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This is one very cool program. I’ve been playing with Snapz Pro X from Ambrosia Software for a couple weeks now and I’m using it more and more everyday. (Look at some of my recent posts – the screenshots are a product of Snapz Pro X.) Sure, OS X comes with Grab for taking screen shots, but it’s pretty basic in function. Snapz Pro X is full-featured and then some.

Snapz Pro X starts up as a background service when you log into your OS X account, so it’s always there, waiting for when you need to use it. Don’t worry though, it doesn’t bother your regular cpu usage when it’s not being used (I know, I keep a top monitor on my desktop with geektool, at all times…) When the mood strikes you, hit CMD + SHIFT + 3 and the options come up which allow you to choose what kind of screen capture you want to take. Read more »

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Sources have revealed that Apple Legal has been in contact with The Apple Blog following this morning’s revelation of iHome and iNote, demanding that they remove all images and specifications of the aforementioned devices. Reaction to the news has been mixed, but most of the blog’s […] Read more »

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Today Griffin Technology announced they will be releasing a new attachment for the iPod Photo that will allow Nikon’s D70 digital SLR camera to be attached to the top of the iPod Photo. The iNikonD70iPodPhoto will allow the iPod Photo to act as a battery pack […] Read more »

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Taking a note from the Knoppix book, Apple will be releasing a lite version of OS X – code named Kitty, in honor of their feline naming conventions – which will run from a bootable optical disc. Knoppix is a Linux distro that only runs from […] Read more »

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Following in the footsteps of the release of System 7.5.3 for free in January 1999, Apple has decided to give away Mac OS 9.0 operating system for free since it’s been replaced by Mac OS X, and not used by OS X’s Classic (Mac OS 9.2.2 […] Read more »

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The Apple Blog has obtained, from reliable sources, information on an upcoming release from Apple of the much rumored home media center. It will be called iHome. The following images that we received from said source are believed to be a mix of official product photos […] Read more »

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Sources tell us that Apple will be releasing, in the coming months, a sort of PDA. It will be entitled iNote. iNote will run a modified version of OS X called XNote. Many of the current Mac apps will be available (iCal, Mail, Preview, Safari, iPhoto, […] Read more »

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I’ve finished reading over a new eBook by author David Hill: “Cocoa Game Programming Workshop”. This book takes readers through the steps to make a simple 2D game with Cocoa on Mac OS X with XCode. Beginning with the assumption that the reader has already been […] Read more »

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As more and more signs point to a sooner than later release of OS X 10.4 – Tiger – I find myself planning for that future. Huh? It’s ok, follow along and I’ll explain a skosh more. You see, I hammer on my OS X system […] Read more »

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As reported earlier, Amazon is offering pre-ordering for 10.4 with a rebate of $35. However, at the time of the previous entry, Amazon pulled the ability to pre-order 10.4 from its website after having it up. Now, pre-ordering has been re-enabled. Hopefully, it’s back to stay. Read more »

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Ever notice that your OS X system isn’t running as quick and efficient as it once seemed to? Are things opening slower, taking more resources to operate, and generally causing you to become more impatient while using the computer? It’s probably time to deal with the gunk build-up that’s accumulated over time in OS X. Here are a few tips that will help you regain that lost efficiency from your system.

Unix has a lot of utility apps built into the operating system, and since OS X is built on a Unix framework, you’ve got those utilities right there and waiting to be used. In fact, you don’t even have to know what those utilities are, or how to use them! I know, right now you’re going, “Huh?” Here’s the trick:
Let your machine run while you sleep at night. (If necessary, tell it not to go to sleep, or to automatically wake in the early AM.) OS X has a few tricks up its sleeves, but they’re only set to run in the middle of the night by default. So letting things run on their own while you rest will help to keep your system running a little smoother than it would otherwise. You really don’t have to do anything about it! Read more »

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Taking screen captures and annote-izing (wait, is that a word?) them is absolutely brainless with FlySketch. I love brainless. This little app is so intuitive and useful that it took me all of 60 seconds of fiddling with it to say out loud, “Holy crap this is cool!”

