utilities
Latest
Mac Pilot half-off at MacZOT today only
We've mentioned Mac Pilot - a powerful Mac OS X tweaking and optimizing utility - before, as it's a great piece of software for bending nearly every aspect of the OS to your bidding. While Koingo Software typically offers a 15 day trial for Mac Pilot with a license going for $19.95, MacZOT has a 50% off deal today that knocks the price down to $9.95. That's a heckuva deal, but in true MacZOT form, it's today only, so get a move on and try Mac Pilot out if you haven't already.
Decompression done right with Unarchiver 1.6
Even though OS X includes a handy contextual menu for zipping and unzipping files, the decompression chores (handled by the BOMArchiveHelper.app tool, originally built for expanding components during software installs) aren't always managed as cleanly as one might like. The default behavior of the expander is to leave the original files intact after processing, leading to a phenomenon termed "zip litter" by a colleague. Blech.If you're seeking a zipless desktop, check out The Unarchiver by Dag Ågren, just updated to version 1.6. Built from the bones of an ancient Amiga decompression library, this Swiss Army knife can handle almost any format you can think of and probably a few you can't -- I'm personally very excited to crack open some DiskDoubler files that have been languishing on my old Bernoulli media. With the exception of the proprietary SITX archives, where you'll still need an instance of Stuffit Expander, this free tool can handle everything else.Thanks, Jeff!
OmniGrowl - bring Growl to unsupported apps
Growl is a system-wide and extensible notification utility for everything from your next iTunes song to whether your Mac just lost its internet connection. As handy as a tool this may be, not all apps offer support for Growl, and it's likely many of those apps never will (iCal, and Safari RSS are prime examples here). For those apps, we now have OmniGrowl (scroll down or search the page), and Tim Gaden at Hawk Wings has put it through its paces. Out of the box, OmniGrowl can alert you of iCal events, birthdays from Address Book contacts, S.M.A.R.T. hard drive failures, changes in power sources and more. Hopefully, even more apps are coming to help spread the Growl love over the rest of Mac OS X.
Gmail+Growl 2.0
When the Gmail Notifier emerged from its cocoon last August as the Google Notifier, the utility bizarrely introduced its own popup alerts for new messages instead of simply using Growl, which is arguably the standard in Mac OS X notification systems. I don't know how we missed it, but Gmail+Growl stayed right in stride and released a 2.0 version to work with the new Google Notifier (in which case, shouldn't this be called Google+Growl?). As long as you shut off the built-in alert system in Google Notifier, Gmail+Growl works well with the new utility. The one quirk I've found so far is that it doesn't seem to be pulling images from Address Book, and I don't know if this is a problem on my end or an update is in order. Either way, if you prefer Growl for all your system notification needs, Gmail+Growl should fit the bill just fine.
Mac and Mobile: tips for Notebook Users
Samuel Cohen over at theappleblog has a nice post up on ten top apps for laptop-toting Mac users. Many of his selections are old favorites (Quicksilver), but there are a few here that are new to me. The CornerClick Preference Pane allows you to assign various actions to the corners of your screen. According to Sam, fKeys lets you "remap the enter key (not the return key. The enter key. It's the one that's in between the command key and the arrow keys on the right-hand side of your laptop keyboard) to an option key, just like on a full-size keyboard." Finally, Noise is a simple app for generating pink noise for when you want to tune out the Muzak at your local coffee house. Check out the original post for the rest, while I go play with CornerClick.[Edit: Corrected CornerClick description; thanks Dan. I was probably thinking of the replacement trackpad driver SideTrack which does allow for assigning functions to corner clicks on the trackpad].
TUAW Tip: TextExpander can subscribe to text snippets
This isn't quite so much a killer trick or hack you can perform on TextExpander - an indispensable time-saving text abbreviation and expansion utility - as much as it's a neat feature that I just recently discovered. TextExpander can export a list of all your text snippets and corresponding abbreviations, and it can subscribe to such a list if you keep it somewhere, say, like your iDisk or an FTP/WebDAV space. If you have a desktop and lappy for working on the go like me, this can more or less enable rudimentary syncing for your snippets between Macs. Of course, it would rock if SmileOnMyMac would make this an official feature, with bonus points awarded for baking in both .Mac and FTP/WebDAV syncing (like Mr. Simmons did with NetNewsWire). For now though, this might be a decent solution for keeping your snippets n'sync.
