I finally managed to get my grubby hands on a copy of Mac OS X Snow Leopard. Yay!

I wasn’t really planning on installing the upgrade so soon since I wanted all the kinks (if there were any, really) to be fixed. But due to fortunate events, I was able to get a copy. So here I am on Mac OS X 10.6 a.k.a Snow Leopard!

One of the first things you’re going to notice, of course, is the space you’ll be freeing up when you install Snow Leopard. From a measly free space of 8GB, I ended up with 18GB free after installation. Yay, more free space for my downloads!

Here are a couple of things and improvements I’ve noticed:

• Programs definitely launch faster now
• Waking up from sleep is almost instant now.
• Shut down is definitely way faster. (I had like 5 programs running, decided to shutdown and my MBP was off in like 5-10 seconds)
• Force quitting programs are definitely way faster. (See screenshot below!)
• Expose interface is cleaner and less cluttered. (See screenshot below!)

Well, that’s pretty much it for me. As a normal computer user (FaceBook, surfing, YM, watching videos, blogging, World of Warcraft), those are the novelties that I was able to appreciate upon installation of Snow Leopard.

I don’t really use any 64-bit applications, so all that hulabaloo about the Snow Leopard being 64-bit compatible didn’t really affect me much.

So my verdict: It’s not really a MUST to upgrade to Snow Leopard, but it would be a big PLUS. You’ll definitely feel that your computer is snappier, responds a little faster and of course, way lighter (hello 10GB free space!)

If you have $30 to spare, go ahead and get your upgrade! It’s always nice to be updated.

Read more: Apple – Mac OS X Snow Leopard

[ Images courtesy of Gadgenista ]

Post from: Gadgenista

So check out my new desktop wallpaper and setting! Cute huh? I think some people might actually say it’s a little too pink, but I like it. I just love the black and hot-pink combo. Plus the heart design makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. And of course, that little Apple logo just professes my love and adoration for Mac. (Yeah, I’m an Apple Fan Girl, bite me, hehe)

I got the wallpaper from Mac Wallpapers. And if you notice the icons on my dock, instead of the usual Finder Icon, I have a cute little bear-like Finder Icon instead. I got them from Icon Archive. And as for my pink folder icons, I got them from Marmalade Moon.

Show me your desktop!

Download Wallpaper: Mac Wallpaper
Download Kaijubees Icons: Icon Archive
Download  Luminous Pink Folders for Mac: Marmalade Moon

[ Image courtesy of Gadgenista ]

Post from: Gadgenista

I’m currently in my car right now, pretty much stuck in a side street 5 minutes away from my office. It’s been raining non stop here in the Philippines for the last 3 days or so. So imagine how flooded the streets are right now. And hence the reason why I’m in my car, parked along a side street, blogging. I’m waiting for the water to subside. I am no way in hell going to drive my car in flooded waters that are knee deep! The last time I did that, I think I ruined my aircon or condenser or whatever you call that. Yeah, I’m so not a car-junkie. Haha.

Anyway, I just want to blog and thank the geek gods that they invented the modem features for mobile phones! I’m using my Sony Ericsson m600i right now as a modem (powered by Globe Telecom!) and the connection is pretty decent! If it weren’t for this feature, I’d be missing my blog deadlines, haha!

Some people might find it okay to blog using their Blackberrys or their iPhone/iPod touch, but I’m really a laptop kind of girl and I don’t know… blogging on a screen that tiny is just so hard! And hello, blogging with no keyboards… hella hard.

So there! Haha. Thank God for mobile phones as modem!

EDIT: 4:16PM
Ok, so I was able to finally reach the office after waiting for an hour in my car. Fortunately for me, there was a burger place (Brother’s Burger) nearby so I was able to grab some lunch atleast.

Sigh. I still had to brave the flooded street, but atleast this time, I only had to go thru waters with height around the middle of my shin (I’m around 5ft 3in in height, so go figure). My horn unfortunately got wet and now has a squeaky sound. Bleh.

