Path Finder 5 Review

Path Finder starts with the assumption that Apple’s own Finder application simply isn’t enough. This application is a Finder replacement that provides many tools for file manipulation that simply don’t exist in the built-in Finder.
With the built-in drawers, you can minimize your Pathfinder window to those limited set of tools that you particularly need for full screen behemoth giving you microscopic details on your files and system. Using this module system, and you can customize each individual pain for the function you require. It includes modules for attributes, cover flow, information, permissions, the shelf, and the sidebar just to name a few. For LINUX geeks, there is even a terminal module. The preview module is particularly good and even includes some image editing tools.
When you first open PathFinder window, you see elements similar to the Apple Finder with a lot more information and options at your disposal. The customizable bookmark bar remains one of my favorite features. Using it, you can create your own custom drop downs including files and folders you use frequently. Likewise, you can set up a series of tabs at the top of the screen that also allow you to easily move files between them.

The new version also brings the Leopard sidebar into Path Finder. This allows you to use those sidebar tools from within Path Finder itself. Another new feature is the dual pane. With it, you can place the contents of two folders or volumes side-by-side in one window. This is such a natural way to copy and move files that I’m suprised it never found its way into Apple’s Finder. If you are not in the mood to drag files, this new version also provides the ability to cut and paste files. This feature has existed in the Windows Explorer for some time. It is baffling to me that it took this long to get it in OS X.
The implementation of cover flow is very good. With the use of multiple windows, cover flow is actually more useful in Pathfinder than it is in the Apple Finder.

The drop stack remains one of the most underappreciated features in Path Finder. With it you can drag files from multiple locations creating a disposable temporary folder from which to relocate those files. If used properly, the days of opening two windows to move files are over.
If information is your vice, then Path Finder is your drug. Not only does it provide very detailed information about your selected files, it also allows you to easily modify details and permissions. The application also allows you to easily locate and view hidden files. Another innovative feature is the selection tool which allows you to define criteria for selecting files for manipulation. This is very helpful when working in large folders. Likewise there is a dedicated “Find” window that allows you to get extremely detailed with your searches.
Additional tools include an application launcher, and a robust compression tools.
I reviewed Pathfinder last year and concluded it is the Swiss Army Knife of file applications. With the recent release of version 5, that analogy remains even more true, but now it has a nuclear powered corkscrew and titanium scissors.
You can listen to this review on the Mac Attack Podcast #96

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WriteRoom Review

Perhaps the single biggest obstacle to writing on a computer is distraction. Think about it. Back when you used a pencil and paper or a typewriter, those devices didn’t have the ability to instantly deliver mail to you, serve up a news feed, play games, check scores, or twitter your friends.
So the one thing our old technology had over the new stuff is that when we used them, we had no choice but to actually write. This is where WriteRoom comes in. Hog Bay Software’s WriteRoom is a word processor that excels at one thing, distraction free writing. When you start up WriteRoom and put it in to distraction free mode, your Mac magically turns into an Apple II. You see nothing but a black screen and green text. There is not tempting menu bar, Safari window, or anything else to distract you. Just the words and the screen.

There aren’t many features in WriteRoom and that is a selling point. This developer is not looking for users who buy software based on a “check the box” mentality. There is a limited amount of formatting available and that is about it. You are not going to find yourself tweaking the page settings, setting margins, and getting your fonts “just right.” You are, once again, confronted with words on a black screen. I found this liberating. It reminded me of how I sometimes need the TV off before explaining something to my children. It just brings an instant focus.
While the application is sparse on features, it is well thought out. For instance, it advances the screen at the middle allowing you to see the text below and not forcing you to always stare at the bottom. What little interaction there is with the screen is hidden. If you put your mouse on the top of the screen, you can see the menu bar. On the bottom, you see a word count and on the right is a scrollbar. Even the cursor is old school with the block in lieu of the blinking line that all modern word processors use.
In the settings you can change the system font and even turn on opacity for the background but that seems to defeat the point. If you are going to use WriteRoom, keep it sparse and get something done.

Under Tiger, WriteRoom has a plug-in that allows you to integrate with other applications. For instance, you can write and edit your mail messages in WriteRoom for sending in Apple Mail. The plug-in, however, doesn’t work in Leopard. Instead, the developer made their own, open source, separate application that allows you to open text in an external editor such as WriteRoom. The application, QuickCursor, is activated through a menu bar icon and this isn’t as convenient as a plug-in. On my MacBook Air, the menu bar icon doesn’t even show when I run Mail because of limited menu bar space.

