Ever since Apple released Shortcuts in 2018, I’ve really enjoyed playing around with different automations that make my life easier. Just the other day, I set one up to turn off our bedroom lights, dim the bathroom lights, and turn on the Apple TV in our bedroom in preparation for bedtime. I love the ability to make parts of my life easier. This is what One Switch does. It’s a great app that provides users the option to turn different features on and off with a single digital switch in the menu bar. 

Overview: One Switch for Mac

One Switch is a lightweight menubar app. It was originally released in 2019 by Fireball Studio. With it, users can accomplish a number of different actions that are typically controlled by individual apps. Some of those actions include:

• Hide Desktop Icons
• Toggle Dark Mode
• Keep Awake
• Activate your Screen Saver
• Connect to your AirPods
• Customize quick actions

Privacy Policy

The Privacy Policy for Fireball Studio includes the terms for One Switch. It was last updated in 2019. It states that personal information is only collected when the developer needs to provide a service back to the user. The entire policy can be read here.

Pricing and Availability

One Switch is not available in the Mac App Store due to sandboxing restrictions. It can be purchased directly from fireball.studio or downloaded through Setapp. There is a 7-day free trial available for One Switch. There are three options for licensing.

1. Single Device License → $4.99
2. Dual Device License → $7.99 (10% savings)
3. Multiple Device License (up to 5 devices) → $16.99 (32% savings)

According to the app notes in Setapp, the last update to the app (version 1.28) was released on 11/3/22 — more than 5 months ago.

User Experience

Setting up One Switch is very easy. The app provides a handful of welcome screens that depict the different features you can enable with the app. After the app is intalled, users can go through the preferences and determine if you want One Switch to open at login, what language you want to use, what menu bar icon you want to use, if an update needs to be made, send feedback to support, or quit the app.

The preferences menu also gives users the ability to customize their app experience by reordering the actions, or adding new ones. In the shortcuts menu section, users can record new shortcuts so that the on/off toggles can be used with keyboard shortcuts.

I have enjoyed using One Switch and found that is makes my daily computer usage much easier and more efficient. One of the actions I used consistently is Keep Awake. I have my MacBook Air connected to an external monitor and I like to keep it awake while I work. I usually have to open a separate app in order accomplish that but it’s really nice to be able to just select it from the toggle list.

Another feature I really like is the Empty Trash function. This is something that I usually take a few steps or keystrokes to complete. Now I can just select the Empty Trash toggle and the bucket is emptied. It’s really a much more efficient option for me.

One of the biggest criticisms about this app is actually about the developers. They do not provide an email for technical support and instead, they refer people to send direct messages through Twitter or Reddit. This isn’t completely unheard of when it comes to app support, but there are countless comments from users voicing their frustrations about not receiving any responses to their queries. I would agree that this is not only frustrating but bad for the future of the app as it creates bad PR for the developer.

The other issue I saw was the ongoing development of the app. As I noted above, the last update the app received was in November 2022. Users have been leaving comments and posts on the Reddit page for the app and while this particular type of app doesn’t lend itself to needing constant security updates, I would still think that updates that occur alongside system updates would be needed on a regular basis.

Conclusion

One Switch Mac App is an innovative solution to a common problem that many computer users face. This app has created a simple way to control multiple applications with just one switch, allowing users to be more productive. Furthermore, the app is also intuitive and user-friendly so anyone can easily use it without prior experience. With its reliable performance and user-friendly features, One Switch Mac App is an excellent tool for any Mac user looking for an easier way to manage their apps. I hope that the development team finds a way to be more responsive to users though.

For more information, visit fireball.studio or Twitter.

Every year – with the turn of the new year – I find myself renewing the vow to read more. I love reading and the places it takes me creatively as a writer but I can’t ever seem to find the time to dedicate to it. I have literally lost myself in books for hours before and these days, I just can’t find those buckets of hours laying around.

As it happens, on January 4, 2023, I renewed my library card after a few years of non-use. Someone on our town council made a horrible remark on social media about libraries. This quote was made after there was a funding proposal introduced for a $35 million construction project for a new library in our county.

It’s like investing in typewriters today. Extending and building more new libraries when their own board admittedly says there is no foot traffic and we nee to be considering closing them.

James Raben, Vanderburgh County Council 1/4/23

This comment made me want to invest more time in my personal connection to our library system. I’ve always loved visiting libraries and I love the mission of them. To provide a collection of materials for the public to use for learning and expanding their world view.

Some of my earliest memories are of visiting our hometown library with my mom and my brother to borrow some fun books on the weekends. We were always encouraged to read growing up and because of that, I’ve always had a love of libraries.

I remembered how a few years ago our library system had an app and I ended up listening to the majority of one of my favorite reference books — Creating Magic: 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney by Lee Cockerell — on it.

The app was not very functional in comparison to apps such as Kindle but it got the job done…mostly. Because of its quirks, I fell out of touch with it though. That said this horrid remark but the council person made me look into the services the library was providing now. I was surprised and pleased to find out that they had upgraded to an app called Libby which is actually a current “Editors Choice” app in the App Store.

Overview

Libby is actually an evolution of the OverDrive app that more than 88,000 libraries use worldwide. OverDrive as a company was founded in 1986 and was reorganized around electronic media in the 1990s. OverDrive was launched as a content distribution service in 2000 and it has since grown to be the largest digital content catalog in the world. The OverDrive family of services includes Kanopy, TeachingBooks, Sora, and, of course, Libby, the library reading app.

In late 2021, it was announced that the legacy OverDrive app would be discontinued in favor of the Libby app.

The Libby App is OverDrive’s most updated app for connecting seamlessly to your favorite eMaterials with advanced syncing, tags and searching capabilities.

With the Libby app, users can access ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines among other content available through a library system. The best part about Libby is that users can access the content for free — just like borrowing a physical book directly from a library branch.

Main Features

• Browse your library’s digital catalog of books — from classics to NYT best-sellers
• Borrow and enjoy ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines
• Download titles for offline reading, or stream them to save space
• Send ebooks to your Kindle (U.S. libraries only)
• Listen to audiobooks via Apple CarPlay
• Use tags to create your must-read list and any other book lists you want
• Keep your reading position automatically synced on all your devices

In the ebook reader:

• Adjust text size, background color, and book design
• Zoom into magazines and comic books
• Define and search for words and phrases
• Read and listen to read-alongs with your kids
• Add bookmarks, notes, and highlights

In the audio player:

• Slow down or speed up the audio (0.6 to 3.0x)
• Set a sleep timer
• Simply swipe to skip forward and backward
• Add bookmarks, notes, and highlights

Pricing and Availability

Libby is available for free. It works with public libraries that use OverDrive. Over 90% of public libraries in North America utilize OverDrive and Libby can be found in 78 countries worldwide. In order to access the content available, a membership to a participating library is required with a valid library card. Most library memberships are available at no charge as well. Your given library system selects the content that is available for its members to access.

Libby is available on any smartphone or tablet (iOS or Android) or through a web browser (libbyapp.com). Content can also be transferred to an ereader such as Kindle Fire.

Privacy Policy

According to the App Store, OverDrive, Inc. only collects diagnostics and usage data from the user. The diagnostics might be linked to a user’s identity, but the usage data is not. You can read the full privacy policy here.

User Experience

Getting started with Libby is super easy. The user should first ensure that they have a valid library card and that their library system utilizes Libby/OverDrive. Once the app is downloaded on the user’s preferred device, the user just needs to follow the on-screen prompts to find their library. A user’s library card number will need to be entered before they can look at the content. You can enter more than one library card. A step-by-step tutorial on how to get started with Libby can be found here.

After you have verified your membership with a participating library, the content that is available for your system will be shown. You can search, filter results, place a hold on a title, or borrow one. The only thing you can’t do is place a hold on a physical book for pick-up in your library. Each library system chooses a user’s loan and hold limit. Magazines and extra resources don’t count against the borrowing limit though.

I have been VERY impressed with this app — not only as a library app but as an app system in general. First of all, the app is set up to be universal across devices. I personally have it installed on my iPhone 14 Pro and my iPad Pro. I also access the app through my web browser on my MacBook Air. One of the most impressive things about this is that the app is connected not through a login/password, but through a generated code that the app provides. It’s very secure and extremely easy to connect between devices.

Second, the app is simple. You start out on a search page, find a title you want to read or listen to and then select it for a hold, a loan, or you can tag it. I have a tag set up called wishlist, which I use to tag titles I’ve been wanting to read, but am not ready for yet. I did this so that I can keep track of those titles but they don’t immediately count against my borrowing limit.

Finally, the app is designed to be used with car audio systems. I have an iPhone and it shows up as a CarPlay app. It is supposed to work the same way with Android Auto, but I haven’t tested that out yet. It’s brilliant that the developers tied that functionality in because the old OverDrive app that I used did not have that included. I had to connect my phone via Bluetooth, which worked, but it was problematic.

The app wasn’t really designed well for audio books. It wouldn’t hold your place and it was hard to place bookmarks. The experience just wasn’t very user-friendly. Libby is a complete different story.

Conclusion

Libby is a great app. It has helped me reconnect with our library system and opened up my opportunities for reading more. It’s is a great tool for connecting to library materials, and its features make it easy to read and listen to ebooks and audiobooks. The fact that Libby is free to use is just the icing on the cake. I can highly recommend Libby as a great way to access library materials and to get more reading done.

For more information, visit overdrive.com, Facebook, and Twitter.

I recently shot a wedding that was in a difficult lighting location. The room had very high, dark ceilings and there was both indoor and outdoor available light pouring into the room. This made it very hard to control the lighting for anything other than portrait set-ups. The action shots during the ceremony and the dances as well as all the candids had varying degrees of noise on them. While Lightroom has some good tools for helping to decrease the effect of noisy photos, those tools are nowhere near as good as Topaz Labs Image Quality apps.

Overview

The Image Quality apps from Topaz Labs include DeNoise AI, Gigapixel AI, and Sharpen AI. Each app works together with Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop as a plugin to ensure users get pixel-perfect photos.

Topaz Labs is an AI tech company that works to build one-click image and video quality software with deep learning. The software has more than 1 million users and has 2.4x annual growth.

We believe great products are built with heart and soul – the culmination of thousands of tiny decisions made by engineers, designers, writers, and support folks doing the real work every day. ..We start with a great user experience and work backwards from there. There’s no better feeling than starting with a blank canvas, molding and remolding something until it works, and then polishing it until it’s iconic.

“Career.” Topaz Labs, 10 Aug. 2021, topazlabs.com/careers/. Accessed 15 Jan. 2023.

The Image Quality apps were originally released in 2018 and 2019. Their most recent addition to the group of apps — Photo AI — combines all the image tools into one automatic photo editor. It was released in 2022. All of the applications use deep learning to detect and fix image quality issues.

DeNoise AI uses deep learning to remove noise from photos. It does this by learning from millions of image how to distinguish between real image detail and noise. This process allows users to recover important image detail while denoising them at the same time.

Gigapixel AI also uses deep learning to increase the resolution accurately when upscaling photos.

Most upscaling algorithms don’t know how to accurately fill in missing pixels, so you end up with blocky low-quality results. To solve this problem, Gigapixel AI’s neural networks are continuously trained on a wide variety of sample images to understand how photorealistic detail looks. 

“Gigapixel AI.” Topaz Labs, 10 Aug. 2021, www.topazlabs.com/gigapixel-ai. Accessed 15 Jan. 2023.

Sharpen AI works by targeting and reversing motion blur, focus, and softness to create more natural results than other sharpening tools.

Main Features

DeNoise AI → Eliminates distracting noise from images

• Good for use with: wildlife photography, night photography, macro photography, and portrait photography
• Works with either JPEG or RAW files
• Recover detail and eliminate noise
  • More natural noise reduction
  • Recover image quality
  • AI that is always improving

Gigapixel AI → Upscales and enhances images up to 600%

• Recover natural details and textures in low-resolution faces with Face Recovery AI
  • Add image detail that looks completely natural.
  • Enhance the texture of feathers
  • Improve fur texture and sharpness
  • Higher-resolution landscapes
  • More detailed cityscapes
  • Crystal-clear upscaling with no blocky artifacts
  • Fix extreme pixelation in low-resolution images
• Create better prints
  • Increase DPI by increasing the image’s real resolution
  • Remove close-up compression artifacts
• Better zooming and cropping
  • Enhance different patterns in fabric and flora
  • Natural texture that looks like it was never upscaled

Sharpen AI → Recovers images from missed focus, lens softness, and motion blur

• Make your photos pop naturally
  • Extra sharpness that looks completely natural
  • Powerful depth of field throughout your photo
  • Take significantly sharper handheld photos
  • Accurately sharpen different kinds of subjects
• Rescue very blurry photos
  • Reduce perceived movement
  • Focus on the eyes
  • Recover image detail
  • Increase real (not simulated) sharpness
  • Rescue multiple types of motion blur
  • Save misfocused images

Privacy Policy

According to the privacy policy provided on topazlabs.com, the developer collects information from users when they register, place an order, subscribe to the newsletter, respond to a survey, fill out a form, or email support. The full privacy policy can be found here.

Pricing and Availability

The Topaz Labs software is exclusively available through topazlabs.com. Users get live support chat and a 30-day money-back guarantee. The software license includes standalone Lightroom and Photoshop plugins for Mac and Windows. Users can download and install the plugins on two computers.

Each piece of software can be purchased individually or as a part of a bundle.

• Image Quality Bundle → $199.99
• DeNoise AI → $79.99
• Gigapixel AI → $99.99
• Sharpen AI → $79.99

Each license is yours for life and includes one year of free upgrades. Upgrades can be purchased for $99 as an upgrade plan, which includes unlimited upgrades for every image app you own for 1 year or individually for each software license for $49.

Topaz Labs does offer a free trial for their Image Quality apps. Click here to review the system requirements for Topaz Labs Image Quality apps.

User Experience

One of the biggest perks of using Topaz Labs Image Quality apps is that they are integrated into a workflow you are probably already using. Each of the apps can be used in Adobe Lightroom Classic or Adobe Photoshop AND they can each work as a standalone product.

The first step in the user experience is to get the software on your machine. There are a couple of ways to manage this. First, you can download the application from your Topaz Labs account. There are installerlinks for the version you own as well as the newest version provided on your Topaz Labs account page. Users also have the option to download the apps from the Download Page, which only includes the most recent versions of the currently available software.

Once you have the software packages on your system, you can work to install them in your selected programs.

• Install into Lightroom Classic (Mac instructions): Go to Preferences in Lightroom > External Editing tool > Choose > Applications/Topaz Labs LLC > Preset = Custom > Save Current Settings as New Preset > Name the Preset

I can say that for my particular use case — the low-light wedding — I found it easier to use the apps one by one rather than run them through Photo AI. Here is the process I went through.

1. I color-corrected the images in Lightroom and did light touch-ups to the photos to improve the skin tone of some of the subjects. I would also crop and straighten photos before running them through the Topaz Labs apps.
2. I reviewed each photo individually because there were different lighting situations and activities happening in each photo. For example, the dancing images took place later in the evening than the set-up photos which still had some exterior sunlight entering room.
3. I started the image editing with noise reduction and DeNoise AI. For most of the photos, I was able to use the Standard setting but for some of them I needed to use the more advanced options available.
4. If the photo still needed some enhancement due to motion, I would edit them in Sharpen AI. Again, the Standard setting was adequate for most images.
5. The last step in my process was to utilize the Fade preset in Image AI to match color tones throughout the images.

Once an image went through these steps, I consider it ‘finished’ and ready for my client. One thing I found to be cumbersome was editing each image one by one. I was much more accurate this way but it would be nice to be able to apply a set of edits to multiple photos if it appears they have the same issues. Within Lightroom, there is an option to copy attributes and paste them into images by using the copy/paste function in the app. That would be a great option to have for the Topaz Labs app, too. Once you make an edit, it can then be copied/pasted onto another photo in Lightroom — just like other effects.

