Previously Google had a variety of different services that connected to each other. Now Google has released Google Drive which integrates Google Docs, Google+, and a cloud storage service into one.

While Gmail and Google+ are still separate from Drive, Google Docs was renamed to Drive with the addition of a free 5 GB of online storage. Like Dropbox, it adds a shortcut to your Windows Explorer so you can drag-and-drop files.

Once added, they are uploaded to your online account. Any type of file can be uploaded and are then accessible through the currently available Android app or online. The integration of storage with documents allows you to work with larger assets like images and video.

Friends can comment on anything you have uploaded, adding another level of social interaction. Drive is comparable to other cloud storage services, but the added connection to your Google account makes the unified system much easier to use. You can purchase more storage for extra space if necessary.

Google Drive has a lot of potential, but there is still room for improvement.

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LaunchBar has been around for some time now but the release of version 5 may finally see it reach it's full potential as an easy to access and convenient way to get to anything on your Mac.

LaunchBar provides instant access to applications, documents, contacts, bookmarks, music library, search engines and more just by entering short abbreviations of the searched item's name. Simply click on the LaunchBar dock icon or hit Command-Space to bring LaunchBar's input window to the front. Enter an abbreviation and as soon as you start typing, LaunchBar displays the best matching choices.

The principle is exactly the ever used is Quicksilver, LaunchBar may well convince you to convert.e same as Spotlight and since Tiger came along with it integrated, LaunchBar has been made a little redundant, but this latest version certainly gives food for thought.

Spotlight does many of the things LaunchBar can but LaunchBar also offers extra features such as the ability to see all running applications, show recent applications used and your clipboard history. Many of LaunchBar's fans are undoubtedly those who used it before Spotlight came along and Apple surely owes some of inspiration to LaunchBar's instant search accessibility.

LaunchBar is a great tool to find files and folders instantly on your Mac and once you've used it, you may wonder how you managed without it.

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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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Word Counter is a Macintosh OS X application that performs a word count and a character count, but it can do much more. It can work alone or in conjunction with Apple's own TextEdit application via a small floating window. Text can be typed, pasted, or dragged into the window. Word Counter can automatically update the count based on a user-definable time interval. It also can perform bulk counts on multiple files and folders simply by dropping them onto the window.

Word Counter can count the number of times a particular word appears in a document. It can even create a sortable summary table of all words in the document, with the number of times each word appears and the length of each word. Word Counter can handle various file types including plain text (txt, text), rich text (rtf, rtfd), Hypertext Markup Language (htm, html), Microsoft Word (doc), Microsoft Word XML (wordml), and Apple's web archive (webarchive). This program may be useful for writing a manuscript or an abstract with a strict limit on the number of words or characters allowed.

Download Word Counter 2.10.1 in Softonic

The demands of writing academic reports, dissertations and thesis differ considerably from many other types of writing.

Scholars, creative writers and technical writers often need something a bit more powerful to annotate, cross reference and footnote their texts, which is what Mellel tries to offer. Mellel is widely regarded as an excellent word processor by academics and technical writers so from the start, you know you're dealing with a pretty good product. It's not only suitable for academic and technical writers though - it offers those writing novels and plays an equally powerful tool.

One of Mellel's major advantages over similar products is that it features multilingual support or writing bi-directional text, meaning it's suitable for Arabic, Persian, Hebrew and Syriac. Mellel is praised by its devoted users for ease of use in cross referencing, footnoting and all round general annotation. The user forum is also a thriving place where any problem you encounter can probably be solved.

On the downside, Mellel doesn't have any way to track changes, which is obviously a pain when collaborating on texts. In addition, the program has been criticized for poor results when importing text from Word. Also, there apparently seems to be no way to undo changes after a save has been made, so be very careful that you're happy with a document before saving it.

Mellel is a very impressive and powerful word processor for all those that engage in serious academic or creative writing and need something a bit more helpful and tailored than Word.

