macs

Those who often host events or create scrapbooks may desire ways to create and personalize invitations and photo collages on a computer. Smilebox for Mac functions well and has many features one would expect of a card creation program, but it seems to be aimed at the novice.

The file's small size allowed for a quick download, and the native installer placed the program directly in the applications folder. Startup did require the acceptance of a lengthy user agreement. The program first prompts the user to create a free online account to enable more sharing options, but this can … Read more

Mac users with Excel may want add-on applications for more functionality. Solver for Excel 2011 for Mac integrates well into the existing Excel program and performs additional operations on spreadsheet data.

The program is available for free and is actually included in later versions of Microsoft's Excel spreadsheet program for Mac. Solver for Excel 2011 for Mac downloads and installs directly onto the Excel program without any problems or user input required. After opening Excel, the user must go to the add-in area and select the Solver program. It then imports and installs a button in Excel's Data … Read more

With Macs and MacBook Pros you get used to listening to audio from the built-in speakers, but what if you want better audio? For a quick, easy, and free solution try SoundSource. This app will allow you to use your external speakers without any hassle.

SoundSource enables you to switch your audio input and output sources with a single click. It's a free app and very quick to download. Once opened the app adds a menu-bar item, rather than an icon in the dock below. A small headphone icon will indicate when the app is working. The interface is … Read more

Keeping track of the latest updates on all of your favorite Web sites can be a daunting task. Sunflower for Mac tries to simplify this for you. It is a free application that takes snapshots of specific Web pages over time and compares them to a registry of stored images to allow for easy tracking of any updates or changes that occur on these pages.

SunFlower for Mac is easy to install and set up. It offers many features that allow for customization of how the application takes and stores the snapshots it analyzes. A split pane window shows Web … Read more

Do you prefer a light, easily-customized Web browser? Compact with a highly usable interface, Sunrise for Mac is designed for easy and reliable open-source Web browsing similar to that of Safari and Opera.

Within fewer than five clicks Sunrise for Mac is fully installed and ready for all of your Web browsing needs. The layout of this Web browser is highly user-friendly and very easy to use. Icon, list, and grid bookmark options sit on the top right, along with shortcut buttons at the top of the browser that include a screen snapshot function, bug form reporter, and an agent … Read more

If you love using iTunes, then you might also like to gain a better understanding of your own listening habits and what your music library really contains. Super Analyzer for Mac provides information and statistics presented in lists, charts, and graphs that you can save or share with others online.

Easily installed, and even easier to start up, Super Analyzer for Mac will definitely impress users with its analytical performance speed. Once the app is open, you are just a click away from having your entire music library analyzed and broken down into 13 sections of statistics lists, charts, and … Read more

Open-source and usable across platforms, this utility application lets you share a single mouse and keyboard across more than one computer at a time. Even though Synergy for Mac is an easy-to-use utility concept, it could use some additional improvements with its setup process and execution.

Upon downloading and installing Synergy for Mac, the user will find that the mouse and keyboard sharing concept is based on the user's knowledge and ability to either set up a server for all the computers that will be sharing or to access a client base already established. Synergy could have done a … Read more

There's no question that you need to protect your computer from incoming network threats, and there are plenty of options available. One option, TCPBlock for Mac, functions adequately as a firewall; but its options lag behind other, more popular programs.

TCPBlock for Mac downloaded quickly, but installing it required a computer system restart, which was a disappointment. A readme file contained some basic instructions, but a detailed manual would have been helpful, especially for longtime Mac users not familiar with firewall software. It was also disappointing to see that there were no indications of direct technical support availability, although … Read more

Finding applications that are appropriate for young children can be a challenge. Tux Paint for Mac may entertain young children who like to draw, but ultimately functions no differently than any rudimentary drawing application.

The program's download completed quickly, but installation required a separate installation of a font package, which extended the overall time. User instructions and other program documentation were available, which was a nice feature. Technical support for updates from the developer appeared to be present, too. The program's interface is elementary and a bit dated, but even children would find it easy to navigate. A … Read more