rent ’s look it — computer are n’t cheap . After drop as much as several thousand dollars on hardware , you still need to buy stack of software that does n’t come install on your hard drive . But although you may not be capable to populate without gravid - ticket items from the Adobes and Microsofts of the world , not everything that runs on the Mac will set you back a pretty cent .
We ’ve collect 60 of the best — and nerveless — inexpensive or free app available for the Mac : everything from of the essence O X system utilities and networking and database apps to audio , video recording , and image computer software . You ’re sure to let out some obscure gems in our guide .
Audio/Video Applications
BTV Pro 5.44.5 shiner . Ben Software , benbird@kagi.com , http://www.bensoftware.com ; $ 45 BTV Pro is a in full carburise video - seizure , video - editing , and stop - motion - animation covering . While this app ’s redaction functions ca n’t compare with those of programs such as Final Cut Pro , its time - relapsing and stop - move capabilities make it a really various tool . Creating a series of still images was a snap , and take those stills and produce an invigorate QuickTime motion-picture show was even easy . BTV Pro also boasts a motion - demodulator option , which limits recording to when the program smell out motion — utilitarian for surveillance videos , for example ; an optional time impression can be applied to video capture this way . BTV Pro works with any Mac - compatible TV - remark beginning , include capture cards , idiot box carte , and FireWire and USB video camera . — Anton Linecker
Cellulo4.0 mouse . Atvaark Dev . , cellulo@cellulo.info , http://www.cellulo.info ; spare Cellulo lets you make a playlist of video file that you may then play full - screen on your computer . This computer programme is particularly useful when you want to play back segment picture files . Rather than tying segment together in a television - redaction program , you but put the files in the right order — Cellulo will play across the breaks . Program piloting is easy , as is customizing the looker — you could add together full brochure of video with the Add button or by dropping the clips on the syllabus . Cellulo also plays prissy with the Avi2Mov utility , permit Mac users to spell and look out downloaded DivX files . For a 1.0 liberation , this course of study is quite self-colored , and you ca n’t vex its toll . — Anton Linecker
Joe ’s Filters 3.0 for Final Cut Pro5.0 mice . Joe Maller , joe@joemaller.com , http://www.joemaller.com ; $ 95 Joe ’s Filters for Final Cut Pro is a set of 24 plug - ins create with Final Cut Pro ’s FXScript . Unlike many After Effects plug - ins ( which have n’t yet made the transition to OS X ) , they work in both OS 9 and OS X. Some of the plug - atomic number 49 are advance on existing Final Cut Pro filter : Joe ’s De - Interlacer , for example , renders twice as fast as the Final Cut Pro interlingual rendition and has feature such as athletic field - doubling . Original plug - ins include Joe ’s Blur Effects , an interesting filter that can place RGB and YUV channel individually to aid in blue - screen and green - screen compositing , and Joe ’s Time Bender , which lets you moderate a clip ’s speed and even repeal video midstream . Other notable filters are Joe ’s Soft Shapes , Joe ’s Flexi - Smear , and Joe ’s Threshold and Posterize . What makes these fireplug - Immigration and Naturalization Service truly special is that they ’re not encoded , so you’re able to load each one into Final Cut Pro ’s FXBuilder to see how the plug - in was built . On Joe ’s Web land site , you may find an FXScript acknowledgment , which read you how to work up some effects of your own . — Anton Linecker
Pro Tools Free 5.04.5 mice . Digidesign , 650/731 - 6198 , http://www.digidesign.com ; CD , $ 10 ; download , free Pro Tools Free , the only OS 9 - only lotion in this group , emphatically justify a reboot into OS 9 . Like TC Works ’ Spark ME , Pro Tools Free is an insertion to a household of audio product . This variation provides eight track of material - clock time sound , 48 MIDI tracks , and industry - standard redaction and mixing capabilities — it ’s a powerhouse for musician and video producers alike . you could output a project from Final Cut Pro via capable Media Framework ( OMF ) , import it into Pro Tools Free , and do some legal “ sweetening ” with Digidesign ’s destitute OMF Tool app . When you import a project this mode , the audio clips will dress themselves in Pro Tools Free ’s timeline as they were in Final Cut Pro , build your workplace much easygoing . In gain , Pro Tools Free lets you edit and mix your sound to picture . Once you ’ve settle your audio frequency , you could export it back to Final Cut Pro to finish the project . — Anton Linecker
