It wasn't too long ago that I chose Twitterrific as one of my favourite three applications for the iPhone as part of our 'Favourite Apps' series. Even then, there were plenty of alternatives out there for you to use: Twinkle, Twittelator [and Twittelator Pro]. However the release of Tweetsville today appears to have changed my mind as my Twitter client of choice.

The most noticeable difference between Tweetsville and its competitiors is that the application sticks to a very conventional user interface: users will be instantly familiar with most of the controls, and a hybrid of both the iPod and Mail-esque look to the application [along with some nice touches that shows you posting tweets as messages 'To the Twitterverse'] mean you'll feel instantly at home.

On top of the nice little touches, there's TwitPic integration for posting photos and linking to them in tweets, a customisable toolbar [and two timeline views to pick from], not to mention built-in support for Twitter Search and Twitter Trends - Twitter's two biggest service additions recently.

Even though there's almost every feature you could need on the go, it's utterly intuitive to use and almost instantly has become my de-facto iPhone Twitter client: sorry Twitterrific.



Some will be unhappy without there being a free version to try - though it's worth remembering the application costs just $3.99, which isn't exactly bank-breaking - and there's no inline @replies to be found in one of the two timeline views. It's also worth pointing out that other clients include features for re-tweeting links. Despite these [admittedly few] pitfalls, for a true Twitter control panel that has almost all the features you need - along with a clean, familiar and above-all thought-out user interface - I can't help but give Tweetsville a very firm thumbs-up.

It seems like the days of the family computer have come and gone already, and more and more people have their own individual computer to use. In my house, everyone over the age of 3 has one (plus a couple of extras), and keeping data synchronized amongst them all is a bit of a nightmare.

Our main two machines are the Macs that my wife and I use. In our family, I'm the techie one, so over the years I've spent a lot of time ripping our CD collections into MP3 files. Though she certainly enjoys listening to music, she's never bothered to do the same on her machine. The other day she decided that she should have access to all of the music that I've been dutifully ripping from our CD collection, and since 1/2 of the CDs were hers in the first place, she's right.

So, what's the fastest way to get my iTunes library over to her machine, while maintaining the song ratings and playlists that we've come up with together? I found an application called Syncopation that fits the bill perfectly.

Syncopation does exactly what I've described - it allows you to grab an entire music library from another machine over your local network. It even supports synchronizing podcasts, movies and TV shows! The process is very straightforward:

1. Install Syncopation on both the machine you want to synchronize from, and the machine you are moving the music to
2. Set your preferences; do you want to transfer videos and podcasts, or no?
3. Subscribe to the other machine that should be showing up in Syncopation's browser
4. Press the Sync button, and wait.
   
5. And wait, and wait, and wait.

Depending on how big your library is and how fast your network is, it could take a number of hours to transfer everything across. On our 802.11g network, it is taking about an hour per gigabyte transferred.

You'll have to keep Syncopation running on all machines that are actively synchronizing while they perform the transfer. Syncopation supports up to five Macs, though the trial verison only supports two, and the trial is good for 30 days. I see myself purchasing this tool when my trial period is up, because it makes keeping our iTunes libraries in sync a snap.

While manually sorting your start menu using Explorer isn't the most annoying task confronting a Windows user, it's not all that fun, either.

Winstep Start Menu Organizer makes the process much simpler. Install it, fire it up, and you're presented with three panes to help sort things out easily: categories, items in the current category, and uncategorized items. Within about 20 seconds I managed to drag my folders into Winstep's default categories and streamline my previously chaotic menu.

Also included is a handy start menu backup and restore feature, which makes rolling back to your intial Windows default setup a painless procedure.

The free version does have some serious limitations: you can't create your own categories or subcategories, which could be a major inconvenience for some users. Still, the included default catgories are general enough to help just about anyone compact and bring order to their start menu quickly and easily.

[ via Life Rocks 2.0 ]

Do you already have a preferred app to tackle this task? Share it with other DS readers in the comments!

