The Download Dispatch for Mac

You'll find plenty of keyboard-shortcut launchers floating around for Mac OS X, but Quicksilver's stylish interface, small footprint, and many customization options set it ahead of the pack. You activate this open-source program via a user-assignable hot key that spawns a small text field for entering abbreviations to locate applications, documents, or anything else. Want to get to files and folders quickly? Quicksilver is the answer.

Also this week we have the latest version of OnyX, a handy utility for conducting routine maintenance and tweaking the interface on your Mac. Our game this week is Lux Delux, a … Read more

On Monday, Steve Jobs opened the 2011 World Wide Developer Conference with his keynote speech unveiling Apple's plans for Mac OS X Lion, iOS 5, and the new iCloud service. If you missed the latest news from Apple, we were there in the audience at the keynote, live blogging the event as it happened. Check out our live blog of the keynote here.

Of course, even with all the exciting Apple news, other developers were still turning out software updates today. This week, we have the latest version of VLC Media Player, adding important fixes for security issues and … Read more

MarsEdit makes blogging easier, letting you ditch clunky browser-based editing in favor of a full-featured, fully Mac-powered desktop editor. With nice bonus features like autosaving, Technorati tag editing, blog-specific image settings, support for Tumblr, and a speedy Flickr browser, MarsEdit is a great example of indie software done right. It gives you lots of functionality, a professional level of quality, and responsive support, at (of course, this being indie software) a modest price.

Also this week we have the latest version of AppDelete, the utility that helps you uninstall unwanted apps completely--even hidden system files that often get left behind. … Read more

Web Snapper is an app and Safari plug-in that provides a fast and flexible way to capture screenshots of Web pages. The Mac OS provides some very limited screen-capture capabilities with Grab, but Web Snapper provides many more options (especially in terms of format, and in its easy-to-use integration with Safari), and it can capture multipage vector PDFs with actual text, links, and styling intact.

Also this week, multiplatform RSS media player Miro got an update, adding support for Android phones, and the ability to buy music from Amazon within the program. Our game this week is Black Ink, the … Read more

Are you a Gmail user with a huge inbox and archive? Mailplane gives you desktop-app functionality with the security of keeping your mail safe on the gServers. Mailplane works just like Gmail, offering the same functionality you've come to expect online, but right on your Mac desktop. In this latest version you can recall and track your e-mail conversations in Evernote, along with other fixes and tweaks.

Also this week, we have the latest version of iShowU, the screen capture utility that's incredibly easy to use for making on-screen demos and also useful for remote desktop support. Our … Read more

Things is a powerful, easy-to-use task-management app that can help you enter, organize, and act on items in your to-do list. Based on the popular Getting Things Done productivity method, Things gives you an elegant, streamlined interface--a classic, Mac-style multipane setup that doesn't require a lot of additional windows for its work flow. This latest version fixes compatibility issues between the Mac App Store version and the downloadable version.

Also this week, we have the latest Google Chrome beta so the hard-core Chrome users can check out what's next for Google's speedy Web browser (you should save … Read more

When you need a serious audio editor, one of our longtime favorites on the Mac is Amadeus Pro. Once you have this app installed on your Mac you can do live audio recording, digitize old records and tapes, convert sound files to mobile-device-friendly formats, and more. And you can use Amadeus' sound-repairing and denoising tools to bring your old music back to life.

Also this week we have ForeverSave, the app that automatically saves documents you're working on and creates backup versions in the background so lost data can be restored at any time. Our game this week is … Read more

Want a quick way to track your busy schedule through iCal? Check out QuickCal, the iCal companion that lets you type in an event in plain English, then presents you with options to schedule an appointment. Typing in "Pick up Johnny from soccer tomorrow at 3," for example, gives you a predictive list of options so you can find the type of entry you want. From there QuickCal will automatically set up the appointment in iCal, then you can configure "smart reminders" to let you know in advance (or at intervals) when it's time to … Read more

You'll find plenty of keyboard-shortcut launchers floating around for Mac OS X, but QuickSilver's stylish interface, small footprint, and many customization options and plug-ins set it ahead of the pack. Now a mainstay free launcher for many Mac users, this slick-looking utility that gets you where you want to go quickly is a must download for hot-key addicts.

Also this week, we have the latest version of Transmission, the popular bittorrent client for Mac that keeps getting better. Our game this week is BOOM, the arcade classic 2D platformer that has just the right mix of action and … Read more