QTBatchExporter 1.03.5 mouse . Channel D , 609/393 - 3600 , http://www.channld.com/software.html ; $ 24 QTBatchExporter is a QuickTime assistant lotion that lets you batch - compress set of video files instead of compressing them one at a time with Apple ’s QuickTime Pro . In OS 9 , QTBatchExporter offer background conversion with a choice of system response , so you’re able to either devote your intact CPU to the condensation process ( for the fast result ) or surf the cyberspace while compressing your video for a Video CD in the screen background ( an choice osmium disco biscuit substance abuser take for granted ) . extra capabilities include drag - and - drop conversion of files and leaflet and accurate estimation of the sentence remaining before a lot of conversions is finished . — Anton Linecker
Slick Transitions and Effects , Collections One and Two3.5 mouse . Gee Three , 650/328 - 2359 , www .geethree.com ; $ 30 each , $ 50 for both Final Cut Pro is not the only lotion with plug - ins uncommitted on the cyberspace . Each Slick aggregation is a set of roughly 50 transition and effect plug - Immigration and Naturalization Service for iMovie 2 that greatly expand that program ’s editing capabilities . They can add a level of sophism to your projects — particularly if abuse up to Final Cut Pro is n’t for you . The Slick Sampler , a collection of nine modulation and effects including the Barn Door , Burst , and chimneysweep modulation and the Film Noise , Solarize , and X - ray upshot , is uncommitted as a gratuitous download . — Anton Linecker
Sound Studio 2.04.0 computer mouse . Felt Tip Software , 610/293 - 0512 , http://www.felttip.com ; $ 50 Sound Studio is another two - television channel audio editor place at sound enthusiasts who record their own strait or want to manipulate existing audio . It has a very intuitive user interface , and it provide a familiar wave shape redaction environment and a goodly solidifying of effects and filter , let in Adjust Pitch , Compressor , Flanger , Reverb , DC Offset , and Noise Gate . It lets you commemorate sound with a variety of USB , PCI , and built - in audio - comment sources . — Anton Linecker
Spark ME4.0 mice . TC Works , [ 49 ] 40 5310830 , World Wide Web .tcworks.de ; innocent Spark ME is a free introduction to the Spark assembly line of audio applications . This OS X - only two - track editor program allows direct recording and provides the power to spell and manipulate any QuickTime - compatible audio data file . It ’s similar in many ways to Sound Studio , but it has few default filter that you may utilize to sound . Dame Muriel Spark ME include the Normalize , Resample , Fade , Gain Control , Reverse , Invert , and Spark One Band EQ plug - ins . It supports the popular VST plug - in format — strange in a free diligence — and lets you open a QuickTime movie and edit the sound track to picture . — Anton Linecker
StreamCatcher3.5 mice . Bombich Software , http://www.bombich .com ; free If you take heed to cyberspace wireless , there may be times when you ’d wish to preserve what you ’re listening to — an interesting interview or a neat new song , for exercise . StreamCatcher ( a graphic user interface for the destitute Unix utility streamripper , which is bundled with the StreamCatcher download ) can help you put down the rain buckets audio to your hard campaign . StreamCatcher also plays nice with iTunes — you may drag an cyberspace radio post ’s uniform resource locator information from iTunes to StreamCatcher . By enable StreamCatcher ’s Local Relay option , you may also listen to the flow you ’re recording . Here again , StreamCatcher works in continuative with iTunes ; the relayed audio is fiddle through that program . — Anton Linecker
Tattoo 1.14.0 mice . Feelorium , info@feelorium.com , http://www.feelorium.com ; $ 23 Tattoo is a QuickTime media - cutis editor that allows you to customize your audience ’s viewing experience . Need a multimedia salutation wit for your video company ? Just drop a QuickTime movie and a media - peel image of your caller logo into Tattoo ’s workplace area . you could even customize the button that see performing , stopping , stepping forrader and backward , loudness , and URL access . And because Tattoo exports QuickTime picture , your creations can be played on Macs ( with OS 8 and later ) and PC running QuickTime 5 . Tattoo ’s user interface is quite straight and can be mastered in instant . And at $ 23 , it ’s a nice alternative to Totally Hip Software ’s much more expensive LiveStage Pro 3 ( reappraisal , February 2002 ) if all you ’re look - ing to do is create QuickTime pelt . — Anton Linecker
CatDV 2.54.5 mouse . Squarebox Software , [ 44 ] 1789 730898 , http://www.squarebox.co.uk ; $ 80 Sometimes just keep track of all your video stuff can be a challenge , especially if you ’re a filmmaker with hours of footage . With CatDV , video producers have a newfangled mode to catalog and work with television .
CatDV can spell TV clips captured by another computer program , such as Final Cut Pro , or it can entrance the TV on - the - fly via FireWire . After the video is imported or captivate , CatDV can subclip footage , using DV start / stop detective work or frame - free-base setting - variety detection . It can also import non - DV video formats such as MPEG-1 , AVI , Sorenson , and any other QuickTime - supported format . Audio data file and still look-alike are also supported .
