Top Mac OS X Apps: Got your new Mac? Now what to install?

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Apple iMac 27 inch

Have you just bought your new Apple Macbook Pro, MacBook Air, or the beautiful 27 inch iMac, with Apple’s rock-solid Mac OS X. What to install? What are some of the must have applications?

There so many articles out there on the web: Best 10 Apps for your iMac, or 12 must have Apple apps, etc.

Here are apps that I personally use, and that many of my friends have installed on their Apple machines. You don’t have to install each and every application, but more or less choose what you need and get cracking.

  • Google Chrome (an absolute must). I use Chrome because it integrates very well with most of my Google apps, however, many users complain Chrome’s text input on the Mac is slower than say that on a Windows machine.
  • Firefox – As if Chrome and Safari were not enough, I’ve installed Firefox simply because of the sheer number of useful add-ons it offers (think of Add-ons as plug-ins or extensions for your browser).
  • Evernote – If you haven’t already used Evernote, it is time you do. It is one of the most helpful applications out there, that you will use frequently. Store saved pages, notes, business cards, PDFs, cut-and-paste text, etc. all searchable and very cleanly organized. As the good folks at Evernote say – remember everything!
  • Dropbox – The most famous online storage on the web, since perhaps the invention of soda pop! Dropbox offers you free 2GB of storage online. The most people you recommend to use Dropbox, the more your free storage space increases. It also has a paid-account, in which you can subscribe to more storage space as well as the ability to undelete files (as far back as 30 days). You can install Dropbox on multiple machines and have them sync with each other effortlessly. I have it installed on my 2 Macs and a Windows laptop. Edit or save a file one one machines and in mere seconds, the files are updated across all the machines. Laptop gets stolen, you will be glad you had Dropbox to save your important files.
  • TextWrangler – A clean and very easy to use text editor for the Mac. Much more preferred (by me at least) over the TextEdit (built-in text editor in Mac).
  • Adium – Adium is a free instant messenger for the Mac OS X. It allows you to connect to AIM, MSN, Yahoo!, Google Talk, Twitter, Facebook Chat, IRC, ICQ (if you still use it) and a few others that you probably might never use. If IM is your game, rather than having half-a-dozen IMs open, opt for Adium and make your life easier.
  • 1Password – is a paid utility, but one that I must stress you get. At US$ 49.99 one times, it is a steal. Bet you have forgotten your password one time or another? Right? Bet you have it saved in a text file on your computer? Don’t do that. Get 1Password and make loggin-in and password management a seamless task.
  • Acorn – Everybody at some point in their life, will require the use of an Image Editor. Most of us don’t need the thousands of bells and whistles that Adobe Photoshop or GIMP offers, we just need a simple photo editor that is easy to use and reasonably priced. Acorn is just that. Try out the 30 day trial. Acorn is priced at US$ 49.99
  • Reeder – I’ve tried a whole bunch of RSS readers, they all have their plus/minus points. Reeder is my personal favorite. It is a very nice RSS aggregator for placing all your RSS feeds in one place and going through them.
  • Zipeg – .RAR and .ZIP files are a way of life. Just download the free Zipeg RAR/ZIP file utility and you will be all set.
  • Wunderlist – Have things to do? Need to keep a check on your To-Do list – Perhaps the best free task management software out there. Another alternative is Anxiety and Fantastical.
  • Alfred – If you need to search for anything on your Mac, be it a file, a link, a bookmark, etc. Alfred is the ultimate application. Free of course. Its fast, very easy to get a custom toggle and just type away and see instantaneous results.
  • SnagIt – Though there are many screen-capture tools (including the ones built-in to the Max OS X – see here) I still find SnagIt to be the best. Sure there are $1.99 apps and free plug-ins for Firefox and Google Chrome – so why spend a bundle on SnagIt, simply because if screen captures and using those captured images, resizing, editing, annotations, etc. matter to you, then SnagIt is the fastest and the best alternative out there.
  • OpenOffice – Though I have moved most of my work to Google Docs, every now and then I will get an odd Microsoft Word or Excel file. The best alternative to MS Office is OpenOffice. Its free, it works and its time you kicked the habit of using MS Office.
  • iTerm2 – DO you SSH or FTp via command line? DO you need a simple to use terminal emulator, but powerful enough for your CLI needs? Look no further than iTerm2.
  • Address Book Clearout – Managing an address book is frustrating. Your email client will have something else, your online something else, your Mac address bok (oh lets not get started on bad it is). However, to fix all this – you need the Address Book Clearout app. At US$ 6.99 it will save you hours of editing and going through your address book to sift through, sort out and deleted/merge all duplicate or haywire entries.
  • Skype of Mac – Skype – enough said. We all need it.
  • VLC Media Player – Gotta watch movies? VLC is the player to have. It will play those hard to play MKV format on the Mac with ease, as well as MP4, AVI, etc. Free to use.
  • CloudApp – Need to share pictures? files? documents? with others. Just get CloudApp (Free!), drag, drop and share! Voila!
  • Growl – Need a central notification center? Yes, you do (trust me on this one). Just download and install Growl. It works great. See all your notifications pop up on one side of the screen.
  • FileZilla for Mac – Simple, free and and easy to use, FTP client. Very robust and can be as detailed oriented as you want it to be.
  • AppCleaner – AppCleaner is a free, easy to use, applications to uninstall unwanted apps on your Mac!
  • Little Snitch – If security is your concern, Little Snitch is the solution. It protects and informs you what applications on your computer are trying to connect to the outside world.

