Living in the PC world for longer then I wish to remember has caused me to rely on functions that most other operating systems provide, that sadly Mac OS is simply missing. For instance, where's the finder Refresh button.

How often have you been in a finder window and had to do a song and dance to coax the interface into refreshing content? Mac OS does not do this automatically or at least not quickly enough for me. Basically, by default you have to click the Back button a couple of times, leave the folder you want refreshed, and then return to see what has changed.

Thankfully, a quick search on Google found the answer to this problem called Refresh Finder.

Refresh Finder

Refresh Finder is absolutely the perfect fix for this problem and should be included in Mac OS by default (Hint Apple). All you have to do is download the program using the link provided above, install by dragging into the Application folder, and then click-drag the item to your Finder Toolbar. I love programs that are not overly complicated, in this case very quick and easy, and the author deserves a big thumbs up for their efforts.

Finder Toolbar Shortcuts

By the way, did you notice that you could add applications and other shortcuts to your Finder Toolbar like shown above? Finder has some shortcomings and nothing is perfect, but last I checked you couldn’t drag shortcuts into a Windows Explorer toolbar. The best part of adding icons to the toolbar is being able to drag and drop files directly to the application you plan to open them in.

There is quick video at the end of this article showing how to do this. Talk about a time saver that cuts out what used to take at least 3 steps (right-click, open with, other, etc).

KeyFixer for Mac OS and Firefox

Similar to the Refresh Finder problem mentioned above, I've been able to click the Home and End keys in Windows and (depending on the application) jump to the beginning or end of the line automatically. Mac OS does not do this by default, but this can be fixed using a program called KeyFixer.

KeyFixer provides Home and End key functionality in Mac OS applications like iTunes, Word, Textedit, etc. Applications like Dreamweaver have had this ability for a while on Mac OS, but the other applications have had to do without. The author also provides another KeyFixer tweak for Firefox that does the same process as shown in the video below.

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I've found all three tweaks very useful and big time savers, so please let us know if you have found something better. Until then I’ll look forward to bringing you more handy OS X tweaks in the near future.

I stress on the word reluctantly, simply because I have problems using any Microsoft hardware on Apple computer systems. Something about it just doesn't seem right and I'm certain other users out there understand how I feel. However, Microsoft does makes Mac compatible keyboards and their software and driver support are top notch, but other then that Microsoft does not go out of their way to make using their units visually easy on a Mac.

What sets Microsoft's keyboard apart from Logitech or Apple keyboards for that matter is its useful additions as presented above. This keyboard simply rocks if you need things like programmable function keys, quick access to “Play, Stop and Rewind, and various other aspects that make using Mac simply easier. The media keys labeled WWW, E-mail, Music, etc all work flawless in both Mac and Windows, and from my experience work much better on the Mac side since these software systems were simply designed from the ground up to offer the multimedia experience.

The Zoom Key as referenced in our first image is simply amazing. Ever want to Zoom into an Excel spreadsheet or Word document, and was forced to hold down the Command (CTRL on Windows) Key and + or to achieve this action? How about browsing websites and needing to get a little closer to the text and material presented online? The Zoom Key is simply amazing for what it accomplishes. Being able to slide the unit forward to zoom in and backward to zoom out just rocks. However, on the Mac side, when you are not in any particular application that provides Zoom support like Safari or Word, the Zoom Key zooms the whole screen.

I'll be honest, I own a Mac Pro workstation with the standard keyboard and mouse and I don't really like the Apple's White Input of Beauty. Yes they are pretty and go well with systems like the white iMac or MacBook systems, but other then that they lack some useful aspects and functionality I've come to expect from Logitech, Microsoft or otherwise. Also speaking of usefulness, I get very tired typing on the standard Mac keyboards and consider the keys a little soft for regular input.

