News & Opinion
Rumor Roundup
Apple Updates
Tech Trends
Products & Services
Software
Mac notebook and other portable computing is covered in The 'Book Review. iPad, iPod, iPhone, and
Apple TV news is covered in iOS News
Review. Older Macs are covered in Vintage Mac News. All prices are in US
dollars unless otherwise noted.
Purchases made through links to Amazon.com and
Apple's iTunes/iBook/App/Mac App Store support Low End Mac.
News & Opinion
Use Non-Apple Keyboards and Mice with Your Mac
MacTuts+'s Jordan Merrick has posted an excellent tutorial on using
non-Apple input devices with your Mac - and why you might want to.
Apple currently makes a pretty good keyboard, and I think I could be
happy using it, but I don't have one, and I can't think of an Apple
mouse that I ever liked. Except for my very first Macs, and the
built-in keyboards on my laptops, I've relatively rarely used Apple
input devices, and the newest Apple keyboard I own is a long-retired
Blueberry iMac USB keyboard, while my only use of Apple mice is a
collection of iMac era "hockey puck" units that I've found make great
foot-clickers with the ball removed and the ball aperture taped over
(see My Favorite Mac
Mouse for more details).
I have chronic polyneuritis and fibromyalgia, and I have to be very
picky about input devices, finding that offerings from Logitech and
Kensington seem to work best for me. My current keyboard favorites are
the Logitech K-750 Solar Wireless Keyboard, and a Logitech wireless
laptop mouse with a lovely, weighted, freewheeling scroll wheel,
although my primary workstation point/click/drag device is a Contour
rollerbar. I also have one of the Logitech K570 thumb-actuated
trackballs Merrick prefers, but while it's good, I like the
rollerbar/mouse tandem better.
As Merrick observes, there is no such thing as a keyboard or mouse
that everyone can use comfortably, so it's not a question of "better"
or right and wrong choices. If you suffer from Repetitive Strain Injury
(RSI), what you find works for you will be right for you, and happily,
most USB and Bluetooth input devices work just fine on the Mac.
Publisher's note: Macs have natively supports 3-button USB mice
since Mac OS X first shipped, and since OS X 10.4 Tiger, Apple has
included a System Preference that allows you to reconfigure the
Control, Alt, and Option/Windows keyboards to match the standard Mac
layout. I have a couple of those, but my current favorite is the
Macally
iKeySlim, which has great feel and USB 2.0. dk
Link: Using Third
Party Keyboards and Mice with Your Mac
Create a Keyboard Shortcut for Menu Items
Anywhere
MacTuts+'s Jacob Penderworth says keyboard shortcuts are an awesome
way to improve your productivity and the swiftness with which you move
through certain tasks. They are a valuable asset to quick navigation by
default, but isn't it disappointing when a menu item doesn't have a
shortcut?
This tutorial explains how to add one.
Link: How to
Create a Keyboard Shortcut for Menu Items Everywhere
Why Dropbox Is Taking Over the World
The Economist notes that before Apple launched iCloud in 2011, Steve
Jobs reportedly offered to buy Dropbox, a file-sharing service founded in
2007, for $800m, but Dropbox founder Drew Houston turned him down. His
Dropbox overture spurned, Jobs somewhat peevishly disparaged the
service as "a feature, not a company," but The Economist notes that in
December, Dropbox wound up a promotional campaign that had added 2
million new users in just a few weeks, bringing the total of Dropboxers
to over 100 million, roughly twice the number there were when Jobs made
his comment.
If it's just a feature, it's one desired by an awful lot of
users.
The article notes that Dropbox data transfers account for 20% of
total bandwidth consumed globally by browser-based file-sharing
services, and that Dropbox users, most of whom use the free version of
the service, save more than 1 billion files daily.
Dropbox's key to success, The Economist observes, is that it's
"platform neutral," supporting a wide variety of different devices and
operating systems, allowing for easy, hassle-free file-sharing in an
increasingly connected world where few people adhere devoutly to a
single device-maker.
