Archive for August, 2008

The Mac App Round-Up

Gadgets | Uncategorized Comments Off

Every single week I use a smattering of different Apps. From Web Browsers to Games. I do quite a bit on my Mac. Ever since I started dabbling in Linux, I have had a great appreciation for free and open source programs. However, every once and a while, I stumble across an App worth paying for. So whether they are free or not, here are the 5 (4) most well developed apps that I use on a day to day basis.

Cyberduck is an open source FTP app. I use it every single day to manage and maintain Appleaddiction.net. The features and ease of use make it a breeze to use and the $0 price tag makes it even more impressive.

Now, this next App is actually counter productive, but all work and no play makes Luke a dull blogger. Quinn is an OS X adaptation of the popular puzzle/matching game Tetris. Impressive visuals and small footprint make it a must for anyone.

Transmission is an app that as long as my computer is on, its on. Whether I am downloading a new Linux distro or an episode of Diggnation, Transmission has constantly been improving. Weekly updates and another $0 price tag make Transmission another wonderful app.

Hopefully you have been around AppleAddiction.net long enough to of heard me talking about Xslimmer before. But if not, here it is. Xslimmer is a cleaning type app that will actually remove unnecessary code and foreign languages from applications that you have downloaded. It comes with a $12.95 price tag, but this app alone has saved me over 2GBs of disk space and speed up app launch times, which to me, is worth the $12.95

*Now, the last one on my list is kinda questionable. It is not nessecarly the best developed, but it is very useful. It’s called Serial Seeker. Serial Seeker is a database of serials for thousands upon thousands of registration numbers and key codes for countless versions of Mac apps. Now, I’m not promoting the pirating of software. But sometimes I just wanna try out the full version of an app to make sure its right for me without having to buy it.

So there you have it. If you have an app that you find extremely useful please let me know by clicking the “Show Meta” tab and post a comment about it.

If you are wondering why Firefox was not included, I was trying to stick to less popular and more discrete apps that not everyone already knows about.

*Not neccesarly well developed, but very useful.

What makes a Mac, a Mac?

Apple | Hardware | OS | Tips 2 2 Comments

First off, a Mac is just not some other brand of PC manufacturer. You can’t compare them with other notebooks and desktops and expect to see similar results. Thats like comparing a Chevy Cavalier to a BMW. Yeah, they are both cars but they are not marked to the same user group. Macs are Macs, not anything else. You can’t put them in the run of the mill manufacture group (Dell, HP, Acer, etc..)

Recently I had a discussion with a friend who claimed that he could get an Acer laptop with better spec’s then my MacBook Pro for $700. Which is honestly, a bit less then I payed. So, I told him to tell me about it. He told me it had an Intel C2D, 3GB and a 250GB HDD. He then stated that even though they had the same CPU, all my computer had was 2GB of RAM and a 100GB HDD. That was honestly the end of his argument. He was like “There, plain and simple, Mac’s are over priced and under powered.”) To the average folk, he may have made a good point. But I put together a chart below to go more in depth. What he showed me was an Acer Extensa EX5620-6266. Read More

eSATA coming to next revision of Macs?

Apple | Hardware 0 No Comments

Electronista just released a story speculating the addition of eSATA to the next revision of Apple’s lineup. They site a recent patent, filed by Apple, that details using an eSATA connection that enables new macs to connect to one another for external storage and file transfers. However this patent also notes that the current version of eSATA cannot handle the direct link between macs.

So, Apple will either need to develop a new controller for macs to handle the handshake which is probable, or that Apple will be going with there own child, FireWire. The new FireWire 3200 specs would be a more common interface with macs and actually out performs eSATA.

This is all speculation but I would be surprised to see Apple adopt another technology. Especially when Apple is already using a more standardized and superior format.

Simply the best solution for free tv on your Mac.

Apple | Gadgets | Hardware | Software/Freeware 0 No Comments

I often blog about applications and pieces of hardware that bring increased functionality to your Mac. Not only because it is practical, but also because a Mac can do so much more it gets credit for.

Quite a few months ago I was experimenting with a linux distro aimed at replacing DVRs called KnoppMyth. (If you are interested, Systm just released an episode detailing the setup of MythTV. Click here to watch)At the time it was a great alternative. It had all the great features you would expect from a spendy set top box with the benefit of being a free linux distro. However, as much as I do like linux, I do spend the majority of my time on a Mac. So I have been keeping my eyes open for a Mac alternative. Read More

Mac to the Wii, and back.

Apple | Games | Hacks/Mods | Software/Freeware 1 1 Comment

You may remember in the past that I have gone over methods of getting your Mac to communicate with both your XBOX 360 and your Sony PS3. Today I get to complete the circle by introducing you to Wii Transfer from Riverfold software.