Download Mellel 3.1.3 in Softonic

4. Export PDF to other editable document formats With the Convert function, easily export PDF to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, EPUB, HTML, and Text for editing, reuse and sharing. After performing OCR with PDF Editor Pro for Mac, you can also convert scanned PDF to the editable formats you need. The amazing functions of Wondershare PDF Editor Pro for Mac includes 1. Support OCR (Optical Character Recognition) Recognize text in scanned documents with OCR (Optical Character Recognition) Make scanned PDF files editable and searchable Supports 17 OCR recognition languages: English, Turkish, Greek, German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian, Polish, etc.

2. Expect Full PDF Editing Features Insert and correct text within editable text blocks in PDF files Drag and drop blocks of text to change the text layouts Insert images and graphics into PDF files (JPEG, PNG, TIF, or BMP) Crop, resize, move, and remove images in PDF files Edit PDF bookmarks and properties 3. Convert PDF to Multiple Formats Convert PDF files to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, EPUB, HTML and Text, even encrypted PDF files. Preserve text, images, tables, columns, etc. after conversion

4. Mark and Annotate: Highlight, underline, and strike through text in PDF files Add Sticky Note and Text Box to share your comments Annotate with drawing tools: Arrow, Line, Rectangle, Oval, Polygon, Cloud, Pencil, and Pencil Eraser

Download Wondershare PDF Editor Pro for Mac 2.0.1 in Softonic

1. Delete unwanted pages, add new pages, and rotate pages to create a well-organized PDF presentation. Drag and drop to arrange the numerical order of your pages. It's also easy to merge and split PDF documents, saving time to process daily affairs. 2. Easily add, edit, and remove watermark/bookmark in a PDF file, protecting your PDF document with brand, or providing better reading experience. Also insert handwritten signature image to make electronic approval. 3. PDF Editor for Mac is specially designed for small business and individuals. It's the most cost-effective PDF solution you can find in the market. Contact us for multi-user license and discounted pricing.

1. iSkysoft PDF Editor for Mac is best PDF editor that allows users to make PDF editing as easy as typing and saving in a Microsoft Word processor. Double click to edit text in original PDF with editable text blocks, or move and crop images. Editing a PDF has never been easier. 2. Mark and Annotate PDF 3. Convert PDF to Word with 1 Click

iSkysoft PDF Editor for Mac gives you all features to edit PDF documents on Mac like a Word processor.

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Quicksilver is a handy app and folder launcher has quickly become one of the essential applications on Mac.

For those of you not familiar with Quicksilver, it's an application that lets you reach any program, folder or file in a few keystrokes. You don't have to go searching through your files, you don't have to worry about how your folders are arranged. For many, Quicksilver was a godsend in the pre-Spotlight Mac era. Although it's lost some of its importance with the new powerful search and Finder features in Leopard it still remains very much an excellent Mac application.

The search function is very quick and powerful and once you've found what you're looking for you can apply a number of actions like simply launching it, emailing or moving. What's more Quicksilver adapts to the file it finds, so if it's a document you'll get to modify or send it, and if it's an email you'll get to email or copy it. Quicksilver users also like the fact that the application learns from what you search to bring up what you search for or use most.

Quicksilver wouldn't be what it is without its large library of plugins though. This includes everything from dialing a phone number to interacting with iTunes or image and text manipulation. This means you can really customize the application to work according to your needs.

The only downside is the stability issues that Quicksilver seems to have. The application is noted to crash every once in a while.

Despite this stability issue, Quicksilver remains an incredibly intuitive and powerful multi-application launcher for Mac. Recommended for productivity geeks.

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This Word to PDF Converter for Mac enables you to combine multiple Microsoft Word documents into one single PDF file. Type the merged file name, and click Start button to finish the merging conversion!

User-friendly interface Easy-to-use screen allows you to finish conversion with just a few clicks. Supports to choose the path for saving the created PDF file. Capable to effectively perform without any 3rd party tool's assistance.

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Disk Drill for Mac recovers data from external or internal hard drives, memory cards and just about any formatted or raw, media. However, note that it won't be much use if your data has been overwritten. Once recovered, you can help prevent future disasters by using Recovery Vault.

When something is deleted, Recovery Vault automatically makes it possible to recover not only the file itself, but also its properties, such as original file name, location, etc. To prevent others from seeing what you've deleted, you can set a Master Password.

