Computer-aided learning, although not always a substitute for a music teacher, gives you the feedback you wouldn’t get from a plain old piano book. Moreover, gamification can make practice easier, and a lot more fun by introducing elements usually found in computer games. There are many ways to describe Synthesia, which is a free application available for Mac OS X and Windows computers.

A decent calendar service is indispensable. No matter what alternative I tried using – Windows Live, iCloud – I’ve always turned back to Google Calendar. It’s easy to use, and widely supported. Even most (desktop and mobile) operating systems now provide out-of-the-box support. However, for some unknown reason, synchronising multiple calendars has always been at least a bit tricky to set up. It’s no different for Windows 8.

With Mac OS X Mountain Lion, Apple introduced a number of changes; some small, some big. One of those tiny changes that impacted my workflow most is the disappearance of the menu bar display menu. Before the update, ticking off a checkbox in the Mac OS X display preferences pane would introduce a nifty display icon in the menu bar at the top of your screen. That menu bar icon is now gone.

Your phone is very smart. With Angry Birds, Facebook and mobile office applications, it’s all too easy to forget that some of the features we use most were often available on those very old mobile phones as well. Obviously, that includes calling and texting, but recording audio isn’t a cutting-edge technology either. Nevertheless, recording audio with your smartphone or tablet hasn’t always been a walk in the park.

The iPhone and iPad are wonderful traveling companions. Whether you’re en route, or waiting for a connecting flight, whip out that iOS device and while away the hours reading a digital magazine, or better yet, gaming. Mind you, I’m the last person to consider these devices the go-to place for hardcore gaming, but the app store is filled to bursting with great time wasters and blasts from the past.

Like your computer, your iPad comes packed with a number of day-to-day tools, so you can get engaged almost immediately after unboxing. It goes without saying that most of these apps are also incredibly well made – usually requiring no alternative unless Apple pulls it from iOS like it did with YouTube. Once exception to [...]

If I was asked to name my favorite Mac OS X application, CloudApp—or Cloud, for short—would definitely make the shortlist. It’s a nifty menubar utility that makes it incredibly easy to upload and share small files. CloudApp developer team has also published an API for their service, meaning other developers can create third-party CloudApp clients. Below, we’ll be looking at five different CloudApp clients to use the service on most popular operating systems, desktop and mobile.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve got a few hundred books you’d still like to read. With the speed at which new works enter the scene, that number goes up more often than down; and that’s not taking into account the jaw-dropping number of periodicals and Internet articles you’d like to read ‘if you only had the time’. Obviously, as you read more, you tend to grow better at it over time.

The MacBook Air is one of the thinnest and lightest computers available today; thin as your finger, and so light every computer after will feel like you’re hauling a sack of potatoes. In fact, ever since Apple set the trend with its MacBook Air, the ultrabook genre has been gaining ground in the Windows scene. But you don’t get a laptop as thin and light as the MacBook Air without making compromises.

We’re always looking for new ways to control our electronics. Another trend—gestures and movement—can be found by looking at game consoles. Most notably, the Kinect of Microsoft’s XBox. Lacking one of those fancy Kinect cameras, Flutter lets you use your run-of-the-mill webcam to control your computer as if you were featuring in Minority Report.

Similar to its iOS counterpart, the Notification Center (which can be accessed using the right-most icon in your menu bar, or by using a hotkey) is designed to keep track of the multitude of information broadcasted by the assorted applications installed on your computer. Apart from the expected—news about incoming emails, calendar events, and the like—you can also use the Notification Center to interact with Facebook and Twitter.

In any application round-up – mobile or otherwise – about work, education or GTD, you’ll see the most advanced conglomeration of note-taking applications. Often, the applications already present on the operating system are ignored. Likely, this is because these applications generally don’t amount to much. However, on Apple products, they do. The iOS Notes app is a remarkable, capable, and easy to use application

One argument in favor of using Mac OS X is that it doesn’t require a whole lot of maintenance to keep it purring contently on your desk. That being said, it is inevitable that a certain amount of mess accumulates when you use your computer. Some few redundant files littering your Desktop add to the soon unsurmountable stack of waste hiding your important files. A spring cleaning might be in order.

A major part of our time is spent on the web, but for a lot of people the computer file system makes for a close second. Finder, Apple’s file browser, provides a very slick way to do this by default, and you’ll be able to clock good time even if you don’t know all the finer points of the application. Getting to know those fine points, however, can provide an additional (and always much welcome) boost to your productivity and overall file-handling speeds.

If you’re looking for a private, or more specialized discussion board—you can always create your own forum. One possible approach would be to pay for server space, and install the necessary forum software yourself. However, in some situations it’s possible to avoid these costs entirely, and cut down on maintenance by creating a forum without first purchasing server space. We’ll show you how.