Software Reviews
Low End Mac reviews are subjective - they are the reviewer's response to software and hardware that we've worked with. If we haven't tried a product or don't think it merits a review, you won't find it reviewed here.
Rating:
Beginning in April 2003, Low End Mac began using a ratings system with some product reviews. Reviewed products will receive from zero to four LEMs. The scale goes something like this:
- Buy this and you will want your money back.
- Possibly useful if you are in need of a product of this specific type, but it may not be worth the cost or effort.
- Okay, but has a few shortcomings or deficiencies.
- A solid, capable product that performs as advertised.
- Wow! A truly stellar, impressive product.
Products might receive ratings with "1/2" increments from time to time.
In keeping with the focus or this website, when rating products which are for use directly with or on a Mac, a factor in our evaluation will be how well it works with lower-end Macs and the Classic Mac OS.
Software
- Burn: A Free Alternative to Toast, Simon Royal, Tech Spectrum, 2012.07.12. It's not as sophisticated as Roxio Toast, but Burn does a great job burning data, music, and video discs - and it's free.
- Free Glide OS: Computing in the cloud, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2010.01.25. Hands on with Glide OS, a free cloud-based operating system and apps that you access from your browser.
- 2 freebies for switchers, Alan Zisman, Mac2Windows, 2010.01.07. Windows users are used to a maximize button and a Start menu. Two free apps to bring these features to OS X.
- VMWare Fusion 3.0 vs. Parallels Desktop 5.0, Alan Zisman, Mac2Windows, 2010.01.05. Both programs support Snow Leopard and Windows 7 while improving graphics performance. Which is better?
- Jumpcut, a free clipboard manager for OS X, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2009.10.26. PTHPasteboard, once a free clipboard manager, has gone commercial. Jumpcut has stepped into the gap and works very nicely.
- Free Mailsmith Is the BBEdit of email clients, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2009.10.20. If you're looking for an efficient, powerful, flexible, scriptable plain text email client for POP3 email, Mailsmith could be for you.
- Free TextWranger 3.0 a steal, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2009.10.13. For editing plain text, TextWrangler 3.0 is fast, very powerful, free, and may be all you need in a text editor.
- Free ToyViewer image editor gets major update, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2009.09.28. ToyViewer 5 is the first version designed for Snow Leopard, but the Tiger and Leopard versions seem to suffer in the process.
- Default Folder X: An old friend rediscovered, Dan Knight, 2009.07.08. I've used Default Folder with the Classic Mac OS since 1992, but only tried the OS X version recently.
- Paintbrush: A fast, free, MacPaint-like bitmap editor for OS X, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2009.07.06. Macs no longer ship with a free paint program, but the freeware Paintbrush program replaces MacPaint nicely.
- Smultron: A fast, free text editor that's great for organizing information, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2009.06.22. NotePad Deluxe didn't fully survive the switch to an Intel Mac, and Smultron became the replacement of choice.
- Vertus Fluid Mask 3: A powerful image masking tool for cleaning up image backgrounds, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2009.03.30. If you need to do sophisticated image masking, Fluid Mask provides lots of powerful tools for getting the job done.
- Vertus Bling! It: Affordable image masking software for casual use, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2009.03.24. Bling! It can be a useful tool for removing busy backgrounds from product photos used online or in print.
- Pixelmator 1.3.2 gains some cool enhancements, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2008.12.22. "Pixelmator works so well now that I've been finding myself using it more and more instead of Photoshop Elements 6."
- Virtualization shootout: VMWare Fusion 2 vs. Parallels Desktop 4, Kev Kitchens, Kitchens Sync, 2008.11.20. Both programs do the same thing, but one runs Windows XP smoothly alongside Mac apps, while the other bogs down everything but Windows.
- Cruz browser introduces useful new features, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2008.11.17. Although only a 0.1 release, this new WebKit-based browser has several clever new features that just might hook you.
- Seashore: A free, basic image editor for Mac OS X, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2008.09.08. Seashore is an open source image editing program for Mac OS X that uses parts of the GIMP but also integrates will with the Mac OS.
- CrossOver strikes out, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 2008.08.27. Running Windows apps on a Mac without paying for Windows is great in theory, but actually getting Windows software working is another story.
- Free mEdit text editor excels at handling and combining multiple documents, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2008.07.28. Most word processors are designed for office work and short documents. mEdit is designed to work with multiple documents and multi-part documents.
