7-app bundle for $49.99 (value $234.80)

MacUpdate Promo has released a new 7-application Mac software bundle on sale for $234.80 $49.99. This is a savings of $184.81.
The bundle includes:

• ForkLift - Powerful file manager (FTP, WebDAV, S3, Bluetooth more).
  
• RapidWeaver - Create template-based websites rapidly.
  
• Swift Publisher - Print shop layout creation tool with 1100 image goodies.
  
• Marine Aquarium - Stunning virtual fish tank w/calendar rock.
  
• Xslimmer - Save 47% hard drive space by reducing the size of applications.
  
• MemoryMiner - Organize and share digital media.
  
• Yep -Organize the paper that clutters your life.
  

"Apps in this bundle integrate well with each other"

This bundle is special not only because of the caliber of apps in it, but because the titles integrate so well with each other. For your video productions, use iStabilize to clean up the video feeds and import them into PulpMotion, where you can add awesome effects. Then organize and tag people and places in the videos using MemoryMiner.

And for your document or web page creation, use XMIND 2008 Pro to map out the navigation and ideas for your interfaces. Build them in RapidWeaver and Swift Publisher. And then organize all of your files using Yep. And if your eyes start to get tired, switch to the most realistic virtual fish acquarium screensaver that you've ever seen with Marine Aquarium!



"This bundle is about unleashing more of your creativity," states Joel Mueller, founder of MacUpdate. "The developers behind these apps have spent a lot of time creating what we think are some of the best solutions in their class."

We hope you enjoy this bundle. It was a lot of fun putting together for you! Be sure to buy it now as the promo price is time limited.

Bundle #2 launch event Sunday 10:30pm, Dec 2

MacUpdate Promo is launching our Bundle #2 this Monday on December 3, 2007. Join us Sunday, December 2nd, at 10:30pm (eastern time) in a web-based chat party where we will unveil the applications in the bundle and give free bundles away to party winners.



Much like last July, we will be playing a game where we will reveal an icon of one of the applications in the bundle. The first person in the chat room to correctly name the matching title of the icon will win a free bundle. The chat party will be limited to a maximum of 60 attendees so be sure to get your position in the chat room well ahead of time. Join the chat now and leave a message if you want!

Fix internal MacBook camera if it stops working

I purchased a new MacBook recently. A few days after its purchase, the internal camera stopped working. Launching iChat or PhotoBooth activated the camera displaying the green light. The Apple System Profiler also showed that the camera was installed under the USB section. Everything looked good, except that the picture was black.

I read through the forums everywhere, and none of the obvious solutions worked. Zapping the PRAM didn't help. Restarting into Single User mode and then restarting again didn't help. But one trick did get my internal MacBook camera working again:

Solution to fix your black screen camera on your MacBook:

1) Shut down your Mac.
2) Remove the battery and plug power sources.
3) Hold the on/off Power switch button on your Mac for 5 seconds.
4) Reconnect the battery and turn your Mac back on. That should re-enable your internal iSight camera.

Force start a Time Machine backup

One extremely simple but useful feature I found missing in Apple's Time Machine backup solution is the ability to perform a backup to an external partition or hard drive right now. Instead, Time Machine picks when it does the backups for you; typically every hour. Why Apple didn't include a small button in the System Preferences for Time Machine that you could click to force an immediate backup of your data is beyond me. It seems like an easy feature to implement and plenty of room in the Prefs pane to add it and keep things clean. I figured there still had to be a way.



I bought a new MacBook the night that Leopard was released. 6-days later Apple announced upgraded MacBook's with faster processors and over double the VRAM. The cool thing is that Apple Stores give you 15-days to exchange a newly purchased product for and upgraded one. They require that you pay a 10% "restocking fee." In my opinion, the upgraded graphics card was worth a 10% exchange cost.

The issue was that I was in a time crunch. I needed Time Machine to perform an updated, full backup of all of my data right away; not 1-hour from now. Two of the three Apple stores in the area were already sold out of the middle-range MacBook. I needed to hurry. At the very least I needed a Terminal command to copy and paste to force Time Machine to perform an immediate backup of my data.

Run this command to force Time Machine to backup data now:

/System/Library/CoreServices/backupd.bundle/Contents/Resources/backupd-helper >/dev/null 2>&1 &

Open up your Terminal application in Applications: Utilities: Terminal. Then copy and paste the command above at the prompt. As long as Time Machine is turned on and the selected backup drive is connected to your Mac, this command will force Time Machine to start, making a complete backup of all of your data changes since the last time it ran.

Now I'm off to the Apple Store to exchange my MacBook for a faster, upgraded one!

Update: It turns out that Apple added this option by using the menu of the Time Machine icon in the dock. You can click and hold the icon and select "Back Up Now."

Leopard launch video in Boulder, CO

View a pretty humorous video of Mac users waiting in line to buy Apple's new operating system: Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard." People give their best Leopard impressions. One guy even free flows about it. Location: Boulder, Colorado.

MacUpdate crew at Boulder for Leopard release

Nate and Joel wil be representing MacUpdate at the Boulder, CO Apple Store this evening for Apple's exciting release of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard ($129 retail or $109 using our Amazon.com link). Nate runs the MacUpdate Promo part of the site and Joel founded MacUpdate back in 1996.

We'll be carrying a video camera with us and asking people questions about themselves, why they are excited, and what they think they are in for with Apple's new OS release. Spot Nate and Joel by recognizing some of the MacUpdate apparel. We hope to see you there!

MUPromo extended promo discount store

MacUpdate has extended the time that users can purchase discounted Mac software on MUPromo. Typically, users have 24-hours to download and trial an application before deciding whether to take advantage of the discount price. But sometimes 24-hours just isn't enough for someone to download and trial a program they aren't already familiar with -- even if its price tag is 50% off.



So developers have struck gold with the idea of extending the normal 24-hour MUPromo and selling any remaining copies at a lower discount. For example, during the first 24-hours you can purchase Navicat for 53% off. But once the clock strikes midnight (east coast USA) that discount closes. But since the Navicat developer is participating in the extended sales program, you still have the opportunity to purchase Navicat for 23% off.

Keep in mind that waiting past the initial 24-hour sale period doesn't mean that the product will make it into the extended promo offers. You're taking a risk by letting the clock run out, so if you're sure you want the application at a big discount, make sure to pick it up during it's main 24-hour promo day.

Check out the new storefront at the bottom of the front page of MUPromo, just below the user comments. Good luck!