Author: Cyril Roger

For all you .Mac members, there’s only three days left until the service is shut down and Apple switches you to its brand new MobileMe service. Released at the same time as the new iPhone 3G, with which it will interact, MobileMe is surrounded by high expectations, as it will be a big step up from the aging .Mac services.

An Apple support page keeps a status posted to let .Mac members know of the switch. On Wednesday July 9 at 6 pm GMT, the .Mac service will be taken offline. The new MobileMe service will then have a six hour window to be introduced, which means .Mac members could spend a few hours without access to their account. The status window shows little colored buttons next to each .Mac service to keep you updated on their availability.

The switch seems to be highly worth it though. Although the yearly subscription fee is still a little high at $99, I feel that MobileMe offers much more incentives. Not only do you get 20 GB of individual storage, which should be plenty to hold all your emails and a significant amount of pictures, but you also get better integration with all Apple applications like iCal, Mail and the Address Book. You also still get direct access to your iDisk from your desktop.

The best improvement for me though is the easy synchronization of all your data, which should be best demonstrated with the iPhone 3G. Having all your contacts, notes and emails disseminated across all your computers and devices can really drive you crazy, and you simply don’t want to waste time harmonizing personal data on each device. If synchronization with MobileMe really proves to be as seamless as they say, I might just consider signing up.

Here at Softonic, we take bucket loads of screenshots every day, as we’re constantly testing out and reviewing new programs and games. Now on a PC I simply stick to SnagIt, which is by far the best and most complete screen capture tool you’ll find. On Mac, there’s a much bigger selection of excellent programs that take high quality, crisp screen grabs of whatever it is you want to show.

When you start off taking screenshots on your Mac, you’ll probably go with Apple’s Grab tool, which is found in your Utilities. Grab is a no-fuss, hands on program, which allows you to capture full screen, a selection, a window or a timed screen. You can also select your pointer type and enable sound. Nothing too exciting, but it gets the job done, and luckily, it’s already installed on your Mac. So what are the alternatives? Here is our selection of the best screen capture tools for Mac:

• Screenshot Plus Widget – My favorite. Available from the Dashboard, takes all sorts of captures and lets you format, display, export or save them.
• Jing – One-click capture of anything on your screen. An intuitive new tool from Camtasia, creator of SnagIt.
• Copernicus – Precise capture app which lets you bath preview your shots. Great if you take many screen captures regularly.
• Red Snapper – A smart plugin for Safari that lets you capture full web pages straight from the browser.
• SnapNDrag – A simple screen capture tool. Make your selection, set quality, format, size and snap away.
• QuickSnap – Fast screenshots of your screen, a selection or a window. Gets the job done and looks nicer than Apple’s Grab tool.
• Screenium – An advanced screen capture tool with presets for quality and size and a streamlined process.
• grabUp – A smart Preference Pane item that lets you grab anything on your screen and share it online immediately.

PC users, check out Nick’s list of 10 screen capture tools for Windows.

It’s funny how only a few years ago, most DJs still carried around their turntables and lugged their big heavy bags of vinyls everywhere they went. Cut to now, and most of them have all switched to powerful laptops and creative mixing software. The versatility and intuitiveness of technology have taken over from the rugged, physical contact with records. I lament the loss of this time in some ways, as I’ve always enjoyed the imperfections and grainy sound of vinyls, and the pure enjoyment of spending hours in a record store, taking records out of their sleeves to listen to them on the turntable.

Although the sound quality of MP3s still leaves a lot to be desired, I still believe that the digital switch is great for music professionals. More powerful tools means more creativity and therefore more new tracks. Extracting, editing and adding bits of sounds is easier than ever, and you can find libraries full of effects to endlessly modify your tracks. Add to that the fact that you can now carry thousands of songs with you anywhere, and not to say how easy it is to share tracks and collaborate with other artists online, and it’s tough to find areas to complain. In this traditional summer festival season, I’ve picked out a few mixing tools for you to choose from, if you’ve decided to ditch your turntables and records and go digital once and for all:

• Ableton – A smart and flexible interface, loads of effects and a great help guide make this a top choice to create everything in music production, from recording to playback.
• UltraMixer – A no fuss, hands on mixer that lets you handle your tracks and makes sure all your transitions are smooth.
• Djay – Great use of the Mac Multi Touch technology for scratching and perfect integration with your iTunes library makes this an excellent choice for party mixes.
• Disco DJ – Behind a sleek, pure white interface this mixer features all the tools you’ll need to organize your music collection and have that all important mix flow.
• Traktor DJ Studio – Four playback decks, advanced effects and the ability to create your very own mixing setup. Also gives access to the Beatport online music store.
• Reason – Dreamed of owning a recording studio? This all in one package brings to you everything from a sampler to synthesizer, a sequencer, drum machine and plenty of effects.
• Ardour – Record, edit and mix audio. Ardour is a good choice for mixing video soundtracks.

PC users, check out Nick’s post on the best software for aspiring VJs.

Apple have succeeded in creating a user interface that is both attractive and intuitive to use. The latest iteration of Mac OS X, Leopard, features even more improvements that really make you wonder what Snow Leopard (MAC OS X 10.6) and later versions can improve on. Just comparing Leopard to Panther, the difference is huge. Mac’s attractive interface has made me ponder how many people still use the Terminal, apart from those with a technical background. When you think about it, a few years back, the Terminal was central to almost anything you wanted to do on your Mac. It still remains highly useful, but only if you know how to use it. The trouble is, most users simply get scared off by the dark screen and lines of text.

If you’re curious as to how it works and want to gain a bit more control on your Mac, it’s well worth getting familiar with it. I found this excellent guide by Chris Stone, which explains in a number of steps how to master it. It’s a pretty big read though, so I’d really only suggest taking a look at it if you’re really excited about the Terminal. Others could turn to another guide I found which lists the basics, shows you how to get detailed information on your Mac and teaches you how to search for files from a command line instead of by using the Finder.

So you like working with Apple Mail? Did you know that you can fully customize the client with all sorts of plugins, add-ons and scripts? Most of them are easy to set up and can make your Apple Mail a bit more powerful and original than it normally is. The Hawk Wings website seems to be an expert on the matter and lists out more than 140 add-ons, plugins, mail templates and other apps that work with Apple Mail. Although a few are shareware, the majority are free and should only take a couple of seconds to install.

You’ll find plenty of notification tools for unread messages like GMail Notifier or MailAppetizer. Hawk Wings also lists apps that add extra functionalities to the mail client, like the Apple Mail Signature Generator or MacResponder, which sends auto-replies. The Mail.app being an Apple product, it integrates easily with other applications, particularly Apple ones like Spotlight or Bonjour. Hawk Wings lists plugins that work with other programs such as Apple Mail Conduit to sync mail between the client and your Palm device or Daylite Mail Integration which integrates Apple Mail to the Daylite project management app. You’ll find some more switching tools to move from another client like Eudora to Apple Mail, lots of iCal and Address Book plugins, archiving and spam tools.

If the appearance of the program and your emails  is what matters to you, you’ll also find many interface tweaks and lots of Leopard templates to send original messages to your friends.

Well worth taking a look at, this list should provide some useful add-ons if you’re a big fan of the Apple Mail client.