Apple TV

This technically isn't a software post. I've been considering trying to widen the spectrum of topics covered here, and since this could tie in with my previous post on Instant Handbrake, we'll see how this goes.

So after returning the Airline Adapter that I got for Christmas (which proved completely useless in coach, even on international flights) for Apple Store credit, a blitzkrieg Craigslist campaign and saving up per diems, I went and picked up an Apple TV. What a treat. It's managed to make both my Airport Express and my video iPod obsolete.

I won't get too into the details, but basically you can stream content from your iTunes library to the Apple TV over your wireless network. So now I can sit on my couch and have instant access to 15,000 songs, 1,000 TV shows and 500 movies, not to mention photos, podcasts, etc. The online Apple Store currently has refurbished units for $250 (normally $299).

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Mozy

I haven't posted here in a while, but some shit went down yesterday that reminded me why I started this blog. In the process of switching my mail hosting over to Google Apps (which is the jam, by the way, not to mention free), I unknowingly deleted all of my e-mails from the past four years from Mail.

After a mild aneurism, I remembered installing a free application a week prior called Mozy. Mozy performs automatic online backups of whatever data you specify: in my case, Address Book, iCal and... thank Christ... Mail. So I logged onto their site and downloaded the most recent backup (taken 8 hours prior), extracted the files, imported them back into Mail and I was back in business.

Mozy is free up to 2GB, or you can get unlimited storage for $4.95 a month.

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iPodDisk

I'm not feeling too creative with the writing this afternoon (not that I ever have been), so here's the breakdown of the iPodDisk application. Plug in your iPod, run the app, and it will add a new disk to your finder that allows you to browse your iPod. I know, big deal, you can do that already, blah blah blah.

Well, not really, because iTunes randomly reorganizes the files that you load onto it, making it damn near impossible to easily locate a specific album, artist, etc. iPodDisk fixes that problem by allowing you to browse your iPod just like you would in iTunes. I'm sure that doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but just trust me and download it.

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Flip4Mac

If you're anything like me, you don't want to have to install a different application for every minor task that you might come across. I'm sure that sounds a bit contradictory given the nature of this blog, but when it comes to application plugins that expand on the existing functionality of an application it's the best of both worlds.

One such expansion is the Flip4Mac plugin for Quicktime. What it does is allows Quicktime to play Windows Media formatted video files, which saves you from having to install the terrible Windows Media Player for Mac. The installation is very simple, and surprisingly the plugin was developed and distributed by Microsoft... for free! Go figure.

So if you've ever come across a site with hundreds of free high-quality videos of crazy college co-eds 'letting it all hang out' at Mardi Gras or Spring Break or some other variety of post-adolescent hedonism only to find that you can't 'get in on the action', now you can... and you have Redmond, WA to thank.

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Chax

Tabbed browsing is genious. I'm not sure why it took so long for such a simple feature to catch on, which is why I was surprised to find that the same problem that has plagued my internet browsing experience since junior high had assimilated iChat... seperate windows for each conversation, littering my screen!

Now, I realize that that may not be a problem for most iChat users, but I may have five to ten conversations going at once. I tried using Adium, which supports tabbed conversations and multiple protocols like AOL, MSN, Yahoo!, etc., but the lack of video support turned me off. And seeing as how I only use IM, it seemed like a bloated solution to my problem.

Which is why I use Chax. Chax is a free iChat plugin that addresses the bulk of my gripes with iChat. It adds support for tabbed conversations, modifying the appearance of the buddy list, and it's most attractive feature to me, is the notification settings. You can configure Chax to overlay a new message count over the iChat dock icon, much like the new mail notification for Mail, which I've found to be indispensible.

According to the previews for OS X Panther, the new build of iChat should address many of its current shortcomings, but until then I feel that Chax more than fits the bill.

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Inquisitor

Safari's built-in Google search function has saved me a lot of time in the past. It saved me even more once I discovered that using Command + Return to submit a query would open the search results in a new tab. I figured there wasn't much more that could be done with that feature, until I read about Inquisitor.

Inquisitor is essentially a Safari plugin that allows the Google search bar to act like the Spotlight feature in OS X. As you type your query, Inquisitor presents a very nice looking list of possible site matches and related searches. This saves you the extra steps involved in performing a Google search, finding the result you want and clicking it.

You can always bypass this functionality and use the Google search feature normally, but more times than not Inquisitor finds exactly what you're looking for. And it's free, which is always nice.

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Instant Handbrake

I've spent a lot of time on planes in the past year. Just recently I sat, bored and jealous, looking on while my friend watched back to back episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Fortunately, by combining the recently discounted video iPod with NetFlix, iTunes, and Instant Handbrake I'll never be stuck in that situation again. Instant Handbrake is a free and stripped-down version of the Handbrake DVD ripping software that allows you to rip DVDs to iPod or PSP compatible MPEG-4 or H.246 files.

In my experience, Instant Handbrake can rip a 2 hour DVD in about 45 minutes. I'm sure there are faster and more feature-rich applications out there, but for being free and extremely simple to use, this application is all you'll need to start watching your favorite DVDs anywhere you want.

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Overflow

If you're like me, a former Windows user trying to get acclimated with OS X, you might be thinking that the application dock isn't a great way to get around. In Windows, the Start menu (for all of its faults) could organize shortcuts however you chose, allowing you to create folders within folders within folders within folders... while the dock in OS X only provides one level.

Fortunately, Stunt Software has fixed the dock with Overflow. Overflow is an application that runs in the dock, and allows you to expand the real estate of the dock with categorized shortcuts. For example, I created a category called 'Graphics' that contains shortcuts to Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, etc., while my 'Work' category holds my Office, Parallels, Remote Desktop and Billable applications.

It's a very simple feature that I'm surprised isn't built into the dock. As a suspected sufferer of obsessive compulsive disorder, it's been indispensible to me. Maybe someday Apple will incorporate it into OS X much like they did the CoverFlow feature in iTunes.

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Vienna

I've gone through quite a few RSS readers in my short time as a Mac owner. It seems like such a simple thing to get right, but so many applications have managed to get it very wrong. I finally settled with NetNewsWire Lite, until yesterday when it mysteriously dropped all of my rss subscriptions. Never trusted an app with a fug icon.

After using Google Reader for an hour or so, I stumbled across Vienna. It's one of the less recognized rss applications out there for OS X, but it is, in my humble opinion, the best. It has a very clean, basic and intuitive interface. And no brushed metal! Subscriptions are listed on the left and can be organized using folders or smart folders (similar to smart playlists in iTunes).

Vienna can sort articles by title, author, date posted, read status, etc. The fact that you can sort by the post date of the article is pretty great, since NetNewsWire seemed to order them by the date you downloaded them. It also includes a built-in browser, which is a feature commonly found in shareware applications.

According to the developer's site, a 2.1 release is in the works that appears to add some extra functionality, but even at it's current build I feel that Vienna far surpasses other rss readers out there... and it's free!

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