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Monitor OS X network, CPU and disk activity in the Dock
For those Mac users who love to push their hardware to its limits, the OS X Activity Monitor (found in Applications > Utilities) can be a handy tool. I often use it to find out if one process or another has suddenly decided to take over my iMac, to figure out if I'm redlining my network bandwidth, and to see if adding one more app while editing video is going to cause issues. This fun tip puts an updating icon into the Dock so you can keep an eye on one parameter while you're doing work. Simply launch Activity Monitor, and you'll see the usual list of processes and what percentage of CPU cycles, RAM, energy use, disk input and output, and network traffic each process is using (the image below shows what you'll normally see when running Activity Monitor). Now, click and hold on the Activity Monitor icon in the Dock, and select "Hide" to remove the window from your Mac screen. Next, press the Control and Option keys and then click and hold on the Activity Monitor Dock icon. On the menu, you'll see an item for Dock Icon. Select it and several choices appear (see image at the top of this post) -- Show CPU Usage, Show CPU History, Show Network Usage, and Show Disk Activity. Selecting any one of these items turns the Activity Monitor Dock icon into a constantly updating graphic view of that specific parameter. Should you decide to go back to the original app icon, that's the final selection under the Dock Icon menu item. All in all, this is a very useful and no-cost way to keep an eye on certain aspects of your Mac's operation. There are also handy apps like StatsBar (US$3.99) that you can add to your Mac menu bar to keep an eye on similar parameters.
How to create OS X Calendar events with multiple URLs
While many of my cohorts here at TUAW use Google Calendars or other solutions to keep track of what happening, I'm a fan of the Calendar app in OS X. Back when I was running the TUAW TV Live video podcast every week, I used to create a Calendar event into which I'd throw notes and info about things I wanted to talk about in future episodes. I found a need to put multiple web addresses (URLs) into my calendar events, but unfortunately there appeared to be only one URL field in each event. The solution was astonishingly simple. When you create a new event in Calendar, there's a clickable area titled "Add Notes or URL". Clicking it brings up separate sections for Add Notes and Add URL. Rather than entering the URL into the Add URL section, click on Add Notes. Start typing or pasting your URLs into the Notes section. Don't worry about having to have all that http:// stuff at the beginning of the URL -- just typing in the address like tuaw.com will turn the URL into a clickable link when you press Return on your keyboard. You'll see the address turn blue and gain an underline, indicating that it can be clicked. As you can see in the image at the top of this post, you can type or paste in as many URLs as you wish. Don't be worried when you add other information, like other attendees or alerts, to the event and the clickable URLs seem to disappear -- when you click in the notes section later, the links will appear again. One thing I did notice on occasion was that sometimes if I pasted in a long, multi-line URL and pressed return, all previous links disappeared. To get them to reappear, just go to the end of each line and press Return. Do you have a favorite Calendar tip you'd like to pass along? Add it to the comments section below
The copy of the U.S. Constitution that's installed on every Mac
Sometimes when I see just how ignorant many American politicians are of the Constitution of the United States, I get the urge to send them a copy along with some annotations. Perhaps now that more of those in the federal government are using Macs, we might begin to see them paying more attention to this document that outlines the supreme law of the land. Why? Well, there's a copy of the U.S. Constitution on each and every Mac in the Dictionary app. To see this information from The New Oxford American Dictionary, just launch the Dictionary app from your Applications folder. Once it's up and running, go up to the menu bar and select Go > Front/Back Matter. There you'll not only find such exciting information as who was on the editorial staff and advisory board for the Dictionary, but also a bunch of useful references. In addition to the aforementioned Constitution of the United States of America, there's also a complete Language Guide, a history of the English language, a list of the fifty states and each state capital, a list of every President of the U.S. from George Washington to George W. Bush (not sure what happened to the current incumbent...), the Declaration of Independence, a list of countries of the world, a list of chemical elements from hydrogen to meitnerium, a cross-reference of standard to metric measure conversions, and the Arabic, Hebrew, Greek and Russian alphabets. Sure, it's not exactly Wikipedia, but it's sure nice to know that if you're offline and just happen to need to know what the 21st Amendment to the Constitution did (it repealed Prohibition), you've got it at your fingertips.
How to set up continuous OS X Mavericks dictation
My fellow TUAW editor Dave Caolo got his right index finger pretty well mashed in a car door the other day, which is making it painfully difficult for him to type. Fortunately, he's been able to use dictation in OS X Mavericks to make up for his typing disability, but I've noticed that most of his dictation has been for short messages in our IRC chatroom. As a noble gesture to get Dave back up to top productivity as soon as possible, I'm showing him -- and you -- how you can bypass the usual 30-second dictation limit and also dictate offline. I'm assuming at this point that you're somewhat familiar with OS X Mavericks' ability to let you dictate text into any text field on your Mac. That can be in Messages, the TUAW content management system, Pages, Mail, or anywhere else you'd normally type. If not, fire up System Preferences on your Mavericks machine and click on Dictation & Speech. As you can see in the image at the top of this post, Dictation can be set up easily by just selecting a microphone (usually the built-in mic), clicking the On radio button next to Dictation, selecting a language, and setting up a keyboard shortcut to invoke Dictation. You'll also notice a checkbox titled Use Enhanced Dictation. When checked, your Mac will download additional speech recognition software and install it behind the scenes. This not only gives you continuous dictation capability -- meaning you could talk for hours, and it will still be typing what you say -- but it also gives you live feedback. You'll see the words being typed as you speak and can jump in and fix 'em with the keyboard, although I prefer to just go back and fix the inevitable misunderstandings afterwards. There's one other benefit to Enhanced Dictation -- the ability to use it when you're not connected to the Internet. That can be very useful if you want to use the feature while on an airplane without Wi-Fi service, although if you talk for very long, your fellow passengers might want to toss you bodily from the plane... Have any OS X Dictation stories or tips you want to pass along? Let us know in the comments.
