How to install a .pkg download.

Pkg files such as let's say for arguments sake xampp-macosx-0.5.pkg are installed onto Mac OS X Tiger as follows:

1. Double click on the .pkg file (in this example the file name is xampp-macosx-0.5.pkg).
2. A message that say's something like "Welcome to the Mac OS X Installation Program. You will be guided through the steps necessary to install this software." will appear. Click on 'Continue'.
3. A Select a Destination message will appear. By default 'Machintosh HD' should be selected. If you want to install on another volume other options should be offered here. Click on 'install'.
4. Installer needs authentication for programs to be installed. Enter your username and password and click on 'OK'.
A 'The software was successfully installed' message should now appear.
5. To find the software that has been installed Open Finder (click on the first icon on the Dock)
6. Click on the Applications to open the Applications folder. A folder containing the program that has been installed should now appear.

How to unzip a .sitx download.

Sitx files such as let's say for arguments sake xampp-macosx-0.5.pkg.sitx needs to be opened with a package called Stuff-It Expander (there are probably similar unzipping packages available for download also however for this post Stuff-It Expander is being referred to and used to unzip this particular .sitx download).

First things first a copy of Stuff-it Expander needs to be downloaded from the following URL:
http://www.stuffit.com/mac/expander/

1. Choose a download that is appropriate to the version of Mac OS X that you're running (in this example Mac OS X 10.4 is being used so Stuff-it Expander 11.0 for Mac OS X 10.4 and later in .dmg format has been selected).
2. Once downloaded a message that say's something like "StuffitExpander11.dmg contains an application, Are you sure you want to continue downloading StuffitExpander11.dmg?" will appear. Click on 'Continue'.
3. Click on 'accept' to accept the lisence agreement
4. Press F11 to minimize all open windows
5. On the Desktop double click on what looks like a hard disk with the Stuffit11 logo on.
6. Open Finder (click on the first icon on the Dock)
7. Click on the Applications to open the Applications folder
8. Drag the Stuffit11 logo from the window that opened upon double clicking on the hard disk with the Stuffit11 logo on
9. Double-click on the Stuffit11 folder
10. Double click on Stuff-it Expander shortcut
11. Click on 'accept' to accept the lisence agreement
12. Drag the Stuffit11 logo to the Dock

Stuff-it Expander 11 should now be installed. Click once on the Stuff-it icon in the Dock to launch Stuff-it Expander 11.

Double-clicking on the .sitx download should now immediately open Stuff-it Expander and Stuff-it Expander should unzip or unpack the download.

Core 2 Duo MacBook Pros are now available

Apologies for not having posted on this blog for several months now, literally haven't had a spare moment to add some more posts. Really must add some though as want to mention NeoOffice which is an excellent Office package based on OpenOffice. Downloadable completely free of charge due to being open-source.

Anyway, back to this post. Apple have launched their newest addition to their range of MacBook Pros, they're not only cheaper than the previous model but now feature Intel Core 2 Duo Processors. Prices in the U.K. start at £1,349.01 for the 15", 2.16GHz, 1Gb, 120Gb, SD, 128Mb Video Ram MacBook Pro through to £1,889.00 for the 17", 2.33GHz, 2Gb, 160Gb, SD, 256Mb Video Ram MacBook Pro.

Specification for each of these machines is as follows:

15", 2.16GHz @ £1,349.01

* 2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
* 1440 x 900 resolution
* 1GB memory
* 120GB hard drive1
* 6x double-layer SuperDrive
* ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 graphics with 128MB SDRAM

15", 2.33GHz @ £1,699.00

* 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
* 1440 x 900 resolution
* 2GB memory
* 120GB hard drive1
* 6x double-layer SuperDrive
* ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 graphics with 256MB SDRAM

17", 2.33GHz @ £1,899.00

* 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
* 1680 x 1050 resolution
* 2GB memory
* 160GB hard drive1
* 8x double-layer SuperDrive
* ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 graphics with 256MB SDRAM

No mention of Mac OS X Leopard though, these machines are shipping with Mac OS X Tiger.

Don't forget to add discount code 'IPMQRFY5DC' to save £56.00 off orders £560.00 and above!.

Discount codes for iPod Nano at PCWorld.co.uk

Discount codes for iPod Nano at PCWorld.co.uk

- affnanw1 - 1GB nano white for £91.00
- affnanb1 - 1GB nano black for £91.00
- affnanw2 - 2GB nano white for £116.79
- affnanb2 - 2GB nano black for £116.79

This is a limited two week offer - Starts 14/07/06 - Ends 28/07/06.

Apple store UK Promotion Code

Received the following promotion code from Apple Store UK this morning and thought that i'd post as a Blog entry. Spend £235.00 including VAT or more and get £23.00 including VAT off the total price.

Promotion Code: NA1VL9XZNR
(Expires: 30/09/06).

iPod 40Gb £119 and 60Gb Photo £149.00

According to their web-site Apple store UK Refurbished (scroll down the page and click in the 'Save' - Special Deals link on the right) are selling an iPod 40Gb for £119.00 (a saving of 61% off original price) and an iPod 60Gb Photo for £149.00 (a saving of 41% off original price). Offers whilst stocks last. Visit HotUKDeals.com for Apple store promotional codes (please note that a minumum spend applies for using a voucher code).

Also in the Refurbished store are iPod Mini 4Gb in Blue, Green, Pink and Silver (personally like the latter one) for £59.93 (a saving of 53% off the original price). These are significantly cheaper than an equivalent iPod Nano and certainly worth considering buying if you're wanting to buy a 4Gb iPod.