- Superior dithered images with HyperDither, Dan Knight, 2008.07.16. HyperDither reintroduces the dithering alogrithm intoduced by Bill Atkinson and creates better dithered images than Photoshop.
- New Iris 1.0 image editor not quite ready for prime time, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2008.07.14. Compared to Photoshop Elements 6, Pixelmator, and even the low-end Acorn, the first release of Iris doesn't seem to offer comparable value.
- Master of Orion on the Mac, Tamara Keel, Digital Fossils, 2008.07.01. The DOS version of this vintage game broke with Pentium or Windows 95, but the Mac version still runs very nicely in the Classic Mac OS.
- Opera 9.5 good enough to 'ruin you for other browsers', Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2008.06.16. The reviewer has long considered Opera the best among a solid collection of Mac browsers, and the latest version makes it even better.
- Make your own custom greeting cards with Sophie's Cards, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2008.06.02. Design and mail customized greeting cards using your own words and photos - or ones that come with the software.
- Pixelmator 1.2 closing the gap with Photoshop Elements 6, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2008.05.27. Photoshop Elements 6 has raised the bar for affordable image editing software, and Pixelmator is coming closer to being able to replace it.
- Free Time Machine Editor does one thing and does it well, Alan Zisman, Zis Mac, 2008.05.12. If Time Machine's habit of backing up every hour is impacting your work flow, this free utility gives you control options that Apple didn't build into Time Machine.
- Opera 9.5 beta add innovative features, better integrates with Mac, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2008.04.28. Already a speedy browers, Opera now launches faster, has a fully searchable history, and looks more like a standard Mac app than earlier versions.
- Social networking on the Mac: net4mac shows promise, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2008.04.14. In contrast to huge social networks such as MySpace and Facebook, net4mac is limited to Mac users with OS X 10.4 and later.
- At play in the garden of OS X browsers: Safari 3.1, Opera 9.27, and iCab 4.01, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2008.04.07. "In some respects, the browser wars are over in the sense that just about all of the alternatives are now satisfyingly fast and stable...."
- At play in the garden of OS X browsers: Firefox 3 Beta 5, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2008.04.07. "I've not traditionally been much of a Firefox fan, but Beta 5 is the slickest, most polished Firefox browser ever, not to mention the fastest and prettiest."
- Office 2008 a mixed bag for Mac users, Alan Zisman, Zis Mac, 2008.04.02. Office 2008 is more convetional than the Windows version and runs smoothly on Intel Macs, but it's slower than 2004 on PowerPC Macs.
- Interarchy 9: Smooth, fast, and reliable, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2008.03.17. Interarchy was already a powerful program - far more than an FTP client - and the changes in version 9 make it even better.
- FastMac 8x SuperDrive and BurnAgain DVD: Fast and easy multisession disc burning, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2007.10.08. FastMac's 8x SuperDrive upgrade is remarkably fast compared with older PowerBook burners, and BurnAgain DVD makes it easy to append files to a previously burned CD or DVD.
- iWeb a great tool for quickly creating an attractive website, Jeff Adkins, Mac Lab Report, 2007.09.11. Apple's iWeb software isn't just easy to use, it also integrates nicely with .mac and other programs in the iLife bundle.
- Adium: One instant messenger to rule them all, Leo Titus LeBron V, Collection Spotlight, 2007.08.22. Adium can replace all of your Instant Messenger clients with a single program and handle all of your threads in a single tabbed window.
- KompoZer 0.7.7: Getting Closer to a Replacement for Claris Home Page, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2007.08.22. KompoZer is a free, open source WYSIWYG webpage editor that has some rough edges but works well enough for full-time use.
- VMware Fusion a good alternative for fusing Windows with OS X, Alan Zisman, Mac2Windows, 2007.08.20. Fusion has a few advantages over Parallels, including multiprocessor support, the ability to work with 64-bit operating systems, and less drag on the system when you're using Mac apps.
- Name Munger 1.5 makes renaming files even easier, Dan Knight, 2007.08.17. Web servers may have problems with uppercase characters, spaces, and certain characters. Name Munger (for Mac and Windows) can quickly and easily fix those problems.
- TextSoap 4.5: Powerful text cleaning tools, Dan Knight, 2007.08.06. If you have to clean up text - smarten or dumb down quotes, remove or add line feeds, prepare text for use on the Web - TextSoap may offer all the tools you need.
- iText: Solid, lightweight, free word processing for the Classic Mac OS, OS X, and Windows, Tommy Thomas, Welcome to Macintosh, 2007.08.03. If you want a fast, easy-to-use word processor that's consistent across platforms, look no further than iText.
