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Enable Multi-Touch Tab Switching In Firefox 3.5
10:35PM Kevin Purdy | Firefox 3.5 includes support for the multi-touch features of the latest and greatest MacBooks, but leaves out a “twist” motion that moves forward and back through browser tabs. A quick about:config hack brings it back. More »
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Firefox 3.1 Build With MacBook Multi-Touch Gestures
12:34AM Kevin Purdy | Owners of MacBooks with multi-touch trackpads can try out an experimental Firefox 3.1 build that supports finger gestures—swiping left and right for back and forward, pinch zooming, and twisting between tabs, amongst others. The gestures may or may not make it into the final 3.1 release, but at least one developer finds the tab-switching twist a big convenience. [via] More »
Fix
Upgrade Your Laptop With External Hard Drive Swap
9:00AM Lifehacker US Edition | If you’ve got a MacBook past warranty and are looking for more hard drive space, Seattlite Tim Molter offers a detailed step-by-step guide to a do-it-yourself upgrade with photos. His method is particularly clever because rather than buying a blank drive, Molter just buys an inexpensive USB external drive, which allowed him to both create a fully bootable backup from his original drive and provided an enclosure for his old hard drive—all for less than half the cost of an upgrade from Apple. The old drive makes for a handy complete backup or can be sold on classified ad or auction sites for the equivalent of a cash-back trade-in once cleaned up. The same general idea will work with any laptop with a 2.5″ hard drive (which is most of them), and doesn’t involve any tools more complicated than a small screwdriver. 500GB MacBook Harddrive Upgrade for Under $100 [Obscured Clarity] More »
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New MacBooks Stronger, Drop Mouse Buttons, Add Multi-Touch
4:16AM Adam Pash | Apple’s MacBook event has just come to an end, leaving Apple enthusiasts with a handful of—surprise!—new MacBooks. The updates hit all three models (the MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air) and boast improved hardware across the board, a glass trackpad that’s gone buttonless, and built-in support for multi-touch gestures. Despite the updates to the standard MacBook (including a new aluminium case design), Apple’s keeping the old plastic MacBook around. The event also brought one hardware announcement unrelated to MacBooks in the form of a new 24″ Apple Cinema Display. Keep reading for a more pics and a rundown of the announcements we’re most interested in. More »
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Tuesday’s Apple Event May Bring A Cheaper MacBook
3:21AM Gina Trapani | If you’re thinking about buying a new Mac laptop, wait a week. Apple’s got some announcements scheduled for this coming Tuesday, the 14th (US time), and there may be a recession-friendly (read: lower-cost) MacBook involved. More »
Hack Your Mac Laptop Power Cord
8:00AM Adam Pash | Gizmodo editor Brian Lam takes his MacBook with him everywhere, but he’s not a big fan of the bulky power cord that accompanies his laptop. Instead, he opts for a slimmer, ungrounded PlayStation power cord. Where the Mac power cord is too thick to easily coil or toss in a bag — and has a ground prong so it’s limited to those types of AC outlets — the PlayStation cord is ostensibly perfect. It fits into the Mac power brick, coils up nice and small and has two prongs. Plus, you can leave your giant Mac cord at your desk back home and don’t have to deal with dust bunnies every time you get ready to go out the door. You’re not limited to a PlayStation power cord, as any similar cord would fit the bill. Be warned: We’re not electricians, but we generally don’t recommend circumventing the safety of a ground if you can help it. Use this tip at your own risk. Mac Laptop Power Cord Tip [Cool Tools] More »
Speed Up Sleep Mode on MacBooks
1:00AM Kevin Purdy | Tech blogger Dan Warne notes that MacBooks loaded with serious memory—like MacBook Pros with more than 2 GB—can take a long while to activate these days, since the entirety of that memory is being written to your hard disk in the default “safe sleep.” If you’re almost always plugged into a wall socket or aren’t the type to run your battery down entirely, Warne recomments a one-line Terminal hack that brings back the old swift-moving sleep: More »
