This article explains how to hook up your Android device (running android 2.2 froyo or later) with your Mac.

1. The first step is to connect your phone to your computer. Simply plug a usb cable into your computer, and the other end to the usb port on your phone. Some android phones have multiple methods of connectivity. To set which mode you would like to connect with, go to Settings->Applications->Development and enable USB debugging.

2. The second step is to sync your iTunes with your phone. A free program, Salling Media Sync, will do all of the work. Simply install the application, follow the wizard, and the app will automatically sync all of your iTunes media each time you connect your device.

3. Getting your Address book setup couldn’t be easier. Since Android is based largely on Google services, it makes sense to sync your Address book with Google. From Address book simply go to Preferences->Synchronize with Google. From now on any changes made in either Address book, Google, or your phone will sync automatically across all platforms.

4. Lastly, syncing iCal with your phone is just as easy as the Address book. Simply follow Google’s instructions and you will be setup in less than a minute.

Have any other synchronization tips? Share them here!

Go to Applications -> Utilities -> Disk Utility. When open go to File -> New and you will see several different options. If you create a blank disk image you will be able to selectively put what you want in it. This is the fastest way to do this. You can also make an image of a folder, or from a drive (if available). The option to make an image from your drive is the best option as it is a complete backup of your disk. I would like to note that depending on the size of your backup this can take several hours, or if you are just backing up a small folder it can take a fraction of a second. To restore a backup you can use the migration assistant or Disk Utility to mount the image you have created. Good luck! If you have questions or comments feel free to use this page or our Mac support forum.

A virus is any kind of malicious code written to benefit another third party, or sometimes even disrupt your computing experience. Most people assume that a virus can damage their computer physically and permanently, but this is not the case. Even in a worst case scenario a computer infected with a virus can be returned to its original state one way or another. What a virus is most likely to do, is run in the background, so that you can’t detect it, and benefit some other 3rd party in some way. Sometimes this is financial. Imagine a virus that pops up an advertisement every hour on your computer, you can’t stop it, you don’t know why it’s happening, and every once in a while you accidentally click it. This means the person who wrote the virus to show those ads, is making money off of you. An even worst virus could secretly connect you to a chat room with the creator of the virus and anything you type will be sent to them. Meaning any credit card conversations, chats, or documents you may have had open could be vulnerable.

Now a lot of people will be surprised as to how one actually gets a virus. Thanks to movies a common interpretation of a virus is a digital worm flying through cyber space that magically infects your computer. This is wrong. Most often people infect themselves. Whether by downloading another application from an illegitimate source such as p2p networks that has been turned into a virus, or sharing files with friends that are infected or have downloaded such files. Also installing various toolbars, and games that may have such functionality built in. More often then not you will not even know you have a virus.

Now Mac’s are inherently more secure than Windows machines do to the way they are designed, but this does not leave you 100% protected. You are still vulnerable to downloading an infected file or receiving one from someone you know.

Below is a list of the top options to protect yourself while on your Mac:

1. Norton Internet Security MAC Edition – The most trusted brand in online protection. Symantec’s Norton Antivirus is an all in one solution to keeping yourself and your information safe online.

2. Norton Antivirus MAC Edition. A more light weight and affordable version of the above, perfectly acceptable slightly slimmer version of the above. My personal choice in protection for my Mac.

3. ClamXav. A free and open source antivirus. Doesn’t have the advanced protection features of Norton, nor the active monitoring. But decent enough to use if it’s the only option you have.

4. iAntiVirus. A new shareware antivirus program for Mac which offers competitive protection compared to ClamXav.

Though some would say you could get away without using an Antivirus program on your Mac, it is often better to be safe then sorry. If anyone has any other recommendations feel free to leave them in the comments and i will add them to this list.

You can download gfxCardStatus here. Once installed you will find an icon in your menu bar with 2 options, ‘i’ for the Intel card and ‘n’ for the nVidia card. Have fun!

Check out the NTFS Mounter website and just download the app from the downloads section. The app is beautifully Airport inspired and will fit in great with your current desktop look. Plus the convenience of its functionality makes it a great tool to keep on your jump drive so that you can share it with friends.

Enjoy!

How do i get this? Easy! Download the app for free on the Sequel Pro website. Enjoy. Let me know of any other good alternatives in the comments.

Head on over to the Pod to Mac website and download the app. Once installed you will be greeted with a very Finder like window with the music on the attached device. From there you can drag and drop the files of your choosing and enjoy musical freedom.

Go to the Dropbox website, and download the client. Fortunately it is available for Mac, Windows, and Linux, meaning you can share your files regardless of what platform you’re confined to. After you install the client just enter your username and password and you’re set. Do this on all your machines!

You can also set up shares with friends. Think of how easy it would be to share pictures, movies and music!

First i recommend downloading Coconut Battery. This simple application will tell you about your battery’s current charge, maximum charge, and load cycles (the number of times you’ve charged and discharged your Mac). You can get this little gem for free here.

Once you run Coconut Battery, you should see a screen like the one bellow. Keep this in mind and run it every couple months to keep up to date on your battery’s health.

To calibrate your battery, just perform the steps bellow:

1. Plug in your laptop, and charge it until the light turns green, and the status indicator on the menu bar indicates your battery is fully charged.
2. Let your battery stay fully charged like this for two hours (you may use your computer in the meantime.
3. Now disconnect the power adapter and run your computer until the battery runs low. The computer should notify you of this when the battery is getting critically low.
4. Once you have been notified your battery is critically low, save all your work, and continue using the computer until it goes to sleep.
5. At this point you should either turn your computer off, or allow it to sleep for 4-5 hours.
6. Once you have finished waiting, plug the charger back in and leave it connected till the battery is completely charged.

This process is so easy, there’s no reason anyone couldn’t do it every 2-3 months. By doing so you’re exercising your battery, and telling the internal software about the state of your battery and how much charge it can actually hold.

If you have any questions or suggestion, leave a comment.

AppCleaner is a free Mac download provided by freemacsoft.net. Downloading it is as simple as going to their website and clicking download. Once you have installed AppCleaner, run the app and check out its features. AppCleaner provides a small window with a box that says “Drop Apps Here”. If you drag an App into that window, it will properly delete it and any other files that are part of that installation. You can also manage your Widgets and various other Plugins. But the best feature has to be SmartDelete. Once enabled (check the preferences), users can drag apps to trash as usual, and AppCleaner will automatically detect that you are uninstalling an App and prompt you with extra deleting options.

So lets review, AppCleaner is:

• AppCleaner is extremely easy to use with its drag and drop interface
• Prevent your favorite apps from being deleted accidentally
• It will offer to delete an app properly when you move it to trash
• All the files deleted are stored in a history