How do I select a trusted Mac cleaner?

To begin with, you should know that the plethora of cleaners is endless. You can find the best ones on the Apple website, or you can check trusted review websites. In addition, you are advised to have a look at the forums. There are numerous discussion boards online that talk about the best mac cleaner.

Types of cleaners to consider

People’s opinion when it comes to Mac cleaners is extremely different. Some of them want a program to maintain their privacy others want the whole package. Macaroni for example, is quite an efficient option. It gets rid of unwanted files and it will help your Mac run faster than ever. On the other hand, if you’re willing to spend more cash on your Mac’s safety, you can opt for CleanMyMac; it’s extremely useful as it check everything: files, apps, plug-ins, widgets, and more.

How much does the best mac cleaner cost?

When it comes to price things are a bit different. Often times, people want to test the product first and use if later on, if they’re satisfied with the results. Hence, a lot of Mac cleaners are free to download and test for a couple of days. Afterwards, you’ll have to invest roughly $50 to get the whole package. Of course, not all programs are that expensive, and some of them are totally free. Still, it’s up to you to decide.
Watch out for fakes

Although there are endless Mac cleaners out there, this doesn’t mean they’re all real. The online world can be extremely dangerous, and therefore you need to stay as safe as possible. Never purchase a Mac cleaner without checking its provider. All such programs have genuine websites, secure pages, and reliable payment systems. In addition, a trusted program comes with customer reviews, so you should check them out as well. If a cleaner has only positive reviews, it might be a fake; it’s quite clear that no software program can please everyone.

Get support

If you’re not that familiar with Mac cleaning programs and you’re afraid of buying one on your own, you can always ask for support. You can contact a friend who knows about Macs, or you can always turn to a specialist. A professional in the field will tell you exactly what cleaner to consider for your Mac.

The best mac cleaner ensures online safety

When your Mac is secured by a Mac cleaner, the device is not just safe offline, but also online. Viruses are everywhere, and it’s critical to stay as far away from as possible. Try to avoid bogus web pages, don’t download suspicious files, and constantly clean your browser. Don’t forget to update your browser from time to time, just to be sure benefit from the highest performance possible.

All in all, it’s rather difficult to say which is the best mac cleaner on the market. One thing’s for sure: you can keep your device safe and sound without spending a lot of money if you make one solid investment. You’ll manage to enjoy great Mac performance, you’ll free a lot of internal memory, and you can forget about dealing with issues such as slow loading time. What more can you wish for?

As a Mac user you no doubt love everything about your Mac, well just about everything that is, because even as a Mac lover we know that our Mac’s do at times put us at a disadvantage when it comes to working with the rest of the world. That’s because for now, most of the world still uses Microsoft Windows. Although stats show that the Mac OS X is catching up, we’re still behind, which means we have to be able to still work with the most common Microsoft programs, like Word. So, is there Word for Mac, or what about some Word for Mac alternatives?

Microsoft does indeed make Word for Mac and you can get it in their Microsoft Office for Mac suite of programs. Along with Word you will get Excel for Mac and a few other Office regulars that you may need. Office for Mac can be pretty expensive though, for personal use it is usually around $130 and for business use it is around $250. You can find it on sale at times, but if it’s still just too much for you, then you can find some Word for Mac alternatives. Here’s a list of the best ones.

5 Awesome Word for Mac Alternatives

Google Drive: This used to be called Google Documents, so you may be familiar with it. It’s easy to access if you have a GMail account as you just click on ‘Drive’ on the top menu bar in your GMail. In Google Drive you can use their Word alternative, which is just called ‘Document.’ You can also use their Excel alternative which is just labeled ‘Spreadsheet.’ They also have other things like Presentation, Form and Drawing.

One benefit of using Google Doc’s is that you can easily share it online with anyone or you can use it from anywhere. You can save it into Word if needed, as well as many other formats. This is by far my favorite Word for Mac alternative, although it does get glitchy sometimes which can make you a bit frustrated but it’s not that often so I suffer through it.

OpenOffice.Org: Like Microsoft Office, OpenOffice.org includes multiple programs. It has a word processor called Writer, a spreadsheet (similar to Excel) called Calc, presentations which is called Impress, a graphics part called Draw and Base, which is database manipulation. The Writer program is a great alternative to Word and even does some things that Word cannot do, such as open PDF files. It’s listed as the leading free alternative to Microsoft Word / Office.

AjaxWrite: This program was designed to look like Microsoft Word so that anyone that was familiar with Word and looking for an alternative, would be familiar with the interface. This application is not as well liked as most Word alternatives due to its missing some features that most word processing programs have, such as spell checker. It is also a bit slow and you can only use it with Firefox, however, they are adding the IE browsser soon.

Zoho: This program has about 20 free applications. This is another online program, similar to Google Drive, and it allows you to link to your Google and Yahoo accounts. Like in a Google Doc, it saves automatically so there is no reason to worry if you lose your connection or lose power. Something extra nice with Zoho is that you can use Echosign for digital signatures. You can also publish it on a blog and can export to DOCX, ODF, Latex, RTF, TXT and HTML.

