Feel like pimping your Mac? We don't mean just customizing your desktop or adding plug-ins and extensions for your Safari. It's tweaking almost every tiny function of your Apple computer so you get the best out of it! Thanks to Michael of My Tech Lists, we got a whole bunch of apps and downloads here (some are free, some are not) that you can use. Check them out:

Pixel Press Icons dishes out 120 of the most beautiful icons on ANY OS that you can download and use for any of your programs. You can download hundreds of Mac Desktop Images with MacDesktops. Now if you want to customize your toolbar in 80 different ways where you can include DiggUpdates and Del.icio.us bookmarks (to name just a few), get Super OS X Menubar Items.

To get things done the quickest way, you can use OS X Keyboard Shortcuts -- a site that gives a complete list of the keyboard shortcuts available in OS X. To make browsing with Safari a breeze, you can try looking at Pimp My Safari where more than 60 plugins and extensions for the default OS X browser are available.

Other sites can help you with advanced programs that needed to integrated well with your Mac. Some of them are NeoOffice, Automator World, and CenterStage. NeoOffice encompasses almost all office applications for the Mac OS X. Based on the OpenOffice.org office suite, it allows you to import, edit, and exchange files with other popular office programs such as Microsoft Office. Automator World, on the other hand, is a great resource for Automator Users. CenterStage allows you to let your digital media content connect seamlessly with your TV.

Some apps come with the features already bundled, while others are self-contained. Undercover allows you to see who's using your Mac with its advanced recovery software from Orbicule. Unsanity Apps is a collection of lots of really useful apps such as Application Enhancer Version 2.0.1, ClearDock Version 1.4.1, Dock Detox Version 1.2, Menu Extra Enabler Version 1.0.3, Paranoid Android Version 1.3, ShadowKiller Version 1.3, Smart Crash Reports Version 1.2, and the Cee Pee You Version 1.1.3 . All are ready for download in either freeware, shareware or OpenSource versions.

It's happened all too often. You save up for the current hot Apple product, wait it out until about several months later into its launch for that price dip, and then pounce on your goodie. You feel happy that at long last, you purchased that darned gadget, and it was a good one at that. And then you brag about it to your friend, only to be told, "That's nice. But it would have been better if you just waited a couple more months. They're releasing the updated version soon, you know."

Well, apparently, you did not know. And even if you did know and wait out for it, there's a slightly big probability that that scenario will still happen anyway. So, when is it exactly a good time to buy that Apple product? iLounge's editors seem to have gone through this all too much, that they thought of coming up with a "ten-step guide to happy purchases of new Apple products".

The list basically tells you to expect a whole lot of constant improvements and upgrades on their products. Particularly, for the iPod, the changes would most likely be on the storage and enclosure. Also, not all changes come with a bang. Sometimes, you'd just find yourself holding an Apple product that's got newer stuff (brighter LCD screens in Cinema Displays, iMacs or iPods, probably), or exhibit fewer failures/problems, "which Apple will almost never publicize (MacBook/MacBook Pro logic boards), or will play down (replacement of iPod 3G/4G screens or nano 1GB screens with less bright versions).

Other than that, the list also warns you against staggered launches. According to them, it happens most often that the company will stagger new product launches at different times throughout the year, making it possible that a new model could arrive at any time, and on short notice. The witty thing about this tactic is that it does not necessarily aim to confuse consumers-it's done to keep competitors on their toes-but it does both.

And the list goes on. But basically, at the end of the day, as to the question of whether or not you buy now or wait, the answer is simple. If the existing product already has the features that you need, go ahead. Buy it and enjoy it. If not, then obviously, you'd want to wait it out. Then again, if you buy something that Apple replaces soon thereafter, you can probably return the item to the store where you purchased it for a complete or partial refund. Just make sure that you do it within the allowable time to do so.

This isn't a how-to on using your gadget as a remote to advance slides on the PowerPoint presentation you've got loaded up on your laptop. This is a how-to on using your iPod, BlackBerry, or Treo to load up your presentation without your laptop.

Okay, those with common sense would ask, "Why?" There are a ton of laptops out there that are already handy and easy to lug around. Plus, these laptops are obviously more powerful than a handheld. Well, read these three practical reasons that may just convince you to use your handheld in some other way.

