Posts Tagged → sponsor

Fantastical: The Superhero of Calendar Apps (Sponsor)

I’m thrilled to once again have Flexibits and their fantastic calendar app as a MacSparky sponsor. I use Fantastical every day at MacSparky HQ, and I’m constantly blown away by how much it can do for me.

Some of my favorite features are the meeting setting and Zoom integration. Openings and Proposals links got a lot better and I can now add contact details in the URL link. Some more great Fantastical features:

  • Live Activities — for those of us with a Dynamic Island-equipped iPhone, seeing your upcoming Fantastical event in this prime spot is so handy, and you can get right to it with a tap.
  • The Quarter view was added to the Mini Window on Mac. This is my favorite view in Fantastical and one that I’m convinced they added just for me.

With iOS 17 came interactive widgets, including SmartStack and StandBy on iPhone. Fantastical was ready, and took advantage of these new features in September. I use widgets all the time. They also made the Apple Watch app so much nicer and easier to use.

I could go on and on…but I think you’re getting it: Fantastical has never been better, and if you’re wondering whether it’s right for you, head over there now and give it a spin! Managing your events, tasks, and meetings has never felt as good.

Fixkey: Grammar Correction Anywhere with One Keystroke (Sponsor)

Grammar correction is, in my opinion, one task where AI shines. This week’s sponsor, Fixkey.ai, is an excellent implementation of grammar-correcting AI that you can use anywhere on your Mac. Fixkey is an app on your Mac that, with a single keystroke, will grab your text and check it against an artificial intelligence grammar checker. It can then rewrite an entire sentence, without you having to click on individual issues; it just fixes them. It can even show you what it’s changing. You don’t need to click on single words to correct them. Just trigger Fixkey and let it do its work.  

I’ve been using Fixkey for several months, and I’m impressed. I love that it works everywhere and gives me a way to quickly clean up and improve my writing. Its ubiquity is what really makes it work. Type anywhere on your Mac, and you have the Fixkey AI copilot at your back.

With Fixkey Pro, you can access all the new features, get 24-hour support, as well as unlimited use of AI models to translate many languages into English. You can even set up custom prompts. Best of all, the gang at Fixkey.ai will give you a 30% discount with coupon code MACSPARKY30.

Fixkey.ai: Make Your Writing Better Today (Sponsor)

This week’s sponsor, Fixkey.ai, is an excellent implementation of AI that you can start using today. Fixkey is an app on your Mac that, with a single keystroke, will grab your text and check it against an artificial intelligence grammar checker. It can then intelligently rephrase an entire sentence, and you do not need to manually click on individual problems; it just fixes them. It can even show you what it changes. You don’t need to click on single words to correct them. Just trigger Fixkey and let it do its work.  

I’ve been using it for several months, and I’m impressed. I love that it works everywhere and gives me a way to quickly clean up and improve my writing. Its ubiquity is what really makes it work. Type anywhere on your Mac, and you still have Fixkey.ai at your back.

With Fixkey Pro, you can access all the new features, 24-hour support, and unlimited use of AI models to translate any language into English. You can even set up custom prompts. Best of all, the gang at Fixkey.ai will give you a 30% discount with coupon code, MACSPARKY30.

Hoban Cards and Stationery (Sponsor)

This week, MacSparky is sponsored by Hoban Cards, where they use a 1902 letterpress machine to make cards that your colleagues, clients, and customers will never forget. I sure love mine.

Evan and the gang at Hoban Cards are masters at the craft of designing and making letterpress calling cards and stationery. They have some beautiful templates to choose from, or you can roll your own.

I love handing out letterpress cards. It is always a conversation starter. Hoban Cards is where I go to buy them, and it is where you should too. Throw out those ugly, conventional, mass-produced, soulless business cards and reach out to Hoban Cards.

If you’re set on calling cards, I also recommend going to Hoban for your stationery. I bought stationery from them years ago, and I love sending it to friends and family. In a world full of text messages and email, personal stationery sends a whole different message altogether.

Best of all, use ‘MacSparky’ to get $10 off any order. Get yours today.

Fantastical: My Favorite Calendar App(Sponsor)

I’m thrilled to once again have Flexibits’ fantastic calendar app as a MacSparky sponsor. I am definitely a calendar power-user and I use Fantastical every day at MacSparky HQ and I keep being blown away by how much it can do for me.

This is one subscription that gives me great value, and I’m happy to keep renewing. Flexibits published a nice video recap in December so you can see for yourself all the hard work they put in. For me, some features really landed and continue to make managing my calendar events and Zoom calls a breeze:

Openings and Proposals links got a lot better and I can now add contact details in the URL link.

Live Activities — for those of us with a Dynamic Island-equipped iPhone, seeing your upcoming Fantastical event in this prime spot is so handy, and you can get right to it with a tap.

In June, the Quarter view was added to the Mini Window on Mac. This is my favorite view in Fantastical and one that I’m convinced they added just for me.

With iOS 17 came interactive widgets, and SmartStack and StandBy widgets, too. Fantastical was ready, and took advantage of these new features in September. I use widgets all the time. They also made the Apple Watch app so much nicer and easier to use.

I could go on and on…but I think you’re getting it: Fantastical has never been better, and if you’re wondering whether it’s right for you, head over there now and give it a spin! Managing your events, tasks, and meetings has never felt as good.

