Tools, utilities, and drivers

iStat for iOS now monitors Windows machines, too

Software utility maker Bjango has released a new $5 version of its iStat app for iOS that now lets people remotely monitor their Windows machines, not just Macs.

I've been a big fan of iStat Menus, a $16 utility that uses the OS X menu to show a variety of usage details such as CPU utilization, upload and download speeds, free storage space, and fan temperature.

iStat for iOS shows statistics such as free storage space, battery life, and network usage for iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches. And if you have an agent called iStat Server installed on your … Read more

SwiftKey Flow lets you swipe on your Android keyboard

Looks like Android's top-selling keyboard app, SwiftKey, has a sibling in the works, in the form of a new program called SwiftKey Flow. Officially announced today, SwiftKey Flow takes a page out of competitor Swype's book, by letting its users input text via continuous gliding gestures.

What differentiates SwiftKey Flow, however, is the underlying natural-language technology that's been migrated over from the original SwiftKey keyboard app. This means that users of the new Flow will get not only the flexibility of choosing between a traditional tapping style and a Swype-like gliding style of typing, but also the … Read more

Get a $609 Mac software bundle for $29

Mac software tends to be on the pricey side (not unlike Macs themselves), and freebies are few and far between. That's why I'm seriously jazzed about this deal.

Ending in just two days, the MacHeist 4 Bundle gives you 17 Mac programs for $29. Combined value if purchased separately: $609. (It's true: I did the math.)

I'm not a Mac user myself, but I know good software when I see it. For starters, MacHeist 4 comes with popular writing tool Scrivener, even more popular drive optimizer DiskTools Pro, and even more popular still information-capture tool Evernote (specifically, 15 months of Evernote Premium).… Read more

3 must-have freeware apps for multiple desktops

Users who are tired of running back and forth between multiple computers might want to give today's collection of freeware a look. First, we have two KVM switch replacements: Qsynergy, a more intuitive version of the popular Synergy; and Mouse without Borders, a quick and easy solution from Microsoft's Garage for sharing your keyboard and mouse.

A third alternative is Win Switch, a tool to share programs on multiple computers and unchain you from your desk. All three options differ from remote desktop applications such as TeamViewer or Splashtop, since all of the computers operate on the same … Read more

XMBC lets you customize mouse functions

From everyday office work to Web browsing or even casual gaming, (X-Mouse Button Control) (XMBC, but not to be confused with the open-source media-center software XBMC) lets you control your computer mouse like a hardcore gamer. With customizable mapping features and numerous profiles setup, X-Mouse Button Control lets you do so much more than your standard pointing and clicking.

Most modern PC games let you customize the mapping of your keyboard and mouse buttons, but strangely, Windows provides very few options for tweaking your mouse functionality. The basic Mouse Control will only let you make minor adjustments to cursor sensitivity … Read more

Add tabs to Windows Explorer with QTTabBar

A little Internet Explorer shell named Netcaptor introduced tabbed browsing, and major players like Opera and Mozilla Firefox (and then Google Chrome) made the feature a default tool for surfing the Web. Even though Microsoft eventually added tabbed browsing to its own browser with Internet Explorer 7, the idea of tabs never really translated to Windows Explorer ... until QTTabBar.

QTTabBar is an extension that brings tab functionality to the Windows Explorer file browser. Began as a project by a Japanese developer known as Quizo, QTTabBar (which also goes by QT TabBar) added tabs to Window Explorer during the many years … Read more

Monitor outbound traffic with Little Snitch 3

Mac security software developer Objective Development has announced the release of Little Snitch 3, a popular reverse-firewall package for OS X, which now includes a number of improvements that make the package both easier to use and more powerful.

Part of OS X's security system is a rudimentary firewall that lets users allow or deny incoming connections to system services and third-party software on a per-application basis. While the firewall is a good option to have and is recommended to keep enabled, it only blocks in one direction and therefore does not cover all bases for a security system. … Read more

MacBook EFI Firmware updates follow OS X 10.8.2 release

Along with Apple's OS X 10.8.2 update, the company has issued firmware updates for some of its latest MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models.

Apple's latest MacBook offerings are the 2012 MacBook Pro with Retina Display, and a 2012 revision of the older-generation MacBook Pro that does not have the Retina Display, along with the MacBook Air. Under some circumstances, these latest systems may experience hangs, or incompatibility with certain boot environments that prevent their hardware from running optimally, and these latest EFI firmware updates from Apple address these problems.

The updates should be available to … Read more

Apple releases OS X 10.7.5 and Snow Leopard security updates

In addition to firmware updates for MacBook systems and updates for iPhoto, Aperture, iOS, and Mountain Lion, Apple has issued security updates for both OS X Snow Leopard and Lion.

The updates should be available via Software Update for systems running their respective operating systems, but they can also be downloaded from the Apple Support downloads pages for the respective updates:

OS X Lion Update 10.7.5 Server Combo (1.99GB) OS X Lion Update 10.7.5 Server (1.22GB) OS X Lion Update 10.7.5 Client Combo (1.91GB) OS X Lion Update 10.7.5 Client (… Read more