Initial Setup

Presumably, you’ve already activated your iPhone in-store or at home by plugging it into a computer and opening iTunes. Once that’s taken care of, you can get started making the iPhone your own. The following is pretty basic information, so feel fee to skip ahead if you’ve already performed your first sync with your new iPhone.

When you first plug your iPhone into your computer using the USB cable that came with it, you’ll be asked to register the device. Doing this will make it easier to get support for your device should you need it down the road. Go ahead and follow the on-screen prompts in iTunes to register your device.

iTunes should ask you to specify a name for your iPhone, and let you choose what to sync from your computer to the device. You can choose to sync music, videos, photos, contacts and calendar information from your computer. If you’re not sure you want to sync something, make sure the box is unchecked before proceeding, since you can always opt back in after the fact.

Note that if you’ve previously synced another iOS device with your computer, iTunes may ask you if you want to use backups of that device to set up the new one. This is fine if your device has the same storage capacity and you want all other settings to remain the same, but if it’s a backup of your spouse or partner’s phone, or you’re not absolutely sure you want the same settings on your new iPhone, choose to set yours up as an entirely new device.

Once your iPhone is set up, you can specify what content you want to sync from your computer to your device. Navigate through the tabs on your iPhone’s screen in iTunes to choose which apps, photos, books, music and videos you want on your phone. If you need more information about basic setup, consult Apple’s official support resources on the topic.

Syncing Email, Contacts and Calendars Over-the-Air

You can do this through iTunes, as described above, but there are also untethered solutions that will work wirelessly over the air. Basically, you can either sync using Apple’s MobileMe, which requires an annual $99 subscription, or you can use Google, which is free.

The MobileMe method is probably the easiest, but it’s also costly. Decide whether or not you need extras like an online gallery, cloud disk storage, and personal website hosting before choosing this option. If you do go the MobileMe route, follow these directions to get email, contact, calendar and notes syncing set up between your iPhone, other iOS devices and your computer(s).

With Google, things are a little trickier. Luckily, Google provides great step-by-step instructions for getting email, contact and calendar syncing between your Gmail account and your iPhone running smoothly. This will also work if you’re using Google Apps with a third-party domain, so long as your Google Apps administrator will have to have enabled Google Sync.

I’ve seen some wondering how to copy over contacts from BlackBerry devices. Unfortunately, this isn’t a straightforward process. There’s a method involving Outlook as a middleman (which should now work for Mac users, too, if you have Microsoft Office 2011), and one from TiPB (save yourself some scrolling and search the page for “blackberry”) that involves using a temporary hosted Exchange account to move over your data. The good news is, once you switch from BlackBerry, you’re not likely to want to switch back.

Apps, Apps, Apps

Much of the fun of owning an iPhone comes from being able to use apps. To start with, there are a few essentials that I think everyone will use and enjoy:

• Facebook. Free and provides access to Facebook. Recent additions brought location check-in features, complete with special deals.
• Twitter. Like the above, it’s free and provides iOS-optimized access to one of the most popular social networking tools around.
• Reeder. A great RSS reading application that links to your Google Reader account. This is almost exclusively how I read blogs these days.
• Skype. Free, and now with video-calling capabilities between other iOS devices, computers, and even TVs. FaceTime is built-in and does the same thing, but Skype will allow you to talk with a wider potential group of people.
• Flashlight. I use this anytime I need to get up during the night to use the bathroom. It turns on your iPhone 4′s camera flash, making it usable as a flashlight.

There are no shortage of suggestions for great iPhone apps, but these are some that I think almost every user will get plenty of use out of. For more, check out some of our app and game roundups and reviews. And if you’re already well-versed in the ways of iPhone, feel free to share your own suggestions for new Verizon iPhone owners in the comments.

Related content from GigaOM Pro (subscription req’d):

• Mobile 2011: Data Consumption Will Explode
• Metered Mobile Data is Coming and Here’s How
• For Operators Who Bet on WiMAX, There’s an LTE Plan B

Apple Keyboard with Dock

$69, Apple Store

Touch screens are great, but extended periods of typing on them can be problematic. The Apple Keyboard and Dock is a great solution to help display your iPad while you type notes. If you have a different stand preference, you can buy the Apple Wireless Keyboard separately (for the same price) and use it with your iPad or any other Bluetooth-enabled Mac.