Wake Up Time alarm is a simple, effective desktop companion as long as its awake
Wake Up Time from Rocky Sand is a desktop alarm clock that'll work like a charm as long as your Mac is awake. The app is a simple alarm clock with a handful of pleasing alarm sounds that range from "wake me up now" to "what a pleasant sound to snooze along with." The app has simple controls with a side drawer that you can drag or double-click to open. Set the alarm time, the sound settings and get back to work. The app has a few customizations options that allow you to set the snooze length, switch to 24-hour time, and add custom alarm sounds. You also can change clock faces, if you are using the paid version. Performance of Wake Up Time is stellar, but it has one drawback that requires mentioning. Without fail, the alarm went off as long as my Mac was awake, but when my Mac went to sleep, so did Wake Up Time alarm. Rocky Sand is aware of this limitation and has provided a helper app that'll allow Wake Up Time to wake up your Mac from sleep under certain circumstances. Wake Up Time is available from the Mac App Store in two versions -- a free one with a single clock face and a paid version (US$1.99) that includes extras like optional clock faces.
Shazam lands on the Mac with new menu bar utility
Shazam is now available on the Mac, landing in the Mac App Store as menu bar app. Announced today, the new utility identifies music and TV playing in your surrounding environment, notifying you when it has made a match. When a title is identified, the app allows you view the details about the title as well as purchase it from iTunes if it is a song. There's also a history of identified content if you want to remember a title that was recognized from last week. If privacy is a concern, the app's listening feature can be toggled on or off as needed. It also can be configured to run at startup if you don't mind the "always listening" aspect of the app. The new Shazam for Mac is available for free from the Mac App Store. Check it out and let us know what you think in the comments.
Ember for Mac gains 'hugely-requested' screen recording feature
Popular web clipper and digital scrapbooking app Ember was updated today with a killer new feature -- the ability to make a video recording of your screen. No longer limited by only static images, Ember now allows you to capture your screen as you demo webpages, click through a presentation or showcase an app. The new scree recording feature in Ember version 1.8 allows you to capture more than just a static screen shot. You can now select a small section of your desktop or the entire screen (command-a in screen recording mode) and record in 60fps video. The recordings are saved in the Ember app and are treated just like any other Ember capture The video also can be synced between your iOS and OS X devices, shared with your friends or exported as a .MOV file that can be stored on your Mac The latest version of Ember with screen recording is available now in the Mac App Store for US$49.99.
PrintWorks for Mac is a one-stop publishing machine
In the days before OS X, Macs were a favorite for desktop publishing. There were a variety of applications that would let you design everything from flyers to holiday cards, from calendars to letterheads. Those solutions have pretty much been replaced by templates in Microsoft Office and some much better designed templates in Apple's iWork suite. Still, there seems to be a need for more flexibility and a dedicated application for desktop publishing. So here's a nice one, called PrintWorks (US$29.99) that debuts today in the Mac App Store. It has a barrel full of more than 400 templates, and more than a thousand clip-art images and useful symbols. Unlike a lot of templates, these are skillfully designed and very appealing to the eye. The clip art is also tasteful, and in my experience most clip art is pretty worthless. The templates are easily modified without losing the look and feel of the design unless, of course, you want to. The app supports column views and easy text flow, circular text, internal photo editing with 80 included filters, mail merge, links to your contacts for letterheads and business cards, support for labels and cards from Avery, Neato, Memorex and others, as well as support for direct-to-disc printers. I tried building a newsletter using a supplied template and then designed another one from scratch. I found the process intuitive and the results looked good, especially when I started with a template and modified it rather than beginning with a blank page. PrintWorks supports layers, making it easy to move things around or change any element on your design. Stationary and business cards are easy because you can grab information from your contacts list for insertion into the templates. When you are finished designing, your work can be exported as a TIFF, JPEG, EPS or PDF file. Similar apps worth a look are PrintMaster Platinum from Broderbund Software at $39.99 and iStudio Publisher for $29.99. PrintWorks is a quick and easy desktop publishing solution. It's geared more for people who just want to use or modify the supplied templates. It doesn't have any significant advantages over Apple's Pages if you are just going to start fresh with a blank page and don't need the extensive artwork PrintWorks supplies you with. The $29.99 price tag is a bit high for the casual user, but if you need to create a lot of flyers, posters, newsletters, business cards, etc., then this app is worth a look. There is extensive help built into the app along with video tutorials. PrintWorks requires OS X 10.6.6 or later and a 64-bit processor.
