Mac360 | The Cheap Mac

There was a time when Microsoft promoted a concept called Windows Everywhere. Basically, they wanted Windows to run on every computing device from servers to PCs to handheld to mini-netbooks. Windows Server, Windows, Windows CE, Windows Mobile (CE), and so on. That never worked out but Google was paying attention. Here in the 21st century it's become Google everywhere, and on a far grander scale than anything Microsoft ever dreamed. Full Story »

How do you manage the login ID's and passwords on your Mac? Mac Keychain? How about login information (all those web site forms)? Safari or Firefox, right? How do you manage your software serial numbers? Now it starts to get complicated. Through the years I've used about a dozen different Mac tools to manage passwords, serial numbers, financial information, and the like. For now, I'm settling on 1Password and eliminating three other utilities (not including Safari and Firefox). Full Story »

I'm on record taking a two-fold stand. First, email is definitely the internet's killer application. Second, I hate email. The old sound of You've Got Mail was one that elicited excitement and wonder. No more. Too much spam. Too many nonsensical messages. Too much of any kind of good thing can be bad for one's digital health. However, email is a fact of life. It's not going away, so it's better to improve the email process than to die a miserable member of the Email Hater's Club™, right? Full Story »

Do you have iGadget-itis? There's the iMac, iPhone, iPod, iLife, iWork. All popular Apple iGadgets and iSoftware. What's missing? iMouse? iFinder? How about iPet? Yes, finally someone has created the Mac's very first iPet-- the Mac utility you don't want, you truly don't need, but you absolutely, positively must try it out. Why? First, you're curious, no? Second, every Mac user has a little child inside, itching to try something new, something that smacks of no productivity. That's iPet. Full Story »

Recording audio and video on a Mac is drop dead easy. Even the teachers in my school can do it. All you need is a Mac with a microphone. There's no shortage of quality audio recorders for Mac users, either. Garageband comes with every Mac but has a healthy learning curve. School teachers tend to want a recording utility that's as easy to use as the old analog cassette tape recorders. TapeDeck to the rescue. Full Story »

Somebody at Dell must have figured out that Apple sells an awful lot of Mac mini's. In true copycat fashion, and a few years too late, Dell introduced what can only be described as a Mac mini Killer™. Or not. The Dell Zino HD is candy colored, bigger and thicker than a Mac mini, and costs less than Apple's least expensive Mac. What does the Zino HD do that your Mac mini cannot? If configuration options mean anything, the Zino might catch on. Or not. But it's no Mac mini killer. Full Story »

Today is a special day. It's Friday the 13th. Again. The third Friday the 13th of 2009. Normally, I would consider Friday the 13th to be something of an unlucky day. After I divulge this little bookmark secret, you might agree. Friday the 13th could be an unlucky day for web page advertising. Most Mac web browsers come with a setting to block those annoying pop up advertisements that clutter your Mac screen. Would you like a single click that would eliminate all web page display advertisements in Safari? Full Story »

If there's a single major issue that the teachers in my school have with their Macs, it's managing documents and files. After awhile, all those instructional files, folders, documents add up to major clutter, which turns into disorganization, and that gives teachers headaches. It's also a problem for their Mac system administrator. Me. So, I recommend a number of Mac utilities which help turn clutter into organization. Example? Yep. It's like iPhoto for documents. Full Story »

My children use my Mac (actually an older MacBook just for kids). They're pre-school but already I'm looking ahead to Mac utilities which will help to manage their browsing and application usage. With online predators growing in number, a parent can never be too safe. One utility takes a different approach to controlling how and when children are allowed to use a Mac. Am I a paranoid mommy-Nazi, or just a concerned parent looking after the welfare of my children? Full Story »

Web browser users have it good early in the 21st century. There are a dozen excellent browser choices for both Mac and Windows PC users. The latest browser to catch on with a small minority is Google's Chrome, not yet out of beta for Mac users, somehow already at version 4.x. Is the latest version of Chrome ready for prime time? It's the best ever, but Google's tradition of Beta Forever™ means this Chrome is good, if not quite ready for prime time. Why add another browser to your Mac? Full Story »

Mac graphic professionals use a multitude of applications to get the job done. From Photoshop to Fireworks and a bunch of utilities in between, Mac graphic users know their tools. After 365 days of nearly daily use, allow me to proclaim xScope as the best Mac graphic tool money can buy. In other words, if you don't have xScope, use xScope, and recommend xScope to others are you really a Mac graphic professional? The same could be said of Adobe CS4, true. They're the apps of choice among the pro crowd, Mac or Windows. xScope? It's the little tool that does more than the sum of its parts. Full Story »

I'm on a quest. I want to find the absolute perfect utility for Mac users; the one software tool that has the most value to the most number of Mac owners. It's easier said than done. Think of it this way. If you could have only one non-Apple utility on your Mac, what would it be? The first and most obvious answer would be, “It depends.” Yes, it does, but there still must be a single Mac utility that would be high on the list of most Mac users. That's what I'm after. My quest is not without some planning, effort, and criteria. Full Story »