There’s nothing like finding that application that helps get you through your day. Whether it’s a productivity application, or a business appliation, or a creative application, whether the need, it’s nice to know that there are alternatives to the costly pay versions. Sometimes freeware or shareware is just as good to get the job done and we turn to the internet for those downloads.
Now I admit in the past I had been going to Download.com, and found what I needed on there. But recently I was introduced to Softonic, and it’s equally as impressive as Download.com, but I’m just not a fan of the interface. I found it confusing, kinda clunky, and Download.com seems to have gotten the site structure of its heirarchy better laid out.
Still there’s tons of great apps on the site, which also features apps you should have. Sometimes you find apps that you didn’t now you needed, and that’s when you know that a site is bringing value to you. That value comes in what Softonic covers; Windows, Mac, Phones, Palm OS and Pocket PC’s. Seems like a healthy library, and growing everyday.
Give it a try and let us know which one you like better.
PC users have been able to use the Google Chrome browser for some time now, however for everyone using Macs they have been waiting patiently for their own non-developer version. Chrome day for the Mac is coming very soon.
CNET is reporting that recent discussion in a Chrome mailing list points to an early December launch. We could be just weeks away from a beta version of Chrome for Mac.
The Google group update in question is light on details, but by requesting that developers update to support Browser Actions, it also suggests that a December launch date for a Mac version is fast approaching.
Google Chrome’s product manager, Nick Baum, writes:
“The extensions team has been working hard to get BrowserActions ready, and
they’re already working great on Windows and Linux. We’ve noticed that many
of you have updated your extensions to take advantage of the new UI. We’d
like to encourage the rest of you to do so as well!
You can find the latest docs here:
http://code.google.com/chrome/extensions/browserAction.html
Why make the switch now? The earlier you switch, the more time you will have
to polish your experience for our Beta launch in early December. We realize
this means dropping Mac support for a couple of weeks, but we already have
people working on that. If you prioritize the Windows and Linux versions,
we’ll bring you cross-platform parity as soon as we can!”
The post provides an interesting clue to the future of Google Chrome for Mac. We can only hope the early December beta launch date is accurate.
A lot of people have big issues converting files from PDF format to any other format. Today, I wanted to run through converter programs which change PDF files to JPG (image) files for both Mac and PC.
Zamzar
Zamzar is probably the most well known file conversion site. The process is simplicity personified: Choose the file to convert then choose the format to convert to (e.g. JPG) then enter your email address to receive the converted file then convert. The minuses with the free service are that the file size is limited to 100MB with just 5 simultaneous conversions. Also, you might feel a wee bit uneasy uploading sensitive data without encryption support.
YouConvertIt
YouConvertIt is a new site that lets you upload 5 files at a time and then convert them from PDF to JPG format.
Neevia Document Converter
Neevia Technology has a web interface which facilitates the conversion of PDF documents to image files. Select the conversion settings and upload your file. The converted file can be rendered in the browser or can be downloaded via an email link. Two dropdowns further give you control over image quality and resolution. The only visible restriction is the 1MB file upload size limit.
If you are wary of uploading sensitive files over the net, you need to look beyond the online solutions to something much more local. Thankfully these three pieces of free software take up the task.
PDF-Xchange Viewer
PDF-Xchange Viewer is a light feature-rich PDF document reader. The free version of the software is a capable document handler with most of the standard features expected. Add comments and annotations, mark-up pages with texts and objects, type within the PDF document along with plug-ins for both IE and Firefox are also included.
But the feature which interests us is the ability of the software to export a file or a page to the supported image formats like JPEG, BMP, TIFF, PNG and more.
Open the PDF file in the viewer, click on File – Export to Image and the dialog opens up where you can set the pages to convert, the image type to convert to and the destination folder. More importantly, the ‘Export Mode’ setting allows you to designate the number of image files for the subject PDF file. The ‘Page Zoom’, ‘Resolution’ and ‘Page Background’ also allow added finishing touches.
The world’s sexiest DJ software DJay has just launched their version 3 for the Mac OSX.
DJay has to have the best looking interface on the market for DJ software and im sure it is making Windows users wonder why the hell they cant get anything like this on their system. DJay is very featured rich and it even reads your iTunes library, thus turning your Mac into a full DJ system that is suited to both beginners and professionals alike.
Features include:
Drag and drop from your iTunes library
Mix manually to automatically
Full beat and tempo detection
Auto volume control and effects
Midi device connection options
It is as if any person can now become a DJ and make some money by pretending to mix in their local bars and clubs.
Gone are the days when a humble mobile phone and a stand alone PC were all the high profile office worker, self-employed person or whiz-kid had. Now, we all have at least three or four devices ranging from laptops, to cell phones, to smart phones to MP4 players. And the demand for them all to work together has never been higher. This is where syncing come into question. Syncing same-brand and compatible devices may be easy but using generic programs to sync items such as MacBooks and Windows Mobile smart phones that are from two opposing companies is no easy task.
SyncMate, which is mate by Eltima is available at the domain www.syn-mac.com holds the answer to syncing you Macintosh with several smart phones such as Windows mobile and Nokia S-Series phones.
The software is downloaded to your Mac and used to sync organisers, meida, contact info, e-mails and other such useful data. One user, Ann Clifford said:
“I am using SyncMate mainly to synchronize my Todos, my Google calendar and my contacts. SMS Manager Function is very useful too. Oh, almost forgot! The new iTunes synchronization is very cool. It syncs all my music, which is very important to me. SyncMate is a total ActiveSync for Mac replacement.”
The software is available here and I highly recommend it for the power-users with a Mac.