Camera Connection Kit

$29, Apple Store

These two adapters will allow you to plug your SD card or USB camera directly into your iPad and download the contents without needing to sync to your computer. If your camera shoots video, those will get downloaded too.

iWork

$9.99 per app, iTunes

If you’ve used iWork on the Mac, the iPad version is a great supplement. Though there are some caveats, you can create your work in the Mac version (or right on the iPad) and take it on the go. The iWork suite includes Keynote (presentations), Pages (word processing) and Numbers (spreadsheets).

Dock to VGA Connector

$19, Apple Store

If you are building your presentations in Keynote, show them off in style by connecting your iPad to a projector with the Dock to VGA Connector cable. When you connect with this cable, your iPad acts as a “presenter view” for Keynote and tapping and holding on your iPad will simulate the effect of a laser pointer. Now you won’t blind Bernice when she picks the wrong moment to look towards you and your laser pointer.

Pogo Stylus

$14.95, Ten One Design

Sometimes it’s just better to be able to write or sketch naturally on the iPad. There are a variety of styli available for the iPad. Generally the ones that are a few bucks and come in a pack of three are best avoided. The Pogo is one of the more popular options and you can usually find an Apple Store employee who has one they can demo.

Penultimate

$2.99, iTunes

This is one of the most popular apps for making sketches and taking notes by hand. The app organizes your content into books and supports writing in multiple colors, stroke sizes and a variety of page styles. Plus, built-in sharing options makes it easy to share your work with colleagues and classmates.

SoundPaper

$4.99, iTunes

Similar to Penultimate, this app allows for sketching but also supports typing with the built-in keyboard or an external Bluetooth one. This app goes even further by recording audio which is great if you happen to fall asleep during a lecture.

Mikey

Coming Soon, Blue Microphones

Remember how there’s no real “up” for your iPad? Flip your iPad around and plug in an external mic like this one to add clarity when you record lectures. The iPad has a built-in mic at the top already, but an external one can make a lot of difference.

iStudiez Pro

$2.99, iTunes

This app, mentioned in our iPod/iPhone article, is great for students to keep track of assignments, grades and upcoming deadlines with its support for push notifications.

Dropbox and iDisk

Free, iTunes

Consider an app like Dropbox or iDisk if you have MobileMe as a way to move your files on the go. The latest updates support opening in native apps, so if you keep your Pages docs in your Dropbox, you can open them natively in Pages on your iPad. Dropbox and MobileMe are subscription services, though Dropbox offers a free 2GB account.

Be sure and check out the other articles in this series, including Part 1 where we look at great gifts that benefit all Apple users, Part 2 where we discuss Mac products and Part 3 where we look at accessories for iPod and iPhone users.

If you’ve found other great accessories for the iPad, or have an opinion to share on any of these, let us know in the comments!

Mikey

Originally $79.99 (New Model Coming Soon), Blue Microphones

Even if your iPhone has a built-in mic, a good external mic like this one from Blue will help you record your lectures for later playback. This particular Mikey is coming later this summer, so keep an eye on it as the current model doesn’t work well with the iPhone 4.

External Speaker Dock

$79.95, Apple Store

What better way to listen to those recorded notes or relax with some tunes than through a good pair of speakers? The Philips DS3000 speaker dock is one of many great options. This particular model features the ability to sync with your computer, provides an external line out and can also run off batteries for portable use.

Nike+ Sports Kit

$19.95 – $29.95, Apple Store

When you want to get away from hitting the books and enjoy a nice run, don’t forget your Nike+. With Nike+ you can keep track of your pace, time and distance as you workout. Newer iPods and iPhones have the Nike+ receiver built-in, so you may just need the external sensor for your Nike+ shoes. Older devices are compatible if you get the Nike+ kit that includes a receiver.

iTunes U

Free, iTunes

Your university provides a wealth of content all around your campus, but you can take that experience further and explore the content from universities all over the world in iTunes U. Download lectures and other content from your field of study or use it to explore something totally new, like learning a new language. Best of all, it’s totally free.

