As longtime Mac Gems readers know, I rarely cover bundles or promotions—only when a particular sale offers readers a great deal on a number of great Mac apps.
That’s the case with the current ProductiveMacs bundle, which includes seven quality apps—five of them past Mac Gems, with another also earning a high Macworld rating—for just $30. Here’s what three Hamiltons will get you:
Default Folder X by St. Clair Software (
; normally $35): We haven’t reviewed Default Folder in several versions—we should remedy that—but earlier this year I explained why it’s one of the apps I can’t live without. I’ll just quote myself from that article, and then let you read the rest of the article for the details: “Once you’ve used Default Folder X for a while, OS X’s stock file-navigation dialogs feel crippled and half-baked.”
Keyboard Maestro by Stairways (; normally $36): If you’ve ever thought “I wish there was a way to automate this process,” no matter how basic or complex that process might be, Keyboard Maestro is worth a look. This utility lets you string together series of actions into macros, and then call on those macros at any time with a click or keypress. The latest version significantly fleshes out the app’s capabilities, making it even more powerful, but also easier to use.
Trickster by Apparent Software (
; normally $10): This supercharged alternative to OS X’s various Recent Items menus helps you track—and easily access—the files and folders you’ve recently used, but that description is overly simple. Trickster is a powerful utility that can really increase your productivity.
FX Photo Studio Pro by MacPhun (normally $40): We reviewed the non-Pro version (
) for Mac Gems, saying that the photo-tweaking app “blends a fun feature set with impressive power.” When you buy this software bundle, you the Pro version, which includes more editing tools, support for RAW and larger files, improved image processing, and more export options.
Vitamin-R by Public Space (; normally $30): This app takes a unique spin on the task- and project-manager markets by helping you to define small, specific goals and then setting aside distraction-free times for accomplishing those goals.
Notebook by Circus Ponies (; normally $50): When we reviewed this note- and data-storage app, its price kept it out of Mac Gems, but it nevertheless earned a high rating. As our reviewer put it, “Once you adjust to its overwhelming abundance of options, it’s a terrific notetaking program bursting with useful ways to organize your life.”
Numeric Notes by Dmitriy Nikolaev (normally $10): We haven’t reviewed this one, but the developer’s description reminds me of the excellent Soulver, combining a text editor with a calculator/spreadsheet.
Taken together, this software bundle includes over $200 worth of great Mac apps for just $30.
The ProductiveMacs bundle is available for the next two weeks—the last date to purchase is November 18.
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Author: Dan Frakes
Dan is former Macworld senior editor. You can find him on the web at danfrakes.com.