OS X Yosemite Design: The good and the bad
Designer and Pixelapse co-founder Lo Min Ming took a magnifying glass to the design of OS X Yosemite and teased out those UI elements that have changed significantly, both for better and for worse, in Apple's next-generation desktop OS. As discussed by Ming, some of the best changes in OS X are the cleaner login screen, a sharper menu bar and a fresh set of default app icons, which we have already highlighted. There's also a roomier sidebar with a 2 pixel buffer that is more pleasing to the eye. While there are many refinements, Apple did stumble in a few areas, most notably with the new folder icons, which now "appear far too bright and demand too much attention," writes Ming. He also noticed that there are three different sets of forward and back buttons, suggesting Apple is still tweaking this part of the UI. You can read more about OS X and its design details over at the Pixelapse blog.
Hemingway text editor comes to the Mac with Markdown support
Hemingway started off as a web-based a text editor that offers corrections on your writing as you type. The app focuses on basic grammar, such as adverb use, passive voice, long sentences and more. Hemingway recently transitioned its app to the desktop, offering versions for the Mac and Windows that allow you to bring your writing and editing offline. Unlike the web version, the desktop version offers support for saving and opening files, allowing you to use Hemingway as both your writing app as well as your editor. Hemingway has a distraction-free writing mode that allows you to focus on your writing and a separate editing mode that highlights mistakes and offers suggestions for improvements using the same color-coded editing that is available online. Two buttons allow you to quickly switch between each mode. The app summarizes all its suggested improvements as well as provides details on your document such as word count and paragraph count. It also scores your writing on a reading level, helping you keep your sentences at a level that is understandable to most readers. The desktop version of Hemingway also supports markdown, allowing you write in the markup language and preview it within the app. When you are done, Hemingway will export the HTML so you can use it in your favorite CMS. Hemingway was created by Adam Long and Ben Long. You can use the web version for free, while the desktop version is available for US$4.99. You can find out more about Hemingway and purchase a copy here.
Apple reportedly releasing OS X Yosemite in October alongside 4K desktop and 12-inch Retina MacBook
Well, this is a timely rumor: Today is the day Apple opens up OS X Yosemite for public beta-testing, and now we're hearing the final version of the OS will come out in late October. The report comes from Mark Gurman at 9to5Mac, who has a strong track record when it comes to Apple rumors, and he claims that in addition to OS X, Apple will release a 12-inch Retina display MacBook, and either an iMac or a standalone monitor with a 4K screen. Obviously, Apple could do a 180 and release the same old computers with minor spec bumps, but if you ask us, everything Gurman is reporting seems plausible. First of all, Apple already promised it would release a final version of OS X sometime in the fall, and surely it plans to do that before the holiday shopping season starts up in November.
Mac 101: Use Spotlight to quickly solve math problems
OS X's search tool, Spotlight, does more than just file and web searches. The handy utility also can be used to do semi-complex math equations with the answers appearing within the results section of the app. To use Spotlight for math, just open the utility by selecting the magnifying glass icon on the right side of the menu bar or typing Command-Space on the keyboard. Type in your equation using the standard math symbols (+, -, *, /) and brackets. Spotlight automatically produces the answer in the results section, and you can easily copy it using Command-C. Spotlight supports constants like pi (type in pi) and advanced math functions such as square root (type sqrt), sine (sin), cosine (cos) and tangent (tan). If you use a function, you must type the function name and follow that with the number inside parentheses. For example, the square root of 49 would be entered as sqrt(49). If you need more than Spotlight's basic math, you also can hit enter after you type in your equation to launch the calculator. If you have any other Spotlight tips, please share them in the comments.
Apple opening its OS X Yosemite Beta Program to consumers on July 24
Apple confirmed it is opening up its OS X Beta Program to the public starting tomorrow -- Thursday, July, 23. Mac owners can sign up for the beta program on Apple's website using their Apple ID and will receive a Mac App Store promo code to download a beta version of OS X. Consumers must be have Mac running OS X Mavericks to be eligible for the program. Apple announced OS X 10.10 Yosemite at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, held in June of this year. The new version of OS X includes notable upgrades to Safari, Mail, Messages, Notification Center and the addition of iCloud Drive. Other features like Continuity and Handoff link OS X more closely to iOS 8 and are not fully supported in the beta program. If you haven't already registered, you better do so fast as the beta program is only available to the first one million consumers who sign up.
Apple's public beta for OS X Yosemite begins tomorrow
The Apple we know is run by a bunch of perfectionists. The company only shows off final devices at its launch events, and developers are strictly forbidden from sharing screenshots of upcoming iOS releases. This is a company that doesn't usually bother with sneak peeks. Or do they? Apple announced a few months ago that it would carry out a public beta-testing program for OS X Yosemite, its next-gen Mac operating system, allowing regular people to give feedback before it eventually gets a wide release. Now, the testing period is finally about to begin: Apple says that beta users will be able to download an early version of the OS starting tomorrow at around 1PM Eastern. If you've already signed up to join the beta program, you don't need to do anything; you'll get a notification tomorrow when the OS is ready to download. If you haven't gotten around to it yet, though, we suggest you get on that ASAP: Only one million people are allowed to participate in this early-stage testing, which means slowpokes might not get a chance. Update: Our preview of OS X Yosemite is already up, even before the public beta period begins. Read it here!
