Top programs for your Mac OS X

Mac Programs

Speed & Performance

• iDefrag. (defrag mac files.. organizes your computer files so it runs faster). Search for it on TPB.
  
• Activity Monitor. Comes with your computer. Actively monitor how much memory your computer has available, so you know when you’re about to hit the spinning wheel of death– close programs down in advance before reaching that.
  

Mail

• Sparrow. Lifehacker says: “easy to use, supports lots of native Gmail features, offers great search, lets you “attach” files to the cloud instead of your messages”. “The update also adds in better unified account navigation and now allows you to bulk empty spam, flip through favorites, sent items, and more in all your email accounts at once.” Read more here, and here.
  

– iPhone Explorer – lets you view files on your phone as a file browser. easy way to pull photos, etc off.
– HotSpot Shield – free VPN server that masks your internet activities so your IP address (physical location) says you are somewhere in the midwest. VPN masking is useful for being in public cafes on shared WIFI networks with strangers like starbucks because people can steal your email passwords etc.
– Rosetta Stone – learn foreign languages.
– ScreenFlow – makes a videorecording of your computer screen + sound. You can include your face as well.. to be like a lecturer. This is the program I use to record tutorials on my screen, or a clever way of recording videos/movies I don’t own and then cropping out so only the video shows.
– Audacity – best free audio recorder for mac. Record from myspace, record yourself, or record your computer sounds.
– Little Snitch – Tells you anytime a program tries to send your information out through your internet connection, and gives you the ability to approve or deny the request.
– Whistle – Unlike Skype and iCall, this gives you a dedicated free internet phone #.. like google voice, but actually works on iPod Touch. Google Voice on iPod forces you to call a landline somewhere else.
-FTP Program : Transmit panic.com/transmit/
– Parallels – run PC on your Mac

arstechnica.com/apple/reviews/2011/10/virtual-showdown-parallels-desktop-7-and-vmware-fusion-4-reviewed.ars
– LiveStream Procaster – Stream your own live video podcast
– RowMote Helper – control computer from your ipod