NeoOffice: Our final Word for Mac alternative is a software program that was made just for Mac users. NeoOffice includes word processing, presentation, spreadsheet, drawing and database programs. It is also compatible with Microsoft Office files. It has grammar and spell checker. One nice advantage is that it can import images from scanners, cameras and Quicktime videos.

Which One do You Like?

Have you used any alternatives for Word that you would recommend? If so, which ones? As I mentioned earlier, my favorite is Google Drive / Google Doc’s, but any of the 5 listed above will be able to give you a great, free alternative to having to use Word. By using these programs you will be able to share the documents with your Word using friends or coworkers, but there are also some other advantages to using some of them, such as being online where anyone can access them and pitch in to the document or spreadsheet. Let us know which ones you have tried, we love to hear from you!

Have you noticed anything odd going on with your Macbook’s cursor? Is it jumping around on the screen without your moving it, deleting things on accident or acting otherwise erratically? If so, this is just one of the weird symptoms of a Macbook battery replacement being needed.

Since your Macbook battery is an important part of your Mac, it’s important to know how the battery is doing health wise. Without the AC power adapter plugged in, the battery is your computer’s only way of staying powered and providing you the portability of a laptop. The sad news is batteries go bad, and Mac computers are not immune nor invincible against a failing battery. Macbooks that are continuously used will at some point experience the signs and symptoms of a battery going bad.

What are the Signs and Symptoms a Macbook Battery is Going Bad?

There are several indicators that will tell you your battery is going bad. One of the more obvious indications is when you unplug your Macbook from the AC power adapter and your battery life decreases at an astronomical rate. Around 35-40% you may experience the computer completely shutting down without warning. The drop in battery strength is quick and can often happen within 20 to 30 minutes of use.

If your battery indicator at the top right of your screen never says 100% or has an “X”, it is a sign the battery is going bad. Healthy batteries charge completely. You may notice that even when the power adapter is plugged in, your battery strength is around 96% to 98%.

As we spoke of at the beginning, one of the weirdest signs your battery is going bad is an erratic cursor. For no reason your cursor will jump to a different section of a document you are typing in, highlight text randomly, or even delete text. Many Mac users are driven crazy by this behavior because they believe it may be due to a bad trackpad or keyboard.

One way to tell if the erratic cursor issue is due to a bad battery is to take your battery out while your computer is attached to the AC power adapter. Try typing in a document and see if the erratic cursor issue starts. If it doesn’t, then the erratic cursor issue is due to a bad battery.

Example of a bad (bulging) Macbook battery.

Ignoring any of the signs above may lead to your battery exploding. Yes, your Macbook battery literally explodes, but the explosion is contained within the battery pack. There are signs and symptoms that a battery may be on its way to exploding. If your battery bulges from the bottom of your computer, it is going bad and needs to be replaced.

How can the Health of the Battery be Checked?

You can periodically check the health of your Macbook battery by clicking on the battery icon at the top right of your screen. The drop down menu will indicate one of four statuses: Normal, Replace Soon, Replace Now, and Service Battery.

Obviously, the normal status means your battery is functioning at 100% efficiency. When you start to see the replace soon status, start looking for a replacement. The amount of time between a status of replace soon and replace now can happen within a few months or can happen within a year. Don’t ever let your battery get to the service battery status, this is when a battery explosion is more than likely.

You can also view the cycle count of your Macbook battery by going to the System Profiler. A cycle is counted as the number of times your battery is completely depleted and recharged. The higher the cycle count, the more likely your battery will need replacement. Macbooks range from 300-1000 cycle counts before the battery is depleted.

The example above shows Battery Information as listed under System Profiler on Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard on a MacBook Pro. The battery here has six cycles on it.

Follow these steps to access information on your Apple computer’s battery, including the cycle count:

1. Your first step will vary depending on which version of Mac OS X you are using:
   • Mac OS X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard or earlier: Open Apple System Profiler by choosing About this Mac from the Apple () menu. Then, click More Info.
   • OS X 10.7 Lion or later: Open System Information by choosing About this Mac from the Apple () menu. Then, in the About This Mac window click System Report.
2. Click Power in the Contents list (under the Hardware section as shown below).
3. Cycle Count is listed under the Battery Information section. 

Can the Life of a Macbook Battery be Prolonged?

You can prolong the life of your Macbook battery by adjusting a few settings. However, after several years of use, battery replacement is inevitable.

One setting that will help with the life of your battery is the brightness setting. Setting the brightness level at less than 100%, typically at around 50-60% can increase your battery life by up to three hours.

Energy saving settings are also useful to prolonging your battery. Set your energy settings to put the computer to sleep after a certain time idling and choose the better battery life option. You can also set the dimming of the screen to automatically occur when running from the battery vs. the AC adapter.

You can find some more tips on extending your Macbook’s battery life, here.

Is a Replacement Battery Expensive?

Replacing your Macbook battery is not expensive. There are some die hard Mac gurus who insist you only replace your battery with an Apple made battery, but there are several aftermarket battery replacements available. An Apple made battery will run you around $129, while an aftermarket battery can run around $50-60. Aftermarket batteries are just as reliable as Apple made ones.