CatDV can import CMX edit - decision inclination from other broadcast and instantly build a cut - only preview edit with clip put in in its database . This is useful when the original high - resolve media are offline and you want to see how a projection looks . Since CatDV stores its picture files in the PhotoJPEG format , you may have many hours of material cataloged on your computer without eating up too much valuable hard drive space . — Anton Linecker
System Utilities and Finder Enhancements
ASM 2.04.5 black eye . Frank Vercruesse , frank@vercruesse.de , http://asm.vercruesse.de ; destitute ASM brings OS 9 ’s Applications bill of fare to the good side of OS X ’s menu bar , where it displays the ikon of the active program . select the icon , and you get a menu that lists all undefended covering ; select the one you need , and it becomes the participating app . you may also show or veil applications — ASM is one of the fastest ways to keep track of undecided platform and exchange between them in OS X. — Ted Landau
BatChmod 1.34.0 shiner . Arbysoft , renaud@mac.com , http:// homepage.mac.com/arbysoft ; costless OS X ’s ownership and privileges can stimulate big headaches . BatChmod can alleviate the pain . It gives you exact , drag - and - drop cloth ascendency over single files and total leaflet . This intuitive app countenance you easily exchange who own a file and who can read , write , and edit it . BatChmod can even empty the Trash if it contains locked files ( an action that might otherwise require clear root access — always good to avoid if potential ) . Keep in mind that exchange single file and leaflet ownership can seriously mess up a system , so take the programme ’s warnings seriously . — Jonathan Seff
Boot CD 0.24.0 mice . CharlesSoft , csrstka@mac.com , http://homepage.mac.com/csrstka/ ; free BootCD almost as if by magic does something that ’s otherwise all but unimaginable to do in OS X — make a bootable CD that move over you entree to the background and the Dock , complete with your personal excerpt of applications . It ’s idealistic for create a customized Emergency Startup CD . It ’s list as an “ unfinished ” product , but it decidedly work . It does n’t provide much documentation , though ; for more help , especially on mystify your hard driving force to mount when booting from the CD , jaw www.macfixit.com/library/using bootcd.shtml . — Ted Landau
Carbon Copy Cloner 1.24.0 mice . Bombich Software , http://www.bombich.com ; free require to copy your OS decade startup book to a different arduous ride ? For - get dragging and dropping — OS X include legion inconspicuous files that wo n’t make that variety of changeover . rather , employ Carbon Copy Cloner , a wide-eyed utility that harnesses the built - in power of OS X ’s Unix stratum to make moving or indorse up a volume as easy as select a clit . — Jason Snell
Default Folder 1.54.0 mouse . St. Claire Software , support@stclairsoft .com , http://www.stclairsw.com ; $ 35 Default Folder makes navigating overt and Save dialogue boxes a great deal more pleasant . For starter , Default Folder maintains inclination of recently chaffer and favorite folders — just select a selected folder , and the Open or Save list geological fault to display that folder ’s substance . Default Folder also remembers the detail you pick out the last time you visited a folder and automatically reselects it when you render . you may even employ the program to edit files without having to go to the Finder . Default Folder is especially welcome in OS X , where there is currently nothing that compares with it . — Ted Landau
DragThing 4.34.5 mice . James Thomson , james.t@kagi.com , http://www.dragthing.com ; $ 25 DragThing combines the features of OS 9 ’s app menu and Launcher in one utility — and then it outmatch both . Many of its fans expend it as an alternative to OS X ’s Dock . you may create as many “ wharfage ” as you like , have them all on screen at the same fourth dimension , and windowshade each Dock to a minimum when you want it out of the room . Items in Docks can be divided into family ( such as applications and documents ) , and you have almost unlimited control over a Dock ’s appearance . — Ted Landau
FruitMenu 1.54.0 mice . Unsanity , 877/700 - 7056 , http://www.unsanity.com ; $ 7 FruitMenu is for those who are not satisfied with the choices in OS X ’s Apple fare . With FruitMenu , you may remove subsist Apple bill of fare items or add together raw ones — for good example , one that shows your current IP computer address . Perhaps the upright point is Fruit Menu Items Contents . bring it , and whatever you decide to place in the Contents folder is shown in the Apple carte . For lesson , put an false name of your hard drive there , and you ’ll get a hierarchic menu item that lists the full contents of your drive . You could easily do this in OS 9 , but now you may do it in OS X , too . — Ted Landau
LaunchBar 3.25.0 mouse . Objective Development , office@ obdev.at , http://www.obdev.at ; $ 20 LaunchBar must be seen to be believed . approachable from your menu bar , it can find any file almost instantly , even if you do n’t remember its precise name . Just type any letters you consider are in the name , and LaunchBar will name all possible equal . When we typed aw , AppleWorks was the first programme to be listed — only LaunchBar could ’ve figure this out . The more you use it , the better its guesses become , and of course you could launch any listed detail from LaunchBar . As a bonus , LaunchBar include its own software menu . — Ted Landau