I have found that the Image Quality apps work exceptionally well and have been highly successful in improving the quality of images. Not only does the software do what its supposed to do with great accuracy, but it’s also incredibly easy to use, making it accessible to people of all skill levels. The user interface is well-designed and intuitive, making it simple to navigate and quickly access the features you need. In addition, the results are remarkable, allowing users to produce high-quality images with minimal effort. All in all, the Image Quality apps are a great choice for anyone looking to enhance their images.

Conclusion

The incredibly useful Image Quality apps from Topaz Labs have been praised for their immense capabilities and overall performance. They provide users with an array of features that help to improve the quality of their images in a variety of ways, such as sharpening, smoothing, and denoising, as well as providing helpful tools for correcting exposure and color. Not only do they work really well, but they are also quite intuitive and easy to use, making them the ideal choice for both novice and experienced photographers alike.

For more information, visit topazlabs.com, Facebook, and Twitter.

For many years, I have struggled with keeping track of my bills. I’ve used various methods including Quickbooks, Excel Spreadsheets, various apps, and even pen and paper. Some work better than others but in this day and age, I really want a cross-platform app system that will be available no matter what device I am on. That’s why I’m glad I started using Bills io.

Overview

Bills io is a finance planning app that is focused on organizing monthly bills while providing users with a safe, private option to do so. Bills io was originally launched for mobile devices in December 2020 with the native macOS app released in the Fall of 2021.

The app came from an idea that the developer, Nathan Gray, had in 2015. He graduated from college with a computer science and finance background and has always wanted to combine the two. He spent years trying different management techniques for personal finance and finally created his own system, which is now Bills io.

The entire app is written in Swift and SwiftUI for both iOS and macOS. The backend syncing is taken care of by iCloud. The developer opted for using iCloud for syncing so that he did not end up holding any user information. All the data within Bills io is stored within iCloud and not on an unknown server somewhere else.

About the Developer

Nathan Gray has been programming professionally since 2013. His first job was programming for iOS and Android. He’s worked with many different tech stacks but has always had an app available in the App Store. In addition to focusing on the continuing development of Bills io, Gray works in DevOps for Megaport ONE. He likes to have a personal app project in development in order to stay up-to-date with Apple technologies. Gray tracks updates and user requests on a publicly available Trello Board.

Main Features

• BILL TRACKING: Organize your bills with tags and track where each bill charges by account. For example, Bills io can tell you how much money your credit card gets charged per month for all of your subscriptions. You can then plan to budget that cost every month with your bank account.
• PAYMENT LOG: Track and record when you pay a Bill online. Bills io allows you to record any notes about a payment to recall later on. Notes support basic Markdown formatting to allow for links, formatting, and complex records. Export all of your payments to a CSV file for processing outside Bills io.
• OVERVIEW: See, track, and record payments for your upcoming Bills. Check out your recent payments and see how much money is due in the next week or month. Bills io tracks your average monthly cost for all bills.
• NOTIFICATIONS: Notifications are handled locally and never sent out from a server. Be notified for bills you pay manually or get notified before an auto withdrawal.
• SYNCING: Bills io uses CloudKit to sync your data privately inside your iCloud account. You do not need an account signup or to upload your sensitive financial data. Bills io cannot see any of your personal finances and there is no magic algorithm processing your payment history while selling your data.
• MULTIPLE DEVICES: Use everywhere in the Apple ecosystem. Available on iPhone, iPadOS, and macOS.

PREMIUM BENEFITS

• Export Payments and Bills to CSV Files
• Lock Bills io with Face ID or Touch ID
• Create and view notes for payments
• Add and manage multiple collections
• Organize bills based on payment accounts
• Tag and create your own custom organization structure
• Set custom notification reminder times
• Access to all upcoming premium features
• Support indie development

Privacy Policy

According to the App Store, there is no data collected from the app by the developer. Click here to see the full privacy policy. The developer stated that the data stays with the Apple account.

I do not host any servers, or take user sign ups. I also have not implemented any app analytics at all to ensure that all of the users bills stay completely private and under their control.

Pricing and Availability

Bills io is available on macOS (12.0 or later), iOS (15.0 or later), and iPadOS (15.0 or later). It is free to use with limited features. Users can purchase premium access for one month ($0.99), one year ($3.99), or for a lifetime ($19.99). Subscriptions are charged to the user’s iTunes account and are automatically renewed unless auto-renew is disabled at least 24 hours before the end of the subscription period.

Set-up

One of my favorite features of this app system is how painless it is to get started. In fact, because the app is so well designed with relationship linking, almost all of the setup can be done when a user creates their bills. The first step is to select Add Bill from the + menu in the dashboard.

Here the user will input the following information →

• Bill name
• Next Payment Amount
• Payment URL
• Payment Date and if it is recurring
• Select a Collection (the user can create one if it doesn’t exist yet)
• Select an Account (the user can create one if it doesn’t exist yet)
• Select a Tag (the user can create one if it doesn’t exist yet)

Once this information is entered, the bill will be added to the catalog and the user can start managing payments as they occur. One of the best parts of this entry process is that only the name, payment amount, and date are required fields. All the rest could be left as the default option and the bill can still be created. I don’t recommend doing this as part of the app’s job is to help you organize your bills but it is possible to keep the bill entry as simple as possible if you like.

User Experience

I’m a big fan of this app. For the longest time, I’ve kept track of my bills using paper or a spreadsheet. These methods are archaic and very problematic for keeping up with today’s modern bill-paying technologies. Until I started using Bills io I just couldn’t find an app system that was compatible with my way of organizing or thinking about my finances.

Bills io has a clean interface that is very easy to use and set up. I’ve been using it steadily for several months and never had any issues with how the apps sync or the calculations being incorrect. Here are some of my personal insights after using the app to track my bills.

• Organization → I really like how the app allows users to assign bills to collections. I have mine sorted into four different Collections – Car, Monthly House Bills, Other, and Subscriptions. This makes it easier to track where your money is going or looking it up at the end of the year.
• Accounts → I’ve used some bill-tracking apps that don’t give users flexibility when it comes to assigning payment accounts to bills. Bills io keeps it simple. When you create an account, you simply give it a name. Then you can add that account to your bill. I have a couple of options for payment accounts including my checking account and PayPal. Because Bills io is a simple tracking app, no actual account info is stored with the payment account. There is an option to connect to a bill’s website, but users aren’t given the option to pay directly from the app. I prefer this method because it keeps user privacy at the top of the app’s priorities.
• Payment Details → When it comes to recording a payment users are given a few options. First of all, the preferences for a bill are automatically populated. For example, with my car payment, I have my checking account set on the bill as its payment account. So, that account name automatically appears when I click on the ‘pay’ button on the bill. But, if a different account is used on a particular payment, it is easily changed from the Account drop-down. Users can even add an account directly from that menu. I also like that the app system is smart enough to reschedule payments. There is a skip payment option and if you skip a payment, the app doesn’t delete the recurring bill. It simply reschedules the payment. Another great option within Payment Details is the notes area. A simple text field allows users to notate any comments or transaction numbers within it. I love the flexibility of this massive text space.
• App Syncing → Even though it probably goes without saying, I love how well the apps sync together. I’ve not had any issues with them talking to each other or populating information between versions. I have the macOS, iOS, and iPadOS versions and they work together beautifully. Most of the time I will enter the payments in the macOS version and then use the iOS version for reference.
• Tagging → While this might seem like an odd feature to have, I really enjoy it. I use the tagging feature to call out similarities between bills that crossover into different Collections. For example, I have certain bills that are set up to be automatically paid. So, I have a tag called #AUTO. This tag can be applied to any bills regardless of the Collection they live in. It’s just another layer of organization that I really appreciate within Bills io.

What would I change or add?

This is a tricky question to answer because Bills io checks all the boxes for me as far as bill tracking goes. That said, I would offer users more options for customized UI. There is nothing wrong with the design of the app but being able to select your own color scheme or layout spacing would be a nice touch.

Functionally, I wouldn’t change a thing.

Conclusion

Bills io is an amazing bill-tracking app system that is designed to be efficient and reliable for its users. It provides a simple, straightforward way to organize and manage your bills and other financial information. With this app, you can easily keep track of due dates, payment amounts, and other important details.

Additionally, you can set up notifications to remind you of upcoming due dates, so you can make sure you’re always on top of your bills. With its intuitive and user-friendly interface, Bills io is a must-have for anyone looking to make their bill-tracking process easier and more organized.

For more information, visit studioember.com, Twitter, and Instagram.

If I were to ask you what application you use on a daily basis across all your devices, you would probably reply with, “my calendar.” We all lead such busy lives and digital calendars have made it possible to connect and sync up with our family’s schedules in a unique and interactive way. And, even though our devices (mobile phones in particular) have a native calendar app, I have found that I always want more than is provided by that particular productivity app. This inclination is what drove me to use Fantastical from Flexibits.

Fantastical was the first product release from Flexibits (May 2011). I ended up adopting it for my iPhone in 2014. This year, I added in Cardhop, a contact management app, also from Flexibits, into my productivity app menagerie. As you might guess, the premium versions of these apps can get quite costly. This is why Flexibits began offering Flexibits Premium (May 2021 release), which unlocks all the premium features for Fantastical and Cardhop across all your devices. As an added benefit, Fantastical Scheduling is also included in the bundle.

About Flexibits Premium → Fantastical & Cardhop

Flexibits Premiums allows a user to unlock all the premium features of Fantastical — including Scheduling — and Cardhop across all their devices. The apps are available for the following platforms → macOS, iPadOS, iOS, and watchOS (Fantastical Only).

TLDR: Fantastical

Fantastical started as a school project and was designed to leverage iCal, Entourage, and Outlook so that users could interact with their calendars in a brand new way. It has since evolved into a robust app system that allows users to add all their existing calendar accounts directly to Fantastical so that all their events and tasks stay in sync.

Features (free version)

• Beautiful, clean, and easy-to-use calendar app allowing you to manage basic events
• Use the mini window to quickly check your schedule with customizable keyboard shortcut
• Full-screen day, week, month, quarter, and year views
• Full task support including Todoist and Google Tasks
• 3-day weather forecast (powered by AccuWeather)
• 14-day free trial for Flexibits Premium

Features (premium version)

• Includes Fantastical on all platforms: Mac, iPhone, Apple Watch, and iPad
• Openings: Schedule events based on your availability
• Proposals: Create meeting polls
• Add Zoom, Google Meet, Webex, and Microsoft Teams calls
• Extended 10-day weather forecast with RealFeel and MinuteCast up-to-the-minute weather data (powered by AccuWeather)
• Browse and instantly subscribe to interesting calendars, including sports, TV shows, holidays, and much more (powered by SchedJoules)
• Calendar sets – quickly toggle multiple calendars on or off with a simple click or automatically when you leave or arrive, based on location
• Event and task templates
• Sync calendar sets and templates across devices
• Apple Watch app with Up Next and Weather (and works over LTE)
• Parser autocomplete recommendations for invitees, locations, and calendars/task lists
• Propose multiple times to easily ask people when they can meet
• Combine duplicate events across multiple calendars
• Invitees and availability lookups
• Respond to event invitations
• Default alerts
• Time zone override
• Favorite time zones
• Push updates for Google and Exchange
• Set event travel time and receive time to leave notifications
• Custom event colors
• Hide events without deleting them
• Add attachments to events on iCloud, Google, and Exchange
• Priority email support

TLDR: Fantastical Scheduling

Scheduling in a major feature set included with Fantastical premium service. It’s designed to make organizing meetings an easy feat rather than an unsurmountable labor. This feature includes:

• Openings – Set up available times and share a link. Feature will automatically block out slots based on your existing calendar events.
• Openings Keyboard – Allows users to share openings and meeting links quickly while in a conversation.
• Proposals – Allows users to see invitees’ availability so that users can find the best meeting time option.
• Instantly Add Conference Calls (Google Meet, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Webex)
• Add break times and date ranges

TLDR: Cardhop

Cardhop is Flexibits answer to the traditional CRM system. The system allows users to search, add, edit, and interact with contacts quickly and easily with keyboard shortcuts.

Features (free version)

• A beautiful and simple menu bar app, designed exclusively for macOS
• Instantly works with your existing macOS contacts, nothing to configure
• Groups: quickly toggle contact groups with a click
• Smart groups: Create dynamic smart groups that automatically update based on specific search criteria
• Notes: a convenient and powerful way to add notes to your contacts, helping you to strengthen your relationships
• Recents: quickly interact with your recent contacts
• Birthdays: instantly see upcoming birthdays and easily send a wish on their special day
• Printing: Print customized envelopes, labels, and lists of contacts
• iPhone and Bluetooth dialing
• macOS Action Extension
• Dark and light themes
• Beautiful widgets to let you instant use and interact with your contacts (some widget actions require a Flexibits Premium subscription)

Features (premium version)

• Includes Cardhop on all platforms: Mac, iPhone, and iPad
• Relationships: View relationships between people in your Office 365 organization or between personal contacts through the related name field
• Invite action: Quickly invite people to a new event with Fantastical
• If you’ve already subscribed to Flexibits Premium through Fantastical, all premium features are automatically included!

Privacy Policy

According to the Mac App Store, Fantastical may collect the following data that is linked to you – Contact Info, User Content, Identifiers, or Diagnostics. The app may also collect data linked to location, which is not connected to the user. Cardhop may only collect Contact Info, Identifiers, or Diagnostics. For the full Flexibits privacy policy click here.

Pricing and Availability

Fantastical and Cardhop have free versions available with limited features (as outlined above). If you choose to use the free options of either of these products, you can get them individually for separate devices. If you, however, decide to upgrade to the premium version of either of them, you are subscribing to Flexibits Premium which affords you both products in addition to Scheduling. In addition to having unlimited access, users also have access to each of these products for all platforms they are offered on.

Flexibits does offer a free trial (14 days) for its Premium package. Subscriptions do auto-renew unless the user cancels them and once a subscription charge occurs, it is non-refundable.

All products are available for Mac, iPad, iPhone, and any web browser. The Premium subscription is offered on a monthly or annual commitment for individuals or families (up to 5). Flexibits does offer educational or military discounts (20% off list prices for 24 months).

Flexibits Premium is also available for organizations by contacting Flexibits directly. If a user pays annually, they will save around 33% off the regular list price. Flexibits is offering the Premium package at a discount at the time of publishing (approximately 30%).

NOTE: Flexibits has announced that pricing adjustments will be coming on January 3, 2023.

User Experience

Because Fantastical is a complete calendar solution, there is a bit of set-up required by the user in order to ensure that the system works the way it is supposed to. First you have to sign up for a Flexibits account. This is used to manage your subscription, sync calendar sets, templates, notifications, weather, and any other unifying elements of the system. After your Flexibits account is created, you can start connecting individual calendar accounts (i.e. iCloud, Google, Exchange, etc.) to Fantastical.

Flexibits makes the process as easy as possible by including a Help Book on their websites, which included step by step instructions as well as video tutorials. Once you have everything set up, using Fantastical daily is super easy. The same is true of Cardhop. The set up is a little different because it involves the user adding contact accounts to macOS first and then granting Cardhop security access to Contacts. The app is basically reading information from your existing Contacts and adding to them.

I’ve been a big supporter of Fantastical for many, many years. I love the user experience and overall UI design of the system and honestly, I think it looks and feels better than Apple’s calendar app. I’ve always found Fantastical to function better, too.

I have used it daily and it has always been one of my must-have, first-install apps on any new Mac I get. I spoke highly of Fantastical so much that I had tried to convince all my personal Mac friends they should be using it. Back then, there was a one-time fee that Flexibits charged for the premium version. Users had to pay it again with major upgrades but I was willing to do that.

I’ve never been a fan of the subscription model method for app systems like this. Earlier this year, I changed my tune a little when I considered that certain app systems — like ones that deal with security updates frequently — are constantly receiving updates and that requires developers working on the backend constantly.

Developers have to make a living off their work and only getting paid by some users who might upgrade to the latest and greatest version of the app won’t allow them to keep it going or at least keep it running smoothly. Flexibits is made of people making a product you use daily and they deserve compensation for it.

