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Performance is often slowed for users with little hard drive space available. iBoost for Mac allows users to clean unused files from their system, potentially boosting performance. However, to use the full functionality of this software one needs to purchase the full version.

After a quick and easy installation and setup, iBoost for Mac welcomes the user with a simple, straightforward interface. The main menu allows the user to check their system information and performance information, as well as when prior scans were completed. The program comes as a free basic version, with additional features unlocked for a $9.99 … Read more

An alarm is the one feature sorely missing from Windows' built-in clock. Llama Alarm Clock adds a neat alarm clock to your computer that works well, but suffers from being way too simple.

For being a beefy 6MB download, this widget is certainly lacking in the features department. There's no installation needed, as the widget performs its function once clicked. It comes with only two alarm noises, though you can add your own to the mix. Llama Alarm Clock leeches off of the Windows clock, but you can't change time zones or create multiple clocks. The only thing … Read more

Users with multiple digital photo storage areas may have difficulty working with them using traditional photo programs. While limited in terms of features, iPhoto Library Manager for Mac works well as a library manager.

Available as a free trial version with limitations that are not apparent, the full version requires payment of $29.95. The program's download and installation, in part due to the native installer, completed quickly, and setup required acceptance of a user agreement. Support for updates appeared to be available and, while there were no easily located instructions, the program's menus were easy to figure … Read more

If you use your computer daily, you might have thought about how much time you spend doing the same things over and over again. Mouse Recorder is a tool designed to automate tasks you perform with your mouse by letting you record the steps and replay them easily. While it worked for some tasks, others weren't so easily reproduced.

The small interface holds only a few options, including the two main buttons, Record and Repeat. We liked that each button includes a keyboard shortcut to start the processes, as well. The rest of the interface lets you fine-tune how … Read more

Repeating the same tasks every day on your computer can eat up a lot of time. But an app that helps you automate some of those things could provide welcome relief. Automatic Mouse and Keyboard has lots of options to do just that, but the resulting recordings don't always perform as expected.

The initial interface includes multiple icons bordering the top and left. Automatic Mouse and Keyboard opens with three example recordings displayed, but the first one we tried, which was supposed to draw a triangle in MS Paint, didn't work, and we simply got an error message … Read more

Siri could be getting a lot better at her job.

Apple posted 12 new Siri-focused jobs over the weekend, according to Fast Company. The open positions include software engineers, operations engineers, and interaction designer. This means that Apple's speech recognition personal assistant may be getting an overhaul.

The job description for Siri software engineers says, "The Siri team is looking for an exceptional engineer to help build out new areas of expertise for Siri, expanding the product's capabilities for millions of users," while the description for Siri interaction designer says, "The successful candidate will contribute … Read more

In "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," answering three questions correctly got you safely across the Bridge of Death, but a wrong answer meant, well, death. Small business owners can relate. They cross many such chasms with few safe bridges. But when it comes to cutting paychecks, help is as close as Excel with Basics Payroll 2013. This free Excel workbook simplifies the payroll process for small and medium-size businesses. It's compatible with Microsoft Excel 2007 and later; we tried it in Excel version 14 in Office 2010. While Basics Payroll 2013 is free, you must activate … Read more

I went to merge two duplicate contacts on my iPhone this morning and noticed the option to merge -- or link -- them was gone. In previous iOS versions, a Linked Contacts section at the bottom of the Edit screen in the Phone or Contacts app let you link two contacts where you had, say, one with a person's home phone number and another with that person's cell number or e-mail. After hunting through a few Apple forums, I found the solution.

When iOS 6 was released last fall, it featured tighter integration with Facebook. After updating, my … Read more

Communicating with the help of images is powerful, but it often requires additional work, and that can be discouraging. ShapeOnYou for Mac can fulfill your need to add simple 3D shapes as support materials for your work. It is designed to be quick and easy to use and won't require any modeling to achieve satisfying but simple results.

ShapeOnYou for Mac consists of a 3D vector shape library that allows easy export to images. Those images can then be used in your text document as illustrations. The program itself already contains basic shapes and other examples that are of … Read more