Publisher's note: I couldn't agree more. Dropbox not only lets you
backup files in the cloud; it also lets you sync them between multiple
local devices via ethernet and/or WiFi. We use Dropbox here at Low End
Mac headquarters to sync the contents of LEM to a Mac mini running
OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard,
a Power Mac G4 running OS X
10.4 Tiger, and a 12" PowerBook G4 also running Tiger. (Of the many
competing services, Dropbox supports more platforms and more versions
of OS X than any other.) Highly recommended! dk
Link: A Company
Called 'Dropbox' Is Taking Over the World
How to Disable the Dashboard in OS X
Fairer Platform's Ron Carlson notes that whether you have an older
Mac that's getting slow or a brand new Christmas Mac, if you don't use
Dashboard,
there's no reason to let it live. "Kill it, now," Carlson advises,
since disabling Dashboard will reduce RAM, battery, and system resource
usage, and it's surprisingly easy to do. Carlson explains how to do so
in OS X 10.8 Mountain
Lion, and the technique works for OS X 10.7 Lion too.
Carlson also suggests a Dashboard disable method for users running
OS X Snow Leopard.
Publisher's note: Apple introduced Dashboard with OS X 10.4 Tiger,
and I've been disabling it ever since, whether on a low-end iMac or
iBook or on the 2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo Mac mini we use here. I've never
found a Dashboard widget I wanted to use more than once or twice, so
why waste the system memory and CPU resources? This is especially true
if your Mac doesn't have an abundance of system memory. Onyx is a great
little free app that can turn of Dashboard and let you tweak lots of
other OS X settings. dk
Link: How To:
Disable Dashboard in OS X Mountain Lion
Is Your Mac AirDrop Compatible?
Fairer Platform says that since Apple introduced AirDrop with OS X 10.7 Lion in July 2011, the ad
hoc file sharing service hasn't gotten a lot of attention. However,
this handy service was updated in OS X 10.8.1 Mountain Lion, making
it even easier to use. Find out if your Mac is AirDrop compatible and
what the secret new feature is.
What is AirDrop? The article explains that if you're on the same
network, WiFi or wired, as another compatible Mac running OS X 10.7 or
later, you can share files without any setup or configuration.
Compatible Mac models include:
Link: Is My Mac AirDrop
Compatible? Find Out
DisplayLink Announces New USB 3.0 Mac Driver and
Showcases at CES 2013
PR: DisplayLink has
announced new USB 3.0 Mac Drivers and is showcasing the latest USB 3.0
Docking Stations at CES 2013, enabling users of Mac products to benefit
from DisplayLink's award-winning chip and software technology.
DisplayLink-enabled docking stations, coupled with a MacBook,
enables up to four additional displays, keyboard, mouse, audio, and
ethernet connectivity for a full desktop/workstation productivity
environment. The company says there is strong demand from the Mac
community wishing to benefit from the productivity enhancements offered
with a single cable USB docking station.
"Due to high demand from the Mac community adding Mac support to our
operating system lineup was high on DisplayLink's priority list," says
John Cummins, Vice President Sales and Marketing for the company. "We
see Mac usage increasing in both consumer and enterprise markets
globally since we released our previous USB 2.0 products. We've
invested heavily to add support for the entire DisplayLink Chipset
family, and are truly excited to announce this ahead of schedule here
at CES."
The new Mac driver is available as a software upgrade and completely
backward compatible with DisplayLink's previous silicon solutions,
allowing existing users to reap the productivity and connectivity
benefits of USB Graphics over both USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 connections.
Rumor Roundup
Apple on the Cusp of an Enormous Product Upgrade
Cycle According to Experts
Wall Street Pit says 2013 will be a very important and eventful one
for Apple, with the company "on the cusp of an enormous product upgrade
cycle" and expected to move from an annual product upgrade cycle to a
six-monthly one, which a panel of market experts told CNBC's Squawk on
the Street on Monday should Apple's stock a big boost.
Ironfire Capital LLC founder Eric Jackson is cited speculating that
Apple will introduce some entirely new products in 2013, projecting a
long-rumored iTV for November rollout, and "possibly even an iCar
system, which would control navigation and entertainment in
automobiles," projecting another major Apple stock price run up when
people realize that the current product portfolio is going to be much
bigger than expected.
