Mac Reviews

The Tagger is an MP3 and AAC tagger for Mac OS X that combines powerful features with an intuitive and refined interface. Its features include:

• Edit many more ID3 Tags than iTunes or other editors
• Search & Retrieve Tags from Discogs
• Find & Replace using Regular Expressions
• Case Transformation: capitalize, uppercase & lowercase
• Tag Trimming tool
• Prefix & Suffix tool
• Rename Files from Tags
• Get Tags from Filenames
• Remove Hidden Personal Data from iTunes Plus files
• Multiple Artwork
• Export to iTunes
• Integrated Quick Look

Developer’s Website

Download (Shareware $29)

The most common misconception of the Mac is that there is a major lack of games. That may have been true a while ago, but not anymore. Nowadays, most developers release Mac and Windows versions of their games, and sometimes there are Mac-only games. Today we are going to talk about a game called World of Goo.

World of Goo is not only available for the Mac and PC, it is also available for the Wii. I will only be talking about the Mac version, but the other versions cannot be much different, so most of what I say will apply all around.

World of Goo is a very unique game. In each level, you are a constructor and you must build a structure to take the Goo Balls to a vacuum. It may sound confusing, but once you start playing, it isn’t. The graphics are absolutely beautiful, even on my 3-year-old MacBook. This is only important because most new games just won’t run on it, but World of Goo not only runs on it, but looks beautiful on it. It also has yet to crash on me, glitch on me, or even start lagging.

World of Goo has two main sections: the actual game and the World of Goo Corporation. I will first talk about the actual game. As said, in each level you are presented with many Goo Balls and a vacuum to get to. Doesn’t sound too hard, does it? Well, it gets very hard, mostly because it uses physics. So, if a tower is weighted on one side, it will start to lean that way, and even buckle sometimes. When a tower buckles, you do not lose the Goo Ball that created the buckled leg — he just falls. If he happens to fall onto spikes, though, he will not survive. It is also difficult because you need to have a certain number of unused Goo Balls to complete each level. These are the Goo Balls that will be sucked into the vacuum. But if a Goo Ball is sleeping, and no one wakes him up (by getting close to him), he will not be able to get sucked into the vacuum. As you progress in the game, you will be presented with many new types of Goo Balls, which also contributes to its difficulty.

The actual game in World of Goo is broken up into four chapters and an epilogue. To go to the next chapter, you must have completed the last chapter (in full). In each chapter, there are many levels that form an actual path to the boss. The developers did not skimp on this seemingly meaningless window, because they look just as beautiful as the levels themselves. They also may show you what obstacles may be coming up next. Sometimes a path may split, but you still have to complete all the levels.

Now, time for the World of Goo Corporation. This is where you get to do your own stuff. You just build a tower that goes as high as possible. There is no vacuum or goal, it is kind of like Free Play. What makes this section even cooler is its online abilities. You can see how high your friends have gotten, and they can do the same for you. If you are one of those people that is really competitive, or if you just want to show your stuff, then you will really like this feature.

There is really only one con in Word of Goo: it only runs at 800×600. This may contribute to its speed, but still, for the Mac Pro users out there, it would be nice to be able to change the resolution. In fact, there don’t seem to be any preferences whatsoever. This means no volume controls for sound effects and music. But other than that, World of Goo is a great game for avid gamers and casual gamers — it can be intense if you want it to, or not. It has a ton of levels, so it will not bore you easily. And, the best part of all: It only costs $20! For just $20, you get the Mac and PC version! And, there is no reason for DRM-haters to get mad (like with Spore), because there is no DRM whatsoever. It is a must-have game for any Mac user (who plays games).

UPDATE: We received word from the developer that it is possible to change the screen resolution. To change it, you have to go to: /Applications/World of Goo/Contents/Resources/game/properties/config.txt and change the screen_width and screen_height properties. It is possible, just not easy.

[via MacApper]

Do you have way too many items on your desktop? Do you hate cleaning up that mess? Camouflage is the right utility for you. It hides all the icons and leaves nothing but the clear wallpaper

Developer’s Website

Download

Cultured Code has issued the 1.0 release candidate for Things, its popular GTD application, a little more than a week ahead of its official launch on January 6.

Things 1.0rc has a huge list of changes including new icons, the ability to reorder to-dos in the Today list across project and area boundaries, the ability to edit titles and reorder projects in the sidebar (my biggest pet peeve prior to this), fixes to syncing and compatibility issues with the iPhone version of Things, and numerous big fixes. A complete list can be found here via MacUpdate due to site difficulties with Cultured Code. An official mirror detailing the release notes can also be found here.