• Your gadget can be a last resort, just in case your laptop decides to conk-out or get depressed on you like "Marvin the Paranoid Android" from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
• It frees you to travel on business without a laptop; laptops are so last century.
• You can be prepared for your pitch anytime, anyplace.
  

There are three processes when it comes to presenting from handhelds. The first is the conversion of PowerPoint Slides, next is the issue of how to connect the handheld to the projector, and the last is  how you'd display the slides properly.

You could use any iPod as a presentation device, but first you need a product called "ThinkFree Office 3 Show iPod Edition." It basically lets you create, edit, convert, and store presentations in your iPod. The conversion process saves each slide into images that you can scroll through on your iPod as you present them. If "ThinkFree Office 3" is too pricy for you, there's "iPresent it."

If you're really a cheapskate, PowerPoint actually lets you save your presentation as .TIFF or JPEG files. So you can use the iPod's slideshow functions, and there you go, you've got a presentation.

Getting your iPod connected to a projector is a bit harder though. There's the "Monster iTV Link" for iPod, and you could use that and its high-quality S-video option. You'll also need to buy the $39.00 Apple iPod Universal Dock if you don't already have one. You can leave the iPod in its cradle, and advance slides using the included remote. So there. Really easy right?

Now imagine hooking your iPod up to this.

Buy: [iPod]
Buy: [PowerPoint]
Buy: [Thinkfree Office 3]
Buy: [iPresent It]
Buy: [Monster iTV Link]

Ever wanted to take a screwdriver to your iPod and just tear it apart? Or maybe you're getting frustrated with your friendly neighborhood repairman's obscenely high prices? You can stop tearing those clumps of hair out of your head now, because iFixit has just announced its entry to the iPod industry with a complete line of free iPod Fixit Guides and over 100 iPod parts.

iFixit now sells parts for every iPod that came from Apple's production line - from the 1st Gen iPod to the iPod Video, and even the iPod Shuffle. They sell logic boards, case replacements, batteries, and more. They also have a bunch of free Fixit Guides at www.iFixit.com. Each of their Guides walk you through the process of tearing apart and replacing any part in your iPod.

Fixit Guides are available for the following iPods:

• iPod 1st Generation (Click Wheel)
• iPod 2nd Generation (Touch Wheel)
• iPod 3rd Generation
• iPod 4th Generation / iPod Photo
• iPod Video (5th Generation)
• iPod Mini
• iPod Shuffle
• iPod Nano

For those who are new to the whole Apple scene, iFixit is THE Mac do-it-yourself company. They're dedicated to helping people everywhere to keep their Macs - and now their iPods, too - running smoothly and running longer.

Thanks to Kyle Wiens for the heads up on this news piece.

The Unofficial Apple Blog's David Chartier managed to get Microsoft Windows Vista running on his MacBook Pro in both a copy of Parallels Desktop and Boot Camp, and he has graciously made a tutorial on how to do the former.

According to him, Vista runs OK in Parallels Desktop. Just plain OK, as opposed to "'really well' or 'it made an un-switcher out of me'." Mr. Chartier also reports that it doesn't seem to fully support high-end graphics cards yet, so it's still a no go on all of the fancy 3d effects, or what he calls "Translucent Everything TechnologyÂ? (TET)", that Vista boasts.

Click on the 'read' link below for the full walkthrough on setting up, installing, and running Vista on an Intel Mac via Parallels Desktop. The walkthrough also includes some things to watch out for as well as just how far the more-or-less Beta-status Vista software can be pushed.

If you're tempted to switch to Mac because of the new programs, such as Parallels and Boot Camp, you should always first consider the pros and cons (e.g. price, features). If you're already a Mac Pro user, you're probably looking forward to acquiring the Apple Premium, except that it really breaks the wallet. There are, however, some things you can do to relieve you of the pain of hefty purchase. An example is upgrading your RAM -- the do-it-yourself way.