With the battery being such an integral part of the overall use of your Macbook, watching for signs and symptoms of a bad battery is key to keeping your computer running properly. Waiting to replace the battery until it explodes can cause damage to your computer and may render your Macbook unusable. When you do decide to replace your battery, replace the AC power adapter too. A fresh AC adapter and battery will keep your Macbook running smooth.

Screen sharing is built into Mac computers, and can be accessed from the Sharing preference panel. This screen sharing capability is based on the virtual network computing (VNC) protocol, which means that any computer with a VNC client installed can view your screen, regardless of whether the remote computer is a Mac, or Windows based machine.

There are also some third-party screen sharing programs that you can use to share your Mac screen with others. Below, you will find out how to set up a screen share from your Mac’s resources and from some of the more popular third-party services.

How to Set Up Screen Sharing on Mac in System Preferences

There are two ways to set up screen sharing on a Mac. One is known simply as Screen Sharing, and the other is named Remote Management. Both use the same system to allow screen sharing. The difference is that the Remote Management method includes support for Apple’s Remote Desktop application, which is used in many commercial machines. This article is going to focus on the basic Screen sharing option, which is used by most home, and small business users.

Setting it Up

• Launch System Preferences by either selecting it from the Apple menu or clicking the System Preferences icon in the Dock.
• In the System Preferences window, click on the Sharing preference pane.
• Check the box next to the Screen Sharing service.
• Click on the Computer Settings button.
• Check the box next to ‘VNC viewers may control screen with password,’ in the Settings pane.
• Enter a secure password that can be used when a remote user tries to connect to your Mac.
• Click ‘OK.’
• Next you will need to choose which users can access your Mac’s screen. You can choose ‘All Users’ or ‘Only these users.’  Users refer to the Mac users who are on your local network.
• If you choose ‘Only these users,’ you will need to use the plus button (+) to add users to the list.
• When you are finished choosing users, you have successfully set up Screen Sharing and can close the Sharing preference pane.

Once you have enabled screen sharing, other computers on your local network will be able to access the desktop on your Mac.

How to Remotely Connect to a Mac Desktop Using Finder

There are many ways to access another Mac desktop. However, the most common method is to use the Finders Connect to Server menu, which is located under the Go menu (on menu bar at top of screen). To make a remote connection, you will need to do the following:

1. Ensure that Finder is the leading  application by clicking in a Finder window or clicking on the Desktop.
2. Choose ‘Connect to Server’ from the Finder’s Go menu.
3. In this window, either enter the network name or the address of the Mac you want to connect to in this format: vnc://numeric.address.ofthe.mac (Example: vnc://192.168.1.7) Or vnc://MacsName (where MacsName is the network name of the Mac you want to connect to).
4. Click on the Connect button.
5. You may be asked for a name and password, depending on how Screen Sharing was set up. If you are asked for login information, enter the appropriate details and click Connect.
6. A new window will open that displays the remote Mac’s desktop.

Once you move your mouse into that window, you will be able to interact with the remote desktop as though you were sitting in front of that computer.

How to Share Your Mac Desktop with iChat

Another way to remotely connect to another Mac is to use Apple’s instant messaging client iChat. This application has a feature that allows you to share your Mac desktop with anyone on your iChat bjuddy list. To do this simply:

1. Launch iChat if it is not already running.
2. Once the iChat window is open, select the buddy you want to share your screen with.
3. Choose Buddies, Share My Screen With (buddy name).
4. A status window will open giving you a message stating that it is waiting for a response from your buddy.
5. As soon as your buddy has accepted the request, you will see a box that says ‘Screen Sharing with (buddy’s name),’ the box will disappear quickly, and your buddy will be able to remotely view your desktop.
6. When someone shares your desktop, they have the exact rights as you. They are able to move, copy, and delete files, or they can launch or stop applications, and alter screen preferences. Because of this, you should not share your screen with someone uless you trust them.
7. To end screen sharing with iChat, simply select Buddies, End Screen Sharing.

How to View a Buddy’s Screen with iChat

1. Launch the iChat application.
2. In the iChat window, select the buddy who’s Mac you want to view.
3. Select Buddies, Ask to Share (your buddy’s name) Screen.
4. A request will automatically be sent to your buddy asking for screen sharing permissions.
5. If they accept, your desktop will reduce down to thumbnail size, and their desktop will open in a larger window.
6. You can then work in your buddy’s desktop as though you were sitting in front of their Mac.
7. To quit viewing your buddy’s desktop, switch to your own, then select Buddies, End Screen Sharing, or simply click the close button on the view of your buddy’s desktop.

Third-Party Ways to Share Your Mac’s Screen

There are some third-party ways to share your screen on your Mac, such as Google Hangout, Skype or JoinMe. All of these services are free, but there are some extra features you can add in Skype or JoinMe for a price.

JoinMe: To use screen sharing with JoinMe you can share the link they give you or even give them a phone number to dial into to join the conversation if they cannot join the screen.There service is free or you can upgrade to a monthly package for additional features.

Skype: To use the screen sharing in Skype, connect with the person you wish to Skype with and then go to your top menu bar and click on Conversations. You will see “Share Screen” and it should be higlighted. You are allowed to share your screen with one person. If you wish to share it with a group you will have to pay for a package with Skype.

