Crenk » mac

Safe Internet Downloads on Softonic

Luis Sandoval — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:04:08 +0000

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.

Google Chrome for Mac is Coming in December

Steven Finch — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:30:30 +0000

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.

Top 4 Converter Programs from PDF to JPG for Mac

Steven Finch — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:45:43 +0000

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.

DJay: Mac OSX DJ Software

Steven Finch — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 08:55:45 +0000

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.

Sync Your Mac and Other Devices with Sync-Mate

Dean Sherwin — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 03:48:46 +0000

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.

MacPress: Free Mac Inspired Wordpress Theme

Steven Finch — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:00:14 +0000

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.

Demo: Sizlopedia

Download: MacPress.zip

New iPhone App Organizer

Dean Sherwin — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:07:05 +0000

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.

Pre Order Mac OS X version 10.6 Snow Leopard Now!

Steven Finch — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 16:13:46 +0000

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.

Amazon = $29.00 pre order now!

Download Skype 2.8 for Mac Free

Steven Finch — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 22:01:10 +0000

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.

How To Change Admin Password for Apple Mac Without The Disk

Steven Finch — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 10:45:19 +0000

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!

Hope this works for everyone!

Apple unleashes new Mac OS X 10.5.8 Leopard and Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard Server

Steven Finch — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:59:19 +0000

Mac OS X 10.5.8 build 9L25

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.

BitBlinder: Free Anonymous Bittorrent Downloading

Steven Finch — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 17:12:55 +0000

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.

Downgrade iPhone 3G 3.0 back to 2.2.1

Steven Finch — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:32:57 +0000

Previously we have wrote a bit about upgrading and downgrading your Apple products. Today we wanted to run through the steps of downgrading your iPhone 3.0 firmware to 2.2.1.

Connect your iPhone to your Mac or PC and select your iPhone from the list of devices in iTunes. If iTunes does not detect your iPhone then you will need to put it in DFU (Device Firmware Upgrade) mode.

You can follow these steps to put your iPhone in DFU mode (this is required only if iTunes does not recognize your iPhone):

* Connect your iPhone to your computer.
* Turn iPhone off.
* Hold power and home together for 10 seconds (exactly).
* Release power but keep holding home until the computers beeps (observed on a PC) as a USB device is recognized.
* A few seconds later iTunes should detect your iPhone.

Browse the Summary Tab, For Mac user Hold down Option and press the “Restore” button. For Windows user hold down Shift and press the Restore button. Now you will be able to browse the folder where you have the iPhone firmware.Select the firmware & hit the restore button and cross your fingers for 5 minutes.

If you get error message like 1011, 1013, 1015, just ignore them(Actually the firmware 2.2 is already successfully installed). Fire Quickpwn 2.2.1 and jailbreak your iPhone use this guide

But if you encountered with error message like 1601, 1602, 1600 or anything else then try putting the iPhone into DFU mode and try again.

If you have an Unlocked iPhone then use pwnage tool to make a custom firmware then enter DFU and restore / downgrade to 2.2.1 if not works in first time done it again n again.

FileHippo: How to Maintain All Your Freeware up to Date

Guest — Fri, 29 May 2009 09:05:41 +0000

FileHippo.com is a great web site from where you can download a lot of freeware and some shareware. The page is organized in the following categories of software:

- Browsers and Plugins

- Anti-Spyware

- Audio and Video

- File Sharing

- Firewalls ans Security

- CD and DVD Tools

- Messaging and Chat

- Anti-Virus

- Cleaning and Tweaking

- Desktop

- File Transfer

- Compression and Backup

- Imaging

- Office and News

- Benchmarking

- Drivers

- Developer Tools

- Networking and Admin

And also two interesting categories, one is Latest updates and the other is Most popular downloads, very useful.

You can apply the following filters to the software shown: No Beta versions(very useful if you need stability) and Freeware Only(useful in my case, I don’t buy software).

