Oct 11
Jigar PanchalLinks, Mac OS X, iphone / Mobile
Apple first started advertising its products in the late 1970s.
The 80s showed a wide variety of ads, some of which served to convince consumers that they should purchase a computer, and specifically an Apple.
These ads were text-heavy and light on images, as were many computer and technology ads from that era.
Apple ads really came into their heyday during the 1990s, with the “Think Different” campaign, which became very popular as they featured a number of famous people.
Here’s a stunning compilation of some of Apple’s most notable advertisements from the 70s until the present day, including a few videos ads.
With the launch of the iMac in the late 90s, Apple ads became much more artistic and, for the most part, focused much more on showcasing the product and used very little text compared with earlier ads.
It’s also worth noting how the ads changed as the hardware changed. For more on the evolution of Apple’s hardware, see The Evolution of Apple Design between 1977-2008 which takes a look at the changes from a hardware perspective.
Most recently, Apple has focused on television advertising, most notably with its Mac vs. PC ads. The company had done TV ads prior to that (starting with the ad based on George Orwell’s “1984″ during the 1984 Super Bowl), but mostly in conjunction with print campaigns.
Current Apple ads seem to follow two veins: advertisements for their computers generally have a white background and put the emphasis on the product being advertised; ads for the iPod line generally have bright backgrounds with silhouetted figures. Most of Apple’s current advertising seems to be on TV these days. You can watch most of the recent ads on the Apple website.
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Aug 05
Jigar PanchalWork, Yahoo Store, iphone / Mobile Download, FREE, Leopard, Mac, OS X
(Edit, to draft, un-top, Slurp)
Take a look at the 2009 Lifehacker Pack for Mac OS X – DOWNLOAD FREE!.
Like our 2009 Lifehacker Pack for Windows (and its predecessor), the Mac version has the same goal in mind: to provide Mac lovers with a single, handy list of the best free applications that you’re likely to use on a regular basis.
Note: You can head directly to each application’s download page from the [Download] links and see what we originally wrote about them at the [LH Post] link.
Productivity
Internet/Communication
- Firefox:
All debates about security, memory use, or compatibility amongst the web browsers aside, Firefox can adapt to nearly anyone’s browsing habits through a range of adaptations. Whether that’s an extension/add-on (and here are our top 10 picks), a Greasemonkey script (again, our 10), or some deep-down about:config tweaks, Firefox can probably be what you want it to be.
[Download] [LH Post]
- Adium:
Pronounced like “stadium”, Adium is a free, powerful multi-protocol instant messaging client that connects to everything from AIM and Google Talk to Facebook Chat, MySpace Chat, and everything in between. Adium is extremely customizable, works like a charm, and brings way more options to your chats than the OS X standard, iChat.
- Postbox:
If you’re not using your email’s web interface, use this. It’s basically Thunderbird, the open-source email client we’d previously included in our Lifehacker pack, but remixed with stronger, almost Gmail-like powers. It finds and indexes all the attachments in your email account, groups together conversations with similar subject chains with the “Gather” command (like Gmail’s conversations), offers tabbed inbox and message views, and lets you organize emails under your own chosen “Topics.” It’s also got built-in easy setup steps for Gmail and other webmail systems-in other words, everything we’re waiting to see Thunderbird implement.
[Download] [LH Post]
Utilities
- Unarchiver:
OS X’s default Archive Utility handles a lot, but the first time you come across slightly more unusual (but still very common) archive types like RAR, you’ll notice it stumble. The Unarchiver handles ZIP, TAR, RAR, 7Z, StuffIt, and several more obscure archive types without flinching.
[Download] [LH Post]
- Transmission:
The most popular BitTorrent client for OS X, Transmission rolls virtually every feature you’d want out of a good BitTorrent application into one clean, easy-to-use package. You can even remote control your BitTorrent downloads with Transmission, or get clever and start new BitTorrent downloads at home from any computer with Dropbox (mentioned below).