In the free version of Disk Drill for Mac , certain features are disabled such as bookmarks synchronization, folder synchronization, iTunes synchronization etc. However, the free version does the most important thing which is finding files and finding them fast. It's very easy to use and is an excellent final option if you feel like you've lost your data for good.

Disk Drill for Mac is a valuable tool to recover lost files.

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Overview

If you spend too many hours a day writing the same old phrases and replies, Textexpander will allow you to define keyboard shortcuts to automatically type them for you. Although it's not a particularly complicated application, Textexpander still requires a little getting to grips with at first. It's particularly useful for entering time and dates. For example, you can abbreviate the time to the letters "tt" and the time in 24 hour format will appear. This even works for logos and images.

Features

All of your snippets (i.e. shortcuts) are stored in a list on the left side of the interface, and you can create groups to keep them organized by relevant subjects. Note that Textexpander works across all applications where you use a text editor so it's useful whether you're typing in a text document or an e-mail. If you get stuck creating snippets, there are some excellent tutorials on the developer's website.

On the whole, Textexpander is a real time saving that will be of great use to editors, web programmers or just those who have to repeat the same phrases regularly. The only problem users might encounter is Textexpander sometimes freezes upon startup, requiring you to Force Quit.

Create abbreviations for your most commonly used phrases with Textexpander.

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If you have to type the same old phrases again and again, it can become very time consuming. Typinator makes life much easier by allowing you to use abbreviations and shortcuts to type entire phrases and sentences.

If used correctly, Typinator can Typinator significantly boost your productivity and eliminate errors by automating the process of inserting frequently used text and graphics and and auto-correcting typos and misspelled words.

Once you open-up the program window, you are presented with the chance to create your own set of abbreviations. Just type in the corresponding text in the box at the bottom of the window and enter the abbreviation. You can save your abbreviations in different sets, which are ordered at the top of the interface.

Although the program is limited to English, French and German, Typinator features thorough correction sets for the three languages, which should ensure you don't make any typos. Even more interesting is that Typinator supports drag-and-drop import from Textpander and TypeIt4Me makes migration to Typinator a no-brainer.

At long last, the developers have also implemented a Quicksearch feature which allows you to find abbreviations you have created in just a few clicks.

Simple to use and great to store all sorts of abbreviations, Typinator will definitely save you time when typing up documents and improve your productivity.

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- Convert PDF to ePub: Convert and create ePub eBooks from PDF type files - Adobe PDF format (.pdf). - Convert MOBI to ePub: Two or three clicks for conversion from MOBI to ePub eBook for reading. - Convert Text to ePub: Convert regular text formats to ePub format and create your own e-books easily so as to read on portable devices. - Convert HTML to ePub: Convert HTML webpages to stable ePub eBooks to make HTML readable on mobile ePub compatible devices. Easy to Handle and High efficiency - Make ePub eBooks on Mac computer with just 3 simple steps. - Support drag-and-drop operation. - Batch conversion to convert dozens of documents at one time.

Good Preservation - ePub Converter for Mac will preserve all the elements of original files, such as text, hyperlinks, images, layouts, tables, columns, graphics. - After conversion, users can reuse the files (MOBI, HTML, PDF, Text, etc.) on all ePub-friendly applications in original quality. Compatible with multiple devices Apple iPad/iPad 2/the new iPad (using iBooks) iPhone and iPod touch (using Lexcycle Stanza, Glider or iBooks on iOS 4.0+) Sony Reader

If you have files like Word DOC/DOCX, PDF, MOBI, PRC, Text, HTML, etc. you can try to create ePub books from these formats with iStonsoft ePub converter for Mac app and reading on your favorite eBook readers wherever you go.

Download iStonsoft ePub Converter for Mac 2.7.31 in Softonic

It works for all files, all sizes, and it is really free. It also utilizes as much bandwidth as the users have, so it could work faster than any other service.

Anyone who wants to send pictures, a large video, large presentations, other files to someone else, without going through an external server.

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When you install it, a folder is created on your computer. Everything you then place in the folder is automatically kept in sync between your computers both Mac, PC and SkyDrive.com. This means you can access your files anytime, anywhere. You can access your files directly from Finder meaning its very easy to transfer and manage photos, documents, and all your other important files.

