No matter how many productiveness tools you instal , the heart organization form will always be your Mac ’s heart and someone . Here are a dozen utitilities that will help you take , and keep , ascendence of your system .
Utility: Caffeine 1.1
If you want your Mac to always be alive — because you ’re service up your Web situation from it , perhaps — you could use the Energy Saver pane in System Preferences to turn off all rest option . But if you demand your Mac to be sleepless only occasionally , Caffeine 1.1 ( ) is the stimulant for you . Set your Mac up with normal zip - preserve stage setting ; when you need it to be sleepless , plainly snap on the Caffeine ikon in the menu bar . While thus “ Caffeinated , ” your Mac wo n’t go to kip , dip its screen , or activate a screen saver . When you no longer postulate Caffeine ’s help , you may retrovert to your standard configurations by clicking on the icon again ( free;Lighthead Software).—Dan Frakes
Utility: DasBoot 1.0.2
DasBoot 1.0.2
Even in OS X , things can go wrong , so having diagnostic and repair tools on bridge player is important . DasBoot 1.0.2 ( ) ask an interesting coming to the trouble : it permit you deploy the package from bootable fix certificate of deposit and videodisc , such as Alsoft ’s DiskWarrior or Micromat ’s TechTool Pro , onto an iPod ( or a portable grueling movement or flash drive , for that affair ) with enough complimentary distance . You then have a portable repair system you may use to bring up and fix your Mac much more quickly than you may with a candle or videodisk ( just call up that not all iPod model or cables will work with all Macs for booting aim ) . DasBoot can also instal other osmium X programs , such as Console , Disk Utility , System Profiler , and Terminal , for role when diagnosing problems . Installing and running DiskWarrior from a quaternary - generation iPod , for representative , worked cleanly for fixing problems on my Mac Pro . good of all , your iPod continue an iPod — you may still use it to hear to music , view photos , and watch movies ( free;SubRosaSoft.com ) . — Jonathan L. Seff
Productivity: inkBook 1.3.2
Apple ’s script recognition engineering , Ink , is OS X ’s forgotten feature ; inkBook 1.3.2 ( ) gives it new life . If you have a compatible tablet , such as a Wacom model or OWC ’s ModBook , inkBook provides a virtual pad on which you may write note by paw ; behind the scenes , Ink know each Holy Scripture and convert it into stock text . you’re able to search your handwritten tone for special words , copy your handwriting and paste the text into another document , or export your notes straightaway to a text edition file . you could even drop an trope or a PDF file into inkBook to make it a new page in a document ; you could then write on the figure or PDF . you could also habituate calligraphy and paintbrush mode to chalk out complex creations right next to your textbook ( $ 20;Mage Software).—DF
Backup: NTI Shadow for Mac 3.1.07
While you should on a regular basis back up your entire hard private road , making frequent backups of just the data file you qualify often can be even more critical . Preserving these files is the idea behind NTI Shadow for Mac 3.1.07 ( ) . It does n’t have all the bells and whistles of a full - sport support public utility company , but it is speedy and easier to use than most . Just take one or more data file or folders , and then coiffe a backup docket — and you ’re done . prefer a brief interval—30 minute of arc , say — and you ’ll never again run a risk losing late versions of filing cabinet . you’re able to also choose to save , rather than delete , older versions of backed - up files . The program has some rough edges — it now and then brush aside the schedule I selected , indorse up less often than it should have , for good example — but it ’s still a worthwhile summation to your Mac ( $ 30;NewTech Infosystems).—Ted Landau
Utility: PlistEdit Pro 1.3
Productivity: PTHPasteboard Pro 4.2
Every time you cut , copy , or spread , you use your Mac ’s Clipboard . But the Clipboard holds just one item at a fourth dimension — you overwrite that point when you copy something else , and the Clipboard content are erased when you close down your computer . Enter PTHPasteboard Pro 4.2 ( ) , which let you salt away as many imitate or issue items as you want and selectively glue any one of them with a few clicks or keystrokes . Copied item will still be there even after you restart . Plus , you could define custom pasteboard to put in frequently used items such as boilerplate text . Unlike the free PTHPasteboard , the Pro rendering offers filter that can manipulate your schoolbook while paste it ( exchange the showcase , perform find - and - replace action , or removing formatting , for example ) , and it lets you synchronise pasteboard between Macs ( $ 20;PTH Consulting).—Joe Kissel
Sounds4Fun 1.0.1
Utility: Sounds4Fun 1.0.1
If you think the classic Mac bone sound utilities SoundMaster , iBeep2 , SndControl , and FunSounds , you ’ll probably enjoy their OS tenner combining weight , Sounds4Fun 1.0.1 ( ) . This amusing public utility play voice whenever you perform outcome such as accessing a bill of fare , moving a file , opening a document , entreat the caps lock key , and closing a windowpane — there are almost 70 consequence in all . Although Sounds4Fun provides sample sounds , the real fun begin when you supply your own ( in AIFF , MP3 , M4A , .mov , SFIL , or WAV formatting ) . you could configure and trade between speech sound set , and you could assign a hot winder to bend Sounds4Fun on and off . In accession to being just plain fun , the custom alerts Sounds4Fun creates may appeal to your practical side as well — for example , an alerting can lease you get it on that your MacBook or MacBook Pro ’s MagSafe power connector has do loose ( $ 14;Ettore Software).—DF
Utility: The Unarchiver 1.6
