iTunes 11 has been completely redesigned from the ground up. Development of iTunes has been stagnant the last few years so Apple needs to get this one right. Has Apple nailed it or is the new iTunes a mess? Read on to find out.

The interface of iTunes has been completely re-imagined. Everything is simpler and space is better utilized. In the previous version of iTunes, there was a persistent bar on the left where you can access playlists, albums, devices, and more. While it provided quick access to those features, most users didn't use them most of the time. Apple has scrapped this and has made the default album view take up the entire window.

Browsing by album is a pleasure. Click on an album and the tracks will show up below. iTunes also analyzes the color of album artwork to create a colored background for each individual album. It works well for the most part but the effect blurs the album art around the edges.

New in iTunes 11 is the "Up Next" feature, which is basically a fancy name for your queue. Add songs to your queue from wherever you are in the interface. You don't need to manage a playlist to arrange and rearrange the tracks to your liking.

Creating playlists is much improved. Instead of having to jump in and out a playlist to add and arrange tracks, playlists now have a dedicated pane on the right where you can manipulate tracks without having to jump around the program.

iCloud integration has also been tightened. Every track you've bought in iTunes will now show up in your music library, whether or not it has been downloaded. Click on it to download the album. User can now also stream directly from the cloud instead of having to download the track first. This also applies to all your TV and movies that were purchased in iTunes. There's also a dedicated tab for iTunes Match, Apple's music matching service to make all of your tracks available across devices, if they're available in the iTunes store.

The iTunes store has also gone through a redesign with featured content up top. Top lists are still there and are easier to browse. iTunes 11 will also allow you to access the iTunes store content from your music library, suggesting similar artists and tracks, without having to take you to the iTunes store.

The mini player has also been completely redesigned and is actually useful now. The mini player has gotten smaller but utilizes that small space much better than previous versions. Player controls will show up with you hover your mouse over the mini player. There's access to search and your Up Next queue can be manipulated from the mini player.

Devices now show up as a button at the top right. Clicking on it will take you to a detailed page where you can manage everything. Choose what you want synced, manage your apps, and even play music directly from your iOS device. Everything is easier to read and comprehend in the device tab.

The only thing missing from iTunes 11 is a music streaming service. iCloud gives users the ability to download tracks locally but not stream them. There is no subscription service in iTunes to compete with the likes of Spotify, Rdio, and Xbox Music. It's only matter of time before Apple releases its own music subscription service but it's disappointing that Apple didn't release it with iTunes 11.

iTunes is still one of the best media players around. It has gotten easier to use, feels less bloated, but is still missing a music subscription service.

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While comparisons with other similar services – such as Last.fm – are inevitable, Spotify has certain characteristics that make it stand out from the rest. You can search the entire Spotify music database in several ways (by artist, album, genre, decade, label brand…), create as many playlists as you want and share them with other users, and learn more about your favorite bands thanks to extensive, highly detailed biographies. Spotify also helps you discover new music through the “Related artists” and Radio service.

There are three types of Spotify accounts: Free, Unlimited and Premium. Free is limited to 10 hours of free ad-supported a month (approximately 200 songs) and lets you play each song up to five times. Unlimited has no ads and no playback restrictions. Finally, Premium includes high-quality MP3 (also with no ads or restrictions) and also includes an offline mode for playlists.

The one big criticism of Spotify was the lack of social features. Luckily the developers took note of this complaint and include a bunch of new social elements in Spotify’s next version – together with the Library, a centralized area from which you can manage your music collection – including Spotify’s lists and your own MP3 files, which you can now import into Spotify from your hard drive, your Windows Media Player Library or your iTunes library.

The brand new features included in the latest version of Spotify now let you manage and sync the music in your iPod, iPhone or Android. Also, the Spotify mobile app has been made available for anyone, and not just Premium users. Last, but not least, Spotify has launched its MP3 download service, thanks to which you can buy and download individual songs and also your custom playlists. The price depends on the number of songs you want to download – the longer the playlist, the less you pay for each track. You can pay with credit card or Paypal, though the latter is not accepted if you only purchase one song.

Just like a good wine, Spotify gets better with age. If you don’t mind the limitations in the Free version (or you’re willing to pay for the Unlimited/Premium one) it’s probably time to ditch your old desktop music player.

Spotify lets you browse, play, share and buy music, including not only your lifelong favorite bands, but also brand new styles and artists.

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iMovie '11 works by importing your movie (which for large films has to be in DV format) and then allowing you to cut and paste bits of it together, much as you would with a word processing application. Adding soundtracks is a breeze thanks to integration with iTunes as is images due to integration with iPhoto. Also, if you just want to cut something for YouTube, an integrated uploaded makes sure your creations go online instantly although I sometimes find this fails to upload properly or doesn't tag the video correctly.