This promotion was correct as of 11:40am 29/06/06.

Lexar Jumpdrive Mercury 1Gb USB Thumb Drive

This Blog entry is all about a Lexar Jumpdrive Mercury 1Gb USB Thumb Drive, a USB Thumb Drive that's entirely different to all other USB Thumb Drives that i've come across both on the internet and the in store. As visitors to this Blog are more than likely aware determining how much space has been used or is remaining on a USB Thumb Drive is not possible without plugging the device into a USB port. Lexar have addressed this problem by incorporating a capacity meter that displays used space even whilst not plugged into a USB port. The capacity meter is based around an innovative low-power Electronic Paper Display technology from the E-Ink Corporation, and is clear to read. The on-board capacity meter is an excellent idea IMHO and clearly addresses the problem of not knowing what USB Thumb Drive has spare capacity on.

Further details on this product can be found at the following URL:-
http://www.lexar.com/jumpdrive/jd_mercury.html

Various Apple discounts at PCWorld.co.uk

Really don't want this Blog to come across as one big advertisement for various resellers but think that the following discounts currently posted at PCWorld.co.uk might be of interest to visitors including free carriage on all iPods, prices quoted apply to both online and Collect @ Store purchases:-

Hint: Visiting HotUKDeals.com should reveal a 5% discount code for purchases £200.00 and over (promo code works online only and doesn't apply to Collect @ Store purchases).

iPod 4Gb Nano, White, SKU # 689514 Advertised price: £158.00
iPod 4Gb Nano, Black, SKU # 806347 Advertised price: £158.00
iPod 30Gb Video, Black, SKU # 068201 Advertised Price: £188.00
iPod 30Gb Video, White, SKU # 251039 Avertised Price: £205.00
iPod 60Gb Video, Black, SKU # 868706 Advertised Price: £268.00

Mac Mini Core Solo, SKU # 707876 Advertised price: £399.00
-Same price as most resellers are charging however you can get one of these for £379.05 using the 5% discount posted on HotUKDeals.com

Mac Mini Core Duo, SKU # 874865 Advertised price: £529.00
-Same price as most resellers are charging however you can get one of these for £502.55 using the 5% discount posted on HotUKDeals.com

Note: There's a £19.99 carriage charge on the Mac Mini Core Duo which leaves little change from the savings made by applying a 5% discount on the order. Add a free shipping item such as a Logik 256Mb Refurbished MP3 Player, SKU # 717701 for £14.99 to your shopping basket with PCWorld.co.uk and get free carriage on your entire order making a total saving of £12.21 over the advertised price of a Mac Mini Core Duo with a free Logik 256Mb Refurbished MP3 Player thrown in! (total saving £27.20 including the price of the Logik 256Mb Refurbished MP3 Player).

This promotion was correct as of 19:30 27-06-06.

Cheapest source for Mac OS X Tiger in UK

PCWorld.co.uk are selling Mac OS X Tiger in the U.K. for £74.99 online and via Collect @ Store. Normal in-store price is £89.00. Not sure what the expiration date is for this particular promotion. Once you've logged onto PCWorld.co.uk enter SKU # 821538 in the Search for "keyword/product code" box to find the Apple - OS X 10.4 Tiger - Mac Software.

This promotion was correct as of 18:50 27-06-06.

Another item that might be of interest are Apple M9720G/A iPod Socks, SKU # 372365. Normal in-store price is £25.99 however this item is currently on offer for £18.99. (Buying in-store saves £5.99 standard delivery!).

Save 5% at JohnLewis.com

Thought that this post might be of interest to visitors of this Blog even though very much in its infancy. Apple and most authorized resellers in the U.K. have already reduced the Mac Mini Core Solo from £449 to £399 within the last few weeks. Visit HotUKDeals.com for Johnlewis.com promotional codes and, furthermore if you already hold or are applying for a Morgan Stanley credit card a further 5% discount can be taken off your shopping basket (you'll need to buy Johnlewis Gift Vouchers via the link provided by Morgan Stanley).

This promotion was correct as of 17:00 27-06-06.

Adding Del.icio.us to Safari

One site that I personally think is really useful is del.icio.us which visitors to this Blog might already know is an invaluable bookmarking web-site that you can access from any web-browser. Rather than bookmarking web-sites on a local machine they're bookmarked using an online account created free of charge on the del.icio.us web-site.

1. Click on your browsers address bar (or press Command + l) and type in http://del.icio.us/
2. Follow the links to create an account with del.icio.us unless you've already created an account
3. Log into your del.icio.us account entering your chosen username and password
4. Type in http://del.icio.us/help/buttons into your browsers address bar (alternatively highlight the URL posted here, right click and select 'Go to address') to add a 'post to del.icio.us' bookmark on your browsers Bookmarks Toolbar
5. Click and drag the 'post to del.icio.us' button to your browsers Bookmarks Toolbar.
6. A 'Type the name for bookmark' pop-up prompt should appear, enter a name for the Bookmark or leave the default one that's already been chosen which should be worded something like 'post to del.icio.us' (or similar).
7. Follow steps 5 to 6 to add a 'my del.icio.us' bookmark on your browsers Bookmarks Toolbar

Web-sites that you want to bookmark can now be added to your del.icio.us account by clicking on the 'post to del.icio.us' Bookmark that should now appear on your Bookmarks Toolbar, likewise, selecting a web-site that you have already Bookmarked can be found by clicking on the 'my del.icio.us' Bookmark on your Bookmarks Toolbar.

As far as i'm aware adding del.icio.us to Firefox for Macs can be done in exactly the same was as adding to Safari.