The ability to draw (boxes, notes, fuzzing-out, etc) over top the image you’re about to grab, and include those edits in the grab is fantastic. I think the most ideal use is for any tutorial based instructions. It’s just so simple and fast when it comes to taking and labeling screens in one move.

Last week I turned in a few screen shots to my manager upon her request. With FlySketch, I was able to put my notes and helpful information right in the shots! It was so useful compared to having a notes sheets referencing different screens, and then different portions of those screens in some cases. Much less confusion, and absolutely simple to generate. Read more »

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I was excited to get my hands on this little mouse – and I mean little! It’s the perfect size for my 3 year old son to use, and he loves that. It’s definitely for travel purposes – I don’t think I’d recommend it for regular day to day use or you’re sure to end up with carpal-tunnel before you know it. But in order to bring accurate news and reviews to our faithful readers, I’ve used it regularly for 2 weeks, sacrificing my personal health in the process.

The quality is very high, and with the included 2 AAA rechargeable batteries, it’s got a nice little heft to it. It’s really just enough to let you know you’re moving something around in your hand – not so much that you’ll notice its added weight in your laptop bag. Read more »

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This is about the coolest website design I’ve seen. Ever. Make sure you’ve got the Flash plugin installed and your sound up for the full experience. I really don’t have anything else to say. It’s just so cool, you gotta check it out for yourself. Read more »

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If you’re a developer, or maybe more specifically, an aspiring developer, you have got to check out MAMP. Some of you may be familiar with LAMP, which was the Linux Apache MySQL PHP installer package. Well the incredibly cool folks at webEdition have blessed the mac […] Read more »

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I recently got the opportunity to play with Rogue Amoeba‘s latest offering, Airfoil. For those of you unfamiliar with Rogue Amoeba, they specialize in audio-based applications for OS X. (I’ve been a long-time user of Audio Hijack Pro and LineIn) Definitely check them out if you’re an audiophile of any sort.

Airfoil takes the idea of Apple’s AirTunes to the next level by allowing you to stream audio from any source (program) on your Apple Computer to remote speakers using an AirPort Express. You’re no longer bound to iTunes when it comes to utilizing your home stereo for audio from your Mac. Read more »

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Amazon is offering a US$35 mail-in rebate on Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, the next major version of Apple’s powerful operating system. Amazon is selling 10.4 for $129.99, so the price will be $94.99 after the rebate. This offer qualifies for Amazon’s Super Saver free shipping […] Read more »

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A (thankfully non-commercial) hack to make your iBook match the World’s Scariest iPod Case. Read more »

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Initially this was to be a review of Moneydance and nothing more. But since I didn’t have experience with anything to compare it to, I checked out a few other personal finance apps for OS X as well, so I could give you the full scoop. In all, I tried Moneydance, iBank, Money, and iFinance. I left Quicken out because it seems to be the typical choice, and I wanted to see what the smaller developers had to offer.
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To start off, I’ve never consistently tracked my finances (like I – and you – should) with software or a bank book. Yeah, I know: Bad Nick. Well, this has been a great chance for me to get into it, and surprisingly, I’ve taken to it like a homerun hitter to steroids… I should actually mention, that I keep track of my finances through online banking with my bank’s website. So on a daily basis I can see what’s happening with my accounts. This is great, so why use an app in addition to the online access? The first and most useful reason is the graphic depictions of what your money is actually going toward. Having a pretty, color-coded chart to show you where all your hard-earned cash went is nice for tayloring a personal budget, to say the least.