Anyway, might as well make this post a whee bit informative so I’m going to give a quick rundown on how you can use your mobile phone as modem (via Bluetooth) as a Mac user.

1. The first (and most important) step is to set up your mobile phone as a modem. It really depends on your telecom provider and your phone unit so my best advice is to call up your provider and ask them how to set up your mobile phone as a modem.

If you’re a Globe Telecom user, you can download configuration guides from here.

2. After you’ve set up your phone (configured settings and all that), the next step is to simply to pair your mobile phone and your laptop via bluetooth. You can do this by going to System Preference -> Network -> Bluetooth DUN and click Set Up Bluetooth Device.

3. After you’ve paired your mobile phone to your laptop, go again to System Preference -> Network -> Bluetooth DUN. Leave all the details blank and click Connect.

4. Then wait for it connect and viola, mobile phone modem!

CAUTION: I’m not sure how it is with other telecoms, but make sure that your internet plan is set to TIME-BASED usage and not per BYTES of data. Or else your phone bill will skyrocket! You’ve been warned!

[ Image courtesy of Dan Taylor / Flickr ]

Post from: Gadgenista

You can’t imagine how many times I’ve stopped myself. I was soooo ready to input my credit card details and just click “Check out”. Until I realized that the delivery fee was almost 1/4 of the price. Yaiks. I’d rather trek all the way to an Apple center if that’s the case.

Well, I guess as much as I want to upgrade to Snow Leopard, I’m pretty paranoid and very cautious when it comes to upgrading my MacBook Pro. I’ve been reading about apps getting broken since apparently they’re not compatible with Snow Leopard. (Though I really don’t install third party apps anyway…)

But I really want to upgrade to Snow Leopard soon. The selling point for me is of course the speed improvement of your machine. And I heard that after upgrading, you get to free up around 7GB worth of hard disk space! Wow, that’s a lot of space. Imagine how many movies and TV shows I can download and accomodate, haha.

So share with me your Snow Leopard experience. Has it been a pleasant, worthy experience? Or would you have rathered that you waited till the hype has died downed and most (if not all) of the bugs have been taken care of?

[ Image courtesy of Apple ]

Post from: Gadgenista

Before you call up your ISP (Internet Service Provider) and start screaming profanities at them for having sucky service, here is a piece of news you guys need to know.

A segment of the Asia-Pacific Cable Network 2 (APCN2) undersea cable network between China and Taiwan suffered a serious cable fault on Wednesday, causing Internet traffic to be rerouted onto other undersea cables and slowing Internet access for some users in Southeast Asia. – PCWorld

According to the article, repairs will hopefully be finished by August 20, next week.

Auuuugh. That’s seven (7) whole days of crappy internet! One (1) whole week! *dies* My downloads will take twice as long, sniffles.

Aaaaand, what about my WoW experience! I haven’t tried logging in since yesterday, but my fiance and some of my friends have been cranky the whole day. I’m guessing it’s been very laggy and the connection’s been dropping every so often. Waaah, and we have a raid tonight and this weekend. Auuuugh.

And, and, and, I can’t even play any of the FaceBook apps I usually play. Like Farmville and Rollercoaster Kingdom. My harvests in Farmville are probably withered by now and my employees in Rollercoaster Kingdom are probably going on a strike. *shivers from internet withdrawal*

Sigh.

Oh well, maybe it’s a sign that I should get out of the house. *grudge*

Read: Asian Undersea Cable Disruption Slows Internet Access.

[ Image courtesy of Complete Registry Fix ]

Post from: Gadgenista

By just adding a simple tag (”yt3d:enable=true”) when you upload your videos, you’ll be able to access an drop down menu with the 10 3D viewing styles.

I currently don’t have 3D glasses right now (so I really can’t say anything about the quality), but if you have, feel free  to view the video!

For now you can’t embed it on external websites yet, so you have to view the videos on the YouTube site directly.

The YouTube project is still undergoing it’s early stages and it’s going to be a while before it is launched officially. Still though, I’m pretty excited about how it’s going to change the digital media industry.

