media

Press Eject, F12, or hold the mouse or trackpad button.

Safe Boot (similar to Windows Safe Mode)

Hold “Shift” during startup.

Verbose Mode (Let’s you see what’s happening during boot-up instead of the Apple Logo)

Press Command-V during startup.

Single User Mode ( As the name suggests, it’s boots into a single user and without a GUI)

Press Command-S during startup.

OS X Recovery System

Press Command-R during startup.

Startup Manager (  A GUI that allows you to choose which volume to boot with)

Press “Option” during startup.

Apple Hardware Test ( As the name suggests, it tests your hardware and reports issues)

Press “D” during startup.

Target Disk Mode (Turn a Firewire connected Mac into a external Hard drive)

Press “T” during startup.

NetBoot (Allows you to boot from a Network  “Default Boot Image”)

Press Option-N during startup.

NetBoot (Allows you to boot from a Network “Use Compatible”)

Press “N” during startup.

 

 

Blizzard Introduces HearthStone: Heroes of Warcraft

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Blizzard Entertainment has introduced a brand new game, HearthStone: Heroes of Warcraft. The game is a TCG (Trading Card Game) style game that is free-to-play and features all of our favorite Warcraft characters. Build Decks and Challenge players, the core of any good card game, and that’s exactly what HearthStone is all about.

It’s exciting to see Blizzard doing something that shakes things up a bit. I can’t wait to jump in and check it out. The game will be available for Windows PC, Mac, and iPad. You can sign up to be a part of the beta and get even more information by heading to the official site, HearthStone: Heroes of Warcraft.

We’ve always loved collectible card games at Blizzard, so it’s been exciting to bring everything we love about the genre to life in Hearthstone, we’re putting a lot of focus into creating a fun new game that’s easy to pick up and play, but also has a lot of depth. We can’t wait to share it with everyone.”– Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment

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HearthStone: Heroes of Warcraft (Blizzard Entertainment)

How to Show Hidden Files in OS X

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HiddenOSXFiles

Sometimes you need to access files that are normally hidden by default, but these files can sometimes be critical to the proper operation of the operating system and are therefore hidden for a reason. This means that it isn’t always easy to “unhide” these files as developers want to try to prevent less experienced computer users from deleting things accidentally. However, if you’re a geek then chances are you know exactly what you’re doing and you need direct access to hidden files in OS X.

Fortunately, “unhiding” files in OS X is very easy. Just open Terminal and enter the following command.

defaults write com.apple.Finder AppleShowAllFiles YES

If you find you no longer have the need to view hidden files, you can hide them again by adding a “NO” at the end of the command.

defaults write com.apple.Finder AppleShowAllFiles NO

Once you have entered either one of these commands, you need to relaunch Finder in order for the changes to take effect.

Relaunching Finder

One of the easiest ways to relaunch Finder is to hold down the “Option” Key and then click and hold the “Finder” icon. You can also hold down the option key and “Right-Click” the Finder icon. You should see the option to relaunch. After you relaunch Finder, you should see your changes take effect.

How to Fix Lag With Diablo III and More on Macbook Pro Retina

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OS X Version 10.8.2 brought a few unwanted features to Macbook Pro Retina display owners. The main issue seems to be serious lag in many games, most notably Diablo III. Another issue  users were reporting seems to be the fan not running correctly, and that’s never good.

There’s Good News

Apple has released an update along side OS X 10.8.3 that corrects these issues. You can get more information on that update here. If your not interested in that update for some reason or are unable to update, you can follow the instructions below for a temporary fix, otherwise this issue should be resolved.

There’s a quick fix for this issue that will get your Macbook Pro Retina (MBPr) back to it’s peak performance in no time. All you should need to do is reset the System Management Controller (SMC). For the best instructions on how to do this I recommend just going straight to Apple’s documentation which you can find here.

*This should speed up everything, from Desktop UI to gaming!

*Be sure to follow the instructions specifically for your type of computer. In this case it seems that only the MBPr is having issues.