Belkin RockStar

$19.95, Apple Store

Studying in the library with your significant other is a little easier with a headphone splitter. A splitter is a great little adapter to carry with your iPod for those instances where you want to share what you’re listening to with someone else. Most headphone splitters support splitting into two signals, but if you want to go to the extreme (or have multiple significant others), the Belkin RockStar supports splitting an audio signal five ways.

Evernote

Free ($4.99/month for Premium), App Store

If you haven’t developed good study skills yet, you’re about to be in for a shock. Use a service like Evernote to keep track of all the information you encounter. Tag it, sort it and pull it up when you need it. With the free iPhone app, you’ll have access on the go. For more on Evernote, check out our article on it.

iStudiez Pro

$2.99, App Store

Taking organization even further, consider an app like iStudiez Pro (for both iPhone and iPad). Throw in your schedule, track assignments and deadlines with push notifications and even keep up with your grades with this useful little app. It’s universal, so the same app will also work well on your iPad.

Dictionary.com

Free, App Store

Expand your vocabulary with the free Dictionary.com app. It has a built-in thesaurus and even offers audio pronunciations of the words. Plus, if you’re just looking up a word, you don’t even need a connection to the net.

Facebook

Free, App Store

We all love our Facebook and the dedicated app is no exception. Recently updated to support the iPhone 4, the native Facebook app is a great way to keep up with all your friends when you’re on the go.

Graphing Calculator

Varies, App Store

Instead of investing upwards of $100 in a bulky graphing calculator, take a look at several of the dedicated iPhone apps that provide graphing calculator functionality. There are a number to choose from, ranging from free to just a few bucks.

This list represents a fraction of a growing number of great apps and accessories for students. If you have any that I’ve missed, feel free to share them with us in the comments. Also, be sure and check out Part 1 and Part 2 of our series and be on the watch for the last part, the Back to School Guide for iPad users coming soon.

Apple LED Cinema Display or LG 23″ Widescreen LED Display

$239 – $799, Apple Store & Best Buy

Since every Mac supports the use of at least two displays (either including the built-in display or as externals), increase your workspace and productivity by adding an extra one onto your Mac. My pick is the beautiful 24” LED LCD display by Apple, but if you’re budget conscious, you can pick up a 23” LG display for under $300 at Best Buy. This display even features an HDMI input, which means it could double as your TV! Just make sure you have the right adapters. Apple’s display connects via DisplayPort but most others will connect via DVI.

MobileMe

$99 ($69 with purchase of a new Mac), Apple Store

Apple has steadily rolled out improvements to their cloud service and for some, it offers a lot of value. As a student, you’ll likely find the most value in the online iDisk storage and web-based access to email, calendars and contacts. Plus if you have an iPhone, you’ll get push service to that as well. If you just bought a Mac recently but didn’t get MobileMe, swing by a retail store with your receipt and you might be able to save $30.

Microsoft Office for Mac

$149.95, Apple Store

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, you’ll be interacting with Word, Excel and PowerPoint a lot in college. The good news is, Microsoft offers an Office package with a price tag specifically designed for students. Sometimes, you can even pick it up cheaper at your on-campus bookstore. If you’re not in a rush though, wait a few months. Office 2011 is just around the corner.

iWork

$79 ($71 with educational discount), Apple Store

If you really want to impress the prof, grab a copy of iWork. With the built-in templates (and a growing collection of third party templates available), you can deliver reports and presentations that look professionally designed. Plus if you have an iPad, with the mobile version of iWork you can sync your work and create, edit, publish and present on the go.

HP Photosmart e-All-in-One

$129.95, Apple Store

While ink cartridges are still a wasted investment, fortunately these days printers are fairly cheap. Now is a great time to pick up a new multi-function printer that can scan, copy and print. You’ll save time and money by not having to use copiers and printers at your campus library! The HP Photosmart e-All-in-One is a great printer for everyday use and printing photos. You can even print to it directly with an SD card or wirelessly from your Mac!

