Friday Freebies: The Top 10 iTunes Utilities.

Outside of Mail and Safari, few Mac applications are loved as much as iTunes.

Few Mac apps have as many add-on utilities. Here are the Top 10 iTunes Utilities, including a bonus.

Finding utilities for iTunes is not difficult. Finding free utilities takes more effort. Finding good ones is work.

#10 - iVisualize
iTunes is functional eye candy, so I’ll start there-- iVisualize is an iTunes plug-in that plays video compositions while you play music.

There’s a few extra steps to get it to play something really cool, but iVisualize works. And it’s priced right.

#9 - SyncTunes
One of my favorite Save-My-Butt iTunes utilities is SyncTunes.

This universal binary, for PPC Macs and Intel Macs, copies tracks from your playlist to a different volume or hard drive, including flash or SD cards.

SyncTunes lets you carry your music and keep it handy for a back up.

#8 - Aqua4iTunes
iTunes 7 started life on shakey ground with bunches of bugs and a bold new look. Aqua4iTunes takes you back to the past.

The past? Yes, the brushed aluminum past of iTunes 6.x, or a few varieties. Did I mention that it’s free?

#7 - Alarm Clock
Also free is what we have to do every day. Get up and get out of bed. With Alarm Clock, you can use your Mac as an iTunes alarm clock.

Simple, elegant, handy, and priced right, Alarm Clock sits in your menu bar and acts like, well, an alarm clock. Wake up to music, a podcast, or custom message.

Make sure to take your MacBook to bed with you. You know, for warmth, and a little glowing thing under the covers.

#6 - Album Art Widget
Album art for iTunes is all the rage with iTunes 7’s new Coverflow feature. Try the Album Art Widget that rates songs and displays album art.

One click and you’re on the iTunes Store and right to the page of the song playing. Why? I don’t know. But every application needs extra features.

#5 - DeskTunes
DeskTunes is a solution looking for a problem, but those with little memory left from listening to loud music will find it useful.

Don’t know what’s playing in iTunes on your Mac? Check DeskTunes in the bottom left corner and it will tell you. Then get some rest.

#4 - Counterpoint
I like the little game in the iPod that lets you test your music knowledge.

Counterpoint is a similar game but more difficult. You actually have to listen and think at the same time.

It’s not as easy as it sounds.

#3 - iTunes Remote Control
iTunes Remote Control lets you control your iTunes from another Mac somewhere else in your house or on the local network.

If album artwork is cool in iTunes wouldn’t it be just as cool in Mac OS X’s Dock. OK, maybe not, but it’s free and painless.

#2 - Dock Art
DockArt does just that. It takes the album art of what’s playing and parks it in the Dock. You were expecting more for something that’s free?

Mac’s with large cinema-like displays are a breeding ground for floating, translucent windows.

Second Runner Up - GimmeSomeTune
GimmeSomeTune is right there with info about the song, artist, and, you guessed it-- more album art.

I like being able to sing along with iTunes and recently someone told me it would be good to know the lyrics while I was singing.

Imagine that. And from a former friend no less.

First Runner Up - Harmonic
Harmonic is a nifty iTunes utility that gets you the lyrics you want and need at a price you know and love. Free.

More alarms. More control. More power. Tim the Tool Man Taylor power.

Grand Prize - iTunes Alarm
iTunes Alarm will not only wake you up, it’ll put you to sleep, let you slumber, then snore, then repeat, and move effortlessly from playlist to playlist.

Bonus? Come on. Do the math. The Top 10 iTunes Utilities is more than 10. That’s a bonus. Just remember the pricing scheme for all these great Mac iTunes applications.

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Check out the daily list of our 9 Word mini-Reviews at NoodleMac, and Kate's daily in-depth Mac software reviews at PixoBebo.

Off Topic #23 - Mac OS X Leopard is now at version 10.5.2 which we’re proclaiming the best yet, though we expect version 10.5.3 soon. If you haven’t upgraded yet, don’t forget that Leopard is on sale at the Mac360 Store, and so are the latest Leopard books. If you plan to order Leopard or a Leopard tips book from Amazon, please consider using the Mac360 Store to place your order (it’s really Amazon). Click Here to look at the latest Leopard books.

Off Topic #58 - Do politicians use personal computers? Of course. We’ve heard Barack Obama prefers a Mac, while Hillary Clinton uses a Dell, though, apparently neither of the candidates can bowl. Does Obama’s potential vice president use a Mac? Even Clinton acknowledges Apple’s brand power but says she can’t afford a Mac. Maybe she’d win if she used a Mac.