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3D modeling applications are notoriously complex and can take years to learn. Complicated modeling tools, infinite material setting variables, lighting radiance adjustments, multiple cameras, UVs, etc., it can all be quite daunting and frankly unnecessary for someone looking to create a quick mockup. Enter Google SketchUp, an amazing free application for creating professional (non photo-realistic) 3D models on the fly.
Though SketchUp is relatively simple compared to more robust 3D applications, it still has a ton of features… too many too enumerate here. This review will briefly cover some of the principal features and tools in SketchUp and offer a little insight into how you can create complex geometry in a jiffy.
Google Quick Search Box is the next step in the evolution of Google Desktop: it goes a step beyond simply letting you search the files on your computer to provide an integrated tool that lets you take a variety of actions from a launch bar. It’s designed in part by Nicholas Jitkoff, one of the original developers of Quicksilver.
The biggest advancement with Google Quick Search Box is the ability to perform actions on your search results. Where once you could only find files from Google Desktop, you can now launch files, email them as attachments, and move them to the trash just as easily.
Even with Finder’s Cover Flow view option, organizing your applications, files and creating smart collections isn’t the easiest thing to do. However, with an application called Berokyo this can be done in a simple and stylish way.
Berokyo lets you add files, smart collections and applications into “cabinets”. Along with providing a way to organize your desktop, it allows you to quickly launch your applications, open documents, and personalize each “cabinet” to your liking.
Few people would argue that we’ve begun to see a fundamental shift away from broadcast television to online media in recent years. That said, there’s still a phenomenal demand for digital, cable and satellite television (and some great programming available).
Just because broadcast TV isn’t streamed over the Internet, doesn’t mean that your Mac can’t play a part in the experience. Today I’ll be looking at EyeTV, an application designed to watch, pause, record and convert television on your Mac. To use the application, you’ll also need a compatible TV receiver (I’ll be using the EyeTV Sat, which supports HD in the UK).
It is fairly well known that using mind maps to organize information and solve problems can have a huge benefit on the way we think, learn, and remember. But how many of us actually do it?
MindNode Pro, developed by MindNode, is an application for creating simple and stylish mind maps. You start with an idea or anything you can think of, and from there branch off wherever your mind leads you. MindNode Pro allows you to produce these mind maps quickly and efficiently in a visually appealing style. This review will cover what MindNode Pro is capable of, and how it could benefit you.
Bento is a highly regarded “personal database” application for OS X, allowing you to keep track of almost anything you can imagine. We reviewed both the Mac and iPhone release earlier this year, though I wanted to add a few extra thoughts and comments about the latest version, released today.
Version 3 brings a range of new features – some expected, and some unexpected. Most notably is the integration with iPhoto, giving access to all your albums within Bento. Also new is the ability to share a Bento Library across computers in your home network, a useful “grid view”, and enhanced security features.
This quick review-update will go over the new features on offer in version 3. For a full introduction to what Bento is capable of, I would recommend reading through our previous review.
Trying to stay on top of a business can be a very difficult task – whether you’re a freelancer, or manage several hundred staff. Without a system to keep everything well organised, it can be easy to miss deadlines and lose focus. Today I’ll be taking a look at Daylite, an impressive suite of tools for managing a business.
One of the main selling points behind Daylite is the ability to have everything related to your business in one central place: calendars, contacts, projects, tasks etc. Emphasis is also placed on sharing information, as Daylite is designed to work well in a collaborative setting.
This review will walk through the main features of Daylite/Daylite Touch and outline what I like and dislike about the application. It’s a mammoth piece of software, and it wouldn’t be possible to cover absolutely everything in one review. Instead, I’ll try to give you a feel for what the tool is capable of.
Disclaimer: Although Marketcircle (the developers of Daylite) sponsor AppStorm, our reviews are always completely impartial.
Various screencasting and screen-recording tools are available for the Mac, and we have covered these previously in a fairly extensive roundup. Today I’ll be taking a look at a new kid on the block – Camtasia.
Designed by TechSmith, Camtasia is a long standing screencast application for Windows that has recently made the move across to OS X. It costs $99, and is aimed at making the process of recording a screencast as simple as possible. I’ll be looking at the various features on offer, and drawing a few comparisons to ScreenFlow, another competing screencast application.
Keeping media on your computer has some great benefits. Watching movies directly from your hard drive saves battery life. DVDs scratch easily, so backing up lets you have some peace of mind.
Now here’s the problem: You don’t have any visual cues as to what is what. Rather than looking for the covers and cases you know so well, you must rely on the same sterile document icon (or preview of the first scene of the movie if you have icon previews on) and the small label underneath.
SlipCover, from Bohemian Coding is a free solution for this little problem. Today I’ll show you SlipCover and it’s features, as well as how and where to find cases to expand SlipCover’s Repertoire.
When it comes to task managing applications, I’ve tried them all. The Hit List, Things, Omnifocus etc. But I just couldn’t get myself into a system that worked. For a while I turned to .txt files. Simple and ultra-portable.
And then I found TaskPaper. TaskPaper is basically steroids-driven .txt file. After testing it for a while, I think I’ve found an application that will stick.
