This week’s Mac app roundup is an eclectic collection of software that can help you learn new words, type them more quickly, keep an eye on your best friend, and even get you in the cloud—without worrying about privacy storms.
With a bit of setup, developer Tran Ky Nam’s $5 aText ( Mac App Store Link) will make typing frequent fragments of text quick and easy.
Just record them—optionally taking advantage of one of the app’s many built-in variables—and then play them back at your leisure by just typing a short code that you define.
Cloud got you down? BitTorrent’s Sync is a replacement for many cloud storage services that allows you to transparently synchronize your data between multiple devices regardless of where you are—as long, of course, as you are connected to the Internet.
Best of all, the app is completely free, runs on multiple platforms, and guarantees complete privacy by encrypting all your data and never storing it on third-party servers.
What’s Fido up to you while you’re at work? TappyTaps’s $4 Dog Monitor ( Mac App Store Link) can help you find out by keeping track of your pet’s every bark and noise.
In addition to logging activity, the app also allows you to talk to your dog via a companion mobile app, and even stream pictures live directly from your Mac.
Rain or shine, Mitchell Mohorovich’s $2 Forecasted keeps tabs on current weather conditions and lets you access them from your menu bar.
At a click of your mouse, the app will also show both short- and long-term forecasts for a location of your choice.
Making sense of data is much easier if you turn it into well-designed charts, and FriedEgg Limited’s $15 FriedEgg Touch ( Mac App Store Link) is built with just that goal in mind.
With support for dozens of visualizations and a simple, pipeline-based interface, the app turns reams of information in a variety of formats into top-notch images in no time flat.
If, like me, you find yourself wondering exactly where all your hard disk space has gone, TopLineSoft’s $5 iBox may give you the answer you’re looking for.
The app can scour your disks and tell you what kind of data makes up its contents, help you find duplicates, and even compress data you don’t use very often into archives—all in the hopes of saving you space.
Ever feel like accounting is more voodoo than science? LyricApps’s $17 iCompta 5 ( Mac App Store Link) helps your dispel the dark magic with a user-friendly interface that handles most common personal finance operations, including account management and portfolio tracking.
The latest version of the app features a completely redesigned user experience, synchronization with Dropbox, and improved customization.
Just in time for back-to-school, Grapevine-Cottage’s $2 I know countries ( Mac App Store Link) wants to teach you a bit of geography by quizzing you on the names of countries, states, and capitals.
The app relies on Apple’s Maps for accuracy—we’ll let you decide whether that’s a good thing or not—and is also available in a mobile edition.
Planning Gateway’s $20 Security Gateway Desktop 3D ( Mac App Store Link) takes a unique approaching to managing your secure data by offering an innovative 3D user interface. (Gimmicky? Maybe—but anything that gets more users to protect their data is worth exploring.)
Speaking of back-to-school, developer Christian Beer’s $11 iVocabulary 3 ( Mac App Store Link) helps students of all ages improve their vocabulary by using flashcards that can also be customized to include your own content.