You probably have used a .zip file before if you have received or sent a large file via e-mail. Once you do a double click on such a file it will expand to show the files which are hidden inside of that archive. The whole idea behind an archive is to make it occupy less space on the hard drive in comparison to the original files so that the content will be easier to send via e-mail.

If you’re interested in the technology behind file compression, you should know that it looks for repeating data and after that it writes an archive which gets rid of these repetitions in order to save precious space. Some of the compressed text files will occupy only 50% of the space of the original file, while JPEG ones won’t be a lot smaller since this file format already includes compression.

If you haven’t used a Mac before and you don’t know how to make a .zip file, you have to select the item or items in the Finder and after that select File > Compress Item Name. Another way to go would be by doing a right-click on the chosen item/items and after that select Compress Item Name. The process is going to be very fast if you want to compress just one file, while for a larger folder it will take a few minutes. For uncompressing a zip archive all you have to do is perform a double click on it. Once you do this Apple’s Archive Utility kicks in and handles the business. You should know that this Archive Utility will work with a wide range of archives, such as .tar, .gz or .bz. You can figure out if Archive Utility works with a certain archive format if that file is labeled with the regular .zip icon. If you don’t know where Archive Utility is, you can find it in /System/Library/Core Services/Archive Utility. After doing a double click on it, this is going to appear in the Dock. We should mention that a menu will be displayed but this is not going to show any window. In Archive Utility > Preferences you will notice an option where you can configure where the expanded files will be put. The default setting is to place the expanded files in the current directory. For modifying the destination you have to click on the menu called Save Expanded Files and then select Into. A sheet is going to appear and there you’ll have to pick a folder.

If you have old .zip archives spread all over the computer’s HDD, you might want to go to the Archive Utility and access Preferences. Now, you must perform a click on the menu called After Expanding and here you will be able to select Delete Archive, Move Archive To Trash or Move Archive To for which you’ll have to choose a folder. Remember that using the latter option is going to move the archive to the desired location, not just copy it. This means that it will be deleted from its original location. 99.9% of all people that use archives prefer the .zip format so you might want to stick with this one. However, if you are a fan of Unix, you might want to use a .cpgz archive or the .cpio archive format.

Once you log into the Mac App Store you will immediately notice that there are several sections where you will find the right apps for what you need. The first two sections are called New and Noteworthy which include those applications that have entered the Mac App Store recently. As for the What’s Hot, Top Paid and Top Free section, this one lists the applications which are the most popular at that moment. Other sections include Top Grossing and Staff Favorites.

We should also mention that there is a Categories button while in the Quick Links section you will find a categories pop-up menu. Obviously, the Mac App Store has a Search field which can be found in the upper right corner of the window where you can either search for an app by its name or do a search based on the app’s type that you’re looking for.

Once you have found an application that you would like to purchase, now it is time to buy it. The price of the app is located in the upper left corner of the application’s page. You will notice that the price tag it works as a button and once you do a click on it, this is going to modify into a button which reads Buy App. If you click this button once again, you’ll be able to purchase the application. If you did not sign in before, now you have to so that you can complete the purchase process. After conducting the purchase, the Mac App Store is going to download the application and it will install it on your Mac. If the computer that you have is running on Lion, the screen of your Mac will switch to the Launchpad where you will see the icon of the recently installed application at the bottom of the list as a dimmed icon that has a progress bar called Downloading. You are able to use the computer normally while the download is in progress as the app will be downloaded in the background. For verifying the download’s progress, you must fire up Launchpad once again or you might want to access the section called Purchases which is in the Mac App Store application. Here, the app you have acquired is positioned at the top of the list and it displays a progress bar, along with the amount of time needed in order to finish the download. Speaking of time, the amount varies according to the size of the app and also it is based on your Internet connection. You are able to pause the downloading process by clicking on the Pause button that can be found next to the Purchase screen in the Mac App Store. For resuming the download you will have to open up the Purchases section once again and then click on the same button that now it’s called Resume.

To update the apps you have bought, you’ll use the Mac App Store also so we recommend that at least once a week you open it in order to find out if there are any updates for the applications you have running on your computer. To do this, you simply have to click on the button called Updates which sits in the toolbar.

If you are a brand new owner of a Mac, you probably want to find out more about the compatible software for your shiny new computer. First and foremost, your Mac already comes bundled with a nice selection of software, such as Safari, Mail, iLife, Address Book, iCal and other as well. However, most people want more than just the standard apps and for this they visit Apple’s very own Mac App Store.

What you can find here? An extensive selection of software with thousands of programs that suit different tastes and needs. Here you can find just about anything that you could ever imagine, ranging from audio software, artistic effect filters, food recipes to system utilities and games. If you haven’t used the Mac App Store already, keep on reading to find out what you have to do in order to buy software.