Link:
Apple (AAPL) on the Cusp of an Enormous Product Upgrade Cycle -
Experts
Apple Updates
Apple's Drops 2m Thunderbolt Cable to $39, Adds
Shorter $29 Version
Cnet's Josh Lowensohn reports that one of Apple's priciest
peripheral cables is now slightly less expensive, and it has a stubbier
sibling.
Apple has quietly dropped the price of its Thunderbolt cables, and
released a shorter, cheaper model.
The previously $49, 2 meter (6.6') Thunderbolt cable now sells for
for $39, and a new 0.5 meter version (1.6') goes for $29.
Link: Apple's Thunderbolt
Cable Gets a Price Drop, Shorter Version
Tech Trends
10 Gbps SuperSpeed USB 3 Coming This Year
PR: The USB 3.0 Promoter
Group has announced development of a SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0)
enhancement that will add a much higher data rate, delivering up to
twice the data throughput performance of existing SuperSpeed USB over
enhanced, fully backward compatible USB connectors and cables. This
supplement to the USB 3.0 specification is anticipated to be completed
by the middle of this year.
This enhancement builds on the success of USB and expands its
capability by doubling the data rate.
Key characteristics of the higher-rate SuperSpeed USB solution
include:
- New 10 Gbps USB data rate
- Compatibility with existing cables and connectors
- Improved data encoding for more efficient data transfer leading to
higher throughput and improved I/O power efficiency
- Compatible with existing USB 3.0 software stacks and device class
protocols
- Compatible with both existing 5 Gbps and new 10 Gbps USB 3.0 hubs
and devices, as well as USB 2.0 products
"With USB technology continuing to be the data and power delivery
path of choice across personal computing and consumer electronics, we
are always looking ahead to how to best improve user experience and
connectivity performance," says Brad Saunders, USB 3.0 Promoter Group
Chairman. "Doubling SuperSpeed USB performance will be especially
beneficial for emerging USB docking and storage applications."
"For our customers, 10 Gbps USB represents an important evolution in
this ubiquitous I/O standard," comments Mark VandenBrink, Vice
President and Chief Technology Officer, PC Global Business Unit, HP.
"By doubling the bandwidth while maintaining full backwards
compatibility with the broad ecosystem of USB peripherals and software,
we will be able to better meet the needs of our customers with this
high-speed technology."
"We recognize that more mainstream client computing applications are
going to need higher throughput to user-connected peripherals and
devices," says Alex Peleg, Vice President, Intel Architecture Group.
"Intel is fully committed to delivering 10 Gbps USB performance to
these platforms while retaining compatibility with the existing USB
ecosystem to help to satisfy user demand for low-cost,
higher-performance solutions."
"Microsoft has been a strong supporter of the USB community where we
have advocated balancing innovation and compatibility. The planned
updates to USB 3.0 are consistent with our views," affirms Dennis
Flanagan, General Manager, Windows Ecosystem Engagement. "These updates
will enable higher data rates and allow combining of disk,
high-definition audio/video and networking traffic on a single cable
all while maintaining compatibility with billions of existing
devices."
The 10 Gbps SuperSpeed USB update is targeted for industry review
during the first quarter of this year. Further information regarding
the specification and plans for prerelease industry reviews will be
provided via the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) website.
Publisher's note: This will put USB 3.0 head-to-head with the 10
Gbps Thunderbolt
technology Apple and Intel have been pushing for two years now, at
least as far as hard drives, flash drives, printers, and other
peripherals are concerned. The more costly Thunderbolt does a lot more
than USB 3.0, supporting video output to displays and encompassing the
PCI Express bus as well, but for the kind of products generally
attached via USB or FireWire, 10 Gbps USB 3.0 is going to be a real
contender. dk
Link: USB Future
Specifications Industry Reviews (PDF)
Products & Services
FirmTek Debuts Screaming Fast USB 3.0 Trayless
Enclosure for 2.5" SSD and Hard Drives
PR: FirmTek has announced the miniSwap/U3. An industry first
and perfect for 2.5" solid state (SSD) and hard disk drives (HDD), the
miniSwap/U3 enclosure provides trayless, hot-swap, USB 3.0 external
enclosure support for Mac and PC computers.
