Many Mac users might believe that Mac OSX does not contain viruses, that is not entirely true, to be honest there isn't a single OS without one virus. Though it is true OSX hardly contains any viruses compared to Windows. But one thing is for sure is that not many people have anti-virus software for their Macintosh's because just like many other users they believe that the chances of them getting a virus is really low. The number of viruses grows all the time, so Sophos an anti-virus software company brought out a free Mac anti-virus software just for the Mac. This is actually a full featured program, which eliminates viruses and also has protection of the same level as many businesses. If you haven't already I recommend you guys check this piece of software

Here is the link for more information: Sophos- Macintosh Anti-Virus

We had talked about the fact Office for Mac will be coming and today people got to expereince the new Office suite for 2011 and all I can say is that it has got a pretty impressive make over and seems to me the new design resembles more features and looks identical to Office 2010 for Windows. I wasn't really fond of the toolbar which popped up on Office 2008 for Mac but hopefully Microsoft think that through this time. Also included in 2011 are more web app tools making team work through the net easy for people to share documents and files. The new "ribbon" interface will feature on the 2011 version which I am quite fond of and like a lot. Mac users who are used to the PC will not have a hard time adjusting to the new Mac platform.  Hopefully that should replace the external toolbar. The name for Microsoft's e-mail client was "Entourage" and now should be changed to "Outlook" for Mac and supports .pst file imports. Outlook is a Web service tool which is used on Windows but now will use the "Cocoa" platform to support Mac OSX. Outlook is also known for it's safety features from preventing sensitive information to making sure that everyone has permission to view the file. The features sound great and they say it should be here later this year.

Pricing has always been high compared to iWork but then again you get more features in Microsoft Office such as "Outlook" and also "Microsoft Messenger" we are not sure what the price is right now but once that is determined you can find the information right here!

For now, Senior editor: Scott Stein from Cnet gives us a look at the much anticipated Office for Mac 2011:

As we had talked about in previous posts, Apple has released Safari 5 and so far I am liking it and I made two videos to show you guys what I think of it and some of the new features, that you can find on it. I couldn't figure out the reader feature in the first video so I added that in the second video. Hope you enjoy the video and the recording of the video was used from the mic on my new webcam and so far it sounds quite decent, hope you enjoy the videos:

For people who use Safari as their browser you might want to update as Apple released a new Safari 5 yesterday and performance wise it seems a bit faster and the blue loading bar is back as it was on Safari 3 but for the most part the UI looks the same.

Here is the download link: Apple Safari 5 Browser

If you guys don't know for people who are fan of screen recording software, making screencasts then one of the best software is called Camtasia previously was only available to the PC but is now also available to the Mac this in my opinion is the most user friendly and powerful screen recording software ever with even more features in the program. Price for this software is $299 which is pricey but I highly reccommend people try the trial because you will get the true feeling of what a great program Camtasia is.

For more info check out their site:
http://www.techsmith.com/camtasiamac/

As all of you may know by now, videos on Hulu can’t be viewed if you do not live in the U.S. and that for some people could be a huge dissapointment. There is a way through it though luckily but it will cost you a bit of downloading and patience. There is a program out there called Hotspot Shield and it’s a program which has the ability to go through firewalls. This program once installed and launched will give your computer an I.P. address of someone else in the U.S. which will enable you to watch videos on Hulu but it might slow down your computer as well. Just remember that once you are finished using the program close it and your I.P. address should be back and your computer should run normal again. This is a great piece of software for people wanting to watch videos on Hulu but don’t have the ability because they don’t live in the U.S.

To download the program and for further information visit their site:

http://hotspotshield.com/

People who own a Mac Mini or an Apple TV might use Plex which is a program that enables the devices to put in home theatre mode this program offers many plugins to play many videos. It organizes all your library and connects to over 100 of the most popular internet sites. Pictures can be seen within slideshow format and the amount of plugins increase because the Plex program is also linked to the App store and updates come often. In our opinion when comparing Plex to the software which the Apple TV comes with Plex just blows it away. We also like the fact that we can customize and change the look of the interface. The interface is also very user friendly best of all this amazing program is free! If you use your Mac Mini or Apple TV for your tv and home theater we highly recommend you download this program to enhance your experience.

This is a new software which is an open source software and it's like a browser and music player at the same time. Maybe the new type of itunes perhaps? This software lets you put in all your music at a decent speed for downloads and lets you purchase as well from various online stores. This software is set to also appear on mobile devices. The extensive appeal of itunes isn't really in the songbird program but its still a decent option. Although it is still in it's early stages there will be bugs but there are always software updates in the future. There will be more plugins available in the future with more playable files coming soon.

To download this program visit here:

http://download.cnet.com/Songbird/3000-2170_4-10825249.html

Here's a screenshot of the program:

The new software for Mac released is the new Open Office Aqua edition. For people looking for software related to iwork or Microsoft office. Open Office is a free edition of the software with most features of Microsoft Office. The new Aqua platform offers a better looking interface than previous generations and is also faster too. The really good part is that from tests of compatibility we have noted Aqua is compatible with Microsoft Office programs as well. This is a great piece of software which is absolutely free. For people needing a office utility program for free we suggest you should strongly consider this program.

The link to downloading Open Office Aqua is below:

http://porting.openoffice.org/mac/download/aqua-Intel.html

Here is a picture below of what the Aqua software looks like: 

  















Picture by: mads.sabroe 
(Flickr Images/ Creative Commons) 


The new software Aqua replaces the X11 and in terms of graphics and user interface it looks very clean and the graphics have had a good improvement. Starting speeds of the Aqua is very fast. The actual software looks sort of like Microsoft Office 2003, but still it's worth downloading this software especially since it's free.