The top 5 apps and services I use on a regular basis on my mac. From boosting my desktop speakers to better copy pastes, these apps will have your mac laptop running on steroids so you can get your stuff done better and more effectively. Boom, Evernote, Lastpass and Dropbox. Read more to see why. If you enjoy any of these apps, please let me know or share this article with your friends or colleagues. I'm sure you know at least one person who would thank you for these tips.
Boost your speakers with Boom How often have you tried to show a video or listen to some music on your desktop, but those small speakers just are not powerful to really hear what is happening. This can kill a presentation, destroy a demo, or just plain be annoying. Wouldn't it be great if you could add more boost to your speakers without having to pay for some type of portable speaker set to drag with you everywhere? Boom is your answer. Boom is an app for your Mac Laptop which allows you to boost the sound level of the speakers. The effect is really amazing and for clubbers like me with the loss of hearing from to many raves, it is great to be able to hear again.
Never forget a password with Lastpass How often do you forget your password online? Often people use the same password across multiple websites, or use a password that is to easy to hack because it's just easy to remember. Most people store these passwords in their browsers. This is a big no-no! It doesn't take much to simply download this file from your browser's cache, and boom you have all the passwords that person has logged without them even knowing it. If you want to stop worrying about passwords, and feel secure again, it is time for Lastpass. Lastpass is a service which securely stores all your passwords in the cloud. It informs if you use a password on more than one website, and has a password generator. Best of all, you can download a plug-in for most browsers, computers and phones which will allow you with one button to autofill your username and password. What? You have multiple accounts on some websites? No problem. Lastpass lets you set a multiple user profiles so you can switch between private and business accounts easily. Now normally I would be very wary about a service like lastpass, had it not been personally recommended to me by one of the world's most renowned hackers. Oh no evil hacker alert I can hear you say. Well this hacker is working on techniques to destroy malaria, reduce hurricane's strength before hitting populated coasts, and reusing the world's nuclear waste as a new clean power source for the future.
Do you hate having to copy paste one item at a time? No worries. Jumpcut is here to save you. Jumpcut remembers items that you have copied in the mac's memory so that you can go back and paste something that was copied 5 times ago. In fact I have it set to remember the last 30 items I copied. You can easily get back to the items to paste them again from the menubar. This free app is so freaking handy, I can not even begin to describe how often I use it. Go get it now, and thank me later.
I forget my notes all the time. Evernote helps me remember everything, everywhere. I swear by Evernote. This service allows for the syncing of notes in the cloud across all my devices. Android, PC, Mac, iOS, it doesn't matter, Evernote has you covered. From project management, planning a trip, to collecting gift ideas, EVERNOTE is my secret memory server. There are plug-ins for browsers, phones, desktops and more that make sure if I save a note on one device, it is synced with my other devices automagically. I never forget once I put it in Evernote. Get it, try it and let me know if you like it.
Evernote is free with a Pro Subscription option [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pjn6YkCY2yA[/youtube]
Keep your docs together in the cloud. iCloud sucks, Dropbox Rules! There are many advantages and disadvantages to keeping your documents in the cloud. First of all, it is the perfect backup for when your computer, phone or tablet dies. Then usually, those last files die with it. With Dropbox, you can wirelessly sync your documents across all your devices, and know that it is backed up without having to wait for time machine backups to start. Dropbox also makes sending files from your desktop to your phone or tablet much easier. For instance, it is a pain the butt to try and sync your keynote presentations to your iPhone. With dropbox, it is simple and easy. Just open up the keynote in dropbox, and have it open in keynote on the phone. Viola! Or, have dropbox automatically sync your phones pictures and videos so you never have to worry about loosing them and your phone. Best yet, Dropbox is not OS specific. That means you can share files with PC, Mac, Android and Apple devices. You can create shared folders with other users to work on projects together. Yeah Google Drive is trying, but Dropbox has a winning edge to it. Most developers, project managers, and designers use dropbox. Companies tend tio hate it as it is too easy to use for their workforce, so they make them use some other ridiculous server setup by the IT guy's buddy. Get Dropbox, and stop pulling your hair out of your head.
Dropbox is free with more space at a price.