Performance Up to 440 MB/s with a Single SSD
The miniSwap/U3 was created to provide 2.5" storage devices with
blazing fast 5 Gbps bandwidth, amazingly simple disk mounting and
ultra-quiet operation. The small, yet rugged, miniSwap/U3 can be
integrated as a portable on-the-go 2.5" enclosure, or as a space saving
high performance trayless 
2.5" desktop drive mounting
station. Multiple miniSwap/U3 enclosures can be connected to provide
advanced RAID performance, expanded capacity, and simple or complex
storage configurations. The unique miniSwap/U3 trayless bay design
supports standard 2.5" Serial ATA SSD or HDD 9.5mm height devices along
with 7mm, 12.5mm and even larger disks up to 14.9mm.
Do Away with the Tray
The miniSwap/U3 silver aluminum chassis features an attractive
design made from aluminum to keep weight at a minimum while maintaining
firm structural rigidity. "Loading a 2.5" hard disk or SSD is as easy
as inserting a bare drive into the miniSwap/U3 and closing the bay
door. That's it! No tray, no screws and no tools required to gain
incredible performance," said Chi Kim Stanford, Vice President of
Business Development. The high quality, detailed construction of the
miniSwap/U3 allows each 2.5" drive to connect with the FirmTek
direct-connect backplane and instantly communicate with the computer.
Each miniSwap/U3 bay is tied to the computer with its own dedicated USB
3.0 data cable. This connection method maximizes performance while
providing superior compatibility.
Instant Data Access
The miniSwap/U3 is compatible with virtually every USB 3.0 or USB
2.0 port. In addition, the miniSwap/U3 enclosure supports transfer
rates of 500 Mbytes/sec or 5.0 Gbits/sec. 
The trayless, direct-connect
miniSwap/U3 enclosure is designed to excel with audio/video editing,
computer animation, digital photography, portable computing, storage
expansion, backup and any application where external, flexible,
trayless, hot-swap, high performance data storage is desirable. FirmTek
customers who appreciate the power of SSD and the portability and quiet
operation of 2.5" storage devices will love the miniSwap/U3.
- Bus Powered, Trayless, Hot-Swap, 2.5" USB 3.0 Enclosure for Mac and
PC
- Instantly Mount SSD or 2.5" SATA HDD
- No tray required, just insert a bare SSD or 2.5" SATA hard drive
and close the bay door
Portability and High Performance
The miniSwap/U3 is a revolutionary new product designed to meet the
needs of computer professionals on the go. This new, bus-powered, data
storage device offers performance as high as 440 MB/s, which is more
than twice the speed of typical USB 3.0 enclosures. The miniSwap/U3 is
compatible with the new 5 Gbit/s USB 3.0 ports found on 2012 MacBook
Pro, MacBook Air, Mac mini and iMac while also backward compatible with
legacy USB 2.0 ports. The small size of the miniSwap/U3 allows it to be
held in the palm of your hand or transported easily in a small computer
case. At less than one pound, the miniSwap/U3 offers more performance
power for its size than any other FirmTek product. FirmTek customers
who enjoy the power of SSD and the portability and quiet operation of
2.5" storage devices will appreciate the miniSwap/U3.
While the miniSwap supports many different 2.5" disk capacities,
with a single 1 TB SATA HDD installed, the miniSwap can hold up to 84
hours of HDV 1080i, 17 hours of DVCPRO HD 1080/60i or 10 hours of
ProRes 422 HQ. Huge storage capacity plus an ultra small footprint
makes the miniSwap a great travel companion for photographers and video
professionals. The durable silver aluminum miniSwap/U3 looks great with
the Apple computers and excels with audio/video editing, computer
animation, digital photography, portable computing, storage expansion,
backup and any application where external, trayless, hot swap, high
performance data storage is desirable.