And the best of the site(but still in beta) is that you can download a Client Agent program(called Update Checker) to maintain all the software that you install from this page to the latest version. You can download the Update Checker in two versions, Installer and Standalone.

I found this web page very useful to maintain all my freeware tools up to date. I’m actually using it at work, and found no issues.

The GOOD:

- Has a RSS, e-Mail and Twitter notification system.

- Almost all the useful freeware is listed.

- Has few advertisement.

The BAD:

- Only software for Microsoft Windows systems.

- The Update Checker still’s in beta.

21 Free Apps For Mac OS X That Are Useful and Productive

Steven Finch — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:28:31 +0000

Our friends over at SmashingApps have put together an amazing list of the top 21 free applications for Mac OS X. Enjoy!

Name Mangler

Name Mangler is a batch file renamer that supports all common renaming tasks: Find and Replace (including support for regular expressions); Number Sequentially; Change Case; Set Extension; Add Prefix/Suffix; Remove/Insert Characters.

Backdrop

Backdrop is a simple utility to fill your screen with a giant blank window. Fill the window with a solid color or a custom image, your choice.

Service Scrubber

With Service Scrubber, you can restructure the services menu, change service keyboard shortcuts, disable and re-enable services.

iClockr

iClockr is focused to show you a simple way to track your time.

EverSave

EverSave is a clever tool which allows you to save all of your documents – if possible – in a specific time interval or by changing the frontmost application.

SyncMate

SyncMate FREE Edition is a perfect solution for information management. It is easy-to-use synchronizer for Mac and Pocket PC, that will help you keep all your documents, text messages, contacts, calendar entries and events and other stuff well organized.

Paparazzi

Paparazzi is a small utility for Mac OS X that makes screenshots of webpages. This will help you to temporary access to the WebView for username/password info, so capture of pages behind a required login is now possible.

AppFresh

AppFresh helps you to keep all applications, widgets, preference panes and application plugins installed on your Mac up to date. All from one place, easy to use and fully integrated into Mac OS X.

NetNewsWire

NetNewsWire has a familiar three-paned interface and can fetch and display news from thousands of different websites and weblogs.

Pref Setter

Pref Setter is an application used to edit plist (Property LIST) files, geared towards viewing / editing Mac OS X’s preference files. Very useful for setting those “hidden” preference settings that aren’t available directly in an application.

Skim

Skim is a PDF reader and note-taker for OS X. It is designed to help you read and annotate scientific papers in PDF, but is also great for viewing any PDF file.

OnyX

OnyX allows you to verify the Startup Disk and the structure of its System files, run miscellaneous tasks of system maintenance, configure some hidden parameters of the Finder, Dock, Dashboard, Exposé, Safari, Login window and some of Apple’s own applications.

Witch

Witch lets you access all of your windows by pressing a shortcut and choosing from a clearly arranged list of window titles.

Cyberduck

Cyberduck is an open source FTP, SFTP, WebDAV and Amazon S3 browser for the Mac. It features an easy to use interface that allows to toggle between bookmarks and the browser outline view.

Syrinx

Syrinx is a fully customizable twitter client designed for Leopard. Syrinx is built from two ideals efficient workflow and customization.

Visual NetTools

Visual NetTools is a set of network scanning, security, and administrator tools for Apple Mac useful in diagnosing networks and monitoring your computer’s network connections.

Deeper

Deeper allows you to enable and disable the hidden functions of Finder, Dock, Dashboard, Exposé, Safari, Login window and many Apple’s applications.

Burn

Namely

Namely is possibly the fastest way to open applications. And unlike some other launchers, it doesn’t require any learning.

Punakea

Punakea is a little app trying to help you cope with the day-to-day struggle of managing your files. Designed to complement Spotlight, it allows you to tag your files and bookmarks.

Top 8 Free Alternatives to Adobe Photoshop

Steven Finch — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 13:29:22 +0000

Adobe has some of the most expensive and best product solution in the world, but of course they come at a price. Below are the best 8 free solutions that challenge the Adobe Photoshop program.

