Apple Mac HQ

This is the fourth post in the “Applications I Couldn’t Live Without Series”. I began this series of posts in 2007, and have continued on in 2008, and 2009. Each year I recap the Mac applications I couldn’t live without during the previous year. Some applications have remained on this list for years, some applications have been replaced, and others have dropped off or been added to the list. Thank you to all the Mac developers out there who make beautiful Mac software. These are the applications I couldn’t live without in 2010, in no particular order.

Video Monkey is my go to application when I need to convert video. Development of the application was very slow in 2010, but the project is still in development and it remains a very solid application. Any video that goes onto my original Apple TV is converted with Video Monkey.

1Password continues to be one of my favorite Mac applications. It makes managing your online passwords incredibly easy. 1Password 3 added some nice features, including the ability to manage software license information. I’ve entered a number of my software licenses into the application. The 1Password iPhone App (iTunes link) gives you the ability to make your login information mobile, which has been incredibly helpful at times. There is also a iPad App and Windows version as well.

Read the rest of this entry »

The other day I noticed I was running low on disk space. I fired up the application WhatSize which I hadn’t used in quite some time. I’ve written about WhatSize before, but I guess the demo period had run out. Long story short, I went looking for alternatives to WhatSize.

A short search later, I downloaded OmniDiskSweeper. When you first launch OminDiskSweeper, you’re prompted to choose a drive. Once you select the drive, it takes the application a few moments to “sweep” the drive. Once the sweep is done, you’ll see a list of folders with their current size. As you drill down in your folder list, the size is reflected in those folders as well. You can delete files from within the application and the folder sizes are automatically recalculated.

OmniDiskSweeper is a free application by The Omni Group. It requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later. If you’re looking to clear up some space on your hard drive but don’t know what’s taking up the space, I highly suggest downloading OmniDiskSweeper.

The folks behind MacHeist, the spy themed software bundle, are getting ready to kick off another event. Details are sparse right now, except the fact that the software bundle sale begins on March 2nd, 2010. The updated website does provides a few clues about what applications might be included with the bundle. The boxes moving across the screen contain application icons for RipIt, Flow, and several other icons for applications I’m not familiar with.

If you visit the MacHeist website right now, you’ll be able to grab a free copy of the Snow Leopard only application Squeeze. From the Squeeze website: “Squeeze is a background file compressor, which uses the new HFS-compression technology in Snow Leopard to transparently compress the folders you configure it to process. Mac OS will read those files normally, they will just take less disk space.”

If you aren’t familiar with MacHeist, you can see our previous coverage of it HERE.

Sophiestication Software is celebrating the 3rd anniversary of its terrific iTunes companion application, CoverSutra, with a sale. Through January 27th you can get CoverSutra for $5, which is 75% off the regular price.

CoverSutra has many great features, including Last.fm scrobbling, spotlight-esque searching of your iTunes library from the toolbar, cover displaying on the desktop and the dock, and much more.

I finally made the plunge and purchased CoverSutra and am not disappointed. The sale price is valid for all versions of CoverSutra, including 1.2 for Tiger and 2.22 for Leopard and Snow Leopard. Free upgrades are available until version 3.0 is released.

For both 2007 and 2008, I listed a number of applications I couldn’t live without those year. It’s now time to release the same list for 2009. Some applications remain unchanged from 2008, but a few have dropped off the list all together and a few more have been added. I’d like to say “Thank You” to all the Mac developers out there who make beautiful Mac software. These are the applications I couldn’t live without in 2009, in no particular order.

1Password remains one of my favorite Mac applications. It makes managing your online passwords incredibly easy. I recently upgraded to 1Password 3 in advance of my move to Snow Leopard. 1Password 3 adds some nice features, including the ability to manage software license information. The 1Password iPhone App (iTunes link) gives you the ability to make your login information mobile.

I still write every AMHQ post with MarsEdit. Not much has changed over the last year with MarsEdit, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Blogging with MarsEdit makes blogging easier, so I’m going to continue to use it. Alas, MarsEdit still doesn’t have bullet and numbered list support. Maybe it will happen in 2010?

Read the rest of this entry »

No browser has made me completely happy.  Safari is my main browser, but I have tried just about every other browser out there for Mac.  Which means I had to give the Google Chrome beta a test drive.

The first thing I noticed when using Chrome is the placement of the tabs on top, which provides more browsing room.  I have longed for this feature since using it in the Safari 4 beta.  Google’s take on the tab bar is far more intuitive then Apple’s implemention in the Safari 4 beta.  Tabs run in separate process sandboxes in Chrome so one crashed tab will not bring down all the others.

The “Omnibox” combines the URL and search boxes into one.  Search engines can be added to search a specific web site, such as Wikipedia or CNET.

Themes provide a way to drastically alter the look of Chrome.  I didn’t care for any of the current themes, instead opting for the default look which is more “Mac-esque.”

As this is a beta, there a more then a few issues with Google Chrome.  It is missing many features compared to its Windows brethren, including a lack of bookmark syncing between Chrome browsers, no bookmark manager (how is that even possible?), not being able to install extensions, only running in 32-bit mode, and not being able to pin tabs (this option sizes tabs so only favicons show).

The most recent builds of Chromium, the open source project behind Google Chrome, can install extensions and do bookmark syncing, but still lacks a bookmark manager. It is great to see extensions come to another browser besides Firefox.  There are already a large amount of useful extensions that improve sites like Gmail, Google Wave, and Twitter.

Google rushed the Chrome beta so it would be out for Mac users this year, and it shows.  This browser is very stable (I can’t remember the last time it crashed for me) and zippy enough for every day use, but feature-wise is barebones.  It is available now for free.

I enjoy using a minimalist Mac that limits distractions.  I do not like having many icons in the taskbar or tons of applications open.  Internet browsing, e-mail, instant messaging, and Twitter distract me incredibly easily.  OmmWriter helps block out diversions like this while writing.

OmmWriter, from the digital creative agency Herraiz Soto & Co., is a full screen text editor like WriteRoom, though that’s where the similarities end.  OmmWriter is very different compared to other writing applications.  It is an application that is a unique experience.  It draws me in and helps me focus with calming audio.  Yes, audio.  There are seven tracks to choose from, including flowing water and birds.  There are also seven different sounds for keyboard key hits.  All audio can be muted if you find them distracting.

The uniqueness doesn’t end there.  There are also three background images to choose from which are simple and beautiful.  It would have been nice to choose background images from my iPhoto library.

There are not many settings to choose from.  There are three different fonts and text sizes.  Having too many configurations can be distracting, which is not what OmmWriter is about.  OmmWriter is about sitting down and writing while ignoring anything else going on in the world.

I am very excited about where the future lies for OmmWriter.  It has the potential to be a special application.  Currently in beta, it is freeware that is compatible with Mac OS X 10.5 or higher and is available now.