Google+ Hangouts: lets you video chat or screen share with one person or have a multiway video chat and share screen with up to 9 other people. To start a hangout from Gmail, Google+, iGoogle, orkut, or Chrome OS simply:

1. Select the contact you want to chat with in your Chat list.
2. Click the Hangouts icon  at the top of the Chat window.
3. Your contact will receive a Hangouts invite in their Chat window. Once they accept your invite, you both can start hanging out and even invite up to 8 more people to join you!

You can also just go to hangouts.google.com to start a Google+ Hangout.

As a Mac user living in a PC world, chances are you have had the need at one point in time to to create a detailed spreadsheet. Microsoft Excel is considered the computer industry standard for spreadsheet creation by many users. The program integrates with other Microsoft Office Suite programs, such as Word, PowerPoint, and Access. However, Microsoft Excel for Mac cannot be purchased as a stand alone program and requires you to purchase the whole Office Suite.

Fortunately, Microsoft Excel is not the only game in town, so an alternative program may be able to provide just as much functionality as Excel does and in turn, save you money. Deciding what type of spreadsheet program for Mac you need should be based on what you will use the spreadsheet program for.

What are the Different Microsoft Office Versions for Mac Which Have Excel?

The Microsoft Office Suite for Mac comes in three different versions as of April 2013. These versions include Office 365 Home Premium, Office for Mac Home & Business, and Office for Mac Home & Student. The difference between each version is the number of licenses provided, the price, and certain software features.

Each version has the full software version of Microsoft Excel for Mac. For most people the Mac Home & Student version is more than enough to fulfill their needs. However, if you wish to have Microsoft Outlook, the home and student version will not be sufficient. You will have to purchase the Microsoft Home & Business version to use Microsoft Outlook.

What is the Difference Between Excel and iWork Numbers?

Quite honestly, the only difference between Excel and iWork Numbers is the name and some of the functionality. Both programs create spreadsheets, run calculations, print in grid format, and are used for the same purposes. iWork was built to run on the Mac platform and is only available for Mac, while Excel was built to run on a PC platform but has a Mac version.

There are slight differences with the way the each program looks, and those that are used to Excel may have a hard time finding their way around Numbers. Files created in Excel and Numbers are exportable between the two programs. However, spreadsheets in Numbers only come through as individual sheets in Excel rather than a workbook.

Is There a Free Alternative for Microsoft Excel on Mac?

There are alternatives to the Microsoft Office Suite for Mac. In fact there are many on the Internet that are both free and able to provide you with the function of saving a file to Excel format, should you need to send it to someone with Excel.

One free program is the spreadsheet tool available in Google Drive, formerly known as Google Docs. You’ll need to have a Gmail account to set up the Google Drive and use the spreadsheet tool. The nice thing about Google Drive spreadsheets is they stay on Google Drive indefinitely, or until you archive and delete the file. The Google Drive can be accessed from anywhere, which makes it convenient when you want to check or update a spreadsheet from your computer, tablet, or smartphone. Sharing spreadsheets created in Google Drive are easily done by selecting the download as option in the file menu and saving out to a .xls file.

OpenOffice is another free alternative to Excel for Mac. The OpenOffice spreadsheet program is called Calc. Calc is a downloadable program that you must install on your hard drive. Unlike Google Drive, Calc spreadsheet files are completely stored on your computer and you do not need an Internet connection to use Calc. Files can be exported from Calc to Excel file formats for emailing and sharing purposes.

In addition to the programs above there are other free Mac spreadsheet freeware programs available. These include NeoOffice and LibreOffice, which are downloadable open source programs. Both of these programs are modeled after OpenOffice and have many of the same commands and drop down menus.

Which Mac Spreadsheet Program Should You Choose?

For the purposes of just using a spreadsheet to create simple files that can add up equations and create graphs on your Mac, any of the free spreadsheet programs will do. But, if you are using these spreadsheets for business purposes, you may find that owning a copy of Microsoft Excel for Mac is best for your needs.

Certain accounting programs, like Quickbooks and Peachtree, export detailed financial information into Excel file formats and may not always be able to be read by programs that are not Excel.

Microsoft Excel for Mac is a useful program, but the alternatives may help you save some cash until you are ready to purchase the complete Office Suite. You may also be able to utilize a 30-day trial of the Microsoft Office Suite by downloading the Office program directly from Microsoft. When you install it, simply select the option to begin as a trial.

For those of us that have had a Window’s based computer, the name AVG may be familiar. That’s because it’s a very popular, and in fact, a very good, free anti-virus software used by a lot of Window’s users. When we switch over to a Mac OS X, most of us think very little of finding an AVG for Mac because one of the reasons we have made the change is that we are happy to be rid of those pesky viruses our Window’s computers seemed to pick up all too often.

Although this was indeed the case, that Mac’s were quite free from viruses for the most part, but sadly this isn’t the case anymore. The problem is still not as bad as it is for those using a Windows OS, however, with Apple devices becoming more popular, hackers are beginning to target them more often.