1. GIMP

GIMP stands for “GNU image manipulation program”, and it is one of the oldest and most well known alternatives to Photoshop in existence. Although it doesn’t quite have all of them, you’ll find most of the features included in Photoshop somewhere in GIMP. GIMP is cross platform and supported by a large community.

If just having the feature set isn’t enough for you, there is an alternative based on GIMP known as GIMPShop. It’s the same as GIMP, except the layout has been structured as close to Photoshop as possible, so anyone making the transition should still feel right at home.

2. Krita

Krita has been lauded for ease of use and won the Akademy Award for Best Application in 2006. Part of the Koffice suite for Linux, Krita is slightly less powerful than both Photoshop and GIMP, but does contain some unique features.

3. Paint.NET

Paint.NET has grown out of a simple replacement for the well known MSPaint into a fully featured open source image editor with a wide support base. You’ll need Windows to run Paint.NET.

4. ChocoFlop

ChocoFlop is a design application designed exclusively for Mac, optimized for Mac architecture. It’s quick and fairly well featured. This program won’t always be free, but until a stable version is released (it’s currently in beta) they are allowing free use. The program works pretty well as is, and if you’re the type who doesn’t mind an occasional bug it’s certainly worth a look.

5. Cinepaint

Cinepaint is designed primarily for video often used to make animated feature films by major studios, but it is also a great image editor capable of high fidelity 32 bit color. Currently there is no stable version for Windows.

6. Pixia

Pixia was originally designed in Japanese but English versions now exist for this rich editor. Although the original focus was on anime/manga, it is a very capable editor in general. Some of the features are a little counter intuitive, but there are plenty of English tutorials available now if you want to give it a shot. The website seems to have changed recently, so be sure to use our link if you don’t want a Japanese error message. Pixia works for Windows.

7. Pixen

Pixen is designed as a pixel artist’s dream, but has expanded into a smooth and well featured overall editor. It’s definitely best at animation though, if that’s your style. Pixen is Mac (10.4x or later) only.

8. Picnik

Picnik is a web based photo editor that has recently taken off due to a partnership with Flickr. It has all the basic features plus a few advanced ones like layers and special effects. It is cross platform since you only need a browser.

Cmune: Great 3D Browser-based Multiplayer 3D Shooter Game

Steven Finch — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 10:57:22 +0000

The other day I came across a great new multiplayer 3D shooter game. The site is Cmune and they claim to have the first browser-based multiplayer 3D shooter built to be social.

Cmune allows users to play a 3D paintball shooter game within any web browser. Additionally you can play the game in either Windows, Mac or even within Facebook. The game itself is very simple, a user needs to just download a small plugin and then they can create or join in on a game. Paradise paintball has very simple controls and is easy to use and graphics are ok but nothing out of this world.

When the site first opens you are able to choose which game you want to join or even able to create a game and play against your friends. Cmune is a great time waster!!

Steve Jobs Steps Down from Apple

Luis Sandoval — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:03:16 +0000

: Image via CrunchBase

Breaking News!

Steve Job is taking a leave of abscence from Apple after being plagued by rumors of his serious health issues. To date pundits, blogs, and news agencies have speculated over the mysterious weight loss Steve has suffered over the past two years. His abscence from many of Apple’s major events, and this official stance on pulling out of MacWorld futher fueled the idea that Steve Jobs was on his death bed.

While that is not the case based on the official statement, there is no doubt that Apple stock will take a serious hit due to this announcement, and speculation will continue on regarding the validity of this statement.

I personally wish him well. As fan of Apple Inc., their computers, their consumer product, and their innovation in the market. I truly hope we see this amazing man come back before 2009 closes.

Here is the official word from Steve Jobs himself which can be found HERE on Apple’s website:

Letter from Apple CEO Steve Jobs

Dear Apple Community,

For the first time in a decade, I’m getting to spend the holiday season with my family, rather than intensely preparing for a Macworld keynote.

