MacKeeper v2.61 Review

MacKeeper

MacKeeper v2.61

As a daily OS X user, I know just how important it is to keep your Mac running as good as new. There’s nothing worse than having to sit and wait for your Mac whilst it processes the most basic of commands and requests.

OS X is a complex beast, and if you don’t do regular maintenance you’ll soon find it grinding to a halt. Sure, there’s hundreds of terminal commands and finder tweaks you can do to clean things up. But with applications such as MacKeeper available to download there’s really no need to fumble around in the terminal.

Launching MacKeeper automatically starts the ‘Fast Cleanup’ scan, which even on my packed 500GB ‘spiny disk’ hard drive takes about 3 minutes to complete. Once done the fresh, easy to use GUI outlines everything MacKeeper is able to clean using it’s “one click” clean process. During the fast cleanup, MacKeeper cleans unused application binaries, empties system and user cache locations, removes unused language files from applications and clears down log file locations.

So what does this mean

By default, when you install applications they also install the required language files to service every possible language. (Which have been packaged with the app) So for example if your Mac OS X is installed with only the UK language packs, chances are you are not going to need the bulk of German, French, Spanish etc language files in each of your installed apps. As you can imagine, these can quite rapidly start taking up storage space.

Equally the cache locations can also become packed out with cache files for each of your used applications. Sure, cache’s are great for speeding up the launch of often used apps. However, no doubt your frequent app use changes every now an then. So it’s always a good idea to regenerate the cache now and again.

Also – log file rotation is often set quite low with some applications, so some log files can be kept for weeks, months or even years. Generally when investigating an issue you would only need a hand full of log files, and would rarely need to go hunting through older logs.

I generally run clean up operations (after a full system backup of course) on a monthly basis and generally clear down between 500mb to 1GB’s worth of accumulated ‘junk’. So imagine if you’ve never performed a cleanup on your two-year old mac!

But wait! There’s more..

Where MacKeeper stands out from the crowds of other system maintenance tools is with its plethora of other built-in utilities and tools. Such as; Duplicates file finder, Disk Usage mapper, Smart Uninstaller, update tracker, data encryptor, file shredder, deleted file recovery, Internet security and theft recovery to name but a few!

That’s a total of apps worth £410.00, that you get bundled with MacKeeper for only £34.95!

The Good:

MacKeeper makes it extremely easy for even the mac novice keep their mac running as good as new, and utilise as much space as possible on the stock hard drive. The utilities are easy to use, and give excellent feedback and detailed instructions of what’s going to happen when you push the buttons etc. Whats more, each tab of the application has the ability to connect you to the MacKeeper support team.

The Bad:

MacKeeper performs tasks that could be done using terminal (if you are brave enough, and have to time to research and practice the commands) although that could be dangerous if you are not a confident terminal user..

The Bottom Line:

This app get’s 5 out of 5 for its ease of use and all round collection of system utilities. With this installed there’s nothing more you will need to keep your mac in ‘tip-top’ condition.

Rating:

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Jumsoft Money3 50% Off – Limited time only

For a limited time only the nice people over at Jumsoft are offering their top accounts package for Mac, Money3 at a reduced rate of 50% off! 
Money3 is Mac’s equivalent of Microsoft Money for windows, however it has a much richer GUI and boats some of the key design features that many mac software packages offer. 
Money3 supports all the standard account types you would expect: Bank Account, Cash Account, Credit Card Account, Investment Account, Loan Account and Smart Account. But whats a smart account I hear you cry.. Well a smart account is a separate transaction list which can pull transactions in from all of your other accounts without any need for manual intervention. Handy for tracking transactions paidreceived over all of your bank accounts.
As you would expect from any market leading accounts package, Money3 also includes budget planning tools, smooth reports and portfolio summaries.
It’s also capable of generating invoices, choosing from a selection of template designs – making chasing monies owed much easier to manage.
Along with the normal manual account tracking tools, Money3 also includes an import wizard which is capable and more then happy to import your bank statements from your online banking websites. Most banks offer ‘Money’ as an export option, which integrates seamlessly with Jumsoft Money3.
But wait – it doesn’t stop there! Jumsoft also offer an account tracking application for all you lucky iPhone owners out there.. Just like the one’s available for Windows Mobile devices the iPhone offering can perform the advanced tasks you would expect and hope for. So not only can you manage your finances from the comfort of your own home – but whilst your sat in a cafe enjoying a nice cup of Java!
So if I was you – I would head over to the MacPromote website now and download your copy for $19.50 before it goes back up to it’s full price of $39 on the 25th of December. Then head over to the App Store and grab the iPhone app. 