Let's try a test, press the Control key on your Mac Keyboard in the bottom left corner and let me know if yours stick every once and a while. Give it a try and let me know how your Mac keyboard responds. My Mac keyboard sticks and not just the Control key, but other various units as well. I rely on my keyboard day in and day out and think this unit from Microsoft deserves a big thumbs up. It is not perfect, as it is missing the silkscreen logos we are so accustomed to on Mac computer systems, but other then that I could not find many problems to speak of.

Pros:

• Solid Mac Support (Drivers and Software Compatibility) almost everything can be tweaked and changed via software.
• Cool additions like the Zoom Key – provides newer and more intuitive ways to work, browse, and view items on your computer.
• Programmable Function Keys

Cons:

• No Mac Keyboard Silk Screen Logos if you are used to seeing the Command/Apple Key symbols, you won't find them here.
• Programmable Keys can still be confusing since you can remap items like the ALT key to their proper location as shown on Mac Keyboards, but the key labels will still reference the key in the wrong location. Personally this was not a problem for me since I'm used to ALT/Option location on both PC and Mac systems, but for new users it could be a problem (that can always be fixed with whiteout and a permanent marker).

The Microsoft Digital Media Pro Keyboard retails for $29.95 and is compatible with both Mac OS X and Windows.

“Expand the abilities and storage capacity of your computer without cluttering your desk. The Newer Technology miniStack V2 is just the accessory you need to do it all for your computer.

With the Newer Technology miniStack V2 0GB Enclosure Kit, you can add your own 3.5″ hard drive to this stylish Hub and expand the overall capacity and ports on your system. More hard drive space, with capacity for one 3.5″ drive (up to 750GB!), 2 more FireWire 400 ports, and 3 more USB 2.0 ports. One FireWire port and one USB 2.0 port are located on the left side, for easy access. Yes, that’s right – you don’t need any extra drive cases or hubs for all of your accessories anymore!”

The miniStack V2 has plenty to offer Mac users with a Macbook, mini or workstation systems. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve run out of hard drive space or USB ports on my MacBook Pro and needed just a little more to make life easier.

My first impressions are quite positive and the device provides a clean organized interface for both additional storage and USB/Firewire (1394) hub expansion.

The enclosure holds an internal Parallel ATA (PATA) hard drive. In this review, a 500 GB Seagate Ultra ATA drive is used. One of miniStack V2′s primary advantages relates to its ability to hold any PATA hard drive that you choose to purchase.

The drive enclosure contains a temperature sensor that is used to keep tabs on the hard drive enclosure and a Mini Box Fan that is used as primary cooling. Also note, the mounting plate used to attach the hard drive also contains a Heat Sink interface that provides additional heat dissipation.

Included with this system is an External Power Supply, USB and Firewire cables, Documentation and Software.

This system can be purchased preconfigured with the hard drive of your choice, or bare-bones like our model. This way, you may add your own hard drive. The bare bones package we purchased cost an additional $10, but comes with a few software additions including:

• Prosoft Engineering's Data Backup for Mac OS x 10.2.8 or later
• Intech's SpeedTools Utilities for Mac OS x
• NovaStor's NovaBACKUP solution for Windows

We consider these well worth the extra cost.

Intech's SpeedTools Utilities by itself is an excellent product providing Hard Drive De-fragmentation, S.M.A.R.T. Guard, Media Scanner and a number of other tools used to increase performance, diagnose and minimize system problems.

The only problem of note with this system relate to the short USB and Firewire cables provided with this interface. The miniStack v2 is designed to compliment systems like the Mac mini in size and form. When plugged into a Mac mini it is unlikely the cable length will become a problem, but in my particular case a 12-inch USB and Firewire cable are practically useless when connecting to a Mac Pro workstation.

On the positive note, the miniStack system runs very cool and the additional cooling fan is hardly noticeable. I suspect the cooling fan only runs when the device heat sensor registers the need for additional cooling, but so far I haven’t heard a peep. I have used many different external storage systems (USB, USB/1394, etc), but none of them were designed squarely for Mac computers.

If you need extra storage and USB/1394 Hub expansion, then the miniStack V2 is the device for you and I suspect will become very popular with Mac OS X 10 and Time Machine on its way.