Fatima Wahab

Mac Editor
Twitter: @Fatiwahab Follow me on Google+

Save Selected Text To OS X Notes App From Right-Click Context Menu

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Browser extensions and add-ons that allow you to save selected text as notes are one of the easiest ways to save useful text snippets for easily retrieving them later. However, these notes are mostly confined to your browser. Outside the browser, there are apps that can run in the background and collect text from your clipboard. In OS X, you will notice that there is a system wide-option to select and search for text in Safari from any app. With the help of Automator, you can create a similar service that can be used to select text in any app and create a note in the default Notes app with it. Read More

Niice Is A Unified Search Engine For Behance, Dribbble & Designspiration

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The world of digital art is amazing; whether you’re an aspiring designer, or just someone looking for cool posters to hang at your work space, you can go online and lose yourself in the vast variety of images available. Niice is a little web app that you are bound to like if you’re a designer. It’s a three-in-one search engine that displays digital artwork from Behance, Dribbble, and Designspiration. You can search for artwork related to anything from these three sites. The images that match your search are previewed on Niice’s own interface, and clicking any of them opens it at its source. The interface is somewhat like that of Pinterest, without the clutter of social media buttons and comments. Niice isn't built to create any sort of social network; it is rather meant to help you find inspiration art for your projects or everyday life. Read More

How To Create A Split Zipped Archive From Mac OS X Terminal

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OS X comes with the aptly named Archive Utility that can be used to extract contents of compressed zip files, or create zipped archives of your own from your files and folders via the options provided in the right-click context menu. With no UI to speak of, the app works in the background and is fairly basic. What the default utility can’t do is create an archive of a folder that’s split into smaller zip files that can later be extracted as a whole into a single folder. There are several third-party apps available that allow you to do this but if you just want to quickly do it without using a third-party app, and don't mind typing in a command for the purpose, you can easily do so from Terminal. In what follows, we are going to show you how to use a Terminal command to easily create split zip archives of the contents of any folder. Read More

Track Debts & Borrowed Items Across PC, Mac, Android & iOS With I Owe You

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If you forget your phone at home or can't remember where you put the car keys, chances are you're the only one inconvenienced by your forgetfulness. Now imagine you promised to pay someone back some money you borrowed; not only does it make for an awkward situation when you are reminded of the pending debt, but it might also leave a bad impression of you on the other person. I Owe You is a web service with apps available for Mac, Windows, Android, iOS, and Windows Phone that lets you keep track of money or items that you've borrowed from someone, along with things or money that others have borrowed from you. The debts you enter can be one-time or recurring. A debt can easily be divided between several people (like a restaurant tab paid for all by one). I Owe You will send you notifications for overdue debts as well as for debts that are soon due. You can easily choose the type of notifications you receive. Read More

Access Google Keep In An Always-On-Top Chrome Panel Or A Simple Popup

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It was only a matter of time until an extension for Google Keep made it to the Chrome Web Store. Google Keep Extension is an unofficial extension for Google’s note taking service Keep, which was launched only last month. Like it was with Google Drive, developers have beaten Google to the extension race for Keep. Google Keep Extension makes use of an experimental feature in Chrome called panels, which you will have to enable before you can use the extension. It launches Keep in a separate stand-alone panel that remains on top of all other windows. You can add notes to it, view all previous notes that you've added, and delete any one of them. If you aren't too enthusiastic about using Keep in a panel, you can go to the extension’s options and have it open in a popup or just a new tab. Google Keep Extension also adds an option to the right-click context menu that will allow you to open the panel/popup/tab from any web page. Read More

Filedrop Allows AirDrop-Like File Sharing Between Windows & Mac

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AirDrop lets you share files from one Mac to another on the same Wi-Fi network. Unlike network sharing, Airdrop automatically discovers other nearby computers and lets you very easily share files between them using drag & drop. Filedrop is a free app available for Mac and Windows (and coming soon to iOS and Android) that makes the same drag & drop file sharing cross-platform. It searches the network for other Mac and Windows PCs running Filedrop, and these other computers then show up on your side in the app, allowing you to drag & drop files to any one of them for quick sharing. Likewise, your own computer also becomes visible to all other systems on the same network that are running the Filedrop app, and they can send you files in a similar manner. Transfer of files is subject to the receiving system’s acceptance. Being incredibly easy to use, the app greatly simplifies file sharing on the same network. Read More

Screenink Is A Screenshot App With Powerful Layered Annotation & Freehand Selection

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Screenink is an app for Mac and Windows that lets you capture screenshots of your full screen or any defined area of it. Unlike conventional screenshot apps that limit a custom area to fit in a rectangle or square shape, Screenink lets you draw out a custom shape on your screen and capture all content within it. It also gives you an on-screen protractor and ruler that allows you to measure both the length, width, and angle of anything on your screen. You can draw shapes, enter text, and use the app’s very own color picker to select a color from the screen. The app adds an always-on-top toolbar to the screen and a pencil-like icon to the Menu Bar that allow you use its many tools. It supports keyboard shortcuts as well for quickly performing its functions. Screenink's Mac app is available for $0.99 in the Mac App Store, while the Windows version costs $2.00. Read More

