Mereja

Author: Nick Santilli

  • 4 OS X Screenshot Tools

    Taking screen captures in OS X is pretty simple and powerful. Today I’ll explain how to use the built-in screen capture functionality, the included application Grab, and a couple of third-party options that offer extra functionality.

    Built-in OS X Functionality

    • Command + Shift + 3

      This keystroke results in a full screenshot and saves the resulting file as a PNG, to your desktop. The file is named with the date and time it was captured.

    • Command + Shift + 4

      Pressing these keys initially brings up a cross hair on screen that displays the coordinates of the cursor. Click and drag to select the area you want to capture. When you release the mouse button, the capture will be saved to the desktop as previously mentioned.

      If you press the spacebar while the crosshairs are visible, it changes into a camera icon that you can position over a specific window that you may wish to capture. (That window must be visible when you initiate the keystroke.)

      During both modes you may hold the Control key at the time of capture. Doing so will save the resulting shot to the clipboard rather than a file on the desktop.

    Grab

    The Grab application resides in the /Applications/Utilities folder. It’s pretty simplistic, and essentially duplicates the functionality of the built-in OS X feature, albeit, with a couple of small differences. After you’ve taken the screenshot, it is displayed for you to review at which time you must explicitly save it, if it is indeed what you wanted. This also allows you to choose where you’re going to save the file. There’s a Preferences window where you can choose from eight cursor images to be captured in the resulting image. Otherwise, things are pretty much the same. The keystrokes are different, as you’ll see next.

    • Command + Shift + A

      This keystroke results in a crosshair on screen that displays the coordinates of the cursor. Click and drag to select the area you want to capture.

    • Command + Shift + W

      This keystroke allows you to move windows around to select the one you’d like to capture.

    • Command + Z

      This keystroke results in a full screenshot.

    • Command + Shift  + Z

      This keystroke results in a full screenshot after a 10 second timer elapses.

    Skitch

    Skitch is developed by the rockstars at Plasq. It’s super powerful and really easy to use. You get to edit size, crop, draw nondestructively, there’s multi-format export, web upload, copy to clipboard, review history and much more. The best part is, it’s 100% free to use!

    • Command + Shift + 5

      Pressing this keystroke brings up the (now familiar) crosshairs to select the region of the screen you wish to capture. The image is then opened into Skitch for further editing and use — this is the same for each key combo.

    • Command + Shift + 6

      This keystroke results in a full screen capture.

    • Command + Shift + 7

      This keystroke brings up a frame that you can resize to capture a portion of the screen. Initially this may seem to be the same as the crosshair — the difference is, the frame retains its dimensions each time, allowing you to capture uniform shots multiple times.

    LittleSnapper

    LittleSnapper is developed by RealMac Software. It approaches screenshots from an iPhoto perspective, allowing you to catalog, group, and tag your shots for later use. There’s a built-in browser for grabbing all or a portion of a webpage. The export feature allows you to save a webpage to a PDF file, or any screen capture to multiple image formats. There’s also an editor for tweaking the shots once you’ve captured them. With all this functionality comes a price — it’s $39. There’s also a free trial to see if it’s a good fit for you.

    • Command + Option + 3

      This keystroke produces a full screen capture. Once captured, it is loaded into the LittleSnapper gallery for further editing and use — this behavior is consistent with all key combos.

    • Command + Shift + Option + 3

      Similar to Grab, this gives you a short timer before the full screen image is captured.

    • Command + Option + 4

      This keystroke gives you the crosshairs to choose the region of the screen to capture.

    • Command + Option + 5

      This keystroke captures a specific window on screen. At least a portion of the window must be visible before initiating the keystroke.

    So depending on your screenshot needs, there’s an app for that (sorry, I couldn’t help myself). The built-in tools are great and produce nice results. I personally opt for Skitch almost daily as it provides the level of control I need, but can see where something like LittleSnapper would be ideal for the designer types. There are plenty of other options out there too, if you want to get your Google on. But hopefully we’ve armed you with a little more knowledge today, to get that perfect screenshot the next time you need one.

  • Siri Virtual Personal Assistant iPhone App Purchased by Apple

    It appears — originally based off a tweet from Robert Scoble, and then confirmed by Business Insider — that Apple has made yet another acquisition: the company who makes the Siri application for iPhone. If you’re not familiar with Siri, it functions as a personal assistant on your mobile device. While we’ve all heard this claim before from other offerings, Siri sure looks to come close.

    So while Siri makes claims that sound familiar to other apps available for iPhone, its execution sure seems to raise it above the rest of the field. With an interface to type your input, as well as speak it, the user has flexibility to interact easily with Siri while on the go. (Sounds kind of like Google’s mobile app, doesn’t it?) The special sauce that Siri has in its corner is being context aware (location, time, dates, etc) as well as hooking into many web APIs to gather and present information for easy consumption. Truth be told, this mashup of information and resources reminds me of Yahoo Pipes, only with the geeky parts hidden and Voice interaction added. What’s not to like? There are great demos to be found on siri.com, but as a quick example, I could tell Siri, “I want to find a movie to watch this Thursday at midnight” and it returns a list of showtimes near my location, with links to buy tickets. Pretty neat, and super easy to use.