Deliberately, I have left out apps like Email Clients of which there is a wide variety (Sparrow and Thunderbird are my recommendations). Tweetdeck for Mac as a Twitter Client. xCode if you are going to be an Apple developer/programmer, The Apps store is a great way to discover new and exciting apps for your computer and your computing needs.

Google Drive on its way? Dropbox Killer?

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Google Drive

There has been a lot of speculation lately of Google, launching its Google Drive. The online equivalent of storage. TNW is reporting through their sources, that the launch is imminent for next week. The question here is how much storage would be offered? Will it be a Dropbox killer? What will the pricing be like?

Dropbox is the market leader today! Almost everyone I know uses it. Is simple to use. Priced well, and works across multiple computers, keeping my files sync’d all the time. Effortless.

Barring Google (as a competitor) the technical innovations that Dropbox has managed to achieve, of which very few users actually know and care about, its the traction that is more important. There are others out there, with a mixed offering similar to Dropbox and offer higher or lower storage, at a price that maybe higher or lower than Dropbox. Can you off the top of your head (and by you I mean the ‘average’ Dropbox user) cite 4-5 competitors? For Google – see my comments below.

Couple of factors/viewpoints:

  1. Those already using Dropbox, see no reason to switch. Switching is easier said than done. The Argh! factor of having to upload all that data up again!
  2. Do you use it? When most of my friends and family opt for a solution, the first thing we do is ask amongst ourselves? Who uses it? If there are not many users chances are I won’t be bothered. Also, who is evangelizing within your group matters a lot! They carry influence.
  3. Dropbox to many has become the online equivalent word for online backup. Think tissue, think Kleenex. Think copier, think Xerox. Think online backup – think Dropbox (would be very hard, not impossible) to change this mindset.
  4. The 2GB and the “invite more of your friends and get more space” plays out perfectly in the market.
  5. If you’ve ever used other solutions, they are just not as simple enough as Dropbox. The damn thing just works – flawlessly! and the flawless multi-computer integration – different platforms is no less than a miracle!
  6. Price is an important factor, but it becomes secondary. May have tried to go the lower $ value per GB route, but have not taken off as one had assumed.
  7. For now, Dropbox = Cool = Reliable = Works!
  8. Who is the competition again? (that’s branding for you!

The Google Factor

To say, Dropbox will remain strong, is not correct either. They will definitely lose share to Google, should Google offer to roll out its much anticipated/rumored Google Drive (which offers 5GB of Free storage).