Our friends over at Sizlopedia have released a great new free Wordpress theme that is worth a look. The theme is called MacPress and is actually being currently used on the Sizlopedia site itself.
Here you go with some of the features of MacPress:
Compatibility – It is compatible with the latest version of Wordpress.
Elegant Design – Much like Leopard, the theme has a eye-catching UI of its own.
Theme Options – The theme also comes with a built-in Options panel.
Validated Code – From the XHTML to the CSS, every bit of codehas been validated.
SEO Friendly – It bears a fine code with SEO friendly tags and structure.
And some of the features planned for the future releases:
Styles Chooser – The Options panel would allow the user to select a pre-defined style.
Magazine Layout – A switcher between normal/magazine layout modes.
The iPhone is the most recognisable smart phone in the world. Its popularity meant that it was the first phone that really was built for apps. There are now literally thousands of companies churning out hundreds of thousands of apps for both the iPhone and the iPod Touch. Many people have hundreds of apps on their iPhone for every task imaginable such as splitting up the cost of a bill, getting your horoscope or booking flights. But organising them can be an issue which can result in you messing up your app pages.
Now, a new program called ‘Movement’ has been released for Mac computers which allows you to sync all of your apps with your computer and rearrange them on a big screen with easy to use tools. Then, just transfer the info back to your iPhone and all of your apps will be just how you like them such as in alphabetical order, popularity or in different sections depending on what they’re for.
I think this is a cool piece of kit for anyone with an iPhone or an iPod Touch. There is a catch for users however, their device must be jail broken to allow the sync to take place.
There has been a lot of talk recently about Windows 7 which is the new operating system coming soon from Microsoft. However, on the Mac side they have released Mac OS X version 10.6 Snow Leopard. Currently you are able to pre order Snow Leopard via Amazon. Price is only $29.00 which is very affordable compared to Windows 7.
There has been a lot of news from Skype lately, Skype new headset, Skype Windows and iPhone improvements, and Skype 4.0 release. Just to jump on the bandwagon Skype has now released their 2.8 version for the Mac. This new version brings two totally new and unique features namely Screen sharing and Skype Access.
Screen Sharing is a key new feature in Skype client for the Mac which allows one easily to see/share all or a portion of their desktop with another Skype user during a call. And for those on the move, Skype Access allows them to pay for Wi-Fi hotspots using their credit.
More new features include:
Improved chat management
Quick Add
Mood message chat
Larger profile pictures
Hidden avatars in incoming contact requests
Add notes to contacts
To download this new version of Skype, simply head over to the Skype website.
In the last week or so we have been having a lot issues with a few of the Macs in the office and in particular changing the admin password. I thought I would just write a quick article letting everyone know how we fix this.
You need to enter terminal and create a new admin account:
1. Reboot
2. Hold apple + s down after you hear the chime.
3. When you get text prompt enter in these terminal commands to create a brand new admin account (hitting return after each line):
* mount -uw /
* rm /var/db/.AppleSetupDone
* shutdown -h now
4. After rebooting you should have a brand new admin account. When you login as the new admin you can simply delete the old one and you’re good to go again!
Since opening the Mac OS X 10.5.8 beta test to developers approximately one month ago, Apple has shown signs that the release may cap off development of Mac OS X 10.5.
For example, each new build has arrived with a focus area noticeably distinct from the last, with lower-level technologies and frameworks seeing greater attention than usual. As such, it’s been speculated that the Mac maker may be giving its Leopard OS a final once-over.
This trend appears to have culminated with this past weekend’s release of build 9L25, which no longer asks that developers focus their attention on a small subset of Leopard’s components. Instead, it groups together the more than three dozen components that had been isolated into smaller focus groups in earlier betas.
The latest build also lists no known issues and addresses just two new bugs, one related to saving mail messages as individual message documents and another to URL localization.
Mac OS X 10.6 Server build 10A403
Separately, developers this weekend were also treated to a new build of Mac OS X 10.6 Server, labeled build 10A403. With it, Apple asked that they test upgrade installs of the server software itself, in addition to upgrade installs of Calendar server.
Developers were also reportedly asked to spend some time with the system’s new Podcast Producer, evaluating as many third-party video and web cams as they possibly can. Included with the software is a new Web Podcast Capture which leverages a new Dual Source Video Capture feature for allowing users to create picture-in-picture format podcasts.
Mac OS X 10.6 build 10A402a
Mac OS X 10.6 Server build 10A403 arrived on the heels of Mac OS X 10.6 Client build 10A402a earlier in the week. That build introduced some widely-reported interface tweaks to the Dock’s pop-up menus and Expose.
Over at TorrentFreak they were the first to report on a new bittorrent startup like no other, BitBlinder. Most regular bittorrent users are always looking for the best way to hide themselves online and this just may be the answer.
BitBlinder is a new and free cross platform (Mac coming soon) open source project which not only claims to make anonymous BitTorrent transfers a reality but also hides your IP address while browsing the web. Its functionality also extends to the bypassing of some web filters and in the future will be compatible with more applications, such as email, IRC and instant messaging clients.
As one of its creators explains: “We want to make online anonymity fast, usable and ubiquitous to the point that organisations give up on spying and filtering us”.
It’s apparently not as fast as regular BitTorrent use, but it’s fast enough – and the key thing is that it’s free. Previously, using BitTorrent anonymously has involved paying to use a virtual private network (VPN). Among new features promised are the ability to avoid university and corporate firewalls, too.
There’s nothing like finding that application that helps get you through your day. Whether it’s a productivity application, or a business appliation, or a creative application, whether the need, it’s nice to know that there are alternatives to the costly pay versions. Sometimes freeware or shareware is just as good to get the job done and we turn to the internet for those downloads.
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