AirDisplay

Do you want to install Lion on your Mac, but use a program that extends your display? Not so fast.

You might need to first update the programs or even uninstall them to avoid a screensaver-related bug they could cause in Lion.

As Apple adds new services, device support, and other features to OS X, the included programming libraries that developers use to write their code also change, which can lead to problems. In the case of display management and extension programs, while the programs still function as they should, changes in the frameworks they use can prevent the system … Read more

Apple has released a knowledgebase document pertaining to the latest OS X 10.6.5 update, which mentions that the incompatibilities in OS X 10.6.4 that resulted in corrupt graphics and display flickering in the new MacBook Air systems have been corrected. The issue was first noticed in both the 11-inch and 13-inch 2010 model MacBook Air systems earlier this month.

Apple should be updating new systems with the latest OS update, so new purchases (especially those purchased online) should come with the latest OS X version and therefore not need patching; however, do be sure to run … Read more

The new MacBook Air systems that were released in the past month continue to push the boundary of features packed into a thin enclosure, and the systems are getting many positive reviews as being the future of portable computing.

Despite the many positive aspects of the systems, as with any new release there will be some issues that will develop and need to be ironed out. One of these problems has been the computer's display repeatedly fading from dark to light after waking from sleep. Currently the fix for this has been to either restart the system or force … Read more

The redesigned MacBook Air is only two weeks old, and reports of display issues have begun to crop up.

Cult of Mac reported earlier this week that it noticed flickering horizontal lines sometimes appearing on the display of its 13-inch model. A quick check of Apple support forums reveals a couple dozen reports of similar issues.

Though Apple has yet to publicly acknowledge the problem, a leaked internal memo shows that the company's support staff is indeed aware of it. Boy Genius Report received the memo from an unnamed source, and published it today.

Sources tell BGR:

(T)hat … Read more

Can I be brutally honest? Much as I like my iPad, I'm just not using it much. (No, you can't have it.) Turns out my iPhone is still my go-to device for e-mail, e-books, games, and other day-to-day stuff.

Needless to say, it troubles me to see that beautiful (and expensive) screen just sitting there going to waste. Well, waste no more! MaxiVista turns an iPad into a second monitor.

If this sounds familiar, you're probably thinking of a similar utility: Air Display. However, that popular app works only with Macs. MaxiVista is the first such option … Read more

Hulu on an iPad? How about Photoshop, or FarmVille? While all of these are technically possible thanks to the Air Display app, they're not all recommended, or even viable. But yes, they can be done. So can using the iPad as a wireless tablet interface for graphic or music applications.

You will, however, need a Mac running close by.

Many owners of iPads, myself included, have noticed how the device actually works quite nicely as a "second screen" when placed next to a home computer. Air Display takes the metaphor literally, by enabling the iPad to become an extended desktop display for your Mac.

Air Display works over local Wi-Fi, with the aid of software that's installed on any Intel Mac with OS X 10.6 or later (Windows support, says maker Avatron, is "coming soon") and toggled via a toolbar. The setup is dead simple: First, launch Air Display on the iPad. Then, enabling Air Display on the Mac shows a list of whatever iPads happen to be on the same local network (odds are, just the one you're using, unless you're at an Apple Store). Click the name of your iPad, and you're set.

The extended display activated fairly quickly, and worked just like a second monitor does: We were able to drag any window on our Mac onto the iPad. While the reaction time was quick, unlike the several-second lag that occurs on Intel Wireless Display-enabled computers, there was a noticeable framerate drop on secondary display functions. On version 1.0, the image sometimes broke up or clipped oddly as well--the technology at work is not unlike what enables you to use your computer remotely via VNC.

There is a nice surprise, however: Touch-screen controls do work. We could tap to click links in Safari and to browse, although the mouse cursor tended to leap from point to point instead of smoothly dragging. We even were able to drag a window and highlight text, though that was a bit hit-or-miss. Continuous motions such as drawing on-screen work better. Still, even in its first release, touch works nearly as well as any Windows 7 tablet PC we've seen. And, windows had the sense to auto-expand to fill the iPad's screen space properly--maximizing anything from Safari to GarageBand was easy to do whether we were in landscape or portrait mode.

Well, so now that the iPad can be a Mac extension, what exactly would we do with it?

Our first instinct was to load up Hulu, of course.… Read more