As a word processor, WriteRoom is snappy and does not get in your way. I’ve been using it nearly exclusively for 3 weeks and not had any bugs, crashes, or problems with it. WriteRoom is a one trick pony but boy does it do that trick well. The question is whether it is worth the $25 license fee. I think that depends on the user. If your primary goal is distraction free writing above all else, WriteRoom is the answer. Likewise if you have another word processor like Pages or Word and you want something to write the rough text in, it just may work. The $40 Scrivener gives you a lot more features and a no-distraction mode for just $15 more. It is, however, more complex than WriteRoom and some people don’t like that. If I had to choose just one, it would be Scrivener. However, when you consider that you can buy both Scrivener and WriteRoom for a fraction of the price of Microsoft Word, you may find you want both applications. If the developer can get the Tiger plug-in working in Leopard, it would be a much easier decision. Regardless, for distraction free writing, WriteRoom has no equal. You can download a trial copy of WriteRoom from www.hogbaysoftware.com.
You can listen to this review on the MacReviewCast episode #190.

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Clips Review

This week I’m looking at a clipboard enhancement, Clips, from Conceited Software. Do you constantly find yourself moving bits of text and pictures between different applications? I do. Because I do so much writing it is often simple text and I’ve found the free utility Jumpcut completely adequate for this purpose. Clips, however, goes way beyond keeping a list of recently copied text snippets. So the question becomes whether additional functionality would be useful?
Once you install Clips, it will silently begin keeping track of everything you add to your clipboard. It then categorizes and tracks those clips for future reference. For instance, Clips remembers which application you were in when you cut or copied. So if I want to see all the clippings I made in Safari or my word processor, it is simply a matter of clicking the application in the Clips browser. If you use Leopard Spaces, it even tracks which space your clippings were made in.

You can then search through your collection of clips easily with the live search. You can also create your own custom clipboards. I have one for MacSparky that includes some frequently used graphic and text assets. It even has a feature called “smart clipboards” that works very similar to smart rules in the Finder or iTunes. For instance, I made a smart clipboard that collects all clippings I’ve taken out of Safari more than five times.

If you have clippings you use frequently, you can assign text snippets or key combinations. When you type in a certain text string, Clips will drop in the assigned link, picture, or text string. While TextExpander still reigns supreme for text snippets, this feature is useful for other assets.
Once you have found your clipboard Nirvana, you can share your clipboards between multiple Macs. This is nice if you have multiple users or Macs. While it doesn’t support MobileMe Syncing, that would be nice.
For me, the most confusing part of Clips was the first time I loaded it. The application includes three separate interfaces. It has a Dashboardesque “Clips Board” which explodes onto your screen like the Dashboard. It also has a clips panel and clips organizer that works nearly identical to the Finder. There are also keyboard shortcuts and hot corners. My first reaction was, “Cheese and crackers! Clips just took over my Mac.” It actually took me a little fiddling to realize that all of these interfaces give you similar information in different ways. In essence, the developer is giving the user the choice of figuring out what works best. Once I realized that, I tuned the interfaces to my liking and turned off several of the key combinations and hot corners and things have worked just swell since then.
I was skeptical when I first started kicking the tires on Clips. I have been very pleased with my free Jumpcut and wasn’t sure that I had any use for these fancy bells and whistles. Sadly, however, Clips has spoiled me and I will forever look at Jumpcut a little jaded. A Clips license will run £19.50. With the current exchange rate that brings the price up to nearly $29. While the application is very useful, that is a lot of money for a clipboard enhancement. Thankfully, the developer does offer a free trial period and I would recommend giving it a spin before buying. You can find it at www.conceitedsoftware.com.
You can listen to this review on Surfbit’s MacReviewCast #189.

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MacSpeech Dictate Review

As a computer geek, I have been fortunate to live in amazing times. I grew up watching the birth of the personal computer. I saw the internet transform from a college project to a global phenomenon, and I’ve been trying to get my computers to listen to me since the beginning of speech recognition software.
About 10 years ago, when speech recognition was first being introduced to the masses, I tried it out. It was terrible. You … had … to … put … a … space … between … every … word. While those initial experiments were fun, the technology ultimately came up short. I work on a PC at the office and a few years ago I tried again. This second attempt was much more successful. The Dragon Dictate engine on the PC software made huge strides. No longer do you have to put spaces between words. You can speak naturally and, with some training, the computer gets very good at understanding your voice. I write for a living and Dragon Dictate quickly became a regular part of my computing experience.
I was always disappointed that the Apple Macintosh did not have a similarly adroit speech recognition application. The PC beating the Mac with voice recognition is like seeing an old beater car with a killer stereo. It just makes you hurt a little bit. So you can imagine my excitement last January when I discovered MacSpeech Dictate at Macworld. MacSpeech licensed the Dragon recognition engine for the Mac. This was no vaporware. They had working demonstrations and if they had it ready, I would have bought it that day. Going back and reading my Macworld 2008 coverage, I forgot just how much I lusted after this software. As soon as MacSpeech released a few months later, I had it installed on my Mac. The application is now at version 1.2. The question now becomes, was it worth the wait? The short answer is yes.