There are tons of trailers and templates for you to choose from that make your movie look far more polished that would ordinarily be possible. By the time you've finished, your raw film will look amazingly polished. iMovie '11 can be fussy with formats - it works best with DV format films and trying to import other formats may not work or just crash it completely.

Advanced video editors will find that iMovie '11 lacks specialist editing functions but for most people, iMovie turns you into a pro with minimum effort.

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There are many missions to complete including a high-octane "Survival Mode" where you have to save as many civilians as possible from death by zombie. The number of weapons available make CKZ Origins a lot of fun including Shotguns, Machine Guns, Sniper Rifles, Grenades, Axes, Chainsaws, Health Packs and much more. Contract Killer: Zombies 2 is free but you can purchase extra items in game using your iTunes account.

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Alfred can help you access applications, websites and other aspects of your Mac in the touch of a button. For instance, by configuring a few keyboard strokes, you can make Alfred provide instant access to web searches, bookmarks, your iTunes library and even the copying and pasting of files. You don't even have to configure keystrokes though - Alfred will learn which apps you use often and prioritise them when you search.

Alfred also comes with a high number of customisation options so you can control exactly how Alfred interacts with your Mac and how it looks. If you've ever used Quicksilver, you'll be impressed by both the customisation possible with Alfred and the incredible speed and effectiveness it makes to your working day. There's very little to fault.

Alfred is an excellent launch tool that is guaranteed to improve your productivity if used correctly.

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The iPhone 3GS has a special bootrom that checks the firmware that iTunes uses to restore the device. The bootrom requires that iTunes modify the images located inside the IPSW file and add a special signature to each one of the images in the IPSW which is only available from Apple.

If you try to restore a firmware that Apple is no longer signing, you will receive an error from iTunes and you will not be able to restore that firmware version to your device. TinyUmbrella allows you to use the SHSH files if you have saved them previously.

Note that TinyUmbrella does not require a Jailbroken iPhone to restore the firmware. However, it is a bit complicated to configure although help is available on the developer website.

TinyUmbrella makes it possible for you to restore the firmware in the iPhone 3GS.

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Key Features:
1. Directly Recover Data from iOS Devices
2. Restore Data from iTunes Backup Files
3. Recover up to 12 Files for All iDevices
4. Browse Lost Data without Backup Intuitively
5. User Friendly: Preview & Selective Recovery

With Data Recovery for iPhone, you won't have to worry about losing all of your important data. This simple data recovery software for your Apple devices allows you to reclaim any lost data, avoiding the hours and frustration it would take to rebuild your smartphone's setup.

Supported file types: SMS, contacts, photos, videos, notes, call history, reminders, social media and more.
Supported devices: iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPad 1/2, the new iPad, iPad 4 and iPod touch 4.

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The other functions Wondershare MobileGo for iOS (Mac) offers: 1. 1 Click Exports Music from iPod touch/iPhone/iPad to iTunes Library 2. Transfer Music, Videos, and Photos on iPhone, iPod, & iPad to Mac for Backup 3. Convert and Transfer Songs & Videos on Mac to Play on Your iPhone/iPod/iPad 4. Fully Manage Music, Videos, and Photos on iPhone, iPod & iPad

1.Transfer music, Podcasts, iTunes U, audiobook, and voice memos to Mac. 2.Transfer movies, TV shows, music videos, etc. to Mac. 3. Export Cameral Roll and photo albums to Mac. 4.Convert audio files in AC3, MKA, FLAC, OGG, APE, MP2, WMA, AMR to MP3 for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad 5. Convert videos in AVI, FLV, MPG,3GP, 3G2, 3GPP, TS, TP, TRP, M2TS, MTS, MKV, DV, WMV, MOD, ASF, DAT, F4V, VOB, NSV, RMVB, DivX and more to M4V for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

Wondershare MobileGo for iOS (Mac), the best iPod, iPhone & iPad manager for Mac to transfer music, videos & photos from iPod touch/iPhone/iPad to iTunes, Mac and back

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VLC media player is the most successful free open source multimedia player out there with over 500 million downloads according to the developers. In particular, VLC media player is a great alternative to , iTunes, and RealPlayer. It's lightweight, fast, easy to use and most importantly, plays almost anything.

Note that versions of VLC media player compatible with Mac OS X 10.1 to 10.6 are available. The main download link is version 2 for the 64 bit Intel version compatible with OS X 10.5 and above. However, you can find VLC Player for OS X 10.4.11 Intel Macs here. There is not, and there will never be, a version of VLC media player for Mac OS 9 say the developers.

It's been two and a half years since version 1.0 was released and version 2 ("Twoflower") brings a new interface, faster decoding, support for more formats and the ability to play HD and BluRay. It still remains however the most stable, flexible and lightweight audio and video player around today. While other media players will play unusual formats after downloading a codec, or simply refuse to play things, VLC media player handles tons of formats, from MPEG to FLV and RMBV files. Version 2 has seen some important additions too such as support for 10 bit codes plus multi-threaded decoding for H.264, MPEG-4/Xvid and WebM.

