Mac360 | Mac Reviews

My husband and I just returned from Las Vegas and a visit to our respective in-laws. His parents are now Mac users, too. Once we set them up on a MacBook with the basics-- Mail, Safari, iPhoto, iTunes, and iWork, you'd think they'd want instructions on each. Nope. The first thing they asked for was how to use the Mac's screensaver. No offense is intended, Apple, but the basic Mac screensaver is rather boring. Full Story »

I've been in business for most of my 20 or so years after college. Inside my corporate demeanor is a budding artist, protected from the critical eyes of the public, but yearning to grow and explore expressions of the heart. I have an artistic flair, a good eye for composition, but could never devote the time needed to really become an artist. Worse, all the drawing and painting apps for the Mac were just too hard to use. Until now. Full Story »

For what seems like a year, my husband and I have been up nights tending to children with flu, colds, and tummy aches. It's really the only way that toddlers can get back at parents for the making children go through the birthing process. Being up at night also means not sleeping, which means sitting in front of the glare of this Mac or that Mac and having eyes tortured by modern technology. Night vision to the rescue. Full Story »

Many of the world's millions of web sites run on a database called MySQL. Mac users rejoice. MySQL is powerful and free and runs on your Mac. All it takes to create and use this database gem is your Mac, MySQL database, and a few choice tools to make the process enjoyable. Of course, free does not mean easy. Relational databases in the 21st century are complex beasts. Tame the database beast with these tools. Full Story »

I inherited the crossword puzzle gene from my parents. In the evening after the day had worn down, they would sit together and methodically wade through a crossword puzzle. Naturally, they got me involved and one of my passions is figuring out tough crossword puzzles-- on my Mac. I have no doubt that such puzzles help to keep your mind sharp and alert. And frustrated. My Mac to the rescue. Full Story »

If you're like most Mac users, Safari is your browser of choice. Why? Safari is fast, stable, and, unlike Firefox, it's clean and uncluttered. But Firefox users get all those wonderful add ons. Safari users rejoice. I found one Safari add on that may be all you need to spruce up your favorite browser. This utility adds a couple of dozen handy functions and features and it's today's Friday Freebie. Full Story »

Leopard or Snow Leopard, hidden inside your Mac is an email beast, ready to be unleashed on the world. No, it's not OS X's Mail app, capable it may be. Your Mac can be a powerful email server, totally buzzword compliant-- SMTP, POP3, SSL, SMTP authentication, even IMAP. Total cost? A few years of experience being an email geek, or $15, MailServe, and a willingness to point and click. Full Story »

I just coughed up nearly $200 to enter the 21st century with FileMaker Pro's latest database update. I'm sure a lot of Mac users don't know it, but FileMaker is a hugely popular database application which kinda sort started life first on the Mac, then Windows. The latest version moves forward, does more (Mac or Windows), and comes with a bunch of Starter Solutions to, well, you know, help you get started. Why? Setting up and managing a custom database is not child's play. Full Story »

Everyone seems to have an opinion about the Mac's Dock. It's the mostly used, often maligned utility that launches apps, holds files and folders, and gives Mac users a heads up about what's running. The Dock has many users, many detractors, and many features and capabilities seldom used by the Mac masses. Is there a way to make the Dock do what it does even better? Thankfully, yes. Customize your Dock. Full Story »

Book stores are full of big, beautiful, glossy photo books. What's it take to get your photo journalist heart published in the 21st century? All you need is a Mac. And plenty of money. Ideally, if your photos are commercial, a book publisher will print the books, sell them to book stores, and give you money. Otherwise, grab your Mac, select your best photos from iPhoto, and click. Oh, and get out that checkbook. Full Story »

If the Mac is a personal computer then we should be able to customize various functions to match our own style or workflow. How do you launch apps and find files? The Dock and the Finder, right? Are there other ways to do the same thing? Are there easier ways? Of course. The Mac has many apps, utilities, tools to enhance our efforts to be productive. Try Menu Browser. An efficient, effective browsing tool that resides in the Menubar. Full Story »

One of the reasons that iCal is so popular is that it's so easy to see what's going on. Even with multiple calendars, a quick glance at iCal gives you what you need to know. Your schedule for the day, week, or month. Wouldn't it be cool to have a task timer attached to iCal so you can track your time on specific projects? There's an easy and inexpensive way to do just that. And it's easy to use. Full Story »