MyBook 2TB External Hard Drive & SanDisk Flash Drives

Varies, Amazon.com

MobileMe gives you cloud storage, but sometimes you just need to move content around quickly or have a good backup of all your data. For the small jobs, you can pick up a 32GB SanDisk for under $65 or invest in a Western Digital MyBook 2TB external drive for under $200. The MyBook is great for Time Machine backups and it connects via FireWire 800 for fast transfer rates.

Magic Mouse

$69, Apple Store

Even if you love using a trackpad, an external mouse can be more comfortable for when you’re using your Mac for extended periods of time. Apple’s Magic Mouse supports multi-touch and connects via Bluetooth. Since Macs have supported Bluetooth for quite a while now, you can use this external mouse and not have to sacrifice a USB port for some unsightly adapter.

Pulse Smart Pen

$149.95 – $169.95, Apple Store

If you take a lot of notes and your professor doesn’t like the idea of a Mac joining you in the classroom, the Pulse Smart Pen is a handy tool. As you write, it records audio of your lectures. Simply tap the portion of your notes to hear playback of the lecture that was given when you were originally writing them. If you’ve used EverNote before, the Pulse uses similar technology by making your handwritten notes searchable when you sync them back to your Mac.

Kensington Locks

$24.95 and up, Kensington.com

Unfortunately, while Macs are very nice, they are also very attractive to those who wish they could have their own. A simple Kensington Lock can help keep your Mac secure, either in your dorm or in the library when you get up to grab some more books. I recommend the combination lock as some of their traditional keyed locks use the same key.

Elgato EyeTV Hybrid

$149.95, Amazon.com

If you don’t have an external display or a dedicated TV, you can still watch TV on your Mac. The EyeTV Hybrid contains a built-in tuner and you can use it to watch, capture and record live TV on your Mac. With the included software, you can even export the files and share them with others or take them on the go with your iPod or iPhone.

I know as a college student, budgets can be tight and so some of these items are great things to add to a holiday wish list, or to share with friends and family who still may be trying to find that perfect graduation gift for you. If that’s the case for you, use the links below to share this article with your family. Also, be on the watch for our guide for iPod/iPhone users and iPad users coming soon. If you have any specific suggestions for products to be included in those, use the comments below and share your ideas with us!

AppleCare

$39 – $349 ($39 – $239 with educational discount), Apple Store

The necessity of this little gem should go without saying. Students get substantial discounts on Apple’s AppleCare protection plan, so its definitely wise to invest now for peace of mind later. AppleCare doesn’t cover accidental damage, but if you’re the type that uses your Apple gear a lot and all that wear and tear can cause some components to wear out, you’ll be covered when you need it most.

Extra Power Adapter

$29 – $79, Apple Store

From studying in the library to working out in the gym to relaxing in front of the TV, as a student you tend to move around a lot. Grab an extra power adapter for your Mac or your iPad and keep one at home and one in your bag. You’ll never end up at one place and realize you left your power adapter somewhere else.

Cases

$29.95 and up, Apple Store

Most everyone agrees that with Apple, form exists with function. See those impressed looks you get when people see you with your Apple gadgets? Keep them in good shape by investing in a good case. I recommend neoprene cases from Incase or perhaps a tough rubberized case from Speck.

BookArc

$39.95 – $49.95, Twelve South

To save some space in your dorm or apartment, consider the BookArc stand by Twelve South. It’ll give your device “a home” and give it some protection at the same time. If you’re using a portable Mac or an iPad, this is a great way to free up space by elevating your device and it includes several adapters for a snug fit.

Bose In-Ear Headphones

$89.95, Apple Store

Sometimes the best time for you to study might not be the best time for others, and vice versa. Give yourself some privacy by investing in a good quality pair of headphones. In-ear headphones, like these by Bose, will give you better sound than traditional earbuds and help to block out external noise.

