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When emptying a Mac's trash can, some items may be locked, which prevents removal. Trash It! for Mac is a basic program that forces the trash can to completely empty, but has no additional features and is not a useful program.

Trash It! for Mac is available as a free application. The program downloaded quickly, but there was no installer for the program. Instead of having one program that worked with all Mac OS X versions, the download included two separate folders, one for version 10.8 and one for earlier versions. There were no technical support or user … Read more

There are dozens of photo editing apps on the App Store, many of them free. But far too many of those free apps are lacking some of the basic functions that are needed for a photo editing app to be useful, or they have cluttered, hard-to-use interfaces. BeFunky Photo Editor has none of those issues, and combined with Facebook sharing, channels to view and share photos through the app, and much more, it is one of the better options on the App Store.

The BeFunky editor is a dual-purpose tool. The first role of the app is to connect you … Read more

When determining how space is divided on a hard drive, some, more visual users may want a way to have the information represented graphically, rather than in numbers. While simple and of limited overall use, GrandPerspective for Mac is a good option for those looking for a different way to analyze folder and hard drive space.

Download and installation of GrandPerspective for Mac completed easily, but it only contained a basic readme file with no dedicated instructions, which was a detriment due to the complex nature of the program and its interface. It was also unclear if technical support existed. … Read more

There are a ton of photo-editing apps out there, so it's hard to stand out among the crowd. Color Effects lets you add pops of color to your photos. While the app works as promised, the final results don't really knock our socks off.

Right away Color Effects greets you with ads. The app gives you the option of removing the ads, but you'll have to pay. From there, you're taken to a very plain menu with photo selection options: Photo from my Photo Library, Image Taken with Camera, and Photo from Facebook. We chose a … 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

A recent CNET review of the Monoprice 9774 by Matt Moskovciak and Steve Guttenberg revealed that, beyond striking physical similarities, they sounded nearly identical to the more-expensive Energy Take Classic speaker system.

A recent lawsuit seems to bear out that Energy feels the same way.

So how similar are they? I acquired sets of both to take apart and compare the guts. Further, I enlisted the help of measurement wizard and speaker guru Brent Butterworth to measure the frequency response.

The results were very interesting.… 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

A complex field such as molecular biology requires efficient ways to visualize gene sequences and associated data. SnapGene Viewer for Mac helps you better visualize, annotate, and simulate DNA-related procedures.

Installing SnapGene Viewer for Mac is quick and easy. At first launch a setup screen pops up that lets you define your preferred enzyme suppliers. You are also invited to watch an introductory video to guide you through the basic functions of the software. Six more videos are also available to explore advanced functions of this program. Many screenshots and feature descriptions that will help you learn more about the … Read more

Many people seek ways to enhance or alter their mindset while listening to music, meditating, consuming alcohol, doing drugs, and so on. I-Doser Free for Mac is purported to create and enhance a specific mood or experience with the use of binaural beat doses.

I-Doser Free for Mac is easy to download. The interface is straightforward and the program is fairly easy to figure out, as everything is close at hand. Unfortunately, the free version only comes with three "doses" and doesn't offer many features. If you want additional doses you need to purchase a premium version … Read more