MacReporter 1.13.5 mice . Inferiis , support@inferiis , www .inferiis.com ; $ 12 MacReporter grabs headline from all over the vane and then puts them at your disposition in OS X ’s Dock . You go through MacReporter ’s long list of plug - inch and choose the news site you visit oft ; the practical software will check them for new storey at unconstipated interval and alert you to novel particular via sound , a turn on the icon , or both . Select a newspaper headline in MacReporter ’s contextual menu , and the correspond level will open in your web browser app . It ’s an easy - to - use peter that ’ll give news junkies a much requisite fix ; it ’ll be even good when Wilfried de Denterghem , MacReporter ’s author , bring out a forthcoming utility that permit you produce your own headline - grab plug - ins . — Jason Snell
MaxMenus 1.14.0 mice . Proteron , 402/932 - 3894 , www .proteron.com ; $ 30 MaxMenus is a misleadingly simple utility that install customizable menus in the four turning point of your Mac ’s screen . Each menu can be configured to contain any number of item — including lists of specific files , lotion , and folders ; open program ( as in OS 9 ’s applications programme menu ) ; recent program or text file ; system - preference panel ; and mounted volumes . Menus and menu items can well be assign spicy keys , and MaxMenus lets you drag and drop filing cabinet to imitate or move them into a computer menu ’s bound - load folders . With MaxMenus , Proteron has guide a impertinent idea and filled it out with plenty of secret power . — Rick LePage
MOX Optimize 1.73.5 mice . InfoSoft , infosoft@mac.com , http://fly.to/infosoft/ ; $ 11 MOX Optimize invokes Unix ’s update_prebinding program line , which can improve your Mac ’s carrying into action ( OS X ’s Installer also does this when it optimizes your software ) . There are other prebinding utility program in OS X , but what makes MOX Optimize stand out from the crowd is how much more it does . MOX Optimize can also speed up your web link , disable start - up files , and cancel unneeded speech - support files to save hard - drive space . — Ted Landau
Perfboard 1.23.5 mice . Pepsan and Associates , http://www.pepsan .com / contactus.html , http://www.pepsan.com ; gratuitous Perfboard monitor your organisation performance and keeps you informed via a continually updated read-out . If your Mac short lead off acting as if it were swimming through molasses , Perfboard can help oneself isolate the accurate case . From CPU usance to system load to virtual memory “ page outs ” to connection I / oxygen stats , Perfboard reports it all in one commodious display , with both text edition and graphs . Other utilities offer subset of these stats , but none puts it all together as well as PerfBoard . — Ted Landau
Pseudo 1.24.0 mouse . Brian Hill , brianhill@mac.com , http://personalpages.tds.net/~brian_hill ; free Pseudo will save you time when you want to modify a file owned by the ascendent substance abuser . For case , presuppose you want to modify a text file in OS X ’s System folder ( not that we ’re necessarily recommending this ) . You could lumber in as the root user or , if you ’re familiar with Unix mastery , you could give Terminal a commotion . You might even have success by temporarily changing the file ’s possession . But if you want to do it as quickly and painlessly as possible , just puff and knock off your text editor on the Pseudo icon . The editor will launch as if owned by root , and you ’ll be permitted to make change to document opened within it . — Ted Landau
Retrospect Express Backup 5.04.0 mice . Dantz , 925/253 - 3000 , http://www.dantz .com ; $ 49 Many Mac users were hold over the upgrade to OS ten because Retrospect could n’t back up and reinstate OS ex volumes . But with Retrospect Express , they now have an affordable way to back up a few Macs without paying for unnecessary characteristic — small computer system interface tape measure - ride and Retrospect Client musical accompaniment , for exercise . This new translation includes many melioration to previous variant , include the power to back up Mac files larger than 2 GB and to play with all the writable optical crusade currently transport in Macs . ( For a full inspection of the entire Retrospect Backup 5.0 suite , see Reviews , elsewhere in this proceeds . ) — Adam C. Engst
SharePoints 2.05.0 mouse . Michael Horn Software , spamnot@mac .com , http://homepage.mac.com/mhorn/ ; free SharePoints enhances OS X ’s filing cabinet sharing by letting you set the sharing condition of individual folders . In OS X , a guest user typically has access only to your Public pamphlet . With SharePoints , you’re able to give a node access code to your Music or Pictures folder , for illustration . OS 9 has always work this way , but OS X has n’t — at least not at the Finder level . Like several of the OS X utility name here , SharePoints takes a feature that ’s part of OS X ’s Unix core and gives it a user - favorable Aqua - based user interface . — Ted Landau
SmartWrap 2.14.0 mice . Selznick Scientific Software , s3sales@selznick.com , http://www.selznick.com ; $ 18 SmartWrap will bring a welcome suspiration of alleviation if you drop a lot of meter copying text edition from e - mail subject matter and pasting it into other applications . This curriculum cleans up text , eliminating stuff such as > type and knockout returns . Especially useful is SmartWrap ’s power to scavenge textual matter on the Clipboard . Just imitate your selection and click once or doubly in SmartWrap , and your schoolbook is ready for paste wherever you want . The OS X version also works via the Service bill of fare . — Ted Landau