It is quite simple to access the Mac App Store if your computer is running at least OS X 10.6.6, but if you have an older version of the operating system (OS X 10.5.x), you must get an upgrade to OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard or optionally you can acquire OS X 10.7 Lion if you want the latest version of the OS. After you have finished upgrading, you must utilize the Software Update in order to update the aforementioned OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard which comes bundled with the Mac App Store application. From the Mac App Store you’ll be able later on to upgrade to OS X 10.7 Lion that is if you wish to do this. You can find the app in the Applications folder, LaunchPad (Lion-only) or in your Dock. The icon looks like a blue circle that has an A in it. After clicking on that icon you will have access to the Mac App Store where lots of apps are waiting for you. If you have shopped from this store before, most likely you will be automatically signed in. If this doesn’t happen, it is necessary that you log in by using your Apple ID. If you have used this before in iTunes, you’re able to use the same Apple ID for logging into the Mac App Store. Look at the Quick Links section and use the Sign In link which is located at the right-hand side. We should mention that if you only want to browse through the available software, you can do this without having to sign in but you will have to log in if you want to buy something from the store. After clickin on the link you’ll notice a pop-up box which prompts you to sign in with the Apple ID. If you do not have an Apple ID yet, you will have to click on Create Apple ID where you will be asked to enter credit card info or you can provide a PayPal account.

In the second part of this article we’ll explain who to buy software from the Mac App Store and also how to update the purchased apps.

For most people, the standard Music application available for iOS-running devices such as the iPhone or the iPod touch is more than enough since it has a significant number of features. However, you might want to know that there are several interesting alternatives to this, applications that can provide interesting methods of listening and organizing your music, while some of them also are capable of providing a better sound quality.

For this reason, in this article we have gathered three examples of music players for the iOS that you might want to consider if the regular Music application is not the one you have been looking for.

The first one in our list is called SoundBest Player which is perhaps one of the best ones out there in terms of EQ customization. This application will set you back only $3 and it offers the usual EQ presets and also gives you the possibility to make a custom equalizer setting which will match your hearing. After you fire up the application for the first time, you will spend about two minutes for taking a hearing test which is basically just about the same test which an audiologist or an ENT would give you. The application is capable of finding your own “personal hearing curve” and based on this it is able to create a personalized EQ setting for compensating the differences between what’s normal and your hearing. This is quite an interesting approach as it corrects the sound output for matching your hearing deficiencies. Even though it does not make the music sound any better, it does indeed make it sound “right”. With this application you can make multiple presets for different listening devices and store them for later use. Another interesting application is SonicMax Pro which costs $5. This is a good app for tweaking your music and getting a better sound through the speaker docs and headphones. When you fire up the software you have the possibility to select what you are using for listening to the music: headphones, earbuds/speakers, a dock, external speakers, or even a custom device. In the Settings screen of the application you will be able to make several adjustments for enhancing the sound. If you are a big fan of bass, you should know that SonicMax Pro is great at enhancing bass. The app’s BBE Process can enhance high frequencies but if set too high it sounds tinny. Perhaps the most interesting option is called Sound Field which can be considered as a faux surround sound which can render the soundscape considerably more detailed.

You also might want to consider OnCue (priced at $3) which is an excellent tool for making and updating your permanent queue of music which will work just about the same way as iTunes DJ does. With OnCue you can make dynamic playlists and if you swipe you’ll find out what is next in the queue. Needless to say, you’re able to navigate in order to find songs or you can browse by song, genre, artist and album. This software can pick up the playlist that you synchronize with iTunes and within the application you’re able to save your own. In addition, you can develop smart queues which work just about the same way as the smart playlists. If you swipe a track you’ll find out details about that song, such as artist bios or lyrics.

Once you get to the next screen you are going to be prompted with two additional options. The first one is called Burn A Copy To CD Or DVD and you should choose this one if the Mac you have has a media drive. Click on continue and the process of downloading the suitable Windows support software will begin. Next you are going to be asked to insert a writeable CD/DVD and once you do this click on the necessary OK buttons to continue the process. This support software is going to be burned on the CD/DVD and you’ll use it later on while in Windows in order to add the necessary software so that the Mac will work much like a PC.

The second option is Save A Copy To An External Drive and you have to choose this one if your Mac lacks a media drive. Aside from picking this one, make sure that the drive is formatted to a FAT volume. You can do this by attaching the external HDD to your Mac and use Disk Utility to convert it to a FAT volume.

Time has come to relaunch Boot Camp Assistant and after you click on Continue you are going to be prompted with the same three options. If you have a Mac that doesn’t feature a media drive and you have an ISO image of Windows 7, you must select the option called Create a Windows 7 Install Disk. If the Mac has a media drive, you will have to choose to install Windows 7. After clicking on Continue you will be prompted with a screen that by default will create a 20GB partition. You can increase the size of the partition if you need more space by dragging the Windows partition to the left. After you are reading to continue you should insert the Windows Installer disc and after that select the Install button located at the lower part of the window. After the Mac recognizes the disc it will start partitioning the hard drive.After the partitioning process has ended, it will automatically close down any apps that you’re running and will reboot the computer into that Windows installer. You will have to agree with the license agreement and also agree to install the OS. After that you are going to choose between either an Upgrade or a Custom installation. You must select Custom and in the following window pick the boot camp partition. Most likely, a window will pop up saying that Windows cannot be installed. This is because the partition is not formatted properly. To fix this problem you must select the boot camp partition and then choose Drive Options and click on Format. Click on OK on the next window that shows up and after it has finished you’ll be able to continue with the installation.

After the installation process has ended, you will notice a screen where you must enter a user name. Insert the desired user name and pick a time zone, local network and protection settings. Now that you have finally booted up Windows you must install the Support Software we’ve mentioned earlier to get all the necessary drivers. After the installation ends you are going to be asked to restart the computer.