14 DAY TRIAL // There's nothing like waking up to a sunny Saturday and checking out new Mac apps, is there? Saturday is Mac apps-day here at Softpedia and if this is not the first time you're visiting, you'll know that three new apps await your Mac's blessing today.
New! 1.0
A lot of folks decide at a certain point that Windows just doesn't do it for them anymore and turn to Mac. Some, however, realize that Macs tend to do some things a bit more different, like for instance creating a file by right-clicking an area.
As Mac users, we need to go through a more complex process to create a text file, for instance: Cmd + Space Bar (open spotlight) → find "TextEdit" → Open TextEdit. Even if you always keep TextEdit close by, you still have to specify where you want your text file saved, which is a drag. Admitedly, Windows users can create a file anywhere on disk with a simple right-click of the mouse. Thus, a utility like New! was in order for Mac users.
New! enables Mac users to right-click any area and create files choosing from a list of templates. Those include Excel Workbook, Keynote Presentation, Powerpoint Presentation, Pain Text (txt), Rich Text (rtf), Numbers Spreadseet, new (untitled folder) and Word Doc. And while Finder only lets you create just new folders, New! allows you to create a "template" that's actually a folder tree. Any files and folders inside the template folder will be copied to the location you specify.
You can use the Finder to navigate to the folder where you want your new file created, then, right-click (or ctrl-click if you are using a one-button mouse), select "More" and then select "New!" from the pop-up menu. This will present you with a list of available document templates you can choose from.
New! keeps all of your templates in a single place: a folder called "Templates" inside your "Documents" folder. To make a new template which New! can use, just copy it into this folder. You can also delete them by dragging them onto the trash bin.
Sadly for Tiger users, New! only runs on Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard).
To install New! just run the Installer included on this disk image and the New! CMI will be installed, along with a starter set of templates. Once the installation is complete, run the "Restart Finder" Application supplied on the disk image. Restarting the Finder will force it to reload all of the CMIs available and allow you to use New! instantly. You can also log out and back in to make New! available. However, users should note that the New! CMI is only installed into their home folder. There is no option to install it for use by all users. If more users wish to use New! on a single computer, they must each install it separately.
To (completely) remove the program, you must follow these exact steps:
1) Remove the file "NewCMI.plugin" from the folder "/Users//Library/Contextual Menu Items". 2) Remove the "Templates" folder from your "Documents" folder. 3) Restart the Finder using the supplied "Restart Finder" Application. (Or, just log out and back in to restart the Finder.)
New! is a Universal Binary which means it should work pretty much in the same manner on any PowerPC or Intel Mac running Leopard. The program is shareware and is provided without license or warranty of any kind. You may copy and share it while EGO Systems asks that you consider making a small donation ($5 suggested) via PayPal.
Click HERE to download New! 1.0 for Mac OS X 10.5.
CoolWmaWmv 1.4
There's always a time you need to just drag, drop and convert and have as many options in the process as possible. Well, now you can do it with this free Mac app from developer Mackity.
CoolWmaWmv will allow you to convert your wma and/or wmv files to other formats in a jffy! This is still an early version of the software and yet it is able to convert your .wma or .wmv files to mp3, aiff, wav, m4a, mpg, mp4, iPod (.mov format) and even avi. Best of all, it's free! Go on, grab it, install it on your Mac - any version of the OS X will do.
CoolWmaWmv lets you choose how you want to save your files by either overwriting the originals, or saving them as new. You have the option to add your just-converted music or videos to iTunes and even start playing them as soon as the conversion is complete.
Another advantage of using CoolWmaWmv is its simple, Mac-like user interface. Everything you need is available at a single mouse click. For instance, the "Folder" and "File" buttons on top of the apps's window let you instantly choose a folder or a file on your Mac's hard drive. You will notice that if you keep your songs and videos in your Documents folder, the "File" button comes in quite handy.
Of course, there are also the play / stop buttons (Convert and Stop) which any conversion app must sport, but also two options to remove selected files or the whole lot. Updating the app is also just a click away, with the Update button available right on top and to the right of the app's window. It instantly checks for newer versions, while the version available as I'm writing these words is 1.4.
I wouldn't mind seeing future versions offering the option to pause / play a conversion, while users living outside English / French-speaking territories might also appreciate a broader language support.
CoolWmaWmv is a Universal Binary. It is available for free download right HERE.
ScrnShots Desktop 0.7 Beta
ScrnShots Desktop is somewhat targeted at designers, but anyone can make good use of the program nonetheless. The application can help you take, tag and upload screenshots right from your desktop, but also tag them, embed them in your blog or discuss them with your contacts. A particularly interesting aspect it is that you can upload an unlimited number of screens to your account.
The Application calls your Mac's menu bar home, which means it doesn't clutter your desktop or Dock. So it's out of the way when you're doing something else, but it's always there when you need to snap a quick one.
You can use ScrnShots Desktop to take screenshots of a section or an entire window or upload screenshots from existing files on your computer. Then, when you are ready and want to store them somewhere safe, auto-completion of tags based on your existing ScrnShots tags will come in very handy.
As noted above, ScrnShots allows unlimited uploading of screenshots to your account. The app's main purpose is to take, tag and upload screenshots directly from the desktop, but you can use Phantom Gorilla's simple Public API to integrate other Screenshot tools.
The second biggest advantage of using this app is that it lets you manage your screens by tags, or keywords. This way you can instantly find an image when inspiration kicks in and enabling you come up with better design solutions. You can also save important screenshots, like the ones you use more often, in a Favorites folder.
The third big advantage of using ScrnShots Desktop is, of course, the ability to share and discuss screens with fellow designers, or photo-savvy friends of yours. For this you use the provided links to embed screenshots in your blog or website, create Widgets and put them on your blog or website and finally issue comments on your images or others.
ScrnShots Desktop is currently in beta. This Mac app too is a Universal Binary, which means both PPC and Intel Macs are good to run it. You can visit this page to learn what you need to become a ScrnShots community member.
See you next week.
