Didnt You Hear... » Software

…BumpTop is the future of the desktop?

Cory O'Brien — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:41:21 +0000

BumpTop is a re-imagination of the desktop that aims to bring a real world style environment to your computer’s interface.

It wow’ed the audience at TED two years ago (see video below), and now it’s available for download, so if you’d like to see what the future of interactions between you and your computer might look like, give BumpTop a try.

[BumpTop]

…Google wants you to surf the Earth?

Cory O'Brien — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 14:11:20 +0000

Who says Google’s engineers don’t know how to have fun?

For Macworld, David Oster created an application that combines Google Earth, the Monster Milktruck program, and a Wii Balance Board to allow you to ‘surf’ through Google Earth.

Unfortunately, the Earth Surfer app isn’t yet ready for prime time, but Google’s LatLong Blog says that it should be released some time next week, and until then, you can watch this video to see what the fun is all about:

[Google LatLong - Flying Through Google Earth At Macworld]

…macZOT has put together a fantastic New Year’s Bundle?

Cory O'Brien — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 16:39:18 +0000

To celebrate the New Year, macZOT has once again assembled a New Year’s Bundle that they’re offing to you at a deep discount over the regular price of each app.

This year, the bundle includes Caboodle, GarageSale, DEVONthink Personal, Mail Stationery, Snapshot, MacCleanse, Awaken, AppZapper, Xslimmer, FileChute and Media Rage, and you’ll only spend $59.99 to pick up a full license for each, compared to the retail price of $262.59!

Plus, as if that wasn’t enough, they’re also donating $5 from each sale to Heifer International, a non-profit, non-governmental organization that works to end hunger and poverty while caring for the earth.

Hurry though, because the offer is only good until January 4th.

[macZOT - New Year's Bundle]

…MacUpdate is bringing a Holiday Bundle?

Cory O'Brien — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 14:39:37 +0000

The MacUpdate Holiday Bundle is back, and they’ve brought together 10 fantastic Mac apps to help bring you a little extra Mac related holiday cheer this year.

For a limited time, this bundle of Mac software goodies, which would normally sell for a total of $447.69, is now just $49.99, or a savings of almost 90%!

The programs include RapidWeaver, LittleSnitch, KeyCue and MacGourmet Deluxe, all of which I’ve used, and can say that they would justify the price alone, as well as MacPilot, WhatSize, iVolume, VirusBarrier X5, Drive Genius, and Default Folder X.

The bundle will only be available for another nine days or so though, and then it’s gone forever, so give them a try and see what you think, because Mac deals like this only come around once a year.

[MacUpdate - Holiday Bundle]

…Count It Off was thoroughly documented?

Cory O'Brien — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:36:49 +0000

Count It Off is a new web app/iPhone app that helps you count calories and track your weight, and roobaLog has done a complete rundown of the before and after as the app went from concept sketch done on a long flight to the final 1.0 app that’s available now.

[roobaLog - Count It Off]

…Poladroid keeps the Polaroid style alive?

Cory O'Brien — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:38:49 +0000

Poladroid is an easy and fun Polaroid image-maker for the Mac.

To make high-resolution Polaroid-like images out of your digital photos, just drag and drop your images into the program, and wait.

Getting a little impatient?

You can shake the picture to make them develop faster, just like the real thing.

The app automatically crops your images to the appropriate size, and even adjusts the colors and clarity to match the Polaroid style.

[Poladroid]

[Via: TUAW]

…iPhone Apps are going to be amazing?

Cory O'Brien — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 12:44:42 +0000

If you’re wondering what kind of capabilities and unique features iPhone Apps are going to have, look no further than OmniFocus and Schmap.

OmniFocus is a professional-grade personal task manager that taps into the iPhone’s GPS to provide you with location based task lists.

At the store?

OmniFocus automatically pops up with the grocery list that you put together when you drive up.

Back at work?

OmniFocus automatically switches over to your list that you put together with work related tasks.

Neat, huh?

The second application, Schmap, which is actually a currently available web application, though it will no doubt be something that takes advantage of becoming a native App as well, uses the iPhone’s gyro sensor to automatically change the view based on how you are holding the phone.

