Page 23 - atoday
P. 23
TECHNOLOGY A23
Tuesday 6 October 2015
6 noteworthy features in Mac system update
ANICK JESDANUN This product image provided by Apple shows the Notes, right, and Safari apps in El Capitan, feature Microsoft has had
AP Technology Writer Apple’s new Mac operating system. The Notes app has traditionally been little more than a word- since Window 8’s release
NEW YORK (AP) — The processing app. Now, it’s possible to drag in photos, add map locations and create checklists. in 2012. Although you can
name of Apple’s new Mac come close to split screens
operating system says a lot Associated Press by resizing two windows
about what to expect. and placing them side by
“El Capitan” won’t offer website and come back, As websites get aggressive will mute, too. It works bet- side, you now just need to
dramatic changes, but pins remember where you at delivering video ads and ter when playing video in a press and hold the green
rather refinements and left off — as long as you content, audio might play stand-alone app, such as button on the top left of an
enhancements to the cur- don’t close the browser. automatically. This gets an- iTunes. Or you can install app’s window.
rent Mac system, called You might say this sounds noying if you’re watching a separate browser, such The introduction of split
Yosemite. In real life, El like browser tabs. A key video in another window. as Google’s Chrome, and screens also uncovers a
Capitan is a rock formation difference is when you Safari now has a speaker play your Netflix or Hulu vid- little-known feature called
in Yosemite National Park. click on an external link icon to instantly mute all eo there. Spaces. If your desktop
It’s as though the new Mac and leave a pinned site, audio playing in the brows- SPLIT SCREENS AND SPACES feels cluttered, you can
system isn’t big enough to the browser opens a new er, without affecting audio The Mac has long let you spread your apps out in
leave Yosemite. tab, so you don’t lose your elsewhere. With the com- run multiple apps in sepa- groups, or Spaces. One
Nonetheless, it’s an up- place on the pinned site. puter’s mute button, it’s all rate windows, but you’ve Space might be for your
grade worth having after With tabs, the new site or nothing. been limited to one app productivity apps, such
it’s out Wednesday, espe- sometimes replaces the If the video you’re watch- when it’s in full-screen as spreadsheets. Another
cially as it’s free. Though site you were on. ing is playing in the same mode. This changes with might be for goofing off.
you’re not getting a lot of MUTING AUDIO browser, the audio for that El Capitan’s Split View, a If you’re on a laptop, it’s
new functionality, El Capi- easy to switch by swiping
tan is packed with goodies three fingers on the touch-
that will shave off seconds pad left or right. That’s per-
here and there. Those sec- fect for when your boss
onds will add up. suddenly walks by.
Just back up your sys- BETTER NOTES
tem before upgrading, The Notes app has tradi-
and make sure any apps tionally been little more
you use frequently will than a word-processing
work with the new system. app. Now, it’s possible
Sometimes, it takes app to drag in photos, add
makers weeks or months map locations and create
to catch up, especially for checklists. It’s also easier
non-Apple apps. to sift through Web links
Once you get El Capitan, and attachments you’ve
here are six features worth added. The Notes app on
checking out: iPhones and iPads got a
PINNING WEBSITES comparable update, and
A pin is like a bookmark your notes sync across Ap-
on Apple’s Safari browser, ple devices. You can also
except the website you’re access them on Windows
pinning is always open computers through icloud.
and refreshing in the back- com. Android users are out
ground. If you visit another of luck.q
New TiVo DVR will skip through
entire commercial break
ANICK JESDANUN channels, including the The San Jose, California, This product image provided by TiVo shows the new TiVo Bolt
AP Technology Writer major broadcast networks, company hopes to avoid digital video recorder. With one press of a button, the Bolt will
NEW YORK (AP) — TiVo mostly during prime-time legal problems by leaving skip an entire commercial break when users watch recordings.
wants to help you skip TV hours. it to users to enable the
commercials. Satellite TV provider Dish feature, said TiVo Inc. Vice Associated Press
With one press of a button has had a similar feature President Jim Denney.
on the remote, TiVo’s new on its Hopper DVR, which “We’re not changing the sound odd. With this and 4K, resolution when chan-
digital video recorder will has prompting lawsuits underlying content,” Den- the commercial skipping, it nels start offering that qual-
skip the entire commercial from several TV channels. ney said in an interview. will be possible to watch an ity. As with past models, the
break. That’s quicker than Dish has been settling them “We’re not auto-eliminat- hour-long show in roughly a TiVo Bolt offers a unified
the 30-second forward fea- as part of broader agree- ing commercials. The user half-hour. search of both traditional
ture found on previous Ti- ments for rights to include does it. We’re giving users Other features include sup- channels and streaming-
Vos. On the new TiVo Bolt, the channels on Dish’s line- a tool to get through their port for video in Ultra HD, or video servicesq
TiVo will tag the start and up. In an agreement with content more quickly.”
end of commercial breaks CBS, for instance, Dish’s The TiVo Bolt also has a
so that viewers can skip commercial-skipping fea- “quick mode” that plays
that section when watch- ture is blocked for the first back recordings 30 per-
ing on their recordings. The seven days after a pro- cent faster. The pitch on
feature will work with about gram is broadcast on a the audio is adjusted using
20 over-the-air and cable CBS-owned station. software so that it won’t
