Posts Tagged ‘mac’
HackStore, A Cydia Alternative For Mac, Now Available For Download
One my favorite reasons to jailbreak my iOS device is for the various customizing options available through the third party application known as Cydia. Since the release of the Mac App Store we haven’t really seen any alternatives to allow developers to distribute their applications in a single application.
A new application, HackStore, has just been released for all Mac users to use, and it’s essentially like Cydia for iOS. It’s a great place for developers to submit applications, and users to find useful tweaks and applications that Apple wouldn’t accept in the Mac App Store for whatever reasons they may have. Don’t expect to find any pirated or illegal software in HackStore, as the lead project developer Andrey Fedotov has said he wants the store remain piracy free. I am personally really excited about the HackStore as I enjoy finding little tweaks and utilities to install onto my computer.
For more information on the HackStore, or to download it, visit the HackStore’s website here.
Get Your Software Update to fix Flashback Malware on Mac
It’s rare for Apple computers to get viruses so when something like the Flashback Malware bug get’s discovered it gets a lot of people talking. It’s been reported that over 600,000 Macs have been affected by this piece of malicious code. The scary thing on this one is that you don’t have to log in as admin for it to install on your machine, which is usually required to install any piece of software on a Mac. It can put itself on your system without you doing anything. It supposedly can even sit on a website and install itself.
Oracle fixed this issue a few months ago but Apple employs their own version of Java, which had to be patched separately and wasn’t done as quick as it could have been, if I’m honest. This is a issue and Apple should have reacted just behind Oracle on this one and started on a fix to the vulnerability straight away but we are where we are and it’s taken a mass infection for them to put this out.
Let’s hope this isn’t an end of innocence for Mac owners but as the market increases attacks are going to become more and more common.
Head on over to Software Update on your Mac and get your patch now. The latest software update not includes a patch for removing the Malware bug if you computer should be infected with it.
Review: PDFpenPro for Mac and PDFpen for iPad
As a college student, I have the responsibility of keeping track of the papers my professors distribute to me. In the past, I’ve opted to do so by printing out said papers and keeping them in a binder. As a minimalist, however, I wasn’t a fan of lugging around a binder for each class. I then decided to go purely digital, as I bring my MacBook or iPad to all of my classes. While there are existing solutions for managing the various documents I receive, I longed for a solution to edit PDFs my professors gave me. Enter PDFpenPro: a simple, yet powerful PDF editor for both Mac and iPad. Read on to find out my thoughts.
Safari Gets an Update
Apple has made an update to Safari taking it to version 5.1.4, the change log is as follows:
Safari 5.1.4 contains improvements to performance, stability, compatibility, and security, including changes that:
- Improve JavaScript performance
- Improve responsiveness when typing into the search field after changing network configurations or with an intermittent network connection
- Address an issue that could cause webpages to flash white when switching between Safari windows
- Address issues that prevented printing U.S. Postal Service shipping labels and embedded PDFs
- Preserve links in PDFs saved from webpages
- Fix an issue that could make Flash content appear incomplete after using gesture zooming
- Fix an issue that could cause the screen to dim while watching HTML5 video
- Improve stability, compatibility and startup time when using extensions
- Allow cookies set during regular browsing to be available after using Private Browsing
- Fix an issue that could cause some data to be left behind after pressing the “Remove All Website Data” button
As always it’s good to stay up to date so head over to the Software Update and get it installed.
Pimp Your Screen is Available on the Mac with Unlimited Customizations
Apalan, known for creating Pimp Your Screen, a popular app for the iOS, has announced that Pimp Your Screen is now available for the Mac. The app has uniquely designed background images and wallpapers. New content comes out on a regular basis making endless customizations possible to Apple Computers.
With the Pimp Your Screen for Mac, you can choose from minimalistic images, abstract backgrounds and unique wallpapers which were created by professional designers. The backgrounds are arranged in the following categories: Abstract, Cartoon, Holidays, Sci-Fi, Animals, Sport, Nature, and My Images, the latter allows users to create their own personalized collection of wallpapers.
All resolutions are supported with the app. And all images can be previewed before saving them as a desktop wallpaper. If you want to see what is most popular, click on the Popular tab. You can then add any of those images to your Favorites folder if you so choose. The newest images are available in the New Tab. You can also share images on Twitter and through email.
The Pimp Your Screen for iOS is a popular, award winning app having recently won a Best App Ever Award in the eponymous international contest run by 148Apps. The app was nominated by users for the Best Wallpaper App of 2011 having earned the largest number of votes. App Store Rewind listed it in 2011 as one of the bestselling apps. The app received enough downloads to be featured as a #1 free app in Samsung Apps in the App Store. The iOS version of the app has remained in the 25 overall charts around the world since its release.