Here at Download Squad, we know that a fair number of our readers are avid Twitter users [much like ourselves]. There's been no shortage of Twitter clients thanks to Twitter's readily-available API: and the AppStore is little different.

Twitterrific, if you're not already in the know, is the ubiquitous Mac OS X Twitter client (now at version 3 on the desktop) - and possibly one of the most anticipated applications in Twitter-circles when the iPhone SDK was earlier this year. Winner of a prestigious Apple Design Award back in June, Twitterrific remains my favourite of all the iPhone Twitter clients out there.

It's well thought out, with both left- and right-handed configurations of the interface and the also features a built-in browser, allowing you to follow tweeted links without leaving the application. As you'd expect, it's easy to post tweets to your account, view tweets from your contacts, and update your current location. All of this, along with a beautifully-attired interface as you'd expect from the Iconfactory, makes Twitterrific an excellent choice if you simply can't stop tweeting when on the go.

Twitterrific comes in free (ad-supported) and paid-for ($9.99) versions - with the paid-for version also featuring the option of a light-themed UI.

WinZip is sort of the Xerox/Kleenex of the compression world. While many geeks prefer alternate file compression utilities like 7-zip, TUGZip, or WinRar, you're more likely to find WinZip installed on any given office computer. And with the launch of WinZip 12, the developers have shown that they still have a few tricks up their sleeves.

Probably the biggest changes in WinZip 12 have to do with its handling of image files. WinZip now has the ability to compress JPEG files by up to 25% without any quality loss. There's also a new Zip from Camera Wizard that makes it easier to grab files directly from your digital camera without copying them to your hard drive first.

You can also edit images using the WinZip explorer window and send selected files via email or FTP with a click.

WinZip 12 also supports additional file formats. Users can now extract 7z files as well as CD and DVD ISO and IMG disk images.

[via CNet]

A reader dropped us an email recently, requesting information on where to find educational software for elementary and middle-schoolers. That's a great question -- there are plenty of Web-based sites to choose from but, as our reader pointed out, it can be tough to find things to put on your computer to use later without an Internet connection.

If you dig around a little, though, you can find a few gems.

Kaboose has a long list of downloads in lots of different categories, including math, science, social studies, and music. Each list is also broken down by age group and operating system (Mac and PC). Several links point to Web sites that only contain printable PDFs and worksheets, but be sure to hunt around for downloadable software too.

The HomeSchool Mom, a popular Web site among home educators has a mile-long list of free educational materials in every conceiveable subject from typing tutors to Forensic Medical studies. Some of the links are for Web-based activities but many take you to sites where you can download free software or send away to receive goodies in the mail.

Adam Smith Academy offers free educational podcasts you can download and listen to on an MP3 player or your computer's media player. Younger children will enjoy stories from Kipling or Aesop, while older kids will love hearing stories by James Joyce or Nathaniel Hawthorne. The site even has a number of history lessons and college lectures available for download as well.

If you're looking for help with specific topics, be sure to check the Web sites of museums and science centers in major metropolitan cities. You could get lost for days roaming the Web site of the Exploratorium, San Francisco's famous science museum. Though much of the information is Web-based and interactive, there are plenty of links to other sites for additional printables and downloads. Budding astronauts of all ages can find virtually anything related to space, astronomy, and space travel at the educational portion of NASA's Web site.

One of the best places to find free and fabulous educational software is within the open source community. Although a few programs require the Linux operating system to run, most will also run on Windows or Mac. Have a look at this comprehensive list to see what's available and what's recommended for students of all ages and skill levels.

Hard drive prices are so low now that it really makes sense to use an imaging program. That way you've got a perfectly cloned backup of your system exactly the way you have it configured in case of a crash, which is much more convenient than reinstalling Windows, activating, and loading all your applications all over again.

Here are four great apps to get the job done - without spending a dime!

