Defragmenting MacBook is not necessary all the time, because hard disk capacities are much larger now than few years ago, so the system doesn't have to fill every space on the hard disk, like it had to do some time ago. The information is stored in a clean and proper way and defragmenting can be done to reorder the spaces left after deleting files. Mac OS Extended formatting avoids filling in those spaces with new files, to have a optimized formula for the hard disk capacity. Mac OS X 10.2 and later versions include a delayed allocation for volumes with a Mac OS X Extended format (HFS Plus). HFS Plus or HFS+ is developed by Apple Inc. and it is a file system which replaces their simple Hierarchical File System (HFS) as the primary file system used on systems running Mac OS. This filesystem, during development had the codename Sequoia. HFS Plus was introduced with the January 19, 1998release of Mac OS 8.1.



Fragmentation was caused by addition of new files to the existing ones, and very often with resources forks. Having better caching and faster hard disks, many applications just rewrite the information each time they run. Mac OS X 10.3 Panther automatically defragments slow-growing files. This process is known as Hot-File-Adaptive-Clustering. Minor fragmentation has less effect on system performance because of the aggressive read-ahead and write-behind caching, so there is a little benefit to defragmenting.

If you need to optimize your hard disk performances and raise the quality of its functionality, you can defragment it in two ways:

You can back up the system and use the Disk Utility application which is located on your system install disk. This will erase the disk and re-install the operating system, but it's not recommended to use this option.

The alternative is to buy a non-Apple utility that can defragment your hard disk this without erasing the information stored on it.

But anyway, defragmenting your MacBook Pro is necessary only if has slowed down very much or if it presents more symtopms of needing it.

You can use defragmenting software to do this, like, for example, iDefrag. You can use it in the beginning to scan your hard drive and see if defragmentation is necessary and then proceed to the optimization. You can purchase it on Internet for no more than 30$ and then you can start cleaning your hard disk. At first, you have to create an iDefrag boot disk using their CD creator software, then you can boot to the CD and run iDefrag. You cannot boot from the sector you want to defragment, unless you use the simple/quick defragment algorithm, but sometimes a quick defragmentation is not what you need. after running iDefrag and scanning, you can start the real defragmentation process. You should run the compact algorithm to move everything to the front of the drive. Once it finishes, you can restart and boot again and the problem is solved. this software is a great program, very useful and I really recommend it for Mac OS users.

Apple as a developer doesn't provide all the necessary tools that serious developers need to operate daily, but finally the problems can be solved with third party solutions, so enjoy iDefrag and optimize your Mac! Defragmenting Mac Book Pro is easy if you have the proper tools.

Comic reader applications are very important for the fans of comics and these applications offer them the possibility to read them wherever they are, with the large variety of softwares for mobile phones and even for iPod and iPod.



A new iPhone comics reader application has been released, and its name is Comic Reader Mobi. This application was made for iPhone and iPod touch (there is a version for Windows Mobile, and improvements are made for Blackberry too). It has everything you would expect from a proffesional comic reader: support for .rar, .zip and .pdf, automatic bookmarking and very fast load times. The lens feature makes it really special among the comic reader software.

The autosizing lens has been very appreciated by the users, because by tapping on any text the lens will zoom in that part and finally you can see the comic as the artist intended without loosing quality. The comic sync tool allows you to make USB uploads to the iPhone, and you don't have to wait for slow file conversions or send wia wireless connection between your mobile phone and your PC.



Comic Reader Mobi remember users' position in every file, and in series even, and you can switch between them without worrying that you lose your place. The next page is prebuffered so there is no lag between pages and it loads very fast. Image resizing option offers you the images at their best quality. The transparent onscreen controls appear by double clicking on the image or pressing the lower corner and then you can change the prefferences of the comic viewing application.There is also a pinch gesture to zoom in on comics, and it's very appreciated by comics' fans.Comic Reader Mobi is an easy and enjoyable way to read all your digital comic books on the iPhone and iPod Touch.

There is another comic reader software and its name is ComicZeal, and since the first day it was released, I checked its performances and it seems to be most flexible application for reading any comic on iPhone and iPod. You can download the comics to you mobile phone so you can read them anytime, not only when you are connected to Internet. The images are big, and you can see all the text and small details and the scroll is very smooth, and almost looks like a glide. Using the standard pinch technique you can resize easy and quick your image.

Comics can be read portrait or landscape and you can turn pages easily by using a button at the bottom of the screen. Just like Comic Reader Mobi, it remembers the page where you were, even if you turn off your iPhone. It is very important that ComicZeal has also a converter which allows you to convert the old comics to ComicZeal's format.ComicZeal doesn't read .cbr and .cbz and the explanation is on their website: “A [.cbr file] is way too large for the iPhone. Each page is roughly three times the size of the maximum image that the iPhone can easily display (1024×1024 pixels). If the large images are used on the iPhone, they must be broken into smaller pieces and shown to the user as they scroll throughthe page. This takes up a lot of processor time. Processor=battery so the battery life suffers.”