“Pimp Your Screen for iOS became a hit right from the beginning and remains one of the most downloaded apps worldwide. It changed the way users customize the look of their devices. We are happy to bring the app for all Mac users so that they could enjoy exclusive high-quality content. With the new content coming out regularly, we are glad to offer endless customization possibilities,” said Peter Melnikov, VP of Apalon.
Pimp your Screen for the Mac is available now for $2.99 via the Mac App Store.
Reflection For Mac Brings AirPlay Mirroring From iOS To Mac
Newly released Mac application, Reflection, allows you to mirror your iPhone 4S or iPad 2 screen directly to your Mac. Last year with the release of iOS 5, Apple released AirPlay which allowed users to mirror their iOS device screen to their Apple TV. Reflection works very similarly, except it appears directly onto your Mac screen. So now you can sit back, relax and use your Mac as a larger screen and your iOS device as a “controller”. Reflection can be purchased as a single user license for $15 or a multi user license, which includes 5 licenses for $40. You can also download a trial, which features full operations for ten minutes to give you a feel for how exactly it works. I played with the ten minute trial, and I can honestly say it’s well worth the price. The screen transitions, image clarity, and device rotations are just fantastic! For more information on how Reflection works, and how to download the trial you can visit their website here.
The same group of developers also created AirParrot, which allows you to share your Mac screen to your Apple TV. While this is still a fantastic idea, and application, this will be featured in the upcoming update of Mac OSX with Mountain Lion this summer. Nevertheless, for more information on AirParrot, you can visit their website here.
OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion Adds Reminders
This week Apple announced that in the summer we would be getting an update to OS X called Mountain Lion, which includes the iOS ported Reminders app. Just last week my post on how I would change the reminders functionality included such a recommendation. I thought that with the fact it was included in iOS 5.0, synched across iCloud and wasn’t all that functional on the desktop, meant that it was inevitable that this would come into play.
Looks wise, it’s a port from the iPad app and should be familiar to anyone using it on a daily basis. It’s going to be great to manage lists on the desktop, having a full sized keyboard I feel that I can plan my projects a lot better and this gives me more opportunities to update as I often just by having my MacBook Air with me. You aren’t going to be able to set location based reminders but everything else is there.
I for one can’t wait to get this in place and start using it across all my devices.
You can find out more on the Apple web site here.
MediaDevil Adds New Product Line with Typeguards for Macbook and Macbook Pro
MediaDevil , makers of the popular screen protectors we recently reviewed, announced the launch of two thin Typeguard keyboard protectors for the Apple Macbook and Macbook Pro. The Typeguards are waterproof covers and are available in clear as well as anti-bacterial versions. The anti-bacterial cover is made with silver nanoparticles which is scientifically proven to stop over 600 types of bacteria. They protect from dust, spills and anything else you can think of. Both types of units are 50 percent thinner than regular silicon protectors. The keyboard guards are non-toxic and are made of high-grade, low friction Thermoplastic Urethane (TPU). The covers are transparent as well, allowing back-lit keys to shine through.
“Computer keyboards can carry more harmful bacteria than a toilet seat, including those that cause E.coli and staph infections,” explains MediaDevil founder Callum Bush. “MediaDevil already offers protective tools for tablets and smartphones, so it was a natural next step to provide laptop users with a similarly effective shield. The result is a thinner guard that complements the sleek design and gives users an anti-bacterial choice for the ultimate protection.”
The clear cover will sell for $19.97 and the anti-bacterial cover for $24.97. In a few weeks both will be available in the United States at Amazon.com.
Look for them soon on the MediaDevil web site as well.
Review: Logitech K750 Solar Keyboard for Mac
One of my favorite features of my MacBook is the keyboard. I’ve always been a fan of chiclet keyboards, although I wasn’t aware of that fact until I started using a MacBook. Prior to that, I was, unbeknowest to me, not getting full satisfaction when it came to using standard keyboards. Perhaps the point I’m making is that a chiclet keyboard was always something that I wanted, but didn’t manifest itself until I got my first MacBook. Since then, I’ve found that I can’t live without a chiclet keyboard for doing everyday things on my MacBook Pro. I sound like I’m being far too particular for something like a keyboard, and perhaps I am, but there are just certain things Macintosh owner’s expect. For a long time, Mac owners were left with very few options for great chiclet keyboards (i.e. Apple’s Bluetooth wireless keyboard). However, a new keyboard has entered the market, and one that will certainly shake things up.
Read on to find out more.
Review: Alfred: The Little App That Could
The computer was invented as a tool to make things more efficient; a tool to increase the amount of work one can produce in one day. There’s no questioning that the computer has fundamentally changed the way we live our everyday lives: we now carry computers in our pockets in the form of a smartphone. Now, however, developers are finding out ways to increase productivity even more on a machine aimed at increasing productivity. It’s a staggering idea to think about. One of ways I’ve been improving my computing experience has been with a quirky little app named Alfred.
Read on to see how my time has been with this gem of an app.
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