MacApper » MacApper Videos

Go Driveless with Volumizer

Tim Cox — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 10:00:05 +0000

I feel the need to apologize for what this post will do to your menubar. I know this is a personal struggle for you, and you don’t need MacApper as an enabler. So here it goes: I’m sorry, but this post will add another app to your menubar clutter. That said, I think it’s ok to embrace the clutter of a menubar in exchange for other things. When it comes to cleaning up your desktop, menu space is fair game, and this little app can do wonders removing volumes from the mess that is your desktop.

Check out the video for a tip on how to remove volumes from your desktop as well as access them using Volumizer.

By using Volumizer, you can easily access your volumes from the menubar, dock, or both. Using the Finder preference window to remove volumes from the desktop may not be your bag. Either way, Volumizer makes accessing your drives instant, even with loads of windows in between you and the desktop. Hopefully, this may be something that works for you and your workflow. You can pick up your free copy of Volumizer from Greg Weston of Bastion Products.

Video Review: Smoother Scrolling with Smart Scroll

Tim Cox — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 10:00:41 +0000

Sometimes you don’t know what you’ve been missing until you try something new. My first experience at Chick-Fil-A was like that. I ordered the char-grilled chicken club combo with sweet tea and polynesian sauce, and suddenly I don’t want to order another chicken sandwich from anyone else. Smart Scroll is just like the sandwich, but with scrolling.

Smart Scroll deserves praise not only for the space in the app name, but also for vastly improving the user experience in OS 10.3.9 and up. Every scroll with Smart Scroll becomes a smooth pass from page to page.

By installing Smart Scoll, users can control coasting, designate a key for 4x faster scrolling, grab and scroll, and scroll using their keyboards with this pref pane. Check out Smart Scroll in action:

SmartScroll Video Review

Now that I’ve experienced a smoother scroll, I don’t know how I could go back to the click click click of yesterweek. That would be like restricting the scroll wheel to up and down motion or plugging a cord into my Mighty Mouse.

I do have to admit that Smart Scroll isn’t as shiny as I would like it to be. Like I said in the video, it doesn’t work in Flock, which used to be my favorite browser (I’m over it now). This makes me think that Smart Scroll may also not work in other important and necessary apps. Good news is that the developer is on top of things and has recently released a version that supports Firefox 3 (though still not Flock), and boasts enhancements for FileMaker Pro and Apple Works. Smart Scroll has some hiccups now and again when I’m running heavy on the processes, so if you’re looking for perfection, you may have to wait for the next release.

Be warned! If you download the trial, you’ll end up buying the thing because you’ll miss it that much when the trial runs out. Smart Scroll is $19 and available from Marc Moini.

Run Automator Apps Automatically with Lingon

Tim Cox — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 10:00:00 +0000

You know what you need? A GUI to edit your launchd config files. It’s ok if you don’t know what that means. How about this: download this free app and get your files organized effortlessly. In a previous post, I provided 4 of my most used Automator Apps that will assist you in your daily Mac routine. This post will show you how to run these apps automatically using a free application from Peter Borg.

Lingon is a graphical user interface for interacting with your launchd config files in Leopard. You can use Lingon to run both scripts and applications at certain intervals, when a file is modified, or when items are placed into a folder. You can also use Lingon to edit current config files in both Basic and Expert Modes. This video shows you how I use Lingon to keep things organized on my MacBook Pro.

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Lingon is freeware provided by Peter Borg, the creator of Smultron and Hallon, and is available here.

SmartShuno: Free Automatic File Organization

Tim Cox — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 10:00:32 +0000

I love apps that reduce the amount of work that I have to do. When I can sit down on my MBP and things happen without me doing a thing, I fall in love with technology all over again. There’s something about downloading a file and immediately interacting with it and not having to worry about where it should go. I’ve been using this free little app to manage my files, and I’ve created a video to show you how it’s done.