Due to this some are now looking for that familiar product name that they trusted with their Windows computers, AVG. Especially since the risk of a virus is still not major and AVG is free, it does seem a good choice. But there is not an AVG for Mac. Not as far a an antivirus program goes anyway, in which it would scan your computer for viruses and malware etc. AVG did make for us Mac users a Link Scanner though, read on to see if it’s for you.

AVG Link Scanner for Mac

Since there’s not really an AVG for Mac that will protect your computers from viruses, spyware, adware, and other forms of malware, there is a program from AVG called AVG Link Scanner for Mac. Like their other AVG programs, AVG Link Scanner is completely free, and can be downloaded online.

This program is not like a regular antivirus program that you would use  to protect your Mac, but it can be used as additional protection against getting a virus. How it works is that when you do a Google (or other search engine search), the search results will show up with a safety rating next to them. It will also scan any website link that you go to and notify you if there is anything malicious on the page.

This will even work from social sites, such as Skype. Say that you get a message in your Skype that is from someone you don’t know or don’t know well and there’s a link to click on. Should you click it? This Link Scanner program will check it out for you. You can click on the link and if there is anything found by the scanning software it will block the site, meaning it won’t allow you to visit the site.

As for the sites that come up in search with a safety rating next to them, there are 5 different ratings. As you can see from this screenshot, the ratings have a symbol and are color coded. The ratings mean the following:

Green: Safe √   Yellow: Caution!   Orange: High Risk!!   Red: Danger Avoid X   Gray: Unknown Website ?

Getting Started with AVG Link Scanner on Your Mac

The AVG for Link Scanner for Mac program can easily be downloaded from the Internet. There are two different choices when downloading the program. You can either download the entire installer, or you can use the download manager. For anyone with a reliable, fast Internet connection, downloading via the download manager is recommended.

Once the application is downloaded, it can be installed quickly and easily on the Mac that it was downloaded on. However, before you install it you should be prepared to restart your Mac when finished.

AVG’s Link Scanner will run without you having to do anything with it. It works while you are on the web or even with some of your programs on your computer if there is a link involved, such as the earlier example of the Skype. The program does not take up much space on your hard drive, or use much memory.

The Bottom Line about AVG’s Link Scanner Software

As I researched AVG for Mac on the internet, I first found that 1) there is no AVG for Mac and then 2) that there is a product made by AVG for a Mac called Link Scanner, of which we have been going over in the article, and 3) that this Link Scanning software does have its ups and downs. For the most part the response to it has been good. Users say that it runs fine and doesn’t affect their Mac’s performance. However, like many programs, Link Scanner does have some issues, according to some users anyway.

These issues were involved in 2 things, which were when they updated or tried to update to the newest version they would have issues, meaning it would start to severely slow their Mac down and act weird in other ways, and that if and when they went to uninstall the program, uninstall wouldn’t happen; it’s a stubborn one to get rid of.

I found in the AVG forum some answers though to the uninstall issue and it appeared that AVG support did work with the users until the problem was solved. To uninstall you need to use an uninstaller that comes with the program, so before dragging and dropping it to the Trash thinking that is the way to get rid of it, first go to the application in your Finder first and find the Uninstall button.  If you do download and use this program and decide later to uninstall it and find you are having problems, you can go to this AVG forum link to read how other users finally accomplished it.

The bottom line is that if you don’t want to install an antivirus on your Mac, the AVG Link Scanner program would at least be of some protection in helping you to not accidentally download a virus. As for what I personally suggest and prefer, I use an all-on-one program, which is a Mac cleaner that has an antivirus with it, and therefore I find no reason for Link Scanner, but for others that simply do not want an antivirus program, this may be a good choice.

So, it really comes down to a matter of preference.  If you do use it, remember that it may be tough to uninstall and keep an eye on it after regular updates when some users say that it tends to display some issues. If you keep these two things in mind, AVG Link Scanner for Mac will be a wise choice for protecting your Mac from malware and viruses if you’re not using antivirus software.

Many times, Mac users find themselves needing to find alternative software for their Mac, because, let’s face it, we live in a Window’s world which means that most of the programs are not Mac friendly. Unfortunately, Microsoft Project is one of the ones not available for Mac computers. You could still use it, that is if you use Bootcamp or another program such as Parallels or VMWare, any of which would let you run Windows on your Mac and thus run Microsoft Project on Mac or other Window’s programs.

No fears though, as all is not lost. Because although Microsoft Project for Mac does not exist, like many other Microsoft software, there are some alternatives. In fact, there are many project management software suites available for Mac computers that can be used as an alternative to Microsoft Project. With so many choices, let’s stick to the 5 best and most popular alternatives for you to choose from.

FastTrack Schedule

This award-winning software is considered to be the best project management application available for Mac’s today, meaning you won’t even miss Microsoft Project. When using it, you can do almost anything related to project management quickly and easily. The program includes a user friendly interface that allows for complete customization. The latest version of this software has been redesigned to fit perfectly with the Mac OS X operating system and was inspired by Apple’s iWork suite.

When you first load this program, you are greeted with a getting started screen that gives you instant access to everything you many need, including schedules, calendars, address books, templates, and online resources such as video and text tutorials.