Wii Transfer allows you to share movies, music, and pictures from your mac to your Wii using the Wii internet channel. It also includes advanced support that allows you to view iTunes playlists and iPhoto photo albums on your Wii as well. It even includes support for converting your movies into a format the Wii understands as well as management for save games.

It’s not free but the one time fee of $19 is not that bad if your and avid Wii user. You can find more info as well as the download link here: Wii Transfer.

Moving my way up.

Uncategorized 1 1 Comment

Many of you likely won’t be interested in this post, however, I feel like I should share it with you anyways. I have been working on AppleAddiction.net on and off for the past three years. It’s been a lot of work but I really enjoy doing it. I wanna thank all of my visitors and everyone who actively uses Appleaddiction.net. Now, I may not be the most popular Apple site out there, however, when looking at the following stats I feel like you guys are at least appreciating the work I do. Because, belive it or not, I am actually going up in the ranks instead of down.

The Following stats were taken from Alexa.com

  • Appleaddiction.net has a traffic rank of: 1,440,852 (up5,037,862 from 3 months ago)
  • Appleaddiction.net has increased in popularity by up710% in the last 3 months.

So I would just like to again say thanks to everyone who visits and I kindly ask you keep coming back and spreading the word about appleaddiction.net :)

Sneak Peak: Trax 4

Apple | OS | Software/Freeware | Web 2.0.fuTurE 0 No Comments

Back in June I wrote about a unique application called Trax. At the time it was a very unique and appealing application. It has only gotten better. Since then, the Trax team has been working diligently to get the next version out the door. Let me introduce you to Trax 4. Trax 4 comes loaded with lots of new features and a beautiful UI.

The biggest change to hit the newest version of Trax is the move away from Eye OS. The previous versions were built on top of a web technology called Eye OS. This limited Trax and what features it could support. Now that Trax is it’s own entity, it will provide a much more unique user experience. If you have used Trax 3 you will notice a few similarities. However, they have introduced a few changes to the over all look and feel.

Another great addition to Trax 4 is the App store. The App store gives you access to a wide variety of applications ranging from text editors to multi-media tools. This addition insures that customizing Trax to your liking will be easier then ever.

Although no date has been announced, you can look for the final release as well as more info at: Get-Trax.com

iTunes U- The best things in life are free

Apple | Tips 0 No Comments

In May of 2007 Cupertino announced an addition to the iTunes store. An addition that I feel never gets enough praise. iTunes U. iTunes U features free content such as course lectures, language lessons, lab demonstrations, sports highlights and campus tours provided by many top US colleges and universities.

iTunes U offers audio and video lectures from over 50 colleges and universities. Not to mention the hundreds of hours of content from other public institutes such as the New York Public Library, the Brooklyn Museum, and the National Digital Science library.

There is no reason not to turn your spare time into a learning experience. I mean, iTunes U almost makes it enjoyable. But in all seriousness, I highly recommended you give it a look.

The winner of the Appleaddiction.net Giveaway is…

Apple | Contests 1 1 Comment

After crawling through all of your links I have decided that they are all very interesting. However, I do only have one flash drive so a winner must be chosen. With the submission of Screenvader.com Dale from Computermachanic.info is the winner of the 4GB Flash Drive from Kingston.

I strongly suggest you all check out the winning site and at least download the application called Variason 10. It’s a fun mix between music composition and a keyboard.

Thanks again to everyone who participated. Keep checking back as I usually have a contest every month. So don’t feel bad if you didn’t win this time. I’m sure you will have another chance.

What I wish Apple would adopt from linux.

Hacks/Mods | OS 0 No Comments

When Apple announced that OS X would be based on a UNIX core I was really really excited. However, Since that date, I have felt that Apple has done little with the OS. You might say that I’m just not noticing the changes because they are so small in comparison to the switch from OS 9 to OS X. But when looking at what Linux distros have done in the past 8 years, it makes me wish Apple allowed itself to be a little more open source in order to speed up development. But I do realize that Linux has the ability to speed along where as Apple needs to ensure quality and dependability much more then some Linux distro. But here are the features and quality’s I wish Apple would adopt from Linux.

  • A variety of display managers for different needs. Such as a lighter one for laptops and lower end computers and a more sophisticated one for high end setups. As an example Linux offers, GNOME,KDE,XFCE,FLUXBOX,LXDE
  • Better integration support of multiple systems on the same box.
  • More effort to keep the system lightweight.

I must say that Snow Leapord is a step in the right direction for OS X. It features a smaller footprint as well more performance focused updates. In the end though, I’m just glad OS X isn’t Vista

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