A few of my favorite Widgets
When my machine was a rickety little 800 MHz iBook, crusted with too many hacks, apps and utilities, I just gave up on Widgets. Dashboard was a system hog on an already dog-slow machine, and I just killed it off. My MacBook Pro is another story. While I've eschewed the volume of Widgets a true power-user may install, I have my fair share. Of course, until we're able to safely and securely swap our sets of Widgets around, I just keep a certain set loaded. Yes, I've tried MultiDash, primarily to swap around when I plug in to my 24" external monitor. I would have included a link to the MultiDash page, but going there today either crashed Firefox or made Safari eat up processor. Gotta love that...Anyway, as a Widget, it was too wonky for production use, so here's what I've settled on for daily use: Apple's own calendar, weather, iTunes, calculator, and search Widgets (Dictionary, White Pages, Yellow Pages, and Address Book). The unit converter is tucked behind the sticky note Google search-- pretty much never use it since Google is built-in to every browser but Flock, although sometimes I use the Blogger one too Radar-in-Motion-- massive kudos to the poor developer who makes this, as NOAA keeps changing the protocols, formats, etc. I love this thing, but I love weather. WeatherBug-- this one has a bunch more features, but ironically doesn't work as well as R-i-M iClipLite-- what would I do without this? Very handy for storing form letters, the very ones I use every day iStat nano-- surely everyone is using this or its older sibling by now, right? Often I use it to check my IP address, but I really wish I could have it quit bugging me about updates, that is really annoying Slothcam-- I have it always tuned to the TGIFriday's camera in Times Square, great for people-watching! (You will see me on there once in a while too) Web Translator widget (uses Google)-- handy for quick language lookups, as my Spanish vocab stinks sometimes Airport Radar-- handy for checking signal strength PackageTracker-- from Monkey Labs, where they make a terrible TV Tracker... only terrible because every week they want me to update it, but it never gets faster or better, yet PackageTracker never bugs me about it iCalEvents-- super-fantastic for glancing at my hard schedule for the day Backpack widget-- from Chipt.com, this Widget has saved me so many times it is scary. If you are a serious GTD nut, you must have a Backpack widget for simple ticklers, and this does the job better than almost anything. Plus, I can access my Backpack reminders from anywhere via web, so I have a constant backup. Combined with floating reminders via Growl, and you can really tame your to-do list. an obligatory digg widget-- because I'm addicted, I'll admit (where's that Netscape widget?) Veronica Belmont-- she's not a Widget, but a spunky tech pundit for CNet and of course, I have a TUAW widget! So what's in your Dashboard?
SafariSpeed 2.0
Safari users and web designers who aren't entirely happy with the browser's performance, especially under extended use, have another tool for their belts to optimize and tweak its performance. SafariSpeed 2.0 has been able to turn off favicons and Safari's 1 second page loading delay in the past, but this recent 2.0 upgrade includes new features like: disable cache (ideal for web designers testing sites) enable/disable the debug menu toggle PDF support (either downloading the PDF or displaying it in-line) swap between the on-its-last-legs brushed metal and Aqua While I've seen some of these functions offered in various plugins, SafariSpeed's 5-license price of $8 sounds reasonable to get them all in one place. The demo can be run 11 times, and registering also has the added benefit of netting you priority support.