MiFi Hotspot

$299.99 (but free with contract, monthly fees apply), Sprint

While its pretty easy to find wi-fi access these days, occasionally you’ll find yourself in a location where there’s no internet access. If you don’t have tethering support on your iPhone, grab a MiFi mobile hotspot. It uses the cellular network to obtain a signal and then broadcasts as a wi-fi hotspot, enabling access for your Mac, iPad or any other-wifi enabled device.

Speaker Pillows

$9.99, Target

If you haven’t seen these yet, you’ll be surprised at how many different ones there are to choose from. Just like the name sounds, it’s a pillow that you can plug into your iPod, iPhone, Mac or anything else and fall asleep listening to tunes. Haven’t you always wanted to fall asleep listening to your recorded lectures? Talk about deja vu.

Flip Video UltraHD Camcorder

$199.95, Apple Store

College can be one of the most transformational seasons of your life. If you don’t have an iPhone 4, consider a Flip HD camera as a way to capture some these moments. The UltraHD camera starts at $199 for a model that comes with 4GB of storage. The Flip is staple for on-the-fly filming, so you can’t go wrong with this.

Canon PowerShot SD1300 IS Camera

$179.95, Apple Store

For those who aren’t into video, a traditional digital camera could be right for you. The Canon PowerShot SD1300 packs a whopping 12 megapixels for under $200. Best of all, it works with iPhoto or your iPad with the Camera Connection Kit. Can’t beat the opportunity to buy more Apple stuff to use your existing Apple stuff!

Apple Store & iTunes Gift Cards

Varies, Apple Store

The next time Mom sends a care package, make sure she throws in a few of these. Apple Gift Cards can be used in an Apple Retail Store or online and can be used for buying iTunes gift cards. With iTunes gift cards, you can get music, rent movies or even buy books for your classes if they’re available on the iBookstore.

What other gadgets would setup an Apple lover for college? Share your thoughts in the comments and keep a look out for our Mac, iPhone/iPod and iPad specific buyer’s guides coming soon!

It is, however, possible to customize your Apple TV with unauthorized third party software (much like a jailbreak for iPhones/iPod touches) to transform it into a fantastic cheap media player (with certain limitations).

Suitable For Your Needs?

Now I have a Mac mini downstairs connected to my HDTV with EyeTV USB tuners and I think this is the ideal setup. However, upstairs in my bedroom I have an old SD TV that was paired up with an old HP laptop running windows with XBMC. The HP’s lack of stability finally became too frustrating, so after researching my options, I spent AU$330 (~US$276) on an Apple TV box and put XBMC on it.

My SD TV has component plugs so Apple TV works fine with it, and I’ve not had one hiccup while streaming .avi files from my file server over my wireless network. Its important to note, however, that some 720p HD playback can be a bit jerky, due to XBMC not having hardware acceleration support — but if you’re like me and wouldn’t want to watch 720p downscaled this doesn’t matter. I’ve finally got a totally stable (and completely silent) wireless TV streamer upstairs that I can control with my iPhone.

Here’s a complete guide on how to load XBMC and Boxee on to your Apple TV to make it much more useful.

Required Tools

*A USB Memory stick with at least 512MB that can be formatted.
*A PowerPC or Intel Mac. The procedure can also be done from a windows box, but since this is TheAppleBlog, this guide is exclusive to Macs.
*An AppleTV device with firmware version 2.3 (the most current at the time of this writing).

Preparing

Head over to http://code.google.com/p/atvusb-creator/ and download the OSX version of the atvusb-creator. This will let you boot your Apple TV from the USB stick and install the required patches to your device.

First, you should remove all USB drives from your computer as a safety precaution to prevent accidentally picking the wrong USB device to create your patchstick. Insert your empty USB stick and run atvusb-creator.app:

The default options as above are suitable for most, so you can go ahead and click the “Create Using ->” button (assuming your usb pathstick is the only usb drive connected as recommended). This will partition and format the patchstick and then copy all the required files to it. With this done, it’s time to go to your Apple TV.

Patching Apple TV

Unplug the power cable from your Apple TV and put the USB stick in the port at the back.