Merlin

Merlin is a strong competitor in the field of project management software for Macs and has also won awards. This software offers a lot of flexibility and many collaboration possibilities allowing you to easily stay in touch with your team. Merlin was developed by project managers and is globally recognized as being one of the best project management software applications available. This software includes features such as Mindmaps, which allow you to brainstorm and collaborate with colleagues and capture information quickly and easily.

Merlin is fully compatible with the file formats offered by the Windows program Microsoft Project 98 and newer and can read MPP, MPX, and XML files. It can also write to MPX or XML file formats when necessary. This is a fantastic resource for those that need to collaborate with Microsoft Office Project users.

OmniPlan

OmniPlan is an extremely flexible, easy to use project management suite. However, it is lacking in collaboration features. OmniPlan works extremely well with all Mac features and functionality, which allows for full integration with media and documents. Because it incorporates so well with Mac features, you can export to iCal and many other functions.

OmniPlan is very easy to use and includes features such as smart scheduling, task management, calendars, and project planning. You can also set a baseline to act as a reference point allowing for easy comparison of the project’s progress. OmniPlan has a resource management feature which allows you to easily distribute workloads, track budgets, and identify bottlenecks within your project.

Xplan (aka Projector)

xPlan is an easy to use project management software suite that is packed full of useful tools. However, like OmniPlan, it does not have many collaboration features. xPlan is made by App4Mac, a company that specializes in Mac applications. It is packed full of useful tools to help you manage your projects and work more efficiently. xPlan has a very modern, intuitive interface that is easy to use. Using xPlan you can manage to-do lists, sub tasks, events, and more. The software is designed to help you keep track of all tasks and easily calculate the cost of a project.

xPlan uses the universal binary technology that was built by Apple. This means that the application can run on any Mac containing a PowerPC or an Intel chip without any program emulation or system slowdown. For those that need it, xPlan is also available for the iPad platform.

SharedPlan

SharedPlan is a project management software suite that is specifically designed for collaboration across a large group. To fully use the collaboration features, the program requires access to the Internet. This program is already used by many large companies across the world, including the BBC, Walgreen’s, and Whole Foods Markets. If you need a program that will allow you to coordinate and collaborate between a large group rather than manage a small team or individual project, SharedPlan is perfect.

This project management software is designed to allow users to create and update plans, and then communicate them quickly and easily to everyone involved on a project. SharedPlan is available for both Macs and Windows and is cross-platform compatible. While you do need to be connected to the Internet to share information, you can work anywhere with no connection, and then upload the new project to the central area for your team to access when the Internet is available.

Other Choices in Project Management Software

As you can see, even though Microsoft Project is not available for Mac computers, there are plenty of viable alternatives available. While we have only listed 5 of the best project management software suites available for Macs, there are many more including Project X, iTaskX, AltiProject, Curio, and Contactizer.

Like most software programs, these project management software programs often offer a free trial period so that you are able to test the software to make sure it will do everything that you need it to do, before you commit to a purchase. So give one of these a try and let us know which one you like best. Is there one that you find is closest to the Microsoft Project? We love to hear from you, so please feel free to comment below.

Many Mac users are past Windows users, and because of this they often miss some things that Windows had and Mac doesn’t have.  One thing that Window’s users end up missing the most is the Windows email program called Outlook. They don’t have to miss it though, as there is actually an Outlook for Mac too. Like the Windows Outlook program, Outlook 2011 for Mac is a powerful tool that can be used to manage email, calendars, contacts, and tasks.

Although Outlook on your Mac will be quite similar to the Windows version, there are some minor differences. In order to be able to use it effectively, you will need to at least understand the basics such as how to set up an email account, how to identify interface elements that can be used to accomplish basic tasks, and how to add contacts to your address book.

Setting Up an Email Account in Outlook on Mac

On a Mac OS X, Outlook can be used to manage multiple email accounts including Windows Live, Microsoft Exchange, POP, and IMAP accounts. However, before you are able to start sending, and receiving email messages, you will first need to set up your email account. In order to do this, you will need your email account information and your email server details. Once you have that information, you are ready to set up your Mac’s Outlook email account by following these steps:

• On the Tools menu, click on Accounts.
• There should now be an Add an account menu. On that, click email. Unless your account is located on an Exchange server. If it is, click Exchange.
• In the next box that pops up, enter your email address and password. Then click Add Account. If Outlook for Mac recognizes your email provider, the configure automatically box will remain selected. If you do not want Outlook to attempt to configure your server information for you, simply clear this selection and enter the server information manually.
• Verify that your account information and server information are correct. Then close the Accounts box.
• You should now see a folder for your newly created email account in the folder list. However, if you do not see this folder immediately, don’t worry. There are many factors that can influence how long it takes for this folder to appear, such as the amount of messages that needs to be downloaded and the amount of traffic to the server.

Getting to Know The Outlook for Mac User Interface

Before you start using your newly created email account, it is probably a good idea to familiarize yourself with the user interface.