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SmartShuno is an application that does the work for you when it comes to cleaning out your desktop or downloads folder. It’s not fast, it’s not pretty, but it will make your life easier and it’s free. You can get SmartShuno at Oneriver Software, the same people who brought you Edgies and SpotInside. I’ve shown you how I use SmartShuno, but I’m sure there are other uses that I haven’t thought of. How do you use SmartShuno?

Keycue Video Review and Giveaway

Michael Mistretta — Sat, 10 May 2008 10:00:34 +0000

The difference between a new computer user and a power user is all in the keyboard. With the many menu commands in Mac OS X, if you really want to save time on your computer, you have to use keyboard shortcuts. Though it can be hard to memorize all the keyboard shortcuts in all your applications at once. Keycue, from Ergonis Software, presents a viable solution to this problem by allowing you to learn new shortcuts as you work.

Keycue runs in the background on your computer and allows you to call it with the click of a button. You can view all the menu shortcuts from the current application in it’s beautiful interface, and learn the command keys for these shortcuts. It is perfect for a new Mac user, or if you are trying to learn a new application like Final Cut or Xcode.

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Ergonis, the makers of Keycue, have generously offered 3 licenses of KeyCue to giveaway on the blog. All you have to do is leave a comment with one feature that you would like to see in Keycue in the future. The giveaway will end May 14th, and the winner will be announced shortly after. If you don't win a license of KeyCue in our giveaway, you can buy one for about $31.

For more giveaways and video reviews like this, subscribe to the MacApper Podcast in iTunes and the MacApper RSS feed.

Web Snapper: Video and Review

Joe Turner — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 10:00:30 +0000

Have you ever found yourself in the position where you need to archive an online receipt or article or web page? Instead of just copying and pasting the text, would you like it to look exactly like the web page? Well, if so, then Web Snapper is the perfect tool for you, because it does all of that and more!

Web Snapper (previously Red Snapper) by TastyApps retails for $15. Web Snapper is perfect for snapping a page off of the web, and turning it into a PDF with pages (or not). Being only $15 it is much cheaper than getting an OCR application to do these tasks, and the final product looks much better! This is why it’s called Web Snapper: it takes an exact replica of the web page, text and everything, and turns it into a beautiful PDF document.

Here is a video made by the developer about the new version of Web Snapper, Web Snapper 2.2:

Web Snapper from TastyApps.com on Vimeo.

Again, Web Snapper retails for only $15 from TastyApps and a new version, 2.2, has just been released, which adds many new features as shown in the video. It is a very useful application, and the final product that you make looks, well, exactly like it should. If you really like it, buy it!

YummySoup Video and Giveaway

Tim Cox — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 10:00:14 +0000

Recently at MacApper, Emily did a comparison of YummySoup! and Connoisseur. Since HungrySeacow Software has given us three licenses to giveaway, I thought I would outline a few of my favorite things in YummySoup! with a video tribute.

One of the features that sold me on YummySoup! was the Automatic Import feature that supported the heavy hitters of online recipes. I’m not one to create a recipe, but I definitely know how to mooch. Thus, recipe management software that can automatically import is a must.

Also, I need importing from non-supported sites to be almost as easy as automatic. The AnySite Import feature does this magically with its vibrant colors with a sloppy Seacow watching my every move.

When I’m making dough, I do it angrily (usually). The full screen feature allows me to express myself with yeast and flour without MacBook Pro participation. If you’re using Leopard, Apple Remote integration is on it’s way, though not here yet.

Finally, the grocery list feature is something I would use if I cooked daily or even tri-weekly. Alas, I’ll be looking at this feature from afar for the time being, but you overachievers can enjoy it for me.

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Be sure to pick yourself up an Epicurious widget for quick recipe access and import yourself a library of recipes you’ll probably never use. While you’re at it, plug your input in the comments below for a chance to win one of three YummySoup! licenses. Just download a demo and tell us MacApperites what you would like to see in the next version of YummySoup!. Winners will be chosen at random.