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Improve Language Skills with the Help of SPB Flash Cards

December 22nd, 2009 – SPB Software, a leading maker of mobile applications, announces the release of SPB Flash Cards, a learning software created to quickly and effectively expand one’s word stock in a language under study. The software provides over 1000 cards in Czech, German, English, Spanish, French, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Dutch, Portuguese, Chinese and Swedish, all dubbed by native speakers of respective languages.

SPB Flash Cards provides great assistance in learning a new language, although it has no claim to be the sole mean of doing that. When mastering a new language, it is crucial to skip the stage of translating a word into mother tongue first, memorizing a direct match of a subject and a foreign word instead. SPB Flash Cards software is aimed at just that – the process of learning begins with a new flash card appearing, showing an image of an item along with the matching word and the right pronunciation from a native speaker. But this is just the beginning – several other memorizing techniques are also included. Besides, SPB Flash Cards contains a smart algorythm to track the user’s progress and adapt further learning process accordingly.

SPB Flash Cards

SPB Flash Cards Main Features:

  • 5 different learning modes
  • 14 languages to learn
  • 1000+ words in every language
  • 65 sections, such as Food, Transport and Clothes
  • Create your own cards on SPB website

Pricing and Availability

SPB Flash Cards is available in 12 different versions:

  • SPB Chinese Cards
  • SPB Czech Cards
  • SPB Dutch Cards
  • SPB German Cards
  • SPB English Cards
  • SPB French Cards
  • SPB Hebrew Cards
  • SPB Italian Cards
  • SPB Japanese Cards
  • SPB Korean Cards
  • SPB Portuguese Cards
  • SPB Spanish Cards
  • SPB Swedish Cards

SPB Flash Cards is compatible with touchscreen devices based on Windows Mobile version 5.0 and above. Each version may be purchased for 9.95 USD, or a 15-day free trial version may be downloaded at www.spb.com.

Further Information and Downloads

SPB Flash Cards webpage

SPB Flash Cards download page

SPB Flash Cards screenshots

SPB Flash Cards video tour

About SPB Software (www.spb.com)

SPB is a leading brand in mobile software, standing for a unique line of popular consumer products and partnerships with the world’s most innovative handset makers and wireless carriers. SPB’s software solutions deliver richer smartphone experiences and enable subscribers to do more with their mobile data connections. SPB Software is the maker of the world’s single number one bestselling mobile application – SPB Mobile Shell. For more information, please visit www.spb.com.

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IPTV Viewer for Windows Phones

St. Petersburg, May 6th, 2009 – Spb Software, a leading maker of mobile applications, today announces the amendment of Spb TV channels catalogue with over 40 new mobile TV channels. The majority of the newly added channels were suggested by Spb TV users. Today, approximately one hundred of international mobile TV channels are available via Spb TV.

Spb TV is a subscription-free mobile IPTV viewer, designed for tuning in to publicly available digital TV channels from all over the world. A downloadable software client, Spb TV makes a wide range of international live TV channels available for viewing directly on Windows Mobile phones. Spb TV does not only provide users with access to a world of live TV streaming on the go, but it offers exclusive on-screen controls and an integrated TV guide. Spb TV supports fast channels switching, use of intelligent stream correction, picture-in-picture mode, and export of show reminders into Outlook, brining the genuine TV watching experience onto mobile. Spb TV requires a high speed mobile data connection which may be available via 3G, Wi-Fi, or WiMax networks.

Spb TV Windows Mobile Solution

Among the recently added channels are Comedy Time, Chick Comedy, and Comedy Time Latino. According to Comedy Time, it is the number one viewed comedy channel on a mobile platform.