Flexibits does a good job of maintaining their app ecosystem and they continue to add unique features with new version releases. These are all good reasons not to let the subscription model of Flexibits Premium scare you away from the fantastic app system they have built.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a comprehensive CRM and Calendar system, Flexibits Premium is an ideal choice. It’s the perfect all-in-one solution for managing customer relationships and keeping track of your day-to-day activities. With its powerful features and intuitive interface, it allows you to easily keep track of contacts, schedule events, and follow up with customers quickly and efficiently. And with its cloud-based storage, you can make sure your data is backed up and safe, so you never have to worry about losing important information. All in all, Flexibits Premium is the ideal tool for businesses and individuals looking for a comprehensive CRM and Calendar system.

For more information, visit flexibits.com or Twitter.

I am a big fan of apps that make life easier. I’m an even bigger fan of apps that make tasks on my computer easier to complete. This is the idea behind Dropzone 4. The app makes it easier to copy and move files as well as open applications, share files, and complete a slew of additional actions. We had the opportunity to review this app in 2015 and at that time, it was mostly about file management. Now, Dropzone 4 does so much more.

Overview

Dropzone is a productivity app that utilizes drag-and-drop functionality to streamline a user’s frequently used tasks. Dropzone was originally launched for the Mac App Store in 2011. It’s gone through several iterations since then — with Dropzone 4 (launched in 2020) being the latest. The app is written in Swift, Objective-C, Python, and Ruby.

About the Developer

Dropzone 4 was created by Aptonic Ltd, which is run by macOS developer John Winter. Winter is based in New Zealand and according to his LinkedIn profile, Winter has been writing code since 2007. He has experience with Swift, Objective-C, Ruby, Xcode, PHP, and Python.

Main Features

• Open applications, move and copy files faster than ever before.
• Shorten URLs quickly using Tinyurl shortener. Just select a URL to shorten and press Ctrl+Option+ Cd+S and the shortened URL is automatically copied to the clipboard.
• AirDrop integration lets you drop files or folders from any app and share them with your other Macs over the network.
• Imgur integration lets you share images fast and get a link for pasting.
• Quickly resize and convert images between different sizes and formats.
• Powerful multi-tasking engine allows you to run multiple tasks at once and track the progress of each one through the in-grid task status area.
• See how tasks are progressing at a glance in the animated menu item.
• Add applications, folders, or actions to your grid easily by dragging and dropping them on the Add to Grid area.

Dropzone 4 Pro Features

• Google Drive Uploading
• Amazon S3 Uploading
• SFTP/FTP Uploading
• Quick Look Drop Bar items
• Add unlimited Open URL actions
• Add Run AppleScript actions
• Action/macOS Service Key Triggers
• Install 3rd Party Add-on actions or develop your own

Privacy Policy

According to the Mac App Store, Dropzone 4 developer, Aptonic Limited, may collect contact info, usage data, or diagnostics from its users. To learn more, read their full privacy policy here.

The developer did have this to say about their privacy policy:

If I had to summarize our approach to user privacy I would say that we try to respect the user as much as possible and look after their data the way we’d want ours looked after.

Pricing and Availability

Dropzone 4 can be downloaded from aptonic.com, the Mac App Store, or through a SetApp subscription. It is free to use and includes a 14-day Dropzone 4 Pro trial. The Pro features can be unlocked by purchasing a $40 lifetime license or by paying a monthly subscription fee of $1.99, which will begin after your trial expires. If you are upgrading your Dropzone 3 account, you will receive a 30% discount.

This app requires macOS 10.15 or later. As of publishing this review, Dropzone 4 is currently on version 4.5.2 (build 1863).

DROPZONE 4 PRO SUBSCRIPTION INFO

Dropzone 4 provides an optional subscription. This subscription includes access to their growing library of cloud-based actions, regular cloud action updates, and enhancements, as well as all app updates, including major ones, provided automatically. It also includes access to all new features added in updates and unlocks Dropzone’s advanced features including Amazon S3 Uploading, Google Drive Uploading, FTP/SFTP Uploading, macOS service integration, and more.

To access the subscription option, launch Dropzone and choose “Subscribe to Dropzone 4 Pro…” from the settings menu to begin the 14-day free trial. If you cancel any time during the free trial, you won’t be charged the subscription fee. After 14 days, users are automatically billed $1.99 USD per month through an auto-renewing subscription.

The subscription entitles users to unlimited Dropzone 4 updates including minor and major features. Users can cancel their subscription at any time. If they do, Dropzone cloud actions and the advanced features will no longer be available. A subscription can also be restarted at any time.

How I Use Dropzone

Throughout my work day, I have several tasks that I repeat and Dropzone 4 has made it possible for those repeat tasks to reside in one place. One of the main things I use it during my workday is file management. Using Dropzone’s Folder option, I have one of my main project folders saved to it. That way as I finished content edits, I can drop the source files into that folder in Dropzone without having to open a Finder window.

Another thing I use Dropzone for throughout my day is to compress images using ImageOptim. If you’ve never used that app before, you only have to drop images onto the app’s icon to have it perform its function. Since Dropzone has the feature of being able to open applications from your Drop Bar, I simply drop an image onto ImageOptim’s icon in the Drop Bar and the application opens and runs its compression activity. It’s great.

Finally, I discovered that one of the cloud actions that is offered is for SideNotes, which is one of my favorite apps. I highly recommend that you peruse Aptonic’s library of cloud actions (accessible through a link in Dropzone’s preferences). I installed the “Add to SideNotes” action right away. This allows you to drop items onto that action and create a new note within SideNotes.

Why Use Dropzone

Dropzone is one of those utility apps that you didn’t know you were missing until you use it for a few days. One of the most useful actions within the app is being able to upload files to a cloud storage option — such as Google Drive. You can upload files to Google Drive without having to open your browser. That is a huge time savings for me.

Another reason to use it is that it is customizable for your own specific needs. I mentioned how I use Dropzone for work. Well, I use I have it set up a bit differently for my home computer use. It’s nice to have the flexibility of choice when using an app like this.

Conclusion

Dropzone 4 for Mac is a great way to save time and improve productivity. With its easy-to-use interface and wide range of features, it is perfect for both beginners and experienced users alike. Whether you need to transfer files between your Mac and other devices, or simply want an easier way to manage your downloads, this app is the solution.

Dropzone 4 for Mac is a great application that can help make your life more organized and efficient. It is definitely worth the price and I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good organizational tool.

For more information, visit aptonic.com or Twitter.

Have you come across a shortened link that looks like this — https://bit.ly/3Ga7E6N? There are many reasons why someone might want to shorten a URL link. Maybe they want to make the link easier to remember, or maybe they want to make it easier to share. Unfortunately, when you click on a shortened URL, you may not know where you will end up.

The link could take you to a malicious website that looks similar to a legitimate site. This is called phishing. Phishing websites can steal your personal information, such as your passwords or credit card numbers. They can also install malware on your device. Malware can damage your device or steal your information.

So, you want to exercise caution when clicking on shortened URLs — especially if you don’t know the sender. One thing you can do to safeguard yourself is to use an app to reveal the full URL such as Link Unshortener.

Overview

Link Unshortener is an app for macOS that expands shortened web links following redirects until it reveals the destination URL so that you never again click on a link without knowing where it goes. The app was released 2 years ago by developer Jeff Johnson. It was written using Apple’s Xcode. Johnson has three other apps available in addition to Link Unshortener.

• StopTheMadness
• Tweaks for Twitter
• StopTheScript

Privacy Policy

According to the Mac App Store, this app does not collect any data from its users. For more information, visit the developer’s privacy policy.

Main Features

• Handles link shorteners such as t.co (Twitter), bit.ly, tinyurl, and more!
• Automatically removes URL tracking parameters.
• Automatically upgrades URLs from http to https.
• No web cookies, storage, or caches. No JavaScript, tracking pixels, or HTTP Referer. Generic User-Agent. Your anonymity and privacy is protected.
• Includes a share extension.
• Includes a Mac system service.
• Dock icon accepts drag and drop of links.
• Link Unshortener can be set as your default web browser.
• Custom web browser opening rules! Associate specific URLs with specific web browsers. Open https://docs.google.com links in Google Chrome, and other links in Safari. Web URL Rules are shared with StopTheMadness.

Pricing and Availability

Link Unshortener is available in the Mac App Store for a one-time fee of $7.99.

User Experience

Link Unshortener is easily installed with a click from the Mac App Store. There are several preferences to walk through that really make the app work the way you want it to. For example, you have the option to copy unshortened URLs to your clipboard or open the unshortened URL automatically — if you select those preferences from the app.

One of the most valuable preferences that most people will want to enable is the “Trim URL queries” function. You have the option to trim out all extra code strings, known trackers, or nothing. This function will provide you the peace of mind that you are going directly to the intended URL and not being sent to a spam site or otherwise being tracked.

You do have the option to shorten a URL directly from your browser (shared with StopTheMadness Safari extension) or by copying/pasting it into the app’s entry field. I haven’t had any issues with how Link Unshortener works. I’m grateful for its utility because I get short URLs frequently and I don’t like to visit them blindly. Link Unshortener takes the guesswork out of that for me.

Conclusion

As you navigate the internet, you can’t be too careful about the links you click on. Link Unshortener ensures that you are educated about your intended destination. It’s very easy to use and straightforward in its intended use. I really like that you don’t have any information recorded in the app and that it’s just a passthrough. Link Unshortener is very easy to use and convenient in daily use cases.

For more information, visit underpassapp.com/LinkUnshortener.

Keeping track of battery levels on your primary devices can be difficult at times. I know that I have occasions where I’ll be working on my laptop and listening to music on my phone. During that time, I’m not thinking about the power left on my phone — just my laptop. So, it’s nice to have the ability to view my phone’s battery level using Battery Widget 2.0.

Overview

Battery Widget 2.0 was originally launched in 2021 as ‘Battery Widget’, by Pawan Dixit, an app developer who has been programming for around five years. With it, users can monitor the battery level of any device from any other device that has the app installed. As an example, you can track your Mac’s battery on your iPhone or vice-versa.

The description for the app from the developer’s website reads:

Batteries is designed to do just one thing. That is to track batteries of all your Apple devices from a single app. Once you install batteries app in your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac, all your devices battery level becomes available to every other device. So no matter what device you are on, you can check battery level of any of your devices.

Battery Widget 2.0 was released as an update in June 2022 as a complete redesign. The release notes in the Mac App Store read:

This is Batteries 2.0 release! Written completely from the ground up. With this release you now can share and track your friends and families’ battery levels as well! Batteries 2.0 has reliable syncing, new battery widget interface, low battery notifications, battery sharing from friends and families iCloud accounts, gorgeous and informative battery status icon on Mac. Enjoy!

According to the information provided in the App Store and on the developer’s website, Battery Widget 2.0 uses the tracking technologies built into the devices in order to report the information back to the users.

Privacy Policy

According to the App Store, the developer does not collect any data from Battery Widget 2.0. The full privacy policy can be read here.

Main Features

• Track battery levels of iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac (With the latest release you now can share and track your friends’ and families’ battery levels as well!)
• Shows the charging state of all your devices.
• Low battery notifications from all your devices.
• Supports the latest iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey. Also, fully supports the latest M1 Macs.
• Most up-to-date battery tracker with incredible support.

Pricing and Availability

The app can be purchased for a one-time fee of $4.99. It is a universal app which means that one purchase makes the app available for Mac, iOS, iPad, and Apple Watch.

User Experience

The app was easy to install. Since it’s distributed through the App Store, you simply download it and follow the on-screen prompts. The widget is universal and can be used with all your major Apple devices including the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and MacBook computers. I personally have my iPhone, Apple Watch, and MacBook Air (2020, M1) connected through the widget. According to the version release notes in the App Store (version 1.5 was released 1 year ago), there was supposed to be added functionality for AirPods, but I’ve not seen any of my Apple AirPods (Pro Gen 1, Pro Gen 2, and Max) appear in the widget.

In order to have your battery level appear on your various devices you do have to have the app installed on each device individually. There is no login but users need to be logged into their iCloud account. My first thought about this app was, “What about the Apple native battery utility?” Apple’s native battery utility provides users with the ability to view the battery level for any device that is connected to it via Bluetooth. With the Battery Widget, users are getting the battery level other than the internet.

In one of my screenshots, you will see the difference between the two interfaces that are provided. Batteries Widget gives you two options – the simple interface or the graphical interface. The graphical interface provides the user with an image that represents the device.

As far as accuracy goes, I’ve noticed that the iPhone level and MacBook levels are always correct. There are some issues with the Apple Watch connection though. You will also see in my screenshots that the Apple Watch shows a level of 31% on the Battery Widget 2.0 and a level of 100% on the native Battery widget. The “100%” is the correct level. I had just removed my watch from its charger and I attempted to force the update for the Battery Widget 2.0 but it didn’t update until I opened the app directly on the watch itself. I also noticed that my iPhone’s battery was incorrect several times when I checked it.

Now, one important note here is that the app was last updated on July 12, 2022. That was prior to the last major OS releases for Apple. The release note for the last update reads: Battery Widget fully supports latest iOS 15, iPadOS 15, WatchOS 8, macOS 12 Monterey, and M1 macs. So, I’m unsure if maybe some of the bugs I’m noticing are because of the OS rollouts that occurred in the past month.

Overall, I like the idea of the app, but there are some bugs that need to be worked out — particularly at this point in time.

1. The battery tracking doesn’t seem to sync accurately.
2. The charging state of devices isn’t shown correctly.
3. I don’t see any option to share battery levels with friends and family.
4. I would also like to see some tie-ins to Bluetooth-connected devices. The information is connected to the device information so it seems that it could be pulled into the widget along with the battery state and level. For example, if the Apple Pencil is connected to the iPad, then on the widget, there could be a ‘connected device’ segment beneath the iPad to show that the Apple Pencil was connected to the iPad and what its battery levels are.
5. I’ve never gotten a low battery notification, which is supposed to according to the developer.

Currently, you will receive battery low notification on your Mac when your iPhone, iPad or Watch reaches below 20%, 15%, 10% or 5%.

Dixit, Pawan. “Introducing Battery Widget 2.0…” Reddit, 10 Jun. 2022, www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/w112o7/introducing_battery_widget_20_an_app_for_people/

Even though it doesn’t directly connect to the way the app works, I do feel the need to make a comment about the developer’s website. To me, this is part of the user experience. I always research products and apps before I use them and that means visiting their website. Dixit’s site – pawan.pro – is horribly laid out. It is responsive, but the information that is included is sparse and disorganized. I hope that maybe the developer will take a little time and apply some modern UI/UX design to his site.

Conclusion

Battery Widget 2.0 is a worthwhile app — once the bugs are worked out for the support of the current operating systems. Right now, I wouldn’t recommend paying for this app over the Apple native battery utilities that are provided on each of the flagship devices.

For more information, visit pawan.pro and Twitter.

HiddenMe for macOS is a simple, but effective way to increase your productivity with a single click.

In a world where first impressions are everything, it’s no surprise that people want to make sure their desktop is looking its best. One way to do this is to hide their icons. While it may seem like a small thing, hiding icons can give the impression of a clean and organized desktop. It can also help people focus on their work, as they’re not constantly being distracted by the various icons on their screen.

No matter how hard I’ve tried, I always end up having numerous icons on my desktop. Sometimes they are simply shortcuts to applications and sometimes they are folders of images I’ve saved from various sources. Whatever the cause, icons are forever present on my desktop and even though it can be a staging area for some people, for me, it can be a huge distraction so utilizing HiddenMe is a big help for my personal productivity.

Overview

HiddenMe is a menu bar utility that hides users’ desktop icons with a single click. It helps to hide cluttered desktops from view so they aren’t a distraction or in the way. While Desktop Stacks now Stage Manager — both features of macOS — help to clean up the desktop view, they don’t remove or hide icons completely. HiddenMe does. It toggles the icons between hidden and viewable through the use of a single mouse click or even a keyboard shortcut. The app utilizes MASShortcut, a modern API and user interface for recording, storing, and using system-wide keyboard shortcuts.