Snapz Pro 2.0 and 1.04.5 shiner . Ambrosia Software , 800/231 - 1816 , http://www.ambrosiasw.com ; OS 9 interpretation , $ 40 ; OS X version , $ 49 ; without QuickTime movie capture , $ 29 Snapz Pro is an essential tool for those who frequently want to capture screens . OS X ’s 1 - shift-3 and 1 - shift-4 snapshots may be fair to middling for some ( forget the nearly useless Grab utility ) , but they do n’t total close to what you may do with Snapz Pro . Use it to save file in a variety of formats , even QuickTime moving picture . Scale , crop , sheathing watermarks , autoselect window , and more . Snapz Pro get rid of almost all of the indigence for further editing in another diligence . If it had a few other redaction shaft , it could eliminate even more . — Ted Landau
Tinker Tool 2.14.0 mice . Marcel Bresink Software - Systeme , osxinfo@bresink.com , http://www.bresink.de/osx ; free TinkerTool is the samara to accessing an assortment of OS X ’s secret preferences . It can reveal files that are normally unseeable in the Finder ( such as Unix data file and directories ) , enhance your ability to choose which baptistery and font size employ OS X ’s font smoothing , and more . OS X has built - in options that let you do all this , but Apple did n’t render a user port for them — TinkerTool make full that gap . — Ted Landau
Watson 1.54.0 mice . Karelia Software , accounting@karelia.com , http://www.karelia.com ; $ 29 Watson is a “ recall dissimilar ” agency of viewing Web content . Its generator calls it a “ screen background Web productiveness diligence . ” You ’ll call it fantastic . you could utilize Watson to look up zilch code , airline schedules , stock prices , television receiver listings , picture times , and more . Searching via Watson ’s ordered interface is much more commodious than firing up a stock web web browser to find selective information on the Web . And you could customize Watson to remember your personal preference ( such as theaters in your area or your local cable channels ) on your return visit . — Ted Landau
WindowShade X 2.04.5 computer mouse . Unsanity , 877/700 - 7056 , http://www.unsanity.com ; $ 7 WindowShade X is a one - trick pony with one corking trick — add OS 9 ’s windowshade effect to OS X. Double - tick on a windowpane ’s title bar , and up it rolls . Windowshading is often better than minimize windows to the Dock , especially when you want to rapidly see what ’s behind a windowpane . If you do n’t like windowshading , you could sic window to become gauze-like or completely out of sight . you could even have your cake and deplete it , too , by using the minimize button for one method and the claim - bar three-fold - dog for another . — Ted Landau
ex Font Info 1.03.5 mice . Vincent Software , vjalby@kagi.com , http://homepage.mac.com/vjalby/ ; free X Font Info fulfills yet another “ I wish well OS X could do what OS 9 does ” wish well . In OS 9 , double - clicking on a font suitcase in the Finder reveals the contents of the travelling bag . two-fold - clicking on a font file cabinet displays a sampling of the font . If you try the same things in OS X , you get error messages . But if you instead drag a font file to the ten Font Info icon , you could see a sample distribution of the font ( or face ) in all sizes and installed elan . Even intimately , by selecting X Font Info from the Open With software option in a font file cabinet ’s Show Info windowpane , you could get XTC Font Info to launch whenever you double - select a font . ex Font Info ’s one impuissance is that it does not accurately display Unicode fonts . — Ted Landau
Zingg 1.14.0 mouse . Rainer Brockerhoff , rainer@brockerhoff .net , http://www.brockerhoff.net ; free Zingg adds a contextual menu point that list every lotion the OS believes can open a selected document . Yes , you could get the same list from Show Info ’s loose With software itemization , but Zingg is a keen shortcut . Even better , Zingg can be customized so that sure applications programme always appear in the list ( useful for utilities , such as BBEdit , that can open up many files they do n’t officially support ) or never appear in the tilt . It ’s even smart enough to lean OS 9 - only program program only if Classic is function . — Ted Landau
XRay 1.05.0 mice . Rainer Brockerhoff , rainer@brockerhoff.net , www .brockerhoff.net ; $ 10 XRay is a much enhanced version of OS X ’s Show Info dictation . For starters , it solves one of OS X ’s more frustrating problem : an inability to move or blue-pencil a single file because you do n’t have sufficient permission . The Show Info windowpane does provide a way to view and edit a file ’s permissions ( scream privileges in Show Info ) — if you ’re the owner of the file cabinet . But too often , it ’s exactly because you do n’t own the file that you have the problem . XRay ringway this catch-22 and lets you easily change ownership — or any other filing cabinet attribute — as long as you are an administrator . It give you admission to all Unix permission ( read , write , and execute ) , not just the subset that Show Info include .
When you twice - press a text file from the Finder , does it open in the incorrect program or refuse to spread at all ? Show Info ’s Open With program options can solve this quandary , but once again , XRay goes the extra mile . With XRay , you may qualify a file ’s Type and Creator codes . These carryovers from OS 9 link documents to app without requiring that the papers have a single file - name reference . And you do n’t even need to know what the codes are : XRay ’s pop - up menus admit every program on your driving force . Just select the program you desire , and XRay will fill in the codification .
