Latest in Mac OS X

Alfred is a task launcher for Mac OSX - hit a shortcut, start typing the name of a file, folder, contact, application or search term, and bam - there it is. Since version 2, the concept of workflows was introduced - essentially, user-created plugins that can extend the functionality. My mind was blown - this in an incredibly powerful app, possibly the most useful I've come across yet. To use workflows, you must have the PowerPack purchased for $25.
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Twitter's long-neglected Mac application has just had its first update since June 2011. Version 2.2 of the service's official desktop client adds support for Retina displays and a redesigned Tweet composer with support for image hosting at pic.twitter.com. Also included in the update are a set of new icons and support for 14 new languages.
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Apple announced updates to its iTunes Store recently, which now includes the option to download movies, movie bundles, music box sets, TV episodes, and Season Passes at a later time, rather than immediately at the time of purchase. The new "download later" options apply to items purchased on iTunes 11 (Mac or Windows PC versions), or on iOS devices running iOS 6 or later. When you purchase an item it will be added to your iTunes account, followed by a "Download Now?" button giving you the option to download immediately or later.
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Although AirPlay - a system that allows you to stream video and audio between AirPlay-enabled Apple devices - works great in a lot of situations, it isn't a perfect system. Perhaps most importantly, Apple's AirPlay system is proprietary, meaning it's only officially implemented by Apple and thus only available on Mac OS X and iOS devices, leaving a lot of Windows-Apple crossover users out in the cold. Luckily, both of these problems are solved by AirParrot.
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I have previously covered timesaving features in the latest version of Apple's Mail client, but despite its improved user interface, search features, favorites bar and VIP folders, there are still missing features Mac power users could use to be more productive in Mail. Fortunately, there are several third-party plug-ins that enhance Mail and address some of its annoying problems or missing features.
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With Spotify and similar music-streaming services on the rise, the run-of-the-mill stereo installation is starting to look more and more inadequate. The main problem with this setup is that if you're sitting with friends, computer-stereo-hybrid blasting away at the other side of the room, it's often a chore to play DJ... unless you start involving your mobile devices and an app like Spot Remote for iOS.
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It's increasingly rare, but still occasionally true: sometimes you just don't have Internet access. Whether you're on a plane or your grandparent's place in the country, life occasionally brings all of us to places WiFi and 4G can't reach. With a little preparation, however, you can have the data you need on your hard drive, waiting for you.
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If you routinely copy and paste text and other items on your Mac and iOS devices, you will no doubt agree that Apple's default clipboard features are extremely lacking. Both the iOS and OS X clipboards only allow you to save one clipping at a time. Each clipping you make gets overridden by a new one. As a writer, I rely on a couple of third-party clipboard managers that help me stay productive in the work that I do.
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One of the clumsiest things to do on Mac OS X is Windows management. I don't usually look back on my Windows years with longing, but window management has been integrated far less sloppier on Windows 7 than it has on Mac OS X. The buttons at the top of the screen sometimes seem to act illogically. But worse, moving and resizing windows has to be done manually using the mouse. This may seem like a trivial task, but believe me, it adds up.
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Computers should be about getting things done faster and more efficiently. This is where the award-winning productivity Mac application, Alfred comes in. Using a few keyboard shortcuts, and/or keyword commands, Alfred enables you to quickly, among other things, find and launch applications and files, do various types of web searches, access text you saved on your clipboard with a simple keyboard shortcut, and more.
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A more portable laptop (in my case, an ultrabook) comes with all kinds of problems for the music enthusiast. The sound quality of Apple's built-in speakers is better than most, and I love iTunes' capabilities for organising my media library. However, anything resembling a decent music collection takes up most - if not all - of the available hard drive space. Without a gigantic hard drive, keeping a local music library simply isn't feasible.
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Are you sick and tired of the same old video player on the Mac? There are plenty of choices out there such as VLC, XBMC, and of course Apple's own QuickTime media player. If you are done with using the same video players, and you are ready to make a big change, you should take a look at MPlayerX. It offers tons of useful features for watching your favorite videos. Of course, it's free, so you can download it to your Mac and give it a shot.
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When it comes to using a simple text editor, Apple's TextEdit application feels outdated for me. It seems like Apple has forgotten about it while other third-party developers have gone on to produce more advanced text editors that work seamlessly across Mac and mobile platforms. One such example is the distraction free writing program, WriteRoom ($9.99), developed by HogBaySoftware.
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Yesterday's iOS digital audio workstation (DAW) round-up listed the best apps of all the budget tools available on the App Store. One of those featured apps was NanoStudio, a $13.99 iPhone and iPad app that offers a proof of concept in the form of a free OS X and Windows versions. This is a review of the OS X version, though everything in this review also applies to the Windows and paid iOS versions too.
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Do you really know what your hard drive does whenever you read a file from it or write one to it? Our hard drives can now store massive amounts of data, and that massive space requires a high level of organization in order to prevent issues and maintain performance. Hard drives can be well organized through the use of file systems.
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