Low Noise, Energy Efficient Design
The air-cooled miniSwap design is able to protect the disk using a
built-in enhanced airflow system. Heat generated around the bottom and
sides of the drive dissipates through the well-vented aluminum
enclosure. This process offers the ultimate in quiet operation. Just
slide in the drive, close the bay door and your data is ready to be
accessed. This simple, yet robust mounting feature allows photographers
and audio-video professionals to mount drives even in low light
conditions, whether in the field or in the office, without the need for
tools. The miniSwap trayless design offers support for 2.5" disk
heights of 7mm, 9.5mm and even larger disks up to 14.9mm.
Quality Craftsmanship
FirmTek is known for innovative backplane designs with no internal
SATA cabling. The miniSwap is no exception. This feature maximizes
signal strength and enhances EMI protection, which increases
reliability. The miniSwap product line is built from the ground up,
using only our very best storage ideas.
Amazing Performance and Virtually Unlimited Capacity
The new circuitry built into every miniSwap/U3 supports ultra high
bandwidth applications. Customers have reported performance results as
high as 443 MB/s read and 433 MB/s write with a single 6G SSD
configuration and 636 MB/s read and 788 MB/s write with two miniSwap/U3
enclosures setup in a RAID 0 configuration on the 2012 MacBook Pro and
iMac. The ability to effortlessly insert or eject the drive mounted in
the miniSwap enclosure makes it a favorite among photographers and
video professionals who use different drives for different customer
projects. This advanced feature provides virtually unlimited data
storage capacity.
miniSwap/U3 Key Features and Benefits
- Attractive, durable, bus-powered, portable trayless enclosure
supports 2.5" SATA SSD or HDD
- Ultra quiet, fan free, aluminum heat dissipation cooling
system
- Easy to set up: No screws, no drive tray required, swap drives in
seconds
- Easy to operate: Simply open the door to insert or remove the
storage device for virtually unlimited capacity
- Supports 7mm, 9.5mm, 12.5mm and 14.9mm drive heights
- High performance design - Integrated Direct Connect SATA backplane;
no internal cabling
- Ultra high 5 Gbit/s bandwidth design with Power and Activity
LED
- Supports SATA 1.5G, 3G or 6G HDD or SSD 2.5" form factor with any
capacity
- Can be configured as RAID when used with multiple miniSwap/U3
enclosures - Mac OS X
- Aluminum case for maximum durability and heat dissipation
- High performance can handle multiple projects simultaneously
- Perfect for both storage-hungry and speed-sensitive
applications
- Cross-platform, PC and Macintosh compatible, operating system
independent
- Works with Macintosh or PC with shielded USB 3.0 or 2.0 ports
running Mac OS X, Windows or Linux
Kensington Security Slot
The FirmTek miniSwap/U3 will be available soon from FirmTek
authorized resellers (Part# MS-U3). Specially priced build-to-order
miniSwap/U3 bundles with custom preinstalled SATA hard disks or SSD
configurations will also be available at the FirmTek Store.
Link: miniSwap/U3
Software
XtraFinder Adds Tabs and Features to Finder in
Snow Leopard, Lion, and Mountain Lion
PR: XtraFinder OS X utility features include:
- Tabs.
- Dual Panel & Dual Window.
- Arrange folders on top.
- Cut & Paste.
- Global hotkeys.
- "Copy Path", "Show Hidden Items", "Refresh", "New File", "Copy to",
"Move to", "New Terminal Here", "Contents", "Select...".
- Light text on dark background.
- Colorful icons in Sidebar.
- More
System requirements: Mac OS X 10.6.8 to 10.8.2
Link: XtraFinder
Two Free OS X Utilities That Add Apple Menu
Features to the Dock
Hypnotize
PR: Have you ever fallen asleep on the movie, TV series or,
even worse, the streaming webcast you were watching on your Mac, only
to have the sound and light arouse you from sleep throughout the entire
night? Have you ever wondered why every TV since the late eighties has
had a timed off-function, while your state-of-the-art Mac still can't
pull off this simple trick? Well, wonder no more...
Hypnotize for
Mac OS X is a collection of timers for your Dock telling the movie to
shut up and your Mac to shut down when time is up.