Features

• Multiple Display support (pro version only)
• Use a shortcut to hide your desktop icons
• Use a solid color as the background
• Mission Control layer is overridden by default, No flickering!
• Single click to hide/unhide, and Right-click for the menu. (Enable from Preferences).

Developer Info

HiddenMe was created by Appersian, a development group based out of Iran. They have a website located at Appersian.net, but it does not include much information on the company. In fact, it appears broken. When you go to the website, the first thing you will see is a message that reads, “Nothing Found.” Just below that, you will see that the group offers development services for iOS, macOS, Android, UI/UX, and the web.

There is a large portfolio of 15 apps included on this page, too. There are four team members listed on the site but not all of them are still listed as employees of Appersian on their LinkedIn profiles. This is a little confusing if you are trying to research the company like I was.

Privacy Policy

According to the Mac App Store, HiddenMe does not collect any information from this app. Unfortunately, access to the full privacy policy is not available at the link provided in the Mac App Store.

Pricing and Availability

There is a little confusion about the pricing of HiddenMe. Some sources show it as a ‘free app’ with a paid pro version available as an in-app purchase, but when you go to the Mac App Store, it shows the app as a $1.99 one-time purchase. There was an update two weeks prior to the publishing of this article that lists “Now a universal app!” as its only feature. I am assuming other sources of information just haven’t been updated yet.

The big difference between the two versions is supposed to be that the pro version gives users access to support multiple displays. The free version does not. The app is currently on version 3.1 and received its last update 2 weeks ago (according to the App Store).

User Experience

I’ve found HiddenMe to be extremely useful on a daily basis — especially on my work computer. Throughout my work day, I work as a content editor and I end up juggling many different project tasks. I will download creative elements and then put them together inside a website CMS environment.

Because of the fast pace, I end up shifting files from my Downloads folder to my desktop as I complete tasks. Then, at the end of the day, I will sort out all the files that have piled up on the Desktop.

Before I have a chance to clear the desktop, I will usually keep the files hidden using HiddenMe so they are a distraction for me. I will sometimes want to pause what I’m doing to clean up those files, but that pulls me away from the task at hand. So, keeping them hidden is a huge help to me.

I love the simplicity of the utility app and how easy it is to use. There are a few options for customizing HiddenMe — such as changing the background color of the desktop when you hide the icons or double-clicking the desktop to reveal the hidden icons — that help make it more personalized per user. Users even have the option to hide the icons upon launching the app.

Conclusion

I didn’t have any issues with the operation or function of HiddenMe, but I do wish the developer and background information was more updated. HiddenMe is a great tool to use to improve your desktop organization and your personal productivity. The app is easy to use and can be customized to fit your needs. It can help you focus by temporarily hiding your cluttered desktop. Give it a try today and see how much more productive you can be!

For more information, visit appersian.net, Facebook, or Twitter.

For many years, I wrote my passwords down on a piece of paper. Then, I moved that list to a spreadsheet. After that, I started using the same password for every login I had. All of these methods of storing passwords are 100% insecure and exactly what you should not do. What you should do is use a password manager, which is an application designed to help users store all their vital information including user names, passwords, and other information they want to keep secure.

Password managers typically have a central repository, or “vault,” where data is stored securely. Many password managers also have the ability to generate strong, unique passwords for the user’s accounts and will even fill in the login information for the user on web pages and apps.

According to security.org, only 1 in 5 Americans currently uses a password manager. Even though one-third of all Americans had their identities or online credentials compromised in 2021, using a password manager is still not a widely adopted practice despite there being many different options to choose from. One such password manager is Secrets.

Overview

Secrets is a password manager that offers a simple, secure way for users to store passwords as well as protect digital wallet information. With it, you can safely store passwords, credit cards, bank details, and more. A user’s data is stored using modern cryptographic algorithms such as XSalsa20 and XChaCha20 using 256-bit keys. User data stays within the Secrets app where it is handled and decrypted.

Browser extensions and helper apps defer to Secrets to access your data. Secrets automatically locks when you navigate away from it to keep your information safe — even if your device is lost or stolen. The app can only be accessed with the master password which unlocks the vault.

The Secrets app has an integrated password generator that provides unique passwords that are unpredictable. The app will also perform a security check on your logins to find weak, old, or breached passwords.

Secrets was originally released for macOS and iOS in 2016. It was a featured app in the Mac App Store in February 2017 and was added to Setapp in January 2018. In September 2020, Secrets for Windows/Linux was released.

Secrets is developed by a small Lisbon-based software studio run by Paulo Andrade called Outer Corner. Andrade has been developing for iOS since the first introduction of the iPhone SDK in 2008. The app is built in AppKit and UIKit with Objective-C being the made coding language (the codebase predates Swift).

When the app launched in Product Hunt, Andrade had this to say about the password manager when asked about the appeal to someone who was already using an established product.

With Secrets we put security first. Secrets stores your data using the OpenPGP standard, a battle proven standard that has already seen a few revisions. This also allows users to easily self verify how their data is stored using third party tools.

We also strived to make it extremely simple to work with, not just from an UX perspective but also from a security perspective. By not having browser extensions and helper apps that ask you for your passphrase we’re reducing the attack vectors on your data. Note that we still have a browser auto fill feature, we just do it from outside the browser by using other OS features. Not having code running in your browser was a goal from the get go.

Privacy Policy

According to the App Store, Secrets collects data that is not linked to the user including usage data and diagnostics. Click here to read the full privacy policy.

Main Features

• iCloud Sync: Seamlessly sync Secrets with your iPhone, iPad, or Mac to access your information wherever you go.
• Password Generator: Free your mind from all those passwords. Create unique and secure passwords for all of your logins.
• Auto Fill: Better than copying & pasting. Use Secrets to automatically fill in login information in Safari and other browsers.
• Two-Factor Authentication: Generate one-time passwords for services that support two-factor authentication, including Google, Facebook, and Dropbox.
• Quick Unlock: Unlock Secrets without typing your passphrase using Touch ID or your Apple Watch.
• Import: Transfer passwords and other information from applications like 1Password and LastPass to Secrets.
• Simple Pricing: No subscriptions. Free for up to 10 items. Unlock unlimited items with a $19.99 in-app purchase.
• Browser Extensions: Support for Safari is built-in and extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Brave, and Vivaldi are also available.
• Attachments: Because your private data may not only be text… you can attach files to your items and also have them securely stored.
• Security First: Cryptography is hard, we know. That’s why we rely on the popular Sodium library and use modern crypto such as XSalsa20 and Poly1305. Learn more ›
• Beautifully Simple: Keeping your information secure online is easy with our simple and beautifully designed app.
• Not Just Passwords: Use Secrets to store notes, credit card numbers, banking details, and other confidential information.

Pricing and Availability

Secrets is free to use for up to 10 items. Unlimited items can be accessed by paying $19.99 for the Premium version. The password manager is available for macOS and iOS and separate premium licenses must be purchased for each version. Secrets is also available through Setapp.

User Experience

Secrets is a very impressive set of apps. The design of the user interface is stellar. It’s very clean and intuitive. One of the more impressive aspects to this app was how easy it was to import records. For the most part, my logins were being stored within my Apple Keychain. I was able to easily export all that information to a CSV file and then select it as the import data. I made sure that the data fields matched between the CSV and Secrets but other than that, Secrets did a great job of importing and evaluating the data.

I’ve been running Secrets on my Mac (through Setapp) and on my iPhone for a couple of months now and in general, it’s been an enjoyable experience. As far as security goes, I haven’t experienced any issues with how the app functions and haven’t noticed any potential security risks. That said, there are a couple of upgrades I’d love to see made.

Hidden Mac App

When you use Secrets on the macOS side of things the full app must be open in order for the extension in Safari or the menu utility to work. I would love to see the full app become a ‘hidden’ app. What I mean by that is that you don’t have the app open actively and the app’s icon isn’t open in the Finder dock unless you manually open it. I dislike having a full app open when it’s not necessary. There are other password managers that accomplish this functionality. So, I hope that in the future Secrets can, too.

Autofill on the Mac

The overall experience with the iOS version of Secrets is as smooth as butter. It just works. I found the macOS version to be a little bumpy in some places. The autofill function was one of those places. When you set Secrets to be your default password manager for autofill purposes in Safari, a separate app window will open to verify the login information. This is a bit different than what I have experienced with other password managers. Those apps usually live in the input fields as a widget rather than opening an entirely separate window.

More Frequent Updates

One other thing I would like to see happen with Secrets is more frequent updates. At the time of publishing this article, Secrets was last updated 3 months ago (on both Mac and iOS). Even if no major features are released, I would think that bugs or security updates would need to be more frequent.

Conclusion

A password manager is a great way to keep your passwords safe and secure and Secrets is a solid option for macOS and iOS users. It’s easy to use and has a variety of features that make it the best option for most people. Plus, it’s affordable and comes with a free trial so you can try it before you buy it.

For more information, visit outercorner.com or Twitter.

If someone was to ask me what function I use on my computer the most, I think it would have to be the screenshot function. While some people might just take a screenshot as a way to save an image for a later time, I will often take them to enhance note-taking or as a way to demonstrate how to complete a certain task.

No matter what the reason, screenshots or screen captures are an essential function of modern computer systems in my opinion. And while the screenshot is natively built into the operating system’s functionality, apps like CleanShot X take the function to the next level.

Overview

CleanShot X was created by MakeTheWeb, which is made up of two developers out of Poland – Pawet Magiera and Luke Oslizlo. There is very little information on MakeTheWeb available on cleanshot.com. I was able to find some information in an interview posted to nocsdegree.com about Oslizlo.

Oslizlo finished high school in 2018 and he and his friend (Magiera) started MakeTheWeb and released two Mac apps — PixelSnap and CleanShot. As of 2019, Oslizlo was only 20 years old and had no formal development training. He said that he began coding when he was 11 years old.

I was always fascinated with computers and how it all works and I guess it was a natural step for me to start with some simple HTML coding. So I started reading some online tutorials about it and I was just having fun while doing my first websites.

The pair of developers work easily together, which allows them to be more efficient and release many projects quickly. The two have known each other since they were 9 years old and they constantly motivate each other.

CleanShot X was originally launched in 2018 and is currently on version 4.4. The latest release took place in August 2022 and it included bug fixes and the following feature additions.

• Introducing Capture History – easily access and restore recent captures
• Added Auto-Scroll option to Scrolling Capture
• Added option to copy/paste objects in Annotate
• New OCR language support in macOS Ventura – Korean, Japanese, Russian, Ukrainian
• Improved Annotate compatibility with some trackpads
• Disabled cursor when capturing full screen with All-In-One

Privacy Policy

According to CleanShot’s privacy policy (found here), the data collected by the app includes e-mail addresses, first and last names, photos/avatars, and IP addresses.

We use personal data that we collected strictly for the purpose that we received it for or in our interest if it is necessary to maintain our relations or support service provided.

The purposes we can process your data are:

• providing services in application
• contact needs
• direct marketing of our services and products
• ordered newsletter
• resolving conflicts and complaints

Main Features

CleanShot X offers more than 50 features to users and here are some highlights of what the app can do. Visit cleanshot.com to see all the functions CleanShot X is capable of.

• CleanShot Cloud: You can instantly save your screen captures to CleanShot Cloud, dedicated screenshot hosting integrated with the app. Right from the quick menu, upload your screenshot to the cloud, and get a link to it in a click.
• Hide desktop icons: CleanShot hides desktop icons so that you can capture your Mac’s screen on the spot, without wasting time on cleanup. If you need a quick capture, toggle the icons and bring them back once you’re finished. You can even set custom wallpaper like an image or plain color for your screenshots.
• Record screen: CleanShots lets you choose between recording a video or a GIF, whether you capture a specific window, part of the screen, or fullscreen. Even set your custom dimensions before hitting the Record button. You can also disable desktop notifications when you’re recording.
• Quick Access Overlay: Right after taking a screenshot, you’ll see a small pop-up window appear on the screen. It’s the shortcut to viewing, annotating, or sharing whatever you’ve just captured. Essentially, Quick Access Overlay gives you an instant editing toolkit, plus saves you from searching and reopening screenshots.
• Simple yet powerful: CleanShot teaches you to use simple actions while capturing the screen – yet provides tons of options to do it. You can grab the area, fullscreen, window, or even a scrolling window. Set a timer if you need a few seconds to capture the right moment. In your hands, it caters to your needs.
• Annotate, highlight or blur: No screenshot is perfect. Using CleanShot’s built-in editor, you can highlight or hide specific parts of your screenshots as well as add annotations flexibly. Just click on the pencil icon in the Quick Access Overlay to edit screen captures in a flash.

Pricing and Availability

CleanShot X can be purchased through the developer’s website – cleanshot.com – for a one-time payment of $29. This is the App + Cloud Basic plan for an individual user. This plan includes one year of updates and 1GB of cloud storage.

There is also an App + Cloud Pro plan that is $8 per user per month, billed annually (or $10 per user per month, billed monthly). This version includes unlimited cloud storage, and updates for as long as you pay the subscription fees.

CleanShot offers a 30% discount to students who have an edu-issue email address. There is no trial version, but a 30-day money-back guarantee is included with any purchase. The app requires macOS 10.14 or newer for operation. There is no version for Windows.

CleanShot X can also be downloaded with a paid subscription to Setapp.

User Experience

CleanShot X is an app I use every single day. There are several features that set it apart from the native screenshot function on a Mac which caused me to choose it as my default application. To get started with the app, you must first download the app and purchase a license (unless you are using Setapp in which case you can simply install it on your system).

Once you have the app installed I would advise you to walk through all the preferences and carefully select the functionality that will work best for you. This is definitely one of those apps that benefits from a strong setup by the user. The app does a good job of walking the user through the essential set-up tools.

The first thing the app is going to ask is if you want CleanShot to be your default screenshot tool. If you choose to do so, which I would recommend, the app will provide the instructions for how you select it within the computer’s System Preferences panel. CleanShot will then ask if you want to share usage statistics anonymously. I chose not to, but that is up to the individual user.

The app will be installed as a menu bar utility. If you open the full window for it, you are essentially just opening the preferences menus. There is no other app functionality per se because the action of the app really takes place when you capture an image.

The preferences menu is broken down as follows → General • Wallpaper • Shortcuts • Quick Access • Recording • Screenshots • Annotate • Cloud • Advanced • About

I found the preferences menu options to be descriptive and easy to navigate. Features and functions were where I expected them to be found and because of that, set-up and future adjustments were very easy to make.

What happens when you take a screenshot?

The action that happens when you take a screenshot using CleanShot is a bit different than when you use Mac Screenshot. There is a Quick Access window that appears when you take the screenshot. You can designate where on the screen the window appears in preferences. I have mine appearing in the bottom left corner.

You have the option of having the window immediately save your screenshot, it can be on a delay, or the window can wait for your manual action before it disappears. I have it set to wait for my action. By doing this, I have the ability to review the screenshot before I save it.

The Quick Action window gives you the option to annotate your screenshot, save it, delete it, or save it to the cloud. It’s a very handy tool and one of the reasons that CleanShot is my default screenshot app now.

Daily Use & Why I Prefer CleanShot X

As I mentioned, screenshots are part of my daily routine. As useful as the tool is, I have still found myself getting frustrated with the function of it. Two of my biggest frustrations with taking standard screenshots are the location where they are saved and the format they are saved in. It is possible to change the format for a saved screenshot on a Mac, but you have to use Terminal to do it.

Users do have the option to change the location where their screenshots are saved on Mac’s Screenshot app, but it’s a little more cumbersome to use than CleanShot’s interface in my opinion. The option is hidden in the Options menu of the Screenshot app so you have open the floating control window in order to access that feature most of the time I will just use the shortcuts to capture an image and never option that control window.

On the very first page of CleanShot’s preferences — Under General — there is an Export Location option. Desktop is selected by default, but you can select anywhere to be that location. You also have the option to select your save location after your screenshot is taken.

