Six months ago I have came upon Google Notifier, a small app for Mac OS X menu bar that let user know of any new email that arrived in hist Gmail account. Recently I have found another one and no doubt with much better look – Notify, by Vibealicious.

Notify nests in Mac OS X menu bar, with a nice looking icon and a number of unread emails. Clicking on the icon opens main window of application that shows newest messages. Notify supports many Gmail accounts, and in the future versions it will also support other IMAP accounts and Gmail for Apps. Double clicking on a message opens it in Gmail window in default web browser.

Notify configuration is very simple.

It also supports Growl notifications.

You can get it at: http://vibealicious.com/apps/notify/

If your Mac hard disk is divided to many system partitions or if you want to boot another OS from external device fast and only once, without changing the booting preferences you should try QuickBoot by Butterd Cat Software.

I honestly admit, I had no possibility to test that app, for I have neither other system partitions nor external drives with other OS. All of my Macs have just one Mac OS X installed. However, some of you may find it useful. I would like to know your opinions.

Quickboot is available at: http://buttered-cat.com/products/view/quickboot

Having Polish iTunes account I can only use AppStore, iTunes store is closed for us. The only way to have full iTunes library legally is to copy my CDs. This way requires user to add artworks manually, but first one must scan or find them on the internet. Ther are few very good websites with a free cover arts, however you can use a free application for Mac OS X -Artwork Gofer by ObjectStack.

If there are songs in your iTunes library that missing the artwork you need to select them and switch to Artwork Gofer and click the search button. Program will find all available cover arts and present them in a Cover Flow view, adding small information about the resolution of each cover. This function alows to chose the best quality version of a picture. Then you only have to click on Add Artwork and it will be copied to iTunes and attached to the selected songs or just one song.

Song in iTunes library without cover art

After use of Artwork Gofer

You can get it at: http://objectstack.com/artwork-gofer

It’s been also a long time since I reviewed a website. To be honest, I haven’t spotted any interesting one for a long time. Yesterday I have found an interesting one – website that alows to turn one’s face into a monster, zombie, vampire etc. This is Monsterizer.

Monsterizer is a Flash app – the machine that make monsters from people’s portraits. You have to upload your photo and play around.

Uploaded photo and all beuaty elements can be resized, turned. There is a wide spectrum of rotten face parts like spearhead, hair, noses, ears, mouths and so on. You can easily turn your portrait into a photo of Dr. Jeckyll’s alterego. Here is my own portrait:

Once our work is done we can save our picture or upload it directly to one of the popular social networking sites.

Monsterizer: http://www.nighthunger.com/monsterizer/

It’s been long time since I reviewed apps written in Adobe Air or time trackers. It is time to reviewed time tracker written in Adobe Air – simple and free of charge work timer tracker for freelancers – Hourly 0.2 by Husky Coding house, available for Mac OS X, Windows and Linux.

Application enables creation of many projects with separated tasks. Actually this is all what it offers. This is enough for users who work on one computer only and who don’t need much sophisticated tool.

You can get it at: http://huskycoding.com/hourly/

Two months ago, on my blog I published in parts review of new MacBook Pro 13″ – the lower in the line of MacBooks presented on WWDC 09 in June. Since that time my MBP 13″ is my primary mobile computer, used not only in travel but also when I sit comfortably in a seat in my living room or in the garden. So far I hadn’t imagined work on laptops with a screen bigger than 13″, it’s been suited me fine. However, thanks to Apple Poland, I have just discovered pros and cons of working on new, 15 inches MacBook Pro. The top model in the line up of MacBook Pros introduced during the WWDC 09 (17 inches MacBook Pros were introduced almost 6 months earlier, and of course they are the real top of all MacBook Pros Unibody).

In a review of MBP13″ I compared it with his old ancestor – MacBook White (C2D late 2007). This time I am going to compare two MacBook Pros the low end and high end models of the same line of products.

The reference point is not only MacBook Pro 13″ but also the reviews. I am going to review everything in the same order as I did before.

Let’s start from the beginning – the cardboard box. It is of course white and apart of size it is completely the same as the one 13 inches model.

It is not only the same form the outside but also from the inside. There is a small box for power cable and plug, and a black envelope with installation discs and manuals, hidden under the laptop.

The most visible and perceptible difference between those two laptops is their size and weight. MacBook Pro 15″ is much heavier and less handy if you have to carry it with your hands. It is about 0,5 kg heavier than 13 inches model. To be honest MacBook Pro 15″ is still handy comparing to the majority of PC 15 inches laptops.

Closer look shows also a differnce in the available ports. MacBook Pro 15″ has more ports than its 13 inches brother. MBP 15″ has headphones nest and line in/mic instead of one headphones/mic in MBP 13″. Other ports are the same, and are: magsafe nest, lan, Display Port, FireWire 800, two USB ports and SD card slot, and batter charge indicator. Both machines are the same thick, I mean slim.

Although, Apple have just introduced 15 inches MacBook Pros with anti-glare screen, I got the glossy one. As in the 13 inches model, so in 15 inches model the mirror effect is mostly visible when screen or laptop is switched off. During the work only the black frame reflects things, but after a few hours or days it is easy to get used to it.

