Mac|Life - January 2010

))) Listen All things audio

SHAREWARE PICKS

HELPFUL UTILITIES AT THE READY

Three ultrahandy apps to keep your Mac clean, your Trash empty, and your work saved.

CLEANMYMAC 1. 6. 1

MacPaw, macpaw.com

Price: $14.95 for 6 months, $29.95 lifetime

Reclaim space on your Mac’s hard drive by clearing out caches, logs, extra languages, unneeded Universal Binary code, and more. The interface is clear, and the explanations make perfect sense.

Ever try to empty the Trash or eject a volume, and get an error message stating that the action isn’t allowed?

What’s Keeping Me? can explain what the holdup is, so you can fix it and get on with things.

WHAT’S KEEPING ME? 2. 1

HAMSoft Engineering, www.hamsoftengineering.com

Price: Donationware

FOREVERSAVE 1.0

Tool Force Software, www.tool-forcesw.com Price: $14.95

Set up ForeverSave to save your work when you switch applications and/or at specific time intervals. Plus, it can keep track of versions, exclude certain folders, and more. Works with Leopard and Snow Leopard.

Oh, right, we can’t delete a DMG file until we unmount it first.

Search and destroy the clutter on your hard drive.

If your app crashes or you accidentally overwrite a file, ForeverSave can help.

Despite what they say about idle hands (hint: it has something to do with an evil workshop), there are times when you simply want your hands free. Say, when your in-flight meal arrives as you’re watching a movie on your iPhone or iPod touch. Or when you’re reading on your touch and need your hands free to grip the handlebars of the elliptical machine. Or when you simply want to give your weary hands and arms a break. This is where the In Your Face Viewbase comes in. The simple gooseneck design supports your device, while the hinged clamp secures to the lip of your desk, tray, headboard, visor, door handle, etc.

As stands go, the Viewbase is a solid, well-made gadget. The padded vise that holds your iPhone or touch in place has a firm grip and is adjustable, even fitting around the protective case we opted to leave on. It also swivels, enabling you to have a horizontal or vertical screen. The 8-inch flexible neck bends handily to accommodate any viewing angle and is surprisingly sturdy. The clamp, which can grip surfaces up to two inches thick, maintains a secure hold—even while bumping along with us on a 40-minute ride on an elliptical. And we can happily report that despite the

bouncy nature of such a ride, the Viewbase kept the touch still enough to be able to read while we rode the machine.

The bottom line. As anyone who’s ever been on a long trip can testify, holding your iPhone or touch up to your face for an extended time can get tedious. The Viewbase, a simple design born from a singular need, enables hands-free viewing, so that you can do what you will with your newly found freedom.