May 18, 2015. Take recipes on the go and with you wherever at a flat rate of $2.99. This app offers you 72 helpful recipes that you may end up using for a lifetime. IPhone Android Essential Oil Blending for Aromatherapy Oils Brought to you by the English Aromatherapist, this app makes blending by aroma and therapeutic benefits easy. The app also. Mar 12, 2019.
Keeping this here, but overdue for an update
For context.. In 2006, I left Microsoft Windows for good, and switched to Ubuntu Linux. Two years later, in order to write an iOS app, I purchased my first MacBook Pro, and realized that OS X had all the ‘LINUX’ I needed and wanted, but also a great UX on top of it, and some really nice apps.
Ever since, I’ve been discovering new apps, little (and big) gems that make my tech life more fun and productive. Here is my up-to-date favs list:
General utilities and productivity tools
Alfred – a great program launcher, and much more. It is the app I install first, because it makes everything else easier. The cost is FREE, but you can purchase a power pack which will give you even more utility, and a great way to support this developer.
FreeMind – simply the best FREE mind mapping application that runs everywhere. I use mind mapping for light project management, capturing meeting notes on the fly, and brainstorming. With FreeMind, I can quickly visualize project status with the team, without having to weed through lots of text in Jira (used for more serious and time-consuming stuff).
Essential Os X Apps Free
Markdown Pro and Lightpaper – both are among the best Markdown editors for OS X. I use markdown for code documentation (GIT style), and wherever else I can – including this blog.
Markdown Pro is not free, but it’s worth the modest admission fee (around $12). I also played around with version 0.9 of Lightpaper which was free at the time, but a bit buggy. Lightpaper is no longer free. It costs around $10, and is worth a look.
Pocket – so, I’ve fund this great article online, and I want to keep it around for later
Google Chrome – other then IE, any browser is good enough for Internet browsing, but when it comes to developing apps, I turn to Chrome development tools
Google Chrome Remote Desktop – because everyone has a relative that needs help with their computer 🙁
Handbrake – I don’t even recall the last time I used this app, but if/when I need to rip a DVD, that’s where I'll go.
Dropbox – DOWNGRADED. They were at the forefront of the free storage and sync movement, but have recently started taking away what they've originally given us, like limiting the number of devices that we can syncronize with free accounts. To me, that's the worse thing that anyone could ever do, and so, I've moved almost entirely to Google drive. Sorry Dropbox.
Automagically synchronizes files across all of my computers. I modify a file on one computer, and all the other computers receive that latest file. It’s magic, ..and super handy!
KeePassX – I’m convinced that 1password is much better, but I find $50 very steep for a password manager. KeePass is still my absolute favorite password manager.
AppCleaner – when an app pushes me over the edge, and I need to dispose of it quickly and effectively
Spectacle – if you’re a bit OCD like me, and need to have your windows neatly arranged, ..just right, ..perfect, ..oh wait
Skype – the one to go to when you need to talk with your team, or relatives anywhere around the world
Transmission – when you need a bit-torrent client that is FREE and works well. I used to recommend µTorrent, but my latest download/install proved that µTorrent has become garbage that will change your default browser search engine, try to install a search bar, and so on. DO NOT EVEN TRY µTorrent at this point.
3D Computer graphics, graphics design and photo editing
Affinity Designer / Photo – when graphics, design, or photo editing strikes, these apps please me with sophistication and price. Both are convincing Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop alternatives, especially if monthly subscription software isn’t your thing.
Blender – an amazing 3D CG app that is also FREE and open source. I wish I had more time to really master it.
Multimedia
PLEX – a great multimedia manager, DLNA server. DLNA server will show up on your HDTV DLNA-capable TV, and you’ll be able to stream music, videos, and movies. It also works with ROKU, but requires a paid plugin (reasonably priced)
VLC media player – not an app I use often, but when I do, I say: “that’s a nice and powerful multimedia player.”
OS X System Utilities
ResolutionTab – my eyes actually like it when I switch my MacbookPro 15″ monitor to 2880×1800 resolution, and this app makes it possible and easy. Well worth $2.