[Download] [LH Post]
- AppTrap:
One of the best parts of OS X is that uninstalling an application is as simple as deleting it, right? Yes, but not exactly; often simply deleting the file leaves your computer with old junk files sitting around that used to belong to the application you just deleted. AppTrap automatically detects when you’re deleting an application, looks for associated files, and automatically deletes them for you along with the app in question.
[Download] [LH Post]
- Burn:
OS X comes with Disk Utility—a very nice burning application plus some—out of the box, but it’s often used only for more advanced ISO burning, disk formatting, and other heavy-lifting type activities. Burn, on the other hand, is a simple, user-friendly CD and DVD burning application that does data, audio, video, and disc copying with aplomb.
[Download] [LH Post]
Multimedia
- VLC – Got a video or audio file to play? VLC probably plays it. Don’t like how heavy Quicktime is? VLC is lighter. Want it free, working on any system, and have it show album art from your tracks? Done and done.
[Download] [LH Post]
- iTunes:
We’ve seen stronger competition for your music management in OS X this year than ever, particularly with the recent release of Songbird, but right now you’re still better off sticking with iTunes on your Mac. Not only does it integrate seamlessly with your various iPods, but it also integrates with most of your Mac’s iLife applications and other Mac apps. So while you’d better watch out for the competition, iTunes, you’re still the favorite for music.
[Download] [LH Post]
File Backups/Syncing
- Dropbox:
Put simply, Dropbox makes synchronizing your files across Windows, Mac, or Linux systems a very simple, almost magical process. Put a copy of what you’re working on or want saved in your Dropbox folder, and it’s synchronized to your account, which has 2GB to start with, and gets bigger if you recommend friends. When you’re at another one of your own computers, your Dropbox updates and grabs those files. If you’re at someone else’s system or on a smartphone, head to Dropbox’s mobile-friendly site and grab what you need. It’s not quite a backup tool, but it is one of those utilities that makes a lot of old habits—thumb drive copying, CD burning, emailing attachments to yourself—seem unnecessary.
[Download] [LH Post]
- Mozy:
If Dropbox is where you stash the stuff you’re working on or enjoying at the moment, Mozy is the backup service that saves everything for when your system goes black on bootup. The free accounts for Macs (and PCs) offer 2GB of free online space, and with the really smart filtering tools, you can have Mozy crawl your whole system and back up financial documents, Excel sheets, and any file with “Steve” in it. If you spring for a monthly unlimited plan, Mozy is a smart whole-system saver—one that doesn’t eat bandwidth when you’re using it, and works when you’re not working.
[Download] [LH Post]
If you were to compare this pack of software with our
Lifehacker Pack for Windows, you’ll notice a fair amount of overlap. That’s because, luckily for all of us, in many cases free, cross-platform software is thriving. In other instances, we didn’t include a Mac version because the system default is already a very solid choice. (For example, where we recommended Foxit Reader on Windows for lightweight PDF duties, we’d just suggest the built-in Preview in OS X). Other utilities, like
Texter, don’t have a completely free Mac alternative (though we do very much like
TextExpander, which has a free trial beyond which it turns nagware).
Things change daily in the world of free software, and we by no means believe that this list is absolutely definitive, so if you’ve got your own I-can’t-believe-they-didn’t-include-X must-haves, tell us all about them—and share any other thoughts on our list—in the comments. Happy downloading!
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Nov 13
Jigar PanchalLinks, iphone / Mobile Mobile Tools
While working remotely can be a great experience, lugging around your laptop can put quite a damper on your fun. Why not just take your cell phone instead? Here are 45 resources that will let you do your work wherever you are, as long as there’s a cell phone signal. No Laptop or Broadband required!
Money/Finance: Cash is King – monitor finances anywhere you get a signal.
1. Quickbooks Mobile – The GrandDaddy of accounting now has a mobile interface that shows you cash in, cash out and the general state of your books.
2. Freshbooks - Online invoicing service that lets you send bills to customers. Offers an iPhone interface so you can keep the money rolling in.