OS X Yosemite preview: the Mac gets a major makeover
The last time Apple released a new version of OS X, we came away feeling a little... underwhelmed. Don't get us wrong: We'll never say no to a free software upgrade. But despite a handful of new apps and features, last year's Mavericks release still felt like the same old OS X. You can't say that about Yosemite, though. The company's next-gen operating system ushers in the Mac's biggest makeover in years, with a flat, streamlined look inspired by iOS 7. Yosemite works more like iOS too, particularly the part where you can route phone calls to your desktop. You'll also enjoy improved Spotlight search, with results that include news, local restaurant listings, Wikipedia pages, movie times and quick unit conversions. Safari works much the same way, and includes some enhanced privacy settings, too. Right now, Yosemite isn't quite finished -- it won't arrive until sometime this fall -- but you can sign up for the public beta, which will open tomorrow for the first million people who enlist. In the meantime, I've been using an early build for a week now. Here's a quick preview for those of you who can't wait till tomorrow.
OS X Yosemite beta adoption rate almost 4X that of Mavericks
The excitement in the air at Moscone Center West for the Apple World Wide Developer conference keynote was palpable, especially when Apple's Craig Federighi began demoing OS X 10.10 Yosemite. The new OS offers much tighter integration than ever before with Apple's other devices, and the user interface changes are stunning. Well, developers apparently have a lot of interest in Yosemite, as research firm Chitika is reporting that the beta versions are being adopted by developers at a rate almost four times that of OS X Mavericks. Now, neither of the operating systems really gathered all that much usage during testing -- at 30 days past the release of the initial beta, OS X Yosemite is only generating 0.20 percent of North American OS X web traffic. But that's four times the rate of OS X 10.9 Mavericks 30 days after initial beta release. As Chitika points out, "users of the now nine-year old OS X Tiger still generate more Web traffic than Yosemite users." In other news, Chitika figures now show that OS X Mavericks is at the top of the OS X usage heap, generating a whopping 45.7 percent of all North American OS X web traffic, followed by OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard (17.5 percent) and OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion (17.1 percent). You can see how your favorite legacy OS X version fared in the pie chart following this post. Chitika's final word on the subject? "...with the increased level of developer activity thus far, along with the success of the similarly no cost OS X Mavericks, it's very probable that OS X Yosemite adoption will outpace that of any other previous Mac desktop OS when it is released publicly later this year."
Mac 101: Use zoom to magnify an item on your Mac
OS X ships with a variety of accessibility options designed to help those with sight and hearing loss use a Mac more effectively. In many cases, these features often extend beyond their intended assistive function and are useful to anyone using OS X. One such example is a handy zoom setting allows you to magnify a part of your screen using only keyboard shortcuts and your trackpad. It's extremely useful if you want to examine a photo or some other visual element without opening a dedicated photo editing app. Follow the steps below to enable the Zoom function and use it while your work of play on your Mac. Enable Zoom in OS X Select Apple menu > System Preferences, click to open the Accessibility panel, and then click Zoom in the panel on the left. Enable either of the following options: To zoom with keyboard shortcuts, select "Use keyboard shortcuts to zoom." To zoom with your mouse or trackpad, select "Use scroll gesture with modifier keys to zoom." Decide where the magnified content appears with the Zoom Style pop-up menu. You can display the magnified content in a window near the mouse cursor by selecting the Picture-in-picture option. You also can display it on the entire screen by selecting Fullscreen. I prefer the first PIP option as that allows you to zoom in on a small section while still viewing the entire screen. To set options for zoom or the zoom window, click More Options as described on Apple's support site to change magnification, window position and other settings. Alternatively, you also can turn on zooming quickly by pressing Command (⌘)-Option (⌥)-F5. This opens an accessibility panel that allows you to enable or disable the Zoom options. Using Zoom in OS X Depending on how you configured the Zoom options, you can either use the keyboard shortcuts or the trackpad to zoom. To use the keyboard shortcuts, press Command (⌘)-Option (⌥)-Equal Sign (=) to zoom in and Command (⌘)-Option (⌥)-Minus Sign (-) to zoom out. To use your trackpad, hold down the modifier key you specified (Control is selected by default) while you use your trackpad to scroll. If you selected Picture-in-picture zooming, a window appears near the mouse cursor with the magnified image. If you chose the Fullscreen zooming, the entire screen displays the magnified image.
