News, Reviews and more from Australia's Macintosh Authority
News, Reviews and more from Australia's Macintosh Authority
It's been well over a year-and-a-half since I reviewed Now Up-to-Date & Contact 5.3 and mentioned that Now Software planned to release Now X (formerly NightHawk), a completely new, redesigned calendar and contact application. Now X finally made its debut late in August 2009 and holds some promise for the future, but at present it behaves more like a late beta than an application ready for general release and is unlikely to offer enough to entice you away from your current favourite calendaring and contact management apps.
Jeffery Battersby | Feb 17, 2010
It’s hard to believe that, at just under two years old, Bento is already in its third release, but it’s a sure sign that Filemaker is committed to making this inexpensive, personal and SOHO database application your go-to tool for managing many of your digital assets.
Jeffery Battersby | Sep 30, 2009
iBiz 4.0.1 is a billing and time management application that helps track the work you do, lets you bill clients for completed work, and then tracks payments so you get paid for the work you do.
Jeffery Battersby | Aug 17, 2009
Evernote 1.4.7 helps you capture the disparate bits of information that cross your path everyday, letting you manage that information in ways that are meaningful and useful to you. While Evernote is similar to both VoodooPad Pro and ShoveBox, it is also quite different than either of these programs in how it allows you to access, find, and filter your information. Evernote is designed for universal 24-7 access—you can use it on your desktop, online, or via your phone to keep your files synced and up to date in all locations, and offers more than either MobileMe or DropBox in that it allows you to upload content from your iPhone or iPod touch.
Jeffery Battersby | Aug 12, 2009
According to August Mueller, proprietor of Flying Meat and purveyor of VoodooPad Pro, the concept behind VoodooPad Pro is simple. It’s a garden for your thoughts--a place where you plant ideas, cultivate and develop them, link, tie, and combine them, and grow them into something real. After a couple of weeks playing with VoodooPad Pro 4.1.2, I’m pleased to say that’s not just a pile of marketing hooey. In fact, it may even be an understatement.
Jeffery Battersby | Jul 9, 2009
Organisation is not my strong suit. I don’t mean that in a bad way. I only mean that I’m not the kind of guy who does well with the GTD kind of clear-your-desk, clear-your-mind way of thinking that seems to be the zeitgeist of the day. For me, it’s too much work and takes too much thought. But the truth is, I do need some method for gathering and organising the mass of information that comes my way every day. Fortunately, ShoveBox 1.7.3 provides a simple, intuitive way to organise a variety of information without becoming burdensome.
Jeffery Battersby | Jun 30, 2009
Spector Pro mac 2009, like its sister application eBlaster 2009, is software that specialises in capturing every keystroke on one computer so it can be viewed by someone else on another computer. I understand why software of this sort—also known as keylogging software--is sometimes necessary; but it’s software that some people will find difficult to get comfortable with. Aimed at companies that want to control employees’ online activity, or at worried parents wondering what their teens are up to online, SpectorPro makes tracking this activity simple, but I wonder if the behaviours that this software is designed to track couldn’t be controlled in a more direct and open way.
Jeffery Battersby | Jun 2, 2009
Let me lay this right out on the table: eBlaster makes me feel very uncomfortable. Don’t get me wrong; I understand the reasons this kind of software is necessary--from creepy Internet stalkers talking to your children in chat rooms, to cheating spouses communicating with their lovers online, to office workers giving away company secrets or spending their working hours (and company dollars) shopping or surfing porn sites. But the fact that key-logging software like eBlaster, which can secretly record all the keystrokes on one computer and surreptitiously send those keystrokes via e-mail to another, is sometimes necessary doesn’t make it seem any less creepy.
Jeffery Battersby | May 28, 2009
The introduction of Pages ’09 marks the fourth release of iWork’s handy word processing and page layout application. Each new release of the program has featured major improvements to Pages’ word processing tools, capable page-layout features, and beautifully designed interface. Unfortunately, each previous release was also marred by missing or poorly implemented features or tools that didn’t quite live up to their potential.
Jeffery Battersby | Jan 23, 2009
Like its two iWork cohorts, Pages ‘09 has received some significant and important updates as part of the iWork ’09 overhaul released this week. In fact, after less than a week’s worth of face time with the latest version of Pages, it’s clear that these updates make Apple’s business productivity application a more viable option for all your business needs.
Jeffery Battersby | Jan 12, 2009
There is currently no dearth of mind mapping applications available for the Mac, which means that you have many—quite possibly too many—choices when it comes to selecting a mind mapping product for your personal or business use. But Matchware’s recently released OpenMind 2 offers features that aren’t available in a combined handful of other similar products for the Mac, making it a compelling choice for personal, business, or educational use.
Jeffery Battersby | Jan 1, 2009
Since making its debut on the Mac platform in 2005, Billings has established itself as a suitable program for people who needs to track time as a necessary part of their business process. Lawyers, consultants, and artists have found that Billings suits their needs perfectly, but it has also proven valuable for those trying to avoid invoicing customers in the impersonal-and-vaguely threatening “hostage letter” format that most business accounting applications seem to use.
Jeffery Battersby | Dec 24, 2008
App Store developers will now be able to reach customers in 13 new countries, according to an announcement on the iPhone Developer Program news page.