XRay can also create Unix emblematic link and set apart dyed recording label to files ( an OS 9 feature film not included in OS X ) . And it ’s extensile via plug - atomic number 49 , so you may be able to add functionality to the program . If you ’d rather not apply Terminal , XRay is the means to go . — Ted Landau
Networking, Database, and Business Applications
AtWork 2.44.0 mice . IGG Software , 909/328 - 0712 , http://home.earthlink.net/~iangg/ ; $ 9 AtWork is a time and billing solution for fashion designer , consultants , and anyone else who needs to dog and bill for projects and sentence . This program takes full advantage of OS X features such as sheets , live data updates in the Dock ( the clock glows greenish when you ’re billing for time ) , and a fully customizable toolbar . you could predefine clients , events ( projects ) , and even currencies . An optional timekeeper alerts you when a certain amount of time has passed . When it ’s time to make bill , you delineate stage setting for your company , whom to pay , and when requital are due , and you then hit the Invoice release on the toolbar . The result is a professional - look invoice , ready to publish . Although documentation is light-colored , AtWork is a feature article - loaded bargain at only $ 9 . — Rob Griffiths
eTraquer 1.54.5 mice . connection 23 Canada , 800/231 - 0062 , http://www.network23.ca ; land site license , $ 50 eTraquer is an business office in - out dining table for Mac exploiter . One machine on the web launch the ePlanet server software , and users incline the eTraquer client . Launch the program , move into the host ’s address and your name , and you ’re marked as “ in . ” When you ’re unavailable , change your status to “ out ” and then add together a grounds , return sentence , and optional line . Administrative user can send messages or interchange the condition of other user . The eTraquer port is very comfortable to empathise and requires almost no education . eTraquer does only one affair but does it quite well . — Rob Griffiths
MaxBulk Mailer 2.64.5 mice . Max Programming , support@maxprog.com , http://www.maxprog.com ; $ 35 MaxBulk Mailer handles high - volume Es - mail tasks with ease . Via the programme ’s tabbed - window interface , you compose messages , specify recipient , accede account options , preview messages , and view log . subject matter can contain placeholders that are replaced with values at send time . User lists can be import and export , and messages can be saved for future employment . As the battle against spam passion , the legitimate need for tools such as MaxBulk Mailer is often not understood . But if your business organization relies on Es - postal service for customer fundamental interaction , MaxBulk Mailer may be worth a trial run . — Rob Griffiths
phpMyAdmin 2.24.0 mice . phpWizard.net , http://www.phpwizards.net ; free phpMyAdmin is a internet browser - based tool for create and superintend MySQL databases — it bestow a web internet browser - based front end to the command - line - only MySQL port . It supports all standard MySQL functions and cater easy point - and - click entree for basic tasks such as surf , selecting , inserting , and deleting record . It also lets you easily catch database schemata and import and exportation data to and from text files . phpMyAdmin wo n’t help you study MySQL , but if you already use it , phpMyAdmin can make managing your database much easier . establish phpMyAdmin requires a introductory understanding of the Terminal diligence and Unix . — Rob Griffiths
PTHStockTicker 1.05.0 mice . PTH Consulting , pthstockticker@pth .com , http://www.pth.com ; spare PTHStockTicker is one of the best origin trackers available , and it ’s free . establish it , and a rolling pump appears in your menu bar . Click once on the stock ticker to activate the computer program ( it has no Dock icon , in keeping with its minimally intrusive expressive style ) , and you could edit the orientation to control the stock inclination , the show expressive style , the number of factoid display about each stock , and the speed at which the heart scrolls . A double - suction stop on the watch display brings up a window showing all stocks at once . refined and easy to expend , PTHStockTicker is the perfect workday companion . — Rob Griffiths
Sambucus 2.04.5 black eye . Logiciels Malus Softwares , logiciels.malus.softwares@sympatico.ca , www3.sympatico.ca/fuzzies/ ; $ 20 Sambucus is a project - tracking program for anyone who bills by the hour . habituate Sambucus to create projection and tasks , set unique charge charge per unit for tasks within a project , track task time , bring multiple notes to projects and project , and quickly generate report . you’re able to also delimitate papers as “ activation files ” for tasks . When one of these document is dragged onto Sambucus ’s float timekeeper window , the clock get going for the associated task . Reports are engender by an XML parsing system , so you may easily define and create customized versions to foregather your own needs . — Rob Griffiths
chartConstructor 1.03.5 mouse . headshack , support@headshack.com , http://www.headshack.com ; $ 30 chartConstructor is a elementary program for construct PERT and Gantt charts . To create a Gantt chart , insert a verbal description of the chore , and then click and drag in the timeline arena to set the continuance . Click anywhere in the bar that ’s produce , and the share of completion is established . colony between tasks are created by 1 - dragging from one task to another . chartConstructor is short on documentation , and its features do n’t compare with those of gamey - close project - management packages , but if all you require is a quick chart , it may be the consummate tool for the job . — Rob Griffiths
Sharity 2.63.5 computer mouse . Objective Development , office@obdev.at , http://www.obdev.at ; hobbyist rendering , free ; home license , $ 50 Sharity bring home the bacon a CIFS ( Common Internet File System ) web internet browser in the Finder , making browsing and using shared volumes from most versions of Windows as easy as using local files . Although OS X has a build - in capability to see Windows volumes ( via Connect To Server and a smb:// string ) , Sharity allow for true Finder desegregation . There are some limitations ( such as no support within the Classic environment ) , but for many user , Sharity can leave a painless method of accessing Windows volumes . A hobbyist version is free ; other license costs vary depending on usage . — Rob Griffiths
SnapTalk 2.03.5 shiner . Glass Bead Software , 978/263 - 9956 , http://www.glassbead.com ; $ 24 and higher SnapTalk is an IM ( insistent messaging ) program design to improve your ship’s company ’s internal communications . Unlike free cyberspace - ground IM program , SnapTalk chat take place inside , not outdoors , your local web . This means higher security system and less load on your Internet pipeline . SnapTalk has a lot of prissy features , including easy file transfers ( with resource crotch ) , group , predefined responses , and a substance logger that record subject matter received while you ’re forth . SnapTalk substantiate every Mac OS from 7.5 through X , so older machines are n’t left out of the conversation loop . — Rob Griffiths
Speed Download 1.84.5 mice . YazSoft , info@yazsoft.com , www .yazsoft.com ; $ 20 Speed Download is a utile tool if you have a high - speed Internet connexion . It accelerate your downloads by opening multiple connections to the download site and then bring together together the resulting pieces . If the server and your connection have extra bandwidth available , the result is a much faster download . For example , downloading a 75 Mbit demo from Download.com result in an average upper of 74 K per irregular on a cable modem . Downloading the same demonstration with Speed Download , go under at six connections , resulted in an average of 174 K per second , more than twice as fast . — Rob Griffiths
SQL4X Manager 2.0 Basic ( MySQL Edition)4.5 mice . MacOS Guru , http://www.macosguru.de/us/ ; $ 49 SQL4X Manager is an OS ten - native MySQL database coach . The package offers three primary substance abuser sphere : a database sailing master for creating users , tabular array , forefinger , and database , as well as for viewing database schema and data ; a DBA prick that provides a ton of info about your databases and board and allows editing of the tabular array note value ; and a SQL console through which you’re able to execute various queries on your databases . With its elegant port , levelheaded use of OS X characteristic such as sheets , and thorough coverage of MySQL commands , SQL4X Manager is a solid database - management tool . — Rob Griffiths
StickyBrain 2.04.5 mice . Chronos , 435/615 - 7335 , http://chronos.iserver.net/ ; $ 40 StickyBrain could be described as “ Stickies with superpower , ” but that does n’t set out to explain everything it can do . StickyBrain is more of a genius supporter . It has calendars , alarms , categorizable stickies , checkbox buttons , text - cleansing peter , and search feature — grasping everything StickyBrain can do for you will have your hands full .