This Weekend in the App Store -- Holiday Weekend Sales Galore
Here are some of the best free apps and app sales that have landed in the App Store in time for the Independence Day holiday in the US. All app prices are USD and subject to change. Some deals may expire quickly, so grab them while you can. Apps Now Free - iOS Montessori Numberland HD [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $3.99] An Award-winning Montessori based number app for pre-K children, with 10 beautifully animated scenes, to learn numbers from 0 to 9. Halftone 2 [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $1.99] Turn your photos into comic book pages and videos with Halftone 2, an App Store Best of 2013 winner and Editors' Choice. Boost 2 [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $1.99] The major update to the original version of the tunnel racing game has arrived. Eyes - the horror game [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $0.99] They told you it would be easy. Just break-in, grab all the stuff and get back to the door. They didn't know that house was not empty. And those creepy eyes on the wall.. You know she's coming for you, don't you? Motion Tennis for Apple TV [iPhone; Now free, down from $7.99] Motion Tennis™ allows you to play tennis using natural tennis motion gestures on your HDTV or Mac/PC using AirPlay Mirroring on Apple TV. Horizon Calendar [iPhone; Now free, down from $4.99] You should never have to choose between checking the weather and your calendar. FondFont - Install anyfont (ttc, ttf, and otf) for system-wide usage [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $0.99] With FondFont, it's finally possible to install additional fonts for system-wide usage for iPad. Clara - Personal Money Manager [iPhone; Now free, down from $3.99] Clara – Your personal finance app designed to manage your money easily and effortlessly! Buzz Killem [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $1.99] Brought to you by the creators of the hit game Bill Killem! Buzz Killem is the story of a retired War Veteran called back into action after an Alien welcoming party greets Earth. Day One (Journal / Diary) [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $4.99] Record life as you live it. From once-in-a-lifetime events to everyday moments. Laser Hell [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $1.99] Laserhell is a simple as hell, yet impossible rhythm-based techno music arcade game. Steampunk Tower [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $0.99] Take charge of the immense Steampunk Tower and help the eccentric Lord Bingham protect his precious Etherium Mine. Lumen Trails Planner [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $19.99] Lumen Trails lets you take notes, make lists and keep track of other things in your life, such as time, workouts, expenses, calories, food, weight, sleep or anything else you can think of. Discovr - discover music [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $3.99] Discover artists similar to your favorite bands with our interactive music maps. Contacts Sync for Google Gmail with Auto Sync [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $1.99] Contacts Sync for Google Gmail" allows you to quickly & easily sync your Gmail & iPhone contacts so you can have access to your contacts wherever you go. Nozoku Rush [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $2.99] Swipe tiles that subtract down to zero to clear them off the board. Skylanders Battlegrounds [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $6.99] Leap into battle with the brand new Skylanders SWAP Force™ characters! Bring the Skylanders to Life™ and free the war-torn Battlegrounds! My Incredible Body - Guide to Learn About the Human Body for Children [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $4.99] With My Incredible Body, both children and adults can learn all the pieces and parts of human anatomy in an incredibly fascinating human body guide. SkySafari 4 [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $2.99] SkySafari 4 is the next-generation award-winning astronomy app re-imagined for iOS 7! Daedalus Touch – Text Editor for iCloud [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $0.99] Daedalus Touch is the first truly next-gen text editor on iOS. Discovr Movies - discover new movies [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $3.99] There are so many movies in the world today. How do you find a new movie to watch? Discovr Movies makes it easy to find a new movie that you'll like. Apps on Sale - iOS Faif [iOS Universal; On sale for $0.99, down from $1.99] Faif is a puzzle/rpg game with a unique battle system based on gambling. Screens VNC - Access Your Computer Remotely [iOS Universal; On sale for $9.99, down from $19.99] Screens is a beautiful, yet powerful Screen Sharing and VNC client that lets you connect back to your Mac, Windows or Linux PC from the comfort of your living room, the corner coffee shop or anywhere in the world. Castle Doombad [iOS Universal; On sale for $0.99, down from $2.99] Dr. Lord Evilstein has kidnapped a princess, and now his evil lair is crawling with do-gooders. Jasuto [iOS Universal; On sale for $1.99, down from $4.99] Jasuto is the worlds first (and most powerful) modular synthesizer for the iDevices. CineXPlayer HD – The best way to enjoy your movies [iPad; On sale for $0.99, down from $3.99] CineXPlayer was developed to be the hands-down best way for iPad owners to View, Store, and Manage their digital film library. Dispatch: Email meets GTD with TextExpander snippets [iPhone; On sale for $2.99, down from $4.99] Dispatch makes it easy to act on emails even when you're on the move. Vitamin-R for iPhone [iPhone; On sale for $1.99, down from $4.99] Vitamin-R creates optimal conditions for your brain by structuring your work into short bursts of distraction-free, highly-focused activity alternating with opportunities for renewal, reflection and intuition. Pixite Sale [iOS Universal; On sale for up to 50 percent] All four Pixite creative apps are 50% off for a limited time! (Union, Fragment, Tangent & LoryStripes). Disney Splash Sale [iOS Universal; On sale for up to 85 percent off] A wide selection of Disney apps available for up to 85% off including Frozen Storybook Deluxe, Star Wars Journeys: The Phantom Menace and more. Sale