The online banking type of person will love Moneydance. It was the first one I reviewed, and it’s the one I’ll be sticking with. (If you do your banking by monthly, mailed statements, then you may find one of the other apps more to your liking. More on them shortly.) Read more »

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Ever since the Tony Hawk Pro Skater series of games, extreme sports games have done pretty well, and are usually pretty enjoyable games. The game MTX Mototrax was created by the guys at Neversoft, the same company that created the Tony Hawk games. It originally was […] Read more »

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Apple has used Austin’s South By Southwest music festival to introduce a new type of pre-paid cards for the iTunes Music Store, according to Playlist magazine. Over 200 bands appearing at South By Southwest are distributing their own numbered, limited edition iTunes cards, which usually entitles […] Read more »

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There’s a lot of iPod accessories floating around these days, from a variety of manufacturers. Of the ones I’ve seen, the best and most useful tend to come from either Griffin Technologies or MacAlly. I’ve just spent a week playing with MacAlly’s PodWave speakers and I’ve […] Read more »

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The reactions that Apple products elicit from “passers-by” are – in my experience – always some form of awe. Whether I’ve got my powerbook out at work, on the train into the office, or in a waiting room someplace, it gets noticed and always brings people […] Read more »

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Well, at least “according to sources close to [Apple]“. April 1st is not confirmed or denied as the announcement date (while it IS April Fool’s Day, it’s also the anniversary of the Apple I…) of the Tiger release, but mid April does seem to be the […] Read more »

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It’s pretty hard to swallow the rumors floating around that Tiger (OS X 10.4) may be announced by Apple on April 1st. I mean, really. Who announces something that big on a Friday, but especially April Fool’s Day? Well, in recent history, Google’s GMail was announced […] Read more »

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In the Rainbow Six 3 games, you’re part of “Rainbow” – an elite squad of counter-terror specialists, taking down the scum of the earth, wherever they roam. Your team is the last hope for all of the citizens on earth. But don’t be confused – this […] Read more »

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Looks like someone wants to be sued. A company out of Taiwan known as LUXPRO has created a new mp3 player that was obviously ripped off inspired by the iPod shuffle called the Super Shuffle. I expect we will hear about Apple sending a cease and […] Read more »

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The second round of Mac mini car installations is a huge step up from the first. Read more »

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Let’s be honest here. eBay is highly addictive. I can go months without ever putting anything up for auction but the day I put something up on eBay I immediately want to sell everything I own! Now, maybe I’m a bit of an odd case…but from […] Read more »

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Let’s be honest here. Alarm clocks could be the worst invention ever created. I mean, honestly, who actually thought a screaming loud pulsating siren sound was a good way to start your day. If I ever met t hat guy I’d kick him in the shins […] Read more »

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A very brave modder has rigged up a LED based clock on the front of his PowerMac G5. It is just a hacked up alarm clock placed inside of a G5 case but it is still kind of cool. Read more »

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During an announcement at CeBIT, Apple has committed to joining the the Blu-ray Association and will occupy a seat on their board. Obviously Apple’s joining will have a pretty big impact on the success of Blu-ray with Apple now using their technology. Dell and HP are […] Read more »

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I just finished playing the game “CSI”, from Ubisoft, ported to the Mac by Aspyr. It lets players jump in the car with the characters from the show and investigate all-new crimes yourself, using the tools they use to solve the mysteries, interrogate people, and match […] Read more »

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We’re all expecting great things from Tiger; that’s understandable. But I think it’s easy to forget just what goes on under the hood in a new OS release that many end users just fail to even notice. Core Image could end up being one of those pervasive tools that as users we take for granted, but which developers can’t help but play with. Read more »

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I got the chance to review this recently updated app, StickyBrain. This app allows users to do more than the “Stickies” app that Apple has created. (Obviously, Stickies will be inside of Dashboard when Tiger is released, but StickyBrain still is much more than that). At […] Read more »

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I’ve just spent some time reviewing an amazing drawing app that’s available for Mac OS X. You may not understand what it does, but if you’re an architect or designer, you’ll wonder what you did without it. Now, ask yourself, “what if Photoshop or Illustrator got […] Read more »

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