Scribus: Page layout for Mac for Free!
Scribus is an open source project for basic desktop publishing and offers some great advanced features albeit in a slightly cumbersome and aesthetically functional package.
Burn: Burn DVD’s and CD’s with ease and for free
Carbon Copy Cloner: Clone, Copy and Backup your data…..tasty!
Carbon Copy Cloner has been around for quite some time now but that has not diminished quite how useful this application can be. Its especially useful for making a completely cloned copy of drive and has got me out of trouble many a time. In its latest iteration it has a simplified interface and really feels like a premium application rather than the freeware that it has always been!
Enjoy.
Dropzone: The Swiss Army Knife of Drag and Drop
Its only when using a PC I realise how significant drag and drop functionality is on a mac and how it is mostly intuitive. However there are times when I wish things could be simpler. Step in Dropzone.
Basically Dropzone lives in your dock and you set up various locations and send-to actions like uploading to Flickr or an FTP Server. Then it simply awaits your dragging and dropping escapades!
Autograph – Use your Multi-Touch trackpad to add your signature to emails and documents…
AUTOGRAPH
Autograph is a neat little application that lets you use your multi touch trackpad to scribble a quick signature, note or image to use in documents etc.
simple and neat.
Dictionary Cleaner: Remove Added Dictionary Words in Leopard
Hmmmmm….. unusually I have been unable to find a way to remove learned words in the Mac OSX dictionary on Leopard.
Luckily for me there is a free application that adds a new system preference pane to system preferences and allows you to add and delete words en masse…..which is nice.
Small Business Special…
Daylite is a purpose built database for tracking clients, quotes, estimates, projects, pipelines and more.
PROS:
CONS:
One of the great things about Daylite is that at any point during its use you really do feel like your using a mac application, which, as you all know, greatly increases the usability factor.
VERDICT: A generally sound all round contender that although a bit pricey can be purposed for pretty much any type of business. The real winner is the accompanying iPhone application that means you can be mobile with your company data.
USEABILITY 4 STARS
Next up….
37SIGNALS have created a suite of web apps that help you stay connected wherever you are.
The three main applications are…
Basecamp – “Manage projects, collaboration and communications.”
Backpack – “Organise and Share information across your Business.”
Highrise – “Track your contacts, leads and deals, always be prepared.”
PROS:
CONS:
VERDICT: A genuinely innovative attempt to shake up and revolutionise the CRM and Business communication market that works well and is very easy to use. Being able to access anywhere and the fact that your data is safe and backed up are a huge advantage but not being able to use off line. Having a rolling fee may also put off small businesses and freelancers.
USEABILITY 4 STARS
Lastly…
FMStarting point is deceptively simple looking. It is actually an amazingly straightforward yet powerful solution for any business.
The nature of a filemaker database is that you need to understand the basics of Filemaker but in this case the hard work has been done for you. Even customising invoice templates for your business is a breeze.
The upside of a Filemaker database is that it is infinitely customisable.
It is hard to believe that this is free as its power certainly warrants a levy. Richard Carlton Consulting also make a home version called Data4Life which offers similar functionality for running your personal as well as your business data.
CONS:
VERDICT: A super addition to any businesses arsenal. Incredibly easy to use, impressive looking documents such as invoices, estimates etc, built in email distribution and most of all COMPLETEY FREE!
USEABILITY 5 STARS
Pixlr – Eat this Photoshop Express…
Dont get me wrong, Photoshop Express is pretty cool….but, its just not photoshop. Without layers and selection tools it is simply a neat way to mess around with photos. Pixlr, however, goes that one step further and provides layers and most of the tools your used to in photoshop in a neat and uncluttered layout via its website. It is flash based and so its performance will vary from machine to machine but so far for me it has not been anything other than blazingly fast. I think it even beats installed photoshop cs3 on many occasions! The good thing about Photoshop Express, however, is that you can store your images on the Adobe servers (currently up to 2gb) which is pretty natty. For me, I would rather use Pixlr and a memory stick any day!
This Application was suggested to me by my mate Dan, so thanks matey! (If you have any suggestions please do not hesitate to contact me so you can share them with the world!)