- Better screen captures in OS X with free Screenshot Helper, Low End Mac Reviews, 2007.08.03. Mac screenshots tend to have a lot of clutter in the background. Screenshot Helper puts a tablecloth over your busy desktop for cleaner captures.
- Quickly fix ill formed file names with Name Munger, Dan Knight, 2007.08.02. Web servers can have problems with uppercase characters, spaces, and reserved characters. Name Munger (for Mac and Windows) can quickly fix those problems.
- Bible-Discovery: Powerful but sluggish Bible study software, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2007.07.30. As a Java application, Bible-Discovery isn't fast or Mac-like, but it is a powerful tool for studying the Bible in Greek, Hebrew, and several English translations.
- Shiira 2.2 an even stronger contender for best Mac OS X browser, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2007.07.24. Shiira incorporates elements from many other browsers, has developed a unique interface, and could be a serious challenger to Opera as the Mac's best browser.
- Parallels 3 narrows the gap between Virtualized Windows and using Boot Camp, Alan Zisman, Mac2Windows, 2007.06.13. The newest version of Parallels Desktop adds graphics acceleration, new tools, and easier Windows installation than Microsoft offers.
- Bean: Free word processor is fast and lean and looks great, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 05.29. Bean is a great tool for basic word processing, but it doesn't support the kind of high-end features some users may depend upon.
- FileMaker Pro 8.5 well worth checking out, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2007.04.16. If you're considering investing in a database program, FileMaker Pro 8.5 is definitely worth looking over.
- Thunderbird 2.0: A simple, powerful, free email client, Michel Munger, Macinthoughts, 2007.04.25. Mozilla Thunderbird doesn't suffer from feature bloat like most commercial email programs. It puts the focus on doing what you need efficiently.
- Mailsmith a simple, powerful, spam fighting alternative to Apple Mail, Steve Watkins, The Practical Mac, 2007.04.23. Mailsmith is bundled with SpamSieve, integrates with Address Book, and has very flexible scripting tools combined with elegant simplicity.
- CrossOver: Run Windows apps on Intel Macs without Windows, Alan Zisman, Mac2Windows, 2007.02.28. If you need to run Windows apps on your Intel Mac once in a while, CrossOver may be the least expensive way to do so since it eliminates the need to buy a copy of Windows.
- Use your Bluetooth phone to control your Mac? Maybe, Jeff Adkins, Mac Lab Report, 2007.02.27. Salling Clicker software turns many Bluetooth phones into remote controls for Bluetooth-equipped Macs.
- Opera the best browser for the Mac, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2007.02.26. "In my opinion, Opera is still the best all-round general surfing browser for Mac OS X, and Safari has a long way to go to even come close to matching it."
- Tex-Edit Plus: Powerful styled text editing for OS X and the Classic Mac OS, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2007.02.05. Whether you're looking for a powerful text editor or a simple, flexible word processor, Tex-Edit Plus could be exactly the tool you need.
- Lineform: A familiar, friendly, affordable illustration program for OS X, Joshua Coventry, Cortland, 2007.01.29. This $80 illustration program could be all a lot of Mac users need.
- A tale of two betas: VMware Fusion vs. Parallels Desktop, Alan Zisman, Mac2Windows, 2007.01.23. Parallels Desktop has displaced Boot Camp as the choice of savvy Macintel users. Can VMware compete with the entrenched upstart?
- Shiira 2.0b2 browser: Neat features, but not ready for prime time, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2007.01.08. Shiira is a small, fast, free browser based on Safari WebKit that includes some very useful new features.
- Parallels revisited: Release version far more polished than beta, Alan Zisman, Mac2Windows, 2006.11.21. Parallels lets you run Windows or Linux without rebooting your Intel-based Mac, and it's made great strides since the beta came out earlier this year.
- FaxCenter for OS X: All the fax software you may ever need, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2006.11.06. Anyone running OS X and looking for software that can replace the classic GlobalFax should take a look at FaxCenter.
- Disco brings unique features to Mac disc burning, Joshua Coventry, Cortland, 2006.11.03. Still in beta, Disco has a gorgeous interface and brings features Mac users haven't had before now.
- Writely, Google's free word processor: What's the catch?, Adam Robert Guha, Apple Archive, 2006.08.25. Writely isn't going to replace Microsoft Word for high-end word processing, but for most users most of the time, this free program should be plenty good enough.