This product includes both the software and a voice friendly headset microphone and a USB sound device allowing you to plug the headset in. After installing the application, MacSpeech Dictate walks you through a remarkably short tutorial. Once again, my age is showing. I remember when training voice dictation software would take hours. My total set up time on this application was about 15 minutes. Once you’ve done the basic setup and microphone adjustment, you simply load your favorite word processor and get going. Where this application really shines is text input. I can sit down and dictate correspondence, work documents, and even this review as quickly as I can form the words. The trick I found was not to mix typing and talking. In addition to recognizing your voice, MacSpeech Dictate needs to keep track of where the cursor is. If you edit the document while dictating, you’re very likely to confuse the application and cause unacceptable, and sometimes humorous, results. So my workflow with MacSpeech Dictate is to simply talk through my rough draft. So long as I focus on dictating and typing separately, the accuracy is remarkable. You will need to proofread the final product closely and the application will confuse some words but generally that is more a result of me getting sloppy in the dictation process then the application itself. MacSpeech Dictate needs you to articulate your words properly. This doesn’t mean that you have to be extra careful with the way you speak. It simply means you can’t get lazy and began slurring words together like a drunken sailor.
Using MacSpeech Dictate, I can get raw text into my machine significantly quicker and with much less pain to my fingers. It has a built-in editor but I have also used it to dictate text directly into Scrivener, Pages, and Apple Mail.
If you are about to dictate a unique word, there is a spelling mode that allows you to stop and spell a particular word or name. There is also a procedure to allow you to train new phrases. For instance, my day job requires me to use some unique latin words and phrases. If I just start spewing these words into MacSpeech Dictate, it will tie itself in knots. However, if I stop and train these phrases and words, MacSpeech Dictate picks them up no problem.
In addition to inputting text, MacSpeech Dictate includes a command mode that allows you to drive your Mac with your voice. There is even a convenient commands window to help acquaint you. Using my voice, I can launch applications, perform menu commands, switch between applications, and a host of other possibilities. With a little practice using the command mode, you could operate your Macintosh without touching the keyboard. For people with disabilities, this could open a whole new world.
This software is simply amazing and long overdue on the Macintosh platform. This being said, the software is very new and not nearly as mature as the Dragon Dictate software on the PC. The error correction system is not as robust and some of the tools are simply missing. Nevertheless , MacSpeech Dictate represents a huge improvement to voice dictation on the Macintosh platform.
Without a doubt, speech recognition has finally made it to the Macintosh. Harnessing the Dragon engine, and the years of experience in technology that goes with it, was a stroke of genius. I’m easily talking to my Mac. The MacSpeech Dictation package, including the disk, manual, and microphone sells for $199. While this is no small investment, it is not particularly expensive for voice dictation software. The Dragon Dictate software on the PC also sells for $200. If you spend a lot of time typing or have a disability, this software could pay for itself very quickly. It has for me. If you are interested in purchasing MacSpeech dictate, click the affiliate link on the left and you can additionally help me pay for bandwidth.
You can listen to this review on the MacReviewcast episode 187.

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Mail Act-On 2 Review

I reviewed Mail Act-On last year explaining it is one of the most useful utilities on my computer. With the recent release of version 2, that hasn’t changed. For the uninitiated, Mail Act-On installs itself as a preference in the Apple Mail client. It allows you to assign keystrokes to repeated actions and rules when dealing with your inbox and, with version 2, outbox. For instance, after reviewing an e-mail, there are a limited number of things I will do with it. I will either deal with it and file it, put it in my “action” folder, or delete it. Each of these require me to drag the e-mail over and place it in the proper folder. This works fine if you don’t mind taking your hand off the keyboard and using the mouse to drag it over and if you’re accurate enough to make sure that you actually drop it in the right folder. For those who use hierarchical folders to sort their Mail, this can be even more difficult. No matter how you slice it, this process takes time.
Using Mail Act-On, I can simply create a rule that takes the highlighted e-mail and files it in a pre-designated folder with a simple key combination. For instance, on my Mac, if you press control F, the highlighted e-mail gets dropped in the “filed” folder and makes a satisfying “plunk” sound courtesy of Mail Act-On. If I wanted to get exotic, I could additionally have Mail Act-On highlight the e-mail green, create an automatic reply, mark it as read and perform a variety of other rule based actions. This is the beauty of Mail Act-On. You can selectively apply user-defined rules with a simple keystroke. You are limited only by your imagination.

