There is a really handy search bar in the top-right corner of the screen. Just click on the magnifying glass and a little text box will open up and wait for your input. From this search bar, you can launch programs, search e-mails that you've downloaded in the Mail application, look up words in the dictionary
For example, if you want to launch Skype, just type "Skype" (or even just "Sk") into the box and hit enter.
If you want to look up a word, like "ridiculous", just type it in the box. You'll see a Definition option, which you can choose by hitting enter or selecting with your mouse.
Once that dictionary's up, you'll see a definition of the word, along with derivatives and the etymology of the word, if available. If you look at the top of the window, you'll see other options, including Thesaurus, Apple, and Wikipedia. The Wikipedia option allows you to load that word's Wikipedia page right in the same window, provided you're connected to the internet.
The Apple option is helpful if you need to look up Apple computer terms and features that you might be unfamiliar with, like "alias":
alias
On Macintosh computers, a small file with no content of its own that points to a document, folder, application, or device, usually in a different location. When you double-click the alias, the source item opens or starts up.
Yeah, so "shortcuts" are called "aliases" on Macs. So if you're wondering how to create a shortcut for something, look for the Make alias option when you right-click.
Your computer might have only one mouse button. How can you right-click? There are two ways with the new Macbooks. One is to hold the control key and click, and the other is to place two fingers on the trackpad and click the button. There are all sorts of cool tricks that you can do with the trackpad.
There are tons of cool free Podcasts that you can watch via iTunes. This link is to a bunch of cool video tips about all the features of your Mac. I recommend watching them all sometime.
Never pay a cent for Microsoft Word, especially since Neo Office (or any other OpenOffice-type program) does the same thing for free. One thing you might want to do after you install NeoOffice is change the saving preferences. From the NeoOffice menu (shortcut: command+comma) choose Preferences, and then click on the arrow next to Load/Save. Click on General and look at the bottom of the window, where it says Default file format. The first drop-down menu contains the different type of files, with Text document being the equivalent of a Microsoft Word file, Spreadsheet an Excel file, and so on. If you want to save in Microsoft Word format (for better compatibility with computers that aren't using NeoOffice), choose Microsoft Word 97/2000/XP from the Always save as menu. You can do the same for the other document types if you want to save in the standard Microsoft Office formats.
iPhoto interfaces with Facebook, so you can tag and upload pictures directly from the iPhoto application.
VLC is the best media player you'll ever find, and it's totally free. You can use it to play DVDs, as well as just about any kind of video file you could find online.
On Macs, when you install a program, you run a "Disk Image", which is kind of like a virtual CD. The easiest way to install most programs is to just drag the program icon from the Disk Image window to your Applications folder. Once the program's installed, you can eject the Disk Image by single clicking on it and then pressing command+E, or alternately clicking on the eject button in the finder window (the window you use to browse files on the desktop).
If you ever want to take snapshots with your built-in webcam, just load PhotoBooth.
Other cool programs and features that come with it that you should learn how to use: Spaces, the Dashboard (hit F12), iCal.
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