YummySoup! is a nice bit of recipe management and is available from HungrySeacow Software for $20.

djay: Video Review and Giveaway

Greg Healy — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 10:00:19 +0000

Way back in April of 2007, I reviewed djay v1.2 for MacApper. Since then, djay has hit v2.0 and received many improvements, and new features. Among these improvements include a new interface, live undo/redo, and an improved audio engine.

If you looked at djay when it was still at v1.2 and found it wasn’t for you, I recommend you take a second look. You can tell that a lot of work has went into improving this application. Make sure to watch the review and look for the giveaway at the end of this post. UPDATE: A new video has been uploaded, which fixes the problem with the sound.

The fine folks at algoriddim have graciously decided to give away 3 licenses of djay along with this review. If you would like to be eligible to be chosen in the draw, just comment on this post with one feature you would like to see integrated into djay. If you do not get chosen in the draw, or would like to support the developers with a purchase, you can pick up djay for $49.99 USD from Algoriddim.

Winners will be chosen Friday, April 4th.

Photonic Video Review and Giveaway

Michael Mistretta — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 10:00:39 +0000

I’m a believer in desktop applications that enhance the online experience. I don’t think that doing everything online in a browser window is the answer to everyone’s computing problems. Instead, having a powerful desktop application that integrates seamlessly with an online service, produces the ideal experience for the user. Photonic brings the photo-sharing site, Flickr, to the desktop, in a beautiful and functional interface that makes interacting with Flickr all the better.

Photonic 1.0 was just released, and allows you to browse Flickr photos fullscreen from your desktop. It’s fast, beautiful, and clean. It caches photos on your computer, and allows you to filter and search through photos. You can add favourites, send FlickrMail to people, or view your contacts photos. Watch some of the major features of Photonic in action in this video review.

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Barton Springs Software, the makers of Photonic, have generously offered 10 licenses of Photonic to giveaway on the blog. All you have to do is leave a comment with one feature that you would like to see in Photonic in the future. The giveaway will end March 17th, and the winner will be announced shortly after. If you don’t win a licenses of Photonic in our giveaway, you can buy one for $20 until March 15th.

For more giveaways and video reviews like this, subscribe to the MacApper Podcast in iTunes and the MacApper RSS feed.

Opacity: Video Review and Giveaway

Michael Mistretta — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 10:12:53 +0000

If you are a graphic or icon designer, and are looking for an app that is easy to use, beautiful, and very powerful, Opacity is the perfect app for you. Having just come out on February 13th, this brand new application takes advantage of Leopard Core Animation to create a powerful and beautiful environment for making icons, buttons, and graphics.

Opacity has a very simple interface on the surface, but under the hood you are able to apply tons of filters, create different resolutions, build different factories, and even apply different variables such as color and boolean. And if you are looking to preview your graphics, you can see live previews of how they will look in the dock, menu bar, or even the web. For a full first look at the power beneath the interface of this application, watch the following video review.

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Like Thought, the makers of Opacity, have generously given us two licenses of Opacity to giveaway on the blog. All you have to do is leave a comment with one way you will use Opacity, and you will automatically be entered into the random giveaway. If you don't win a copy of Opacity in our giveaway, you can pick up your own license for $89 USD.

The giveaway will end on February 29th at 12:00AM EST, so be sure to get your submission in early. For more MacApper video reviews, subscribe to the MacApper podcast in iTunes, or to the MacApper RSS feed.

PopChar: Video Review & Giveaway

Michael Mistretta — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 10:00:04 +0000

Have you ever been writing something on your Mac, and found that you needed to use a special character? Whether it be a foreign currency symbol, obscure accents, or even another language, PopChar is here to help. PopChar is a little application that sits in the background on your Mac. When you need to insert a special character, all you need to do is click the little “P” in your menubar, and PopChar will appear. It offers every single character that you will ever need – both ASCII and Unicode.