Simply add the Hypnotize folder as a stack to the Dock for easy
access. Whenever needed, simply fan out the stack, run the timer with
the interval of choice, and your computer will shut down once time has
run out. Was the movie interesting? Press 'Reset Timer', and the
countdown starts all over again. 
Hypnotize only
force quits Safari, and will halt the shutdown if any other
applications with unsaved documents are running. This way Hypnotize is
completely safe, preventing you from losing any unsaved data during the
shutdown process. By default, Hypnotize is set to shut down the
computer after 15, 30, 45 or 60 minutes, but these intervals can easily
be changed in Script Editor if needed.
Hypnotize 1.1 is a Universal Binary and is compatible with Mac OS X 10.3 Panther or newer.
Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard or newer
recommended. Hypnotize is open-source and is published under a
'Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License'.
Link: Hypnotize
Functional
Functional for Mac OS X
is a collection of utilities bringing the basic Mac OS X functions from
the Apple menu to your Dock. It is the spiritual companion of
'Hypnotize'.
Add the Functional
folder as a stack to the Dock, and Logging Out, Restarting, Shutting
Down or Sleeping your Mac will be just a mouse-click away. As with
'Hypnotize', Functional only force quits Safari preventing the loss of
your valuable work in other applications.
Functional 1.1 is a Universal Binary, and is compatible with Mac OS
X 10.3 Panther or newer. Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard or newer recommended.
Functional is open-source and is published under a 'Creative Commons
Attribution Non-Commercial License'.
Link: Functional
Ctrl Alt Delete Comes to OS X
PR: Mike Fullerton's Ctrl Alt Delete 1.0.2 is a free OS X
utility for dealing with system and application software misbehaves.
Named for a familiar hotkey combination that has saved billions of
Windows PC users around the world, the Ctrl Alt Delete app brings a
quick fix for many computer troubles to the Mac.
Examples of when Ctrl Alt Delete can help:
- When an app freezes up or stops responding
- You need to quickly see a list of all running programs
- You need to sign out, restart, sleep, or shut down your computer
after a delay that you specify?
Ctrl Alt Delete features:
- Menubar applet that doesn't clutter your dock.
- Customizable hot key to complement your preferences.
- Adjustable delays for system functions (sleep, restart, shutdown,
and log out).
- Simple to use app list that displays relevant app details.
- Start at login option so Ctrl Alt Delete will be there when you
need it.
- Ctrl Alt Delete Support
New in Version 1.0.2
- Attention Users: If you are asked about contact info access when
you launch the app see the help center for details of why and what is
going on (http://help.chimpstudios.com/)
- Tested and ready for Mountain Lion
- Bug Fixes
System requirements:
- OS X 10.6 or later
- 64-bit processor
Freeware
Publisher's note: As long as the keyboard isn't locked up, you can
usually use Cmd-Opt-Esc to force quit troublesome apps. Not nearly as
powerful as Ctrl Alt Delete, but it's built into OS X, so it's
always there. dk
Link:
Ctrl Alt Delete
Appriority Makes Your Apps Run Faster by
Optimizing the CPU Load
PR: Appriority is an easy to use tool for OS X that simply
makes the app you're working in go faster by allowing you to optimize
the CPU load on your computer. Once fully configured, Appriority works
by suspending and resuming applications as you switch among them.
Inactive applications can be set for suspension, which will eliminate
their CPU usage until you switch back to them. The benefits of this are
improved performance in the application you currently have active, less
battery power used while mobile, and less heat produced by your
computer.
Before you can benefit from using Appriority, you must tell
Appriority which applications you will want to suspend. You do this by
selecting Preferences from the Appriority menu. You will see a box that
lists the top 10 CPU load applications currently active on your
computer. Use this to guide you in deciding which applications you wish
to suspend, and add them to your list with the Add button. Once an app
is added, the next time you use it and switch out of it, Appriority
will automatically suspend it. Switching back to a suspended
application will automatically resume it. You may remove any
application from the list by selecting it and clicking the Delete
button.
Appriority will automatically do this as long as it is running. When
you quit Appriority, all of your open applications will be returned to
their normal state.