This application has become such an ingrained part of my e-mail system, that when I first upgraded to Leopard, and the developer had not yet released a Leopard compatible version, I felt naked. Suddenly, I had to use my mouse and all sorts of other commands to accomplish what I was used to performing in one keystroke.
With the recent release of version 2, Mail Act-On is cleaner, faster, and sports several new features. The act of creating rules in this new version is much easier. The new interface gives you three views: inbox, outbox, and keystrokes. There are a many options for you to make things as simple or complex as your heart desires. If you use Indev’s other excellent Mail plug-in, MailTags, you can create Act-On rules that apply MailTags metadata such as keywords and projects.
Another nice new feature is the F1 key that allows you to, among other things, apply an existing rule, copy, or move an e-mail message even without benefit of a rule. You can pick the destination by simply typing a few characters of the folder name. When using the Mail Act-On menus, a new function allows you to lock them open. This is useful when you’re grinding through a pile of e-mail. Another improvement is the application’s memory of recent destinations so you can find your most recently accessed mailboxes quickly.

Perhaps my favorite new function is the addition of “undo.” As fun as it is to quickly send your e-mail to a designated folder with Mail act on, it can be a real pain when you accidentally send a message to the wrong place. Act-On now includes an undo memory which allows you to reverse these mistaken actions and get back to the task at hand.
Act-On also now allows you to apply rules to your sent items box. If you like to keep your e-mail organized in nested folders, you can now create rules to automatically move your “sent” items to the appropriate file. This would allow you to keep everything in one place. Frankly, if you are that person, this function alone would make Mail Act-On worth the cost.
With the release of version 2, Mail Act-On now requires a license fee. It is currently at the introductory price of $19.95 but it will raise to $24.95. Having used this application for some time, I believe the price is fair. You can download a 21 day demonstration from the developer. Version 2 only works on OS X 10.5. An older version that is compatible with OS X 10.3 and 10.4 is still available.
If you find processing e-mail tedious, this application is a must-have. Once you set up your rules with Mail Act-On, you will receive immediate dividends of saved time and increased productivity.
You can listen to this review on Surfbits MacReview Cast 186.

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Nik Software Silver Efex Pro Review

This week I’m reviewing NIK Software’s Aperture and Photoshop plugin, Silver Efex Pro. While I really like Aperture, its black-and-white conversion leaves a lot to be desired. One thing is certain, all black-and-white conversion is not created equal. There are no hard and fast rules on exactly where to assign your grey and without savant-like abilities, you can destroy the look of your photograph with careless conversion. I know, quite simply, because I have done it.
My solution to this problem has always been to do the conversion in Photoshop. It has all sorts of interesting tools like the channel mixer that allow you to tweak your black and white conversion to your heart’s desire. The problem I keep running into is Photoshop’s unrealistic assumption that I have a clue what I am doing. Sure. I watched the screencasts, read the books, and sacrificed old film canisters to the appropriate photography gods but my results were still spotty at best. Silver Efex Pro takes the voodoo out of black and white conversion.

After activating this plug-in, it opens a large pane with your image. On the right are a variety of sliders and buttons to allow you to manually adjust and on the left are a series of previews applying different professionally developed black and white filters. The workflow usually starts on the left where you can look through the various preset styles. These vary from the neutral to the artistic. There is also a nice antique effect with the crinkled edges of old photographs. The interface allows you to preview the images giving you a nice feel for what to expect.

Once you’ve chosen your preset you can further tweak it using the sliders and buttons on the right side of the preview. These include common settings like brightness and contrast. It also has some more exotic controls like shadows, highlights and colored filters changing the tinge of your black and white photograph.

