What does Podcast Maker do? It creates an RSS feed for your podcast so you can have listeners/viewers subscribe to it using iTunes or a RSS reader. Creating an RSS feed manually can be a drag, this is where Podcast Maker comes in. Once you have the file of your episode (mp3, m4a, mov, mp4, m4v, pdf,) you simply add it into Podcast Maker add in your details then hit ‘Publish.’ You may publish your podcast many different ways: .Mac, FTP, SFTP, and local folder.

Podcast Maker even support enhanced podcasts (screenshot above). “Add chapters with images and links to your podcast. With enhanced podcasts your audience will be able to see what you are talking about, and visit the websites that you are talking about with the click of their mouse. This is a great way to podcast a lecture or presentation. Podcast Maker is considered by many to be the best enhanced podcast creator.”

Another great feature that Podcast Maker shows off is ‘preview.’ This feature is quite simple, it is just a preview of a page of the iTunes Store that your podcast would be on. It is really nice to see how your podcast will look once you submit it to iTunes through Podcast Maker.

Podcast Maker costs $29.95 USD and is available here.

I don’t edit CSS too much, so my favorite application they make is their other application, DeskShade. What is DeskShade you ask? It is a desktop saver (literally.) I try, along with many other people, to keep my desktop neat and tidy. But with OmniWeb downloads, screenshots, and other random files the icons are always hiding the beautiful desktop picture.

This is where DeskShade comes in. One of DeskShades most useful features is desktop covering. It does exactly what it says it will do, it simply covers the desktop. It will cover both your icons and wallpaper if you tell it to. Now, on the outside you can have a nice organized clutter-free desktop, but on the inside in can still be the same old pigsty.

Security is also an issue with Macs. I am not talking about virus’s. I am talking about someone just waking your computer from sleep and looking at your email, getting your credit card numbers, and chatting with your buddies. You can use the built in password protected when you wake from a screensaver, but I find that very annoying and slow. DeskShade once again, has a solution.

It’s called DeskLock. What this does is it allows you to lock your computer just like Windows. Another very useful feature I have come to love about DeskLock is you can set it so the ‘Hacker Log’ opens up after you unlock your computer. I use this to figure out if someone is coming close to guessing my password. I the DeskLock daily, it prevents unwanted viewers from seeing what I am working on.

I have only skimmed the surface of what DeskShade can do. The application costs $12.95 USD and is available at MacRabbit.com. DeskShade is the perfect companion to your desktop, no matter what type of desktop it is.

Awaken is great, and if you don’t believe me, just take a look at some of the showcased features:

Egg Timer
Use the egg timer for quick one-time alarms for taking a quick nap or timing the oven.

Backup Alarm
No more excuses, if iTunes has a problem at alarm time, the backup alarm will wake you.

Sleep Timer
Fall asleep with the sleep timer, which can also put your Mac to sleep.

Need to countdown the time until something happens, then have an alarm go off at that time? That is what an Egg Timer is for. Simply select Timers > Egg Timer from the menu bar and customize your Egg Timer.

Another feature that is very nice that Awaken comes with is full screen alarms. When the alarm goes off, Awaken will go into a FrontRow-like interface (even works with the Apple Remote) with the song name, artist, and album displayed.

Awaken is a very lightweight, powerful, and loud (or quite) alarm clock. Alarms and timers are fully customizable. In the 3.1 Beta 3 version you can even have alarms launch any file. You do this by simply dragging the file you want launched into the ‘drop-well’ when creating or editing your alarm.

You can get this amazing alarm clock for a mere $8.95 USD. If you want to try it out before you buy it though, there is a 14-day demo version available from EmbraceWare. To stay up-to-date on all Awaken related news, check out the blog.

Awaken is a great alarm clock application and has you covered, you can easily set up a backup alarm so if that first alarm doesn’t go off, the second alarm will be right behind it to make sure you get out of bed and get on your way. The current release is great, we can’t wait to see what Awaken has in store for the future. Check it out.

Giveaway Time:

We have five copies of Awaken to be given away. Just leave a comment on the post and our team here will review them, and the best five will receive a free copy.

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