iLounge unveils iPod Storage Calculator
Apple offers their own advertising-friendly estimation of how many songs each model of iPod can hold, but those numbers are based on fairly unrealistic standards of 128Kbps AAC songs that are a mere 4 minutes long. Toss in a few tracks from Phish or Beethoven's 5th, and you can easily hurl this song estimation into the realm of 'anyone's guess.'Enter iLounge's iPod Storage Calculator, a handy little web tool (what, no widget?) that lets everyone from newbies to demanding audiophiles perform some quick calculations to figure out just how many songs, even at varying bitrates, their iPod can hold. As a matter of fact, the only thing about this calculator that makes it iPod-specific is the handy pull-down menu offering one-click access to every storage capacity the iPod has ever packed; in other words - anyone can use this tool to get an idea of how many songs they can bring along.Thanks Josh
iWriter - easily create study tools for the iPod, .Mac and the web
Yea that's right: I said 'study tools' and 'iPod' in the same sentence. iWriter is an interesting little app from Talking Panda that allows you to quickly build projects and study tools for easy viewing on an iPod or the internets. Projects can be uploaded to a .Mac account, and iWriter offers 8 project templates to help students and teachers alike hit the ground running. This handy little app can even record lectures, and a preview pane allows you to see exactly what your project will look like on an iPod while you build it.All this isn't bad for a $12 piece ofUniversal Binary shareware. While a demo is available, Talking Panda receives a ding for requiring an email address to download it (though I can understand a small software outfit's need to reach out to their potential customers). Still, check iWriter out if you're in the market for more better studying with the help of your iPod.[via the intrepid Nik Fletcher]
dead.licious - bookmark verification made simple
Online bookmaking systems are all the rage these days (I certainly rely on nothing but Pukka, delibar and Quicksilver's del.icio.us plugin now), but what if, while amassing your library of 'marks, some of them go dead, are taken down or otherwise disappear? dead.licious might just be the tool for you, as it's a utility that checks each of your links to see if at least something is still there.It isn't quite everything it could be, however, as the author lists a number of improvements already on the list: Support for 10.3.9 and maybe 10.2.8. E-mail me if you really, really want this tool for 10.3.9 and I'll see what I can do to expedite the process along (donations wouldn't hurt either). Faster checking of websites by checking several at once instead of one at a time. Keychain support so you don't have to type in your username and password each time. Determining which websites have been added since the last update and only checking those. Editing bookmark information and submitting the changes back to your del.icio.us account. With this in mind, a discussion of whether dead.licious should even be called a 1.0 app could certainly be warranted, but instead of getting nit-picky over version guidelines, why not give it a whirl and submit some feedback (and a buck or two while you're at it) to show the dev you care.
Use Mac OS X keyboard and shortcuts on Windows
If you're jonesing for your Mac OS X keyboard shortcuts to work on Windows, or if you just can't give up Apple's keyboard while using Boot Camp, the AppleK Pro keyboard driver for Windows might just be your fix. This little driver allows you to use most Mac OS X shortcuts (such as cmd - shift 3/4 for screenshots and cmd - opt - esc for the Windows Task Manager), and you can even plug in an Apple USB keyboard to keep on truckin' (great for the Boot Camp users in the audience).My big gripe with AppleK Pro however (besides the logo), is its outlandish $25 price. $5 - sure. $10 - I'd consider it (if I had to use Windows, that is). Even $15 might be reasonable, as long as you throw in the answer to the meaning of life or something. But $25 for some keyboard shortcuts? I might as well buy a new keyboard - at least then I could have one of those cool Matrix-style, multi-keyboard setups and act like I can actually see things when I stare at scrolling Klingon-ish code. Maybe these guys should hook up with MacZOT to cut the Mac shortcut addicts a break.
John Gruber releases BBColors 1.0
John Gruber has released a command line tool called BBColors which allows BBEdit and TextWrangler users to save, reload and even share customized color schemes. BBEdit, like many code-friendly text editors, has offered a coloring system for some time, but it still doesn't allow users to save and swap out schemes for, say, different languages or simply different days of the week. John's free utility not only brings color swapping to these app's tool belts, but he also posted a few examples to help get your feet wet. DeviantART, eat your heart out.Instructions for installation and usage can be found on Mr. Gruber's project page for BBColors.
