Between all the popular outlets and what seems to be constant talk on Twitter, Mac users might have found it hard not to notice the MacHeist nanoBundle 2, a set of excellent applications worth $322 that can be purchased for $19.95, with 25% of the proceeds going towards a reputable charity of your choice. While we’re already 4 days in to this helluva deal, is it worth your hard earned cash? I’d instantly tell you yes, but then you’re going to ask me what makes these apps better than some free alternatives (as possibly mentioned on Lifehacker). Well my friends, here’s the definitive overview of the 2nd nanoBundle.
MacJournal is an excellent journal and note taking tool from one of my favorite old school companies, Mariner Software. MacJournal allows me to collect ideas and notes into specific groups for later recollecting. While some might use it to document their life travels, others like me will use it as a whiteboard for entering and categorizing new ideas about applications and design. For me it’s a new indispensable tool for keeping all of my thoughts collected into a single application without having to search for files scattered through my documents folder.
A lot of people suggested Evernote as an alternative, but I see Evernote as a tool to document and save snapshots of daily life for later recollecting, rather than a serious journaling application. MacJournal offers document encryption, the ability to upload entries to blogs, and more.
RipIt makes ripping DVDs to your Mac absolutely effortless. With a 100% guarantee that your DVD can be ripped (if a DVD doesn’t work, the developers will purchase that DVD and make it work), there’s no reason not to pass your DVDs through one of the most elegant solutions available for your Mac.
Unlike HandBrake, an application touted as a free alternative, RipIt can rip everything from your DVD, including subtitles and special features, without having to worry about confusing settings or wonky encoding features. If you want a DVD ripper that just works, RipIt is the superior application.
Conceited Software’s Clips makes sorting through your clipboard history intuitive and fun. On screen you can fly through recently copied or cut items, and easily paste them back into any other application. Clips is smart enough to remember where you’ve gathered information from, allowing you to sort clips based on things like browsers and applications. It’s a seriously smart and powerful clipboard tool that sits in your menubar for ease of use.
While other clipboard applications are free, none that I have seen can compare to the usefulness of Clips “know it all” library, where you can narrow down entries from recorded events.
CoverScout makes applying artwork to missing tracks easy and fun. If you have a lot of indy bands in your collection (such as I do), no longer do you need to hunt through iTunes, select the track, and Get Info. Instead, CoverScout gives you an intuitive drag and drop interface for applying artwork to your favorite bands.
Good FTP clients are hard to come by, and Flow definitely fits the bill. Mixing beauty with an awesome set of tools that allow you to easy drag and drop files onto servers, who says you can’t have both beauty and brains? With an elegant interface, inline tools, and multiple views, Flow is an excellent offering.
Flow’s ease of use makes it easy for consumers to get content online. While free alternatives are available, their confusing interfaces and lackluster design don’t compare to the simplicity of what’s a great FTP application.
Those looking for great games for the Mac can always turn to the classics for awesome adventures that can be played by all ages. Tales of Monkey Island takes you on a glorious adventure across oceans and lands in peril, and all 5 chapters are included with the bundle.
Not everyone has the skill to write code and develop their own websites. While Apple offers iWeb, the same folks who bring you LittleSnapper want to make website creation as effortless as possible. Enter, RapidWeaver. RapidWeaver promises to make website development fast and easy, with a variety of templates available that can be customized to your hearts content. Easily publish your website online with built in FTP tools, and enrich your site by adding multiple pages and blog like content.
Because navigating iTunes can be messy, why not access the music you’re looking for near instantly from the menubar? Tracks makes it easy to search for artists, albums, and songs that are not only available from your library, but on the iTunes store as well. With Last.FM and controller functionality built in, it’s definitely one of my favorite apps to come from this bundle.
One in a while we need a break from the work at hand, so what else is there to do than take to the skies in your own ballon spaceship? Airburst Extreme takes recreational fun to great heights with interesting gameplay that can be played by up to four players on a single machine. The object of the game is to maintain a defensive position by deflecting a nasty blade, while waiting for the right moment to unlock your critical powers and sink the other opponents. This is another classic title, this one requiring Rosetta. Rosetta was only a 2mb download for me, and the game runs like a charm.
Combining comedy with a whole slew of various card games (such as Free Cell), Burning Monkey Solitare is an incredibly amusing twist on one of man’s favorite recreational activities. Get inside jokes, make monkeys dance, and even trick your boss into thinking you’re actually working with one of the most in depth card gaming applications I’ve seen in a while.
With this much stuff available for only twenty bucks, why not take the plunge, load up your Mac with some great software, and give back to the world while you’re at it. If you already have some of the software, you can give away 2 licenses to a friend or relative, who’d be more than happy to take that extra copy of RipIt off your hands. The support forums at MacHeist provide excellent help, and rest assured that you should get the unlocked applications Tales of Monkey Island and RapidWeaver by the end of the sale. At least, that’s what everyone says.