Auto-Open Files, Apps Or Scripts On Mac When A Calendar Event Is Due

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One of the things I love about well-built reminder apps - like the stock Reminder app in iOS - is that alerts can be triggered not just by time but by location as well. While the Reminder app in iOS has only limited choices as to what can trigger an alert, there are other apps available that give you a richer choice. As far as triggers are concerned, you will find apps supporting quite a variety of them, but alerts are a different story, and are often limited in type; you’ll get an audio alert, or a notification on your screen but there seemingly isn't much else that can be done. The stock Calendar app in OS X is pretty smart when it comes to alerts; not only does it give you audio alerts and on-screen notifications, but it will also allow you to open a particular file when an event is due. Read on to see how it works. Read More

Writeapp Offers Distraction-Free Note Taking With Optional Public Sharing

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If you search for a good note taking service, you will find that Evernote is what most people recommend, and perhaps rightly so. Evernote is a very powerful and feature rich - so rich that it can be overwhelming for some due to all its note types, tags and all. Besides, its focus is on taking and saving all sorts of notes, and the rich formats that it supports can become distracting if all you want to do is jot down plain text. For a relatively simpler option, you can go for Keep - a note taking service from Google, or you can take Writeapp for a spin. It's a simple web app for jotting down and saving plain text notes in a distraction-free interface You can sort notes into notebooks and manage them easily. You can also use it to keep a private journal, or selectively make notes public to publish them in what could be considered as a plain-text blog. The note editor is quite simple and supports plain text with no rich formatting options. Each note is saved with a title and can be edited any time. Read More

Design Floor Plans & Generate 3D Renders Online With Planner 5D

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Whether you’re an architect or someone looking to buy or build their first home, you need blueprints and floor plans to get the job done. Even if you decide to hire someone to design your house for you, you might want to play around with a few different layouts. Planner 5D is a web service that home owners, builders, architects, real estate renovators, and contracts will find extremely useful. It’s a home planner that lets you create building plans complete with rooms, fixtures, furniture, landscaping, and people. The service isn't just easy to use, but also gives you complete freedom to add or remove any element you want. It’s equipped with basic furniture and fixtures, and will even let you select furniture that is available from IKEA. Last but not the least, it gives you both 2D and 3D views of the rooms, office space, or house that you create. Read More

How To Password Protect Spreadsheets In Google Drive

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Passwords have protected our computers, phones, and files for a long time. Just about any device can be locked with a password, and files. folders, and drives, can be encrypted with no hassle using tools built for the purpose. What’s less common is a way to encrypt files selectively in the cloud. You can always encrypt them before you upload them to services like Dropbox or Box, etc but for services like Google Drive that allow you to view files online, the encrypted files become inaccessible. This method details how you can password-protect a spreadsheet you've uploaded to Google Drive, while retaining the ability decrypt it right from your browser in order to view or edit it. Read More

File Sharing Service Jumpshare Now Offers Free Accounts, Improved Document Viewing & More

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In October last year, we reviewed Jumpshare, a new file sharing service that allows users to view over 200 file formats online. The service has improved significantly since then, the most prominent changes being a great new UI and the addition of free accounts, which provide users with limited space to store their files indefinitely rather than losing them after the 14-day expiration period that applies to all files shared without an account. Other, more recent changes include improved output for documents and presentations, and support for viewing spreadsheets. Read More

How To Force Google Chrome For Mac To Open In Incognito Mode

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Most Chrome users use the Incognito browsing mode every now and then, while others use it quite often. If you prefer incognito browsing over normal browsing sessions (we’re not judging) but are vexed with the fact that there is no one-click method to launch Chrome in Incognito by default, you can do so with a little script. This particular method is meant to work in OS X only, as Windows users can always directly launch Chrome in Incognito mode from its Jumplist (just as Mac users can do so from the Dock icon’s options). The script is meant to launch Chrome in Incognito mode with one click using a dedicated shortcut created in form of an AppleScript app. Read More

How To Easily Access & Use Screen Sharing In Mac OS X

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Mac, like Windows, has a built in remote desktop tool. It’s also got a screen sharing tool that is super easy to use, but not as easy to access unless you enjoy going to the System Preferences each time you need to share your screen. If you often share your screen or remotely access another Mac (or PC), then perhaps you might be interested in a more convenient way of doing it. Screen sharing in Mac is commonly accessed from the System Preferences under the Sharing head, and it's entirely possible that some users aren't even aware of what it can do, due to there being no prominent shortcut for it like many other system apps have. In truth, screen sharing exists as just another app that - for some reason - hasn't been added to Launchpad or the Applications folder. This post details how you can access and use Screen Sharing as easily as any other OS X app. Read More

