Ever wished you had Google Earth on your iPhone? Earthscape (iTunes link) isn’t exactly Google Earth, but it’s still pretty good. For a limited time, Earthscape is absolutely free. Normal price for Earthscape is $10 so this is a steal.
Using typical iPhone gestures, you can flick, scroll, and pinch inside Earthscape to view the world. Resolution is higher in the US, but Earthscape says, “Imagery outside of the United States is currently limited to 15 meter resolution — enough to discern major roads, but not houses. As we acquire the rights to use more detailed international imagery, it will be provided to Earthscape users as a free upgrade.”
You can view a demo of the application below:
I’ve been playing with Earthscape for the last few minutes, and it’s definitely a good time waster. One downside seems to be speed though. I’m on my home WiFi network and it’s taking several minutes to pull up the imagery near my home. I can’t imagine using this over Edge. Considering it’s currently free, it’s still worth the download. Hopefully the developers can improve the speed in future releases.
I usually browse through the Free on iTunes (iTunes link) section on a weekly basis. After all, it is free music/tv. Often I don’t download anything at all, but occasionally something actually sounds good. This week, that’s definitely the case.
I’ve written here a few times that I’m a big singer-songwriter fan. Up for free this week in that category is the song Madly (iTunes link), by Tristan Prettyman. I had previously heard Tristan while browsing last.fm. It’s a pretty catchy song with good vocals and piano work. If you’re into the singer-songwriter stuff, give it a shot. After all, it won’t cost you a thing.
If you like what you heard, her new CD (iTunes link) is currently available on iTunes for less than $6 USD. Her new CD, titled Hello, is even in iTunes Plus format. For two days worth of Starbucks, the CD is a bargain.
If you’re as excited about the upcoming MLB season as I am, iTunes has a free download that will get you primed for the season opening games. Coming in an nearly 700MB, the 2008 MLB Season Preview (iTunes link) takes a look at each division and gives you a synopsis of each team in the division.
The entire video runs about an hour which each team getting about 2-3 minutes of air time. Each team synopsis includes player interviews, team analysis (strengths/weaknesses/etc), beat writer quotes, and the goals of the team for 2008. With the season opening game just a little over a week away, the 2008 MLB Season Preview is a great way to get caught up to date on your favorite or hated team. Go Braves!
If you have the need to convert video formats or own an Apple TV then I’ll assume you have heard of VisualHub. For the uninitiated, it’s basically the swiss army knife of video conversion for the Mac. VisualHub features fast conversions from nearly every video format to a plethora of formats in a quick three step process (shot of the UI below). I just finished converting some video for my Apple TV and it worked flawlessly and quickly.
I’ve been pondering buying VisualHub for a week or so and finally went to pull the trigger last night when I noticed that in addition to buying VisualHub for the low cost of $23.32 USD, there was an option to get it for free. So what’s the catch you’re saying? Well basically you buy something else and get VisualHub for free through a service called TrialPay.
One of my absolute favorite programs on the Mac has gone freeware. NetNewsWire, my RSS reader of choice, has been updated to version 3.1 and simultaneously been released as freeware. As in it costs zero dollars to buy and use. This is absolutely an amazing piece of software and I’m shocked it is now free. The ability to sync my RSS subscriptions across all my devices was the reason I purchased NNW to begin with. Now these features are free for everyone. This really makes it hard for any other Mac developer to sell an RSS client. In my opinion NetNewsWire was the best RSS client to begin with and was a bargain at $30. Why are you still reading this? You should go download NNW now!
Logging in to websites and filling out web forms is something you most likely do often every day. Don’t you wish there was an easy way to manage your passwords and auto fill those web forms? If it was free it would be even better right?
Right now you can get the venerable password manager and form filler, 1Password, for free. Just visit this webpage and fill out the small form. After filling out the form, download the application and the license will be sent via email. Getting this great piece of software is so very simple.
1Password is absolutely free via the promo above, but the offer will not include upgrades or access to the 1Password online service. Those conditions withstanding, this is a very useful application that costs you nothing. I downloaded the application the other day but haven’t installed it yet. Look for a review coming soon.
One of the worst feelings you can get as a laptop owner is coming back to your laptop to find it missing. I can’t imagine the feeling in your gut when you find out your Mac is gone. One Mac software developer is trying to increase the chances of recovering your stolen laptop using some of the built-in features of your Mac.
Undercover is a unique piece of software created to get your beloved Mac back in your hands. If your laptop is stolen, you contact Orbicule, the developer of Undercover, to start the recovery process. Once your laptop is reported stolen, the Mac begins to transmit various pieces of information back to Orbicule’s servers. This information includes IP addresses, screenshots of the desktop, and pictures using your iSight camera. This information is given to local law enforcement agencies to help with the recovery process. If all else fails, the software will simulate a hardware failure in an effort to urge the thief to bring the laptop into an authorized Apple service provider. At that point, Undercover will display a message alerting the service provider that the laptop is stolen along with some additional information.
The Undercover website has a few successful recovery stories posted here. If your Mac is stolen and not recovered, Orbicule will even refund your purchase of Undercover. If you would like a FREE household license (up to 5 Macs) of Undercover 2.0, visit MacApper and leave a comment on this post with an idea of a feature you would like to see in Undercover. Good luck!
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