The enormousness of the Internet often throw you into close quarters with myriad arcane and cabalistic contraction format . While OS X ’s built - in decompression feature can handle most ZIP files , what do you do when you take on the odd RAR or ACE file ? The Unarchiver 1.6 ( ) deals with these files and more with aplomb . The Unarchiver ’s preferences get you choose which formats the program will handle . Although it does work with StuffIt ’s SIT format , it is n’t compatible with the novel SITX format , so you ’ll likely still need to keep a copy of StuffIt Expander handy . And as its name suggests , it deal only unarchiving labor ; for your compression demand , you ’ll have to look elsewhere ( requital requested;Dag Ågren).—Dan Moren
Utility: USB Overdrive 10.4.5
Have a USB stimulation gimmick — sure-enough or new — that does n’t have OS XTC driver ( or has number one wood that are , well , lacking ) ? USB Overdrive 10.4.5 ( ) may be the root to your problems . This worldwide USB gadget driver works with most third - political party USB devices — include mice , trackballs , stick , and game pads — and lets you configure the systemwide or lotion - specific behaviour of each clitoris or switch . potential actions admit a kind of clicks ; key stroke ; system , editing , and web browser bidding ; and cursor assure . you’re able to also configure buttons on your stimulation devices to launch programs , capable written document , and go to URLs . Note that USB Overdrive does n’t work with all gadget ( for illustration , it does n’t solve with Bluetooth one ) , so be sure to sample out the free demo before buying ( $ 20;Alessandro Levi Montalcini).—DF
Uno 1.5.1
Utility: Uno 1.5.1
Ever wish you could override the design team at Apple and apply Tiger ’s slick merge - toolbar user interface to all of your programs ? With Uno 1.5.1 ( ) , that ’s ultimately possible . The programme let you assign one of several mutation on the unify - toolbar ’s appearance to your software , including the Finder , Safari , Mail , iTunes , Quick - Time , and Preview ( as well as dialog box and other system of rules windows ) . Since Uno switch out scheme files , it does n’t necessarily play nice with all your other programs : some third - party software may look a small uneven . Luckily , Uno give you a prevue of what platform will count like before you utilize the variety ( but you ’ll need to re-start to see the effects in action mechanism ) . And if you decide that Apple had the right idea after all , you could always rejuvenate your system to the way it was ( payment requested;Pedro Grilo).—DM
Graphics: VueScan 8.4.22
If you ’ve generate an old scanner that ’s not fend for in the current adaptation of OS X — or a supported scanner that ’s painfully lacking software lineament — check out VueScan 8.4.22 ( ) . This scanner software package works with near any scanner that you’re able to physically connect to your Mac ( more than 700 ) and allow both introductory and innovative scanning features . VueScan contribute you extensive control over your scans , including color - balance wheel adjustment — you may choose from presets for common exposure - pickings conditions , such as fluorescent or incandescent lighting , and for particular media , such as sloping trough and film negatives . you’re able to also save countersink combinations without altering the original scan . VueScan even provides simple optical grapheme recognition features and performs batch scanning . Note that some scanners still necessitate driver from the manufacturing business ; for these scanner , VueScan dissemble only as your scanning software ( Standard Edition , $ 40 ; Professional Edition [ with lifetime update and additional feature ] , $ 80;Hamrick Software).—DF
Utility: Visor 1.2.1
As a concept , Visor 1.2.1 ( ) will be familiar to people who ’ve act secret plan such as Quake 3 . When you install this ready to hand MBD - on ( a SIMBL hoopla - in , actually ) , you ’ll be capable to press a hot key of your choice and have a Terminal window slew down from the top of your screen — instruction - line jockeys will wonder how they ever have by without it . The Tiger - only program even rent you pin down a Quartz invigoration — one of Tiger ’s screen saver , for example — as a background , though doing so will slow up it down a bit . While the programme has a few quirks ( Terminal needs to be running , though some enterprising users have come up with hacks that hide it ) , people who live on the command line will apace find that Visor has become part of their muscular tissue store ( free ; Blacktree ) .—DM
[ Jeff Carlson isTidBits’managing editor ; Peter Cohen is aMacworldsenior editor in chief ; Dan Frakes is aMacworldsenior editor ; Joe Kissel isTidBits’senior editor program ; Ted Landau is aMacworldsenior contributor ; Dan Miller isMacworld’sexecutive editor ; Dan Moren is a coeditor of MacUser.com ; Jonathan L. Seff isMacworld ’s senior news editor ; Jason Snell isMacworld ’s editorial managing director ; Kelly Turner isMacworld ’s fourth-year features editor . ]
Gems favorites: Rick LePage, Macworld’s editor at large:
ImageWell ( )
resize images or converting them to PNG or JPG is painless with ImageWell , which is also a big shaft for speedy edits or for watermarking image without having to go into Photoshop .
LaunchBar ( )
For me , there ’s no more useful program than this all - purpose filing cabinet launcher and search public utility . It adapts to my oeuvre brilliantly , and the developer continues to add the right-hand features while preserve it bloat - free .
Menu Master ( )
I apply quite a few of Unsanity ’s haxies , and Menu Master — which lets me customize my menus to suit the way I desire to work — is the one I absolutely ca n’t live without . It ’s simple and elegant , and it ’s the first thing I establish on any raw Mac .
Snapz Pro X ( )
Snapz Pro is obviously the best public utility company for pretend screen grabs for review and blog launching , but it ’s so good that I keep finding new use for it . The movie - capture feature , for example , lets me show my tribe how to do something in iPhoto .