Pricing for Google Drive (for premium accounts) is rumored to be just about the same as Gmail’s Extended Capacity pricing:

20 GB ($5.00 USD per year)
80 GB ($20.00 USD per year)
200 GB ($50.00 USD per year)
400 GB ($100.00 USD per year)
1 TB ($256.00 USD per year)

Google Drive Leaked Image
If and this is a big if – Google matches the upgrade pricing of Gmail to that of their Google Drive, you will most likely see a mass exodus from Dropbox. That is to say, provided Google’s Drive Solution is rock-solid and multi-computer enabled.

In addition to this, Google will definitely offer the Google Drive to sync up with all Android phones and perhaps most likely with iPhones as well (something that Dropbox currently does not do).

All in all, Dropbox should be pretty okay. I think they will be forced to revise their pricing (which I doubt they will do, but more or less will increase your current hard disk storage space online).

The Music of the Trees

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Imagine if you could hear what chopped down trees have to say. What do you think they would say? Now, you don’t have to imagine. Try “Years”, the turntable that plays music from slices of wood.

Bartholomäus Traubeck, a German artist, has created a turntable that uses circular pieces of chopped trees instead of usual vinyl records and plays some beautiful music.

Traubeck says, “A tree’s year rings are analysed for their strength, thickness and rate of growth. This data serves as basis for a generative process that outputs piano music. It is mapped to a scale which is again defined by the overall appearance of the wood (ranging from dark to light and from strong texture to light texture). The foundation for the music is certainly found in the defined ruleset of programming and hardware setup, but the data acquired from every tree interprets this ruleset very differently.”

In short, each ring in a circular piece of wood, also used to calculate the age of a tree, are used to generate piano notes by the software in the turntable.

The music is rather sad, but hey, what else do you expect a chopped tree to sing?

Listen for yourself:

 

 

YEARS from Bartholomäus Traubeck on Vimeo.

Soluto.com – Help others with their PCs

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Soluto.com

 

Came across this website, whilst watching Robert Scoble’s video on his YouTube Channel. Soluto is a real cool web app that lets you help out others (family, friends, etc.) with their PC problems. It is a non-invasive, very easy to use web app. Much better than other apps for remote desktop assistance, where privacy is a huge concern.

Here is the soluto.com intro video as seen on their website.

Soluto Intro from Soluto on Vimeo.

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How to install an ISO File

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An ISO image (International Organization for Standardization) is an archive file (also known as a disc image) of an optical disc, composed of the data contents of every written sector of an optical disc, including the optical disc file system. In most cases ISO Images are used to contain the true digital copy of the original disk. So, if you’ve downloaded an ISO image, just keep in mind that it is not an ordinary data CD/DVD image. Especially, in case of Operating Systems, these ISO Images contain files that make CDs/DVDs bootable, therefore, you need a special software to write them on CD / DVD and then install them.

How to mount an ISO file on Windows 7

If you need to see the contents of an ISO file that you just downloaded, then you will have to mount it in your computer. Mounting an ISO image file is similar to inserting a CD / DVD ROM in your CD /DVD Drive, the only difference is that this would be done virtually. Mounting an ISO file has a lot of benefits. Before burning it on to a CD or a DVD, you’re able to check the contents and verify if everything is just as you want. Or, if you want to install a software or a video game but don’t want to burn the ISO image on a CD or DVD. This would come in handy if you don’t have a CD / DVD Drive altogether in your PC or netbook. Windows 7 doesn’t give native support for ISO files so you have to use third party tools.

Using Virtual Clone and Magic Disk

  • Virtual Clone Drive lets you mount almost all kinds of image files be it ISO, UDF, BIN or CCD.Make sure that you have Administrative privileges on your computer before you continue. Download the utility and install it. Through installation steps, it will ask you for file association and then it will install the Drive Software (Application Driver). Now just double click on your image file to mount it.

