Applepie

OS X Killer Feature: Exposé

With both Windows and Mac it is not uncommon to have various applications/windows open at once.    Finding the application window you want is not always easy, Command-Tab is one shortcut.  Using the Apple Dock is another.   But the coolest method hands down is Apple's Exposé.

Press the F9 key and Exposé instantly scales down all of your open windows and neatly arranges them, so you can see what’s in every single one.

F10 tiles all open windows for the current application

F11 hides all open windows so you can see the contents of your desktop

And here is a demonstration trick: want to slowdown the Exposé animation and show off your Mac to your friends?  Press Shift-F9/F10/11 and the animation sequence happens in slow motion!  Some program manager must have had way too much time in their hands to sneak this "feature" in the product.

Killer Feature: OS X Smart Folders

If you use Windows Outlook, you might be familiar with Outlook Search Folders.  Apple OS X Tiger has a similar feature but it applies to their Finder; it is called Smart Folders.

Smart Folders contain documents grouped together based on search criteria that you define instead of their physical location.  Smart Folders change the way you organize your files because now a file can literally be in two folders (or many) at once without duplicating or moving the underlying file.
Like Smart Playlists in iTunes or Search Folders in Outlook, Smart Folders automatically update in real time when you add or remove documents from your Mac.  They can contain documents from anywhere in your home directory and external drives.
To create a Smart Folder, open a Finder Window, type a Search Criteria, and select Save.

Killer Feature: iSync Bookmark Synchronization

Managing browser bookmarks across different computers has been a painful process.  Exporting files, emailing files, importing files back, and so on, is a very tedious task which I have had to perform with some frequency, in order to keep my various systems updated.

With OS X and .Mac, I can use iSync to keep my bookmarks synchronized across all computers.  If I have to use a friend's computer, I can still access my bookmarks by logging in to http://www.mac.com.

Yet another simple but indispensable feature that makes it easy to use multiple Macs.

Windows users should look into del.icio.us in order to keep their favorites synchronized across all computers/browsers.

Note: Unfortunately iSync does not synchronize my Firefox or IE bookmarks.

Killer Feature: Email Photo Slideshow

A killer feature is something that I will miss the most if I go back to Windows in 3 weeks.

First on my list is a very simple but extremely useful feature, one that I think every other email application should offer.


Email Photo Slideshow.  Recognizing the simple fact that people are sending and receiving photos via email, Apple has added a photo slideshow right onto Mail, its OS X email application.  When you receive an email with one or many photo attachments, simply click on the “slideshow” button - that’s it!

• Choose photos from a virtual index sheet
• Resize photos to fit your display
• Navigate back and forth
• Enjoy the show!

No more having to download the photos to a folder, open the folder, to view the photos, or clicking on all the photos to be able to scroll through them.

Nowadays, I can't stand not having the slideshow feature when I use www.hotmail.com, mail.google.com, or Microsoft Outlook - to me, that’s the definition of a killer feature.