Hold it vertical, and a list of available destinations pops up; but switch and hold it horizontal, and you’re automatically presented with a map of locations and additional information.

What will they think of next?

[OmniFocus]

[Schmap]

…Microsoft has just launched the WorldWide Telescope?

Cory O'Brien — Tue, 13 May 2008 06:39:44 +0000

Microsoft Research’s WorldWide Telescope, the “Web 2.0 visualization software environment that enables your computer to function as a virtual telescope-bringing together imagery from the best ground and space-based telescopes in the world for a seamless exploration of the universe”.

Basically a Google Earth for the Sky, it’s supposed to be fantastic, and it’s just been released by Microsoft, so if you’ve got an eye for the sky, check it out and see what you think.

[Microsoft - WorldWide Telescope]

…You can get the MacHeist Bundle for free?

Cory O'Brien — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:08:02 +0000

Sure, the new MacHeist Bundle is nice, and with 12 apps and a price tag of just $49, it’s a pretty good deal, but what if you could get similar functionality with the price tag of just $0?

Sounds good, right?

Well Lifehacker did just that, and came up with a list of no-cost alternatives that offer most, if not all of the functionality with none of the price.

Now that’s a bundle!

[Lifehacker - Free Alternatives to the MacHeist Bundle]

…MacHeist is offering up a Retail Bundle?

Cory O'Brien — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:54:04 +0000

A new MacHeist bundle is on its way, and according to the Teaser that was just posted on the MacHeist site, it’s going to be “12 Top Mac Apps…and a price that’s a steal!”

The video’s a bit tough to make out, but it looks like the applications include Cha-Ching, CoverSutra, XSlimmer, Awaken, Nanosour 2, Bugdom 2, WingNuts2, WriteRoom, DevonThink, EarthDesk, TextExapnder, and iClip.

If a few of those sounded like what you’ve been looking for, and $49 doesn’t seem out of your price range, then you should definitely keep an eye out for when this bundle goes live.

[MacHeist]

[Via: TUAW]

…Twhirl might be the best Twitter client?

Cory O'Brien — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 15:00:53 +0000

Twhirl is an Adobe Air based Twitter client that runs on both Windows and Macs, and features the following:

Connects to multiple Twitter accounts
Notifications on new tweets
Shorten long URLs (using snurl or is.gd)
Cross-post updates to Pownce and Jaiku
Post images to TwitPic
Search tweets (using TweetScan or terraminds)
Timeline filtering
Localized to English, German, Italian and Spanish
Color schemes
Automatically check for new versions

While I’m currently a fan of Twitterrific, I’ve started to use Twhirl on the Windows based work computer, and definitely like the feature set. It’s easy to use, unobtrusive, and gives you plenty of customization. Plus, Adobe is pushing hard to get developers to work with Air, so there’s a lot of support there for future developments as well.

Maybe it’s time to give Twhirl a whirl.

[Twhirl]

…NewsFire is now free?

Cory O'Brien — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 13:00:43 +0000

After NetNewsWire decided to stop selling its program and to instead just give it away, NewsFire must have gotten jealous, because they’ve just announced that their program will be free as well.

Since NewsFire has no online component, and thus, cannot use your data in any way (NNW went free in exchange for your attention data) I’m not exactly sure how NF plans to make money, but where there’s a will, there’s a way, right?

Either way, there are now two fantastic players in the free desktop RSS reader game, and that’s fantastic!

[NewsFire]

…Your screen needs to Calibrize?

Cory O'Brien — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 15:52:59 +0000

If you’re doing any kind of ‘for print’ creative work, it’s important to calibrate your monitor so that what you see on screen is what you see on paper.

Calibrize is a new freeware app that’s designed to help you “calibrate the colors of your monitor in three simple steps. Just download the software and follow the procedure to generate a reliable color ‘profile’ and adjust the colors of your monitor automatically.”

Are you ready to Calibrize?

[Calibrize]

[Via: The Red Ferret Journal]

…iPaper is a PDF killer?

