Roundup: 10 Mac Applications (Apps) You'll Fall In Love With - Part 1

Mac loves applications. In fact, Mac functions on something that I like to call "The Application System". Naturally, for any avid Mac fan or even an ordinary Mac user, the preloaded apps - amazing as they are - simply aren't enough.

So Where should you get Mac Apps from ? Probably the Mac App Store. Although applications for Mac are still available outside of the Mac App Store, the majority of app developers have submitted their applications to the Mac App Store.

The Mac App Store has recently expanded greatly and now has such a vast variety of applications that even skimming through them to find the best apps for you is impractical. Maybe even a waste of time .

So here's a list of 10 amazing applications that every Mac user will simply love:

 

The Hit List (Productivity) | Download

 

 

The tool to manage  your life shouldn't be as complicated as your life itself. And it has to look good, right ? That's where the hit list comes into play. A remarkable organizational tool that can make anyone's life seem like a breeze.

Pros

• Remarkably easy to use and great looking
• Unique features include Lists, Today's Events, Focus cards, Timer, Smart Folders, Keyboard Shortcuts, Quick Entry and iCal Syncing.

Cons

• Quite expensive for an organizational tool (scroll down)

Rating

7 / 10

Price

$49.99

Suggestion

If you're looking for a simple tool for reminders and notes, this is not for you. You'd be better off waiting for the new version of Mac OS X: Mountain Lion. You might as well buy an iPhone. But if you need a powerful tool which will be a major part of your life, then "The Hit List" is unmatched in its excellence.

 

Pages (Productivity) | Download

 

 

Pages is Mac's version of Microsoft Word. But there's more to it than just a word processor. "It's both a streamlined word processor (like Microsoft Word) as well as an easy-to-use page layout application. It allows you to be a writer one minute and a designer the next."

Pros

• Simple and easy to use
• Word processor and page-layout application - Best at both
• Comes preloaded with gorgeous templates for every imaginable purpose: letters, envelopes, forms, resumes, reports, flyers, brochures, newsletters, business cards, certificates. The list is never ending
• Add media with a click and without the clunkiness that Word provides when handling Media
• Effortlessly create files in Pages and convert them to Word or PDF format
• Cheaper than its counterpart: Microsoft Word
• Can sync with iOS version of Pages to your iPad and iPhone through iCloud or manually
• Create amazing 3D charts
• Meant for a Mac

Cons

• You'll give yurself a headache trying to think of a downside.

Rating

9.5 / 10 ( I'd have given it a ten on ten but they haven't updated it in a while )

Price

$19.99

Suggestion

An absolutely amazing application which no Mac user should have to live without. This application is the reason you bought a Mac. Also, although you may be accustomed to Microsoft Word, I strongly suggest you switch over to Pages. Give it a go. It's an application you simply cannot regret buying.

 

Keynote (Productivity) | Download

 

 

If you've ever seen an Apple keynote (at a product launch or online), you'll already be drooling over this application. "Create your presentation in Keynote and you'll be a hard act to follow. Powerful yet easy-to-use tools and dazzling effects put the show in slideshow"

Pros

• Easy to use
• Very similar to Pages in terms of designing
• Mind blowing animations
• Create amazing 3D charts
• Effortlessly convert presentations to Powerpoint, PDF or Video formats
• Powerful graphics tool
• Can sync with iOS version of Keynote to your iPad and iPhone through iCloud or manually
• Cheaper than its counterpart: Microsoft Powerpoint
• Meant for a Mac

Cons

• Conversions may often need to be corrected slightly

Rating

9 / 10

Price

$19.99

Suggestion

An fabulous application which no Mac user should have to live without. Also, although you may be accustomed to Microsoft Powerpoint, I strongly suggest you switch over to Keynote. Give it a go. It's an application you simply cannot regret buying.

 

Microsoft Office Suite (Productivity) | Download

 

The Microsoft Office Suite consists of the Microsoft Applications that every computer user is only too familiar with: Microsoft Word, Microsoft Powerpoint, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Outlook, etc.

Pros

• Easy and familiar for windows switchers
• No hassles related to conversions and compatibility
• Several Templates for different purposes

Cons

• More expensive than iWork (Pages, Keynote, etc)
• Clunky windows like interface. (This is not the reason you bought a Mac)

Rating

7.5 / 10

Price

$149.99 (for whole package)

Suggestion

You might have noticed the amount of passion with which I wrote about the iWork suite in comparison to what I did with the Microsoft Office Suite. Believe me, that was genuine. I love Microsoft Office. Word's notes layout is fantastic. But I love Pages more. And I don't believe that anything will ever compare. That is, until they launch the new version of iWork. But if you're looking for something familiar, you might prefer Microsoft Office.