- Free Desktop Manager reduces clutter, improves work flow, Brian Richards, Advantage Mac, 2006.08.11. Instead of cluttering your desktop with every program you're running, Desktop Manager lets you cut the clutter to focus on your work.
- Apple Remote Desktop easily worth the price, Andrew J Fishkin, The Mobile Mac, 2006.08.10. "What's impressive isn't the number of features, but how easy they are to use. There is no printed manual, and I didn't even look at the PDF one."
- Love OS X but need to use Windows? FlyakiteOSX may help, Alan Zisman, Mac2Windows, 2006.08.09. FlyakiteOSX lets you overhaul Windows XP so it looks and acts more like Mac OS X. It's not perfect, but it is more like using a Mac.
- InforMac: A free and better replacement for Apple's System Profiler, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2006.08.07. "InforMac works great, is very quick (except for loading the Applications pane, which takes a while), and is a lot more fun to use than System Profiler."
- Apple's Keynote 3 impresses, Brian Richards, Advantage Mac, 2006.08.04. Keynote is far more than a PowerPoint replacement. It's a much more flexible, easier to use program.
- TopXNotes: A user-friendly solution for creating, managing, and accessing your notes, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2006.07.05. TopXNotes is a shareware tool for managing your text notes, replacing the Note Pad of the Classic Mac OS.
- DiskWarrior 3: The one disk utility every Mac user should have, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2006.05.30. DiskWarrior does one thing - and does it very well. It finds and repairs directory damage, then create a new optimized replacement directory.
- Photoshop Elements 4.0 and Lightroom Beta show Adobe still does well by Mac users, Alan Zisman, 2006.05.09. Adobe's Photoshop Elements 4.0 provides '85% of Photoshop's power for 15% of its cost' and the Mac-only Lightroom beta looks very promising.
- TopXNotes Classic: A powerful, easy to use, low cost information organizer for OS 9, Nathan Thompson, Embracing Obsolescence, 2006.02.10. TopXNotes goes far beyond replacing Apple's Notepad and allows you complete organizational control of your notes.
- Yojimbo: A powerful, easy to use information management tool, Ed Eubanks Jr, The Efficient Mac User, 2006.02.09. Yojimbo "offers a good balance of powerful capabilities and simple user-friendliness that will fit the needs of many."
- OmniGraffle a great tool for big presentation graphics, Jeff Adkins, Mac Lab Report, 2006.01.18. If you need to make a big poster presentation, OmniGraffle may be exactly the tool you're looking for.
- Textpander 1.2: A powerful, free text macro utility, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2005.12.05. Macro utilities can make you more efficient and productive, and the latest version of Textpander brings it head-to-head with TypeIt4Me.
- Entourage, the best overall email software on the market, Michel Munger, iBasics, 2005.12.08. Microsoft's email client is easy to use, integrates with Office, is sluggish, and can only be purchased as part of Office.
- Guest PC: A more affordable way to put Windows on your Mac, Alan Zisman, Mac2Windows, 2005.12.05. If you need to run Windows now and then and don't want to buy a Windows computer, Guest PC will let you run Windows on your Mac, albeit slowly.
- MacSword 1.2: A solid free Bible program made even better, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2005.12.05. This free, open source Bible research and study program keeps improving. This time around the search function is vastly improved.
- Firefox 1.5: Getting better all the time, Adam Robert Guha, Apple Archive, 2005.12.02. Whether you use Macs or Windows, there's a faster, modern, and customizable alternative in Firefox.
- Eudora, the Mac's most powerful email client, Michel Munger, iBasics, 2005.12.01. If you're looking for lots of power and don't mind an unconventional interface, give Eudora a try.
- Papyrus Office: A $99 alternative to Microsoft Office, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2005.11.14. Papyrus Office 11 has been ported to OS X. With word processing, spreadsheet, a relational database, and desktop publishing, can it replace Microsoft Office?
- Thunderbird, a free, powerful alternative to Mail, Michel Munger, iBasics, 2005.11.17. If you're looking for a flexible, powerful, customizable alternative to Apple's Mail app, take a look at Thunderbird.
- iCab 3.0 beta: The last new browser for the classic Mac OS?, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2005.11.14. iCab 3.0, developed for Mac OS 8.5 and later (including OS X) is very robust and offers some useful, unique features.
- SeaMonkey Preview Internet Suite, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2005.11.07. SeaMonkey continues the legacy of Netscape Communicator and Mozilla for those who prefer an Internet suite to separate applications.