3. PayPal Mobile – send, receive and check your PayPal balance from anywhere.
4. Mobile Banking – most major banks now let you do all your banking from your cell phone, so you can check balances, pay bills and accept payments.
5. Xpenser – track expenses in real time via SMS or mobile browsing
6. myHours – track your time and billing with myHours.
7. TSheets – update timesheets via text, iPhone App and mobile browsing.
8. Pocket PC Invoice – Invoicing software designed specifically for the Pocket PC.
9. Tip Calculator – Easily calculate total tip amount and how much everyone must contribute.
Remote Access and File Storage: Log in to your computer from anywhere, and get easy access to files whenever you need them
10. GoToMyPC - Use your computer from anywhere. Just log in from a cell phone and it will automatically connect you to your computer in the office.
11. iPhone VPN – Connect your iPhone to your company Virtual Private Network with these handy instructions from Apple.
12. OpenVPN for PocketPC – Use OpenVPN to connect to any VPN that supports the Open VPN Standard.
13. Files Anywhere – Use Files Anywhere to share, backup and keep files you need when you’re on the go.
14. MobileMe – online storage and syncing from Apple for iPhone, PC and Mac.
15. iZoho – Access your Zoho material from the iPhone. Only allows read access for now.
Communication and Contact Management: Stay in touch with employees and customers while on the go.
16. Salesforce - access the SalesForce interface from a Blackberry, Windows PC, and Palm.
17. SugarCRM -access your customer information with the Open Source Sugar CRM mobile module.
18. Highrise – online customer management tool from the folks at 37 Signals.
19. Free ConferenceCall.com – Set up a free conference call from anywhere and dial in with your cell phone.
20. Gmail – the Gmail we all know and love is probably the most mobile compatible email service out there. You can use it from a web service or use the IMAP feature to sync natively to your phone.
21. Loopt – share your status and even create a mobile network just for your company.
22. eFax – get your faxes sent to your email, and send from your cell phone as well.
23. Twitter – send short messages without having to use up your SMS allowance.
24. MyFax.com – similar to efax, except you can send and receive faxes directly from the web.
25. Meebo – Connect to most Instant Messaging services via the web.
26. Campfire – Group messaging service that is mobile and iPhone compatible.
27. BeeJive – native application for instant messaging on iPhone, Blackberry and Windows Mobile.
28. Fring – integrates instant messaging, Skype and actual telephones to provide an all-in-one-communications tool.
29. Skype – make cheaper or free calls when you’re in WiFi zone with Skype.
Project Management: Manage ongoing projects from wherever you may be.
30. Base Camp – manage teams and projects collaboratively via web based interface.
31. Wrike – project management tool that works well via email
32. Tempo – A cross between project management and time tracking, keeps track via SMS, Mobile Web, and even twitter.
Documents, Spreadsheets and Media: Access and create new document for clients and co-workers.
33. Google Docs – Viewing only of any documents you have in your Google Docs account
34. Adobe PDF Reader – custom PDF viewer for Blackberry, Windows Mobile and Pocket PC.
35. Foxit PDF Mobile – our favorite PDF tool, now in a convenient smart phone package.
36. Mobile Zoho – You can both access and create new spreadsheets, documents and presentations with Zoho.
37. Flickr – keep track of important pictures and access them anywhere with Flickr for mobile.
38. Photoshop Mobile – do basic image editing on the go with Photoshop mobile. Works with Windows Mobile only.
39. Shozu – use Shozu to upload, browse and edit pictures.
Travel : Manage itineraries, book flights and find where you need to go.
40. TripIt – organizes your itinerary as you email it confirmation and changes.
41. Flight Stats – find out if your plane is delayed or cancelled.
42. Orbitz – book tickets and hotels from most major airlines and chains.
43. Google Maps – get directions and find attractions.
44. Traffic.com – keep an eye on traffic and snarl ups as you go.
45. Taxis – call 1800-TAXI-CAB or 1-800-TAXI-USA and they will connect you with a local taxi service.
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