Watching a movie at an IMAX theatre is a prestigious thing now, but if YouTube 3D becomes a mainstream, we can view 3D videos in the comfort of our home! Also think about this: 3D video chats! Wowowow!

[ Image courtesy of YouTube ]

Post from: Gadgenista

Sky News in the UK dropped a brand new laptop off at several repair shops in London (equipped with a key logger and sneaky video recording software) they caught employees accessing personal data, hacking accounts for banking and social networking sites, and charging for unnecessary work. – Engadget

I’m not surprised with the ‘charging for unnecessary work’. Trust me, the last time I brought a laptop to a service center (an authorized Apple service center, no less), the laptop that I brought came back to me in the same condition when I brought it there!

Augh. Just remembering what happened is giving me a headache. I probably spent half an hour arguing with the service guy. Seriously, just because I’m a girl doesn’t mean I don’t know anything about computers! *Rar*

Anyway, back to the topic.

So, there. As I was saying, I’m not surprised about the ‘charging for unnecessary work’, but the thought of the repairmen actually snooping around for your social networking site passwords, email account passwords and your bank account passwords is waaaay disturbing. Call me naive, but it never occurred that people could be that despicable!

Good thing I read this article so I can make the necessary cautionary measures when I drop off Big Mimi at the Apple hospital for repairs! #1 Clear the cache and history, #2 Clear my keychains, #3 Make sure I don’t have any secret and/or sensitive emails (especially ones that contain passwords!) in my Apple Mail, #4 Hmm what else?

Any other suggestions on how to keep your computer snoop-proof when you bring it in for repairs?

[ Image courtresy of Sky News ]

Post from: Gadgenista

Here’s another must-have every Gadgenista should have in their handbags: a Handbag Hanger (or sometimes called a Purse Hook)

I find it really annoying and bothersome that every time I go out for dinner or for drinks, I have no idea where to place my bag.

I usually put my bag behind me on the chair, but by the end of the night, my back would be hurting and my bag would be mushed into a blob-less shape.

Others would opt to place their bags on the floor but I personally find it gross. Imagine the dirt that would cling to your bag! Do you REALLY want your expensive (im sure!) handbag get dirty?

Others would put in on the table, but I just find that really rude, especially if you’re talking to someone and it’s blocking your view of each other.

In case you guys aren’t aware, there’s this really awesome yet simple invention called the Handbag Holder.

The first time I saw one, my friend asked me to guess what it was. And when she showed me how to use it, I was like, “Wooooooow!”. No kidding! Haha.

Where to buy: Silverhooks
Price: $49.99 for a pack of 5

[ Image courtesy of Silverhooks ]

Post from: Gadgenista

A girl named Alexa Longueira was walking down the street one day. And while she was walking, she was also texting with friends. Unfortunately, since she didn’t see an open manhole on the floor and ended up  walking into it. *facepalm*

Fortunately for her, she’s still alive but she ended messing up her spine.

And the clincher? She’s suing the Department of Environmental Protection for leaving a manhole uncovered!

While some people think that being able to text while walking is a skill, I personally think it’s being careless. That goes the same for texting while driving as well.

[ Image courtesy of Inmagine ]

Post from: Gadgenista

I’m seriously baffled by this blog post shared by Rico over at The Gadget Blog.

According to a study commissioned by Dell last year, over 12,000 people misplace their laptops at US airport, per week. That adds up to approximately 624,000 incidents a year! – The Gadget Blog

Really. I’m in shock.

How can someone leave their laptops behind? I understand forgetting your mobile phone or your iPod, but a laptop?! It’s not exactly a tiny little thing. Maybe forgetting a netbook is slightly acceptable (take note: slightly!) but STILL!

A laptop is a laptop! How can you forget something that cost around thousands of dollars? I would probably die if I forget my laptop elsewhere.

But then, that’s unlikely to happen as it is the first thing I will take with me, if natural calamity strikes and I have to rush out of a room.

[ Image courtesy of TSA ]

Post from: Gadgenista