As in the smaller model, the screen is beautiful. There is no big reflects, colors are nice and they are pretty the same under different angle.

The new MacBook Pro 15″ I got for testing, has been my primary laptop for next 7 days. I am of the opinion that the best way to test it is to work on it every day. I have installed all applications I use on my other Macs. Also I install applications I test on daily basis. Apart of its weight, 15 inch model is more comfortable than the smaller one. It is much nicer to keep big hands on the bigger aluminum body. New MacBook Pro 15″ seems to be created especially for big hands. The bigger screen resolution (1440 x 900 pixels) alows to display more things. Those advantages costs some mobility, but not much. MacBook Pro 15″ is bigger and heavier but it is very easy to carry in a bag (like Crumpler Bag for laptops). My arm is fine with it.

In the next parts I will deal with more technical details and performance, especially battery and two graphic cards onboard (GeForce 9400M with 256 MB RAM and GeForce 9600 GT with 520 MB RAM).

P.S. Desktop wallpaper is by user Stocks Photography and is uploaded by DeskLickr App straight from my favorites on Flickr.

It seems that more iPhone apps will get a review on my blog. However, I am going to stick to applications for Mac mostly. The only iPhone apps I will deal with are those that impress me much. One of them is Paris 3D – 3D map of Paris and its architecture.

Paris 3D is a part of Mobile 3D City series, however, so far it’s been only Paris, but another cities in 3D are under development. Paris 3D app enables zooming in and out and turning and moving a view in all directions. Thanks to that user can get familiar with architecture and locations of Paris. No need to add that we can walk the streets with an iPhone in a hand and we shouldn’t get lost. Application offers not only a 3D view. Clicking on objects of importance will give us a brief info. We can also search for many services and facilities. Just take a look:

Paris 3D is available in AppStore: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=323822225&mt=8

Paris 3D site: http://www.mobile3dcity.com/

Not so far ago NetNewsWire turned into Google Reader client, and now it seems that it is a Google Reader clients’ boom. I have just came upon a new app of that kind – Gruml. for Mac OS X.

Gruml’s interface is similar to NetNewsWire, but it is obvious, since both apps have typical Mac OS X Leopard interface. Left panel contains list of channels, folders with groups of channels of the same criteria and other options typical for Google Reader. There are stared items, shared items, notes, people you follow etc.

Similarly like in the other applications that contain news or messages (i.e. mail apps), all unread news are bold and on the left panel you will find a small icons with numbers aside folders or channels. Gruml shows both text and pictures and opens links in its internal web browser.

Gruml alerts about new news displaying the number of unread messages aside the icon in menu bar and on the icon in system dock. In addition it shows HUD window with preview of the list of unread news. It also support Growl notifications.

Gruml is for free (at least for now). You can get it at: http://www.grumlapp.com/

QuakeLive by Id Software – a web browser version of the one of the most popular First Person Shooters is now available for Mac OS X.

QuakeLive is available through web browser. At the beginning the game was available only for Windows. There are 40 arenas for players and 5 game models.

So far the game is Safari Only, latest version of Firefox causes issues. The game requires Mac OS X 10.4 so it will work on older Macs.

To play the game you have to register and set up an account at quakelive.com.

Apps for iPhone and iPhone itself is not a main concern of my blog. I deal with iPhone apps only when I found them useful. One of such apps is Navigon Mobile Navigator, Easter Europe edition.

Despite of widely discussed introduction of TomTom to iTunes AppStore, here in Poland and other Central and Eastern European countries TomTom is not available yet. In that circumstances the best app we can find is Navigon Mobile Navigator.

I have been testing this app for a few days now. It works well in the city. I haven’t noticed any latency in positioning my car on the map. Navigon Mobile Navigator informs about suggested maneuvers about time and in some time before. Application is available in local languages – at least in English and Polish, but I am sure it is available in every language used in the country access to iTunes AppStore.

Woman’s voice lead the driver throughout junctions, motorways, from one place to another. The only problem is that iPhone itself is to quite. However, if your car audio has AUX slot you can connect iPhone with onboard car audio using mini-jack cable. In addition, there can be played music in the background, however changing playlist requires turning off Navigon. It is better then to listen to shuffled playlist.

App works very good. If we decide to take another way, not suggested by Navigon it will recalculate it and suggest new route. We can choose preferred types of roads. By default Navigon avoids small streets in residential zones. However two times Navigon suggested me to take a road through residential areas. They were regular streets, but rather small. In my home city I knew which one to take, but it can be a problem in new locations not known to the driver.

Apart of the streets and roads it can show petrol stations, shopping malls, museums, monuments, and garages and other services. It also alert driver if the speed is far to high comparing speed limits.

Mobile Navigator is available in a few editions for each region or continent. Price varies depends on it.

Navigon Mobile Navigator Europe: 79,99 €

Navigon Mobile Navigator Eastern Europe: 49,99 €

Navigon Mobile Navigator Australia: 42,99 €

Navigon Mobile Navigatorh North America: 54,99 €