Unfortunately, the password protection can cause other issues:

• Preview’s full-screen “Slideshow” view will display a blank screen (rdar: 7757682)
• Not all iOS apps can open encrypted PDFs (although iBooks and GoodReader have both recently been updated to support this feature)
• PDF Passwords aren’t saved – so you’ll need to look it up and enter it each time

But if you have the correct password and can open the PDF file, there’s a (slightly tricky) way to store a non-password protected copy for personal use. There are a few different ways you can do this, but after trying out several methods, I believe this is the easiest.User CarlRJ over at MacOSXHints.com came up with this great, single-line command that does the job nicely (it’s further down on OSXhints in a comment below the original hint).

Make sure you have a postscript-capable printer installed and configured. Then:

1. Open your PDF document using the required password
2. Go to System Preferences > Print & Fax, select “Open Print Queue” and pause your printer
3. Now go back to your PDF and print the document. Select “Add to Queue” when asked.
4. Next, open the Terminal and paste this command and enter your OS X account password when asked:

sudo -s "cd /var/spool/cups; /usr/sbin/chown -v `id -u`:`id -g` d* | xargs -I@ mv -iv @ ~/Desktop/nopassword_@.pdf"

All done! You should now see a copy of your document on your desktop that can be opened without requiring a password.

Please note: This hint is provided for educational purposes only.

I use the equinux TubeStick to watch TV (full disclosure: I work for equinux) so this tutorial was written for The Tube, but it’ll work with other software or online streaming sites as well.

Update:

My colleague has put together a small application that eliminates the need to use Garageband. Check it out for even easier Vuvuzela filtering.

Step 1: Install & Configure Soundflower

Download the free Soundflower utility from Google Code. This utility allows you to pass audio from all applications back into your system, allowing us to filter it using Garageband.

Once installed:

• Open System Preferences > Sound
• Select Output: Soundflower (2ch)
• Select Input: Soundflower (2ch)

Your audio will now be muted – don’t worry, this is normal.

Step 2: Install VuvuX

There are other ways to filter out the buzz of the Vuvuzela’s manually, but Prosoniq offer a free AU plugin that takes care of it for you. Download it, then drag it onto the ‘Components’ alias:

Step 3: Start filter with Garageband

Prosoniq suggest using their filter with Audio Hijack Pro, but if you’d like to save yourself $32, you can use Garageband which probably came free with your Mac.

Simply launch Garageband, create a new real instrument project and adjust these settings:

• Go to Garageband > Preferences > Audio/Midi and select Audio Input: Soundflower (2ch)
• Go to your real instrument track, select the Edit tab and click a blank slot to add a new effect
• Choose VuvuX from the drop down list and make sure it is turned on
• Switch back to the Browse tab, select Input Source: Soundflower (2ch) and turn on the Monitor

You should now hear audio again. Now fire up The Tube and you will notice that Vuvuzela’s are a fair bit quieter. Turn the filter on or off to really hear the difference. You can also click the filter in Garageband to manually adjust the level of noise reduction – be careful though, too much reduction will cause the commentary and other game sounds to sound distorted.

Any there you have it! Enjoy a vuvuzela-free World Cup!

Follow me on Twitter for further updates and tips!

But I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve showed friends and relatives how to import their audiobook / spoken word CDs properly. It was also one of the questions I was most often asked whilst working at an Apple retailer. There are a ton of tools and tutorials on the net that also address this issue, which seems to suggest people continue to struggle with this problem.

By default, iTunes imports CDs as individual tracks and adds them to your “Music” library. To rip something as an audiobook in iTunes 9:

• Select all tracks
• Choose Advanced > Join CD tracks
• Select Import Settings and choose “Spoken Podcast”
• Import CD
• Select imported tracks, File > Get Info
• Under options, select “Media Kind: Audiobook”

To make things easier, I would suggest Apple add a simple option screen, similar to the one they currently show if you select an empty media category.