Under the Quick Access preferences, there is a ‘save button behavior’ that gives you the option to set ‘save to export location’ or ‘ask for destination.’ This goes back to the action that happens when you take a screenshot with CleanShot.

That Quick Action window will provide a dialogue if you select ‘ask for a destination’ when you click on ‘save’ so you can designate where to save it. This is very handy when you are taking a bunch of screenshots for a single purpose.

Let’s say that you are watching a video presentation and you are taking screenshots of the slides being shown so that you can refer to them later. As you save the screenshots of that video presentation, you can save them all to the same folder so they don’t just pile up with other screenshots on your desktop or downloads folder.

Other features I enjoy

In addition to the features, I already mentioned I also really enjoy the customization options for screenshots that CleanShot X offers. For example, one of the preferences you can set allows you to hide desktop icons and use a transparent background instead of the wallpaper when you capture the screen. This is very useful for me since I take screenshots for app reviews like this one. I also really like that you can adjust design options like removing the drop shadow or the padding when a screenshot is captured.

The Text Recognition feature is incredibly impressive. I’ve been using TextSniper to copy text from images for quite some time, but CleanShot’s Text Recognition makes it possible for me to have the burden of one less app on my computer. The OCR technology is very accurate and the action is incredibly quick.

Conclusion

CleanShot X is 100% worth the investment in the cost of the application if you use screenshot functions as I do. It’s an incredibly powerful app that’s very easy to use. This will definitely be on my list of must-have apps from now on. The only thing I don’t like is that the individual pricing tier only includes one year of updates.

The developers do seem to be very attentive to this application and provide a lot of maintenance and upgrades to it, but I would prefer it if they would offer a subscription option other than the recurring monthly fee that included updates as long as you were a subscriber. Aside from that, CleanShot X is a great application that everyone should invest in.

For more information, visit cleanshot.com and Twitter.

What is Setapp and is it worth it?

I remember a time before app stores were a feature that people utilized to find their software. Finding apps that were both functional and secure was a tricky process. You used to have to use a browser’s search engine and hope that the software package you were downloading was the correct application you were looking for.

Fortunately, Apple normalized the process of seeking out new software into a centralized system called an “app store” in 2008 with the release of iPhone OS 2.0. There were precursors to this type of software system but they weren’t really made popular until smartphones flooded the market.

Since that time, app stores have made it possible for users to feel certain about their purchases and downloads. While I truly appreciate the app store as a system, I also find myself getting frustrated with paywalls that act as barriers to certain applications.

Using the Mac App Store as an example, some apps will allow you to download them for free (GET) but they have In-App Purchases that block your entry to the main features of the apps. This is where the subscription-model app store comes in handy and why Setapp by MacPaw has become one of my all-time favorite services to use.

Setapp Overview

Setapp was created in 2016 (official launch February 2017) by the development team at MacPaw (CleanMyMac X). MacPaw focuses on creating incredible software for macOS and so their app store platform is focused on that operating system. In 2020, they added iOS apps to the system.

In the first year of Setapp’s launch, the system had over 240 apps on the platform and more than 300,000 users. To date, it has more than 230 apps for macOS and iOS and more than 1 million users worldwide (as of November 2019).

The business model of Setapp is different from that of a traditional app store. It’s set up more like a media streaming service. Users pay one monthly fee and they have access to all the content — or in this case, apps — on that platform.

The philosophy behind the initiative was to give users preselected, ready-to-use software that covers both generic and job-specific tasks. Applications on Setapp are automatically updated and contain no in-app purchases or advertisements.

Setapp. (2022, October 16). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Setapp

The service is designed to provide a system for macOS and iOS users to find apps that will work for their daily workflow. The platform is set up for users to be able to search by task rather than by app. For example, if you search for ‘note-taking’, then a list of note-taking apps will be shown.

Setapp also has several curated lists included with the most popular tasks being highlighted. As of writing this article, the top three collections shown are Venture upgrade toolkit, Get things done, and Boost security. The apps are curated and delivered in an easy-to-use interface so that users can save time searching and spend more time working.

The system is built using Swift, Objective-C, Kotlin, and Java. Apps that are submitted for the Setapp system have different programming requirements. Read more about the individual app requirements and the framework on github.com.

About MacPaw

MacPaw is a software development company that focuses on iOS and macOS application creation. The company was founded in Kyiv, Ukraine, and has headquarters in both Kyiv and Cyprus. The company’s core values include: create experience, stay human, and make impact. MacPaw was founded in 2008 by Oleksandr Kosovan.

The SAAS company has more than 30,000,000 users worldwide and it’s estimated that every 5th Mac on Earth has at least 1 app by MacPaw on it. MacPaw’s first commercial release, CleanMyMac is the company’s most popular app and it has more than 5 million users. One of the more unique facts about this company is that they have an in-house vintage Apple Tech Museum with 70 historical MacBooks and a number of relics such as the first iPhones and Apple design books.

Privacy Policy

According to the Privacy Policy found on setapp.com, the service collects and receives the following types of information.

• Payments Information – stored and processed by third-party payment service providers as designated by Setapp
• Usage Information – certain data about the devices you use to connect with Setapp such as location information, log data, Services and Sites Specific data, and device information
• Cookies
• Third-party data
• Additional information provided to Setapp – if you participate in a focus group, contest, activity, or event, apply for a job, request support, interact with our social media accounts, or otherwise communicate with Setapp

This information is processed and stored as necessary for Setapp to perform its contract with its users and for legitimate business interests. Setapp does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If it is determined that type of information is collected, Setapp takes steps to remove that information from their system. Click here to read the full Privacy Policy.

Main Features

As mentioned, Setapp is a subscription-based system with monthly/annual costs incurred (outlined in the Pricing and Availability section). With a membership, users get:

• All-access pass to curated Mac and iOS apps
  • No limit to the number of apps you install
• Access to one cross-platform suite with quality apps for any task
• New app additions with no change to the membership fee
• Free updates
• No ads
• Free trial available
• An easy-to-use desktop app for app discovery
  • Apps searchable by task (i.e. ‘edit PDF’, etc.)
• Team plans available
• Easy cancellation/renewal
• AI Assistant and search have been added to Setapp
• Users can now get a special Setapp Family plan

System Requirements

Users’ systems must meet the following requirements in order to use Setapp.

• macOS
  • High Sierra 10.13 (minimum)
  • Catalina 10.15 and later (recommended)
• Free Disk Space: around 300 Mb for the Setapp app
• Internet Connection

NOTE: If your Mac uses macOS 10.13-10.14, an optimized version of Setapp is downloaded for you automatically. These versions receive only security updates and might differ from the latest Setapp in their look & feel, features, and workflows. Apps in Setapp may have different system requirements than the Setapp application.

Pricing and Availability

Setapp is available for macOS and iOS platforms. There are two pricing tiers — personal and teams. The personal tier is meant for single users while the team tier is designed for multiple users in the same organization.

Personal Tier: Users can purchase a single macOS subscription or a combo subscription that includes the iOS platforms, too. If you have more than one Mac machine, a Power User subscription is also an option. A 10% discount can be applied if users pay annually rather than monthly.

• Mac (1 Mac) → $9.99/mo
• Mac + iOS (1 Mac, Available on iOS devices) → $12.49/mo
• Power Users (4 Mac, Available on iOS devices) → $14.99/mo

Teams Tier: Setapp also offers a team subscription model. These options are good for one device per user per month with each extra device costing $2.49 per month.

• Monthly → $9.99/mo
• Annual → $8.99/mo

A custom pricing model can be designed by the Setapp sales team for large multinational or nonprofit organizations, too.

Free trials are available for 7 days (personal) or 14 days (teams) so that you can try the system before committing to it. At the end of the trial period, if you decide not to move forward with a paid membership, you can simply cancel the subscription.

Payment details do not have to be entered when you start your free trial — only at the conclusion of the trial period if you decide to keep the service. For more information on the free trial period, review the details on Setapp’s support page.

Education Plan: There is also an education plan/pricing available for students and teachers. If you signup with an email that ends with ‘edu’ or the email belongs to a domain of your educational institution, a 50% discount is applied to your plan pricing.

User Experience

Getting started with Setapp is pretty standard. You will want to go to setapp.com to download the desktop application and set up your account. I do recommend taking advantage of the free trial option — even if you know you want to proceed with a paid subscription. You are sort of pushed to do so because any option you select for downloading or registering your account takes you to the free trial.

You’re asked to enter your email or sign in with Facebook or Google. You’ll be asked to create a password and once you click ‘continue,’ the Setapp installer will automatically start downloading. If you are required to sign in again, you will click on “Sign in to use apps” and enter your credentials.

The main application window looks a lot like the Mac App Store dashboard. I thought this was a smart design choice as it is a format that macOS users are already accustomed to using. In this main explorer view, you will see a slider with suggested content and news items and then the following headings:

• Recommended for you
• How-tos
• Collections
• Staff Picks
• New Arrivals
• Recently Updated

In addition to the search field where users can enter any criteria they wish, the sidebar of the application window also has the following options for navigation:

• Favorites
• On This Mac
• Collections
• All Apps
  • Lifestyle
  • Creativity
  • Developer Tools
  • Productivity
  • Mac Hacks
  • Writing & Blogging
  • Education
  • Maintenance
  • Task Management
  • Personal Finance
  • Available on iOS
  • Security

The Setapp desktop application needs to be running in order for any apps installed through Setapp to operate. The nice thing about the function of Setapp is that you can close the main window and the app will continue running from the menu bar. From the menu bar icon, you can do a simple search or open the full explorer window.

After the installation is completed, installing apps is pretty much the same process as it is with the Mac App Store. One of the big differences is that applications installed with Setapp are placed into a Setapp folder within the Applications folder on your Mac hard drive.

There are far fewer apps in the Setapp store than in the Mac App Store. A big reason for this is that Setapp is very careful about which apps are admitted to the collection. You will usually not find two apps that have a similar function in the same category available for download. For example, there is only one VPN available through Setapp.

Is it worth it?

In my experience thus far, yes. I would consider the subscription price ‘worth it.’ I have been actively using 10 different apps through Setapp. Their total combined cost is $282.92. Some of those app costs are one-time fees, but that one-time fee doesn’t guarantee a lifetime of upgrades. The Setapp subscription affords that feature to its members.

One of those apps alone was $80 and another one has an annual subscription fee of $65. By subscribing to Setapp, I am saving 58% off of the list prices of those 10 apps alone and if I were to pay annually (rather than monthly), I would be saving 62%.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a new way to manage your Mac applications, you may want to check out Setapp. This subscription model may not work well for everyone, but if you are like me and want to have full access to a fully functional app rather than a lite version, then give Setapp a try. There have been many apps I’ve wanted to use for years that I am now making use of daily thanks to Setapp.

For more information, visit setapp.com, Facebook, and Twitter.

There are several reasons why someone might want to keep their computer from falling asleep. Maybe they are working on a project that requires them to have constant access to their computer, or maybe they are waiting for an important email to come through. Regardless of the reason, there are a few ways to keep your computer from falling asleep including the incorporation of a utility app such as Caffeinated for Mac.

About Caffeinated

Caffeinated is a utility app designed for macOS that prevents your Mac from going to sleep. It will also help prevent your screen from dimming or the screensaver starting. The app lives in your menu bar as a simple, one-click operation utility. It’s flexible and provides users with different options for use. For example, should you disconnect your laptop from a charger, the app will deactivate the awake function so that it doesn’t continue draining your battery with an active screen.

Caffeinated was originally released in early 2018 by developer Yugen, which is based in Germany. The app receives regular updates and improvements based on user feedback. It’s lightweight and has been optimized for macOS Big Sur and Apple Silicon.

Caffeinated has been natively designed for macOS using the following tech stack.

• Xcode as the integrated development environment
• Swift as the programming language
• Apple’s AppKit as the framework

Main Features

• One-Click-Activation (optional Left or Right-Click)
• Manageable via the icon in the Menu Bar
• Integrated timer with optional Notification
• Optimized for Retina Screen
• Compatible with Dark Mode
• Gentle on your RAM and Processor
• Option to allow Display to sleep while System stays awake
• Option to Auto-Activate when Connecting to Charger
• Option to Auto-Deactivate when Battery drops below 20%
• Option to Auto-Deactivate when Disconnecting from Charger
• Syncs with system accent colors
• Compatible with all modern macOS versions
• Optimized for macOS Big Sur
• Optimized for Apple Silicon
• Translated to 15+ languages

Pricing & Availability

Caffeinated is available in the Mac App Store for a one-time fee of $3.99. There is a link to download the app from the app’s website, but it redirects to the App Store. The app has also been featured on Product Hunt.

Privacy Policy

According to the Mac App Store, data is not collected from this app by the developer. The full privacy policy can be found here.

User Experience

I’ve been using apps similar to Caffeinated for many years. It’s just much more convenient to use manage certain tasks without having to worry about your computer going to sleep at the most inconvenient time. One of the things that sets Caffeinated apart from some other apps is its simplicity.

When you install it, you get a simple startup screen that just says “Welcome to Caffeinated“ and a notification pop-up. After that, the app lives in your menu bar with a coffee cup as the icon. All the settings can be found from its drop-down menu and you activate the anti-sleep function by clicking on the icon.

The Settings are separated into three categories Launch, General, and Power Options.

• Launch
  • Launch at Login
  • Activate at Launch
  • Activate with Left Click
• General
  • Allow Display to Sleep
  • Allow Desktop Notifications
  • Display Colored Icon
• Power Options
  • Activate when Connecting to Charger
  • Deactivate when Disconnecting From Charger
  • Deactivate when Battery Below 20%

In addition to selecting your settings, you also choose a duration from the following options:

• Infinitely
• 5 minutes
• 10 minutes
• 15 minutes
• 30 minutes
• 45 minutes
• 1 hour
• 2 hours
• 4 hours
• 8 hours
• 12 hours

After your selections are made, you just click the coffee cup from the menu bar to activate it. It’s super easy and honestly, it’s made my daily life a lot less complicated. My workstation is run off of a laptop and even though I have the MacBook set to work in clamshell mode, I find things much more efficient if I use Caffeinated to keep the computer awake while I’m actively working. I don’t have to worry about how the laptop is communicating with the external devices if it falls asleep.

Conclusion

Caffeinated is a great utility to add to your App Library. I’ve not had any issues with the app working as it should. It’s been very reliable and because it’s so simple to use, I don’t get caught in a tangled web of preferences. Even though there is a fee for the app, it’s a moderate one-time charge and since it’s a clean, well-developed application, I feel that it’s a worthy investment.

For more information, visit caffeinated.app.

Update, 10/20/22 →

Dashlane announced some updates to their Enterprise-level plan. Here’s a rundown of the latest: 

• Dashlane Advanced: A new pricing tier — just $2.75 per month – includes unlimited passwords, access on unlimited devices, unlimited sharing, 1GB of file storage for Secure Notes, personalized security alerts, and Dark Web Monitoring
• Dashlane Friends & Family: An update to the Dashlane Family plan that enables sharing with 10 others at a lower-cost ($7.49/month – just 75¢ per user)
• Dashlane Free: Users now have access to Secure Notes and unlimited passwords, ensuring secure access is available for everyone, at no cost
• Enterprise Security Updates: 
  • Dark Web Insights: Real-time alerts for admins with a user by user breakdown of compromised passwords across the organization 
  • Dashlane Authenticator App: New app for enabling MFA seamlessly; allows for secure sharing of both passwords and 2FA codes — a common use case in the office setting (if coworkers want to share a social media account, for instance). Will be available for download on iOS and Android devices. 
  • Dashlane Starter: A new low-cost plan for teams of up to ten individuals ($20/month) to lower the barrier to basic access security

One of the most essential tools that a person should utilize these days is a password manager. Because passwords are the gateway to our digital lives and need to be vigorously protected, a password manager can not only help keep data secure, but the utility can also organize a user’s information as well.

A password manager can keep track of all your passwords as well as help you create strong, unique passwords for each individual account you have. In addition to that, password managers also provide autofill login features so that the user doesn’t have to remember anything — except for the master password that unlocks the password manager itself.