is available from 3 July to 8 July. OTTTD [iOS Universal; On sale for $2.99, down from $4.99] HEROCORP™ WANTS YOU. Command heroes, build towers, discover strange and exotic worlds and blow them all to bits. CHMate Premium [iOS Universal; On sale for $1.99, down from $5.99] CHMate is an amazing way to read books in CHM (Microsoft Compiled HTML Help) format. Toca Hair Salon Me [iOS Universal; On sale for $0.99, down from $2.99] Give your friends and family a totally new look! Simply snap a picture and you're transported to a world of hair-raising fun! Toca Pet Doctor [iOS Universal; On sale for $0.99, down from $2.99] The pets need your help! In Toca Pet Doctor our animal friends want your love, care and help. Toca Train [iOS Universal; On sale for $0.99, down from $2.99] All aboard? Time to get on Toca Train! Your kids are the train driver in this fun and friendly train simulator. Toca Birthday Party [iOS Universal; On sale for $0.99, down from $2.99] Time to invite friends and family to a birthday party - around your iPhone or iPad! Toca Store [iOS Universal; On sale for $0.99, down from $2.99] Have your kids ever played store at home? Now you can turn your iPhone or iPad into a Store Play Set - without any of the cleaning up afterwards! Toca Robot Lab [iOS Universal; On sale for $0.99, down from $2.99] With Toca Robot Lab you and your kids can build your own robot from pieces of scrap and see it fly straight away! Toca Tea Party [iPad; On sale for $0.99, down from $2.99] Set the table, choose your favorite cookies and cakes, serve the tea and you're good to go! Sago Mini Music Box [iOS Universal; On sale for $0.99, down from $2.99] Play a song for your furry friends as you go on a musical adventure. Toca Mini [iOS Universal; On sale for $0.99, down from $2.99] Cute, weird or funny? That's up to you in the colorful world of Toca Mini. Paint My Wings [iOS Universal; On sale for $0.99, down from $2.99] Paint My Wings is a fun and easy way for your kids to paint beautiful butterflies! Battle of the Bulge [iOS Universal; On sale for $3.99, down from $9.99] Battle of the Bulge invites you, the player, to lead the Axis or the Allies to victory on the snowy battlefields of World War II. Textastic Code Editor for iPhone [iPhone; On sale for $3.99, down from $8.99] Textastic is a fast and versatile text, code and markup editor supporting syntax highlighting of over 80 programming and markup languages. Textastic Code Editor for iPad [iPad; On sale for $3.99, down from $8.99] Textastic is a fast and versatile text, code and markup editor supporting syntax highlighting of over 80 programming and markup languages. Scanner Pro by Readdle [iOS Universal; On sale for $2.99, down from $6.99] Scanner Pro transforms your iPhone and iPad into portable scanners. It allows you to scan receipts, whiteboards, paper notes, or any multipage document. Apps Now Free - OS X ARTReader [OS X; Now free, down from $4.99] ARTReader is designed to improve reading from a digital screen. Twin Finder [OS X; Now free, down from $5.99] Twin Finder is a quick search for files with the same tools. Favorited [OS X; Now free, down from $2.99] Favorited is simple & efficient menu bar app for browsing/searching your favorited tweets. Apps Now On Sale - OS X Jump Desktop (Remote Desktop) - RDP / VNC [OS X; On sale for $14.99, down from $29.99] Jump Desktop is a remote desktop application that lets you securely connect to any computer in the world. Screens VNC - Access Your Computer From Anywhere [OS X; On sale for $17.99, down from $29.99] Screens is a beautiful, yet powerful Screen Sharing and VNC client that lets you connect back to your Mac, Windows or Linux PC from the comfort of your living room, the corner coffee shop or anywhere in the world. iStatus [OS X; On sale for $0.99, down from $1.99] iStatus lets you monitor the overall health of your Mac. Writr [OS X; On sale for $1.99, down from $2.99] Writr is clean, intuitive and most of all, simple. iFrame Pro [OS X; On sale for $2.99, down from $4.99] iFrame Pro allows you to combine your best photos and frame them in 33 different frames and over 15 beautiful layouts which can be configured in multiple ways. iCollage Pro [OS X; On sale for $2.99, down from $4.99] iCollage Pro allows you to easily create collages on your Mac! iCollage [OS X; On sale for $0.99, down from $2.99] iCollage Pro allows you to easily create collages on your Mac! Disk Diag [OS X; On sale for $0.99, down from $2.99] Free up disk space with only a few clicks. Clean tons of unneeded files with Disk Diag, the best rated disk cleaning app on the Mac App Store. Sketcher [OS X; On sale for $7.99, down from $14.99] It can easily turn any digital photo into the pencil sketch, watercolor or oil drawing, it's light, simple, cross-platform and feature rich! Fumy [OS X; On sale for $9.99, down from $19.99] Fumy is an unusual bitmap editor with unique tools that allow you to brush and render stunning graphics that resemble smoke. FoldingText [OS X; On sale for $19.99, down from $29.99] For those who love plain text. FoldingText is the markdown text editor with productivity features. Due - super fast reminders [OS X; On sale for $2.99, down from $9.99] The beauty of Due lies in its simplicity. There's no account to create, no start or end date to set, no need to prioritize, tag nor categorize. Day One [OS X; On sale for $6.99, down from $9.99] Record life as you live it. From once-in-a-lifetime events to everyday moments, Day One's elegant interface makes journaling your life a simple pleasure. NetSpot Wi-Fi Reporter [OS X; On sale for $4.99, down from $49.99] NetSpot WiFi Reporter builds powerful advanced wireless heatmaps using existing WiFi survey files generated by NetSpot WiFi Scanner (.netspd). Vitamin-R 2 [OS X; On sale for $14.99, down from $29.99] Recapture the Lost Art of Joyful Concentration. Overcome Procrastination. Leaf - The News Reader [OS X; On sale for $0.99, down from $9.99] Leaf is an amazing news reader for your Mac. Read, share, star and search your news by using a clean, intuitive interface. Textastic [OS X; On sale for $3.99, down from $8.99] Textastic is a powerful and fast text, code, and markup editor. MagicalPad [OS X; On sale for $9.99, down from $29.99] Visually manage your notes, ideas, mind maps, outlines, checklist and tasks for school, personal and business needs.
