
It’s no secret that I love a good bargain. I love Fridays. I love my Mac. I love free Mac utilities, especially when they actually do something worthwhile.
Here’s the latest 5 Friday Freebies from Mac360’s Value Vixen™. Each one is designed to please, built to work long, hard hours, and priced so low that free looks expensive.
Plyxim is the place to go for free Mac utilities this week. It’s a single click away, and just a few clicks to begin downloading Plyxim’s free Mac utilities to your Mac.
Easy iWeb Publisher
How easy is it to create a web page? If you know XHTML and CSS, you can do it with a handful of free Mac editors and code your way to an award winning web design. Or not. Or, use iWeb, available in iLife ‘08.
Easy iWeb Publisher does what iWeb doesn’t do. It lets you upload your iWeb files to a web server instead of iWeb’s automated connection to a .Mac account.
Sure, any FTP utility will do almost the same thing. Almost? Where are those pesky iWeb files anyway? Easy iWeb Publisher knows already.
Grade Slider
Do you know a teacher? Are you a teacher? Do you teach? Do you want to be a teacher but don’t like those old cardboard grade sliders?
Grade Slider helps teacher grade tests and quizzes by providing a simple list of calculated percentages on your Mac’s screen. Simple. Easy. Free.
Yes, it has uses beyond that of teaching and tests, but don’t use it for anything else otherwise you’ll go blind.
Say It Save It
I’m surprised this little utility doesn’t have a lot of competitors. Your Mac can read text files using the Speech option.
Wouldn’t it be cool if your Mac could speak what you want it to in whatever voice you want, then record that same voice as an MP3 file so you could play it back later or stuff it into iTunes?
Sure, that would be cool. Say It Save It does just that.
History Searcher
I have no clue why Mac software developers create these nifty neato niche utilities and then give them a way for free. It’s either a gift or a curse.
Since keywords are all the rage these days, History Searcher will look through your Mac’s browser history and bookmark files for specific keywords.
This is a great way to check up on your children or spouse to see what they’ve been viewing online when you were not around to look over their collective shoulders.
Honestly, I felt just like a government spy while looking through my husband’s browser history. Government spies do what they do without guilt or a nagging conscience, right?
Battery Drain
No, this isn’t a utility that drains your battery, though that would be a great prank to play on someone you don’t like who’s always showing off his MacBook Air.
Battery Drain does what its name doesn’t imply. It lets you charge and drain your Mac’s notebook battery to a certain amount, which is perfect for longer term storage.
You can set the charge amount and Battery Drain will fill your battery up to that amount, then shut down the Mac. All five of these great Friday Freebies come from the same place, Plyxim.
BONUS - Weather Vane
It’s Friday, so here’s Alexis’ Bonus Freebie. Why? Because I can. And, because I miscounted when I made my list. My bad, your gain. What’s the bonus? Weather Vane.
What is it? It’s local weather forecasts in your Mac’s Menu Bar. Woo hoo!! I knew that would get you excited. What is cooler than instant weather? Got a favorite freebie you’d like to share on Friday? Use the Comments section below.
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By Alexis Kayhill | I'm a 20 year Mac user veteran, writer, photographer, wife, and mommy. I live in sunny San Diego with my husband, three children, two dogs, one mean old cat, and an SUV with a back seat full of beach sand. Follow me on Twitter.
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