The editing doesn’t stop here though. Once you know you are in the ballpark you can perform local adjustments. That means if there is just one part of the image you want to adjust while leaving the rest alone, you can. Silver Efex Pro remembers the original colors and allows you to use this to your advantage. For example, one photograph I was processing was of my daughter with a red brick wall behind her. Using the control point technology of this application, I was able to identify the red brick and adjust its black and white conversion so as not to interfere with my daughter’s image. The application left the rest of the photograph untouched. This is a really powerful feature. You can select multiple control points in any image all with their own controls. Before long you will be fine tuning your black and white image with more granularity than you thought possible.

Speaking of granularity, if you want to give your image a film grain look, it comes with a pre-defined set of film types that can give your photograph that film look. It is an impressive list and it is fun seeing the changes brought by different film types. There is also a series of sliders that allow you to manually adjust the grain, sensitivity, and tone curve if you want to do it yourself.

Once you have your image just so, you apply your changes and it drops you back in Aperture with a new image in its black and white splendor. Silver Efex Pro costs $200 and while that may seem a bit steep for a black and white converter, the results I am getting with this application are breathtaking. I could Vulcan mind-meld with a Photoshop guru and I still don’t think I could do better with black and white conversion than I’m getting with Silver Efex Pro. Even if you don’t have the money to spend on this, download the free 15-day trial of Silver Efex from NikSoftware.com so you can see the dramatic results available with the control point technology. It is a lot of fun.
You can listen to this review on Surfbits Episode #185.

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G Drive mini Review

With the miniaturization of hard drive technology, it is now easy to carry an extra few hundred gigabytes in your laptop bag. I currently carry a Western Digital Passport drive for just this purpose. The problem is that the Passport drive is slow. It is fine for simple storage but falls down when I put any sort of demand on it, like accessing external photos for Aperture. This is what led me to the G-Drive mini.

G-technology drives, for lack of a better word, just look cool. If Apple designed external hard drives, they would look like this. They have solid aluminum cases that acts as their own heat sink. There is no fan because the case keep takes care of that for you. This thing looks like a Mac Pro and matches up with your new aluminum MacBook or MacBook Pro perfectly. The dimensions are 4.9″ by 3.1″ and it is less than an inch thick. There are smaller portable hard drives but the G Drive fits in my laptop bag nicely.

As good-looking as the G Drive is, its best view is from behind. In addition to the obligatory USB port, it sports FireWire 400 and 800. The combination of the FireWire 800 interface plus the 7200 RPM drive make the G Drive mini run circles around my other portable hard drives. Moving large files off the G Drive mini is nearly twice as fast as off my Western Digital Passport drive. With these speeds, you can use an external G Drive mini to locate your Aperture library or your Final Cut scratch disk. I also put several of my audio assets on it when doing music. Having such a fast portable drive allows you to recapture precious space on your laptop hard drive. It also lends itself to usage as an external SuperDuper clone or Time Machine drive. If you’re looking for a high performance portable drive or routinely move large files off your laptop, you should give the G Drive mini a close look.

The drive includes a nice case and all the cables you would need to operate it via a USB or FireWire it pulls its power from the FireWire cable so you don’t need to carry an extra adapter. The G Drive mini includes a three-year factory warranty. These drives are built to last. While I usually send hardware back after I’ve finished reviewing it, this is one product I do not want to send back. I will be talking to the folks at G Technology about buying this unit. You can learn more at G-Technology.com where they are sold in a variety of configurations and sizes ranging from $140 to $320.
You can listen this review on Surfbits episode 184.

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Pzizz Review

This week I’m looking at, of all things, napping software. I have to admit, when I first heard about Pzizz, I was a bit skeptical. Sticking an audio file on my iPod that is supposed to help me get to sleep seemed like just a bit of mumbo jumbo. Nevertheless, there is no shortage of research concerning the benefits of napping so I decided to give Pzizz a try.
Pzizz installs as a simple application with up to three modules for an energizer nap, sleep, and meditation. The interface is simple to operate and could easily be managed by even the sleep deprived. The built in settings work just fine but you can add your own preferences. I’ll tell you more about that later. You can easily select your module, its length, and either play or export files to iTunes.
So what exactly is in the magic audio file? According to the Pzizz developers, it has lots of high tech concepts like “binaural beat”, and “theta brainwaives”. I’m not exactly sure what that means. What I heard when using Pzizz was some interesting music, soft nature and synthesizer sounds, and a coach getting me to relax.

