If you are like us, you probably are always on the look to improve your efficiency so we thought that in this article we will explain how to open applications and find files faster while running OS X. Rather than digging through your many folders, you might consider using Quicksilver which will allow you to find what you need by using a few key strokes, performing the same commands that would normally take a lot more mouse clicks.

Once you open Quicksilver you are going to be presented with an introduction, and you’ll have to press Continue. As you would expect, you will have to agree with the licensing terms and hit on Continue once again. You will also be prompted with some recommended plug-ins which you might want to include.

The first thing that you have to do is activate Quicksilver and this is done by default by hitting Control(^) and Space. “Catalog Update” refers to the interval in which Quicksilver is going to scan for updates for the apps, as well as the other sections you have the software searching for. Now you’ll also notice an additional introduction to Quicksilver which offers a basic overview of what it has to offer and what you can do with it. After the setup is complete, Quicksilver is going to open with the default theme as well as standard color options. One of the things that you can do is open up an URL in your standard web browser. You must type the URL and then tab to the second panel in order to discover what your options are. Some examples include moving that object to the trash, copying the search object and other as well. The arrow is going to drop down an options menu.

Go to the Preferences menu and in the Guide panel you will be able to go through the support resources located on the left side, while the right side is where you can access the table of contents. In the Application menu located in the Preferences section you can find options such: start at login, warn before quitting, enable advanced features, show icon in dock, show icon in the menu bar. In additional, there are several other options available like checking for updates.

In the Triggers page you have the possibility to configure the key commands to trigger the actions, while in Custom Triggers you are able to set these up in order to open apps or to handle system tasks such as activating the screen saver when you press command + option + s. We should mention that there are several pre-made triggers that come as default with Quicksilver. In the Catalog section you will find all that is indexed so all that Quicksilver can search within. If you don’t want it to search for some of the items in here, you will have to uncheck these from this panel. To rescan you can hit command + r or you can simply wait for Quicksilver to initiate a rescan of the catalog. The plug-ins panel is going to let you use the application within modules and programs. The more addons you install, the less clicks of a mouse you will have to do. All things considered, Quicksilver is a great way for becoming more efficient since rather than attempting to find apps using Finder, you’re able to type the app.

Even the entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro (winter 2011 model) comes with a backlit keyboard which obviously is very useful when you are typing in a low-light environment, while the ambient light sensors are doing their job at controlling the brightness of the screen as well as the lightning of the keyboard. We should also mention that this laptop has probably one of the largest and most comfortable palm rests we’ve seen in a 13-inch laptop.

The 13.3-inch display of the MacBook Pro is framed by the edge-to-edge glass. The screen has a native resolution of 1,280 x 800 pixels (just like the previous model) and manages to offer a lot of color, contrast and plenty of brightness. We should also mention that this screen still uses the old 16:10 format instead of opting for a 16:9 and a native resolution of 1,366 x 768 pixels (720p) like most of today’s laptops.

The volume offered by the built-in speakers is on the average side, while the quality of the stereo speakers is decent for music and movies. Also on board is a new high definition webcam that is capable of offering 720p widescreen web chats through Apple’s FaceTime application that comes installed on the HDD. With a single button click the user is capable of switching between landscape and portrait mode. The Mac-to-Mac calls over a Wi-Fi connection look great while the calls coming from an iPhone 4 are at a rather fuzzier resolution. As far as ports and connectivity features, the MacBook Pro (winter 2011 model) is fitted with the Thunderbolt we’ve mentioned in the first part of the article, a headphone and microphone combo jack, FireWire 800, SDXC card reader and two USB 2.0 ports. For networking it packs Bluetooth, an Ethernet port and 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi. Also on board is a DVD burner. A difference between this model and the previous 2010 version is that the SD card slot is now able to read SDXC cards. In addition, the Mini-DisplayPort has been transformed in the Thunderbolt port, a port that has been developed by Intel and it is capable of chaining up to 6 connected devices.