Also useful is the fact that you can use VLC media player to preview files you are downloading since it plays incomplete parts of video files. VLC media player is not just for video playback however. It also offers superb integration with video channel streaming services such as Channels.com giving you access to channels such as ESPN, Reuters and National Geographic. Just right-click or CMD-click on the playlist, select Services Discovery and Channels.com. Channels.com will then appear in your VLC media player playlist. Click on it to reveal the the different categories of channels available. Click on the category you want and a drop down list of all available channels appears in VLC media player. Just click on the channel you want to watch and streaming should begin almost immediately.

VLC media player also has great hotkey support and if you take the time to learn the shortcuts so it can be controlled without touching your mouse. If you're watching DVDs or video files through it, this is not an issue. For music, it plays more or less any file and features an equalizer and playlist creation. VLC media player isn't as intuitive as iTunes as a media manager, but it's a much more flexible player in terms of file formats. You can even use VLC to convert your files, and on top of all the formats and physical media it will play, many streaming protocols and TV capture cards are supported.

VLC media player makes it easy to add subtitles to your video files too - just add the SRT file to the folder where your video is kept, and it will automatically play with subtitles.

Finally, the interface has been somewhat improved in version 2 on Mac. In fact, the Mac interface is now considerably slicker than on Windows with a single window for everything. However, it's only available in 2 colors: Lion grey and QTX black. There are also new extensions support and better Lion integration. The preferences menu is still comprehensive without being overwhelming, and there is extensive documentation online.

Don't forget to check out some of our blog posts such as VLC media player v KMPlayer, How to rotate a video with VLC media player, How to sync audio with video in VLC media player and How to use subtitles with VLC media player.

There's very little to fault with VLC media player. It's a superb lightweight media player that will successfully play the most stubborn files where other players fail.

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HyperDock adds a handy ability to preview and select windows abd tabs just by moving the mouse over a dock item. Although this has been made obsolete somewhat by previews introduced into Snow Leopard, HyperDock includes the use of shortcuts to quickly open new windows and documents with a simple mouse click. It also improves your workflow by using advanced window management features like Window Snapping.

HyperDock previews open windows and includes customizable keyboard shortcuts and windows that enable you to filter certain elements. It also allows you to add specific functions such as the previewing of tasks in iCal and iTunes playback controls. HyperDock also allows you to maximize windows, either the whole screen or just one half.

Although many of HyperDock's functions are now default in Snow Leopard, HyperDock adds some useful functions for those with older operating systems.

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If you own an ebook (electronic book) reader, or just feel like reading ebooks on your desktop or netbook, Calibre will help keep them organized.

Calibre is a library for eBooks. It has a big, bold interface that's really easy to use, and ebook files of most formats can just be dragged into the Calibre window. Editing the metadata (title, genre etc) is just a case of hitting the button on the tool bar, and typing in your changes. You can select multiple books and edit them in bulk too, for example if you want to regroup some books in a particular genre.

Viewing is also just a button click, and opens an ebook reader window. Here you can increase or decrease the font size to your comfort, add bookmarks and more. You can also set Calibre to download feed from news websites, although the layout results are sometimes a bit odd. There is also, of course, ebook reader synchronizing, so you can easily keep your device up to date.

Free, open-source and easy to use, Calibre is a great e-book library tool and reader.

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There are three versions of MovieSherlock: Lite, Full and Pro. You can find a comparison table of differences between the different versions on the developer site. Most of the differences between the versions regard the convenience of inserting URLs and the ability to download from Vimeo or not.

MovieSherlock allows you to download any video from YouTube and convert it on your Mac to a high-quality MP4 video that is playable in iTunes or your favorite video player. MovieSherlock supports both HD (High Definition) and SD (Standard Definition) video from YouTube. However, only the Full and Pro version support HD and only the Pro version supports downloading from Vimeo.

The Lite version also lacks an instant transfer feature which automatically moves downloaded videos to iTunes. All versions support multiple downloads so you can download as many YouTube videos as your bandwidth will allow.

MovieSherlock is a powerful all-in-one video converter and downloader for Macs.

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OnyX is a simple but incredibly powerful maintenance and optimization tool for OS X. Note that this version is only for Mountain Lion. There are alternative downloads for OS X 10.2, 10.3, 10.4, 10.5 and 10.7.

Onyx is completely free and will help you keep your Mac clean and in perfect running order. The first time you run OnyX it'll verify S.M.A.R.T status of your disk to prevent failure and analyze the structure of your volume. Every action is well explained and OnyX also includes a help guide for anything you're not sure.