Virtual Clone Drive

  • Magic Disk is a similar program but it also gives you the option to set a number of multiple virtual drives and also change the drive letter of your existing virtual drive.

UltraISO Mount

Remember that all the ISO editing / manipulating applications like Magic ISO, PowerISO and UltraISO have built-in capabilities to create virtual drives and mount ISO files in them.

How to mount an ISO file on Windows 8

A feature added to the Windows 8 pre-beta by default. All you have to do is click on the image file and click ‘Mount’ to mount the image file. Your image would be mounted as a new drive in My Computer. Right click it to unmount.

Windows 8

How to install an ISO file / image without burning it on a CD/ DVD

Extract the ISO Image

Well, you can either mount them. Or you can extract them. As stated in the introduction, ISO files are archives so almost any archive extraction application like WinZip , WinRAR and 7Zip can extract the contents of the file. 7Zip is the recommended software here as not only it is free but it also supports almost all kinds of compression formats. It has also the support for checking an archive for malware or virus before extracting it. Just keep in mind that once you have extracted the ISO image file, you cannot get back the same image file by compressing the data again. So, be careful before deleting the original ISO image file.

Write it on a USB Flash Drive

If this ISO image file is a windows image, like Windows 8 pre-beta. Then you have the option to write it on the USB Flash Drive. Which is always a better option as it will be a faster installation than a CD /DVD ROM. Refer to our article on How to Create and Install Windows 8 from a Bootable USB.

How to install an ISO file / image by burning it on a CD / DVD

What you Need?

  1. The ISO Image file, it should be ending with an ISO extension at the end. You won’t see the extension if you have installed some compatible application.
  2. CD/DVD Writer/Burner.
  3. A CD/DVD ROM.
  4. Software to burn the ISO Image.  ISO Image Burner, other alternatives to this program exist too, like freewares ImgBurn, Free ISO Burner and a shareware UltraISO.

Steps to follow:

ISO Image Burner

ISO image burner

Free ISO Burner

fREEiso

Ultra ISO

UltraISO

Instructions:

The process is same for whatever application you use.

  1. Choose your ISO image file.
  2. Select your CD / DVD ROM Drive.
  3. Burn or Write.

 

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How to add Microsoft Xbox points in Xbox LIVE Account

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Xbox points (also known as Microsoft® Points or Xbox LIVE points) are actually the currency or coins of the Xbox Live market place. Purchasing these points is similar to putting some cash into your Xbox LIVE account so that you can later use them in the Marketplace.  These points can be bought from the Marketplace in your console using your credit card or from retail locations that sell cards. Those cards have numbers that you can use to buy your points. With these points you can not only rent movies, videos, buy hundreds of TV Shows and games but also various add-ons like maps and weapons in different multiplayer games. This is not limited to online games. With offline, single player games, these points can be redeemed for specific pieces of weapons and other stuff. Here is a short tutorial on how to add your Xbox points or Microsoft points to your Xbox LIVE account.

Just go ahead and buy your Xbox prepaid card from a retail outlet or ebay. Then turn your Xbox on, make sure that you are connected to the internet and sign in to your Xbox LIVE Account, if you haven’t already.

Tear off the strip on the card to view your code.

image

Now hit the Xbox button on your controller which will take you to the Xbox Dashboard.

Xbox Dashboard

Next move to the Marketplaces and click on Redeem Code

Game Marketplace

Enter the 25 Character code from your card in the next screen and press ‘Done’.

Redeem Code

After entering the code, click on Redeem Now to redeem your Microsoft Points from your prepaid card that you just entered.

Redeem Now

You’ll get a confirmation about the added points.

Confirmation

That is pretty much it. Now you can browse the Market Place for your games or TV shows. Have fun.

 

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Best Online Connection Speed Tests

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Connection speed measurement is a technique to assess the quality of your internet connection. This test measures the bandwidth of your ISP and latency that is causing the difference in the speed. Before we review some of the best online connection speed tests, you need to have a little know-how about these two terms: Bandwidth and Latency.

