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It’s Thanksgiving in the United States today, and families everywhere are gathering to celebrate. When the dinner festivities end, and you’re searching for something else to do this evening, might I suggest trying some new Mac software? I have compiled a list of nine applications I started using in 2009 and am thankful for. Some of the applications are free, and others are shareware. All of them have helped me with my work, increased my productivity, and have a bit more fun. Don’t forget to register the shareware applications you love!
If you have any software you’re thankful for, tell everyone about it in the comments section. I hope you have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.
AppFresh: AppFresh is Software Update for all of your non-Apple software. It scans your hard drive for installed software (including system preferences and Internet plug-ins) and then checks online to see if updates are available. As the Metaquark website says, AppFresh is still in a “development preview” state, so there are some bugs. I’ve noticed that AppFresh sometimes believes I don’t have the latest version of an application, even though I do. Sometimes this is AppFresh’s fault, and sometimes it’s the fault of the software developer. In any event, it’s a huge timesaver to have one application find updates, download them, and install them for me. AppFresh is free.
Dropbox: Dropbox is essentially a free version of MobileMe’s iDisk. Once installed, you can store 2GB of files in your Dropbox folder for free, and the application syncs those files to and from your folder on the Dropbox server. You can then access the files from the server or any other Mac, Windows, or Linux computer (and your iPhone) you install Dropbox on. It’s a great way to sync your frequently-used files, as well have an instant back-up. Dropbox is free for 2GB of space (and you can pay to have more).
Moneywell: This is my favorite software of 2009. As someone who constantly struggles with financial budgeting, I have tried nearly every piece of banking software available for the Mac. While some applications are beautiful or have a plethora of features, none of them has a good budgeting tool. I have come to believe that people who are serious about budgeting should use the envelope system. Moneywell has a fantastic interface for this system, can download your transactions from OFX servers, and has very helpful screencasts for getting you up and running. Moneywell is $49.99.
Pixelmator: This is my runner-up for favorite software of the year. I had long been looking for a Photoshop replacement. While I recognize that full-time designers need access to most of the Adobe Creative Suite, I simply need a quality photo editor. Pixelmator is the best one I have found. It is lightening fast, leverages Core Image to offload tasks to your GPU, and has a clean interface. I use Pixelmator to edit all the images on MacGuru Lounge. Pixelmator is $59.
Pixelmator is the best photo editor since Photoshop, and for that, I am thankful.
Plex: Earlier this year, I finally broke down and bought a Mac mini to replace the Apple TV that couldn’t do 80% of what I wanted from a home media center. Hooked up to my HDTV, the Mac mini records television programs through Eye TV but plays back nearly all the DVDs and downloaded content I have through Plex. It handles a tremendous number of formats, and it connects to Hulu, Comedy Central, MSNBC, and even MLB.tv to allow users to stream their favorite programs. The Plex Media Server connects to iPhoto and iTunes to give users access to their libraries. Best of all, it has a beautiful interface. Plex is free.
Stick ‘em Up: If you use Apple’s Stickies application with any frequency, you know that it’s easy to use but has few features. Stick ‘em Up is a Stickies replacement, allowing you to add rich text and graphics to the stickies. For me, the best part is that I can create groups of stickies, which allows you to view only certain stickies on the screen at once. Stick ‘em Up is free.
TimeMachineEditor: I love Apple’s Time Machine, and I am thankful for the Time Capsule. I do not want, however, my MacBook Air to back up to the Time Capsule every hour. Time Machine uses a lot of system resources and slows down the Air, which can’t handle disk activity very well. TimeMachineEditor solves this by letting you customize when you want Time Machine to run its backups. You can select calendar intervals or change the frequency of hour intervals. TimeMachineEditor is free.
Toodledo: Ok, I have to admit that I’m cheating here, as Toodledo is technically not Mac software — it’s a website. But after trying nearly every Mac task management application out there, I couldn’t stick with any of them, especially when I wanted to be able to add tasks via the web or iPhone (Toodledo does have a great iPhone app). You can also use Fluid to make a great Toodledo app in its own web browser. Toodledo is free, though you can pay for advanced features. Toodledo on the iPhone is $1.99.
VirtualBox: If you have been looking for a way to run Windows on your Mac in a virtual environment, you may have spent some time trying to decide between Parallels and VMWare Fusion. Although I firmly believe Fusion is the better product between the two, why not try VirtualBox? It runs at a very high speed and has good user support through forums. Best of all, Virtualbox is free for personal use.
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