 

Echofon (Productivity / Social Networking) | Download

 

 

For the avid tweeter, this is a dream come true. If you're familiar with iOS, you may already have heard of this application. The official Twitter app does the job, but Echofon does the job better. Much better

Pros

• It's fast, it's efficient, it's good looking and it's the best
• Take screenshots from within the application itself. Easy to attach images, links, songs and screenshots to a tweet.

Cons

• It's counterpart: the Official Twitter App provides tough competition and has the added ability to be able to tweet text directly from anywhere on your Mac.

Rating

8.5 / 10

Price

Free ! ($0.99 to disable ad)

 

Note: Most of the Applications listed above are available directly from the Mac App Store. However some are downloadable from the developer's website

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Expected Release Date of iOS 6

As I mentioned in another article recently, Apple - although often extremely unpredictable - does follow some patterns when it comes to software / hardware release dates.
Luckily for us, it usually doesn't digress much from these patterns. So it's a simple matter of observing this pattern for iOS major updates as well as the rumors floating around and figuring out when they'll be releasing the new version of iOS. For example:

• iOS 2 was announced in March, released in July
• iOS 3 was announced in March, released in June
• iOS 4 was announced in April, released in June
• iOS 5 was announced in June, released in October

From the iOS release date history shown above, we can glean a fair bit of information. Apple will probably release their next operating system, iOS 6, sometime in the new few months.

Now, assuming that Apple found June a preferable date to release iOS 5 due to some particular reason, it's possible they'll feel the same for iOS 6. But it may just be that they chose June because they needed enough time to develop iOS and OS X Lion. 

Still, since they generally take a year or so to release their next major update for iOS, chances are June will be the winner. Which means that, once again we'll have to wait for a few months - maybe september or october - to actually be able to download it.

With a little help from rumors floating around, I believe a possible expected release date will be sometime in mid-June.

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Miro: The Beauty and The Beast

The majority of computer users, be it a Mac or PC, all make great use of bit torrent clients. Media players and video convertors too are obviously an essential in today's computer age. Unfortunately, most media players and convertors preloaded on computers (even on Mac) don't live up to their expectations.

So here's where third-party apps come into play. Miro is a torrent client. Or is it a Media Player. Or is it a Video Convertor. It's everything. Literally, Miro can perform all your basic (and advanced) media related tasks extremely well.

Interface and Appearance

The moment you open Miro, you'll notice it's stunning design. On the left-hand side is a beautiful well-designed and non-clunky list which contains Videos, Music, Downloading, Video Sear, Connect and Online Sources. The bottom is an amazing control panel  with nice and large buttons. The main screen varies depending on what item you choose from the left sidebar. Music and Videos appear as large attractive boxes with an elegant thumbnail. They can be played through the click of a button, converted to dozens of different formats or deleted.
Truly, one would be hard pressed to find anything to complain about in this aspect of Miro. Kudos to Morgan Allan Knutson for his amazing work on the design of this application.

Functionality and Performance

In terms of functionality too, Miro is loaded to the brim with features. Naturally, all app developers cram their applications with as many features and facilities as they possibly can. But here's the difference between those applications and Miro: Miro does its job well. Very well.
Miro is so highly capable that writing all of its abilities here seems like it would take all of eternity. But here are some of the things that MIro specializes at:

• It is a highly functional torrent client (With an attractive user interface, which is more than I can say for most other torrent clients)
• It is a Media Convertor and can convert videos to several different formats including some formats specialized for specific devices such as iPad, Galaxy Tab, Nexus One, Apple Universal, iPhone, etc
• It is a Media player and library capable of playing almost all kinds of video and audio files
• It has online support and facilities
• It is capable of playing podcasts and creating playlists

In this regard too, Miro exceeded all expectations that I had from an application which I originally downloaded merely for its video conversion capability.

Comparison to Other Apps

It is in this regard alone - which is unfortunately too important to ignore - that Miro falls slightly short. Although it is amazing in its ability to integrate so much into one drop dead gorgeous application, the only problem is that many other apps already perform the same functions (albeit separately)
Media players are today a dime a dozen. iTunes is one such media player and library which is capable of playing podcasts and creating playlists. And, as much as I wish it did, nothing compares to iTunes. Not even Miro. See this great article: Miro: Just Another iTunes Wannabe? | Mac.AppStorm
For video conversions, people have their preferences. If I wasn't already hooked on to iSkysoft iMedia Convertor, I would definitely have gone with Miro
For torrents, Miro truly is amazing. The best I've used so far. Only Vuze comes close but it lacks the eye-candy that Miro has to offer.