Today in the App Store -- the best free apps and app sales for the Fourth of July
Here are some of the best free apps and app sales that have landed in the App Store in time for the Independence Day holiday in the US. All app prices are USD and subject to change. Some deals may expire quickly, so grab them while you can. Apps Now Free - iOS Halftone 2 [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $1.99] Turn your photos into comic book pages and videos with Halftone 2, an App Store Best of 2013 winner and Editors' Choice. Exbel [iPhone; Now free, down from $0.99] Exbel app is the most suitable application that helps you to integrate images in a simple way through the iPhone. Boost 2 [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $1.99] The major update to the original version of the tunnel racing game has arrived. Eyes - the horror game [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $0.99] They told you it would be easy. Just break-in, grab all the stuff and get back to the door. They didn't know that house was not empty. And those creepy eyes on the wall.. You know she's coming for you, don't you? Motion Tennis for Apple TV [iPhone; Now free, down from $7.99] Motion Tennis™ allows you to play tennis using natural tennis motion gestures on your HDTV or Mac/PC using AirPlay Mirroring on Apple TV. Horizon Calendar [iPhone; Now free, down from $4.99] You should never have to choose between checking the weather and your calendar. FondFont - Install anyfont (ttc, ttf, and otf) for system-wide usage [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $0.99] With FondFont, it's finally possible to install additional fonts for system-wide usage for iPad. Clara - Personal Money Manager [iPhone; Now free, down from $3.99] Clara – Your personal finance app designed to manage your money easily and effortlessly! Buzz Killem [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $1.99] Brought to you by the creators of the hit game Bill Killem! Buzz Killem is the story of a retired War Veteran called back into action after an Alien welcoming party greets Earth. Weather Dial - A Simpler, More Beautiful Weather App [iPhone; Now free, down from $1.99] Weather Dial lets you spend more time enjoying the weather...then watching it. Day One (Journal / Diary) [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $4.99] Record life as you live it. From once-in-a-lifetime events to everyday moments. Laser Hell [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $1.99] Laserhell is a simple as hell, yet impossible rhythm-based techno music arcade game. Steampunk Tower [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $0.99] Take charge of the immense Steampunk Tower and help the eccentric Lord Bingham protect his precious Etherium Mine. iScanner - quickly scan multipage documents [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $1.99] iScanner will turn your iPhone or iPad into full-featured powerful and fast document scanner. Lumen Trails Planner [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $19.99] Lumen Trails lets you take notes, make lists and keep track of other things in your life, such as time, workouts, expenses, calories, food, weight, sleep or anything else you can think of. Discovr - discover music [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $3.99] Discover artists similar to your favorite bands with our interactive music maps. Contacts Sync for Google Gmail with Auto Sync [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $1.99] Contacts Sync for Google Gmail" allows you to quickly & easily sync your Gmail & iPhone contacts so you can have access to your contacts wherever you go. Nozoku Rush [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $2.99] Swipe tiles that subtract down to zero to clear them off the board. Skylanders Battlegrounds [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $6.99] Leap into battle with the brand new Skylanders SWAP Force™ characters! Bring the Skylanders to Life™ and free the war-torn Battlegrounds! My Incredible Body - Guide to Learn About the Human Body for Children [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $4.99] With My Incredible Body, both children and adults can learn all the pieces and parts of human anatomy in an incredibly fascinating human body guide. SkySafari 4 [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $2.99] SkySafari 4 is the next-generation award-winning astronomy app re-imagined for iOS 7! Daedalus Touch – Text Editor for iCloud [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $0.99] Daedalus Touch is the first truly next-gen text editor on iOS. Discovr Movies - discover new movies [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $3.99] There are so many movies in the world today. How do you find a new movie to watch? Discovr Movies makes it easy to find a new movie that you'll like. Apps on Sale - iOS Dispatch: Email meets GTD with TextExpander snippets [iPhone; On sale for $2.99, down from $4.99] Dispatch makes it easy to act on emails even when you're on the move. Vitamin-R for iPhone [iPhone; On sale for $1.99, down from $4.99] Vitamin-R creates optimal conditions for your brain by structuring your work into short bursts of distraction-free, highly-focused activity alternating with opportunities for renewal, reflection and intuition. Pixite Sale [iOS Universal; On sale for up to 50 percent] All four Pixite creative apps are 50% off for a limited time! (Union, Fragment, Tangent & LoryStripes). Disney Splash Sale [iOS Universal; On sale for up to 85 percent off] A wide selection of Disney apps available for up to 85% off including Frozen Storybook Deluxe, Star Wars Journeys: The Phantom Menace and more. Sale is available from 3 July to 8 July. OTTTD [iOS Universal; On