Mac Gems
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Mac Gems
Use InstaBackup to backup Instagram shots to your Mac
InstaBackup is a handy utility that's well suited to Instagram power-users who want to back up their favorite lo-fi photos, or those who simply want a quick pain-free way to transfer their Instagram photos to their Mac.
Mac Gems
Prevent accidental app closures with CommandQ
CommandQ blocks the Command-Q shortcut, displaying a bezel with a progress bar on screen. You have to keep holding the Command and Q keys until the progress bar reaches the end to quit an application.
Mac Gems
Caffeinated is a smartly designed Google Reader client for Mac
Caffeinated 1.2.2 is a full-featured RSS client that pairs with Google Reader. It has has seamless integration with several third-party services including Twitter and Facebook, as well as "read later" services like Instapaper.
Mac Gems
Enqueue plays audio files that iTunes can’t handle
Enqueue is a full-fledged music playback application, similar in look and feel to iTunes. In fact, it can read and play the contents of your iTunes library as well–in addition to FLAC, Enqueue can play MP3, AAC, Ogg Vorbis, WAV, AIFF, and Musepack audio files.
Mac Gems
Keep track of your digital media with Stock Keeper
Stock Keeper uses tags, license, payment, date, notes and other information to help you organize your files.
Mac Gems
Streambox integrates Pandora Radio with your Mac
Configure Streambox to use the media keys (previous track, play/pause, next track) on your keyboard or, if you prefer, assign keyboard shortcuts to those actions and more.
Mac Gems
Open unrecognizable Outlook files with Klammer
Klammer helps you unpackage Winmail.dat and MSG files so you can get to the important content that is wrapped up inside them.
Mac Gems
MailTags 3 is an excellent add-on for Apple’s Mail app
MailTags 3.0.2 adds a superb level of functionality to Apple's native Mail that you wonu2019t be able to live without once youu2019ve tried it.
Mac Gems
Clusters compresses files and creates space
Clusters is a file-compression app that works silently in the background. When it finishes, you should notice no difference at all — except that your total amount of free disk space is higher.
Mac Gems
Organize your Address Book with FormalAddress
When you come across an address online that you want to import to your Address Book, just copy the text to your clipboard, open FormalAddress, and export.
Mac Gems
Watermark your PDFs and images with Bronson Watermarker
Bronson Watermarker fills a small–but vital–niche for those who need to create watermarked PDFs and images. You can even export your files as a single image to make sure that someone can't strip the watermark from your PDF.
Mac Gems
Learn more about your typing habits with Typingstats
Typingstats is a utility that tracks your typing habits and generates results like average words-per-minute and to the keys most likely to break due to frequent use.
Mac Gems
Downloads keeps all downloaded items organized
When you launch Downloads, you'll see all the items in your Mac's Downloads folder, whether they are at the top level, or buried deep inside folders. This handy app keeps all of your downloaded items neat and organized.
Mac Gems
Customize your Mac’s battery warnings with Low Battery Saver
Low Battery Saver warns you when your battery hits a certain amount of time remaining, and then shuts down your computer.
Mac Gems
Set desktop banner alarms with ChronoSlider
Set alarms and reminders with ChroniSlider by sliding your cursor across your Macu2019s screen. This method allows for lightning fast input and less of an interruption to your workflow.Mac Gems
Use Looky to turn on your Mac’s camera in a hurry
Looky is a menu-bar utility for quickly popping open a live view from your Mac's built-in camera–perfect for keeping an eye on who might be sneaking up behind you.
Mac Gems
Speed Download manages downloads and FTP to boost workflow
Speed Download is a download and FTP manager with features for both basic and more advanced needs. This is a highly useful app, which integrates well into Safari and iTunes, and can greatly boost your workflow.
Mac Gems
Welcome to GemFest 2012
It's time for our annual GemFest (a.k.a., Summer of Gems), so starting today and continuing through mid-August, we'll be reviewing a new Mac Gem every day (except Sunday). Some of the programs are simple, some more complex. Some will be niche-y, while others will be programs everyone should use. The one thing they all have in common is that each is a Mac Gem.
Mac Gems
NoteTote lets you download files remotely
NoteTote is a clever utility that lets you download files to your Mac no matter where you are, or what device you're using, when you come across the link.
Mac Gems
Change Hidden iTunes Preferences lets you tweak iTunes options
iTunes has a good number of hidden settings that affect how the program works and what options are available to you. Change Hidden iTunes Preferences presents the settings in an easy-to-use interface.Mac Gems
Three Gems-heavy bundles offer great bargains
Three current software bundles include Mac Gems, offering a slew of good software at even-better-than-usual prices.
Mac Gems
CheatSheet helps you find and remember keyboard shortcuts
Like former Gem KeyCue, CheatSheet makes it easy to discover and remember keyboard shortcuts for particular applications.Mac Gems
Introducing Macworld’s Mac Gems Superguide, second edition
Make finding inexpensive Mac software easy with this collection of OS X Lion gems from senior editor Dan Frakes.
Mac Gems
CleanMyDrive lets you monitor and clean removable drives
CleanMyDrive lets you monitor connected drives and mounted volumes, but it can also automatically clean thumb drives and other removable drives to keep them free of cruft.