Bandwidth

In  computer networking, it refers to the data rate that is supported by the network connection or the interface used. It is often measured in terms of bits per second (bps). Bandwidth actually represents the capacity of the internet connection that you’re using. The greater the capacity of the connection, the greater speed you’ll get from it. For example, if your ISP says that you have a connection of 3.1Mbps (WiMax or ADSL), it means that you’ll get 3.1Mbps (Mega bits per second) or 300KBps (Kilo Bytes per second) speed, at least theoretically. The old V.90 modem only supported bandwidth upto 56Kbps and modern ADSL modems support upto 100Mbps speed.

Latency

It refers to the delays that occur during the network data process. Lower the latency, higher the quality of the connection, whereas, higher latency connections suffer longer delays and decrease in their speed (bandwidth). So if your ISP promised you the speed of 3.1Mbps and you’re not getting the same speed, latency might be a cause of it as it creates a bottleneck that prevents the flow of network data. Faulty phone lines or lower signal strength are some of the reasons for latency. Latency is measured in terms of milliseconds (ms). Ideal latency rate in a DSL connection is 100 millisecond. One way to find out latency of your network is the ping command.

(Before starting any network speed test, make sure that you’re not browsing any other website or downloading anything as it may effect the overall results of the test).

Speed Test

SpeedTest.net

It is one of the most used online speed test websites. You can choose from the several available internet providers and can also choose the closest server to you. SpeedTest.net uploads a 1MB file to a server and in the process measures the bandwidth of your ISP. For latency check, they have a sister site called Pingtest.net.

pingtest.net

With a cool flash interface, it’s real fun to measure the bandwidth and latency of your internet connection and at the end you can also compare your results with other ISPs or different servers. Speakeasy.net was also made by the people of SpeedTest.net

 

 

 

Broadband Speed Checker

Broadband Speed Checker

It’s a UK based website that gives you the option to check for the download and upload speed only. You can also see your previous results and share results with other people.

BroadbandSpeedChecker

 

Oz Broadband Speed Test

Oz Broadband Speed Test

This one is a little bit different as it provides you the option to run a test of your own choice. On the main page, you’ll get the options of different file sizes to choose from.

Optus Speed Test

It ranges from a dial up 70KB to an ADSL2+ 15MB file. The reason for different tests is that the larger the bandwidth you have, only a larger file can truly test the speed of its connection. On an ADSL2+, 50Mbps connection, a mere 1MB file won’t show the accurate results.

Optus Speed Test 2

Upon choosing a test, a pop up window will open and the test will start. The results will be shown after the completion. You can also compare different broadband connection results with different filters like peak or off peak data, speed and price.

Broadband DSL Reports

Broadband DSL Reports

This website provides different kinds of online speed tests not only for a PC but also for different mobile platforms, with latency support. There are two kinds of testing platforms, flash and Java based. Java platform provides more accuracy and like all other tests, flash based program may not show accurate results if you have slower computer. You can compare results and filter or get data of your ISP.

DSLReports

CNet Speed Test

CNet Speed Test

Last but not least, one of the oldest online speed test. With only a fixed server in the US. This will download a file of 1MB when you’ll choose your type of connection from the list.

Cnet Speed Test

 

 

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Unity basics and Keyboard Shortcuts in Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot

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Different Parts of Unity Desktop

(Click to enlarge.)

Naming

Naming 02

  1. Windows Title – This title won’t show when you’re in the maximized application window.
  2. Application Menu – Application menu is hidden in maximized application window.
  3. Dash icon
  4. Launcher
  5. Launcher Icons
  6. Workspace switcher
  7. Trash Bin
  8. Desktop
  9. Application Window
  10. Windows Borders and Decorations
  11. Indicator Icons – Network, Sound, Messaging, Clock, Session and Power Menus.
  12. Unity Dash
  13. Lenses – Home, Application, Files and Music Lenses. These are actually tabs that help you navigate between what you want to look for. Essentially narrowing down the search results.

Keyboard Shortcuts

(Super is the key with Windows Logo on your PC or Command Key on your Mac.)