PopChar strives to get to your recently used characters with ease, and find specific ones you are looking for all in a simply beautiful interface. It’s really quite unique. In this video I will show you how I use PopChar, and if you can answer the question after the jump, you will all have a chance to win one of 3 licenses generously donated by the guys at Ergonis.

First take a look at the video.

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Answer one or both of the following questions to be entered for a chance to win a license of PopChar:

How could/does PopChar fit into your daily work-flow?

or…

What feature of change would make PopChar more useful?

Thanks again to Christoph at Ergonis for supplying the licenses for the giveaway. The contest closes January 30th at midnight EST, and the winners will be announced shortly after that time. PopChar is available from Ergonis for $29.99.

Get more cool videos like this by subscribing to our podcast feed or adding it in iTunes.

Hazel Video Review and Giveaway

Michael Mistretta — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 10:00:06 +0000

I’ve never been rich enough to afford a house keeper – that is, in real life. Hazel however, is a cheap, powerful housekeeper for your Mac. It keeps your Mac organized automatically, without you having to even give it much thought once configured. Hazel uses the power of rules to file away, and perform actions to your files, media, and applications. The only real limits to these rules is your imagination.

In the following video I will go over the basic power of Hazel in a standard workflow, along with some tips on how I use the software to keep my files organized, and my Mac clean of clutter.

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NoodleSoft, the developers of Hazel, have generously offered 3 licenses of Hazel to giveaway to our readers. In order to enter the random giveaway, you must comment on this post with 1 possible way that you can use Hazel to organize your digital life.

The giveaway will end at midnight EST on December 20th, with the winners being announced shortly after that. Good luck! Be sure to subscribe to MacApper for more great giveaways!

Video Review: TimeMachineScheduler

Michael Mistretta — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 11:00:10 +0000

Undoubtedly, the most-awaited feature in Mac OS X Leopard was Time Machine, the automatic backup software that allows you to visually go back into time on your Mac. However, Time Machine wants a little too much control. There is no option for you to set the interval of time between automatic Time Machine backups. That is until now. TimeMachineScheduler puts you back in the Time Machine driving seat, and lets you schedule when you want Time Machine to automatically backup with a simple slider.

Check out how easy it is to set your backup duration in this video review.

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TimeMachineScheduler is a Universal binary distributed as freeware by Stefan Klieme.

Enhance iChat: Chax 2.1 First Look (Video)

Michael Mistretta — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 14:43:16 +0000

One of the applications I have open every time I use my Mac is iChat. I’m always chatting with people, sending files, talking, or screen sharing. iChat is Leopard is so well done, that it’s all I use. But then along came Chax for Leopard. And just as they innovated in iChat for Tiger, they did it again for Leopard. Chax 2.1 Beta has just been announced, and it comes with a slew of new features. Screensaver auto-away messages, unified contact lists, and AV and screen sharing options all enhance iChat 4 to what it can truly be.

Quay: Hierarchical Menus via Stacks (Video)

Michael Mistretta — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 11:30:26 +0000

Undoubtedly, the most talked about feature in Leopard is Stacks. While it works well for folders with few files, often if the folder has too many files it quickly loses it’s usefulness. Many people have longed for it to be like it was in Tiger, where you could navigate the hierarchy of the folder from the Dock.

Quay returns the functionality back to that of Tiger, while allowing you to keep your current Stacks in place. It also offers more advanced sorting and viewing options which were not in Tiger. In the following video I’ll show you how I use Quay to have instant access to my entire Mac’s file system via a hierarchical menu Stack.

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Video Review: The Jing Project

Matt Witmer — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 11:30:33 +0000

Uploading and sharing your screencast has just gotten a lot easier. It’s an application by the name of Jing and it comes from the guys at TechSmith, the same people behind Camtasio Studio and Snagit.

The Jing Project is built around the idea of capturing screenshots or recording video of your desktop and allowing you to upload them to screencast.com. Once on screencast.com you are able to share your video or image with friends, colleagues, or readers. Best of all this entire process is free.