Adam Pash tells us that it's possible to save $300 on a RAM upgrade. Apple, of course, being the manufacturer, can hack the entire thing in a second, but you can do the same, if you follow the steps in the tutorial that you can both view and download here. Pash's trick is to grab a 2 x 1GB sticks of RAM from Newegg that costs around $170. Of course, if you're purchasing the 2GB RAM upgrade from Apple, your MBP would cost around $500.

Download: [MacBook Pro RAM Upgrade Tutorial 1]
Download: [MacPro PDF Alert]

So you busted your iPod Video's LCD screen and all you want to do is cry. We couldn't blame you. We would have done the same thing. So, sympathy among the bereaved, let's just take a moment right now to reflect in silence and remember our dear departed iPods...

Or not.

Because thanks to some ingenious people, there's a way now to revive our iPods' LCD screens by ourselves. Just don't panic. Watch the video below and learn. It definitely beats having to read a tutorial manual. As tutorial videos go, this one's pretty useful and well-made. It's not confusing, and every step is explained thoroughly without getting too technical. It also stresses which operations of the procedure are delicate, and what possible dangers there are if we mess things up. All in all, the video seems pretty much fool-proof.

Of course, now that I myself have seen the video, I'm really not sure if I could trust myself to do surgery on my oh-so-delicate iPod. The tutorial video makes it look easy, but I dunno, I guess I'm just really clumsy. We're talking about the person here who will manage to trip even though his shoelaces are tied. Besides, I'm the type of person to pass it on to a more stable-finger'd friend to fix my iPod. Or to a professional. But honestly, this tutorial vid was helpful.

Don't want to spend your money on all the nice-looking iPod peripherals/Docking Stations that cost an arm and a leg? Here's a nice project to do just to prove that you're "hardcore" when it comes to tech. If you've got some free time, and some spare CDR cases, this "custom" iPod amp can truly emphasize your "1337"(elite)-ness.

   

Read on, and see how to make it.

Specializing products and accessories to match the products is common in the world of business. The idea is to make your product so unique that it cannot be found elsewhere, and that no other product can be used as a substitute for its function. Apple is one such smart company that has pulled off, rather amazingly, this seeming monopoly on their products and their corresponding accessories and technology.

But we have learned that in spite of Apple's ingenious business maneuvers, there still are ways to go around the system that they have made. This trick that we came across is about connecting your iPod to your TV without buying the Apple connector. What Apple did to make the technology exclusive to them, thereby making consumers fully dependent on their connector, is to rewire their cable so that the red AV plug is the video and the yellow and white are the audio, instead of just having yellow for video.

What you can do is use a normal AV cable that usually comes with camcorders, which is a cable that plugs into the top headphone jack but extends and doubles as the video out. So, using the rewired system of Apple's connector on the normal AV cable, you can now bypass the need for the Apple connector in order to connect your iPod to your TV.

Of course, we're not saying that there is anything wrong with the Apple connector. But what this signifies is that there are actually alternatives existing for those locked technologies, in order for you to enjoy your gadgets without spending as much. Surely, people are open to these kinds of alternative resources, especially those who are under budget constraints.

Memory sticks (or thumb drives) are a necessity nowadays. They are also used to store and transport files. Some people even use them for running their files in public machines and for booting Linux. A few though, use thumb drives to run classic versions of Mac OS. Maybe for nostalgia. Maybe just for fun.

Anyway, you can also do that with the help of an open source emulator, which is now available for download. It is available for multiple platforms like Classic, OS X, Windows, Linux, and Pocket PC. This actually allows you to use Mac on Windows and Linux.

Before you get started, get all the components you need here. After that, for purposes of description, the following steps assume that you are using Mac OS X. Windows users though can also work on this:

    1. Create a new folder and rename it Classic Mac.
    2. Unpack the Mini vMac archive and the vmac.rom file and copy them into the Classic Mac folder.
    3. Unpack the blanks-x.x.x.zip archive and unzip the disk image you want.
    4. To be sure, you might want to choose the largest disk image, which is in the hfs24M.zip archive.
    5. Copy the hfs24M.DSK file into the Classic Mac folder.
    6. Unpack the System_7.0.1.smi.bin archive and move the image files into the Classic Mac folder.

Then after a little downloading, you can now enjoy playing with old system software and applications without digging your old Mac.