One annoying thing is that the icon stays in your Dock while you are managing files. However, you can manually hide it from the Dock using Terminal by typing "defaults write /Applications/SkyDrive.app/Contents/Info.plist LSUIElement 1". You may need to restart the client if it was already running.

Note that in April 2012, Microsoft announced a reduction in free SkyDrive storage for new users to just 7GB unless you are a current user and specifically opt to keep the 25GB storage limit.

SkyDrive for Mac is an essential download for users of the service.

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1. Preview PDF files within the built-in PDF reader. 2. Convert unlimited PDF files at one time. 3. Users can select any page range to convert, e.g. 1, 3-10, 15 4. Convert restricted PDF files without any problems. 5. 2 conversion methods can be selected, Flow and Exact.

Unlike most of the PDF tools on the market place, this app can preserve the original text, images, formatting, layouts more accurately. There are 2 conversion methods, "flow" and "exact". If user converts a file with complicated layouts, Exact method can put everything in the right position. The app has a font database, which can automatically replace the embedded font with similar font to keep the original look of PDF file. Last but not least, the app can handle unlimited PDF file at one time.

With this 4-in-1 PDF Converter, users can convert PDF to Word to reuse the content more easily without typing or formatting the content manually; or convert PDF to PowerPoint for better presentation. It can keep the original formatting perfectly.

Download Cycle PDF Converter for Mac 1.5.0 in Softonic

PDFs are the best way to distribute documents on the Net, particularly if you've scanned one. It's much better than sending a generic JPEG scan.

PDF Studio is easy to use, yet powerful enough to allow you a whole host of editing options that enable you to annotate and edit documents. You can use it with existing PDF documents or directly using the tailor made scan-to-PDF feature. Note that PDF Studio doesn't require Adobe Reader to work - it uses its own propriety reader, which isn't nearly as good but does the job.

Editing documents is done via the formatting toolbar across the top. From here you can add text, draw diagrams, add watermarks, stamps and generally deface documents to your heart's content. If you want to join or split some PDFs, you can do that too, and even add a password to open the PDFs you create. Probably the greatest little feature is the ability to add sound and interactive elements to PDF documents - perfect for creating questionnaires and quizzes.

PDF Studio is ideal for anyone who doesn't like working with Adobe Reader and needs to add different types of annotations to their PDFs

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Although it's not exactly the snappiest name for an application, A Better Finder Attributes allows you to change elements in OS X that Finder won't normally allow you to. It's particularly useful for changing Meta data of files such as EXIF data on photos and documents. This means that you can modify the creation date and time of any file if you need to.

However, A Better Finder Attributes does much more than this. The program also allows you to show invisible files, set color labels plus lock and unlock files. For OS X experts, this is not exactly essential but for those unfamiliar with the nuts and bolts behind it, it makes things much easier. Most recently, A Better Finder Attributes has been brought up to date with a slicker interface that features a simpler, single window although it now only works on OS X 10.6+.

A Better Finder Attributes helps you get under the hood of OS X even if you're a novice.

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Mind mapping is a great way of graphically organizing your ideas, and works well on big projects or to present connections between ideas. It is mostly used in brainstorming sessions for one.

MindNode is a simple and free mind mapping tool, for people not looking for anything to elaborate yet wanting to get initiated to the graphical idea organizing tool. You can create large mind maps and use different colors for each different idea and connection and choose between different types of brush strokes with MindNode, a good way of differentiating the connection types in your graph. Although it will never feel as natural as actually drawing on board, it is easy enough that anyone can create advanced mind maps in seconds.

MindNode is not highly advanced though, so don't expect lots of shapes, tones or layer possibilities. On the other hand, MindNode does offer keyboard support, which, if you take the time to learn it, will allow you to sketch up your mind map even faster.

To share your brainstorm session, MindNode lets you print the document or export it in any way of a number of formats.

Although not highly advanced, MindNode is a good program to get to grips with mind mapping and connect your ideas easily.

Download MindNode 1.7.6 in Softonic