Photon, the speedy digital photo workflow app and labor of love from Mike Bernardo's Green Volcano Software, has been updated to v1.1.
Photon differs from Aperture, Photoshop, and the like by focusing on the front end of the photography workflow. Importing RAW images from DSLRs is fast, and Photon's stacking feature simplifies sorting and culling your photos. The update includes:
An overhauled caching engine to improve import speed and responsiveness
A "Discards" stack for unwanted image files that provides a direct route to Trash
A "File stack" feature for moving existing files to a new spot on your hard drive(s)
Improved memory card download performance
The ability to save and recall stacks when re-launching the app.
The update is free to registered Photon users, or you can buy Photon for $69 (Universal Binary). Thanks to Mike B. for the tip!
Back in the day before Ableton Live and Reason and all the other sequencer apps out there, desktop electronic producers made do with trackers: apps which allowed the budding Moby or Paul Oakenfold to sequence samples. They were basically software equivalents of legendary hardware sample sequencers like the Akai MPC. These usually had all of the usability of a 1957 Trabant and none of the good looks.
Renoise 1.9.1 sequences like an old-school tracker, but it's got loads more features: plugin and MIDI instruments, effects chains, a halfway decent mixer, and even internal sample editing. Everything a growing music geek needs to make bleep-bleep music (and maybe more). It's available for Windows, Linux and Mac OS 10.3.9+ as a Universal Binary.
At 49.99 euros (US$75.80 at today's exchange rate) for a license, Renoise is a helluva lot cheaper than alternatives like Live or Reason, and the ability to use a single license for versions running on multiple platforms is nice. The only drawback is that the interface appears a little complex for users unfamiliar with the conventions of sample trackers. Also, the demo version times out and doesn't allow rendering of your tracks out to .wav format.
I still have nightmares about using FastTracker on my old Pentium II back in the late '90s, so I haven't tried this one myself. If you have, drop me a line in the comments and let me know what you think.
Software Update is pretty awesome for Apple software, but have you ever wanted that functionality for the rest of your apps? 19-year-old developer Louka Desroziers created a nifty little menubar app called LogicielMac Update that checks for updates to the applications installed on your machine. There are options to automatically download the updates and install them. You can also create an ignored list of apps that you don't want to update.
The app gets most of its information from LogicielMac (logiciel meaning "software," and Mac meaning"best platform ever"), a Francophonic site similar to VersionTracker and MacUpdate. But fear not, English speakers, as LogicielMac Update is localized for English. (Update: Reader Mark noticed that his copy of Firefox was updated with a French-localized version ... so take note, Anglophones! Thanks, Mark!)
The only improvement I could see is showing the difference between free updates and upgrades (that you must pay for in order to get). I always hate it when I download an upgrade without thinking, wiping out my perfectly good old copy that I paid for.
LogicielMac Update is donationware, so show Louka some love if you like what he's made. The download is 1.2MB, and Leopard is recommended. If you've felt unsatisfied by otherupdatemanagers, check it out.
Karelia software released iMedia Browser 1.1 earlier this week, and it features some very nice changes.
If you're unfamiliar, iMedia Browser is a stand alone application much like the media browser in Apple's iLife applications. It lets you browse your iPhoto library (photos and videos), iTunes library and web links, all without having to launch those applications. It's very handy and a time saver for anyone who needs to access these files frequently. Plus, it "flips over" like a Dashboard widget, which is fun.
Changes to version 1.1 include
The photos browser now includes Adobe Lightroom
New Movies thumbnail generation and caching mechanism for improved stability
Source lists now indicate that folders can be dragged in to be added
Process of checking for updates and reporting problems has been improved
iMedia Browser works with Tiger or Leopard and is free.
Here's a new way to fulfill your ringtone lust. RingtoneFeeder is a paid subscription service ($1.98US/mo. or $19.98US/year) that allows you to download brief songs and other audio files to use as ringtones on your iPhone. Once you're subscribed, a new ringtone will be sent to your machine one a week via iTunes.
From there, you can easily make a Smart Playlist (kind = ringtone) and you're all set. All of the ringtones you'll receive from RingtoneFeeder are created by Geoff Smith, whom you may remember from Adam Curry's Daily Source Code Podcast.
Of course, you can create your own ringtones for free (what's the difference between a "ringtone" and an audio file, anyway?). For example, create a file in GarageBand (40 seconds max) and select "Send ringtone to iTunes" from the "Share" menu. Note that you can only use unprotected audio files for this process (Unless you strip the DRM. We would never suggest doing that!).
For those of you who couldn't be bothered, check out RingtoneFeeder.
Here's a very handy plugin for Address Book. PostCheck does two things. First, it fills in missing Zip Codes for when you've only got a contact's city and state. It's super simple. Just right-click on the empty Zip Code field and select PostCheck from the contextual menu. In my testing, it accurately provided the accurate 9-digit code across several cities and states. It also works when you've got the Zip Code but need the city and state.
PostCheck's other trick is to format your addresses so that they meet the US Postal Service's exacting standards. As everyone knows, it's not a good idea to tick off the mail carriers. It's called "going postal" for a reason, folks.
PostCheck requires Mac OS 10.4 or higher, is universal and costs $10US. It's definitely a useful tool to have around.
Many people love the Macheist bundles because of the software. Others like the price. However, we're betting everyone will like some free alternatives to their latest collection -- despite the low price, there's always another, cheaper way.
In a list of freebies compiled by Lifehacker, matching the Macheist options, there are a few standouts: For money management online without the cash layout, try replacing Cha-Ching with the free Mint website. Getting your clipboard multiplier under control can be done at a cost by iClip or freely by Jumpcut.WriteRoom, the distraction-free word processor, is replaced by the web-based DarkCopy among several other options (including Freeverse's free attention-focus tool Think). See Adam Pash's excellent article for the full rundown.
