Growly Notes lets you capture just about anything all in one place. It's a great tool for organizing research projects, trips, to-do lists, or journals. In addition, its equally competent at creating scrapbooks of random images, web links and video clips.

Like OneNote, the great strength of Growly Notes is that it can contain almost anything, including formatted text, images, movies, audio clips, PDF files, tables, lists, web and file links, and drawings you create in Notes. You can place things anywhere so you don't have to worry about inflexible templates or rigid rules. You can separate ideas and brainstorming sessions into tabs which you can navigate very easily.

It's impressive that Growly Notes offers for free many of the features of a highly polished application like Curio. Growly comes amazingly close to OneNote in many aspects with the bonus of a slick OS X interface of course. However, some of the more advanced features of OneNote - such as integration with OneNote web app and syncing with Outlook aren't possible in Growly Notes.

Growly Notes is an excellent free Mac alternative to OneNote and is perfect for mind-mapping, note-taking and brainstorming.

Download Growly Notes 1.2.5 in Softonic

If you’re a bit of a computer whiz, then you probably often get asked by friends and family to sort out their latest Mac disasters.

However, if you live far apart, have a busy lifestyle or can’t get to them easily, you might find Crossloop a godsend. There are many applications out there that allow you to share desktops but perhaps none that do it as easily and simply than Crossloop. I first tried Crossloop on Windows a few years ago and a Mac version has been long overdue. The great thing is that the Mac version supports access of Windows machines also so you can help out both Mac and Windows users. Nowadays, Crossloop also serves as an online marketplace where you can connect not only to friends, but to online experts who, for an hourly fee, will help you with any technical issues

The key to this program’s appeal is its simplicity. After installing CrossLoop, you are prompted whether you want to create an account although this is optional as a way of monitoring your connection activities. Whether you choose to sign-up or not, afterwards you will see a welcome screen with two tabs. Select the ‘Join’ tab if you would like to connect and control a friend’s Mac or PC. Select the ‘Host’ tab if you would like to temporarily share access to your Mac or PC. This host tab contains an important 12-digit access code that your friend will need to enter to connect to your machine. Obviously, the only requirement is that your friend has CrossLoop installed too to initiate a session. Once done, you’re ready to go. A separate window opens with your friend’s desktop and you can tinker with it to your heart's content.

Obviously, the main concern with such P2P connections is speed and security. As regards speed, you can choose whether to share in low or high quality, the former being faster and recommended for slow internet connetions. As far as security is concerned, the developers maintain that all sent information is highly encrypted with a 128-bit algorithm using the randomly generated 12-digit access code mentioned earlier. There’s no need to worry about anyone accessing your PC without permission either – a popup requesting permission from you alerts you before any information is exchanged. The only minor drawback of CrossLoop is that it doesn’t support multiple connections although if for most people seeking technical help, this is probably not really desirable or practical either. Most recently, CrossLoop has introduced file sending plus an online marketplace of experts which enables you to find professional Mac specialists who can help with your problems.

CrossLoop really is an excellent application for what it offers i.e. simple and effective remote connections. The fact that it is free only adds to its appeal considering similar programs such as Copilot charge anything up to $5 for just 24 hours of use.

Download Crossloop 1.51 in Softonic

With iTunes 10, the library has been improved with an extra view that adds album artwork where there’s room, instead of the traditional album title next to each song. This smartens up library viewing a lot, and generally underlines the new, clean look of the interface. It's no revolution, but looks neater. Playlists and iTunes DJ are untouched, and managing your library is as easy as ever. Creating playlists is one of iTunes' strengths, and it's still simpler and more user-friendly than the competition.

Syncing iTunes with iPods and other Apple devices is really easy, and there are no longer problems using Mac-formatted devices in iTunes for Windows, or vice versa. Home Sharing is a great way to keep your library across multiple computers at home; it is really easy to set up and means all your computers will automatically have up-to-date libraries.

The biggest change with version 10 is to the iTunes Store. Ping, which is linked to your iTunes account, allows you to create a personal profile and share your purchases and reviews with friends, and artists you like. It looks very much like a basic Facebook News Feed or Twitter, but just about music. At the moment Ping feels underdeveloped. You can't share your listening habits, like Last.fm, and manual sharing is limited to the iTunes Store, not your own library. There's no option to share what you're listening to right now, which is pretty terrible! Ping will surely develop and improve very soon.

