HeySage

In this episode I show you how to create custom ringtones using GarageBand or Soundtrack Pro and them install them on your iPhone using iFuntastic. There is also a small section dedicated to text selection keyboard shortcuts. You may watch this episode here. Here we go!

Warning: Use this tutorial at your own risk. Changing system settings on your iPhone may cause problems with your iPhone. A restore should let you recover but there are no guarantees (I have used iFuntastic numerous times without any problem but that does not mean that you will not have any problems)

The first step is to create yourself a custom ringtone. This may be done by editing one of your favorite songs, creating your own song, or using system/application sounds (my preference).

In the podcast I used two sounds from Adium (a great IM client) and stitched them together. I show you how to do so using GarageBand or SoundTrack Pro (I prefer soundtrack pro if you have it).

Once you have created the ringtone and have converted into the AAC format you are ready to pursue iFuntastic. Download iFuntastic from either iPhoneAlley or Rapidshare. The links to either download site is here.

The steps are clearly outlined within the application but they are as follows:

1. Sync your iPhone
2. Launch iFuntastic. Select the prepare tab and then click on the Jail button.
3. Hold down the home key and power button until you see the caution sign.
4. Allow the iPhone to think for awhile (this is the part where I digress into the text selection keyboard shortcut tutorial).
5. Click the continue button to relaunch iTunes if necessary (it has always been necessary for me).
6. Then click on the Ringtones tab to add ringtones.
7. Simply drag and drop the m4v files to the right panel. Click the plus button so that it is highlighted and then click the update iPhone button at the bottom of the window.
8. At this point feel free to change the carrier logo or the home screen in the respective pane of the application.
9. Once you are finished you need to go to the finish tab and click on the jail button. From there power off the iPhone and then reboot it.
10. Click done and you are the proud owner of a customized iPhone.

In this episode I also briefly review some text selection keyboard shortcuts. They all involve different variations of ⌘ ⇧ and arrow keys. I will probably do a podcast on keyboard shortcuts in the near future.

I am trying to get this episode out quickly as I have just returned from my honeymoon and I have not put out an episode for awhile. I apologize in advance for any shortcomings (especially in production quality). If you have any questions please do not hesitate to email me at info@hesage.com.

The Sage just got married and I am going on my Honeymoon. Why is this relavent? Well, this means that there will not be a podcast for a couple of weeks. Enjoy your summer!

In this episode I am going to show you how to configure your gmail account to work in Apple Mail. This is an extremely convenient way to handle your mail. If you have multiple email accounts Apple Mail allows you to receive all of your email in one centralized inbox. In addition, if you configure Mail to send and receive email from your Gmail account, you can easily Sync the account to your iPhone via iTunes. This is quite convenient since typing on the iPhone, although surprisingly fast, can be painful and laborious. Here we Go!

You can watch this episode here.

The first step is to create a gmail account. You can do so by visiting Mail.Google.com. From here simply click on the Sign Up for Gmail Link. After setting up your account you must configure your account for the POP protocol. To do so, click on the settings link in the top right hand corner of the page and then choose the Forwarding and POP tab. From here be sure to enable POP (Enable POP for all email or Enable POP only for messages that arrives from now on) and choose what you would like Gmail to do when messages are accessed with POP. Once these two steps are completed click Save Changes.

Now launch Apple Mail (aka mail.app) and select File –> Preferences (⌘,). Under the accounts pane press the + button at the buttom left hand corner to add a new account. This will bring up the Account Configuration Pane. Choose POP from the account type and fill in the Account Description and Full Name fields. In the Email Address field add your complete Gmail address (e.g. yourname@gmail.com) and click Continue.

In the Incoming Mail Server dialog box enter pop.gmail.com in the incoming email server field. Then enter your Gmail address (e.g. yourname@gmail.com) in the User Name field and your password in the Password field. Click Continue.

In the Outgoing Mail Server pane enter smtp.gmail.com into the Outgoing Mail Server field. Check the Use Authentication box and type your User Name (yourname@gmail.com) and Password in their respective fields. Click Continue (this usually takes a little while- be patient). Click Continue and then Click Done (unless you would like to configure another account). You are finished!

Please send any questions or comments. If you have any requests please let me know.

Technorati Tags: Configure, Gmail, Apple Mail, “Gmail Apple Mail”

This is just Awesome with capital A! Let the iPhone magic continue to flow.

Technorati Tags: iPhone Magic, iPhone

I am often asked why I prefer Safari to Firefox, Omniweb, or any of the other wonderful browsers for OS X. The answer is easy for me. Safari is one, if not the only, web browser that has color management. It kills me when I spend hours on a graphic only to find that it looks completely different than I had intended when rendered by every browser accept Safari.

There are many features that I love about Safari. There are also many that are lacking. But, when all is said and done there is nothing more valuable than color management.

Technorati Tags: Safari 3.0,

Finally a widget with value (excluding the silly countdown widgets that I create using Apple’s Dashcode). Ambrosia Software’s EasyEnvelopes 1.0.5 is amazing extremely useful. EasyEnvelopes allows you to simply and quickly create envelopes addressed to any contact within AddressBook. All you need to do is enter the adressee’s address into the search bar, select the address, and click print (the stamp in the upper right corner).

In the information pane there are a number of options. You can change the return address, envelope size, font and more. One of the best features is the ability to print USPS barcodes. This application is proof that dashboard actually does have some value. You may download the application from Ambrosia’s website.

Technorati Tags: easyenvelopes, OS X Software