Plug your Apple TV back in and watch the custom Linux OS do its work. This will take a few minutes and you will see lots of lines of text:

When you see the text “Please unplug your Apple TV to reboot/reset the device” you can unplug your USB stick and reset. When it boots up again, you will now see a slightly altered menu:

You now have both XBMC and Boxee installed on your Apple TV — however its best to update your system to the latest releases. From the new XBMC/Boxee menu on the left, go into the “Updates” menu on the right. Then select the Launcher 3.1 download:

This will be a quick download and update process. You should then also turn off Apple TV’s ability to automatically update itself. This is to prevent any new updates from Apple breaking your ability to use XBMC or Boxee. This can be done in the “Settings” menu by toggling the “ATV OS Update Enabled” option to “No”:

You can then download the latest stable release of XBMC and/or Boxee in the newly renamed “Downloads” menu. The standard Apple TV Remote works fine in both XBMC and Boxee. There are also a number of iPhone/iPod touch apps that let you control these directly.

Running the Latest Bleeding Edge XBMC

If you’re brave (or some may say foolish), you can also run the latest nightly builds of XBMC. To do this you’ll need to telnet into your Apple TV and set a preference via the command line to make this option appear in Launcher’s Downloads menu. From a command line tool (such as Terminal that comes with OSX) type:

ssh frontrow@appletv.local

When prompted for a password, enter frontrow and then type:

defaults write com.teamxbmc.xbmclauncher XBMCAdditionalDownloadPlistURLs -array http://www.sshcs.com/xbmc/Info.asp

This will then enable the option in Launcher to download a latest nightly build of XBMC:

Restoring to Factory Settings

If you want to restore your Apple TV to its vanilla settings, simply follow these steps. From a command line tool type:

ssh frontrow@appletv.local

When prompted for a password, enter frontrow and then type:

sudo rm -rf /Applications/{Boxee,XBMC}.app/
sudo rm -rf /System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app/Contents/PlugIns/XBMCLauncher.frappliance/
rm -rf /Users/frontrow/Library/Application Support/{BOXEE,XBMC}/
sudo reboot

It’s a shame Apple doesn’t seem interested in unlocking the power of their home media device themselves, but at least doing it on your own isn’t as difficult as you might expect.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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• A 2011 Connected Consumer Forecast
• Report: The Connected TV Marketplace
• Connected Consumer Market Overview, Q2 2010

Today I’ll be briefly showing how easy it is to create a beautiful calendar using iPhoto, complete with all your important dates for the year and some seasonal photography.

Choosing a calendar

Once you’ve opened iPhoto and asked to create a calendar (via the small plus icon in the lower left), you’ll be presented with the following window:

Apple offers a selection of 10 different calendar styles to suit your needs. My favorites are the classic ‘Picture Calendar’, which puts the most emphasis on your photos, and ‘Colored Paper’, with a more relaxed and colorful feel. There are also a few great themes for obligatory events such as a wedding, holiday, or a new baby.

What then follows is a very handy dialogue for automatically adding some useful dates to your calendar:

You’re able to not only create the standard ‘January to December’ calendar, but can start the calendar on any month and have up to 24 months included (obviously for an extra fee!). It is also possible to pre-load your calendar with the national holidays for your country, any birthdays you’ve added to contacts in Address Book, and the events from any other of your iCal calendars. If you have already populated iCal with all the year’s birthdays, holidays, events and work it is a simple procedure to have them all added to your printed calendar without needing to copy them across by hand when it arrives. National holidays are also useful to have added, as the exact dates generally change from year to year.

On to Designing

Now it is a simple case of choosing the color scheme of each page and adding your own photos. To add an image to your calendar, you’ll need to find it in iPhoto and drag it over the calendar name in the left pane. Once you’re editing the calendar project, all the photos you’ve added will be displayed to the left, easily drag-able into the photo placeholders.

For each month, you’re able to select the number of photos you’d like to be displayed, and the color scheme (if the calendar template supports it). iPhoto has an ‘Autoflow’ feature, which will take all the images you’ve added to the calendar project and automatically fill each month of the calendar with a different layout and style. It’s a time saver, but personally I enjoy crafting each month myself!