Password managers are life savers when you manage multiple accounts for different aspects of your life. Take me for example. I have three main segments to my life — personal, work, and Mac Sources. Each area has its own set of accounts that must be managed and it can be very tricky to keep it all organized.

My personal and professional life has evolved alongside the Internet and I remember a time when my mom would literally have a piece of paper with her accounts and passwords written on them. There were only a dozen or so accounts on it and as you might guess, the main password was repeated several times. Today, that type of password organization is not only cumbersome, but it’s also incredibly unsafe.

Over the past few months, I’ve been trying to determine what password manager is the best option for me and my lifestyle. There are quite a few options out there including 1Password, EnPass, and, what has become one of my favorites, Dashlane.

About Dashlane

Dashlane was founded in 2009 by Bernard Liautaud and co-founders Alexis Fogel, Guillaume Maron, and Jean Guillou and was originally based in France. Today, the company operates offices in Paris, New York, and Lisbon and offers remote work options to its employees (approximately 500).

More than 17 million users and 20,000 businesses in 180 countries use Dashlane across web and mobile applications. Dashlane is the only password manager with advanced reporting that tracks password improvement over time.

Both Team and Business admins have access to the reporting dashboard via their Admin Console. There, admins can receive actionable insights on their employees’ Password Health Scores and help at-risk employees update their weak, reused, or compromised passwords. With this historical reporting, admins can easily see the real impact of their security measures.

Main Features

• Store an unlimited number of passwords and access them on any device
• Sync your Dashlane data to every device automatically, even if your phone and computer run on different systems
• Create secure passwords with Password Generator
• Change passwords in one click with Password Changer
• Share passwords safely and conveniently
• Autofill the right username and password on every app and website, every time
• Log in with a look or tap using Face ID or Touch ID
• Securely store personal info you need to keep safe and accessible, like addresses, credit card numbers, and IDs
• Fill addresses and other forms with one click
• Get alerted about breaches and hacks that affect your data—and learn how to take action
• Learn if your data is on the dark web with Dark Web Monitoring
• Browse safely and anonymously with our VPN (Hotspot Shield)
• Enjoy peace of mind with patented, best-in-class encryption methods

Pricing & Availability

Dashlane offers a free account with limitations on the number of passwords that can be included. There is a premium option ($6.49/month) as well as a family plan ($8.99/month). Both of the upper tier plans have discounts applied when users pay a year at a time. In addition to the individual and family plans, Dashlane also offers business plans starting at $5/month per user (billed annually) depending on your needs. Each of the business options also has a free trial offer available with them.

One of the most important things to note about the availability of Dashlane is that it has a ‘web-first’ structure. Because of that, there is no native desktop app available for Mac or Windows operating systems. Three weeks ago, Derek Snyder, Chief Product Officer at Dashlane, completed an “Ask Me Anything” session on Reddit and actually provided some answers about why Dashlane opted to move toward the web-first system.

Question 

Why did you discontinue the desktop client? That was one of the main points for buying into your product.

Snyder 

Few reasons:

1.) Over 80% of our active users were only using Dashlane in the browser. Turns out they would go to the desktop app mostly when something went wrong (e.g. our autofill wasn’t good enough which is our problem, not theirs)

2.) It was slowing us down from developing new features in a timely manner. We are releasing much faster now that we have a single code base for all our desktop users.

3.) In the last few years, we have really grown our B2B business, and it is much easier for IT admins to preinstall a browser extension than a desktop app (along with all the end user training, etc.).

Reddit, https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/w4lrog/hi_im_derek_snyder_chief_product_officer_at/

On macOS, Dashlane developers used Catalyst technology to create a new app solution that leverages a common codebase that runs across all Apple operating systems. Catalyst essentially allows developers to create a universal app that works across iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

This app offers a native experience with improved integration between the app and the extension and a brand new web analysis engine powered by Machine Learning for improved autofill capabilities. Dashlane was actually the first password manager to build and release an app using Catalyst.

Dashlane is supported on the main desktop and mobile platforms:

• Windows 10
• macOS (using Catalyst)
• iOS
• Android

And all major browsers:

• Safari
• Edge
• Chrome
• Firefox

Privacy Policy

According to the App Store, contact info and identifiers may be used to track users across apps and websites owned by other companies; contact info, identifiers, and usage data may be collected and linked to a user’s identity; and, browsing history, diagnostics, and identifiers may be collected by is not linked to a user’s identity. The full privacy policy can be found here.

User Experience

Overall my experience with Dashlane has been very positive. I absolutely love the user interface because it’s clean and intuitive. I have to admit that I ran into a bit of confusion at first because I was told there was no desktop app, but I found it in the Mac App Store. It was then explained to me that it is sort of an add-on to the Safari extension and designed to work with it. In fact, I have found that when I start up Safari, Dashlane asks for you to log in and when you click it the app opens and then you get returned to Safari.

With that in mind, I would love to see an option for the Dashlane Mac App to be a menu bar utility. I would just rather see it run in the menu bar rather than be an open app in the dock.

Set-Up Process

The setup process for Dashlane is very easy to walk through. You start by creating an account and selecting a Master Password. Be sure to record your Master Password somewhere secure because there is no account recovery. If you lose your Master Password, you’ll have to start over from scratch. You might be able to salvage your account if you had biometrics — fingerprint or Face ID — set up on your mobile device.

I actually ran into an issue while I was working on this review where I forgot my Master Password. I had created a backup of my passwords with a CSV file so I wasn’t concerned about resetting the account. But, when I attempted to reset it, I was asked for my previous Master Password.

Dashlane Team or Business plan users have an additional feature for recovery that involves the account admin’s involvement. Dashlane does provide a good how-to page for forgotten master passwords. In my case, I was able to backtrack a little bit and I remembered what password I used for my Master Password.

After you’ve finished your account setup, you can start entering information into your vault. You have the option of entering data manually or importing it. I chose the import feature. For a long time now, I’ve been keeping passwords in my Apple Keychain. So, I exported those logins and then imported them into Dashlane.

The only hitch in this process is that it has to be completed via the web app or the Android app. There isn’t a CSV import option for iOS, the Mac App, or the browser extensions. You can import a DASH file, which is generated from a Dashlane account, through the web app, Android, or iOS. As long as you have your CSV formatted properly, the import process goes very smoothly.

Dashlane gives you several different vaults to use including Logins, Secure Notes, Payments, Personal Info, IDs, and Sharing. These different vaults are great for organization and something I was missing with just keeping my passwords in keychain.

Daily Use

The three places I use Dashlane are on my MacBook Air (Safari extension, web app, and Mac App), my iPhone (iOS app), and my iPad Pro (iOS app). One of the things I really like about how Dashlane has designed their app structure is that you get a full experience no matter what device you are using.

There are some apps that don’t provide a great user experience across all platforms — Dashlane does. A great example of a poor user experience is Instagram. It’s primarily meant for people to use on their mobile phones. And the developers of that social media outlet definitely make you feel that is the case.

You can use Instagram on your iPad or through your web browser, but it looks like the mobile app was just resized to fit different screens instead of each device getting their own experience. This is a pet peeve of mine because I think apps should be much more universal in this day and age. Dashlane really took this to heart when they created their newest user experience. I really feel like the apps work together.

I have Dashlane set to autofill passwords in Safari. I do recommend this for any password manager that offers it because it really is one of the major benefits of using a password manager. That said, one of the features I like about Dashlane’s autofill option is that you can select what you want to autofill. You can select to autofill information into an entire website, a specific page on a website, only usernames, and passwords, or everything (i.e. name, email, etc.). I love that this exists because when you frequently visit certain websites it can get annoying with auto-fills popping up all the time when you don’t need them.

One of the only downsides that I have with Dashlane is that in order to set up 2FA, you have to do so through the mobile app. On the iPhone, you go to the login that you want to add it to, tap on Edit and there will be an option to set up authentication directly under the password field. Once the setup is completed, you can generate the 2FA pin from any of the Dashlane app sources you use. Dashlane also has a standalone Authenticator app and once you enable 2FA for a site, that information will be stored in that app as well as the Dashlane main app.

This 2FA feature is kind of hidden. You don’t know it’s there unless you are looking for it. For example, since I imported all my logins and I haven’t had to edit any of them, I was unaware of the placement of the 2FA option in the app. This feature is actually what Snyder called out as the “Most Underrated Feature” during his Ask Me Anything chat.

Most people don’t know that you can use Dashlane to supply your 2FA codes, without actually having to use a second device. So when I log in to Reddit, for instance, Dashlane will autofill the password but also the 2FA code. And what’s really cool, is that both the password and 2FA code can be shared with other people (which is really handy for co-workers wanting to share a social media account, for instance).

Reddit, https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/w4lrog/hi_im_derek_snyder_chief_product_officer_at/

One of the reasons there is a separate Authenticator app is so you can use it to put 2FA on your Dashlane account as well as your vault items. Here is how it is explained in Dashlane’s knowledge base.

Note that you can’t use Dashlane Password Manager as the authenticator app to log in to your Dashlane account. This is similar to locking the keys to your car inside the car.

However, the new Dashlane Authenticator app allows you to manage 2FA for your vault items but also for your Dashlane account, combining security and convenience.

https://support.dashlane.com/hc/en-us/articles/115003383365-2-factor-authentication-by-Dashlane

Conclusion

Dashlane is a robust password manager that is easy to use and has a really clean user interface. There are a lot of users who were unhappy with the shift to a web-first system, but after experiencing the Catalyst-based Mac App and the rest of the Apple device apps, I’m pretty sold on it. The few issues I had ended up being user errors and not the fault of the Dashlane system at all. There are two features that I hope Dashlane works to improve in the future.

The first is adding an option for custom vaults. Some password managers have a vault set aside specifically for software licenses and others provide the option for users to customize their vaults and create their own entry types. I would love to see this with Dashlane. The entry options they provide cover the main bases, but having a customization option would be great.

The second area for improvement is the pricing. I don’t think it’s unfair per se, but it is quite a bit higher than other premium password manager options. The prices below show what each of these systems currently charges monthly for their premium individual account. Dashlane is greater than 2X higher than all of them.

• Dashlane $6.49
• 1Password $2.99
• LastPass $3.00
• Keeper $2.92

As I said, I don’t think that $60/year (Dashlane provides a discount for paying yearly) is a bad price for a well-designed password management system, but in order to make Dashlane more competitive with its colleagues, the pricing should probably be evaluated.

Dashlane does get my seal of approval. It’s a great system and I really like the company that created it. If you are considering using it, I would suggest the free option until you know for sure that it will work for you.

For more information, visit dashlane.com, Facebook, and Twitter.

Themify is a great tool for iPhone screen customization.

Everyone loves to be unique and create their own sense of style. Growing up, I know that kids in school showed their individuality through their clothing styles and they all felt threatened when schools talked about moving to using uniforms. Today, we show our unique styles by how we organize our digital lives.

iOS users were granted the ability to customize how our desktops look through the use of widgets and customizable app icons through the use of Shortcuts. iOS 14 introduced widgets and with update 14.3, users were able to set custom app icons since Shortcuts were able to run directly from the home screen. It’s a multi-step process that can become very tedious but fortunately, iOS users have the option to use aesthetic apps that take the guesswork out of the process.

I’ve been playing around with the app layouts and desktop images on my phone lately so that it feels more organized. I decided to try out one of these creative apps and found Themify. It’s an easy-to-use app that provides a lot of design options to choose from. It’s a great self-contained tool and it’s available in the iOS App Store.

About Themify

Themify (Themify-Widget & Icon Themes) is an app that helps iPhone users customize their wallpapers, icons, and widgets. It is rated as the #1 app among iPhone Home Screen customizing apps in 27 different countries (as of July 29). It can be found in the Graphics & Design category of the iOS App Store.

Developer, AIBY, a Florida-based company, focuses on building mobile-first products. It was founded in 2019 and has several product offerings including NatureID, Fonts Art, HitMeal, InPulse, HitFit, and Futurio.

Themify was originally launched in October 2020, right on the heels of iOS 14’s release. It was built using the following technologies:

• Language: Swift
• Toolkit: xCode, iOS SDK
• Product analytics: Firebase, amplitude, FacebookCoreKit
• Dependency management: Cocoapods
• Frameworks: SwiftUI, WidgetKit, CoreGraphics, CoreLocation, AuthenticationServices
• Integration tools: Lottie, Alamofire

The app provides a vast collection of themes, widgets, and icons that will make users’ phones stand out. As of 2021, there have been more than 13 million downloads of Themify. It is available to users around the world with more than 37% of the users based in the U.S. (as of April 2022).

Themify is available in several languages including:

• English, Arabic, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian Bokmål, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Swedish, Vietnamese

NOTE: Themify-Widget & Icon Themes is a different product and not related to Themify: Premium WordPress Themes & Plugins.

Main Features

3-in-1 Themes

Want to marry convenience and aesthetics? Themify has your back. Perfectly matched iOS 14 app icons, widgets, and wallpapers will make your iPhone look neat and stylish. Explore an abundance of themes to choose the one you like most and set it up on your Home Screen with a few taps.

Theme Customizer

If you’d like to add a personal touch to your Home Screen theme, use our Theme Customizer. Change everything you want and create a truly one-of-a-kind design for your device.

Vast Widget Collection

Time, clock, calendar, quotes, weather, countdown, mixed—pick any widget and get the info you need right from your Home Screen. You can also create your own unique widget by adding photos and changing backgrounds, fonts, and colors.

10,000+ Icons

For those who are bored of bog-standard app icons, we have an array of custom icon packs. The best part is that you can install the whole pack at once! Just follow the simple and clear instructions.

Still And Live Wallpapers

Anime, Animals, Urban, Nature, and more—we have wallpapers for every taste. Liven up your screen with awesome live wallpapers. And if you love classics, try our still wallpapers and see for yourself how irresistible they are.

Pricing & Availability

Themify is available in the iOS App Store and is free to download with many features (including vast packs of themes, wallpapers, icons, and widgets; favorites; auto-install of up to 5 icons at a time) available at no charge. Users purchase subscriptions within the app to gain access to all the features within Themify.

According to the product description —

• You can subscribe for unlimited access to all features within Themify.
• Subscriptions are billed weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually at the rate selected depending on the subscription plan.

The subscription pricing is $19.99 for an annual subscription and $4.99 for a weekly subscription. A free trial is available.

Privacy Policy

According to the iOS App Store Themify handles data used to track you such as purchases, usage data, identifiers, and other data; and data linked to you or your identity such as Purchases, User Content, Identifiers, Usage Data, Diagnostics, and Other Data. The developer’s full privacy policy can be found here.

User Experience

Themify is an interesting app experience. The download and installation process is standard from the iOS App Store, but when it comes to activating any graphic elements, the user has to complete a bit of additional work. Even though Themify does quite a bit of the app customization process for the user, applying the theme designs still requires some work on the part of the user.

You have the option to choose from an entire theme or individual icons, wallpapers, and widgets. You also have the option to customize a preset theme or mix & match icons with different wallpapers. Themify has a very clean, intuitive layout and it’s very easy to navigate without any additional instruction. One of the things I really appreciate about the app is that it provides step-by-step instructions as you walk through the theme design/selection process.

The first thing I tried was installing an icon set. As you will see from the screenshots the app will direct the user on how to install the configuration profile in the Settings app of the iPhone. It’s not complicated, but it does take you outside the app to complete it.

Once I had the chosen icon profile installed, I did get a warning that the profile was unverified. Since I knew it was coming from this app, I continued with the installation, but you will want to be careful when you receive warnings like this as configuration profiles are one place that malware can creep into an iPhone.

Once the installation was complete, the icons for that particular theme appeared on my desktop. As you’ll see in the screenshots, the icons don’t replace the default icons. They are added to your home screen and fill in the empty spaces that are available. This was something that was a little bothersome to me because I’ve worked really hard to organize my icons into folders and by switching to the Themify icons, I will have to go through that process all over again.

