Category Archives: Mac

ByWord Review, An Unparalleled Writing Experience

Today, writing on TheMacFeed is just one of many pins I juggle. Not only are there unwritten posts, unedited reviews, and unattended reports for various developers, I also have to tend to various other projects I am working ever-so-vigorously on. As a result, I do my fair share of writing. A lot of it.

Normally, I find myself in TextEdit or sometimes even Notes on the iPad. And honestly, these two editors never quite handle my day-to-day writing.

A few weeks back I came across Byword through a friend’s recommendation. Needless to say, this specific individual has since been given a lot of credit for the find. Byword impressed me in nearly every way imaginable, however not for its features, but for its lack of them. Continue reading →

GreenSmart Komodo Laptop Sleeve Review

GreenSmart is another company I had the pleasure to meet at CES and, although nothing can be said for its website, the company’s products are extremely sound. I am still one of the few Mac users to be in possession of a 17″ MacBook Pro. The truth of the matter is, companies don’t pay attention to this machine; hell, Incase appears to be staying away from it altogether. It just so happens GreenSmart is continuing to sell a 17″ protective sleeve, the Komodo.

It’s hard to make a sleeve sound interesting –it’s nothing more than fabric and a zipper. In GreenSmart’s case, there is actually a bit more to look at: the environment. Continue reading →

Mobee’s Magic Bar works like a champ

As computer peripherals move to being wireless, one begins to wonder the best means of charging all of said devices. Using batteries works, however it can be expensive and less than earth friendly. A while back Mobee came out with the Magic Charger, a means of recharging Apple’s Magic Mouse. Months later it released the Magic Bar, an appealing charging solution for Apple’s wireless keyboard.

Mobee’s Magic Bar is a dock for Apple’s wireless keyboard to rest on allowing it to charge while remaining fully functional. It does this with a battery replacement (included) for Apple’s keyboard which allows the wireless charging to work.

The Magic Bar is made mostly of aluminum matching Apple’s devices rather closely. However, it also features a lot of plastic which all feels cheap in regards to quality. Further, the bar’s power charging light is not pleasing in terms of aesthetics; in fact, it has more of a PC look to it. Continue reading →

Heckler Design’s OneLessDrop vs. Bluelounge’s Sumo

Heckler Design is a firm known largely for its OneLessDesk and Office, however after a successful KickStarter campaign earlier this year, it introduced the OneLessDrop, a weighted tool to keep the power cord off the floor and on the desk. Roughly three months ago, Bluelounge, a company known for its Apple-related accessessories, released the Sumo a tool which dirrectly competes with the OnelessDrop in terms of its function. Determining the better soluction comes down to form and price.

Heckler Design’s OneLessDrop –which now serves as Heckler Design’s logo– was officially funded on KickStarter on March 2, 2011 as a very simple solution to a problem almost everyone has with cords; the second a cord is unplugged it falls behind the desk. With the OneLessDrop, the cord stays put. In addition to power cords, one can use the OneLessDrop with iOS adapters, and various other wires so long as they are not “orca fat.” It’s design is basically an “H” with slots for wires above and below the center bar as well as rubber feet for grip. Continue reading →

AirFoil, a review

AirPlay, among a vast jungle of other features, has been implemented by Apple in nearly all of its products in some way, shape, or form. However, it did not implement it in the fairest manner possible. In other words, Apple was not acting as an equal opportunity AirPlay implementer.

The iOS line is, without a doubt, the crème de la crème when it comes to AirPlay equipped devices. These puppies can push out just about every sound, from virtually any application to an AirPlay-equipped device, whether that be an Apple TV or a set of speakers hooked up to an Airport.

Macs got the short end of the stick featuring just one Airplay-enabled application: iTunes. What about YouTube videos, Hulu, and Google Music? Currently, Snow Leopard does not offer users a way of streaming audio from applications aside from iTunes to AirPlay speakers.

AirFoil is an application that fixes this inequality. It brings AirPlay support system-wide on Macs thereby allowing users to use the TV’s speakers for sound through Apple TV, or, in my case, my Airport’s Swan M10s.

The application itself is rather simple, yet, at the same time, could be loads more simple. That may sound a bit oxymoronic, but let me explain.

AirFoil comes in three parts: AirFoil, AirFoil Video Player, and AirFoil Speakers. AirFoil allows for any application to run its audio through an AirPlay-equipped speaker. AirFoil Video Player allows for media (files and web videos like YouTube and Hulu) to be played at a delay so that both the speakers and the video match. AirFoil Speakers, among other features, turns the Mac into an AirPlay speaker itself.

Having three parts to an application is confusing by any means, but it does not have to be this way; the features of the three pieces could easily be turned into a single window application with adjoined features. Moving between three applications to make use of the application, to me, is a bit much.

Listing all of its features would be tough as there are so many, but I’ll explain how I use AirFoil.