This is a mockup of what it could look like:

With millions of iTunes users out there, I’m sure this would help a fair number of people, without being troublesome for other users.Comedy CDs and childrens stories continue to be popular on CDs so it’s not just audiobooks that could be ripped with this option. One could even envision some of the other import options being exposed this way, e.g. a “Import losslessly” option.

Anyway, food for thought.

Image credit: Audiobook icon by Splasm Software, Inc.

• Select “More Options” on the results page
• From the sidebar, select “Fewer shopping results”

And you’re done! Google will hide most of the shopping results, making it easier to find reviews, tips and other product information.

The installation is pretty self-explanatory, however it did take me a few attempts to get the correct setup, as 7 isn’t officially supported by Parallels yet. But if you follow these steps, you’ll be up and ready in no time:

Download Windows 7

Head on over to the official Microsoft download page. You’ll need to sign in with a Windows Live ID, but you’ll get an activation key that’s valid for one year for your trouble.

Setting up your VM

Create a new virtual machine, select the .iso image and choose ‘Windows > Other Windows’ as the OS you’re going to install. Be sure to select a custom setup and assign your VM at least 512MB of RAM. Set the other options according to your preferences.

Update: If you download the latest version of Parallels 4, you now can also access an experimental Windows 7 option here instead. (Thanks Alex!)

The installation

After you’ve configured your VM, Parallels will reboot using the Windows 7 .iso image. Follow the steps on screen and enter your Activation key when asked. This part is mostly smooth sailing, provided you’ve setup your VM correctly. If you selected other options (e.g. if you selected ‘Vista’ as your OS version), your installation may stall or throw other errors. In that case, double-check your VM settings, or start over with a new VM.

Installing Parallels Tools

Once your installation has completed, you’ll want to install Parallels Tools for Windows, in order to enable seamless mouse, clipboard and app switching between OS X and Windows 7. Select ‘Virtual Machine > Install Parallels Tools’ from the menu bar and wait for the installer to complete. Reboot when prompted and you should be all set! Now you can get to the real business of exploring the exciting new innovations that “7″ offers:

Caveats

Some of the more interesting new Windows features such as Aero Peek and other UI changes won’t yet work, due to the limited graphics card drivers Parallels currently uses. But 7 still seems to run faster than Vista, given similar resources, and works well enough for everyday use.

Support the site: Buy Parallels 4 at Amazon.com

So far I’ve tested Dropbox syncing with the following apps:

• 1Password: Involves a few steps, but Agile has also written a great setup guide.
• VoodooPad: Just drag your .vpdoc files to your Dropbox and you’re all set.
• The Hit List: Just move the library file from “~/Library/Application Support/The Hit List/The Hit List Library.thllibrary” to your Dropbox, hold down the Option key while launching The Hit List and select the file on your Dropbox.
• Things: Setup is similar to The Hit List, a user-contributed how-to is also available.

Most other applications can probably also be synced using one of the methods above, provided they support a custom library location or use documents to store your data. I have yet to run into any issues, however there are a few things you’ll want to look out for, to preserve your data integrity:

• Try to avoid running your synced applications on both Macs at the same time – otherwise you might run into “lost updates” and other syncing conflicts
• Occasionally check your Dropbox folder for aforementioned conflicts: Dropbox doesn’t give you a lot of warning if there are conflicts, so take a look every now and then to see if there is a “sync conflict” folder in your Dropbox.
• Make sure you have the same version of the application on both Macs.
• Your preferences are usually stored in a different location than your data, so don’t be surprised if those aren’t synced

Tip: if you sign up for free using this referral link, you’ll get an extra 250MB storage.

Apple has made the process very simple though: the first time you boot up your new machine, you’ll be asked to pick another Mac on your network. I usually connect to my network via wireless LAN, which is a bit slow for large amounts of data, so I just connected my old and new Macbook via an ethernet cable. 

