For example, you might launch Mail with Shift+Ctrl+M, add advanced four-finger gestures to your trackpad, power up your Magic Mouse, or adjust how window buttons behave when clicked along with a modifier. It achieves this through you defining trigger/shortcut pairs. Persevere, though, because BetterTouchTool can radically power up every one of your input devices. This app tries to be friendly, but may bewilder newcomers. Because Alfred does feel like what might happen to Apple’s search lozenge if Tim Cook deemed it should be powered up.įor free, you get a hint at the app’s functionality, letting you search within user-defined locations, and trigger web searches for a range of sites.īuy the PowerPack and Alfred’s scope increases substantially, through file navigation, clipboard history, contacts access, snippets, and the means to build workflows that perform complex actions – all without writing a single line of code. It’s perhaps unfair to call Alfred ‘Spotlight Pro’, but we’re going to do that anyway. Superb apps for powering up macOS, to help you work faster, free up space, and ensure you never lose a file. So Ctrl-click > Open in Finder.īuy Pico-8 ($14.99, direct) The best Mac essential utilities And if it sounds like too much effort to make your own retro megahit, use the built-in browser to dig into thousands of cracking free titles that others have already made.Īgain, your Mac won’t want to run this one at first. Sharing games is a cinch – they’re essentially saved as PNG files. It’s intentionally limited and comes bundled with tools that let you craft your own music, graphics and code. You might think there are quite enough real-world retro consoles without someone making a brand-new one. Use Ctrl-click > Open in Finder and you’ll be on your way to retro bliss. Your Mac will grumble the first time you try to launch OpenEmu. Just watch those chunky pixels don’t take an eye out. There’s also an ‘experimental’ version that adds a load of additional systems, including arcade. If you’ve previously delved into the horrors of emulation, OpenEmu’s ‘it just works’ mentality will appeal. Controllers can be configured, and then you can play. Point it at your games and it’ll download cover art. Fortunately, OpenEmu is one of the best on any platform. The Mac’s not exactly drowning in emulators when you want to get your retro gaming on. And being able to flag books as ‘loaned’ means you should never again lose a precious volume to a forgetful friend.īuy Book Tracker (free + $17.99/£17.99, Mac App Store) OpenEmu You can track what you’re currently reading and note down what you thought when you were done. Log your collection in the app by bar-code scans or online searches, and then tag/organise as you see fit. If you often guiltily look at piles of unread books around your home, glance at digital books installed on devices, and then decide to buy yet more books (because, hey, more books), Book Tracker is a must. The app generously gives you all this for free but lob the creator a one-off payment and you unlock filtering options and can follow record labels.īuy MusicHarbor (free or $6.99/£6.99, Mac App Store) Book Tracker Promo videos are available too, like your own personalised MTV. The app then shows latest and upcoming releases, which you can preview or add to your library. You ‘import’ artists from Music or add them manually. Handily, MusicHarbor does that job brilliantly. MusicHarborĪpple’s Music app is fine for playback and surfacing new tunes you’ll like, but it’s rubbish at keeping tabs on favourite artists. When life shifts from work to play, use these apps to entertain yourself. And even if you don’t use it as your primary tool for, say, writing copy, you’ll be glad to have it installed for tricky find-and-replace sessions.īuy BBEdit ($59.99, direct / $49.99/£49.99 per year, Mac App Store) It chews through even the largest of files. In all cases, the app is unparalleled when it comes to editing, search, and manipulation of documents. And its reached its fine old age by being relentlessly excellent, by way of an abundance of features for anyone who works with words, textual data and code. With 30 years under its belt, BBEdit is a veteran of the Mac. And probably good ideas too, although they’re optional (and down to you).īuy MindNode (free or $19.99/£19.99 per year, Mac App Store) BBEdit You can get started with a bulleted list, which with a single click explodes into a mind map that can be augmented with all manner of colour, imagery, stickers, and icons. MindNode takes this approach into the digital realm, with a superb, flexible interface. Whether you’re planning a party or trying to get ideas for a vital project out of your head, mind-mapping is a great way to organise your thoughts.
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