StickyBrain ships with nine predefined selective information family ( Calendar , Documents , Friends , Miscellaneous , Passwords , Receipts , Tasks , and Unfiled ) . Each category has a predefined set of associated preferences . For example , you could choose a window - background coloration , the sizing and formatting of text , nonremittal school text to be total when a fresh gluey is make , and sticky size . If you follow across a type of information you ’d like to start collecting , just make a novel category and start pasting data .
To get a tactile property for all the things that StickyBrain offers , open its Sticky browser app and select All Categories . Chronos has include a turn of utility stickies with information on everything from pop baby names to existence time geographical zone to U.S. zip code organized by state . By looking at the examples , you may get a feel for the various shipway you may store your information .
But the real power of StickyBrain shows through when you begin to prepare your information . An included contextual menu extension lets you snap up text edition from most OS X - aboriginal coating ( textbook in other applications must be copy and glue ) . The same contextual carte du jour also let you explore the StickyBrain database for selected schoolbook or see up Web passwords you ’ve stored . Once data point is stored in a sticky , contextual carte du jour in StickyBrain let you go down alarms , reclassify the sticky , and more .
As your collection of information maturate , Sticky web browser may become the StickyBrain tool you utilise most . typecast a few letter of the phrase you conceive you ’re looking for , press take , and then graze the results until you bump exactly what you wanted .
It can take some time to adjust to the StickyBrain interface , but it ’s clip well spent . We are inundated with selective information on a casual basis , and StickyBrain is an excellent tool for preserve racetrack of it all . — Rob Griffiths
Imaging Applications
BetterHTMLExport 1.63.5 mice . Simeon Leifer , http://www.droolingcat.com ; destitute iPhoto is a all right innocent tool for manage your photos , but its built - in Web - page - exportation characteristic are extremely special . as luck would have it , BetterHTMLExport gives you more control condition over your WWW - based image libraries than you ’ll probably ever call for , from figure of speech size of it and JPEG compression layer to an intricate guide language that lets you make your page see however you need them to . study to use BetterHTMLExport to progress templates can be a little frustrative , but you ca n’t argue with the program ’s resultant or its price . — Jason Snell
GraphicConverter 4.34.0 mice . Lemke Software , lemkesoft@aol.com , http://www.lemkesoft.com/us_index.html ; $ 30 GraphicConverter is an fantabulous pecker for masses who work with different image formats and want high - power automation features that pelt along up body of work on multiple images . GraphicConverter can read more than 145 file types — from those created by old Mac and PC program to newer ones used by cell earphone and personal organizer — and it can export files in more than 45 formats . It also has a retinue of house painting and redaction tools , an picture browser app , and a wad modality ( with AppleScript support ) that makes quick oeuvre of set or translating a brochure of images . Its interface can be a piece dense in places , but for its terms , GraphicConverter is hard to beat . — Rick LePage
ImageRodeo 1.24.0 mice . Clyde McQueen , info@imagerodeo.com , http://www.imagerodeo.com ; $ 30 ImageRodeo is a cool covering for automatically generating Web sites from image collections . ImageRodeo come with five well - design guide for create hierarchal sites to show off your picture , and the app ’s drag - and - drop user interface urinate it sluttish to produce a site with 10 or 100 photo in just a few minutes . Some of the templet even include a link to Shutterfly ’s online print help , so the relation can buy those snapshots without your having to do anything . And when you get hackneyed of the stock templates , you’re able to use ImageRodeo ’s scripting language and XML command to produce your own . — Rick LePage
iPhoto Librarian 1.03.5 mice . Scott Schroeder , scrufmeister@hotmail.com ; http://homepage.mac.com/scrufmeister/ ; spare iPhoto Librarian is an AppleScript app program that let you run with multiple iPhoto libraries . This can be extremely helpful if you want to keep your pictures in separate groups — or on freestanding hard drives . It ’s also a blessing if you have too many exposure for iPhoto to manage without run into performance issues , but you still want to have access to all of your images . — Rick LePage
iPhoto Toast Export Plugin 1.03.5 mice . El Gato Software , toastexport@elgato .com , http://www.elgato.com/toastexport/ ; free If you want to get your pictures from iPhoto onto a CD , you could sort of do it with Apple ’s Disc Burner public utility company and a piece of work . But if you own Roxio ’s Toast Titanium , you should download iPhoto Toast Export Plugin . Burning photos onto a cadmium is all this plug - in does , and it does it well . — Rick LePage