Cory O'Brien — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 14:34:56 +0000

Apparently the web world is fed up with PDFs, because alternatives are popping up left and right.

The latest entry into this world is iPaper, which aims to entirely replace the PDF.

The basic idea is that, like a YouTube video, iPaper documents can be embedded into any existing web page through a Flash widget, and can display PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and other document formats without the need for separate readers.

Features include viewing documents without downloading any additional software, monetizing documents with integrated advertisements, social aspects with a built in share functionality, enhanced security, and easy integration.

Edit: Box.net, a free online storage and file sharing site, is one of the first sites to embrace the iPaper technology. You can now view any of your PDF, Word, Excel, or Power Point documents that you have stored on Box.net using iPaper.

[Scribd - iPaper]

…You can demo WordPress 2.5?

Cory O'Brien — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 09:30:47 +0000

The folks behind WordPress have just released a Demo Site of WordPress 2.5, and after playing around for a bit, I must say that I can’t wait for the changes to go live!

To see for yourself what these changes are all about, log in with Username: “admin” and Password: “demo” to give it a try.

(Don’t worry about messing things up, as they revert the site back to a fresh start every hour.)

[WordPress 2.5 Demo Site]

[Via: Mashable!]

…Windows wants Quicksilver?

Cory O'Brien — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 14:18:10 +0000

Quicksilver is an app that simply sets the Mac apart, as any Windows counterpart has yet to come close to the functionality of the intuitive launcher.

However, that doesn’t mean they’re not trying.

Recently, both Lifehacker and Smashing Magazine put together rundowns of the best of the best Windows launchers, and though they’re not without their faults, it’s a good start for those that live within the Windows world.

Do you have a favorite?

[Quicksilver]

[Lifehacker - The Quicksilver-For-Windows Showdown]

[Smashing Magazine - Productivity Boost: Key Stroke Launchers]

…MarsEdit is out of this world?

Cory O'Brien — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 13:44:32 +0000

MarsEdit is the latest app to get a full Shawn Blanc review, and as expected, it’s a thorough rundown of what makes this desktop publisher a needed edition to any Mac blogging workflow.

Have you joined the personal publishing revolution yet?

[Shawn Blanc - MarsEdit]

[MarsEdit]

…QuickOrder will revolutionize the way you get coffee?

Cory O'Brien — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 13:28:44 +0000

Phil Lu’s QuickOrder is an “iPhone/iPod Touch application that allows the users to purchase their favorite Starbucks drink without waiting in line”. It’s also a great example of what will be possible when the entire world lives in your cell phone.

Instead of actually interacting with a real live person, you simply point and click in your order, complete with customization and a kind little thank you area to remind your barista that someone actually cares about what they’re doing.

There is even a semacode system in place to verify your order.

Will this be the future of customer service? Considering the fact that this goes one step further towards a world where we cease to interact directly (and despite how beautiful and simplistic this looks), I sure hope not.

[QuickOrder]

[Via: NOTCOT]

…NewsGator is now free?

Cory O'Brien — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 18:15:48 +0000

As a frequent user of both NetNewsWire and FeedDemon, I was excited to read that NewsGator has decided to give away its entire suite of award-winning RSS readers for free to individual users, including NetNewsWire, FeedDemon, NewsGator Inbox, and NewsGator Go!

One of the key benefits to using NewsGator products is that they can be set them up so that they automatically synchronize with each other, meaning you can run multiple programs on multiple computers, and if you read a story on one, it will automatically be marked as read on all of the others.

Very GTD.

If you haven’t already, then now is a better time than any to join the RSS revolution.

[NewsGator]

…The MacHeist Bundle is back?

Cory O'Brien — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 13:11:43 +0000

For a great deal on a bunch of high-quality Mac apps, head on over to MacHeist and check out this year’s bundle.

Featuring $343.75 worth of software for only $49, highlights include Cha-Ching, iStopMotion, CSSEdit, Pixelmator, and more.

Each application features a test run option, so you can try before you buy, and 25% of your purchase goes to a charity of your choice.

It’s not exactly free ninety-nine, but 85% off sure is a tough deal to pass up.

[MacHeist II - Bundle]