It frustrates me that so many different services have a calendar function, and yet it's still a pain in the ass to make sure that my personal calendar is up to date. More often than not I find myself manually creating events using copy-and-paste, instead of the event being automatically created for me by whatever service I'm using.

If you happen to be a Facebook Events user, a utility called EventSync can help you keep your iCal calendar application on your Mac up to date with your Facebook events. It's smart enough to allow you to choose to sync all events, or only those that you have accepted (amongst other options). Development is active on the utility too, and Hawk Wings reports that version 2.0 will include the ability to display the flyers and images associated with the Facebook events.

EventSync is donationware for the Mac platform.

Every now and then I find myself working on slides in Keynote and writing Download Squad posts - and struggling to find a suitable image. Of course, Flickr is the best way to find images - their clear licencing and Creative Commons support makes finding images fairly straight forward. However, getting the image into Keynote isn't entirely painless. The workflow of browsing search results, viewing the image and then finding it at a suitable size (if it exists) takes time - however that's where Viewfinder steps in.

A native Mac OS X application (requiring Mac OS X Snow Leopard), Viewfinder allows you to search Flickr from the desktop apply filters to show only Creative Commons images, and specify a particular image size. Then, once you select an image you can download the image, set it as your desktop background - and most importantly - send images straight to Keynote for your slides.

If you're a heavy keynote user (or blogger) who frequently needs to find Flickr images for your work Viewfinder is indispensible. I've been testing it since early September and found it an incredibly convenient tool to have at hand. A licence costs £15 (roughly $25) and a free demo is available for you try from the Viewfinder webpage.

We've covered a bucketload of image editors here at Download Squad recently: from Photoshop Elements, to stylish OS X apps to great Windows image manipulators. But if you're someone who works with icons and screen graphics, you're probably using something other than Photoshop Elements to create your stunning vector icons and glyphs.

Sure, there's the brawn of Illustrator if you want to spend big - or already own Creative Suite - and there's free & open-source Inkscape if you're looking for something that's also cross-platform. But if you're on a Mac, there's also another choice: Opacity. Unlike most vector drawing apps, Opacity is specifically designed to help you create resolution-independent icons and glyphs.

There's a tonne of presets available - from iPhone icons to desktop app icons - and perhaps most impressively, there's an option to export the vector drawing as - get this - Objective-C code that you bring straight over to Xcode and build for the iPhone and OS X platforms.

Sure, it's pretty specialised - but if you're creating icons and the like then you simply have to give Opacity a go. A licence costs US$89.99, with a free demo available - as well as a slimmer Opacity Express for US$39.99.

I'm willing to bet that while reading Download Squad, you've discovered some great applications that you now use on a regular basis.

Although we all use our machines in a slightly different way, I always find it fascinating to hear about which applications other people use and often when chatting to friends or colleagues I'll learn about an application that i've never used before - there's nothing like a personal recommendation.

That's where our new feature - 'Tell DLS: What are you top 10 must-have apps?' - comes in!

Each week, a Download Squad team member is going to share their top 10 applications are on their chosen platform and explain why! We'll be covering Mac OS X, Windows, Linux and the mobile operating systems, so hopefully you'll discover some gems that you hadn't used before too.

Of course, being a 'Tell DLS' feature, we want this to be all about sharing your experience too - so please post your chosen top 10 in the comments.

Read on after the jump for my top 10 (how many can you identify from the icons above?).

Hot on the heels of stylish Mac OS X image editor Pixelmator hitting version 1.5, Acorn - the simple (yet powerful) image editor from Flying Meat software has reached version 2.0.

This all-new release is one of the first applications we've seen to require Mac OS X Snow Leopard, and comes a tonne of new features including: layer-based screenshot capture; RAW image support; layer groups; perspective transform; Dodge Burn, Clone, and Smudge tools; and much more.

Those looking to script Acorn can now also script the application via Javascript (using JSTalk) - and the trial of Acorn no-longer expires. Instead of locking itself down after the trial period ends, Acorn simply limits certain features until you purchase a copy - a nice change from
If you're an existing customers with a Acorn 1.0 licence you can upgrade for $20, and a new licence costs just $49.95.

A new version of Total Commander for Windows is available - version 7.50.

Total Commander is a file manager / windows explorer replacement that is positively packed to the rafters with features such as side-by-side windows, compression and decompression of most popular (and unpopular formats), a fully featured ftp client, file and folder comparison, parallel port linking (remember that?), directory synchronisation and much more.

In Beta / Release Candidate since April, the updated version adds a host of new functionality including full Unicode support, an enhanced help file, improved 64 bit support, improved synchronisation and a powerful search function. The user interface has also been improved with subtle yet effective tweaks.

You can view the full feature list and a massive, massive changelog on the Ghisler site but I think it's fair to say it's a pretty complete toolkit for power Windows users.

Total Commander is available in 64 and 32 bit versions, a historical 16 bit version (hey, I don't doubt there's SOMEONE out there who still needs to use Windows 3.1 for something) and even a pocket version for Windows Mobile devices.
First made available in 1993, it's easy to dismiss Total Commander for its slightly 'old school' user interface, but behind that interface lies a seriously powerful piece of software with a huge following.

Total Commander is shareware with a 30 day trial, after which a licence is priced at $38.

Hat tip to Remo for the heads up!

If you're travelling this Labour Day weekend, you'll no doubt have your iPhone in tow - charged and ready to use at the earliest opportunity. If you're looking for a stylish new addition to your iDevice's homescreen, then you'll probably want to check out Ramp Champ.

Brought to you by the folks at DS Media Labs and The Iconfactory (whose apps we love here at Download Squad), Ramp Champ is a slick and stylish version of the skee-ball boardwalk game.

As you play the four (frankly rather stunning) ramps - or the two further double packs of ramps available via in-app purchase - Ramp Champ awards you redeemable points that you can trade for virtual swag in the app to fill out a trophy cabinet that houses trophies for unlocked goals on each level (my particular swag favourites are the Ollie 'Twitterrific' Plushie - and the Ninja Plushie available in the add-on pack).

Ramp Champ isn't without its niggles (such as sound effects not being silenced when using headphones with the iPhone's silent mode engaged, and occasional physic slips when flicking the balls down the ramp) however I played Ramp Champ for a fair amount of time on a recent transatlantic flight back to the UK, and thoroughly enjoyed the gameplay and its slick, slick experience.

Ramp Champ, which comes with 4 different ramps, costs just $1.99 in the App Store - the two additional Ramp Packs are sold for $0.99 each inside the application.

Update: Ramp Champ 1.0.1 arrived on the App Store shortly after this post was published.

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.