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I often find my legs starting to burn before the fans on my MacBook Pro finally start to kick in. I know that most laptops tend to run a little bit toasty, but this is just ridiculous. In addition to being a nuisance, it can also impair the performance of your computer. If your Mac is running to hot, The CPU will often down clock its self in order to keep it safe and running. Doing so, however, can effect the performance of your computer.

All hope is not lost though. Enters smc FanControl. The smcFanControl app allows you to manually set the speed of your fans. It is a simple and lightweight program that allows you to change to speed of your fans on the fly. Not only that but you can pre-program default profiles for different situations. Eg. I have three profiles set for different work loads. low,medium, and high. The computer should be able to do this automatically, but I find that keeping the fans at a slightly higher speed make for a much better experience.

If your interested in smcFanControl you can find it Here.

(Supports only Macbooks and MacbBook Pro’s)

I have always been a big fan of UPS’s (Uniteruptible Power Supplies). I have however been less then excitied by the lack of software support that manufacturers offer for the OS X operating system. It’s not crucial for a sucessful backup system but it is appreciated. There are however some companies that strive to please everyone. The first company I am going to go over has been an Apple supporter for some time now.

• Belkin’s UPSs are reasonably priced and do offer software management options for OS X. The higher end of their UPS line also sports AVR. AVR is an acronym for automatic voltage regulation. What AVR does is it essentially clean the power going to your computer so you a get a much more stable and constant supply which can extend the life of th PSU(Power Supply Unit) inside of your computer and protect valuable attached hardware.
  

  APC UPS

• APC is the industry leader when it comes to home UPSs. While they haven’t always supported the Apple OS. Almost all of thier recent products do come with power managing software. AVR again is available on the higher end models.

You can nab yourself a decent (and by descent I mean powering your Mac Pro and it’s 20″ LCD for at least 15mins) UPS for under $100 from any of the following sites: eCost, Newegg, TigerDirect, Etc.

I also recomend you check out TrippLite’s line as well.

In the tech world, just because it’s new doesn’t always mean it’s better. In fact, some of the most creative designs I have seen have come from computers over 5 years old. My favorite Mac desktop of all time is the MDD (Mirror Drive Door) PowerMac G4. It was introduced in 2002 and featured dual 1.25GHz cpu’s. In my opinion, this is the best looking computer ever made. Two years before that we get introduced to my favorite laptop. The PowerBook FireWire series (Pismo). This laptop was one of the first laptops to included firewire 400 ports. Clocked at 500MHz, it was pretty fast for it’s time. But thats not the only thing impressive about this laptop. The G3 series had support for two expansion bays. Usually one Optical drive and one Battery. However, If so desired, Both bays could accompany a battery giving the laptop over 6 hours of battery power! From stylish to functional, Apple never ceases to amaze me. So, Those are my favorites, but I would really like to hear from everyone else and what your favorites are. Please post your favorites below in the comments.

Hey, I don’t know about you guys, but my short term memory is not what it used to be. I tend to forget things all the time. Like updating this site. So, I have seen my fair share of to do list type apps. But I decided to pick this one to talk about and review. Anxiety offers a very smooth and pleasing interface along with a simple and intuitive design. I have honestly already used it a few times while writting this post. But don’t let me tell you what to do. If you feel you’ll use something like this. I suggest you give Anxiety a try. (It’s Free)

When Apple announced 10.6, I was initially slightly disappointed to hear that they may be dropping support for older G4,G5 systems. However, after looking deeper into the system I realize how much of an improvement this will offer everyone on newer systems.

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Introduced in 2005, ZFS is an open source file system designed by Sun Microsystems. Designed originally for it’s OS, Solaris, It is a 128-bit file system. This means it can store 18 billion billion (1.84 × 1019) times more data than current 64-bit systems (NTFS, HFS+). The main idea behind ZFS was to make a file system that would be able to take on the demanding future and win.

Although ZFS is very nice and powerful, it still has it’s limitations, which is why I doubt ZFS will be the default file system for some time. I’m expecting that it was added to enhance support for creative professionals who work large files sizes. Working with uncompressed HD video can eat up drive space fast. Supporting a max file size of 16 exabytes, ZFS makes for one future proof file system.

All in all, a very nice addition for Apple’s Snow Leopard.

Play, pause, skip, and shuffle. View your songs, playlists, and album art all from your iPod touch/iPhone!

Once you have paired your iPhone/iPod touch to your Mac/AppleTV you gain access to all the multimedia controls. This free app from Apple is a must for all. It makes perfect sense, especially if your really lazy but keep your iPod/iPhone on you at all times. Just imagine your sitting outside on your patio sipping on a cold on and listening to your music that is playing inside on your mac. And then, all of a sudden, a song your girlfriend downloaded comes on! What do you do! Well hopefully you have this app installed so instead of panicking and getting up and knocking over your drink. You can just slide out your iPod/iPhone and take of the matter at hand.

I can also see this same technology making it’s way into other applications, such as remote file management. I know you can kinda do it now, but I’m expecting an official release from Apple soon announcing a mobile desktop management program.

There are many services on the web that offer you photoshopesque abilities and features. They range from complicated and powerful to simple and lightweight. My favorite is Splashup.com. It’s a pretty good mashup of usability and features.

Splashup runs in all browsers, integrates seamlessly with photosharing sites, and even has its own file format so you can save your work in progress.

It offers all of the basic features I’m used to plus some of the ones I would not expect online. The ability to use layers and filter effects makes it possible to actually create decent looking designs online. Splashup offers a very smooth and useable interface, But honestly, most web 2.0 apps do. It’s completly free and no registration is required. However, if your looking to save work onine the do give you the option to create an account.

QuickerTek, the leader in wireless Apple products, announces the Apple Juicz - a new way to power the Apple MacBook Air using solar power. Three models are priced from $500 to $1,000 USD, fold to a convenient 10.5 size and come with a cool Element messenger bag. These solar panels charge the MacBook Air while in use. And since the MacBook Air has a non-removable battery, alternative power options are welcomed by the Mac community.

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But it is very far from being revolutionary.  I mean a 2MP digital camera, 2007 called and it wants it crappy cellphone cameras back. No exchangeable battery, No movie mode. I mean…. Well here, let me tell you a story, this will help sum up my point, It’s 2007 and I’m working at BestBuy in the wireless department. A man from somewhere in Japan comes in and starts looking at products in my section and I go to see if he has any questions. As I walk up to him I see that he has his cell phone out. He is using the camera in his phone as a bar code reader and is getting real time price quotes from multiple sources on the internet. It just blew me away.  The iPhone is ahead of most US tech but this article from Asiajin.com helps you compare the iPhone to Japanese phones to compare and contrast features and the like. I guess I’m used to Apple being a little bit more innovative. Features like the App store and mobileme do lend a helping hand in keeping me impressed though.

P.S. Don’ take this article the wrong way. I am definitely getting one. Cause it is still a 3G iPhone and it rocks.