sale for $2.99, down from $4.99] HEROCORP™ WANTS YOU. Command heroes, build towers, discover strange and exotic worlds and blow them all to bits. CHMate Premium [iOS Universal; On sale for $0.99, down from $5.99] CHMate is an amazing way to read books in CHM (Microsoft Compiled HTML Help) format. Toca Hair Salon Me [iOS Universal; On sale for $0.99, down from $2.99] Give your friends and family a totally new look! Simply snap a picture and you're transported to a world of hair-raising fun! Toca Pet Doctor [iOS Universal; On sale for $0.99, down from $2.99] The pets need your help! In Toca Pet Doctor our animal friends want your love, care and help. Toca Train [iOS Universal; On sale for $0.99, down from $2.99] All aboard? Time to get on Toca Train! Your kids are the train driver in this fun and friendly train simulator. Toca Birthday Party [iOS Universal; On sale for $0.99, down from $2.99] Time to invite friends and family to a birthday party - around your iPhone or iPad! Toca Store [iOS Universal; On sale for $0.99, down from $2.99] Have your kids ever played store at home? Now you can turn your iPhone or iPad into a Store Play Set - without any of the cleaning up afterwards! Toca Robot Lab [iOS Universal; On sale for $0.99, down from $2.99] With Toca Robot Lab you and your kids can build your own robot from pieces of scrap and see it fly straight away! Toca Tea Party [iPad; On sale for $0.99, down from $2.99] Set the table, choose your favorite cookies and cakes, serve the tea and you're good to go! Sago Mini Music Box [iOS Universal; On sale for $0.99, down from $2.99] Play a song for your furry friends as you go on a musical adventure. Toca Mini [iOS Universal; On sale for $0.99, down from $2.99] Cute, weird or funny? That's up to you in the colorful world of Toca Mini. Paint My Wings [iOS Universal; On sale for $0.99, down from $2.99] Paint My Wings is a fun and easy way for your kids to paint beautiful butterflies! Battle of the Bulge [iOS Universal; On sale for $2.99, down from $9.99] Battle of the Bulge invites you, the player, to lead the Axis or the Allies to victory on the snowy battlefields of World War II. Textastic Code Editor for iPhone [iPhone; On sale for $3.99, down from $8.99] Textastic is a fast and versatile text, code and markup editor supporting syntax highlighting of over 80 programming and markup languages. Textastic Code Editor for iPad [iPad; On sale for $3.99, down from $8.99] Textastic is a fast and versatile text, code and markup editor supporting syntax highlighting of over 80 programming and markup languages. Scanner Pro by Readdle [iOS Universal; On sale for $2.99, down from $6.99] Scanner Pro transforms your iPhone and iPad into portable scanners. It allows you to scan receipts, whiteboards, paper notes, or any multipage document. Apps Now Free - OS X Browser Care: make your browser more efficient [OS X; Now free, down from $3.99] Browser Care is an application that allows you to keep your browsers clean and under control. ARTReader [OS X; Now free, down from $4.99] ARTReader is designed to improve reading from a digital screen. Twin Finder [OS X; Now free, down from $5.99] Twin Finder is a quick search for files with the same tools. Favorited [OS X; Now free, down from $2.99] Favorited is simple & efficient menu bar app for browsing/searching your favorited tweets. Apps Now On Sale - OS X Due - super fast reminders [OS X; On sale for $4.99, down from $9.99] The beauty of Due lies in its simplicity. There's no account to create, no start or end date to set, no need to prioritize, tag nor categorize. Day One [OS X; On sale for $6.99, down from $9.99] Record life as you live it. From once-in-a-lifetime events to everyday moments, Day One's elegant interface makes journaling your life a simple pleasure. NetSpot Wi-Fi Reporter [OS X; On sale for $4.99, down from $49.99] NetSpot WiFi Reporter builds powerful advanced wireless heatmaps using existing WiFi survey files generated by NetSpot WiFi Scanner (.netspd). Vitamin-R 2 [OS X; On sale for $14.99, down from $29.99] Recapture the Lost Art of Joyful Concentration. Overcome Procrastination. Leaf - The News Reader [OS X; On sale for $0.99, down from $9.99] Leaf is an amazing news reader for your Mac. Read, share, star and search your news by using a clean, intuitive interface. Textastic [OS X; On sale for $3.99, down from $8.99] Textastic is a powerful and fast text, code, and markup editor. MagicalPad [OS X; On sale for $9.99, down from $29.99] Visually manage your notes, ideas, mind maps, outlines, checklist and tasks for school, personal and business needs.
Mac 101: Using QuickTime to record video of your Mac's screen
Sometimes you need to capture video of your Mac's screen, either to show someone a troublesome error or a quick how-to for a friend or family member. You can purchase a dedicated screencasting app like Camtasia, but for most casual users, QuickTime's screen record feature will fit the bill. To access QuickTime's recording feature, you'll need to open the QuickTime Player app and follow the instructions below: Prepare the app you want to record by opening it and getting the content in place. For example, opening the webpage tabs you want to record. Go to the QuickTime Player app and select File > New Screen Recording. Select the audio source by clicking on the downward-pointing arrow and select the option to record or ignore mouse clicks. Click the red record button and follow the instructions to record either the full screen or just a small selection. Start recording your screen and use the stop button in the menu bar (or Command-Control-Escape) to halt the recording when you are done. When you are done, you can trim the clip, upload it to YouTube or import it into iMovie for some post-processing.