Update: I guess some people were alerted about the iCloud me.com email password. Anyways, the password is the exact same as your Apple ID password.

First off, fire up Mail and visit Preferences. At the top there will be these tabs 

Click on Accounts.

Down at the bottom of the window there will be two buttons, a + and -

Click the + button

A sheet should appear showing this:

Fill it out with your info and then hit create. You will receive an error saying that it couldn’t reach the mail.me.com server, just ignore it and hit continue. At this part, it should be very similar to setting up a regular IMAP email. I can’t show you the next screen on setting up the incoming and outgoing servers as Lion doesn’t let me because of the support for iCloud. What you will need to do is change the drop down menu from the top (Currently saying: MobileMe) to IMAP, and changing the mail.me.com to

‘p02-imap.mail.me.com’

Update: Some People haven’t had success using the above server so try this one if the one above fails.

‘p08-imap.mail.me.com’

the username should just be the name before the @me.com and the password, or course, your password. Hit continue and it will verify everything, you might receive another warning of some sort, I didn’t but it has happened for some absurd reason. Nest up is the outgoing mail server. All that is needed here is one line. It would most likely be already there, but if it isn’t, the out going mail server is: ‘smtp.me.com’ Hit continue again and it will bring you to the completed screen saying something about everything being correct and just hit “Take Account Online” or “Continue”, not sure what the button is right now.

Thats it, if you have questions let me know by @mentioning me on twitter. You can find me as @Frankrockz

Graham took this outstanding picture of a rose. His procedure was pretty simple for such a cool looking picture. He took a three-shot exposer bracket, merged them in Photomatix and finished his editing in Lightroom.

Don’t forget Graham, send us an email with your address so we can get the strap sent out ASAP!

Thanks everyone! Stay tuned as we might have more giveaways soon.

Hello Everyone!

I’m back with another Giveaway. Previously I wrote a review on the BlackRapid RS-7 Camera Strap Today, Sunday the 5th, I’m hosting another giveaway. Here’s the catch, you have to post a picture with the theme of Spring Time or Summer Time either in the comments or on twitter with the Hash Tag #springysummer. Second, you must Follow @BlackRapid & @Frankrockz

On June 15, I will random pick a winner using Random.org. The more pictures you post, the more chances you have to win. Pictures can be posted to any image hosting sight. You guys ready for the challenge?

Update: Apparently I had some issues with my server and this didn’t go live until today, Monday, June  6th.

What I would like to do is host a Canon 5D MKII Giveaway. Now, before I do anything and this turns out to be a flop, I thought I would create a petition and ask people if they would like me, I mean Magician Software to host a giveaway for one.

Fill out the forum below with your name and email and you would of signed the petition.

Thanks,
Anthony

Update: I had no idea. Over 5,500 applicants! Thats insane! Frank and I are looking into hosting a giveaway for the EOS 5D MKII

Camera straps are traditionally worn around the neck or slung on one shoulder, but they can become quite ungainly because they limit your movement or get in the way whenever you bring it up to your eye.

The BlackRapid system uses a patent-pending design built around a D-ring that is secured to the tripod mount of your camera. This allows the camera to hang upside down by your side from a padded shoulder strap. The camera slides from rest to a shooting position in a fluid movement, with no straps to get in the way.

In this review, we take a look at the BlackRapid RS-7 – a modular camera strap from the R-strap series.

At the business end of the strap, two adjustable plastic bumpers ensure that the attachment point stays where you secure it. A little carabiner attaches the strap to the D-ring, giving the ability to swap between different camera bodies without having to remove the strap.

The D-ring screws into the tripod mount, and has a rubber base which provides a very snug fit. Once attached, I found that the D-ring stayed put and did not wiggle around.

Overall, the BlackRapid RS-7 felt very natural in use and was leaps and bounds ahead of traditional camera straps in terms of comfort and security. The contoured shoulder pad moulded to my neck area and allowed the strap to stay put without cutting or digging into the neck.

When attached, the camera hangs naturally by your side – I found that the strap sat flat against the body and the weight of the camera pinned it against the side of my hip. The single mount point design causes it flop around a bit though when walking briskly or running, although a gentle hand by the side was enough to stabilise it.

The draw action also felt very natural. At rest, my hand instinctively rested on the camera grip and when bringing it up to eye level, all the straps ended up tucked out of the way under the camera. Throughout the whole process the viewfinder and LCD area remained unobstructed. Note that the strap slides back around your body slightly as you bring the camera up, so if you wear other equipment such as a backpack around your body, you might want to put the strap on last to allow it freedom of movement.

Long term, the metal carbiner might raise a bit of concern to those who like to keep their camera body pristine and scratch free. I found that the metal corner could potentially strike the LCD and plastic area underneath the camera – so you could experience some wear and tear under certain conditions. Perhaps BlackRapid could use a rubber coating or something similar to ensure peace of mind.

Another obvious observation is that the tripod mount system means you need unscrew the D-ring before using a tripod – a minor inconvenience. Also, the D-ring means that your camera won’t sit flat on a table anymore – another niggle that is probably inconsequential to most. Its definatly a must have camera accessory. You can purchase them from BlackRapid.com but, they were kind enough to allow us to giveaway one of these awesome straps. Here is how to enter.

[box type="info"]To Enter this competition is extremely simple. 1. Follow @MagicianSoft, @FrankRockz and of course @BlackRapid. 2. Retweet this message and you will automatically be entered into the competition. The Winner will be announced Saturday, March 5, 2011.[/box]