DriveImage XML. Runtime Software has never placed too much importance on looks, and it's for a very good reason. Their software works really, really well. DriveImage was the first software I used to create images within Windows. Scheduled backups can be created with the Windows Task Scheduler and command line switches. DriveImage is free for private, home use only. Yes, Macrium Reflect does the same thing and looks nicer, but it's $39.99.

For a straight-up, drive-to-drive clone, you can use Runtime's Shadow Copy. Shadow copy is free for everyone, not just home users.

Like DriveImage, XXClone runs in Windows. It has an extremely simple interface, and gives you the option to copy volume ID to your destination and make it bootable. The interface also provides quick access to the Windows disk manager, in case you need to perform some quick drive tasks prior to cloning. XXClone is free for personal, private use.

There are plenty of Windows applications out there that will let you synchronize files across multiple folders. But there are a few things that set Allway Sync apart. First up, you can install Allway Sync on a flash drive to carry with you and use on multiple PCs. Second, Allway Sync is free for personal use and you're only required to pay for a license if you're a heavy user of if you feel like it. No one will ever make you pay, but the software is totally worth buying.

The latest version also adds support for synchronizing files with an FTP server or Amazon S3 storage. This makes Allway Sync a great little tool for backing up your files to offsite storage. The only problem is that there's no built-in scheduler. You have to initiate each sync job manually. If you're lazy and prefer automated backups, you might be better off with a utility like Jungle Disk. But the advantage of performing manual backups is that Allway Sync provides detailed information about each new, changed, or questionable file.

[via Ed Bott]

You've just downloaded that must have program only to realize that Windows has no idea what to do with it. After an hour of Google searching, forum posting, and being called n00b, you finally figure it out.

If only there was a guide that showed you how to get all those needed programs. We at Download Squad feel your pain and have put together a list of 10 free programs that will take care of those pesky "Windows cannot open this file" messages once and for all.

Note: See a blatant omission or oversight? Please add it to the comments. With your help, we hope to re-post a more complete list the future.

1. K-Lite codec pack
   
   File Types: DivX, XviD, AVI, Mpeg 1-4, AC3, AAC, FLAC, WAV, FLV, OGG, VOB, and tons you've never heard of.
   
   Description: Why there are 85,000,000 different audio and video types we have no idea. What we do know is trying to install codecs one at a time generally ends in a reformat.
   
   Thankfully, the good people from K-Lite (Koors Lite?) have bundled all the software and codecs you need into one executable. Cheers!
   
   
   
2. Real Alternative and QuickTime Alternative
   
   File Types: RM, RA, RAM, RPM, RMVB, RPX, SMI, SMIL, RT, RP, MOV, QT, 3GP
   
   Description: Before the days of Youtube, the Real Player and QuickTime were kings of Internet multimedia. Sure you had to deal with popups, reminders, updates, and bloatware, but that 1" video was so worth it.
   
   Fortunately, the Real and Quicktime Alternatives removed the real in Real Player and restored the quick to QuickTime. Enjoy your 1" video!
   

One of the fundamental tools for developers is not just their development environment of choice, but also their version control system of choice. The debate over just which version control system is undoubtedly set to rage on for eternity, however one of the more popular systems is Subversion. On the Mac, up until now there's been a number of choices: Terminal (command-line) which is built into the OS and includes Subversion as part of OS X Leopard, svnX - another open-source graphical user interface, or using the built-in Subversion support in Apple's OS X development IDE Xcode.

For some of us here at Download Squad, a fear of the command-line, compounded with a little loathing of the svnX interface made the announcement of Versions.app - over a year ago - more than a little exciting. Promising an elegant and truly OS X interface to work with Subversion, it's taken a long time to come to fruition - however the betas to date do appear to deliver.

After having used Versions on a daily basis since its debut 2 weeks ago, it's certainly showing a great deal of promise - and makes version control far friendlier. As others have noted, the application not only makes working with existing repositories easy, but also has quick links to Subversion web-service Beanstalk, allowing you to easily create a new online repository and add it to Versions.