Mac Gems
Justnotes is an elegant notes app that syncs across devices
Justnotes is an elegant plain-text-notes app that syncs across devices using Simplenote and Dropbox.
Mac Gems
Mac Gems for even less cash
The Mac Gems blog focuses on reviews of great, inexpensive software, but every once in a while we call your attention to past Gems that are currently even less expensive. Here are 13 Gems you can get for a steal.rn
Mac Gems
Promising Prospect: EdgeCase enhances multiple-display setups
EdgeCase is a unique utility that gives you the user-interface benefits of a single display when using multiple displays.Mac Gems
To-do app Due delights on the Mac
To-do and timer app Due has arrived on OS X, offering the same reminder, timer, and log support as its iOS version in a Mac-optimized interface. The program retains the simplicity of the touchscreen original while effectively transitioning to OS X's point-and-click environment.
Mac Gems
DragonDrop makes moving things more convenient
DragonDrop is a simple utility that gives you a temporary place to store files, folders, and other content, making it easier to move those items between windows, applications, and workspaces.
Mac Gems
Lion DiskMaker makes it easier to create a bootable Lion installer
We've written at length about how to create a bootable installer for Lion (OS X 10.7). Lion DiskMaker simplifies the process.Mac Gems
Mashduo quickly compares iTunes libraries
Mashduo makes quick work of the otherwise-tedious process of comparing two iTunes libraries. If you ever need to figure out which songs didn't make the journey when transferring libraries, this free app is for you.Mac Gems
Seamless transitions your music from Mac to iOS effortlessly
Wish you could keep playing the Imperial March on your iPhone as you leave your desk for the day? Seamless is a nifty pair of apps for doing just that.
Mac Gems
Gem Update: FreeSpace 1.1 improves drive monitoring and management
FreeSpace is a handy menu-bar utility for keeping an eye on your free drive space, as well as for quickly accessing and unmounting volumes. Version 1.1 provides a number of improvements that make it even more useful.
Mac Gems
Clean Text helps you clean up messy text
Clean Text is a useful tool for cleaning up messy text. It doesn't have as many features as the best text-cleaning offerings, but it provides many of the most-common options for a reasonable price.
Mac Gems
Lion Designer lets you tweak the look of Lion
If you've ever wanted to tweak OS X's backgrounds and appearance, Lion Designer makes it relatively easy.
Mac Gems
Airtoggle saves menu-bar space, toggles Wi-Fi from the keyboard
Airtoggle is a nifty utility that lets you toggle Wi-Fi from the keyboard and frees up some menu-bar space.
Mac Gems
Promising Prospect: ReSpaceApp brings Spaces to Lion
ReSpaceApp is a new utility, currently in beta, that brings Spaces (Snow Leopard's implementation of virtual workspaces) to Lion's Mission Control.
Mac Gems
Read Later brings offline Instapaper and ReadItLater reading to the Mac
If you use Instapaper or ReadItLater to save articles for later reading, Read Later betters your Web browser for reading on your Mac. And it lets you read saved articles when offline.Mac Gems
OmmWriter Dana helps you focus when writing
It's difficult for the developer of a minimalist writing app to peg exactly what a particular user will like and which features can be removed. But if OmmWriter's interface decisions work for you, it's a solid writing tool with a couple unique features for helping you concentrate.
Mac Gems
AccessMenuBarApps lets you see hidden menu-bar icons
If you've got too many menu-bar apps and menu extras, they can get crowded out by application menus. AccessMenuBarApps gives you a number of options for quickly revealing those icons.Mac Gems
Cloak secures your Internet traffic without the hassle
Connecting to public Wi-Fi networks can be risky. Cloak gives you the benefits of a virtual private network (VPN) without the usual setup, configuration, and activation hassles.rnMac Gems
Hazel, the standout file organizer, gets even smarter
Hazel was already a Mac Gem, but the new version's nested conditionals, new actions, and interface tweaks have made a great utility even better.
Mac Gems
Smultron is a capable and inexpensive text editor
Smultron is a capable, inexpensive, and easy-to-use text editor with iCloud support built in, although it could use some improvements when working with multiple files.Mac Gems
Bookle makes your Mac an e-reader
Bookle is a simple and easy way to read ePubs on your Mac, though it currently lacks more-advanced features such as search and annotations.
Mac Gems
Byword is a solid text editor for Markdown-focused writing
Though not ideal for non-Markdown writing, if you use Markdown and want a minimal tool to write with, Byword is a good choice.
Mac Gems
Scrawl lets you store text notes and sync them between your Macs
Scrawl is a simple menu-bar utility for storing basic text notes, and it uses iCloud to keep those notes in sync between your Macs.Mac Gems
WriteRoom offers distraction-free writing without removing flexibility
If you want a minimalist tool for writing, WriteRoom is likely to have all the features you need. But unlike some other distraction-free writing tools, you can still personalize your writing environment.
Mac Gems
Skip Tunes is a simple and elegant music controller
Skip Tunes gives you a simple menu-bar controller for iTunes, Spotify, and Rdio.
Mac Gems
Pacifist makes you the boss of file archives and packages
Pacifist lets you examine, and even extract files from, installer packages and file archives. It also provides a number of troubleshooting tools.
Mac Gems