Conclusion

Miro is truly a tremendous application. Download torrents, convert them to a different format (optional) and watch them in Miro or iTunes. The concept of Miro alone would have been enough to make me download it. And the great visuals don't hurt either. While it may not be in the same league as iTunes in terms of serving as a media player and library, it is still amazing at everything it does.

Rating

For its outstanding concept, design and performance, Miro deserves to receive a ten on ten. Unfortunately, due to tough competition and a few minor drawbacks, it receives:

8 / 10

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Write For Us !

You obviously love your Mac. We all do. You, Me, Readers, everyone. So if you wish to write an article yourself for Control Your Mac, don't hesitate. Write a complete and valid article with images and a catchy heading and mail it me at shiv.cym@gmail.com.
Feel free to add links to your own website / blog. You will be credited for your article.

A Few Guidelines

Here are a few rules, guideline and tips for submission of articles:

• All articles should be related to Mac, iPhone or iPad and your original work.
• Articles should be grammatically correct and largely free of errors. Slangs should be avoided
• Capitalizations are important. Application names, Proper Nouns, etc should be Capitalized. For Example: It should be "Control Your Mac" not "control your mac"
• When you need to stress on something, provide emphasis, etc use bold as appropriate.
• Articles have no word limit.
• Your articles may be slightly modified to correct mistakes, etc.
• You may not publish the article elsewhere unless as an extract or while providing the link to this article.
• Provide links as and when you see fit.

Acceptance and Publishing

For the large part, if your article is relevant and original, it will almost surely be accepted and published on www.controlyourmac.com. Your name will be written alongside the article along with a short description of yourself which you should attach to the article. A link to your website, blog, Facebook or Twitter page, if provided, will also be incorporated along with the article.

How to Submit Your Article

To submit your article, mail it to me at shiv.cym@gmail.com along with a brief description of yourself, and if possible, a small picture.

Make sure it follows the guidelines above and it'll surely be accepted !

Other Ways of Sending Your Input

If you've picked up anything that you feel we might have missed, send us your input.

Alternatively, if you feel you have a helpful article, tip, trick, review, tutorial or anything else you feel might be valid, feel free to send us your idea. 

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What and What Not to Expect and Hope For in iOS 6 ( Expected Release Date too )

iOS 5 brought about with it several changes and was called the greatest update for the most advanced mobile platform iOS. And I admit, it was amazing. But as a new platform - or rather, as a new category of platforms - iOS can only learn from its short comings. And as great as the platform is, there are several. Many, I believe, Apple will rectify in the next update of the operating system. Others, they may miss out on. And others still they may simply be too adamant or stubborn to incorporate into the Operating System.

Here's What to Expect in iOS 6:

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Notes on OS X Mountain Lion: Review and Tips & Tricks

Notes on iOS was a beautiful application. And with Apple's latest update for Mac OS X, the amazing Notes application has gained a place in Mac (OS X Mountain Lion) as well. Here is a full review and summary of the application, its functionality, interface and appearance, usage in everyday life and a few tips and tricks as well.


Interface and Appearance

Applications like Notes usually have a cluttered appearance and an interface that requires getting used to. But Notes exceeds most applications in this respect. For applications like Notes, many people - including myself - prefer minimalist designs and functionality. Either that, or catchy casual-looking designs. Notes has both a minimalist and a catchy casual-looking design. Notes on OS 10.8 has a beautiful interface almost an exact replica of its iPad counterpart. Account's appear on the left hand sidebar ( if you want them to ) and so does a list of notes.
Notes has two viewing options: a two-columned view and a three-columned view.

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What You Need to Know About Apple TV

Most people (even some hardcore Apple enthusiasts) haven't the faintest idea about what the Apple TV is.
So if no one's heard about it, must be quite pointless, right ? Wrong.

Apple TV is one of Apple's many neglected devices (right along with the iPod classic, Mac Pro, etc). Its not that consumers wouldn't love to have some of these devices. It's just that Apple doesn't pay enough attention to these devices.

So what is Apple TV?

Its a box. A tiny little (3.9 inch) entertainment box that allows you to buy / rent full HD movies from iTunes or Netflix and watch them on your Television.

What exactly can the Apple TV do ?

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Possibility of an iMac Touch ?