Of course, the price of $49US for the Macheist bundle is pretty sweet, but many people already own or don't need several of the included applications.
Following the example of LH's list, here are a couple of alternative options for the current MacUpdate promo bundle:
For SoundStudio, check out the free & open source Audacity (of course, GarageBand may already be on your Mac)
DVDRemaster Pro's conversion and archiving chops can be met or matched by the lovely and talented (and free) HandBrake
Leap is quite cool and somewhat hard to replicate, but SpotInside is a free Spotlight enhancer that does a nice job too
For the Parallels headliner, you can find cheaper or free Windows emulation/virtualization tools at VirtualBox, iEmulator, and Q
Got other free suggestions for some of the bundled paid apps? Let us know. Thanks Adam P.
Today MacHeist revealed their newest bundle of software for sale. This new software bundle is being billed as "12 Top Mac Apps" and includes the following pieces of software:
Awaken
Cha-Ching
CoverSutra
DEVONthink Personal
iClip
Overflow
Wallet
WriteRoom
XSlimmer
Enigmo
Bugdom 2
Nanosaur 2
The bundle remains the same $49 (US) price and is now on sale through the end of the month online. Macheist also has plans to release the bundle as a boxed version in stores later this year.
You can download this update by opening Software Update (Apple menu > Software Update) or by downloading the installer package from the Apple's support website.
Please note: To complete the firmware update process, please follow the instructions in the updater application (/Applications/Utilities/iMac EFI Firmware Update.app). The updater will launch automatically when the Installer closes.
Last week, we mentionedMisu, a nifty little application that allows you to share music between iPods. Basically, you connect two iPods (in disk mode) to a Mac running Leopard and let Misu do its thing, blending their contents across both iPods.
At the time it was in private beta (though we had an "in" for TUAW readers). Many of you downloaded Misu and provided feedback to the developers. So much so, in fact, that they were able to issue the 1.0 release in less than a week. Cool!
Head on over and grab your copy. Misu requires Leopard and a single license will cost you $19US.
Bento is the end user database software from Filemaker that was released as a beta a couple of months ago. We took a look at Bento in November. If you're coming from Filemaker Pro development, you'll find Bento a bit limiting, but the number of users who could potentially find it useful, like teachers, coaches and busy families, is large.
Filemaker recently made version 1.0v2 available. Changes include
Support for 5 additional languages
Stability fixes
Bento requires Mac OS X v10.5. A single license can be purchased for $49US (this update is free for those who own Bento 1.0).
PodWorks is a great utility that nearly every iPod owner (and iPhone owner) will want to have around. In a nutshell, it lets you copy songs and videos from any iPod or iPhone to any Mac running OS 10.4x. It works wonderfully.
Version 2.9.3 brings some very nice changes, including
Applescript improvements (not support for Applescript, but the script the app runs has been re-written)
New method of reporting errors
Duplication prevention improvements
There's more, of course, and you can read the (highly detailed) change log here.
PodWorks will cost you $8US. Version 2.9.3 is a free upgrade for existing users. It works with every model of iPod (even the original 5GB!) and the iPhone.
We first wrote about Quay in November. It extends the Leopard dock in a number of very useful ways. For instance, it will pop up on both sides of the dock (Apple only permits this on the right), and even displays software version numbers plus memory and CPU stats on running applications. It's super handy.
Changes to version 1.1b3 include
Option-command-clicking on a running app displays application stats
Shift-command-click opens the contents in the Finder
It works properly with FileVault
The help menu can be printed
Quay requires Mac OS 10.5 (10.5.2 is recommended) and costs €7 (around $10US - give or take). Note that only two Quay items will work on an unregistered copy.
Apple has been on a tear for the first two months of 2008, releasing over 20 software updates. What's been lacking, lately, is a descriptive explanation of the changes. While OS 10.5.2's description was pretty well documented, it wasn't exhaustive.
This silent treatment isn't universal -- thanks are due to Automator World for sharing a description of the undocumented changes in Automator, including
Show When Run issues
Tiger-based actions not working because of File-or-Folder typing
Tiger-based droplets not responding
Incorrect Find and Filter action results
If you're an Automator junkie, you should find these changes more than welcome.
You know the drill. Close your laptop's lid or select "Sleep" from the Apple Menu and it does just that - it goes into low-power mode, or "sleep."
That's just not good enough. Check out SmartSleep, which puts your MacBook or MacBook Pro into either Sleep Mode or Hibernate Mode, depending on several factors.
For example, if your battery is at 20%, SmartSleep puts your Mac to sleep and hibernate. If it's down to 5%, it goes right to hibernate mode, preserving items in memory. Otherwise, it just sleeps as it typically does.
Finally, you can select any of these settings as the default for your machine. SmartSleep is free.
Photon, the speedy digital photo workflow app and labor of love from Mike Bernardo's Green Volcano Software, has been updated to v1.1. 
Software Update is pretty awesome for Apple software, but have you ever wanted that functionality for the rest of your apps? 19-year-old developer Louka Desroziers created a nifty little menubar app called 
Karelia software released iMedia Browser 1.1 earlier this week, and it features some very nice changes. 
Here's a new way to fulfill your ringtone lust. 
Here's a very handy plugin for Address Book. 
Many people love the Macheist bundles because of the software. Others like the price. However, we're betting everyone will like 
Today 
In addition to the 
Last week, we 
We 
Apple has been on a tear for the first two months of 2008, releasing over 20 software updates. What's been lacking, lately, is a descriptive explanation of the changes. While OS 10.5.2's description was 
You know the drill. Close your laptop's lid or select "Sleep" from the Apple Menu and it does just that - it goes into low-power mode, or "sleep." 