1. The Search Box This box allows you to manually find items that are in the current folder. To use it, you simply type keywords into the search box. The Search tab appears on the ribbon and provides many additional search options. For example, the ability to search All Items instead of one folder.
2. Ribbon This is the tabbed command bar across the top of any window or work area. The ribbon organizes everything into logical groups. Different windows will give different options on the ribbon. For example, the mail window will give the mail, contacts, or calendar options.
3. Reading Pane This area speaks for itself. It is the place where you can read your email messages, or see details about specific items such as tasks and contacts. If you want to change the location of the reading pane, you can do so in the View menu. Simply point to Reading Pane and select a location.
4. Navigation Pane If you are in mail view, the navigation pane will display the folder list. If you are in calendar, tasks, contacts, and notes views, it will allow you to show and hide items in categories. You can turn the navigation pane completely off by going to View and then Navigation Pane.
5. View Switcher These buttons allow you to quickly and easily switch between the main Outlook views. They are, mail, contacts, calendar, notes, and tasks.

Finishing Some Set Up in Outlook: Adding Contacts

Now that you have your email set up to now stream through your Outlook on Mac program, it’s a good time to add contacts to your address book so that it’s all ready for your emails. The address book is also a perfect place to manage personal and professional contact information. Once a contact is added to your address book, you can use the information across the entire Outlook application. For example, you can send an email, or meeting reminder without having to remember everybodies email address.  To add a contact to the address book, follow these directions:

• On the view switcher click on Contacts.
• The Home tab should be the active tab. On this tab click Contact.
• Enter the contact information for the person you are adding to the address book. There are many fields available, and it is recommended to include at least the name and email address, add more information if you feel it is important, or you know it.
• If you want to add a picture for the contact, simply double-click on the placeholder thumbnail in the contact window.
• Make sure that the Contact tab is the active tab, then click Save & Close.
• You should now see the contact information in the contact list.

Final Tips and Features

If you are familiar with Outlook for Windows then you know that this program has many more features for you to enjoy. If you’re not familiar with Outlook, don’t worry, you can easily familiarize yourself with Outlook on your Mac by just clicking through the various tabs and areas and seeing what options and features you have.

Now that you have your email and contacts set up, one thing you may want to do is to create folders so that you can keep your email organized. You can also set up a task list and calendar to help stay even more organized.

In our new super digital world, many people, especially Mac users, are finding that they are taking and making a lot of videos.  These videos are being used more than ever before for work, fun, education or just capturing that special moment. With all of these videos, and with a Mac at hand, it makes sense that you the video maker, would like to be able to edit or just play around with your videos. This may sound like something that will be very expensive to do, but there  are actually some really good quality video-editing software applications for Mac’s that are not just cheap, they’re free!

Here’s our list of the best free video-editing applications available for Mac’s.

1) Apple iMovie

The easiest way to start doing some video editing on your Mac, is by using a free program that you may not even know you have. This app is called, Apple’s iMovie, and it comes installed on every Mac that has the OS X operating system.  You never have to pay an additional fee to use it. The newest version, iMovie 11 is a fantastic video editor for Mac and has a lot of nice features including, one-step effect, movie trailer, and audio editing. In a few simple steps, you will be ready to share your movies on websites such as YouTube, or export them to many of your other Apple devices, including the iPad, iPhone, and iPod.

Downsides: iMovie is only free for those with a newer Mac that has the OS X operating system. It is not particularly user-friendly and takes the average user some time to learn. It also has very limited supported video formats and will only support MP4, M4V, and MOV formats. If you want to edit any other formats, you will need to use a video converter for Mac to convert the videos.

Overall, it is one of the best, free video edition software applications available for Mac computers, and has a good reputation.

*The feature image, the image at top of this article, is a screenshot of what iMovie looks like when editing a video. 

2) Avidemux

Avidemux is an awesome, free video-editing software application that is designed for easy, simple filtering, cutting, and encoding. It is available for Mac OS X, Linux, Windows, and BSD. Avidemux supports many different video, audio, and image formats, including DVD, AVI, most MPEG files, MOV, MP4, ASF, AAC, JPG, and AC3. In fact, the program’s compatibility with most formats is one of the highlights of this software.

The downside of this software is that the video-editing functions are extremely limited. If you are looking for something for simple editing, this software is perfect. However, if you want something that allows you a little more editing freedom. You should use something else.

3) HyperEngine-AV

This free video-editing software for Macs allows users to capture, organize, process, edit, and export video, text, and audio to make great slideshows and DVD quality movies. The software comes with twelve, studio-quality effects from the suite of audio processors from Arboretum’s Hyperprism. It also offers text features that allow users to display credits, titles, or lyrics using fully editable fonts. Editable features include, size, color, type, alignment, style, and scroll directions.

4) ZS4 Video Editor

ZS4 is a free video editor for Mac computers that provides media experts with a platform to combine many different media types into one or more output files. It is also available for Linux and Windows operating systems. This video editor comes with more than 150 built in effects to help enhance your videos.

5) Blender

This is a graphics application that is probably the best video editor application available for Macs, and not just the best because it’s  free editing software, but best too when comparing it to those other video editing applications that have hefty price tags on them.  Blender can be used for many different things including, rigging, modeling, texturing, skinning, UV unwrapping, animating, smoke and water simulations, rendering, particle and many other types of simulations, compositing, non-linear editing, and creating fully interactive 3D applications.