One of the few upgrades of the MacBook Pro (winter 2011 model) is in the battery department where Apple has tweaked the integrated battery which is now capable of lasting for almost 7 hours during a demanding video playback test which means that it last about 45 minutes more than the 2010 model. This means that it has one of the best batteries seen in a 13-inch laptop, a battery which should be able to provide enough juice for a full day of work which is a really impressive performance for a 13-inch system.

At the time of its launch, the 13-inch MacBook Pro was the cheapest high-end laptop from Apple as its 15-inch sibling carried a retail price tag of at least $1,799 for the base model, while its smaller cousin cost $1,199. Some consider that a 13-inch screen is the best compromise for a laptop in terms of performance and usability, and we have to agree on this.

When this model came out, it benefited from an upgrade in the processor area that a lot of people had been waiting for. This upgrade brought the inclusion of second generation Intel Core i-series processors, with the entry-level 13-inch version featuring a second-gen Intel Core i5 clocked at 2.30 GHz, while the more expensive $1,499 model has a beefier Intel Core i7 dual core CPU running at 2.70 GHz.

Even though these two models have different processors, the difference between a Core i5 and a Core i7 in these two MacBook Pro laptops is rather insignificant as in various benchmark tests, as the i5 is very close in terms of performance to the i7 CPU. What this means is that it’s probably not worth paying the $300 difference for the i7 processor, especially since in single-task tests the Core i5 performs almost as good as the quad-core 15-inch MacBook Pro. The base version of the MacBook Pro comes with the same graphics chip, the same amount of memory, an identical display and also the same selection of ports. The only differences between the two models would have to be the more powerful CPU and the larger 500GB hard drive, whereas the base mode has a 320GB HDD. Compared to the 2010 13-inch MacBook Pro, the 2011 version takes a step back in terms of graphics performance as it adopts an integrated Intel HD 3000 with shared system memory, whereas the previous version came with an Nvidia chip in the form of a 320M GPU. The entry-level Apple MacBook Pro (winter 2011 model) has been fitted with the Thunderbolt port which is considered to be the unified successor of the FireWire, USB and DisplayPort as it can carry data and video at a speed of 10Gbps. The entry-level version is fitted as we were saying earlier with a second generation Intel Core i5 processor clocked at 2.30 GHz and works together with 4GB of DDR3 RAM running at a speed of 1,333 MHz. For storage it packs a 320GB hard drive spinning at 5,400 rpm. The chipset is an Intel H67 while the graphics department is handled by the integrated Intel HD 3000 which borrows its memory from the system’s RAM. The laptop is running on OS X 10.6.6 Snow Leopard.

This MacBook Pro measures 12.8 x 8.9 x 0.95 inches (W x D x H) and it tips the scales at 4.5 pounds, while its AC adapter weighs an additional pound. As far as the design is concerned, the 2010 and 2011 models look virtually the same, featuring an identical unibody construction and that iconic design that Apple has trademarked. Even the port layout has remained the same, with the ports sitting on the left side of the laptop, while the slot-loading drive is on the right side. The construction is as you would expect, exceptional. We will continue to review the Apple MacBook Pro (winter 20111 model) in the second and final part of our article.

The 15-inch version of the Apple MacBook Pro received an update last fall with better hardware components while retaining the same aluminum construction and the generous glass multitouch trackpad. One of the available extras for this model would have to be the Thunderbolt port which if you didn’t know is Intel’s all-new high-speed port for data transferring and displays. The configuration which we’ll talk about costs somewhere around $1,800 and here’s what is hiding inside that gorgeous aluminum chassis.

First of all, at the heart of the laptop is an impressive quad core Intel Core i7 processor that has a clock speed of 2.20 GHz which works together with 4GB of DDR3 memory running at a frequency of 1,066 MHz. For storage you get a 500GB hard drive spinning at 5,400 rpm while the chipset is an Intel H67. Things are even more interesting in the graphics area where we find the integrated Intel HD 3000 and the dedicated GPU in the form of an AMD Radeon HD 6750M.