FileBrowse - a media browser companion for Finder
Romain Guy at The Apple Blog has penned a nice walkthrough of an interesting new app called FileBrowse, which acts as more of a streamlined tool for media file browsing and manipulating tasks, as opposed to a full-fledged Finder replacement (cuz we all know how well that's going). FileBrowse makes use of subtle display and 3D elements to provide more information when rooting through folders of images, music and video. As you can see, it draws Windows XP-like thumbnails on folders of images, allowing one to peek at what's inside without actually having to crack it open. It also offers far more information (like metadata) when viewing items individually, and it even renders album artwork on music folders, along with video file previews, a unique visual grouping system, and more.FileBrowse looks like an interesting app, so check out Romain's walkthrough if you've been feeling the Finder is a bit lacking in these departments lately. At $25 though, it probably won't be for everyone, but it's nice to see some new file browsing tools that focus on a few things, and doing them well.
Keyword Assistant for iPhoto goes Universal
Keyword Assistant is a stellar iPhoto plugin that dramatically simplifies the chore of adding keywords to images. In fact, one could go so far as to say Keyword Assistant brings tagging to iPhoto, but we'll let you judge for yourself. As you can see, it adds a menu item to iPhoto, as well as a simple, smart popup window that allows for comma-separated tags. We call this keyword entry utility 'smart' because it can auto-fill tags keywords from your existing set, (optionally) warn you when creating new keywords, and even auto-fill names from Address Book. It also brings a desperately needed option to iPhoto's preferences: alphabetizing the keyword list. All things considered, this is a utility we can easily refer to as a missing link from iPhoto's current abilities.This can't-iPhoto-without-it plugin just went Universal, and it is still provided as freeware from Ken Ferry's .Mac homepage. KA requires 4.0.3 or 4.0.4 and Mac OS X 10.4.7, and is localized for English, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Swedish.
TextExpander 1.4 released
SmileOnMyMac has released TextExpander 1.4, an update to their customizable typing utility that allows users to assign keywords to snippets of text, ultimately saving gobs of time in re-typing things like phrases, websites, signatures and more. New features in this indispensable tool include: User-specified delimiters ("Set Delimiters..." button in Preferences tab) Import comma and tab-delimited text, RTF, and RTFD files Choose TextExpander or Textpander style menu bar icon in Preferences Sort snippets by date created (helps when locating import groups) Sort snippets by date modified (helps when tracking recent changes) Also of note on TextExpander's new features list at VersionTracker is 'Mac OS X 10.4 required,' but I don't know if that's a new feature in this particular version or of the actual product switchover from the old Textpander.Either way, this is a free upgrade and is available from SmileOnMyMac, as is a fully functional 30-day demo.[UPDATE: Jean from SmileOnMyMac let us know in the comments that this new 1.4 version is, in fact, Tiger-only. The 1.3.1 version which still works on Panther (10.3.9) is still available from their site. Thanks Jean!]
MenuCalendarClock goes Universal
MenuCalendarClock is a clever little customizable pulldown calendar for the menubar that can also display events from iCal or Entourage to help keep you on top of things. As an unregistered version, MenuCalendarClock can display a small 'pocket calendar' (pictured), and clicking on a day of the week will open that corresponding day in iCal. Registered users will get to see iCal events right in the calendar without iCal even running, email support, a configurable hotkey and much more.This handy little utility sells for $18.95 and, with the most recent version of 2.5, is now a Universal Binary.[via MacMinute]
Unsanity releases Fruit Menu 3.4.2
I'm sure that many of you old school Mac users out there (like me) miss the "classic" Apple menu. The first two things I did on any Mac I was working with was to add an alias of the hard drive as the top item in the Apple menu, and an alias to the Applications folder as the second (yes, I realize I can do the same thing with the dock, but it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks). Unsanity's Fruit Menu brings some of that functionality back, as it lets you customize your Apple menu under Mac OS X.This current release features a long list of changes, including Finder smart folders, a "recent servers" folder (one of my old favorites) plus various bug fixes. Check it out, and take back your Apple Menu!
