 |
Most people have an impression that the data cards available in the market do not work on Mac’s Snow Leopard operating system. Let me show how to do it. The best data card available now is Photon +. You get very good speed in the city, but it’s not that fast in the suburbs.
To use a data card, you have to first install and activate it. Unfortunately, the activation software does not work on a Mac. So plug it into the USB port of a Windows computer and simply follow the instructions. Make sure you have your speakers on for you will have to choose some options. Once “Successful” is displayed on the screen, safely remove the device from your Windows PC.
Now take the device to your MacBook and plug it into a USB slot. You will be presented with a window as shown in the picture. Right click on Mobile Connect and select Show Package Contents. Open the folder Contents and then click on Resources. There you will find the installation file called Mobile_Connect_Drv_App.pkg. Double click on it and follow the instructions. This software installs the modem scripts for Photon +.
The next few steps are easy. Go to System Preferences from the Apple icon on the top left corner of your screen. Open Network. In the left column, you will find three items called Huawei Mobile 1, Huawei Mobile 2 and Huawei Mobile 3. Under that you will find “not connected” in smaller print. On the right, the telephone number to dial should be #777. The account name and password are both “internet” (without the quotes). They should appear by default. Make sure there is a checkmark on “Show modem status on menu bar”.
Now click on Advanced. For Vendor, choose “Other”. For Model, select Huawei Mobile Connect 3G Modem. Leave the rest as it is. Click OK. Now press Connect and in no time you will be on the Internet. Since we have chosen to show the modem status on the menu bar, you will see an icon of a telephone. You can connect and disconnect from here by clicking on Connect or Disconnect Huawei Mobile.
On a good day you should get speeds upto 2Mbps, but be prepared for days when the speed drops to that of a dial-up modem of old. This usually happens around 3pm on most days when a whole lot of people are using the Tata’s Photon +.
Remember two things. Put off your Wi-Fi before using Photon +. And open Finder and press the eject icon to remove the device from your MacBook. This is akin to “safely remove hardware” in Windows.
Sending large files: This has been a perennial problem. But it’s easy on a Mac. Instead of using an external device, you can send it wirelessly. All modern offices nowadays have Wi-Fi. If yours does not, you should get it done immediately. It saves a lot of hassle by eliminating expensive wires.
So how do you send a huge file wirelessly? Open iChat. Go to Windows and Bonjour List. A window will open showing your buddies. Select the file and drag it onto the picture of the person you want to send it to. The file will be transfered in no time.
Browsing shortcuts: Here are some shortcuts to help you browse faster. To go to the address bar, Press Command L. (To remember, think L for Location.) To go to the search bar press Command F. (Think Find.) If you want to email a page, press Command I. To send just the url, press Command Shift I.
Zoom: With high-resolution monitors, the type often appears very small. On Macs there is a way out. Press Command Shift + to enlarge the font size or Command Shift – to reduce it.
Send your computer-related problems to askdoss@abpmail.com. The solutions will appear soon.
var addthis_pub='saugata.roy';
