Apple takes over DIGG!!
Posted by labrat
This is way too hilarious!
Mad props to the dude with an aquarium story that's holding its own.
Much Ado About a Phone
Posted by labrat
What! Nothing on Leopard? Oh well, at least I can read news in my feed reader again. Or maybe not... I wonder how long this buzz is going to last.
I think the most interesting part of this iPhone to me is not the phone itself but the interface and design of the GUI hinting at what we can expect from Apple. It looks like Apple will transition from Aqua to the more iTunes7 like color scheme which I'm not a fan of.
5 OS X Apps that You Didn't Know You Needed
Posted by labrat
I think a lot of people are unaware of just how many pieces of great software for the mac are out there. It seems like every three days I'll read about how people are switching to the mac in record numbers. A wider user base means that much more opportunities for software developers to make money. However, what a lot of people don't realize is that there are also many developers switching to the OS X platform as well.
With that in mind, I've taken care to compile a list of "hidden gems" that can make a real quality difference to your mac experience on a daily basis.
There are no earth-shattering apps or obvious choices like Quicksilver but apps that will make a little difference every day, whether it's a small performance gain or fulfilling a useful function that many people aren't aware of. Most of these apps are shareware but offer decent trial periods.
None of these apps will take center stage on your mac with the exception of WriteRoom (if you write a lot). At most they run in the background or support a more major activity (like browsing) but these are nonetheless quality apps that can make a big difference to your experience over the long-term.
Enjoy!
Main Menu: Free
The mac is relatively maintenance-free compared to Windows. However, after a while it does help to do a little maintenance and get rid of that accumulated junk that slowly drags you down. Before I found Main Menu, I used to use Onyx which has similar functionality. The big difference is Main Menu stays accessible to you from the menu bar. Quick and simple."Rebuilding your Spotlight library for faster searching, repairing permissions, cleaning caches to improve application performance, and even more advanced settings — such as enabling and disabling the Dashboard — are no more than two clicks away."
WriteRoom: $24.95 (free version available)
Ever sit down to write something only to find yourself distracted by emails, chats, new RSS feeds coming in, or some app in your dock begging for your attention? The sad fact is we're not as good at multi-tasking as our computers are. Sure, we can eat a bag of chips, drink soda, and watch TV at the same time but some things require concentration, especially if you want a decent amount of quality and get the task done on time. Writing is one of those activities. WriteRoom will turn your mac into a classic typewriter and I mean it in a good way. This app will give you one big blank screen with no dock, no menu bar, no scroll bars. Just text. Check this screen out for an idea of what you get. If you care about your prose, this will be a good investment. A free version (limited features and polish) is also available.
1Passwd: $29.95
Nowadays all browsers more or less come with password management built-in. Firefox does a nice enough job but did you know that if someone can access your Firefox profile folder, they can easily transfer you passwords and decrypt them? There's also no sane way to transfer these passwords since mac uses keychain for all password management and keychain integration for Firefox is still down the road. 1Passwd allows you to securely store and manage a single collection of password from any major browser. It can also import passwords from Firefox as well. It comes with many security options (like generating strong passwords) and can be synced across multiple macs. As an added bonus, their toolbar gives you a form filler so you can stop typing things like name, email, homepage, etc. when online shopping or commenting on a blog that you're visiting for the first time. It may seem a bit expensive but if you spend time participating in a variety of community-related sites or blog, this app will make a big difference.
Password Manager + AutoFill for Mac OS X
Xslimmer: $9.95
Most of the mac users I know personally have finally taken the plunge into the Intel world. The performance gains are really fantastic. Luckily, PPC users are not left behind as many apps migrate to the Intel platform with Universal Binaries or single installations that work on both platforms. However, did you know that Universal Binaries take up more space and usually run slower than a binary specifically suited for your chipset? Xslimmer will strip out the unneeded chunks of many apps and not only free up space but speed up formerly universal apps. I put Firefox on a diet but I hear it even works for the Adobe Photoshop Beta as well.
Xslimmer - Your Mac, on a Diet!
Hazel: $16
If you're like me or many others, your desktop or hard-drive is probably a mess with files strewn everywhere. I try to keep my desktop clean but that usually means dumping them in my documents folder. Who needs to organize when you have Spotlight right? Not exactly. The OS X has a bunch of functionality to keep your folders organized such as Folder Actions and Automator tasks but these require a bit of learning and is definitely not for an average user. Hazel lets you keep your folders tidy with Mail-like rules for keeping your folders neat. It can even apply rules retroactively.
None of these apps will take center stage on your mac with the exception of WriteRoom (if you write a lot). At most they run in the background or support a more major activity (like browsing) but these are nonetheless quality apps that can make a big difference to your experience over the long-term.
Enjoy!