The basic library function of iTunes is unparalleled, and syncing with iPods, iPhones and iPads is excellent.

Download iTunes 10.5.3 in Softonic

To be sure of creating a truly random key that can't be broken, Entropy uses four different sources including radioactive decay/HotBits, atmospheric noise/Random.org, various sources/EntropyPool and /dev/random. Entropy can use create passwords in the following encryption modes: WEP, 64-bit, hexadecimal, WEP, 128-bit, hexadecimal, WEP, 256-bit, hexadecimal, WPA-PSK, 8-character, ASCII, WPA-PSK, 20-character, ASCI and WPA-PSK, 63-character, ASCII.

Entropy is extremely easy to use and by clicking the info symbol on the widget, you can select the type of encryption you want and from which source you'd like to use. Some of the keys generated didn't seem particularly long but, theoretically, they must be quite hard to crack according to the developer. Unfortunately, the developer's site seems to be down frequently so don't expect much support.

Entropy is a useful tool for anyone seeking to generate highly complex and strong WEP and WPA passwords for their router or WiFi network.

Download Entropy 1.4.0 in Softonic

After free registration, you can play randomly against other opponents. There's a handy tutorial to get you started but BasketDudes is not complicated.

To begin with, after you login, the game will automatically take you to the team creation screen. Later on you will be able to create additional teams if you want to. Creating your team consists of choosing players, the kit they wear and the badge of your five players and even your stadium which you can improve and extend depending on how many points you win when playing.

Thanks to the diversity of choice provided by BasketDudes, you can create different types of teams: defensive, offensive, balanced, based around a star player etc. To find an opponent, you can log onto the integrated BasketDudes chat feature that allows you to organize games against random opponents.

The gameplay is very simple and doesn't have a steep learning curve. BasketDudes is very much a pick-up-and-play game that anyone who understands the basic rules of basketball will enjoy. The game is also rewarding in that as you win points during a game, you can buy and trade players so that you can climb the league.

BasketDudes isn't a particularly realistic basketball sim but it's very easy to pick-up and play and playing against real opponents is a lot of fun.

Download BasketDudes 2547 in Softonic

How to get started in Minecraft

Your world in Minecraft is randomly generated, and you appear in a land surrounded by water, with mountains, valleys, trees and animals. It's not clear what to do except explore to begin with but as the sun sets, monsters appear, who will kill you. Survival is impossible in the open, so you need to build a shelter to hide out in for the first night.

Collecting wood from trees, coal and stone from cliffs, you have to use your inventory to create tools, planks and more. Once you know how, mining and building is pretty quick, and you can create some really cool structures.

Minecraft realms

A new realm has been added to Minecraft, which allows faster travel through the huge worlds. Called The Nether, it resembles Hell, and is full of flowing lava and monsters. You can access The Nether using portals made from Obsidian you have mined. Also, when you create a new Minecraft world, it will now be more varied, with 'biomes' of different landscape, like desert, tundra and snow. NPC (non player characters) now roam villages, which can serve as early shelters for you at night, if you can find them!

Version 1.0 has some nice cosmetic changes, including an HD texture pack, better lighting from torches and even prettier sunsets and sunrises! The game launcher also looks better. There is now a 'Creative Mode', which makes you invincible, gives you unlimited resources, allows you to fly, and fast forward/rewind time! This mode is ideal for players who just want to get on and build cool stuff, without worrying about staying alive.

Minecraft is a wonderfully inventive sandbox game that really deserves the title, as your creation in it is only limited by your imagination and time!

Download Minecraft 1.1 in Softonic

Don't be fooled by the name - Alarm Clock Pro is much more than just a flashy way of getting you out of bed on time.

Alarm Clock Pro is a fully functional organizer and scheduler that aims to ensure you never miss an important date again. As a wake-up alarm, it allows you to configure the tone as anything from an Internet radio station to an MP3 and even a movie or daily task. If you don't have your PC in your bedroom that's no problem either - Alarm Clock Pro can be configured to send wake-up text messages to your cell phone.

