There have been some really superb cursor themes coming through the past week or so, and I wanted to take a moment to share some of my favorites. You can apply these cursors using CursorFX (Free, Plus version available).
If you have been following my blog or twitter posts, you might have noticed my search for the best blogging application for the Mac. Out of the many recommendations I received, two applications were always mentioned…..MarsEdit 2 and ecto 3 (beta). So over the last couple of weeks I have downloaded and tried both applications, and today I will give my review of both and hopefully come to some decision on which one I will use on a regular basis.
The main user interface of both apps are very similar in appearance, and both are fairly simple and not cluttered in any way. Each has a sidebar which allows you to add/edit/delete your blog accounts. Both applications also support a wide range of blogging platforms including WordPress and TypePad. MarsEdit lets you add the site url/name, and then MarsEdit will try to automatically detect your weblog settings. If for some reason you need to do it manually, that option is also available. Ecto also lets you enter your blog information in much of the same way, but ecto also has an “assistant” which can guide you through the process, which can be very helpful for new users.
The main view shows your posts associated with the chosen blog (if you have multiple blogs), and by clicking a title you can see the post in the preview pane. Double-clicking the posts will retrieve them and open them inside the editor window. Each also has a variety of options which you can edit, delete, modify, create new posts, and save drafts. If you don’t like, or just want to change the default toolbar layout, you can easily customize the toolbar to your liking.
As far as the main interface is concerned, both MarsEdit and ecto have similar design and function, and were very easy to start using.
The Editor is where we start to see some real differences between the two apps. Once again, both have a similar layout, but ecto has quite a few more options. The most notable being that ecto has a more rich text editor (and an HTML editor) as opposed to the Editor in MarsEdit, which is based in HTML text markup. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but new users and people who are not familiar or comfortable with html markups, might find ecto easier to use as it’s more WYSIWYG.
As I said, the text markup in MarsEdit is not really a problem, and in while writing several posts with it I found no problem formatting my posts. MarsEdit has a drop-down menu in the upper right hand corner which gives quick access to common markups such as bold, links, block quote, etc. They also make it easy to add your own markup macros which comes in very handy.
The basic editing functions in both are very easy to use, but for new users, ecto might be a slightly better choice, but anyone who is comfortable or willing to take on some text markup, MarsEdit will satisfy.
Blogging today is much more than just simple text formatting, right? Media, whether it happens to be images, video, etc., is now common in blogging. You can add items like images by simple drag and drop, or through the Media Manager in MarsEdit, and the “Import Media” button in ecto. Another advantage ecto has is the ability to preview audio and video before inserting into a post.
Nothing particularly groundbreaking here, but my main interest was with how each integrated using images from Flickr. In the MarsEdit Media Manager, Flickr has it’s own section where it will show your Flickr account images and even let you search through them. The images are displayed as rows of thumbnails for easy viewing, and give you the options of selecting the size and alignment of the image to insert.
Ecto has the Flickr Helper option which is similar in function to MarsEdit, but has way more options. It will let you filter your images by sets, and even let you “fetch” images from your contacts, groups, and tags. Another cool feature ecto has is the “Amazon Helper”. This opens a dialog where you can search the various sections on Amazon, and select a product to insert with your choice of displaying images and text. I didn’t have much of a use for it, but very neat nonetheless.
As far as more “advanced” editing goes, this was also a tough call to make. Between the two, ecto has quite a few more options than MarsEdit, but some of them might not be needed for everyone, and MarsEdit has all the editing options most bloggers would need.
I think it’s safe to say that trying to decide which of these applications was “the best” is quite difficult. They are both top notch in what they do, and I would not hesitate recommending either of them to anyone looking for a blogging solution for the Mac. After using both I think it all comes down to the matter of personal preference, and for my use, I would probably pick MarsEdit over ecto simply because it’s a bit more simple in design.
However, I haven’t made my final decision on which one I am going to use. I still have a few days left in the trial versions, but I’m not sure if I can even make a decision by then. The bottom line is both these applications are great, but newer users might be more taken with ecto, and users who like HTML markups should go with MarsEdit. I really recommend downloading the trial versions for each, and see which one works better for you. I don’t think you will be disappointed with either of them.
MarsEdit 2 ($29.95, 30 day free trial)
ecto 3 beta ($17.95, 21 day free trial)
The latest application bundle from MacUpdate is now up. They have 10 apps, some of which are locked, for $65. Total price of all the applications would normally be $475.
Some of the apps included are:
The promo starts today and will run for two weeks ending on April 29th.
Link: MacUpdate Promo
A new month has started, so that means it’s time as usual for me to create a video featuring some of the best .dreams (animated wallpapers) that were submitted throughout the past month.You need to have Windows Vista and Stardock DeskScapes (free) installed to use these. You can find links to all the featured videos here.
Giveawayoftheday.com has a fantastic piece of software up for grabs today. Evernote (beta), which is an application that allows you to take notes, web clipping, images, etc. and keep them in order. This new version (still in beta) also allows you to synchronize your notes with other computers that you have Evernote installed on.