New channels to be added to the Spb TV catalogue can be suggested here:
http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/pocketpc-software/tv/suggest-channel.html

Pricing and Availability

Spb TV 1.0 is compatible with Windows Phones running on Windows Mobile 5 and later Professional and Standard platforms, qVGA, VGA, Square QVGA, and WVGA screen resolutions are supported. Spb TV 1.0 has a full and a freeware versions, with the freeware version limited in features and number of channels available. Spb TV requires a reliable 3G, WiMax or WiFi network connection for proper streaming. Full version of Spb TV is available for 14.95 USD at www.SpbSoftwareHouse.com.

Further Information and Downloads

Spb TV web page (Pocket PC)
Spb TV web page (Smartphones)

Spb TV screenshots page (Pocket PC)
Spb TV screenshots page (Smartphones)

Spb TV evaluation copy downloading page (Pocket PC)
Spb TV evaluation copy downloading page (Smartphones)

About Spb Software (www.spbsoftwarehouse.com)

Spb is a leading brand in mobile software, standing for a unique line of popular consumer products and partnerships with the world’s most innovative handset makers and wireless carriers. The popularity of Spb’s solutions rests on profound usability research, relevance to valid subscriber needs and smartphone use cases, as well as superior technical implementation, stability, and quality graphic design.

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Spb Wallet 2.0 Becomes Available from Apple iTunes Store

St. Petersburg, February 09th, 2009 — Spb Software, world’s top Windows Mobile applications developer announces that Spb Wallet 2.0 for iPhone/iPod is finally available from Apple App Stores US and Canada. Spb Wallet 2.0 is a secure repository of most valuable private information, such as PINs, passwords, keys, account, passport, and credit card numbers is the first multiplatform application from Spb. With versions for iPhone, Symbian, and Windows Mobile smartphones plus a desktop component available, the new Spb Wallet helps users keep their private data safe, even when they swap phones or mobile platforms.

Spb Wallet securely stores sensitive information AES 256-encrypted and password-protected, supports automatic lockup, clipboard cleanup, and protects from phishing. The data can be synchronized between (and accessed from) multiple PCs and mobile devices. The virtual, electronically stored items, such as cards and passports look like real ones: Spb Wallet 2.0 offers an integrated online database of over seven thousand most popular cards, and the option to order more custom pictograms — for free. The desktop version offers advanced integration with web browsers, automatic supply and capture of websites login information, password generator, migration wizard from custom CSV formats and other wallet applications.

Spb Wallet for Apple iPhone, Select Features:

  • Online gallery of cards, order more for free
  • Cards flip flow -> Rotate iPhone and navigate through cards
  • Password auto fill for websites in web browser
  • Cloud sync with Google mailbox
  • Sync with desktop over Wi-Fi using Bonjour
  • Smart tags to call/SMS/email/etc
  • Quick search
  • Password generator

Spb Wallet Desktop Component, Select Features:

  • User friendly desktop interface
  • Import from other electronic wallets and custom CSV formats
  • Sync with multiple mobile device
  • Sync with file share and Google mailbox
  • User name and password Autocomplete for websites in Firefox and Internet Explorer
  • Drag & Drop for card fields into other applications
  • Password generator and quick search

Pricing and Availability

Spb Wallet for iPhone and iPod may be purchased at Apple iTunes Store US or Canada for 9.95 USD. The Spb Wallet desktop component may be purchased for 9.95 USD, or a 15-day free trial version may be downloaded at www.spbsoftwarehouse.com.

Further Information and Downloads

Further information regarding Spb Wallet can be found at the Spb Software website:

Spb Wallet video guide
Spb Wallet screenshots page
Spb Wallet for desktop downloading page

About Spb Software (www.spbsoftwarehouse.com)

Spb is a leading brand in mobile software, standing for a unique line of popular consumer products and partnerships with the world’s most innovative OEMs and carriers, such as Acer, ASUS, E-TEN, Gigabyte, HTC, O2, Palm, Pharos, Samsung, SingTel, Sky Link, Sony Ericsson, Swisscom Mobile, Toshiba, T-Mobile, and VimpelCom. The popularity of Spb’s software solutions rests on profound usability research, relevance to valid subscriber needs and smartphone use cases, as well as superior technical implementation, stability, and quality graphic design.

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