Monthly Archive for September, 2009

Applications for Snow Leopard

Published on September 2, 2009 in IT and in English. 2 Comments

As Snow Leopard is finally out, it is time for me to perform a clean install and get rid of the junk that had gathered during the years. In addition to the web services and applications already installed with Mac OS X 10.6, there are some programs I utilize during my extensive use of Mac and the Interwibble.

I made a similar list back in 2007 when Leopard was released. As Apple has added features, some add-ons are not needed anymore, like the once handy Facebook Exporter for iPhoto). Also a nice development is that the majority of the apps include an auto update feature – there is no need for manually reinstalling yuor apps.

Online:

  • Skype – make calls from your computer.
  • Adium – instant messaging application connecting to AIM, MSN, Facebook chat, and more.
  • Transmission is a BitTorrent client for Mac OS X.
  • Cyberduck is an open source FTP and SFTP browser.
  • Firefox web browser (solely for testing purposes as I prefer Safari).
  • Acquisition – search and download files.
  • Dropbox – sync your files online and across computers.
  • TweetDeck – a simple and fast way to experience Twitter.

Audio and video:

  • VLC – media player supporting a large number of multimedia formats.
  • HandBrake – convert DVDs to MPEG-4.
  • Last.fm scrobbles your tracks to Last.fm.
  • Livestation delivers a range of live radio and television channels to your computer over a broadband network.
  • Spotify (free with an invite) is a music streaming service.
  • Airfoil ($25) – Send any audio to AirPort Express units, all in sync!
  • Senuti ($18) is a simple application that allows you to transfer songs from your iPod to your computer (for a feature you don’t likely need that often it is not worth the price, but in some situations the 30-day free trial might help).
  • XimpleMOD plays your ancient music files (IT, S3M, XM, MTM, MOD, UMX and MO3). Back in the 90′s LCIII’s Motorola 68030 was too slow to handle .mp3 format…

Other:

  • AddressBookSync – download profile pictures and other Facebook data to Address Book.
  • GoogleEarth – zoom from outer space to street level in seconds.
  • Cooliris – browse Google Images, Flickr etc. with a 3D wall.
  • Soikko on suomen kielen oikoluku- ja tavutusohjelma (ehdoton asennus, kaikessa mitä koneella kirjoitat on tämän jälkeen oikoluku).
  • Combine PDFs is an application to combine several PDF files easily.
  • Carbon Copy Cloner – make complete, bootable backups (not necessary as Time Machine handle the same task, but for some situations CCC is better).
  • Onyx allows you to run misc tasks of system maintenances and more (not yet Snow Leopard compatible).
  • LCDtest is a simple application that helps you test your liquid crystal display.
  • Saft and Safari Stand add many useful features to Safari like URL shortcuts (not yet Snow Leopard compatible).
  • YummySoup! ($20) – recipe management app for cooking, shopping, sharing, and organizing recipes.

Widgets:

  • Sol – tells you what time sunrise (dawn) and sunset (dusk) are.
  • iStat Pro – the ultimate system monitoring widget.
  • TunesTEXT – search and save lyrics in music files automatically while using iTunes.
  • Currency Converter – 170 world currencies; great for online shopping.
  • Dashalytics – quick access to Google Analytics statistics.
  • Symbol Caddy keeps a bunch of common special characters at fingertips.

In addition to these freeware/shareware programs, must have applications include:

  • EyeTV software, together with compatible hardware, turns your Mac into both a TV and a Digital Video Recorder (DVR).
  • Coda for web development
  • Microsoft Office – documents, spreadsheets and presentations.
  • iWork ’09 – Office in Mac way. Keynote is great!
  • Adobe CreativeSuite 4 for all creative professionals.