My MacBook has no speakers attached. At most times of the day, it has nothing connected to it aside from a power cord. My speakers are sitting directly beside my computer, though they are connected to an AirPort Express, allowing me to run my iPad and iPhone’s audio through them as well as my Mac’s. Plus, this allows me to walk away from the desk with my computer and still be able to play sound through my speakers.

Unfortunately, due to Snow Leopard’s lack of AirPlay support, the speakers used to be limited to iTunes audio from my MacBook. Now, with AirFoil, I can watch DVDs, NetFlix, Hulu, and YouTube with the superior sound of my Swans without having to connect any wires which is extremely useful, and dare I say fantastic.

In the end, AirFoil offers consumers an arsenal of AirPlay-related features at a very low price ($25), and for that, I completely recommend it. The design could use a change, but it isn’t a deal breaker, not for me at least. Check it out here and give the demo a try. AirFoil gets a 4/5.

MainMenu Pro, a Stunning Shortcut to High Performance

It has been more than a year since I first reviewed Incredible Bee’s MainMenu. At that time, there was only one version, which, according to my review, was something every Mac user needed. I will admit, I had a thing for MainMenu and clean caches back then. As of a few months ago, a rather large update was issued to the application including the release second version dubbed MainMenu Pro. I, being the MainMenu fanatic that I am, had to do another review.

MainMenu is an application that fits with that genre that many applications call home. This includes MacKeeper, MacCleanse, Cocktail, and CleanMyMac. Like everything in this world, applications have different characteristics which make them stand out, and in MainMenu’s case, it is the features. MainMenu Pro has more than 40 features under its belt. Because I cannot come close to covering every one of them, I will highlight the main ones. For a complete list of features, click here. Continue reading →

Jawbone’s Jambox, a review

Our “modern day” society is filled with an over abundance entertainment methods; some people read, others watch television, some play lazer tag, and some exercise –which I never have understood. This list goes on and on, but rather than rambling on over means of entertainment, I’ll get to the point. Though I do enjoy a good book every now and then, there is one thing my day is never complete without: music. But how am I supposed to enjoy it away from my MacBook? Sure, a pair of  earphones and an iPod will work, however how are those around me suposed to enjoy the musc? Simple, Jawbone’s Jambox.

What is this “box of jam,” you might ask? The Jambox is a very compact, portable wireless speaker which can handle both multimedia and phone calls. In other words, it is a mix between computer speakers and a bluetooth headset, a comptooth speakset if you will.  The Jambox has but three buttons on it: the talk button, the volume increase button, and the volume decrease button. It also has an on/off switch on the side which lights up when the device is on as well as indicates when the device has fully charged (battery easily handles over 10-hours of play time). Lastly, the speaker also has a 35mm audio input jack and a micro-USB port which allows for charging, software updates, and app installations via Jawbone’s MyTalk service. Continue reading →

Review: YoruFukurou

Long time no talk. I’ve been a long advocate of TweetDeck, almost since the app was first released in 2008. However, much of my aversion to switching from the Adobe AIR sourced app has been a lack of alternative. I’ve always loved the updating and wider screened nature of TweetDeck. I can appreciate Tweetie, Echofon for Mac, Kiwi and Twitterific, but they never could convince me to leave TweetDeck. Yet, the other day I left, and it wasn’t because I found something that could do TweetDeck better than TweetDeck, it was because I just found a better app, NightOwl. Continue reading →

CableBox Mini, a review

BlueLounge is among the small group of companies that has yet to release a flop, and for good reason. Throughout this prestigious group, products are designed not only with regard for the shine and glitz, but also function. BlueLounge’s product lineup is aimed at simplifying a users life –physically, not technically– and one of its most popular products has been the CableBox. A few months back, BlueLounge released a new, smaller CableBox, or in other words, the CableBox Mini.

For those who still don’t know what I am talking about, the CableBox Mini is a rather small box, equipped with a power strip, that hides away excess wires.

Obviously, the CableBox Mini was designed for a smaller setup; rather than using it in the living room, it’d be better suited in a smaller workstation. At the same time, and not to sound too contradictory, the CableBox Mini could be used to organize a television setup, just keep in mind the supplied surge protector only has 4 sockets. If you have more than that, I’d recommend taking a look at the original CableBox. Continue reading →

LaunchBar, an easier launcher

If you are anything like me, you are someone with an abundance of applications and files taking up every last crevasse in your Mac’s hard drive. The problem this hoarding creates is a maze of files and folders that can be a difficult, if not an impossible, labyrinth to navigate. Luckily, there are a few applications available that make sorting through this mess a whole lot easier. LaunchBar is one of them.

LaunchBar is a “smart and powerful, keyboard driven productivity utility that lets you access and control every aspect of your digital life.” Or in other words, a tool that allows a user to perform many functions including calculations, application launching, file locating, iTunes controlling, and quite a bit more in a simple, easy to use application. Continue reading →