    What could this mean for Apple? My immediate assumption is that the Voice Over capability of future iPhone operating systems will implement Siri features — at least that’s my hope. Launching an app to do the work isn’t a big deal, but how great would it be to be driving, hold down my iPhone’s home button for a few seconds, and speak my request to Siri without having to look away from the road? It also seems obvious that with this purchase Apple has decided to roll its own rather than letting market competitors such as Google provide competitive options on their device. Is Apple getting into search, as some believe? I don’t think this is search, so much as service, but who’s to say?

    It’s always interesting to see what Apple is doing when it goes on a buying spree. Lately it’s been oriented toward making processors, but snatching up some effective software obviously isn’t out of the question either. Though the trend seems to be strongly along the lines of its mobile product line, which really isn’t all that surprising now, is it? Siri is free in the App Store, but only available within the U.S. currently.

    See some other interesting integrations for Siri in Apple’s ecosystem? Share your ideas in the comments!

  • Israel Banning iPad Over Wi-Fi Concerns

    While the iPad has been flying off shelves for almost two weeks now, its Wi-Fi — currently the only way to get online with iPad, until the 3G wireless models drop later this month — has caused some headlines of its own. Now the news comes of Israel blocking the entry of iPads into the country over concerns of the wireless transmitters being too strong.

    It seems that Israeli Customs have already confiscated 10 iPads from travelers until officials can certify the strength of the wireless transmitters used in the new Apple product. The ban doesn’t appear to be an issue of import, as tourists are being blocked from bringing iPads along with residents of the country. This must certainly be a difficult blow for those traveling with their great new device, only to have it taken away by the hosting government. The iPads are being held with a daily storage fee to the owner, or can be mailed home at the owner’s expense for now.

    The Communications Ministry of Israel has explained its reasoning:

    If you operate equipment in a frequency band which is different from the others that operate on that frequency band, then there will be interference

     The iPad specs show it can manage 802.11 a/b/g/n radio transmissions. The n radio representing the most recent wireless capabilities. I suppose I could understand if Israel doesn’t currently run 802.11n networks, but that still doesn’t compute — the way these Wi-Fi technologies work, is that they access a Wi-Fi hotspot using the lowest common denominator. So if the iPad was the only n-capable Wi-Fi device on a wireless network, it would be downgraded to the next highest possible transmission speeds based on other wireless client devices. Then again, I don’t pretend to know what the infrastructure in Israel is like, so I can’t be certain where their concerns may stem from. (I don’t suppose the Israeli government will relax due to the fact the iPad has been having major Wi-Fi connectivity issues…?)

    Hopefully Israeli officials can come to agreeable terms soon, as Apple will be releasing the iPad internationally on May 10. But until the restrictions die down, you’ll have to leave your iPad at home when traveling to Israel in the near term.

    Related GigaOM Pro Research: How AT&T Will Deal with iPad Data Traffic

  • Countdown to the iPad: What To Expect When You’re Waiting in Line

    So call me Captain Obvious, but the iPad comes out tomorrow at Apple Stores all around the U.S. If you’ve pre-ordered yours (early enough), then you should have one waiting for you, or arriving in your mailbox. Then there are the rest who are just showing up to try to grab one on the fly. Regardless of your station tomorrow, this is an event, and one you should be prepared for. If this is your first proverbial rodeo, I’ve got a few tips for what it may be like and how to show up prepared.

    First and foremost, be prepared to wait. Whether you show up tonight to get in line (oh yeah, if the lines haven’t formed already, they will shortly) or try your luck tomorrow morning, you’ll be there a while. Those who get in the door first are likely going to linger a while. And while the line will regenerate as fast as it dissipates, it’s likely there will be no great time to go if you must be there tomorrow.

    Take a page from the boy scouts, and be prepared. Bring a canteen, day pack, bed roll, etc. Well, I’m partially kidding at least. If you’re there tonight, you’ll want to be comfortable (and dry if you’re outside and there’s weather). Have some snacks on hand, and a plan for potty breaks. A dolly with a car battery, power inverter, and a power strip will make you mighty popular with your line mates too. Just saying.

    Everyone around you has a story, so take in the scene. It’s easy to show up with your iPod/iPhone or MacBook and just plug into the free Apple Wi-Fi and wait. But it’s a safe bet that there’s a guy next to you who was working on the very first Mac prototypes, or a lady who programmed part of NeXT back in the day. I’ve only been to a few events, but each time have met folks with pretty amazing Apple stories and experiences.

    The Apple Store doesn’t want your money for anything but iPad tomorrow. This may not be absolute, but last summer when the iPhone 3GS came out, I already had mine, and ran to the store late in the day to pick up an accessory or something only to be turned away — they were only servicing iPhone sales for the day. So if you need some little widget, plan to head over today, or wait until Sunday, otherwise you may potentially be turned away tomorrow.

    Document your experience. New product releases and store openings aren’t a very regular thing. It’s pretty neat to say you were there when… What Apple’s doing these days is special, and not many (if any) brands are replicating the experience that comes with buying a product. Take photos, blog it, and share the experience with others.

    Oh, and while I won’t count it as a specific tip, be prepared to answer the question over and over again when asked, “What in the world is everyone standing in line for?!” There’s probably a lot more to know, and we’d love to hear other ideas from our great readers who’ve been there and done that. Feel free to let us know how it goes tomorrow too. Enjoy the show everyone!