The Free Market edition of Appriority also uses the renice
command to put the highest priority on the active application you are
currently working in. Open applications that are inactive will
automatically be reniced to a lower priority. Renicing is done
automatically as you switch among your open applications. (This feature
is not available in the Mac App Store edition).
Appriority tells you what applications are using the most CPU
resources and makes it easy to bring their usage to a halt. It reports
your average CPU load and more.
Appriority is designed to be easy to use and makes no permanent
changes to your system. Simply launch it to turn it on, and quit it to
return all of your applications to normal.
Features
- Reports the top 10 CPU users.
- Reports CPU load.
- Reports idle time.
- Reports currently suspended apps.
- Dock icon displays count of suspended apps.
- Automatically suspend inactive applications as you switch between
apps.
- Manually suspend apps if desired.
- Manually resume apps if desired.
Features Only in Free Market Edition
- Automatically shift CPU priority of open applications.
- Optimize free memory.
- Available in menu bar.
- Manual process manager.
- Universal Binary for PPC or Intel Macs.
System Requirements (Free Market Version)
- Universal Binary
- Requires OS X 10.4 - 10.8
- $9.98
System Requirements (App Store Version)
- OS X 10.6.6 or later
- $2.99
Publisher's note: I just had to try this on my Dual Processor Power
Mac G4 running Classic Mode in OS X 10.4 Tiger, and it seems to
work just fine. I've set Appriority to not suspend Claris Home Page,
since I often have it do uploads in the background. Switching apps
seems a bit slower, and it does pop up a shareware reminder, but all in
all, a very interesting app that even works with PowerPC Macs and
OS X 10.4 Tiger. dk
Link: Appriority (Free
Market Version)
Link:
Appriority (App Store Version)
PaintSupreme 1.5 Image Editor on Sale for Half
Price
PR: After six months of development, BrainDistrict Software
has released v1.5 of its PaintSupreme image editing app for Windows,
Mac OS X and Linux, already one of the fastest photo editors and paint
programs in its class and now faster than previous releases and
including a number of user enhancements and new features, like the
integration of IFX-Supreme effects and filters, enhanced the overall
speed and workflow as well as fixing bugs, and is on sale at the
friendly introductory price of $9.99 till the end of January. That's a
50% discount.
PaintSupreme product highlights:
- Fast - one of the fastest image editing products in the App
Store
- Stable - 10,000+ users and not a single major bug
- Easy-to-use - intuitive with comprehensive user documentation
- Multiplatform - available for Windows, Mac and Linux
- Companion filter creation product - IFX-Supreme lets you create
your own filters
PaintSupreme
lets you add interest and excitement to your photos by applying effects
and filters to create a new look. Change the entire image or just
parts. Add textures, remove unwanted elements, change colors, transform
into black & white, all with a few clicks. You can also create your
own image from scratch in a variety of styles. A whole set of tools
like rulers, guides, and pre-drawn shapes make it easy to create.
Sketch, paint, and airbrush to your heart's content.
PaintSupreme is claimed to offer best-in-class photo editing and
image creation in one package that is one of the fastest image editing
products on the market
BrainDistrict claims that with 10,000+ users and not a single major
bug has been reported
The program is
designed to be intuitive with comprehensive user documentation
Easy-to-use tools take the complication and work out of photo editing
freeing you to focus on your imagination. And because PaintSupreme
works with both pixel and vector images, your creativity is
limitless.
Selection tools to choose your work style All or part of an image.
Rectangular curved, or any freeform shape. Connect selected areas to
operate on different parts simultaneously.
There are editing tools to easily: Remove blemishes, unwanted
elements like shadows or a fence, and other flaws, Balance or skew
color, lighten or darken, sharpen or blur, Create a gradation of color
across an area or the entire image. Multiply elements in your photo
turn one star into 20, or one flower into a bouquet. Change colors turn
a green shirt to red or blue house to yellow. Pull an element from one
photo and insert it into another add your dog to a picture of your car,
or put yourself on the beach.
