Top 10 Mac OS X Apps
So these are some apps that I have recently found to be quite useful. The best thing about them is that they are all free.
1. HandBrake
. Fast DVD ripper. Ripped a 3 hr concert in around 1 ½ hr, this depends a lot on your computer. I used a Mac Book Pro 2.5 GHz and 512 MB Graphics card. If you have a regular MacBook it is going to take A LOT longer because of the graphics card.
. Easy to use
. If you are using a laptop make sure it is plugged in or your battery will probably be dead in less than an hour.
2. Senuti
. This program will take music off of any ipod even if it is not synced to the computer you are using.
3. Miro
. This is a video podcast player. Works a lot like itunes but has some other features. For example you can easily download from youtube, googlevideo and a bunch of other video sites. It is also a good way to organize your videos and other movies that you have ripped. You create channels that hold the videos like regular folders. It is a relatively new app and the user interface has a few bugs.
4. The Unarchiver 2
. This is a very simple app that may seem boring to most people. It unarchives every archive system I have ever come across (.zip, .rar, .7zip, .tar.gz etc.). The more obscure extensions show up when you are downloading things using torrents or Linux/Unix applications.
. Not particularly exciting but it has been very useful.
5. Journler
. This is a great app for school. This is an easy way to keep notes organized. The interface is setup as a calendar. You create folders to separate each class. You can click on the day from the calendar and it will show you all the different entries for that day. Or you can click on the folder for any class and it will show you all the notes for that class.
. My favorite feature is the ability to record lectures and save the files in your notes for that class.
. You can record either audio or video (using a webcam).
6. ZiPhoneOSX
. Great app for anyone who has an iphone or ipod touch.
. Enables you to install lots of free apps from ebay watching to a web server. For the iphone it can activate and unlock it for any cell phone carrier.
7. SuperDocker
. Another simple yet useful app, okay not very useful but its fun.
. This modifies how the dock looks. Go and mess around with it.
8. Adium
. This is a chat client that enables you to log into multiple chat accounts at the same time and combines them into one interface.
. AIM, Yahoo!, MSN, Jabber, MyspaceIM, Google talk, LiveJournal, .mac and a few others.
9. Tor/Privoxy
. Tor is a privacy network
. Privoxy is a proxy that tor works through. It is by far the best ad and pop up blocker I have ever used. It also has some other security benefits in it. I highly recommend that you download Neil Vandyke’s .action file for privoxy. It adds a lot of add and pop up blocker protection.
10. Songbird
. Amazing audio player similar to itunes.
. Has many options for integrating web services with it.
i. Last.fm
ii. Gets lyrics for whatever song you are listening to
iii. Mash Tape (gives bios, youtube videos, pictures and upcoming shows for the band that is playing)
iv. Use “birdhouse” to buy and download music. Like the itunes store, but a little more difficult to use.
. Works with ipods
. Has a web browser integrated into it.
. Doesn’t do pod casts, but if you are using Miro (#3) then it doesn’t matter.
