This week’s roundup of new Mac apps brings us better browsing tools, from antivirus scanners to ad blockers. Read on!
Work without worries with Security Focus Europe’s $10 AntiVirus Sentinel Pro ( Mac App Store Link), which offers real-time protection from malware and other potential threats.
The app scans your hard drive for viruses and monitors your network for unwanted connections, all to help prevent identity theft. It also blocks ads and pop-ups to enhance your browsing experience, since webpages will load faster and more efficiently.
Developer Andreas Grossauer’s $2 Better Battery ( Mac App Store Link) helps you get the most out of your Mac’s battery life.
The app monitors your power usage over time and uses the statistics it collects to calculate the minimum charge level you need to last through a typical day. As an added feature, it also keeps an eye on your battery’s health status, and gives you a heads-up when it determines that it should be replaced.
Aluminum.io’s CloudApp ( Mac App Store Link) is a cloud-based storage alternative to iCloud, Dropbox, and the like. Store items by using a keyboard shortcut or by dragging and dropping them into your folder, and CloudApp will automatically upload them to the cloud and copy a shareable URL to your clipboard. To address privacy concerns, CloudApp allows you to protect shared files with a password, or delete items after they’ve been in your account for a specified amount of time.
CIMSoft’s $5 Home Contents Manager lets you create a database of all your valuables, where you can store all the information you may ever need for insurance or warranty purposes.
Log your insurance policy numbers and contact information, and the app will categorize your contents by a variety of parameters like names and serial numbers, and even gives you the option to add pictures to your records. Home Contents Manager can also track the actual value of your items against your insurance coverage, and you can export your data in CSV format to use in other programs.
iA Labs’s $20 iA Writer ( Mac App Store Link) has a simple interface that lets you focus on your writing—without unwanted distractions.
The app syncs your documents over iCloud or Dropbox, is compatible with both Microsoft Word and the Markdown format, and comes with a Night Mode option for better visibility in dim conditions. For extra convenience, iA Writer’s Handoff support makes moving between your Mac and iOS device a breeze, letting you pick up right where you left off.
Intellielabs’s $7 Intellie Notes 2 collects and keeps your notes organized in a convenient and searchable database.
The app supports automatic list creation, keyboard shortcuts, and iCloud syncing. If you have a lot to jot down, you can also split each note across multiple pages, and use color coding to quickly identify different themes.
Tired of boring old email? Wombat Apps’s $30 Mail Master ( Mac App Store Link) helps you spice up your outgoing mail thanks to gorgeous templates and personalized images.
The app comes with a full complement of text formatting tools, Google Maps integration, and full iCloud support to keep your work synchronized across multiple devices. You can send your email directly from the application using your own SMTP account, and keep your friends in the loop by sharing your templates via Facebook, Twitter, or Flickr.
Disconnect’s $25 PerformancePro ( Mac App Store Link) helps you speed up your Internet connection by blocking ad trackers and other unwanted content.
Performance Pro employs VPN technology to filter third-party connections and block hackers from accessing your online activity, thus helping prevent malware and identity theft.
Write code for a living? Derek Knight’s $8 Programmers Notebook allows you to record comments and observations for all your projects in a dedicated notebook.
From bugs to improvements, you can keep notes categorized for quick reference and track the progress of your work as you make your way through each issue. The app even supports syncing your data across multiple devices using iCloud.
Author: Marco Tabini
Marco Tabini is based in Toronto, Canada, where he focuses on software development for mobile devices and for the Web.