Recently, I discovered that patentlyapple.com had acquired what seems to be a patent filed by Apple for an iMac Touch ( Actual name unknown ). Needless to say, if Apple has actually developed it, they are still a long long way from releasing it. However I'll elaborate on what I seem to understand from this design.
Apparently, the key to it all is the base, or as the header of the image says "Flex base". Essentially when the screen is in the upright position as shown in the main center image, it will function as a normal iMac - on Mac OS X ( Or whatever the latest version of Mac is by then ). But when its screen is facing up such as in the figure on the top-left corner of the image, it will function as an iOS Device. Needless to say, this seems like an extremely convenient idea but for the obvious disadvantages such as which keyboard will be used and if its a touch keyboard won't it be extremely inconvenient.

Another appealing possibility, perhaps most likely too, is that Apple will develop an entirely new Operating System meant for such devices.
Of course, there's still a lot of thought that needs to be put into this, but I'm hoping that Apple's already doing that.

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Recover a Lost Password On Mac OS X ( Lion Included )

Hacking is the (unethical) act of using a computer to gain unauthorized access to a computer. Password Recovery is regaining access to password that you may have lost or forgotten to gain access to - in this case - your computer. But there are some cases when one is not so different from the other.



Recovering a Mac's password is one of those cases. Most Mac users, or computer users, tend to have a password to protect their confidential data. Generally, people set a password that is not too obvious and often quite long and complicated. I too am guilty of that. So when we forget such a password, we have one last hope left: Praying that Apple has in place for people like us a system to regain access to our beloved data. Now naturally, I wouldn't be writing all this if I wasn't going to tell you how to do it, so here it is.

For Lion or Previous Versions of OS X

This is for users of Mac OS X Lion or previous versions of OS X which includes Snow Leopard, Leopard, Tiger, etc. (Mac OS 10.7 or less)

1. Single User Mode

The first step is to reboot your Mac in Single-User mode which gives you root access to the computer. So restart your Mac, and while doing so, hold down command-s. You should now see a black screen with white text on it.

2. Type in the Code

Now that we have a black screen with text on it, its pretty evident what we have to do. We type. So here's what you have to type:

/sbin/mount -uw /
rm /var/db/.applesetupdone
reboot

Note: Make sure everything is exactly as typed above. Also, after each line, press return or enter.

What we did: The first line basically mounts your hard drive, so that you can now edit the rest of the stuff. The second line gets rid of the Apple setup file. Apple uses this file to check if the Mac has a user set up or not. The logic behind it is quite simple - If the file is missing, the Mac doesn't know if a user account has been setup or not. So it starts up as though its a new mac. That is, it sets up a new account. A new administrator account. The last line simply reboots your computer to do the aforementioned task of setting up a new Account.

3. Set it Up

Now all you have to do is watch the video and complete the set up process. If you don't remember, it's quite basic. Name, username, password, etc.

4. Delete the Old Account ( Or the New One )

If you want to use the new account, then you should probably delete the old user account. Go to System Preferences --> Accounts. Click on the old User Account name (you may have to authenticate first) and press the little minus button at the bottom of the window. Now, you'll need an administrator account and password. So type in your new account name and password (must be exact). You should probably save the contents of your old account. (Apple will ask you what you want to do with them)

If you want to use the old account, go to System Preferences --> Accounts. (you may have to authenticate first) Now click on the old account's name from the list on the left and click "Reset Password". Once done, delete the new User by using the above mentioned process.

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A List of 35+ Mountain Lion Features and Changes

The release of OS X Mountain Lion was announced last week on the 16th of February. The theme of this update to Mac's operating system is "iOS-ification"

If you've been on the Apple website, you probably already know about most of the major changes and features of Mountain Lion ( Mac OS 10.8 ) that Apple is advertising. Notes, Reminders, Notifications Center, the works. But that's just a few of them.

With a little poking about, I've compiled a list of all the new tweaks and changes in Mountain Lion that I could find. Here it is -

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Five Things to Do After Buying a Mac

When you buy a Mac, you probably want to make sure you get your money's worth from your Mac. More importantly, you want to use it to its fullest. So here's the ten essential things to do after you buy your Mac (Don't worry, these won't make your wallet any lighter) -

1. The First would naturally be to transfer all your content from your old computer to your new Mac. I personally just transfer my stuff to a hard drive and then to the new Mac, but you can also use Mac's Migration Assistant. (Located in Applications --> Utilities)

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Take an Instant Snapshot in Photo Booth

Take an instant snapshot in Photo Booth ( Without the countdown ) . Simply hold down option while pressing the capture button. Alternatively, press Command-Option-T simultaneously.

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