Many of the tools I’ve shared with you in the past are available on both Windows and Mac machines but today, I’ll be sharing some Mac only programs. I apologize to all you Windows users out there and if I knew of Windows comparable apps, I’d share those. Unfortunately, I don’t. But if you do, please post them in the comments.

StickyWindows. This is a cool little program. It makes the edges of your screen “sticky” – and you “dock” open programs there when you aren’t using them so they’re not taking up space on your desktop. Now, you can basically hide open apps with the dock, but this takes a bit further so they’re open and very easily accessible. I love this program and I use it everyday.

Skim. If you read or use a lot of PDF docs, this app is a must-have. It allows you to make notes, comments, and much more on your PDF’s for future reference. It also has a bookmark feature, snapshots feature and even allows copying and pasting quite easily. Skim is like Preview on steroids.

PTHPasteboard. Where Skim is Preview on steroids, PTHPasteboard is your clipboard on steroids. It will remember 100’s of items you’ve copied and allow you to insert any of them with just a few simple clicks nearly anywhere you want to paste them. I copy and paste A LOT in my writing and design work and this little app speeds up that process so much, it’s not even funny. It doesn’t have a lot of fancy bells and whistles but it powerful nonetheless and like the other tools I share, I use it daily.

So, there you have it! Another segment of the cool tools series. I hope you find these useful. And please do post any Windows apps you use that are similar to these. I’ll be back soon with another Product Creation post, though I am still feeling under the weather so it might be late today or possibly not until tomorrow. We’ll see what the day brings!

~Annie
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Some of the most popular posts on this site have been my Useful Tools threads so I’m back again today with another post on those tools I use in my business that make things easier.

And the big one for today is something I just started using – MarsEdit.

MarsEdit. It’s a Mac app for posting to your blog or blogs straight from your desktop. No need to login. No need to open your web browser and go to your admin panel. Just type and send! It’s that easy. And I’m loving it! If you use a Windows based computer, I’m sorry – I have no idea if there’s an equivalent application for you but if someone knows of one, please feel free to post it in the comments.

UPDATE I read yesterday after posting this that Windows Live Writer can do the same thing for Windows based systems but I have no idea what blogging platforms it is compatible with.

Bloglines. It’s a feed reader for all those blogs you love to keep track of but don’t have the time to check every day. Now you can. Subscribe using Bloglines and it’ll tell you every time a post is added to your favorite blogs. You can read it from there, save the ones you like and more. And it’s free, too.

Scrivener. This is one fabulous piece of software! I’ve been using it for several months and love it. I can write everything there, complete with formatting and all kinds of cool stuff. It’s Mac only, sorry. But there is a cool app for Windows called KeyNote (not to be confused with the Apple program of the same name) that is very functional and I used it all the time on my Windows laptop. It’s no longer in development, but it still works great.

That’s all for now. I’ll write another post in the series probably next week.

~Annie (lsandrsn on the forum)
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I downloaded a trial copy of MarsEdit today. It’s a desktop blogging software for Mac. I’ve tried using ScribeFire, but I just can’t get the hang of it. (Sorry Ed!) So, in reading my bloglines today, I found a post where MarsEdit was mentioned and decided I’d give it a try. So far, so good.

And all the kids (and my sweetie) are tucked into bed so I have a few moments to myself (hopefully). They should all be sleeping by now – it’s almost 11 pm.

Anybody use MarsEdit? I’m interested in hearing your comments if so.

~Annie (lsandrsn on the forum)
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Very sleek and stylish!

Features:

Revolutionary multi-touch interface. iPod touch features the same multi-touch screen technology as iPhone. Pinch to zoom in on a photo. Scroll through your songs and videos with a flick. Flip through your library by album artwork with Cover Flow.

Surf the web with Wi-Fi. Browse the web using Safari and watch YouTube videos on the first iPod with Wi-Fi built in.

Gorgeous 3.5-inch widescreen display. Watch your movies, TV shows, and photos come alive with bright, vivid color on the 320-by-480-pixel display

Music downloads straight from iTunes. Shop the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store from anywhere with Wi-Fi.1 Browse or search to find the music you’re looking for, preview it, and buy it with just a tap.

The 8GB is $299 and the 16GB is $399. Not bad. Only drawback – not shipping from the Apple Store until September 28.

~Annie (lsandrsn on the forum)
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Apple officially announced a new iPod today. The iPod Touch. From what I read/watched on Gizmodo, it looks really cool. Basically, it’s like an iPhone without the phone part. Even has Wi-Fi, iTunes and the iPhone’s Safari browser.

Steve Jobs also announced a price drop of $200 to iPhone! That’s huge! But . . .

I do not have an iPhone and I don’t plan on buying one (although if I did get a new phone, it would be the one) – I’m not really a phone type of gal. I have a pre-paid cell phone because I just don’t use it that much and can’t see spending a bazillion dollars a month on something I rarely use. But this new iPod Touch – now THAT I could use! It’s now on my must have wish list.

~Annie (lsandrsn on the forum)
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Just a post of my various social networking sites. Feel free to add me as a friend or whatever if you wish.

Facebook
StumbleUpon
Twitter
del.icio.us
9rules
Mashable
YouTube
Slideshare
Pownce
Flickr

I am on a few others and I may add those later but for now, these will do. I use Facebook and Twitter daily so do at least check those out.

Thanks!

~ Annie <— who is eagerly anticipating, and drooling, over the prospect of tomorrow’s Day 6 training materials from The Thirty Day Challenge as hosted by Ed Dale and Dan Raine.

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