This is not something I fault the app for since that’s how the Shortcut process works with the operating system. If you were to go through this process without the aid of an app like Themify, the Shortcut process would also create a secondary app icon that you would have to reorganize. I just wanted to mention it since it’s part of the process one has to go through in order to customize their icons.

In addition to reorganizing your desktops, it’s important to note what happens when you tap on the icons. Since they are shortcuts, you might see a couple of screens appear before the app you intended to open. For example, when I install a custom icon for the Calculator app and tap on it to open the Calculator, a white screen appears and then it slides over to the Shortcuts app for a brief second before the Calculator pops up. When I close the app, the app animation closes to the primary app rather than the custom icon.

Given the additional steps that needed to be taken with the icons, I decided to explore the other option that Themify had to offer. I ended up downloading and installing a clock widget and wallpapers for my home and lock screen, which was much less involved. I really like the variety that Themify has in its library and I think that if you are really into changing the look of your phone, it is a lot of fun to play with.

The only thing I wish that could be improved is the duplication of app icons during the shortcut creation process. I don’t know if that is something that Themify or any app can do without the operating system opening up certain development options.

Conclusion

If you are looking to do a complete makeover of your iPhone look and feel, then Themify might be a great option for you to try. The caveat is that you do have to do some of the legwork to make it all look right and you have to be prepared for the shortcut redirects. I believe this does affect the overall user experience of the iPhone, but it’s not the fault of the app. It has more to do with how iOS works with apps like this.

The designs that Themify offers are colorful, unique, and very easy to search for. I loved being able to browse through the different themes and designs that are available in the app. I would encourage anyone who is interested in creating a unique style for their iOS device to download it and give it a try with the free options that are available.

For more information, visit AIBY.com, Facebook, or Twitter.

Have you ever closed your laptop only to realize a flash drive was still plugged in? This has happened to me more times than I can count. The problem with this is that your computer or the flash drive could get confused and data could be lost, corrupted, or programs could crash. Fortunately, for forgetful persons like me, there is Jettison.

About Jettison

Jettison is a utility app designed for macOS devices that eliminates the need to manually eject external disks before you put your MacBook to sleep. It was originally released in 2011 and is written in Objective-C. According to the developer, St. Clair Software, a rewrite of the app in Swift with updated support for some of the disk structures introduced in Big Sur and Monterey is in progress.

Jettison is currently on version 1.8.4 (3401) and it was last updated on December 10, 2021. The latest updates included:

• Corrected issues with remounting locked, encrypted APFS volumes.
• Error messages will show a generic application icon if no icon can be found for an app.
• The error window will correctly show error messages in Dark Mode and when no specific error can be determined.
• Fixed error reporting so error messages are displayed consistently when using “Eject and Sleep Now”.
• Jettison will no longer cause Messages to quit when it ejects disks before sleep.
• Corrected the layout of the first-run splash screen when running in French.
• Jettison will now ignore “Boot OSX” and “iSCPreboot” volumes.
• Fixed a crash that occurred when entering your license information after purchasing Jettison.

Pricing & Availability

Jettison is available from stclairsoft.com for $4.95 for a single license or $3.95 each for 2 or more licenses. It’s currently on version 1.8.4 and users have an option to try it free for 15 days before they purchase it. Jettison runs natively on Intel & Apple Silicon (macOS 10.9 through 12.4). Jettison will work on any Mac – MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, Mac Mini, or Mac Pro.

The installation process refers to “MAC APP STORE CUSTOMERS” but at this time, Jettison is not available in the App Store. According to the FAQs on stclairsoft.com, it was available in the Mac App Store at one point and there are instructions on how a MAS customer can upgrade their app through the web store instead.

Privacy Policy

There is no formal privacy policy for Jettison. The developer states that there haven’t been any privacy issues that would require a policy. Jettison doesn’t collect or use any data from users’ machines, nor does it look at files on a user’s Mac other than the preference file where it saves user settings.

User Experience

Getting started with Jettison is easy. You simply download the installation package from stclairsoft.com and then drag the Jettison icon into the Applications folder. You’ll likely get the standard macOS alert that the app was downloaded from the Internet rather than the App Store.

You will need to click ‘Open’ to allow the installation to continue. After that, you will also need to allow permission for Jettison to access files on a network volume and your various system folders. Once you get through the permissions, the utility will be installed and you can set your preferences. The menu bar has the following options included in the drop-down list.

• Eject External Disks Now
• Eject and Sleep Now
• Sleep Now
• Remount Ejected Disks Now
• Eject
• Mount
• Preferences..
• About Jettison..
• Check for Updates…
• License…
• Quit Jettison

Jettison also has the option to eject SD cards, but it’s not set by default. The app will ask with a pop-up alert if you want to allow this function. There is a note included that you really only need to allow it if you have a built-in SD card reader and use it as an additional disk drive.

If you don’t choose to allow it at that time, you can always select it later from your preferences. Now, there is an interesting step that happens here. If you select to have SD Cards ejected, a dialogue box will pop up stating that a helper application needs to be installed in order for Jettison to work correctly. I clicked ‘install’ and then was asked for my administrator password.

Speaking of preferences, the other options that are included in those settings are:

• Options: Launch Jettison when you log in, Show the Jettison icon in the menu bar, Eject external disks before system sleep, Eject external disks at restart and shutdown
• What to Eject: Hard disks, Network drives, DVDs and CDs, SD cards, Disk images; Set Unmount instead of ejecting (Allows Flash and SD drives to be remounted without reloading driver.)
• Notification: Show dialog when ejecting or remounting; Show a system notification after ejecting; Play sound on success; Play sound on failure;
• Hotkeys: Eject external disks, Eject disks and sleep, or Remount ejected disks
• Extras: Remount drives upon wake-up, Reload driver to remount flash drives, Also unmount these disks, Don’t unmount these disks, Don’t remount these disks

Jettison is set up to be 100% automatic for the user. So, once the preferences are set, you should be able to virtually forget about them. It takes very little system resources. When it’s idle, it registers 0% CPU usage and when you poke around in the app’s preferences, it kicks up to only around 5% CPU usage.

The only issue I ran into was with Time Machine. I have my Time Machine backup running to a NAS and when I wake my laptop up, I always have this error: The volume “Time Machine” would not unmount. Try ejecting it in the Finder. I have Network Drives checked on the ‘what to eject’ preference function so I don’t really know why it wouldn’t eject it for me. Other than that, Jettison has performed admirably.

Conclusion

I’ve been very impressed with how well Jettison works. Even though there are a few tweaks I think would help the overall user experience, they are so minor that it doesn’t make sense to mention them here. Jettison is one of those utility apps that just works.

For more information, visit stclairsoft.com or Facebook.

ScreenFlow provides a robust, user-friendly video editor for content creators.

I’ve been a content creator for my entire professional life. I grew up around video production and our local television studio was like a playground for my brother and me. That said, I am no stranger to video editing software. In fact, I got to use one of the first non-linear editing systems ever created. In the past 10 years, my video creations have been focused mainly on product reviews and ScreenFlow has been a big part of that journey.

It’s an incredibly useful piece of software that features professional-grade tools but doesn’t have a confusing interface. The current version of ScreenFlow is version 10 and with its release, developer Telestream has included some great new features as well as some backend software upgrades.

About ScreenFlow 10

ScreenFlow is the leading capture and video editing software for Mac. It has best-in-class screen recording capabilities and a robust, professional non-linear editor. The app is a fully native Mac App and was designed from the ground up for macOS. It’s written using Objective-C and Swift.

With ScreenFlow, content creators can easily create and publish content by simultaneously capturing screen, camera, and microphone recordings. The editor has a customizable title library, video filters, and multi-app recording.

ScreenFlow’s parent/developer company is Telestream. It was founded in 1998 with its headquarters in California and Massachusetts. The company currently has more than 600 employees globally.

Professional editing features

• Highest Quality Recording: ScreenFlow has the best screen recording available – whether you are recording multiple screens at once, or using retina displays
• Built-in Stock Media Library: Spice up your videos with access to over 500,000 unique images, audio & video clips, and more directly from within your ScreenFlow projects.
• iOS Recording: Record your iPhone or iPad screen for high-quality app demos.
• Easy to Learn, Easy to Use: ScreenFlow’s intuitive UI allows everyone to create amazing content in minutes.
• Powerful Video Editing Tools: Add pro touches to your videos with transitions, text animations, video animations, freehand annotations, multi-channel audio, and more.
• Professional Animations & Motion Graphics: Animate graphics, titles, and logos with built-in video and text animations.
• Better Tools for Software Tutorials: Use Styles and Templates to make editing a series of Software tutorials quicker and easier.
• Streamlined Media Management: Organize your projects with nested clips, multi-track editing, markers, color labels, and complete access to media files stored on your computer.
• Closed Caption Support: Use ScreenFlow’s caption editor tool to add, edit and even burn in ADA compliant soft subtitles to your videos.
• More Publishing Options: Directly publish your videos to one of a handful of popular content hosting sites like Imgur, Wistia, Youtube, Vimeo, and more!
• Animated GIF and Animated PNG Export: Create animated GIFs and APNGs from any video project in ScreenFlow.
• ProRes, MP4 Encoding & More: ScreenFlow comes with a number of preset export settings for optimal quality videos.

New Features

• Brand new UI: Customizable toolbar, reworked preference windows, improved timeline functionality, and main menu organization
• Animated Title Library: Select from a range of beautifully animated lower-third and title card graphics
• Recording Multiple Audio/Video Sources: Multiple camera & microphone devices can now be recorded at the same time
• Improved camera recording system: Significant reductions in file size and CPU usage during recording & editing
• Destructive Project Archive: Reclaim space by saving your documents with their unused edits removed
• Redesigned Video Filters Interface: Built-in color effects library and support for importing CLUT (Color Lookup Tables); Automatic background Removal filter
• New Computer Audio Recording System: Apps are now recorded independently, and can be extracted, disabled, and remixed; Lower latency, including new modes for DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) software

Pricing & Availability

ScreenFlow is available through the Telestream web store and the Mac App Store for a one-time charge of $149.99. ScreenFlow 10 is a paid upgrade from previous versions. There is tiered pricing depending on what version you are upgrading from (see the price chart below). The Mac App Store does not offer an option for upgrade pricing. Telestream does offer a license transfer option via the ScreenFlow Upgrade Tool.

• ScreenFlow 9 → ScreenFlow 10 = $49
• ScreenFlow 8 → ScreenFlow 10 = $59
• ScreenFlow 7 → ScreenFlow 10 = $69
• ScreenFlow 6 → ScreenFlow 10 = $79
• ScreenFlow 5 → ScreenFlow 10 = $89
• ScreenFlow 4 → ScreenFlow 10 = $99

According to the developers, there is no difference between the two versions. Some apps have differences based on Apple’s sandboxing restrictions, but ScreenFlow does not have any restrictions between the web store and Mac App Store versions.

ScreenFlow 10 is designed for Apple Silicon & Intel-based Macs running Catalina, Big Sur, and Monterey only. A free trial is available. The ScreenFlow Stock Photo Library is available for an additional yearly access fee of $79.99. All media in the library is royalty-free.

Privacy Policy

According to the Mac App Store, ScreenFlow only collects data that is not linked to the user (usage data and diagnostics). The full privacy policy can be found here.

User Experience

As I mentioned above, I’ve been a ScreenFlow user for many years. It never ceases to amaze me how much you can create within this app. Growing up around video editing, we always had different parts of the process (editing, graphic design, animation, etc.) broken up between different applications. ScreenFlow gives you the option to do it all (for the most part) within a single software package.

For example, the basic video editing process is pretty much the same as you would find it in other video editors. There is a timeline where you place your video, audio, and graphic assets and the tools to combine them together have very similar controls that you would find in an app such as Final Cut Pro. The big difference is that without adding a plug-in or extension, you can also add on actions such as a cursor highlight and smooth, easy video scaling and positioning.

I’m used to the FCP process of manually entering keyframes when you want to zoom in or out of video elements. With ScreenFlow, you add a video action and then position and scale your video and the beginning and end of that action. The software handles the rest of the work for you. It’s honestly a lot like magic.

These features are not new to ScreenFlow 10 though. What is new is the sparkling, clean UI and the inclusion of an animated title library, new video filters, a deconstructive project archive option, and the ability to record multiple video and audio sources simultaneously. All of these features are demonstrated in the video we included above but here are some additional thoughts I had about them.

Video Filters: These filters make it really easy to stylize your video elements with just a few clicks. You just highlight your video clip and select the filter you want to use. There are settings you can tweak in the inspector so that the filter is just how you want it. The library is somewhat limited at this time, but I would expect that over time Telestream will add to the options available. There are features like this available in systems like FCP but they are nowhere as easy to adjust as they are within ScreenFlow.

Animated Titles: This might be my favorite add-on with this update because building creative, stylized animations like what ScreenFlow provides is a painstakingly long process. Having these elements at your fingertips really takes the stress off of an editor trying to crank out a piece of content. I love that each animation seems to have customizable elements — such as fonts, sizes, and colors — and that there is room for expansion on this feature, too.

Archive Feature: This is a vital upgrade in my opinion and ScreenFlow makes it so easy! To have the option to simply click ‘Archive’ and have the system do the work for you is remarkable. I love that the dialogue box that pops up gives you an estimated file size and savings. Every editor should have an archival process that they follow and ScreenFlow just made the process a lot easier.

Multiple Video/Audio Input Sources: It goes without saying that this is a must these days. ScreenFlow just made it possible for editors to use the app for events like podcasts. I love that right from the Home Screen you just select your input sources and click record. The fact that Telestream integrated the feature directly into the original recording process was genius in my opinion.

Conclusion

From where this video editor sits, content creation software doesn’t get much better than ScreenFlow. It’s truly impressive because of the number of things you can do with it. It can be used to edit a simple video with one audio track or you can work with multiple video and audio tracks while adding in graphic elements and animations.

I also want to say that this version of the software is optimized for M1 Macs. I have a 2020 MacBook Air with the M1 processor and editing was a breeze. I was shocked when I exported my 9-minute video and it only took a couple of minutes to build out. ScreenFlow 10 is totally worth the upgrade. It just keeps getting better.

For more information, visit telestream.net, Facebook, and Twitter.

Boom 3D provides an award-winning app with pro-level features that enhance the audio experience.

As remarkable as Apple devices are, there is one feature that always seems to need a little help — the audio hardware and settings. I always end up adding external speakers to my workstation but when it comes to software assistance, I turn to Boom 3D from Global Delight.

About Boom 3D

Boom 3D is a system-wide volume booster and equalizer for Mac. It is an award-winning professional audio enhancement app that is designed to work with your system to create an unbelievably realistic and immersive listening experience. Boom has been available on macOS since 2011. Boom 3D was first released in 2017 for Mac and was introduced for Windows in 2018.

The prior version of Boom — Boom 2 — is still available and Boom 3D will not be taking its place. According to the developers, “The main differentiating factor between the apps would be 3D audio. However, the equalizer has a higher gain control in Boom 2 (20dB in Boom 2, as compared to 12dB in Boom 3D), it is more suited to anyone who would prefer more control on sound adjustment, over 3D audio.”

Boom 3D’s sound staging technology is run by a proprietary algorithm — written by Boom 3D’s software developers from the ground up. Some external vector libraries have been used to help minimize CPU usage since the computation of the 3D logic happens in real-time and tends to take up a lot o CPU power.

Boom 3D’s developer is Global Delight. The consultancy was started in 2007 and was founded on the southwest coast of India. Global Delight has developed entertainment apps in audio, video, and photo segment for desktop and mobile platforms (across macOS, iOS, Windows, Android, and HarmonyOS). In addition to Boom3D, they have created the award-winning Photo app and Camera Plus on iOS.