Once you’ve added a photo to a grey placeholder, clicking it will bring up a menu allowing you to zoom the image in and out, or drag the image to reposition it within the frame. Take care that you don’t zoom in too far, as this can lead to the photo not being of a high enough quality to print. If this problem occurs, iPhoto places a yellow warning sign next to the photo to alert you.

A great tip for sourcing some extra photography to add a seasonal touch (I’m thinking Halloween, Christmas, Easter etc) is to browse through a stock photography site. Having a few photos of friends and family, coupled with a great Christmas scene can look fantastic. A few of note are:

• Stock.XCHNG
• iStockPhoto
• StockVault

Adding and Editing Events

No doubt there are events you’d like to add to the calendar which were not imported from iCal originally. This can be done by double clicking a date and entering your text. Fonts, colors and sizes can be changed by bringing up the font toolbox (press Command+T). You can also add an image to any given date — great for events and birthdays, and adding a personal touch.

Ordering & Pricing

Once you’ve gone through every month, added your photos and typed in the relevant events, it’s time to upload all that content to Apple and let them start printing your beautifully designed calendar.

Prices of calendars can be found at the iPhoto site. They cost $20, not including P+P, with an extra $1.49 per additional month (over a year). It’s worth keeping an eye open for offers run in relation to calendars — it’s common to have a percentage knocked off around Christmas time, or into the New Year.

Uploading all your photographs and calendar information can take a while, particularly on slower broadband connections, but the process is automatic and you’ll receive an email after the order completes. Delivery takes a couple of weeks, so make sure you plan ahead if you require delivery before the Christmas rush!

If you have any further calendar-related questions, please feel free to ask in the comments. In addition, do let me know if you have any other great Christmas gift ideas which can be ‘Made on a Mac’ — I’m still undecided on what to buy my Grandma…

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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When I finished printing out my copy, I had the chance to skim through the book. First off, it’s obvious that this was written for the advanced user. In order to take advantage of the Leopard Security Guide you need to be an experienced Mac user who is familiar with the MAC OS X user interface, and has experience using the Terminal application’s command-line interface.

If you flip to the About This Guide Page it states…

“Some instructions in this guide are complex, and deviation could cause serious adverse effects on the computer and its security,” Apple said in the guide’s introduction. “These instructions should only be used by experienced Mac OS X users, and should be followed by thorough testing.

The Leopard Security Configuration is chock full of useful information and covers numerous topics. I’ve listed a few below.

1. Introduction to Mac OS X Security Architecture
2. Securing the system administrator account
3. Using open directory
4. How to encrypt data
5. How to use Secure Erase
6. How to avoid secure fast user switching
7. How to protect your data while using Apple applications

I’ve listed a handful of the topics that are discussed. The guide has 13 chapters total and is 240 pages. I’ll be reading my copy over the next few days.

Leopard has received a massive amount of security updates along with the handy feature that marks downloaded applications to protect it against Trojan horses. If you remember last week Apple released a Leopard security update that included a large amount of stability, compatibility, and security improvements and enhancements.

Although iCal received 8 fixes the 3 iCal bugs that were discovered by Rodrigo Carvalho who works for the Core Security Consulting Services Team at Core Security Technologies were not fixed. It has been reported that Apple repeatedly asked them to not release its findings. However Core Security Chief Technology Officer Ivan Arce said at the time the company felt that it could not wait for Apple to address this issue.

Apple has been receiving a lot of attention recently (Its Mac sales were up by 50% in April) companies like Core have been paying a lot of attention to it.

Mike Davis analyst for Ovum said this in it Straight Talk Bulletin…

“The fact that OS X is now on the radar of both the security vendors and the bad guys indicates that the OS has become a ‘worthy’ target.”

If you are like myself and haven’t upgraded all your Macs to Leopard (I will eventually) you can download  OS X 10.4 the Tiger Security Guide or if you are using OS X 10.3 you can download the Panther security guide.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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