Launcher

  • Hold Super – Invokes the Launcher. (Image flipped.)

Launcher Invoked

  • Hold Super, then 1 or 2 or 3 and so on until 0 – Opens or puts focus to an application. The number actually corresponds to the location of the icon on the launcher from top to bottom.
    • Adding Shift will open a new instance of the application if it’s already open.
  • Super+T – Opens the trash can.
  • Alt+F1 – Put keyboard focus on the Launcher, use arrow keys to navigate, Enter launches an application, Right arrow exposes the quick lists if an application has them.

QuickList 01

  • Ctrl+Alt+T – Launch a terminal window.

Terminal Shortcut

Dash

  • Tap Super(Press, don’t hold) – Opens the Dash.
    • Tab -  Move to the next lens (When the dash is open)
    • Shift+Tab – 11.10+ only – Move to the previous lens (when the dash is open)
  • Alt+F2 – Invokes the Dash in a “special mode” to run a command. Typing in a Folder Name will find that folder in Nautilus, you can also use ~ as a shortcut in the field. Typing an application name will show different settings of that application with that application itself.

Run Command in Dash

  • The Dash opens with focus on the search box to find applications and files. Using the arrow keys will navigate the results, use Enter to launch.

Panel

  • F10 – Open the first menu on the panel, use the arrows keys to move along to the end of that list or to the last menu, which is ‘Session’ by default.
  • Press Esc to close the menus without choosing anything.

Window Management

  • Super+W – Spread mode, zoom out on all windows in all workspaces.

Spread Mode

  • Super+D – Minimize or restore all windows; (Show Desktop.)
  • Alt+Tab – Switch to other applications, you can hold Alt down and then hit tab to switch to the next application.

AltTab

  • Alt-` (The key to the left of 1 on US layouts, by default Unity will take it as any key above the Tab key.)- Switch between an application’s windows. Hitting this combo when you’re already focused on an application will automatically switch only between the windows for that application.

AltTab 01

Window Placement

Cycling through the same key Unity will cycle through different placement widths, so experiment by hitting the NUM key multiple times, for example Ctrl-Alt-numpad 5 5 5:

  • Ctrl+Alt+Numpad 7 – Place window in top left corner of screen.
  • Ctrl+Alt+Numpad 8 – Place window in top half of screen.
  • Ctrl+Alt+Numpad 9 – Place window in top right corner of screen.
  • Ctrl+Alt+Numpad 4 – Place window on the left side of the screen.
  • Ctrl+Alt+Numpad 5 – Center/Maximize the window in the middle of the screen.
  • Ctrl+Alt+Numpad 6 – Place window on the right side of the screen.
  • Ctrl+Alt+Numpad 1 – Place window in the bottom left corner of the screen.
  • Ctrl+Alt+Numpad 2 – Place window in the bottom half of the screen.
  • Ctrl+Alt+Numpad 3 – Place window in the bottom right corner of the screen.
  • Ctrl+Alt+Numpad 0 – Maximize window.
  • Alt + F7 with Arrow keys – Moves the current window on the screen in the current workspace. Use Arrow keys to change its position fast, and use Arrow keys (on NUMpad  when NumLock is off) to change it slowly.

Workspace Management

  • Super+S – Expo mode (for everything), zooms out on all the workspaces and lets you manage windows.

Zoom Out Spread

 

  • Shift+Alt+↑ – Expo mode for all windows in the current workspace only.
  • Ctrl+Alt+← / → / ↑ / ↓ – Change to a new workspace.
  • Ctrl+Alt+Shift-← / → / ↑ / ↓ – Place window to a new workspace.
  • Alt + F10 to resize current window between normal size and/or maximize.

Above three shortcuts will work after you press Super + S

  • Ctrl+Alt+L - Lock the screen.

Screenshots

  • Above three shortcuts will work after you press Super + S – Take a screenshot of the current workspace.
  • Alt+PrtScn – Take a screenshot of the current window.

 

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