ScreenFloat 2: Power Up Your Screenshots

This week, MacSparky is sponsored by ScreenFloat 2, a major upgrade to the Mac’s built-in screenshot tool. With ScreenFloat 2, screenshots become so much more.

To begin, your screenshots will float, just like the name implies. You no longer have to dig through windows to find your screenshots. It’s right on top, waiting for you.

Then, there is a suite of screenshot tools: markup, annotate, colors, rotate, and trim. ScreenFloat 2 lets you record your screen and trigger screenshots on a timer. If you need to re-capture, there is a tool for that, so you don’t have to reframe the shot from scratch. You can even extract text and barcodes. If you need to redact, there are tools for that as well. You can remove text, faces, or barcodes. 

I often want to get exact color matches out of screenshots which is actually pretty difficult. But not so with ScreenFloat 2. The app has a built-in color sampling tool. If you want to use your screenshots, you can drag and drop them out of the browser, or directly from floating shots. ScreenFloat 2 also includes a browser to organize your images with folders and tags, and it all syncs over iCloud. If you want to use your screenshots, you can drag and drop them out of the browser.

Check out ScreenFloat 2 today and learn just how much more useful screenshots can be.

Unite 5 – Turn Web Apps into Supercharged macOS Apps (Sponsor)

This week’s sponsor, Unite 5 for macOS, takes your web experience to the next level, transforming websites into feature-rich Mac apps. Powered by a completely redesigned WebKit browser, Unite 5 offers a more immersive and customizable browsing experience.

What sets Unite 5 apart? They’ve gone beyond just app conversion. Their new intricate link-forwarding rules give you unparalleled control over web interactions, making your web apps smarter and more integrated than ever before.

Some highlights of Unite 5:
Advanced Link-Forwarding: Navigate your web apps like a pro.
Revamped Browser Engine: Faster, more reliable, and tailored for macOS.
Enhanced Customization: More ways to make your web apps truly yours.

Create powerful web apps in seconds, such as:

  • A Gmail client that integrates seamlessly with macOS.
  • A resource-efficient Slack or Discord app with full notification support.
  • A dedicated AI app for ChatGPT or Claude.AI
  • A Robinhood or Figma app that feels native on your desktop.

MacSparky readers get an exclusive 20% off this week. Use the promo code ‘MacSparky’ at checkout or visit http://bzgapps.com/unitesparky.

Experience Unite 5 for yourself with a 14-day free trial, or access it as part of the Setapp subscription.

SoundSource: Sound Control So Good, It Should Be Built Into macOS (Sponsor)

This week, MacSparky is sponsored by SoundSource, a utility I use daily. The problem with the Mac’s native sound controls is that they are designed for people who need them once every few years. If you need to adjust your sound settings more than that, you need SoundSource.

SoundSource is the sound settings controller that should be built in. Whether you listen to podcasts, blast music, or stream video, SoundSource is for everyone who uses audio on their Mac. It gives you per-app audio control, letting you change the volume of any app and route individual apps to different audio devices. Mute your browser, or send music to one set of speakers and everything else to another.

It doesn’t just give you sources; it also lets you apply effects to any audio on your Mac. Boost volume levels, add an equalizer, and even apply Audio Unit plugins. SoundSource also provides fast access to your Mac’s audio devices, so there’s no need to dig around in System Settings when you need to adjust things.

Main menu bar pull-down window for the SoundSource app from Rogue Amoeba, showing the various sections of the utility, along with 4 favorite apps, which have a green star to the left of their name.

If you have a DisplayPort or HDMI device that fails to offer volume adjustment, SoundSource can help there, too. It gives those devices a proper volume slider, and the Super Volume Keys feature also makes your keyboard volume controls work. And the best part is you don’t have to click through cryptic preferences boxes. With SoundSource you get all of these tools right in your menu bar.

And don’t forget, SoundSource is from Rogue Amoeba, which is the authority for sound processing on your Mac.

Best of all, through the end of February, MacSparky readers can save 20% by purchasing with coupon code SOUNDSPARK20. Learn more and download a free trial on the SoundSource site.

Record and Edit Your Audio with AudiOn (Sponsor)

A man wearing an open red shirt with a white T-shirt underneath. He is sitting, talking into a microphone, and wearing headphones. he is looking at the microphone, and has a tablet between his hands right behind him is a really big red circle signifying a record button, and behind that you can see a waveform in red with some smoke, on a black background. This image is a product shot for the AudiOn, a voice recorder for iOS and android.

This week I welcome a new sponsor to MacSparky: AudiOn, from the makers of Boom3D, an app that lets you record and edit audio easily on iPhone, and that gives you a lot of great editing options.

I record my voice a lot to capture thoughts, ideas for content, or anything else that comes to mind. AudiOn takes that experience to a whole new level. You can do a lot to bring your recordings to life once they’re captured. You can add some effects like reverb or use the built-in equalizer, blend your voice with music, and also edit and merge recordings. I can see AudiOn being used by podcasters, voice actors, or anyone that use their voice to create content.What impressed me the most after using the app to record my voice is how clear the recording is. I was also able to use the Voice Isolation feature right within the app. You can of course record any audio, not just your voice, and have access to a nice set of editing tools.Take your iPhone audio recording to the next level with AudiOn, available for free on the App Store (with optional in-app purchase).