The Apple MacBook Pro 15 (Fall 2011) is running on OS X 10.7 Lion and has the following dimensions: 14.4 x 9.8 x 0.95 inches and it tips the scales at 5.5 pounds or 0.7 pounds more if we take into consideration its AC adapter. This is a midsize laptop with a very familiar design: a solid piece of aluminum that is carved down into a shell with support struts. There are many advantages to this unibody chassis, like the fact that it is thin and solid, while at the same time being flex-free. It has been fitted with a 15.4-inch display that has a maximum resolution of 1,440 x 900 pixels, a higher resolution than most laptops of this kind which come with screens that have a native resolution of 1,366 x 768 pixels (720p). There are two other screens available for additional money: the 1,680 x 1,050-pixel display which costs an additional $100, along with the 1,680 x 1,050-pixel anti-glare display which will set you back an extra $150. This display has a 16:10 aspect ratio, like all of Apple’s screens, except for the one in the 11-inch Air which adopts the newer 16:9 format.

Let’s talk about connectivity and ports and start by mentioning that in the video area it comes with DisplayPort/Thunderbolt while in the audio department it has the usual headphone + microphone jacks. For data transfer purposes you get an SD card reader and two USB 2.0 ports while in the networking area it packs an Ethernet port, 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Also on board is a standard DVD burner. The aforementioned AMD Radeon HD 6750M is quite a powerful dedicated GPU which is considerably faster than the 6490M that was previously offered for the $1,799 15-inch MacBook Pro. As you would expect, when you are running an application that isn’t graphics-intense, the laptop will use the integrated Intel HD 3000 in order to save precious battery life. Speaking of the battery, the one in this Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch (Fall 2011) will be able to last for almost 7 hours during a demanding video playback test, a performance similar to that of the previous model. This is an excellent performance and way better than Dell’s XPS 15z which can last for three and a half hours during the same test.

In case you want to connect your MacBook Pro to TV you have to follow some basic instructions. First of all, you must know these portable computer’s most important features and their functioning process. They are based on the world’s best operating system named MAC OS X. All the Macintosh computers are running under this operating system and this is the main reason why they are so spread among people.

If you want to switch your older Windows based laptop to a new MacBook Pro model you have the possibility to buy it directly from the Apple Company’s store or from their official website. In case you want to test this laptop before you make a final decision, my advice for you is to go personally in the store. You have the possibility to choose between different MacBook Pro models including devices which range between 11” and 15” screen sizes.

Thanks to these portable computer’s USB ports you can connect to the notebook different external devices such as TV, portable music gadgets, iPhones or cameras if you want to download the photos on your laptop. If you want to connect your MacBook Pro to TV you have to take in consideration some basic tips. First of all, you have to prepare a mini display port to VGA adapter and a video EZ adapter with USB power cable. Then you have to verify the array of ports which are located on your device’s left hand side and you have to connect the mini display port into the empty port. You will find easily the port because it is the third port to the left of the Express Card slot. The second step is to plug the VGA cable’s one end into the port and the cable’s other end insert it into the Video EZ adapter which is labeled VGA IN. Then connect the video cable into your portable computer’s port which is named “Video Out”. Finally, when you have attached the USB cable in both of the devices you can turn on your MacBook Pro and the television, too. It is important to set the TV on the channel which is designed for the video input display. In most of the cases these channels are labeled “input” or “line”. After you have turned on your MacBook Pro laptop you will notice that the notebook’s screen will be mirrored on the television. If you don’t have these adapters you have the possibility to purchase them directly from the Apple online store. After you have turned on both of the devices and the image is not clear you can modify it with the “fine tune” and “size” buttons.

You can even adjust your notebook’s display settings if you click with the mouse cursor on the “Displays” and “System Preferences” menu. If you want to find out the other MacBook Pro user’s methods and their tips to connect this notebook to the television, you can register at Apple Discussions chat forum because there you can talk with them virtually.