Unfortunately, my decision to have Phil deliver the Macworld keynote set off another flurry of rumors about my health, with some even publishing stories of me on my deathbed.

I’ve decided to share something very personal with the Apple community so that we can all relax and enjoy the show tomorrow.

As many of you know, I have been losing weight throughout 2008. The reason has been a mystery to me and my doctors. A few weeks ago, I decided that getting to the root cause of this and reversing it needed to become my #1 priority.

Fortunately, after further testing, my doctors think they have found the cause—a hormone imbalance that has been “robbing” me of the proteins my body needs to be healthy. Sophisticated blood tests have confirmed this diagnosis.

The remedy for this nutritional problem is relatively simple and straightforward, and I’ve already begun treatment. But, just like I didn’t lose this much weight and body mass in a week or a month, my doctors expect it will take me until late this Spring to regain it. I will continue as Apple’s CEO during my recovery.

I have given more than my all to Apple for the past 11 years now. I will be the first one to step up and tell our Board of Directors if I can no longer continue to fulfill my duties as Apple’s CEO. I hope the Apple community will support me in my recovery and know that I will always put what is best for Apple first.

So now I’ve said more than I wanted to say, and all that I am going to say, about this.

Steve

BREAKING NEWS: Apple Not Part of MacWorld Expo

Luis Sandoval — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 01:25:41 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

My writings, my podcasts, and basically my predictions have come true. Today it was announced that Apple will no longer be a part of MacWorld Expo, the very event that was almost defined by the very company.

“Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, will deliver the opening keynote for this year’s Macworld Conference & Expo, and it will be Apple’s last keynote at the show.”

This is monumental ladies and gentleman, MacWorld was defined as the definitive spot where Steve Jobs, Apple, black turtle necks, and Mac fanboys. Whether it’s the economy, or the reason they state in the press release, it’s not surprising that Apple would make this move.

For those of us that have been around long enough to look fondly on this Expo, this is indeed an end of an era. Without the draw of Apple, what will become of this once dominant conference?

TuneUp Cleans iTunes on Mac

Luis Sandoval — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 15:57:21 +0000

Too often music information is ignored once it’s been put into a player. For casual listeners, information like song title, track number, or even album art seems irrelevant in light of the actual song playing. For those of us that truly love our music, enthusiasts of digital music if you will, ensuring that all of our music is organized, labeled, tagged, and played correctly is like an art form.

In the old days music was catalogued by hand, hours spent finding names, album art, and meta-information that music needs in order to show correctly on the player. Those days are long gone, and many small plugins to iTunes, Winamp, and the other major players have come out to assist users with this tedious but necessary task. For those of us that still hang out onto iTunes, TuneUp has finally made its way to the Mac, and it’s really making an impact.

TuneUp uses the Gracenote database of over 90 million songs to correct the information. The interface is simple and offers a bevy of choices for taking care of your digital music library. With simple drag and drops, your music is referenced against the Gracenote library, but information such as release date and genre is even included for all of your tracks to give you the most depth for your query.

The application also plugs you into other social sites like YouTube. By clicking the “Now Playing” tab you are offered other media that is associated with the track you are playing. If the band has any videos, or fans have done something related to the song your listening to, you will be notified through this feature. To offer even more incentive, the “Now Playing” selection will also provide you concert information for your favorite artists, current, concise, and useful.

Now all of this does come at a small price. Installing the plugin will allow you 500 song corrections and 50 album art updates, but afterwards there is a pay model to keep the application funded. For $12 you can get full access to the application for 1 year, but for $20 you get a lifetime membership that will allow you for correct your entire digital library for life.

Critics will say that paying for this service would be useless especially when most users only adjust their library once or twice in a lifetime. I don’t necessarily agree with that, but nevertheless, even if that were true, the addition of the “Now Playing” features is reason enough to keep this little application handy.

