Macworld September 2016

When it comes to technology, the word “server” might bring to mind, for some, a warehouse-sized room not unlike the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark, but with fewer crates and more racks of computers. For others it might be the cause of sweaty palms and glazed-over eyes. But servers don’t need to be mysterious or scary—after all, a server is just a computer that serves up information (and/or services) that can be accessed by other computers. Sure, it can get more complex than that, but it can also be a fairly simple and invaluable tool. I run a Mac mini server on my home network for a handful of reasons that are fairly mundane, but all of which help at least provide some peace of mind, especially when…

The equally vaunted and ridiculed blue checkmarks on Twitter are no longer exclusive to elites or those with connections who have an “in” at Twitter. The company recently opened the verified account designation up to all users and put some rules in place for consideration (go.macworld.com/twitterreqverifyacct). Many of Twitter’s 310 million monthly active users don’t qualify for verification, but the company is opening the secretive and invite-only process up to anyone. Accounts of public interest, particularly those maintained by individuals and organizations in “music, acting, fashion, government, politics, religion, journalism, media, sports, business, and other key interest areas” are all up for consideration, according to Twitter. “We hope opening up this application process results in more people finding great, high-quality accounts to follow, and for these creators and influencers to…

As great as Apple’s tablets, smartphones, and computers are, nothing’s perfect. All hardware eventually fails. Your iPhone or MacBook can get lost or stolen. Files can be corrupted. If any of these things happen at a time when backing your data up to the cloud isn’t an option, you’re gonna have a bad day. For a guy like me, who travels as he works, one bad day’s worth of lost data can add up to a ton of lost revenue. That’s why I always pack some additional hardware to make sure that I can back up my files, no matter where I roam. And if the external drives I rely on also allow me to bring along a whack of music and movies to keep me occupied while I’m on…

MAC GEMS ARE APPS THAT OFFER STANDOUT UTILITY OR UNIQUE FEATURES AT A GREAT PRICE. AS YOU START moving beyond the basics of editing images—past general exposure and color adjustments—you’ll discover a semi-secret truth: a lot of your time is spent selecting specific areas for editing. Making a foreground object brighter, for instance, can reveal a telltale halo if the selection doesn’t match well with the object. Selections have traditionally been a strength of Adobe Photoshop, but the granddaddy editor is overkill for many people who don’t need its extensive feature set, or don’t want to pay a Creative Cloud subscription fee (which starts at $10 a month with an annual plan, and can cost up to $80 a month for the full CC suite). Instead, Pixelmator 3.5 Canyon (pixelmator.com/mac)…

CRITICS ARE QUICK to dismiss Apple’s built-in Mail app on OS X, but I prefer Mail over the new kids on the block, simply because it works and doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel. Of course, that doesn’t mean there aren’t some features in those rival apps I’d like to see make their way into Mail; the ability to schedule outgoing emails for a later date or save messages to Evernote, for example. As it turns out, I don’t have to abandon an old favorite for greener pastures to get these cool features. MAILBUTLER AT A GLANCE MailButler enhances Apple Mail with additional features including Direct Inbox, follow-up reminders, tracking, scheduling, cloud upload, and more. PROS • Adds awesome new features to Apple Mail • Delay or schedule outgoing messages…

TWITTER IS GREAT for sharing short bursts of information with followers, but the official Mac app is restrictive when it comes to videos—files must be progressive, no larger than 15MB in size, and on it goes. Wouldn’t it be great if you could just open a video, select the best part, and tweet without having to worry about all those specifications? ARCTIC WHITENESS VIDEOTWEET AT A GLANCE VideoTweet takes the drudgery out of sharing QuickTime videos on Twitter from an easy-to-use app, Final Cut Pro X, or your favorite OS X sharing extension-friendly software. PROS • Super-easy way to tweet trimmed segment from any QuickTime video • Final Cut Pro X and OS X sharing extension support • Works with multiple Twitter accounts CONS • Videos currently limited to 30…