Main Features

• 3D Surround Sound provides an option to check audio from each speaker of the virtual 3D surround audio system and also lets you adjust LFE (subwoofer) gain and intensity of audio.
• Volume booster is a system-wide volume booster that safely increases the volume beyond its regular limits to deliver a rich and intense audio experience.
• Advanced Audio Player allows users to play all locally stored audio files with Boom effects. Users can create playlists and organize music collections.
• 31-Band Equalizer gives users a range of finely handcrafted equalizer presets for different genres of music so that they can simply tweak the audio, to suit every mood.
• 20,000+ Radio Stations provide free access to local and international Internet Radio Stations across 120 countries.
• Apps Volume Controller allows users to control the volume of specific apps in different ways.
• Controlled Boost helps users adjust the boost while keeping it in the perfect range.
• Intensity Slider offers full control over the audio output and allows users to adjust the bass and treble.
• Audio Effects such as ambiance, night mode, fidelity, spatial, and pitch can radically transform any kind of audio by adding an intense, unique effect and a completely new perspective.
• Wireless Control allows users to control Boom3D with the ‘Boom Remote’ installed on the iPhone or iPad.

Pricing & Availability

Boom 3D is available direct from the developer’s website at a price of $14.99 (70% off the regular price of $49.99) and a 30-day free trial is available. Through the Mac App Store, the app is $24.99. It’s a one-time fee and no subscription is required to use the app. The app only takes up 49.3MB as a download. It does require macOS 10.10.3 or later to function. Boom 3D is also available for Windows.

Privacy Policy

According to the Mac App Store, Boom 3D does not collect any data linked to a user’s identity. It may collect the following types of data: contact info, usage data, and identifiers. The developer let us know that when a user purchases the app through their web store they are required to provide an email address in order to link the license to purchase. For more details, refer to the full developer’s privacy policy.

User Experience

The version of Boom 3D that I’ve been using is the one that you download from the Mac App Store. So the download and installation process was pretty standard. After the app downloads, you can open it up and begin using the utility. One of the reasons that I really appreciate Boom 3D is because I have hearing loss and the app’s advanced audio tools enhance sounds so that I can actually hear them better. I’ve been a fan of Boom for many years for this very reason.

Boom 3D makes it possible for users to enable Boom’s advanced audio enhancements, 3D Surround Sound, Equalizers, and Audio Effects system-wide. That means you don’t have to pull your files directly into Boom 3D’s library in order to enjoy the features of the app. In order to enjoy the system-wide 3D surround sound, you have to install the Boom3D component. It’s a free download direct from Global Delight.

This is a HUGE benefit to someone who has hearing loss as I do and what makes this even better is that Boom makes it possible to use the app without it being active in the dock. Boom 3D does give users the option to keep it open in the menu bar alone and still be able to use all the features. I love this as a feature because it means that Boom is there when I want it, but not in the way when I don’t. Users can easily turn Boom on and off from the menu bar and all my settings are active without having to open the full app window.

There are a few applications that are not compatible with Boom 3D on macOS devices. According to globaldelight.com, “applications like FaceTime, AirPlay, and Hear are not compatible with Boom 3D. In case of the app ‘Hear’, you have to uninstall ‘Hear’ as it will have a conflict with Boom’s system-wide audio functionality.”

Boom 3D does use your Mac’s microphone to analyze your surroundings so that the technology behind the app can create the best sound profile for your specific location. This is a great use of the system’s hardware, but it does enable the status indicator for the microphone in your menu bar whenever Boom 3D is active.

This indicator was created by Apple to let users know when the microphone was active so that users can be more in tune with the possibility that an app or someone on your system may be listening to them. Since Boom 3D causes this indicator to be live 100% of the time, it defeats the purpose of the indicator. I understand why the app causes the status light to be active, but it would be nice if Boom 3D could find a way around this so that the indicator could be used for its intended purpose.

I remember using Boom several years ago and finding it to be a bit quirky when working with different output devices on the Mac. This time around, it’s been a very smooth experience. When I initially started it up, the system recognized it and it worked immediately with the external speakers, and adjustments I made within Boom 3D carried over quickly and without any effort.

Another feature I was really keen to use was the built-in Internet Radio stations. When you first open up Boom 3D, you are shown the settings dashboard. This area has all the audio effects, equalizer adjustments, volume levels, etc. that you can tweak to tailor the Boom 3D sound specifically for you. Looking at this dashboard, I wasn’t sure where to go for the radio stations.

There is some text in the bottom left-hand corner that says, “Drag and drop songs to play.” There is also a search field that you can type into on the far right and a music note icon on the far left. If you click on the music note, it reveals the library, which contains the radio stations, Boom playlists, and your Music library. I wish this had been a little more visible or labeled differently so that it was more apparent.

When I first clicked on the Radio option, I got a notification that read, “There might be a few stations that may not play. We’re working with our Radio partner to resolve this and provide the best experience. We look forward to your support.” I proceeded with the understanding that some stations might not load.

I clicked on four before getting a connection with one of the BBC talk stations. Then, I chose Distortion Radio A-1 Hits and listened to it for a while. The quality of the streaming music was very good and I’m hopeful that Boom is able to enhance its radio offerings in the future.

There is one minor thing I would like to see available and that is the ability to resize the app’s window. It would have been nice – especially with the radio stations – to be able to expand the window to see a longer view of the items available.

Conclusion

The sound quality that Boom 3D produces is quite impressive and it really does make a big difference from what the Mac offers on its own. I love having the option to adjust not only the volume but also the audio effects and settings. Sometimes the system volume and audio settings just don’t do enough for the listener. That’s why Boom 3D is such a valuable add-on for audiophiles.

Boom 3D is a great step up from its predecessor. I’m delighted to be able to utilize it and look forward to continuing to use it in the future.

For more information, visit globaldelight.com, Facebook, and Twitter.

Dropover evolves your relationship with drag-and-drop file management to the next level.

I’ve been working very hard on cleaning up files on my system. I find myself dragging files to and from folders frequently and as functional as that is, the process does become inefficient simply because you are going back and forth so many times. Wouldn’t it be great if you could stack those files and then move them all at the same time? That’s what Dropover is for — and so much more.

About Dropover

Dropover is a utility that provides an advanced drag-and-drop function to macOS users. It can be used to stash, gather, or move any draggable content without needing to open side-by-side windows. Dropover is designed for the modern user who works on multiple screens and is a great tool for both content creators and developers.

Developer Damir Tursunovic stated that Dropover started as an experiment as he was learning Swift. Around March 2008, the first Dropover was released after Tursunovic was able to add value for other users. When we asked the developer about the tech stack that was used to build Dropover, this is what he had to say.

“Dropover is a native application written in Swift using AppKit. The backend, which mainly accommodates Dropover Cloud, is written in Ruby (Sinatra) and stores the uploaded content to AWS S3. The frontend of Dropover Cloud, which shows the uploaded content like here, is written in Vue JS.”

Dropover has been available for more than four years (initial release in March 2018). It was a very simple tool at the beginning but has evolved to include many other features such as support for multiple shelves, individual file listings, a share extension, Dropover Cloud, and file operations (e.g. resizing images from the shelves, etc.).

Main Features

• Works with any content
• Create a public link for anything
• Multiple shelves
• Quick actions
• Only there when you need it
• Automate your workflow in Shortcuts with Dropover actions such as adding content to a shelf or uploading to Dropover Cloud
• Observe any folder for changes and automatically show a shelf when a new file is added
• Directly add items to Dropover from other applications with the Share Extension
• Restore up to 10 previously closed shelves
• Dock shelves by dragging it to the edge of the screen
• List, drag, share or delete individual drags
• Drag your content to the menu bar to create a new shelf with dragged content
• Invoke a new shelf using a global keyboard shortcut (customizable in the app’s preferences)
• See your recent uploads from Dropover Cloud, iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, or Imgur in the menu bar
• Add content from clipboard to shelf or copy dragged content to clipboard
• Adjust the sensitivity of the shake gesture
• Manage applications that should ignore the shake gesture

Pricing and Availability

Dropover is only available for systems running macOS 10.15 or later. The app is free to download and unrestricted for 14 days. After the initial trial period, Dropover becomes ‘limited use’ and a forced waiting time of 3 seconds before interacting with a shelf is imposed unless the user upgrades to Dropover Pro (a one-time fee of $3.99). Dropover for Mac is currently on version 4.6.0 and was last updated in Mid-June. It is compatible with the M1 chipset. Dropover for Mac can only be downloaded via the Mac App Store.

Privacy Policy

According to the developer, Dropover does not ask for any user information and does not require any form of registration for usage (also applies to Dropover Cloud). According to the App Store, the app may collect Usage Data but it is not linked directly to user identities. The full developer’s privacy policy can be found here. Some additional privacy information from the developer is included below.

“The public page (where the uploaded files are displayed) also does not contain any form tracking. Dropover (the app) does not contain any third-party tracking frameworks for analytics. It does send some (anonymous) analytics events directly to its own backend, with no third party involved. The only exception is when you link your Dropbox, Google Drive, or Microsoft OneDrive account. In those cases, Dropover will save the retrieved token (which is required to communicate with the service) locally in the macOS Keychain.”

User Experience

Because Dropover is available through the Mac App Store, there is no complicated installation process or setup. You simply click the “Get” button in the App Store and the app downloads to your system. Dropover is a pretty easy app to get acclimated to. When you start up the app, there will be some basic onboarding screens to walk through and then you can start using the app.

Dropover lives in your menu bar so it’s out of the way when you don’t need it. One of my favorite things about this app is the fact that you don’t have to type a shortcut key in order to activate it. You simply grab a file and shake it. This action opens up the Dropover shelf that you can continue to add to until you are ready to complete your shelf actions. Let’s say there is a group of files you want to rename. You can stack them all on a Dropover shelf and then select ‘Batch Rename’ from the shelf menu and walk through the steps in the Renaming process.

There is a lot of fine-tuning you can do with Dropover’s preferences to get the utility to behave just as you want it to. You can have the app show in the dock if you want and you can manage your favorite file actions. You can even design custom actions by using Automator scripts if you like.

One of the more useful functions of Dropover is the ability to share items publicly through a cloud storage option. Dropover can create a public link using a cloud service such as iCloud or Dropbox in order for others to be able to access the files you want to share. This is a great feature because it saves you several steps when it comes to uploading files to a third-party service.

Conclusion

Dropover is an invaluable utility to me. I use it daily and think it is a great option for file sharing. The app is lightweight and very affordable. It is definitely one of my must-have apps at this point in time.

For more information, visit dropoverapp.com and Twitter.

Readdle introduces the all-new PDF Expert for Mac to make your PDF life easy. 

I’ve been a user of PDF Expert user since 2015. It was refreshing to find a professional-level PDF editor that wasn’t Adobe-related and PDF Expert has consistently been a reliable application for me. You can imagine my excitement when I learned that a newly designed version 3.0 was being released today. The new version brings an effortless-to-use design, smart OCR technology, PDF to Word conversion, and more.

About PDF Expert for Mac

PDF Expert is a fast and easy-to-use PDF editor that can edit PDF text, images and links, take notes, fill out forms, and more. PDF Expert for iOS has been around for 12 years while the Mac version was launched in 2015. Today, it is used by more than 6 million people! Readdle’s goal with PDF Expert was to build the best-in-class PDF experience for Apple devices.

With that in mind, they update the app alongside Apple’s newest technologies. For example, the new OCR feature in PDF Expert is powered by the Apple Vision framework, providing the fastest experience on macOS.

What’s New in PDF Expert for Mac?

The NEW PDF Expert for Mac is the biggest update to the app in years. The new version brings an easy-to-use design, OCR to turn scans into text, PDF to Word conversion, and more. PDF Expert is available with new cross-platform accounts or, for Mac only, with a lifetime license. These updates mean that PDF Expert firmly entrenches its position as the go-to PDF app for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. To read Readdle’s Blog about the update, click here.

Main Features of the Update

• Brand-new design including Dark Mode that’s effortless to use – we improved every detail to help you get your work done easier and faster. This update also brings the much-awaited Dark Mode to please your eyes.
• Conversion to and from PDF to Word and other formats – turn PDFs into Word, Excel, TXT, JPG, PNG, and PowerPoint files and vice versa.
• Smart OCR technology – convert scanned PDFs into text, so you can copy, highlight, and search through PDFs.
• Smart Enhance – improve the quality of scanned PDFs: fix contrast, remove distortion, edit margins, split pages, and more.

Privacy Policy

PDF Expert stores your files locally on your device and only you have access to them. None of your files or data of any kind is transmitted to or stored by Readdle’s servers. See the developer’s privacy policy for more information.

Pricing & Availability

• PDF Expert introduces a single subscription for iPhone, iPad, and Mac with 7-day free access to Premium for all new users (no-commitment) and then $79.99/year.
• Those who require only the Mac version can purchase a lifetime license for $139.99.
• Existing customers retain all the features they had before and keep them forever. For new features (OCR, PDF to Word conversion, scan enhancement, and cross-device access), they can upgrade to Premium with 50% off the first year.

User Experience

As an avid user of PDF Expert, I was thrilled to see what was coming based on their list of updates. Dark Mode was of special interest to me but being able to convert PDF files to other formats was also a feature I’ve been waiting on for a while. Here is a quick rundown on my thoughts about each of the newest features of PDF Expert for Mac.

Dark Mode: This is actually a bigger part of the overall UI facelift that PDF Expert has received. I’ve always liked the way that it functions, but really love what the Readdle team has done to update the look. All of the icons are modernized and there are some tiny details such as the ability to increase the line width on the pen tool that make the design update worthwhile.

The dark mode aspect of the redesign has really helped me focus more on the document rather than the tools. This is something I’ve noticed about the dark mode as a feature in other apps as well – it helps the user to maintain focus. It’s also much easier for me to read. I really love that Readdle made it easy for users who prefer dark mode system-wide to use this interface.

Smart OCR: This is another big feature I’ve been dying to be included in PDF Expert. I get a lot of PDFs from clients that need to be edited and I can’t easily search through their content because the pages are locked and not displayed as text layers. I’ve gotten by in the past by using tools like Text Sniper to grab text from PDFs, but it’s so much nicer having OCR included with PDF Expert.

Not too long ago, we ran into a technical problem on MacSources.com. We ended up having to create PDFs of all our articles so they could be recreated in the event that our site was unreachable. We found out after the fact that those PDFs were not readable if tried to copy/paste the text out of them. This OCR feature would have saved us tons of time.

It seems to work really well. I even used one of those PDFs as a test and PDF Expert was able to read the text and for the first time, I could copy it effortlessly. This feature alone is worth the upgrade in my opinion.

PDF Conversion: While this is as easy as clicking on the Export tab in PDF Expert, I can’t tell you how much time this feature saves me. I have created countless PDFs in my work that someone asks to have in a Word format. I’ve spent hours of time over the years recreating PDFs as Word documents by hand. Are there other apps that can accomplish this task? Yes. In fact, Preview on the Mac can export a PDF as a JPG, but that adds an extra step in the process when you could simply export it from PDF Expert once you are done editing the document. The team at Readdle has made this a convenient step and cured a headache for me that I’ve had for years.

Smart Enhance Tool: This is a feature that I didn’t know I wanted, but now that I have it, I never want to let it go. This powerful editing tool is very similar to photo retouching to me. I’ve had many scans that end up with crooked pages or crinkled paper caught in the scan. These sorts of issues make the scans imperfect and when you are working with professional-level documents, you want to make sure everything is just right.

The Smart Enhance tool gives users the ability to fix these errors without leaving PDF Expert. In the past, this is something I would have used Photoshop for, but now I can click just a couple of options to clean up ‘dirty’ scans. I’m particularly fond of the ability to split a double-page – like from a book – into two separate pages.

Conclusion

Even though upgrading to the NEW PDF Expert for Mac is not 100% free for existing users, I do like that Readdle is introducing a single, universal license payment that works across all Apple devices. I also really like that PDF Expert offers a free trial (7 days) so users can try it before they buy. As much as I’ve used PDF Expert over the years, I think it’s a worthy investment.

All the new features of PDF Expert for Mac are premium features and they ensure that users have the best possible experience when using the app. If you aren’t already a PDF Expert user, now is the time to become one.

For more information, visit pdfexpert.com, Facebook, and Twitter.