If you are a comics' fan, you should try both the softwares presented here and see which fits for your need when reading your favorite comics. All in all, both iPhone comics applications have their pluses and minuses, and the only one who can say which is better is you, the user.

Skype for iPhone is a VoIP communications application that offers you the possibility to chat with other Skype members for free, and in addition call landlines and mobile phones when you buy credit. Skype is available in every country in which the Skype store can be found, and it already has a pretty large market in the United States, Japan, and Europe.



At first Skype was used to place calls to other Skype users, at international level and then it was develeped and now it is used also for landlines at a reduced rate, so if you have friends and family abroad, the application is a very good alternative to classic telephony. You might not use it if most of your friends and your love live within a 500-mile radius. If your home has a weak cellular signal but strong Wi-Fi, you can successfully use Skype instead of mobile networks. A low-rate VoIP service, like Skype is for example, will cost you much less than mobile networks' charges. iPod touch users can use VoIP applications, like Truphone and Fring or Skype to make calls, even the iPod has no telephone hardware.

A disadvantage is that you can not make free calls if you are on the road, only if you find a Wi-Fi connection, but this encourages users to use A&T hot spots, without incurring extra charges. Skype uses your iPhone adress book from the dialing screen and you can easily call someone who is not in you Skype buddy list, using the credit you have purchased. Since Apple doesn't let users to have more applications running at a moment, you will not get an alert for the missed calls u have while logged out from Skype.

If you use Skype for iPhone, you will be able to hold the phone up to your ear as you would use normally the phone, but this application is compatible with a headset and speakerphones too. You will need a headset with microphone if you use Skype on iPod Touch.The new Skype for iPhone doesn't allow users to make videocalls, though the technology is somewhere out there, and one company, iVisit has presented its video conference call feature for at least two years.Anyway, the first VoIP company which will manage to get there first will undoubtedly get all the glory because mobile video is essential these days.

You can not foward your mobile calls to your Skype number, but I think that most of the people are using Skype for iPhone to dial out, if they have a phone date planned, or when they are travelling and they must make a break in an airport. Due to Apple's regulations, in its 2.0 version software the applications cannot run in background.

If you have an iPhone and want to make a call in another country in the world, you might want to travel to that country to initiate a Skype call rather than using AT&T and its huge charges. There should be no problem initiating a call from France to a French landline (take into account that calls to mobile phones will cost more).

Skype for iPhone has many advantages, but disadvantages too, and if you are patient and follow the updates and the developments made on this software, you might have a pretty useful tool installed on your iPhone. If you are conscious about your contact's costs, you might try other communication methods: IM or e-mail, which you can easily check on iPhone while doing other things.

The screensaver is the element which represents us when we leave the computer. Like the desktop picture, it can be customized, changed, personalised just like we want. This article will show you how to use screensaver on imac.

To change the screensaver on Imac, we should follow these steps:
In the Apple Menu, go to System Preferences to open the window where we can change the preferences for system options.
Choose Desktop & Screen Saver button to display the preferences of the desktop and those for screensaver.
Click on Screen Saver tab to modify only the Screen Saver preferences, and you will see all the installed screen savers in the left, on a panel.
In the right side, there is a preview tab.
Choose a Screen Saver from the list on the left side, the one you would like to use.
You can test it also to see how it would look in use.

You can also use for your screen saver a slideshow of images you like. To have a slideshow screensaver, do the following:

In the Screen Saver preferences tab window, choose Library and this is how you will transform your iPhoto pictures in a slideshow screen saver. To use your personal, preffered pictures, Select Pictures folder or Choose Folder,  go to the folder which contains your images, or input it's path and then click Choose to make it functional.

To use a third-party screen saver, just install the screen saver package, and if it doesn't place the .saver file you would like to use in the right place, you must find it and place it in the right Screen Savers folder. Its path is "root of your hard disk ~/Library/Screen Savers". After you placed correctly the .saver file, then follow the steps from the beginning, like you would simply change your screen saver, and the new one will appear in the list on the left panel.

After you picked up your favorite screen saver, you can customize it now. Here are some elements you can change in the Screen Saver preferences window: click on Options to modify specific attributes of the screen saver to your liking (they vary from on screen saver to another), move the "Start screen saver" slide button to change the time after the screen saver should start, if you would like the screen saver to start when you click on a specific corner on your desktop then you should select the "Hot corners" option, and when you will place the mouse in the selected corner, the screen saver will automatically start. If you like adventure and surprises, you may check the "Random screen saver" box and now the computer will choose every time a different screen saver from the installed ones.

Now that you found out how to use screensaver on Imac, you can start customizing it, choosing your favorite images as screen saver or explore the variety of items available on Internet. There are plenty of thematic screensavers, so you can pick a screensaver related to your hobbies, to your favorite singer or celebrity, but also use your personal pictures, to review them each time your computer is sleeping.