The migration assistent will then check to see whether a compatible version of Migration assistent is installed on your old Mac. If not, you can install it off the DVDs that come with the new Macbook. To prevent unauthorized data access over the network, you’ll then need to enter a 4 digit code on your old Mac and your data migration will start. That’s it!

This process was very quick and painless using Firewire and I was sceptical whether Apple would be able to make it just as easy over a network connection – but it’s very straightforward.

1) Audio Issues

Low call volume, background noise and feedback are some of the problems you might typically run into.You can avoid most of these by using a headset (luckily now also available in better-looking behind-the-head designs, but if you don’t happen to have one handy, try these tips:

Volume

iChat tries to automatically optimize the call’s volume, but you can increase the overall volume of the call in the “Sound” section of your System Preferences. Under the “Input” options, drag the volume slider to your preferred level and also check “Use ambient noise reduction”, to minimize background noise.

Feedback loops

To prevent feedback, try lowering your volume, or either use external speakers and keep them pointed away from your Mac’s microphone. Alternatively use headphones along with the internal microphone.

2) Connection issues

Port forwarding

If you receiving a lot of connection issues whilst trying to a new video chat, try activating Port Forwarding on your router. Whilst not strictly necessary, it seems to make connecting more reliable in my experience. iChat uses the following ports: 

5060, 5353, 5678, 16393-16402 (UDP) and 5190, 5297, 5298 (UPD & TCP).

If you’re unsure how to configure Port Forwarding on your router, head over to the handy PortForward.com website, select your Router’s brand and model and then select “iChat” as your application for full instructions.

Audio or video keeps breaking up 

iChat adjust the AV quality depending on the available bandwidth. However this can sometimes cause jerky video or choppy audio if the available bandwidth fluctuates.

To fix this, open iChat’s Connection Doctor from the “Video” menu and select “Statistics” from the drop down menu. Monitor the bandwidth values and make a note of the general average. Then head over to iChat’s Preferences (iChat > Preferences) and select the “Audio / Video” tab.

There you can specify a bandwidth limit. Select the value just under the average you made a note of above. That will force iChat to reduce the overall quality of the call slightly, but the quality should be more consistent. 

3) Auto-Accept calls

If you don’t want to have to dash to your computer every time you receive a new call, you can also get iChat to automatically accept all incoming calls.

Go to the “Events” in iChat’s preferences and select “Video Invitation” from the “Events” list. Then check the “Run Applescript” box and choose “Auto Accept.applescript” from the list. 

(Note: If you only want to auto-accept calls from certain contacts check out the free iChat utility, Chax).

iChat is a great tool for keeping in touch, so I hope these tips can help make it even better for you guys!

1. Log into MobileMe
2. Click the Accounts button at the top of the window:
   
3. Select “Account Options” from the menu on the left
   
4. There you should see a “Cancel Account” button towards the bottom of the window. Click it to cancel your subscription.

But despite all the negative press, I must say the MobileMe webapps look great and feel very desktop-like. I think the service is suffering a bit from “Vista-itis”, so lets hope the initial bad publicity doesn’t doom this product too.

I hope this has helped some of you! If you enjoyed this article – support the site and buy yourself something nice at Amazon.

1. Banish Marker Felt from Notes with Chinese

Take care of Marker Felt Olympic style! It seems as though the iPhone automatically substitutes unsupported fonts when typing languages with glyphs. Simply add Chinese as an additional keyboard layout and type a single character to switch the current note’s font to Helvetica (at least I think it’s Helvetica!).

The downside? This trick needs to be done for every new note you create.

2. Improved auto-correction

The auto-correction feature now seems to work a bit better and first letter substitutions in particular seem a lot smoother: When only a single letter of a word is corrected, that change is made seamlessly, without the “drop-in” animation you get with more extensive corrections. It’s a minor detail, but it does make typing feel a lot easier.

3. Add / Edit contacts whilst on a call

You may be wondering why Apple has added a “dedicated” Contacts app, especially it offers the exact same functionality as the contacts list within the phone application. Well now you can easily lookup, add or edit contact information whilst on a call!