We come across a lot of apps in our trials for finding new goodies, but many of them are too limited in function to write a whole post about. We usually tweet them @smokingapples, but for those of you who despise twitter, and for the sake of posterity, here’s a collection of must-have apps (depending on your tasks) you can use with your Mac.
Caffeine
Ever watched a YouTube video and have to shake the mouse every few minutes to prevent that annoying screen dimming? Or maybe you’re reading something on screen and the screensaver keeps kicking in. Whatever be the purpose, Caffeine is one must have utility to have in your menubar. Taking little or no resources, just click it to enable ‘caffeine mode’ which will keep your screen bright as ever for as long as you want. Click again to go back to normal.
ScreenShade
You’re doing some late night surfing on the bed, lights out, but the screen is just too bright for your own good. The MacBook screens can go only so dim before turning off the backlit completely. ScreenShade will help you get down that brightness to whatever your eyes are comfortable with. And it’s free.
LargeType
The Mac has a feature for displaying text in large type across your screen. You’ve seen it when clicking a phone number in Address Book. What if you wanted to leave a message for the next computer user who comes across? Perhaps an article headline you want to bring someone’s attention to, or a “Don’t Restart!” warning. Whatever it may be, the LargeType applet will put a new service in your Services menu, allowing it to display whatever you’ve typed in LargeType. As a sidenote, for QuickSilver users, you can just enter “.my big message” and hit return.
FlexCal
Now that MobileMe is improving all over the place, iCal is becoming more and more irrestible to use. However, it’s user interface isn’t optimised for quickly entering in tasks and events. With FlexCal, you get a floating HUD, to add data, without even having iCal open. And it’s free.
Smart Scroll X
Ever wanted that smooth scrolling of the iPhone lists, which feels like real physics are in use? Turns out Smart Scroll X is just what the doctor ordered. Smooth scrolling across applications, the ability to ‘throw’ window contents, and you can even exclude certain applications that can’t afford to waste CPU cycles on scrolling luxuries. At $19, you might think it’s a waste of money, but just check out the trial and you’ll be stunned.
iStat Menus
If you’re not a fan of the dashboard, iStat Menus will go a long way in keeping you informed about your system status. You can see hard drive status, IP addresses, transfer rate, all in a beautiful menu. Again, free. I still prefer the dashboard version though.
Desktoptopia
If you’re the type who likes to have a different wallpaper ever few days, but doesn’t have the time to go looking around, Desktoptopia offers a simple and free solution to your wallpaper switching needs. Just install it, set your preferences, and watch as the wallies are downloaded from the internet, and if you so choose, switch them in style!
xScope
If you’re designing something on your Mac (who isn’t!), there are times you need to measure on screen items. After all, the skills of a good designer are seen in the little details. xScope from the Iconfactory comes off a little expensive at $26, but it’s the best at what it does. Everything from frames, to grids, to measuring pixels or inches, it’s all there. And while I’m at it, if you ever need to roughly measure pixels, just hit Cmd+Shift+4 and drag around! Check out the trial.
F.lux
This little utility changes your screen colour temperature according to the current time of day, and lighting source, to give your eyes a much easier screen to look at. I’ve been using F.lux for the past couple of months, and it’s been an indispensable tool. I do find it has a couple of bugs, but overall it’s a great utility.
Isolator or Think
Either of these apps (mentioned in a review before) will keep your work isolated from all kinds of desktop clutter. Both Think and Isolator achieve the same goal, but with slightly different means.
Ejector
Incredibly useful app, which places a simple eject button in your menubar. With this you can eject iPods, external hard drives, and even disk images without opening a Finder window or going through your desktop. Ejector is a free app.
MacLoc
Mac OS X allows you to lock you screen using the menubar button (enabled using the Keychain Access preferences) or by means of invoking the screensaver. However, the fundamental issue with this behaviour is that no other user can use your system, save for doing a hard reboot. With MacLoc, you activate the screen lock, upon which you have to enter a password to return to your desktop, or you can select another user from the login window.
Let us know if you’re using something really cool we might have missed out on.