- Flock, a web browser designed for bloggers, Adam Robert Guha, Apple Archive, 2005.10.31. Built on the foundation of Firefox, Flock adds feature that make it easier to share links and update your blog.
- StuffIt Standard 10.0 a must have: Faster, more flexible, and more efficient, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2005.09.19. New version of the established Mac compression program supports more formats and compresses files faster than version 9.
- Captain FTP 4.3 faster, easier, better than ever, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2005.09.13. Updated FTP client gains power, new features, even a widget.
- 3D-Space VFS: A 3-dimensional Dock replacement and more, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2005.08.29. "I'm usually a fan of minimalist unobtrusiveness when it comes to program launchers, but I have to admit that 3D-Space VFS is pretty cool."
- Monitor your Mac, the weather, and stocks for free using XRG, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 08.15. This very useful free utility monitors CPU load, uptime, temperature, battery, network and drive use, as well as the weather and your favorite stocks.
- Battlefield 1942: Addictive Gameplay, Jacob Loeb, 2005.08.12. "Perhaps that is the best thing I can say about this software is that I don't play a lot of video games, but I just can't stop playing Battlefield 1942."
- WorkStrip: Much more than a Dock replacment, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2005.08.08. Workstrip can replace the Dock, manage workspaces, bookmark files, and a whole lot more.
- XLR8 MAChSpeed Control 3.4 squeezes top performance from G3, G4, and G5 Macs and upgrades, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2005.06.06. Latest version of CPU tweaking software supports G3-G5 Macs, G3 and G4 upgrades, and Mac OS 9 through OS X 10.4.
- NotePad Deluxe: A powerful, friendly information organizer, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2005.05.31. "...this is such a well engineered, thoughtfully conceived, and obviously high quality product that it's worth the extra few bucks."
- SilverKeeper: The quintessential free backup utility?, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 05.09. LaCie's SilverKeeper is free, and it might be all the backup software you need.
- Photo to Movie takes the image presentation far beyond what iMovie, PowerPoint offer, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2005.04.11. Use zooms, pans, rotation, transitions, titles, and more to turn your static images into an attractive, intriguing, seamless presentation.
- Jotz 1.3, an innovative, thoughtful replacement for the old Mac Note Pad, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2005.03.14. Jotz goes well beyond copying Apple's Note Pad, adding a number of helpful, powerful features.
- Interarchy a fast, powerful FTP Client for OS X, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2005.02.28. Fast, flexible, feature-laden, and familiar, Interarchy integrates tightly with the Finder and text editors.
- Sp@mX: Fighting back against the spammers, Dan Knight, 2005.02.15. Tired of receiving and deleting spam? This program lets you fight the problem at its source - ISPs who allow it onto the Internet in the first place.
- Opera 8.0 for Mac: The promise finally realized?, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2005.02.14. Earlier version of 'the world's fastest browser' weren't so fast, crashed a lot, and weren't very Mac-like. Has Opera 8.0 fixed everything?
- DEVONthink, a powerful information collection, organization, and analysis tool, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2005.02.07. DEVONthink helps you collect and discover connections using text, images, Web pages, bookmarks, and other types of data.
- Make a bootable OS X emergency CD with BootCD, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2005.01.26. Donationware app makes it easy to create a bootable OS X CD with your favorite Mac utility software.
- Adium, a great free multiservice chat client for OS X, Adam Robert Guha, Apple Archive, 2004.12.20. Connect to AOL, MSN, and Yahoo messaging services with a single client program.
- Snail Mail prints envelopes from your Address Book, Dan Knight, X-Wares, 2004.12.16. This simple freeware application does one thing and does it well - print envelopes using information on the Address Book.
- ThinkFree Office: Slow, unpolished, yet useful, Jason Walsh, The Low End Designer, 2004.12.01. Despite the name, this isn't free software, and it really calls for a higher end Mac, but it does the job.
- MacLink Plus 15: Still capable after all these years, but..., Alan Zisman, Mac2Windows, 2004.12.01. MacLink Plus still does a great job of translating files from one format to another, but how many Mac users still need it?
- Organize and track your book, video, or CD collection with Delicious Library, Jeff Adkins, Mac Lab Report, 2004.11.29. If you have iSight or a bar code reader, Delicious Library can do all of the data entry for you.
- SuperDuper: Quick, easy, efficient backup for $20, Dan Knight, 2004.11.22. "If you don't have a backup system in place or are unhappy with what you're currently using, give the free demo of SuperDuper a try."