Netflix Offers “Watch Instantly” on Macs

Luis Sandoval — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 01:03:36 +0000

Netflix, an extremely popular online movie renting site, has done what other sites have been unable to do so successfully, bring the end of brick and mortar video renting locations. Not only have physical video rental locations dwindled, but other online competitors simply could not get the following that Netflix was able to acquire with its extensive selection and quick mailing turnaround.

But even with all of its successes, Netflix was still marred by one fact, their streaming option was not supported by Apple computers. Earlier this year Netflix announced that members of their site would be able to directly stream content from their site, making it easier on the user to view as opposed to having to wait for the mail out. This easily accessible option drove streaming use through the roof, but only for Window’s users. Mac owners were left out in this major announcement until now.

Last week it was announced by Netflix, Inc. that testing was being done to ensure that Mac users would be able to stream content by the end of this year. The announcement which many members thought would never come, came with a catch. The streaming technology would only be available for Intel based Macs, and not be supported by older models.

Thanks to Microsoft’s Silverlight technology, Netflix is able to bring it’s streaming library of over 12,000 movies and TV shows to non-windows users. I personally find it ironic that the only way streaming media could have been brought to the Mac was via a windows bridge, ala Silverlight. Nevertheless, those holding onto older Macs have a reason to ditch it for the Intel based models.

Currently there is a Mac media player that is available for beta testing. The product, now available for public beta testing can be downloaded by anyone. The beta as admittedly experienced several bugs that may interfere with the quality of the movie played, but plans from Netflix are to have most if not all of these bugs worked out by the end of the year.

Personally I love Netflix’s “Watch Instantly” choice, and have longed for support on the Mac. Interestingly though, the DRM only allows a certain number of machines that you can watch your streaming media on. This limitation is similar to what iTunes has with its account set up. I’m not necessarily sure this will be much of a problem for most of us, but the limitation seems silly to begin with.

Thus far the player has worked fine on my machine, but even with my limited use I may not come across all of the bugs that are expected to pop up. If you are using the public beta software to stream movies on a mac, I’d like to year about your experiences and whether this was a good move for Netflix, Inc. Make sure to leave your comments and be heard!

Google to Launch Open Source Internet Browser in 100 Countries Today, Called Chrome

Steven Finch — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 09:22:19 +0000

Google to launch a web browser today to 100 countries, and it will be named Google Chrome. There is a lot of buzz already about this new product and Im sure you have probably already read about it on Techcrunch, AllthingsD, Sizlopedia and more.All of this was just a rumour until it was confirmed by the Official Google Blog.

For a long time now there have only really been 3 key players in the online browser market, IE, Firefox and Safari (MACs). I’m very interested to use this product today and see how it compares to all these other browsers.

For a long time also Google has been funding Mozilla by paying to have their search engine as default in the browser, so if Google Chrome becomes popular and out grows Firefox, will they still pay top dollar to be the default search in Firefox?

The New Apple iMac Hits The Market

Steven Finch — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:08:38 +0000

Just when you thought iMac had everything, now thereâ€™s even more. More powerful Intel Core 2 Duo processors. And more memory standard. Combine this with Mac OS X Leopard and iLife â€™08, and itâ€™s more all-in-one than ever. iMac packs amazing performance into a stunningly slim space.

Im not too sure why I am really posting about this new product offering from Apple, but I thought it looked very sexy and I simple just want one!

Macbook Air: Coming To An Apple Store Near You On Wednesday!

Steven Finch — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 21:06:42 +0000

Since the introduction of the Macbook Air at MacWorld a week or so ago, there has been a lot of talk around the blogosphere about this new exciting product. I just thought I would write a very quick article and let everyone know that this revolutionary product will be available in the Apple Stores in the USA on Wednesday.

The guys over at TUAW mentioned that the Air might be cleverly disguised as stacks of interoffice mail, no doubt.