Get The Old Style Right-Click Context Menu Back In Chrome

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Following its last update, Chrome did something rare: it made a UI change that modified the appearance of the right-click context menu. The new look is not bad in any sense; in fact it feels quite nice and clean. When I first saw it, I thought it had something to do with one of the extensions I had installed, though a little looking around made it clear that the change was brought about by the browser itself. As pretty as the context menu is now, not everyone might like it because they might have grown accustomed to the old one. If you miss that old appearance and are having difficulty adjusting to the new look, getting it back is super-simple. Read More

Manage Podcasts & Save To Google Drive Or Dropbox With Podcast Gallery

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What’s the fastest way you can think of for saving a podcast so that it’s accessible from just about any where, and on any device? Since we’re talking any device, you may as well rule out the very impressive podcast library you’ve built on your iPod, iPhone, iPad or iWhatever that has iTunes on it. Podcast Gallery is an online service that not only lets you manage and listen to podcasts, but also allows you to save them to Google Drive or Dropbox. You can also directly download podcasts, or listen to them in iTunes if you have it installed on your device. You can create an account on Podcast Gallery and collect different podcasts as well. Each podcast can also be followed via its respective RSS link. Read More

Super Memory Cleaner Periodically Frees Up Memory On Your Mac

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You've probably heard of cleaning your Mac cache to free up space, as well as RAM optimizers that claim to speed up your system. Cleaning your Mac cache will definitely free up space on your hard drive, and perhaps some rare RAM optimizer will help you get the most out of your RAM as well, if it's actually doing what it says on its labels. Super Memory Cleaner is a similar app that frees up memory used by apps running in the background. It actively monitors how much free memory you have on your system and regularly purges it when there is memory to free up. You can force the app to clean up the memory as well and though it takes a while to do so, it works well enough, as evident in Activity Monitor. Read More

Quickly Move Firefox Bookmarks To Any Folder From Right-Click Menu

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As many of you might know already, Ctrl+D is the universal shortcut for bookmarking the current page you’re viewing in all major browsers. As quick as it, it adds the current page directly to the Bookmarks bar, or to the last folder that you saved a bookmark to. The good thing is that if you aren't too much of a procrastinator, you can transfer the bookmark to a different folder right there. Click on the little button though, and you have a different story; the page is simply bookmarked and your browser doesn't ask which folder it should go to. You can always clean and sort your bookmarks from the bookmarks manager but if you’re a Firefox user currently unhappy with the Bookmarks library that now also hosts your browsing history as well as downloads, you might want an easier way to sort these bookmarks out. Bookmark Quick Mover is a Firefox add-on that modifies the right-click context menu that appears when you right-click a bookmark in the bookmarks bar. It adds a ‘Move’ option to the menu that shows you all folders in your bookmarks library and allows you to easily move the selected bookmark to any of them. Read More

Never Lose Where You Were In An Article With Scroll Marker For Chrome

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Losing track of where you were within an article or book while reading it is common and can happen to just about anyone. The difference between losing track when reading online, as opposed to reading a book, is the 'Find on page' solution that can help you search for the part of the article you were last at. Of course, when you read online, this problem doesn't only arise when you switch to a different tab for a second or resume reading a lengthy article after a short break. Losing the line you were at is more likely to happen when you scroll the web page down to view the content below the fold. Depending on how you scrolled down, i.e. used the scroll wheel on your mouse, used the Page Down button, or just clicked and dragged the scroll bar, the distance that the page is scrolled will be different. You can’t even train your eyes to follow the content when it scrolls up. Scroll Marker is a Chrome extension that ensures you won’t lose the point in the article you were at. It adds a horizontal line to the web page right at the bottom; when you scroll down, the line sticks to its position and remains there (so long as that part of the web page is visible). After a few seconds, the line returns to its original position at the bottom of the page. Read More

Access All Downloaded Files From A Separate Tab In Firefox 20

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I’m a long time Chrome user but Firefox 20 has almost won me over with its new Downloads button and Private Tab - a little add-on that allows me to open private browsing tabs within a normal browser window in Firefox. Not only does Firefox 20 make me realize how much more useful many Firefox add-ons are compared to Chrome extensions, it also solves a problem I've had for quite a while. My Downloads folder is always cluttered because it takes two clicks to open a downloaded file in Chrome in the Downloads folder, and I have little motivation to move that file somewhere I can find it again, or delete it if it isn't going to be used later. The new Download button in Firefox 20 tackles this problem excellently. I can access downloads and drag & drop them to any folder from a little button and its popup at the top. Not everyone is happy with the new Downloads button in Firefox 20 because it moves the location where you can access all downloads from. Downloads Tab is an add-on that consolidates both the old and new downloads view into something that more people would be happy with, and returns the downloads to a tab in a Firefox window. Read More