The thing about Pzizz is that it works. I’m an early riser. I’m very productive in the morning but by the afternoon I start to fade. For the past month I’ve been sneaking away when I can for a 20 minute Pzizz energizer. I’m not really sure how it works, but for me it made a difference.
So there are the basics. After you use Pzizz for awhile, you’ll want to customize it. That is done through the preferences. For me that involved reducing the amount voice interaction. I created my own preset that puts the voice in only at the beginning and the end. Hearing that voice in the middle of my energizer was definitely crimping my zen. I also turned the voice volume down.
If you are having trouble sleeping, you may want to look into the Pzizz sleeping tracks. I tried it and it worked fine but, to be honest, I usually fall asleep pretty quickly anyway. They also now have meditation tracks.
You can buy either the sleep or energizer modules for $29.95 or the set for $49.95. You can look at that as a lot or a little depending on how important napping and sleeping are to you. If you are having trouble sleeping, you should definitely give it a try. They have a money back guarantee and a free lifetime upgrade policy. You can find it at Pzizz.com.
You can listen to this review on Surfbits Episode 183.

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Wiretap Anywhere Review

In a different lifetime I was a studio musician and spent a lot of time with microphones and soundboards. As a result, I’m a bit of an audio nerd. The thing is, I remember how hard analog audio was to pull off. But today we live in the digital age and suddenly Audio gets much easier. This week I’m looking at Ambrosia Software’s latest application in its stable of audio tools, Wiretap Anywhere.

To put this application in layman’s terms, wind the clock back about 80 years and imagine one of those old telephone switchboard stations. You have a board on one side with incoming calls and the operator would then physically connect the plug into where you wanted the call to go. “Oh hi Eunice. You want to talk to Doc Jones about your lombago, let me patch you in.” Now imagine that same concept but much cooler on your Mac and instead of just patching one call, you can patch five calls into one line. That gives you a rough idea of Wiretap Anywhere. With it you can take any audio generated by your Mac and pipe it across to any destination. Do you want to share your latest GarageBand project with your pal in Walawala over iChat? Its simple. You just set a line from GarageBand to iChat and you are in business. If you are a podcaster and want to get a Skype call, your local microphone, and some funky iTunes background music into your audio application but leave your system alerts out of the recording, it is simply a matter of making the proper connections in Wiretap Anywhere.

Wiretap Anywhere turns all of your applications into audio inputs which you can then mix and combine and patch into any application on your Mac that accepts an audio signal. The concept is not really that complicated but, depending on your level of audio needs, extremely useful. You can put the individual source applications to their own channels or you can mix them to a combined stereo signal from within Wiretap Anywhere.
One use that I particularly enjoyed was routing my Midi keyboard, Logic, and iTunes into one feed for recording. Pulling this off “back in the day” would have have been possible without some very high end, and expensive, recording equipment.

In some ways it is like Soundflower. It is just easier to configure and more stable. The interface, presented through a preference pane, is obvious. I’ve been putting Wiretap Anywhere through its paces now for for several weeks. Processing and redirecting all of this audio did not seem to cause any latency problems for me. Ambrosia knows audio. For about 10 months now I’ve been recording my reviews on another Ambrosia product, Wiretap Studio.
Wiretap Anywhere is certainly not for everyone but is an excellent tool for for people who need this sort of granular control over their audio. A license will cost $129. If you are interested, there is a demo version available from Ambrosia Software’s website. Ambrosia also has some nice tutorial videos to give you a better idea of how to use the application.

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Doozla Review

Plasq, the makers of Comic Life and Skitch, is one of those developers where you should just automatically download their new applications. So when Doozla was released, I put it on the family iMac and I’ve watched my kids enjoy it all year.

Doozla is a drawing program aimed firmly at the little ones. When you first start it up there are four icons that send you into its four drawing functions. The top icon leads to a virtual coloring book with a several fun images the kids can color in with the mouse. My six year old reports this is her favorite part of the application. Another icon leads to a blank canvas and gives you a variety of simple to use tools for drawing pictures and adding text. Another of the opening icons brings you to a screen with a variety of colorful backgrounds upon which you can add your drawings and finally, there is a fourth icon that allows you to take an iSight picture and mark it up. My kids found this particularly fun when marking up a picture of their dad. That is right: they had me with big blue hand drawn glasses and lipstick.

Behind all of this fun is a fancy bit of programing. Doozla uses curves, not pixels, to draw so using the mouse, even the youngest Mac geeks can make smooth lines. You can run it in full screen mode so the kids don’t stumble into things like … I don’t know .. the system preferences or terminal?

Doozla is like Skitch but for kids. If you are looking for something fun on the Mac with your little ones. Give it a try. The application costs $24.95 and you can download a demo at plasq.com.
You can listen to this review on Surfbits episode 179.

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