MenuMeters – keep an eye on the CPU, memory, hard drive and network activity. I needed a build for El Capitan, so I Googled for it (the link below is for the ‘original’ version)
Unarchiver – when RAR comes to town
BetterTouchTool – haven’t tried this one yet, but it looks very promising. At the moment, I’m struggling to get used to the force touch trackpad – thanks Apple for solving a problem that I didn’t have.
Little Snitch – would you like to know which apps are trying to ‘call home’ ..on what ports, or accepting what connections? yes, all that and more.
Geektool / Nerdtool – Display system, and weather type information on your desktop. I’m still trying to figure out why I need these, given that I have MenuMeters, and my desktop is almost always covered by a million windows. Nerdtool seems a bit user friendlier.
Developer tools and utilities
Eclipse – my goto IDE from more than just Java.
Netbeans – it used to be my goto IDE for Ruby On Rails, but now the focus is on Java, C/C++, PHP, and HTML5/JavaScript.
Atom – ..it beats Adobe Brackets behind a proxy, ..has very Mac friendly keyboard shortcuts, and I can get it to look and behave exactly the way I want it. That rarely happens in my life.
iTerm – when you need to open and keep around a dozen consoles to run your AMQP/RabbitMQ micro-service apps and clients 🙂
VMWare Fusion – Not exactly a developer tool, but it’s great for running Linux VMs with complete dev/runtime environments for apps that we’re working on, and that way our Macs stay clean.
Music making apps and plugins
Logic Pro X – if you are a musician, or even if you’re just a bit curious about how modern music is made, there is absolutely no better way to spend $200. Why? Because in the world of pro audio, there are very few “PRO” things that you can buy for $200, ..and this is the absolute best $200 that you’ll ever spend on a piece of music-making software. The value per dollar that you get with Logic Pro X is simply astounding.
Ableton Live – a lot more expensive then Logic Pro X, but has a unique angle. Its extensive MIDI learning capabilities combined with an external MIDI controller turn your computer into a sort of unique and powerful instrument for live performances.
Plugins
- Korg – a giant in the music industry. Somehow, KORG is able to reinvent itself and keep up with the ever-changing times better than other companies in this space. For starters, KORG has virtualized their legendary synths, and they’re part of the Legacy Collection. It’s truly amazing what $99 can get you.
But KORG is also leading the way with amazing iOS apps. All of these apps are outstanding, but I especially recommend Module for the high quality of piano sounds and playability (to make the most out of these iOS apps, you should consider a dedicated interface, and you simply can’t go wrong with the $40 Griffin StudioConnect.
What’s missing?
Please share..
Bought a new Macbook Pro, Macbook Air or iMac ? you may be looking for some best and essential apps to download for your new apple mac os computer. Well we have you covered with some best mac apps that helps with your Productivity and Entertainment. Apple Mac OS X is known for its Rich productivity purposes. Video Editing, Animation & Film Studios, Music Production Environment, Schools, Colleges and mostly all areas you can see the effective use of Mac today. It is an amazing productivity machine and choosing the correct apps will make it more powerful. People choose apple products specially because of its Quality Apps than other platforms.
We wrote about some of the best and Essential mac apps for new iMac and Macbooks. Today we have some updates to the list and i like to call this article as Essential Mac Apps.
Best availability, stability and excellent collection of apps are the primary reasons that wins the high price argument. Mac App Store is the best place to search and download apple verified apps easily. Well categorized sections, easy to search and find option, ratings & reviews makes the quality apps rank well in mac app store.
Essential Mac Apps for New Macbook and iMac
Apple introduced Mac App Store in OS X Mountain Lion changing the way Apps are downloaded and installed on Macbook and iMac computers. It is also possible to download and install apps from third party developers who offer apps directly from their websites. If the third party developer is an identified developer then you can install it by enabling “Mac App Store and identified developers” feature under “System Preferences -> Security & Privacy” in your OS X. Additionally you can install apps from unidentified developers by enabling “Anywhere” feature in the same section.
However, it is not advisable and can cause security risk to your OS X and Data. Some malicious files or viruses may be installed this way when apps are installed from such sources. Alright lets see the list of Essential Mac OS X Apps for your new Mac computer.
HandBrake Mac Video Converter Software
It is a popular video converter software for Mac OS X that works really well and one of the essential app that should be downloaded and kept handy. If you shoot some video using your digital camera and want to upload the video to youtube, handbrake will help you convert the video file easily to most video file formats. Handbrake is also available for Windows 7, 8 and Ubuntu OS.