OnyX allows you to set a number of parameters to check including Dock, Exposé, iTunes and Spotlight. It is most effective at fully cleaning your files including system, user and fonts. You'll have to make sure all other applications are closed to allow it to perform all the tasks it needs to do. The automation section in OnyX will let you maintain, rebuild and clean your drive.

Obviously, some of these operations will take some time to perform. However you should see some notable improvements in the way your Mac runs afterwards. The only downside to Onyx is the overall interface which is very basic but it's a minor drawback to an excellent app.

OnyX is a very handy application to have around. It'll ensure your Mac is always clean and tidy. And best of all, it's completely free.

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The software can export data found in the iTunes backup file to a location of the user's choice on their PC.

The software makes it easy for users to locate, read and export data from their backup file to their PC. The interface is simple and easy to use, and organises customer data by feature.

This software is ideal for users who have lost their iPhone, or it has been stolen and they need immediate access to their important data stored on their iPhone. It is also ideal for users who want to export their important backup file data to a Mac.

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The software can export data found in the backup file to a location of the user's choice.

The software makes it easy for users to locate, read and export data from their backup file to their PC. The interface is simple and easy to use, and organises data by feature.

This software is ideal for users who have lost their iPhone, or it has been stolen and they need immediate access to their important data stored on their iPhone. It is also ideal for users who want to export their important backup file data to a Mac.

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The trial version of the software is limited to one entry per feature, with the recovery features disabled; however the software will read your device or iTunes backup file and display the total number of entries available if you upgrade to the full version.

Several software titles offer data retrieval for existing data only from iTunes backup files or iPhones. However, the ER210 SmartPhone Recovery Pro allows for users to instantly recover deleted data from their device and iTunes backup file which they thought might have been lost forever. The software can be used on an unlimited number of devices, and users who upgrade to the full version of the software will be able to receive upgrades and software compatibility enhancements free of charge.

The software is for iPhone & iPad users who need to recover deleted data from their device, or who want to manage their iPhone data on their Mac. It is also for users who need to recover data from a backup file if their device is lost or stol

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1. Equipped with high quality engine and hyper threading technology, even support multi-core CPU, the ripping speed and the output video quality are remarkable. 2. Can take snapshot you favor so as to save as free wallpaper. 3.Flexible parameter settings make it easy for you to customize individual videos, such as frame rate, video resolution, video bitrate, audio volume, etc. 4.Trim video segment and rip DVD clips on Mac for free.

This is a trusted program to rip or convert DVD to iTunes compatible video for all Mac users, besides, it is also able to rip DVD to iPhone and DVD to iPod.

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iVI will keep your subtitles when it makes conversions and supports dragging and dropping of files into it including AVI, MKV, MTS, FLV, AVCHD, MOD, TOD, MTS, M2TS, 3GP, MP4 and MPG formats. The quality of converted files is excellent and iVI also has a handy tool which downloads metadata about TV shows that you might be converting from the net. In addition, it also preserves multiple audio channels and surround sound.

Simply drag in all the files you want to convert and after clicking convert, iVI will work through them converting them into a format that can be read by iMovie or Quicktime and thus readable by mobile devices such as iPhones and iPods.

iVI is an excellent converter that not only allows you to batch convert and specify quality, but also downloads metadata for your conversions from the net.

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It converts pretty much everything although you'll need to upgrade to the Pro version to convert multiple albums and tracks, adjust bit rate, sample rate and create and manage your own presets, etc. It supports most major formats including MP3, FLAC, WAV, WMA, M4A, AIFF, FLV etc.

Music Converter for Mac can also extract and convert audio content from video formats including: AVI, FLV, XviD, DivX, FLV, MOV, M4V, WMV, MPEG, MTS, M2TS, RM, 3GP and many more. You can edit tracks, view audio properties of files and even create iPhone ringtones too. To edit, simply click the album, artist or track name to edit and click save. All of the edited data is transferred to iTunes during conversion.

The overall interface is slick with simplicity and converting power being the strengths of Music Converter for Mac.

Music Converter for Mac is an excellent audio conversion tool for Macs.

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Accidentally deleted data? Have a broken iPhone or even lost your iDevice? No matter why your data’s in jeopardy, <b>Wondershare Dr.Fone gets it all back on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch(Supported iPhone 5 and iOS 6).</b> Retrieve data directly from your device or via its iTunes backup file. You can clearly preview all contacts, text messages, photos,etc. before recovery - something you can't do with iTunes! When disaster strikes, don't panic! Wondershare Dr.Fone is your reliable choice.

Recover 12 file types like Camera Roll, Photo Stream, Photo Library, Contacts, SMS, Message Attachments, Call History, Calendar, Notes, Voice Memos, Reminders and Safari Bookmarks; For all iDevices, including iPhone 5, iPod touch 5, iPad Mini.

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