Things 1.0rc is available at the mirror of the Cultured Code website, since the main site is either being sluggish or not responding at all due to demand. An alternate download location can be found through MacUpdate, along with the complete list of changes. Full price for a Things license is $49USD, but a coupon for 20% off can be used until January 15 – even if you missed out signing up for the newsletter. That code is THINGSPRESALE20.



Things requires OS X 10.4 or later. It is also recommended for those who own the iPhone version to update to version 1.3 once it becomes available through the App Store.

The FireKing MediaVault HD is targeted to businesses that are storing their files electronically. But it’s also a useful device for those of us who have a plethora of digital media—much of its “homemade”—who need to ensure its safely as much as possible. Pricing starts around US$750 for the 250GB version.

Back-ups are great (and if you’re not backing up, you’re asking for trouble). But even if you back up your computer records and files, they could be lost to fire. That’s where the FireKing MediaVault HD comes in. It’s available with one or two 250GB external hard drives in their own fireproof container. The MediaVault HD is specially designed to automatically backup and protect your valuable data from the fire.

It also comes with a lock and is pretty darned heavy (around 55 pounds) so it also acts as a theft deterrent. The MediaVault product is also water resistant, which is not the same as waterproof. In the event of a fire, the MVHD is designed to be resistant to water from the use of sprinklers and fire hoses.

The hard drives compatible with any Mac or PC, but, unfortunately, the software is Windows only (though the drives work just fine with Apple’s Time Machine software). The MediaVaultHD product consists of two major items: the MVHD fireproof container and one or two Seagate 250 GB hard drives. Two four-foot twin-lead USB cables and security keys are also provided.

Set-up is very simple. Here are the steps:
° Open the MVHD lid. Connect your first hard drive to the interior USB cable marked “A.” Slide the hard drive into the foam slot closest to the rear of the MVHD.
° Connect the second hard drive (if you have one) to the interior USB cable marked “B,” then slide it into the second foam slot. For maximum protection, close and lock the MVHD.
Place your MVHD such that the rear of the MVHD is within four feet of available USB ports on your Mac. Connect one external USB cable between your computer and the MVHD rear port A. A blue light should light up on the end of the hard drive connected to internal USB cable A. Your computer should automatically detect the new drive within several seconds and make it available for use. Follow the same steps for the second drive. If you choose to push data to the MVHD from more than one LAN node, you may access both drives simultaneously.
Once proper electrical operation is verified (your computer finds and assigns drive letters for each new hard drive), you should close and lock the lid to your MVHD for full protection. It will operate with the lid open, but that sort of defeats the purpose.

The “twin-lead” USB cable that comes with the MVHD is a four foot 24 AWG cable. The Mini-B plug connects to the MVHD rear panel. The standard USB plug is used for data and power and it connects to your computer. The pass-through USB pigtail connector is an Auxiliary Power input that’s only required to be connected to another USB port on your computer if the computer doesn’t supply sufficient power to operate the external hard drive through the main USB connection.
You can use the MVHD as your sole backup source or (as I do) to back up other hard drives (in my case, my Time Capsule). It’s designed to run all the time. The folks at MediaVault say that the MVHD is designed so that even under maximum hard drive loading, the system will operate within acceptable temperature limits.

The MediaVault may or may not work with a USB hub. It wouldn’t work with mine, but I have a plethora of devices attached. Many USB hubs won’t provide adequate power to the hard drives, so it’s recommended that the hard drives be connected directly to the USB ports on your computer.

In some cases you can use your own hard drives in the MVD, but not always. The MediaVault device can accept a wide range of 2.5-inch external drives meeting the USB 2.0 specification. However, some USB 2.0 drives require excessive power and may not function properly when connected.

If you’ve really got a lot of data you can have multiple MVHD’s hooked up to you computer. However, you can’t “daisy chain” them. In other words, you can’t connect them to each other.
Also note that the MVHD was designed to be a “stand-alone” unit. However, provided that the integrity of the exterior cables of the MVHD isn’t compromised, the unit can be placed inside of a desk cabinet. But it’s not recommended to place the MVHD inside of a file cabinet.

As mentioned, I don’t like the fact that the MVHD doesn’t come with Mac backup software. I also wish it had FireWire connectivity (unlike Apple, it seems, I’m still a big fan). Also, the MediaVault device isn’t much to look at, but it’s built for protection, not looks.

If you have a lot of valuable data in your home, home office or business, the MVHD could prove to be a life saver. If you don’t spring for a device like this, I’d suggest investigating online storage options or, at the least, backing up your files on a hard drive that you carry with you when you’re away or that can be left in a secure location.