Filters to
transform all or part of a photo Transform a photo into a painting with
brushstrokes. Liquefy an image so it seems to flow. Create ripples,
pinch, pull, polarize, and dozens of other effects
Text tools to add words and phrases so you can Title photos, label
people, streets, buildings, and other elements. Create documents like
greeting cards, posters, invitations, and brochures. Advanced tools to
do more complex transformations as you build your skills Layers let you
build up effects and create multiple versions of the same original
image. Selection addition and subtraction functions let you operate on
specific areas of your image by joining or removing sections. Mix tools
and filters together to create an unlimited range of effects Create
original images limited only by your imagination.
PaintSupreme's easy-to-use drawing and painting tools give you the
power to easily design beautiful images in a wide variety of styles.
Drawing tools to design a simple element or a complex image. Guides and
rulers make it easy to layout your project and keep elements aligned.
Preset shapes let you quickly add squares, circles, triangles,
rectangles, ovals, and many other standard geometric patterns. Create
and print a drawing to color with crayons or watercolors. Add shadowing
to highlight an element or create a dramatic effect. Painting tools
create eye-catching images. Apply color in any style from painterly to
pallet knife. Blend edges or keep them hard. Airbrush in gradual tones
and highlights. Blend and mix colors to suit Saving & Sharing. Save
your edited photos, drawings and paintings in a variety of standard
formats and share them with friends and family. Use your images with
iPhoto, Photoshop, Facebook, Flickr, Pinterest. Your website. Email to
friends and family.
New in Version 1.5:
- Seamless integration of filters and effects created in IFX-Supreme.
Users can now download new filters and effects from the IFX-Supreme
library directly into PaintSupreme for free and immediately
drag-and-drop them onto their photos or create cool effects with the
press of a button.
- Even faster performance doing transformations and using the drawing
tools.
- Faster switching between layers so changes appear instantly as you
move from one layer to another.
- User interface has been enhanced with a brighter text and a cleaner
layout.
- Red Eye removal tool which removes the redeye effect caused by
flash photography with a click.
- Shortcuts for the Vector tool making vector image manipulation
quicker and easier. Increased sensitivity for the Bucket tool.
- Improvements to the operation of the Crop and Clone Stamp tools
that make them easier to use.
- Many smaller enhancements, speedups and bug fixes.
PaintSupreme Tools: Move, Crop, Rectangular Selection, Elliptical
Selection, LassoMagic Wand, Paint Bucket, GradientBrush. Pen, Eraser,
Clone, Text, Arrow, PolylineCurve, Polygon (shape), Color Picker,
HandZoom, Transform, Rulers, Guides, PaintSupreme Filters, Auto
Contrast, Logarithmic Correction, Normalize, Equalize, Auto Levels,
Enhance Detail, Enhance Focus, Focus Restoration, Edge Detection,
LightEdge Detection, Medium Edge Detection, HeavyEmboss, Emboss More,
Reduce Noise, AverageBlur, Gaussian Blur, PaintSupreme Layers, Add New,
Remove, Group/UngroupLock/UnlockMergeCloneRasterizeHide/Show Selected
LayersHide/Show VectorPaintSupreme Color Adjusting ToolsColor
BalanceHue, Saturation, Levels, Curves, To Grayscale, Histogram, Invert
Image, PaintSupreme Files & ImagesImport/Export, Saving, Opening,
Undo & Redo
PaintSupreme v1.5 is available now in native 64-bit versions for Mac
OS X, Windows 7/8, and Linux.
$9.99 demoware
Trial versions are fully functional, except that you cannot save
your results. When you're ready to buy, return to the PaintSupreme
page, click on "Online Shop", and you will be given a serial number
that unlocks your trial version. Or you can buy in the Mac App Store by
clicking on the "AppStore" link.
Link: PaintSupreme
(App
Store)
Desktop Mac
Deals
Low End Mac updates the following price trackers monthly:
For deals on current and discontinued 'Books, see our 13" MacBook and MacBook Pro,
MacBook Air, 13" MacBook Pro, 15" MacBook Pro, 17" MacBook Pro, 12" PowerBook G4, 15" PowerBook G4, 17" PowerBook G4, titanium PowerBook G4,
iBook G4, PowerBook G3, and iBook G3 deals.
We also track iPad,
iPhone, iPod touch, iPod classic, iPod nano, and iPod shuffle deals.