iView MediaPro 1.54.5 mice . iView Multimedia , info@iview - multi media.com , http://www.iview-multimedia.com ; CD with manual , $ 90 ; download , $ 50 There are many good , low - cost persona - cataloging utilities out there , but iView MediaPro is perhaps the serious . It promptly catalogs just about every type of nontextual matter data file conceivable and expose files flawlessly in one of three customizable display mode — text list , thumbnail view , or full - size prototype . It fully support AppleScript and retarding force and drop , can display the EXIF ( Exchangeable Image File Format ) data point recorded by your digital camera , and has mess of cutoff for navigating your catalogs . It also has a full - featured slide - show mode , can build simple World Wide Web page of your images , and allow for an archiving feature for move images to CD . iView might not be free , but it ’s better than iPhoto in just about every way . — Rick LePage
PhotoFix 3.43.5 shiner . Microspot , 800/622 - 7568 , www .microspot.com ; CD , $ 59 ; download , $ 53 If your image - editing desires are in line with Photoshop , but your budget wo n’t even allow you the $ 100 Photoshop Elements — or if you want an cheap OS X - native photo editor — wrick to PhotoFix . It look and feels like a miniature version of Adobe ’s app , offering tools for house painting , cloning , masking piece , and more . It ’s nowhere nigh as fast or concluded as Photoshop , but it will do the trick for many image - manipulation needs — it also pretend a overnice complement to PixelNhance and iPhoto . — Rick LePage
Pic2Icon 1.33.5 mice . Sugar Cube Software , mike@sugarcubesoftware.com , http://www.sugarcube software.com ; free Pic2Icon does one slight thing : it work 128 - by-128 - pixel icons for image files so you’re able to browse a brochure of images in OS X and see photo - naturalistic representation of your pictures ( something even iPhoto does n’t do ) . Pic2Icon can scan a all-encompassing raiment of file type , including TIFF , JPEG , PDF , PICT , PNG , and Photoshop image , and it can quickly process folders of images . It can even automatically supply a drop shadow or frank - ear box to an ikon . — Rick LePage
PixelNhance 1.54.0 mice . Caffeine Software , 408/249 - 1290 , http://www.caffeinesoft.com ; free iPhoto is expectant for finagle your moving-picture show , but there are clip when you desire to do a little more than fix crimson - eye or crop a photo . If you ’re not sure how much persona redact you really require to do — or you do n’t want to flump down the fund for Adobe Photoshop or Photoshop Elements — break out PixelNhance , a great public-service corporation for canonic figure of speech sweetening . PixelNhance has a straightforward user interface with a live preview of the exposure you ’re working on . It can do cleverness , contrast , levels , and saturation adjustments ; sharpening ; and noise reduction . It also offer extensive controls for adjusting color in an image . It ’s the perfect accompaniment to iPhoto for the occasional editor . — Rick LePage
Photo-Printing Applications
A program such as iPhoto is fine for creating the occasional 4 - by-6 - in print , but if you require to maximize the exercise of dearly-won photograph newspaper — or if you want to print deal of images or multiple copies of one image — look for a photo - printing process practical program .
All of the usefulness mentioned here make quick work of printing with child groups of photos . you’re able to publish range at multiple sizes , from wallet - size of it picture to full - page photographic print . impression is as simple as dragging a folder of prototype ( or a selection from iPhoto ) into the programme ’s window and choosing the appropriate layout .
It ’s strong to pick one that ’s better than the others in this group ; they all do a good job and are extremely easy to employ . Choosing the right one for you depends as much on how you work as it does on the feature film lot . — Rick LePage
PhotoPress 1.03.5 mice . ElectricFish , photopress@electricfish.com , http://www.electricfish.com ; $ 25 PhotoPress is the most straightforward program of the bunch . It can print as many as 36 photos per page , and it has three built - in photo sets . It has tools for crop and renaming image and build up Finder thumbnail .
ImageBuddy 2.14.0 mice . KepMad Systems , imagebuddy@kepmad.com , http://www.kepmad.com ; $ 15 ImageBuddy has a light user interface and a deep lineament set . build page with this program is more synergistic than with either of the others , and it has options for adding caption , backgrounds , bead shadows , mask , overlays , and more to your pages .
Portraits & print 1.14.0 shiner . Econ Technologies , info@econtechnologies.com , http://www.econtechnologies.com ; $ 20 Portraits & Prints has 12 build - in layout and tools for cropping , sharpening , removing flushed - heart , and adjusting saturation and brightness . If you want to build layout , Econ ’s Template Maker is a great $ 10 companion to Portraits & Prints .
Go to www.macworld.com/macgems to see an index of recent Mac Gems reviews .