Pricing for Versions will be set 'when version 1.0 ships', and currently all (free-to-use) betas expire on July 1st.

With the announcement of the new iPhone, we figure there will be some new interest in this bit of software that's been around for a while: Do you have a computer without one of those newfangled infrared spots and a remote control? Do you still want to be able to change tracks on iTunes or pause a movie from across the room? As long as you have an iPod or an iPod Touch laying around, Signal is the app for you. Its interface is almost indistinguishable from the regular iTunes player on those devices, which makes it a breeze to use.

Here's how it works: download Signal and open it up, then input the IP address it gives you into your iPhone or iPod. Boom! You can access all your iTunes media from your device. Signal lets you change speakers, adjust volume, turn on shuffle or repeat, and pretty much anything else you could do from within iTunes.

There's a full demo, so you might want to try it out before you shell out 25 bones, but here are a couple of things to consider:. If you're going to buy a standard remote anyway (like the Apple Remote, for example), remember that Signal will work with your iPhone or iTouch from anywhere your network reaches, so you can use it to shoot around walls. Also consider that Signal has both Mac and Windows versions, where some other remotes only work with one platform.

If you're a devotee of Growl, the slick pop-up notification system for OS X, then you've probably got a wishlist of apps that need Growl support. Even some of the ubiquitous Apple apps like iCal and Address Book don't work well with Growl. No need to fret about that, though, just download OmniGrowl, and you can set Growl notifications for practically everything.

When we say practically everything, we mean OmniGrowl will give you Growl popups for traffic alerts, flight stats, weather, new RSS stories, daily deals on Woot, words of the day from the Oxford English Dictionary, and any potential leaks in your kitchen sink. Ok, we're just kidding about that last one, but OmniGrowl covers an impressive list of apps and functions. You don't have to go overboard, though: if you just want Growl for your iCal events and Address Book birthdays, OmniGrowl can handle that, too.

It has been a defacto standard for Web Browsers to be a free download for many years now. After all, who would want to pay for something that they can get for free so easily? Well, this is a question that Electrasoft must answer on a daily basis. A company that specializes in Web browsers, network utilities, and 90's era web design, they are among a dying breed for sure. We couldn't resist taking their shareware web browser for a spin, if nothing else for the sake of nostalgia.

The install program is a humble 300 kilobyte download, and installs in mere seconds. With another nod to old school internet culture, the installer is powered by the classic Winzip self extractor. Once installed, 32bit web browser delivers on its promises: it is indeed quite fast, and loads quickly. It seemed to render everything just as you would expect, and even supported flash out of the box. It's hard to say it it uses its own custom rendering engine or not, but it reports as Mozilla 1.6 to browser agent finding scripts.

While we can't see any use for this program in the mainstream, it might be a welcome addition to the many Pentium based Windows 98 machines that still hum away in some homes. It is fast, small code done right. It is available for $20 from the company's ordering page.

CaTraxx is a music management tool that aims to catalog all of your music, from digital media to CD's, cassettes, and vinyl.

CaTraxx will automatically scan your computer for any supported audio files and import them into its music database. Additionally, you can insert your CD's and CaTraxx will scan and download the audio tracks automatically. The program has a direct connection with the CDDB database; track and album information are instantly downloaded as you import your files.

CaTraxx also functions as a basic jukebox/media player, though iTunes and Windows Media Player would be better options if all you want to do is play your music.

So what good is CaTraxx? In our minds, it's beneficial to think of the program as a database rather than a music collection. So why do you need a database of your music? Well, for example, you might need a database for insurance purposes, in case your beloved vinyl collection is usurped by a thief (or vengeful ex). The database can also keep records of who borrowed pieces from your collection and when they borrowed it, so you never lose track of a CD.

CaTraxx is available as a fully functional trial; after that, it'll set you back $40. In our minds (can we say that twice in a post?), you'd have to be pretty obsessive of your collection to shell out that kind of dough.

[via AppScout]