Some of the things you can make with Blender include, video games, animated films, and many other visual effects. Blender is packed full of features that are very advanced, such as powerful animation tools, a node-based material and compositing system, modifier-based modeling tools, and Python for embedded scripting. In addition to Mac, Blender is also available for Windows, Linux, OpenBSD, and FreeBSD.

Which to Pick

Finding the best video-editing software for Mac will depend on your personal needs, and your level of editing skill. If you are new to video editing, you are more likely to enjoy an application that is simple to use and very user friendly. If you are a little more experienced, you may enjoy something that has a few more options and is more challenging.

The above lists five of the best, free video editing options for Mac computers. However, it does not list all of the available options and there are many other free software applications available, and of course, there are many paid applications that will often offer much more functionality. So, with plenty of choices, you should be able to pick one and begin editing your videos to make them a true work of art.

For most of us that have a Mac we are so happy to have it that we don’t ever miss Windows, however, just because we don’t miss it doesn’t mean we don’t need it. Unfortunately there are still many programs that can only operate on Windows based computers, especially in regards to our employer’s computer. This makes it tough if we want to work from home, but that’s where the Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection for Mac comes in.

As you may or may not know, there are some ways to run Windows on your Mac which then allows you to run Windows based programs on it,  but the Microsoft RDC for Mac works differently. By using a remote desktop connection you can actually connect your Mac computer to one or more Windows computers so that you can easily work with files and applications on any Windows computer from your Mac.

Can You Use Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection on Your Mac?

Before you get too excited about using Windows from your Mac, you should know that the latest version of the Remote Desktop Connection (RDC )for Mac is 2.1.1. Why is this not great? Well unfortunately, this version is not meant for use with Mac OS X v10.7 Lion, or later versions. However, many users have reported that it does work, even though Microsoft does not support it. So it may be worth a try. If you have Snow Leopard or an older OS X version, you should be okay.

As for your Windows connection, in order to connect with a Windows computer, you must enable network access and the appropriate permissions. The Windows computer must be running Remote Desktop Services or Terminal Services. Both services are packaged with Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, and Server 2003 through 2008.

How To Install RDC

Installing this application is quick and easy. The first thing you should do is stop all running applications, including any Office applications. When all other applications have stopped, and you know that your computer meets the necessary requirements, you are ready to download and install the application. To do this;

• Click on the Download button, or click on the appropriate language link on the product website.
• Follow the onscreen instructions to save the file to a location on your hard drive. If you use the Safari browser, the file is automatically saved to your desktop unless you specify  it to go somewhere different.
• Once the file is downloaded. Double-click on it to place it on the desktop, and then double-click on that to open it. *Note* In some cases, this step is done for you.
• Once the Remote Desktop Connection volume window is open, double-click the Remote Desktop Connection.mpkg package, which will begin the installation, and then simply follow the onscreen instructions.
• Once the installation successfully completes, you can safely remove the installer.

How To Use the Remote Desktop Connection

Step #1: Once you have installed the RDC application, you will find it listed in your Applications directory (go to Finder and Applications). To run RDC, all you need to do is double-click the icon. This will bring you to a connection screen. To connect to one or more Windows computers, you simply need to know either the name, or the IP address of the other computer.

How do you find the Window’s name or IP address though? 

To do this you will need to go to the the Windows computer you want to connect to and click on the Start button. Next you will select Accessories, and then Command Prompt. This will bring up a window that looks like a DOS window. At the prompt type: ipconfig /all. This will bring up a window with a lot of numbers and other information in it. Simply scroll down until you see the IP Address line, and copy down that number.

To find it by computer name instead of the IP address, again go to your Windows computer and If you have the My Computer icon sitting on your desktop, right click on it and choose Properties. If you do not have it on your desktop, go to the Start button, and right click on My Computer from there and choose Properties.

Depending on the version of Windows you are using, the computer name may be close to the bottom of the window that pops up. Alternatively, you  may have to click on the computer name tab to find the full computer name. Once you have found the name of the computer, write it down. You will also need to write down the name of the domain or workgroup. If the name of the workgroup is simply workgroup, this information may not be of any use, and the IP address should be all that you need.

Step #2: You will now need to allow users to connect remotely to the computer. To do this, click on the Remote tab, or the Remote Settings tab. Once there, make sure that the correct box is checked so that users can connect remotely.

Step #3: If the Windows computer is on a home network and behind a router, you will likely have a private IP address. These typically begin with 192.168, or 172. If this is the case, you may need to set up port mapping. This will redirect any remote desktop requests to your computer. You will need to redirect port number 3389 to your local PC’s IP address.  Port 3389 is the default port for Windows Remote Desktop.

Step #4: The Remote Desktop Connection window on the Mac should now show a connection screen. It is here where you would type in the Windows computers IP address or full name. There are a few other options that can be changed such as the size of the remote desktop, how you want the remote desktop window to open, and the configuration of colors you want to use. Once you have the settings how you want them, simply click connect.

If everything is setup correctly, you should see the login screen on the Windows computer if you have it password protected, and if you don’t have it password connected you will see the Windows desktop.

Voila! You’re done and you should now be able to work with your Windows PC and files from your Mac.  There are other ways too, such as using a virtualization program, but using the RDC is definitely one of the best and easiest ways to have your Mac and still have access to Windows too.