Handbrake has best and widely used codecs, so you can select preset values to convert videos in any format to an Apple TV, iPhone, iPad compatible file format. Play your favorite movies downloaded from Torrents, Direct Downloads or any other file sharing services on Smartphone and Tablets. You can also manually select the output file formats such as .MP4, .MKV, H.264, MPEG-4 and so on. Audio Codecs such as AAC, Core Audio AAC/HE-AAC,MP3,FLAC,AC3 or Vorbis also well supported with Handbrake.
This is a free video converter software for Mac OS X and you will be liking it from the very first use of this beautiful and easy to use software.
Download: Handbrake
Wunderlist To Do App for Mac
It has won several awards including Mac App of the Year 2013. Wunderlist App is a widely popular To Do App among mac users for its easy to use user interface and brilliant features it has. Its a free app with limited features, however existing users feel that it is absolutely worth upgrading to a Pro version. Free App will let you do most of the daily tasks and routines, but if you want more options, then consider doing In-App purchase and unlock all the features.
Essential Apps For Os X Mavericks
Wunderlist allows you to share your ideas, things to do, places to see with your friends and family. Wunderlist is well compatible with Android, Linux, Kindle, Chromebook and Browser extensions are also available.
Download: Wunderlist
The Unarchiver
Small and Simple looking app to unarchive common file formats such as .zip, .rar, .tar, .gzip and .bzip2 . This app can also open many other file formats that are compressed and not compatible with Mac OS X by default. This is a must have unarchiver app in your mac os x. The unarchiver app also automatically detects filename encoding in the archives it opens. So you dont have to worry about compatibility or file names being changed to some random values.
The same developer have similar app for your iPad and iPhone. “Archives” now available in App Store will let you open archive files on your iOS devices.
Download: The Unarchiver
Folx GO App
How about an Internet Download Manager that utilizes your internet speed properly when you download files from direct sources ? Well, Folx GO is my favorite internet download manager for Mac OS X that comes totally free with limited features. If you want to go for more number of simultaneous downloads and File split download options, then you can upgrade to Pro version that unlocks many useful features.
Essential Os X Apps List
Folx is like IDMan for Mac OS X that has beautiful updated design with Retina support. Faster download speed, efficient file management by tagging, organizing downloaded files, web browser integration (Google Chrome, Safari and Firefox compatible) are free totally. This is sufficient for a normal user, however if you download lot of files regularly then you can get Folx Go Pro license to get Smart Speed Control, Downloads Scheduler, Splitting downloads up to 10 threads and iTunes Integration.
Download: Folx Go
Windows Phone App for Mac
Well this is not an essential app but if you own a Windows Phone then this is an essential app to manage your smartphone using Mac OS. Microsoft officially released this Windows Phone App for Mac OS which allows you to Sync your favorite media files (movies, music, tv shows, podcasts, photos etc.,) from your Mac computer to your Windows smartphone. You can sync these files from your existing iTunes library.
Essential Os X Apps Download
You can copy Photos, Videos stored in your windows phone memory to Mac iPhoto or Aperture for editing purposes. Make sure you run Mac OS X 10.7.4 or higher version to run this app. Managing your windows smartphone with drag and drop options.
Download: Windows Phone App
Shazam App for Mac
Recently updated with some intelligent features that makes this app really powerful. I still a fan of Soundhound which is another popular Music Search and Discovery service. Shazam will be well integrated with iOS 8 that lets you recognize musics from your iPhone, iPad with the help of SIRI. The recent update makes it run silently in the background and listen to the music played in the surrounding. You can access the lyrics of the songs being played, video of that song or you can buy that music track in one click via iTunes.
Shazam will be your best music discovery app for Mac. Its a free app and you can download it from Mac App Store. Enjoy discovering and listening to whatever songs that you like.
Download: Shazam
That is all for now. These are some of the best and essential apps for your macbook and imac. We regularly Handpick Mac Apps and write about them. Do follow our social feeds to stay up to date. Thanks for reading and we hope you found this post interesting. Do share it with your friends and followers across social networking websites. Have a wonderful productive day.