Check out the following video review to see exactly how this whole Jing thing works.

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Delicious Generation Party Video III

Eric Vicenti — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 10:00:33 +0000

This is the third and final video from the Delicious Generation Party held June 13th in San Francisco. In this portion I talk with the guys from Monkey Business Labs, the developers behind Picturesque, a quick hint about Mac Heist II, and a good chat with the brotherly dev team behind the upcoming new image editor, Pixelmator. This final segment showcases some of the coolest things that went down at the DG party so I hope you guys enjoy it.

Watch for the video after the jump and be sure to subscribe to our feed so you don’t miss any of our premium Macalicious content.

…And in case you missed the first 2 segments:

Delicious Generation Party Video I

Delicious Generation Party Video II

Coda Video Review

Kiro — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 10:30:05 +0000

Most of us know Coda as the radically productive web development tool from Panic, which recently won the User Experience Award at WWDC. Coda has some features none of the competition has including live editing, a built-in CSS editor, and a library of reference materials for programmers. MacApper already did a full coda review way back in late April when it was released, but I thought it would be cool to do a video review of this tool, to better illustrate some of its core features.

In the video I cover how to create and manage a site, how to use the ftp client, how to edit code clips for use in your web projects, and how to utilize the reference library.

iPhone Video Review

Eric Vicenti — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 19:57:30 +0000

I’m sure most of you have had a chance to play with or at least coddle an iPhone this weekend. If not you are totally missing out. There are some great forum threads going around and even some more well known pundits offering their first impressions. Now some of the guys at MacApper have procured iPhones but I was asked to throw together a usability and real world video review for the unit. I hope it covers some bases and gripes not covered elsewhere, and would love to hear some comments from some of the 250,000 – 525,000 of you who fanboy’ed out, and are the first on your own block to own one.

Watch for the video after the jump and don’t forget to subscribe to MacApper’s famous full page feeds to always be in the loop for everything Mac.

MacApper Video: Say Hello to iPhone

Eric Vicenti — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 20:14:20 +0000

As a prequel to a full-on review of the iPhone, me and a friend in San Francisco put together this quick segment of an unboxing and activation of everyone’s favorite new phone. In the video you can see the dock, all of the accessories, and the activation process. Soon to follow will be a full review of the iPhone with first impressions, usability, and some real world examples of this beauty in actual use.

Watch for the first video right after the jump and don’t forget to subscribe to MacApper’s full page feeds so you don’t miss any of our premium free content.

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Delicious Generation Party Video II

Eric Vicenti — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 13:30:57 +0000

With all the iPhone hype I nearly forgot about the other portions of video I put together from the first ever Delicious Generation Party held June 13th in San Francisco. As I mentioned in the first segment the other offerings would have more interviews with developers. In today’s installment hear blurbs from Andrew Stone of Stone Design, Juan Alvarez of Cha Ching, one of the guys at Boinx Software, and more from Austin Sarner and John Casasanta. Some interesting comments and hints are dropped in this one and it’s really nice to see the people behind the apps and hear they’re take on things.

Enjoy this second video installment after the jump and be sure to subscribe to our feed so you don’t miss the third and final video coming soon.

Delicious Generation Party Video I

Eric Vicenti — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 10:00:11 +0000

I hinted at this during our recent MacApper podcast, and I am super stoked we are able to share this with everyone. This was put together on short notice in collaboration with some of the staff here at MacApper. The following video was recorded during the first ever Delicious Generation Party which was held June 13th in San Francisco. Attending the party were most of the developers from WWDC, and there is lots of impromptu and casual chats with the clever people who bring us all of our favorite apps and programs. This video is part I and during the week we will reveal two more.

Enjoy the first segment after the jump. This first part is a bit of a teaser so be sure to subscribe to our feed so you don’t miss the rest of the videos.