An alternative use for the application is to have it periodically check your webcam and automatically send security screenshots to your email address. This way, you can use your PC as a closed-circuit TV monitoring device. In addition, you can program it to randomize the iTunes playlist, remind you of holidays and special occasions, perform system tasks, automatically send out birthday cards, text message your daily task list to a cell phone, amongst other things.

One slightly unusual aspect of Alarm Clock Pro is its ability to speak inspirational quotes at random moments throughout the day. This can be programmed to occur at virtually any specific time interval set by yourself to keep you going through the day.

It might sound a bit weird giving an Alarm Clock 'Pro' status, but once you've seen everything Alarm Clock Pro can do, you'll understand why. You'll probably not find another alarm application that gives you so much control over how you use your Mac clock. There have been several bugs ironed out in this latest release but the downside is that for the first time, users are required to pay for Alarm Clock Pro.

An attractive interface combined with an array of different uses make Alarm Clock Pro one of the best alarm clocks around - it's just a shame it's not free anymore.

Download Alarm Clock Pro 9.4.6 in Softonic

If you're looking for a clean and yet powerful Usenet newsreader for Mac then you might find Unison an interesting option.

Unison offers everything you'd expect from a quality reader such as threaded discussions, blocking of annoying or nuisance posters, multiple signature management and of course, spell checking. What makes Unison a bit different from your average client however is a four-sided interface that allows you to view and work with Usenet group content in four different ways namely messages, files, images, or music.

You can store files into groups, create favorites, and thread messages. The advanced search can be coupled with rules to better organize files and Unison's download manager lets you handle multiple downloads, reorganize your queue plus pause and launch items based on their priority.

However, there are several instability issues with Unison which still haven't been fixed since the last release. It is prone to random crashes and the image display seems to crash frequently. It also prone to freezing when uploading files. It´s also not particularly clear how you can mark items as read which leads to a lot of confusion when scrolling through posts.

Unison is a slick reader but it needs to iron out several glaring problems before it's something you can rely on.

Download Unison 2.1.7 in Softonic

Staying on top of your to-do list is usually an uphill battle that doesn't get any easier the busier you get.

Using a simple organizational tool such as Circus Ponies NoteBook can help you keep on top of tasks through a simple and easy to use notebook format. As you enter entries into NoteBook, much as you would in a real notebook, you can clip memos, add an attachment, check it or add flags to remind you when it's due.

Circus Ponies NoteBook uses a system patented by the developer called "Multidex" which makes it easy to view all of your to do tasks in a glance. You can view them all in one go, separately, by category or by importance. You're encouraged at all times to give context to your notes so that they mean a bit more than just "complete project assignment". You can do this by uploading attachments or adding useful links to the project in question.

The big draw of Circus Ponies NoteBook is that it uses a familiar notebook format and feel to make adding tasks easy. However, the danger with this is that you end up scribbling things down randomly much as you would with a real notebook and while there's less chance of getting lost or confused with NoteBook, it's still less effective than using a more conventional organizer.

If you're a born scribbler and are always losing pieces of paper with reminders on, elegantly designed and intelligently organized Circus Ponies NoteBook will definitely appeal to you.

Download Circus Ponies NoteBook 3.1.1 in Softonic

SonicMood can play chimes and nature sounds to improve your mood and make you relax.
To some, applications like SonicMood are nothing more than mystical and to others they're a great way to relax.
SonicMood features 26 different chimes which can be set in random patterns, creating relaxing and soft harmonies. You can adjust the sound settings and even change the type of sound is played back among the collection of nature sounds made available like crickets, rainfall or thunder.
SonicMood also lets you import any sound file or use the built-in Midi recorder to record instruments.
As the developer suggests, SonicMood's interface is very similar to that of iTunes in that you are shown the list of sounds, have the different controls at the top and your playlists on the left of the interface.
The only thing we didn't like about the GUI was having multiple windows for every element. The screen can get a little crowded.
Apart from that minor issue, SonicMood is an enjoyable program to relax and listen to nature sounds on your Mac.

Download SonicMood 4.9.9.6 in Softonic