- ImageJ: Advanced image editing at a low-end price (free), Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2004.10.18. Free image editing tool good for working with bitmap images.
- Virtual PC 7 puts a (sluggish) Windows PC on your Mac, Alan Zisman, Mac2Windows, 2004.10.11. If you're already running Virtual PC on your Mac, there may not be enough new and improved features to justify the cost of this upgrade.
- ToyViewer, a cool free graphics tool for OS X, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2004.10.05. "...ToyViewer has won me over, and it's now one of the applications that I keep running all the time, even when I'm using Photoshop Elements or Color It!"
- Modem Magic boosts reliability, speed for those with less than ideal connections, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2004.09.27. If you're plagued by slow or flaky dialup connections, Modem Magic could be just the ticket for a faster, more reliable connection.
- VueScan 8 makes quality scanning easy, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2004.06.21. VueScan supports dust removal, grain reduction, color restoration, and sharpening with most scanners, as well as batch scanning, autofocus, infrared channels, and multiscan on scanners that support these features.
- Use a Windows keyboard on your Mac with uControl, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2004.05.26. Just plugging a Windows keyboard into your USB port can drive you crazy without a remapping utility to put the option and command keys where you expect them.
- Mail Beacon and POPmonitor: Spam sentinels for Mac OS 8, 9, and X, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2004.04.12. Hate downloading and wading through spam? These two shareware programs let you delete it from the server before you download.
- The Logo Creator: Useful but quirky design software, Jeff Adkins, Mac Lab Report, 2004.04.02. Program helps the "design challenged" create logos, but the interface is unconventional.
- Pfinder: A Panther-like Finder for legacy Macs, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 12.01. Utility for OS 9 and pre-Panther versions of OS X gives Mac users many features of the Panther Finder.
- Keynote 1.1: Worth the price?, Jeff Adkins, Mac Lab Report, 11.06. Keynote's presentations look marvelous, but some parts are clumsy and other important features are completely missing.
- WannaBe 1.0b14, a fast, low-end web browser for almost any Mac, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2003.06.02. As long as your Mac supports Color QuickDraw, you can run this free, small footprint, text-only Web browser.
- Is QuickBooks Pro 5 the new accounting leader?, Steve Watkins, The Practical Mac, 2003.05.20. First update to QuickBooks in years supports OS 9 and X, but is it enough to win over Mac using businesses?
- Safari and the Apple Internet experience, Steve Watkins, The Practical Mac, 2003.05.13. It's free and fast, but the latest version makes Safari even more functional than the previous beta.
- Click different with FinderPop, Jonathan Ploudre, Classic Mac Wares, 2002.05.22. FinderPop provides powerful control over contextual menus.
- SmoothType, Dan Knight, Classic Mac Wares, 2/13/01. SmoothType displays type more legibly than Apple's or Adobe's font smoothing technologies.
- Clean-Install Assistant, Dan Knight, Classic Mac Wares, 2/5/01. Incredibly useful utility helps with clean installs, system updates, and moving to a new Mac.
- Battery Amnesia, Chris Lawson, Classic Mac Wares, 12/14/00. Shareware utility rejuvenates old PowerBook batteries.
- Extensions Strip, Chris Lawson, Classic Mac Wares, 12/4/00. The best Control Strip replacement available for the Mac.
- AOL Instant Messenger, Chris Lawson, Classic Mac Wares, 11/22/00. AIM has become an indispensible part of an Internet user's toolbox.
- MenuChoice 2.1, Dan Knight, Classic Mac Wares, 11/17/00. Many users still consider this five-year-old shareware superior to Apple Menu Options.
- Digest Viewer, John Allan, My Turn, 1/22/01
- Cabrio PR 1, Paulo Rodrigues, 1/17/01. MP3 player.
- PowerPrint USB, 1/25/1999.
- Mizer
- PowerPrint 4
- RAM Charger 8
Manufacturers and distributors: Interested in having your product reviewed? Please read our review policy.
About LEM Support Usage Privacy Contact
Follow Low End Mac on Twitter
Join Low End Mac on Facebook
Favorite Sites
MacSurfer
Cult of Mac
Shrine of Apple
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
The Vintage Mac Museum
Deal Brothers
DealMac
Mac2Sell
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System 6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End Mac FAQ
Affiliates
Amazon.com
The iTunes Store
PC Connection Express
Macgo Blu-ray Player
Parallels Desktop for Mac
eBay