There is a Mac and Windows Mobile version that is currently in private beta, but you can get access to that as well. I found this via Lifehacker and they say the current beta will allow you to update to other betas and the final application when released.
Features of Evernote:
Remember, this is good for today only, so there is only a few hours left.
SkinStudio 6 was released today! SkinStudio is a free application designed to easily create skins for WindowBlinds for both Windows XP and Vista.
“SkinStudio 6 is a complete rewrite of previous versions of the program. Over time, as the number of elements of Windows that could be changed increased, the older versions of SkinStudio became very complex. SkinStudio 6 is re-designed to provide skinners a step-by-step way of creating their own Windows visual styles that, upon completion, can be applied with WindowBlinds.”
Free version is available, along with the Pro version for $19.95.
Link: SkinStudio 6
Defraggler is a new utility I discovered recently, and it comes from the same folks who make CCleaner. One of the big benefits of this application is that it lets you select files or folders to defrag, not just the entire drive. I have used it on several Vista machines, and the defrag process was fairly quick. It’s free so go check it out.
Link: Defraggler
FriendFeed popped out of nowhere for me. I hadn’t heard or seen of it until I saw a blog post from Robert Scoble. With so many networks out there like Twitter, FaceBook, Flickr, etc. it’s sometimes hard to keep track of all the people you follow. FriendFeed helps out by displaying what exactly your friends and contacts are doing on other networks. Once you signup (it’s free), you just add as many of your own services as you like, and there are quite a few, and get connected with your contacts.
The interface is nothing fancy, but it serves its purpose well. A clean way to view the activity of all the people you are somehow connected to. I think tonight I got all my relevant services listed, so I think I’m all set now. Feel free to add me to your FriendFeed list.
Link: http://friendfeed.com/sscott
For anyone who has an iPhone, or an iPod Touch for that matter, I’m sure you know all about web applications that were designed specifically for the iPhone. Apple.com has a dedicated section of web apps where people can submit their own, and it’s a great place to find some of the best. The list is growing day by day, so I wanted to take you through my 5 favorite iPhone web apps.
1. Accuweather
The included weather widget with the iPhone is nice, but it’s not very informative. That is why I turn to the Accuweather web app. It has a simple interface that you either switch to a 15 day forecast, or an animated radar image of your selected area. It also has your daily forecast, along with a 4 day outlook. One feature that really stands out is that Accuweather will display weather alerts for your area.
2. Tic Tac Toe
If you ever get tired of waiting for your dinner to get to the table at your favorite restaurant, no worries, just fire up the Tic Tac Toe web app and have at it. The kids really enjoy this one, and it has a very simple interface where you just take alternative turns at tapping the area you want to mark.
3. BeeJive
One of the things that really aggravates me is the fact that the iPhone doesn’t have any native IM application. Hopefully that will be resolved in the future, but for now BeeJive fills the void quite well. BeeJive connects to several of the popular networks like MSN, Google Talk, AIM, Yahoo, and more. The interface, where has different themes you can set, is beautifully done and you will easily forget this is a web based application.
Ever been to a group dinner, and have to sit around for 20 minutes trying to figure out how much everyone owe’s for a tip? Well I have, and that is why this web app is in my top 5. The Tip Calculator lets you enter the bill amount, tip percentage, and how many people it needs to be split with.
5. Facebook
If you like to check your Facebook account several times a day, then this streamlined version made for the iPhone will suit your needs perfectly. You can view your friends list, profile, wall, and even update your current status from this web app. It still needs some work, but it’s far easier than trying to navigate the full site.
I read this PressPass article this morning from Microsoft. Apparently Microsoft plans to reduce the prices on several versions of retail editions of Vista with the launch of SP1.
“Since its release, Windows Vista has seen solid sales through the first year of availability, primarily through the sale of new PCs. Stand-alone retail sales, while not representing a large percentage of the business, represents an area of opportunity for additional growth the company sees based on the new editions introduced in 2007. To help reach that goal, Microsoft today announced price reductions on several consumer stand-alone editions.”
However, as Mary Jo Foley put it, “don’t get too excited about those Vista price cuts”.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes posted some information he has about the actual price cuts.
There doesn’t appear (at this time) any information about the full retail version of Home Premium, which seems to be the choice of many consumers. When I buy a Windows operating system, I want the full version not an upgrade, but that is just my personal choice. Vista’s price point is one of the biggest faults of Vista, and we can only hope Microsoft has learned their lesson with this.
Microsoft needs to take all this into consideration when the next version of Windows is ready. Forget all the different SKU’s that most people have no clue about the differences of. Make one version, price it reasonably, and get it out there. Also, give consumers a family pack of 3 or so licenses for a discounted price. There is no value for me to upgrade all the PC’s in my house to Vista.
Spencer on Desktop Customization and Tech
Tech News Watch Windows Fanatics Tech News Watch
