The Week in Mac Apps: New updates for TextWrangler and Ulysses

This week’s roundup of new Mac apps brings us updates to two of our favorite text editors: TextWrangler and Ulysses. Read on!

Aerosapps’s $5 American Sign Language teaches you the ABCs of North American sign language, as well as several of its dialects used around the world by the deaf and hard of hearing.

With more than 200 lessons, the app offers step-by-step videos that guide you through the basics and on to more advanced communication techniques, with support for adding your own notes and favoriting lessons you want to revisit at a later time.

Positech Games’s $25 Democracy 3 ( Mac App Store Link) is a simulation game that lets you run your own country, enjoying all the trappings of power while facing off against your opposition.

The game allows you to draft your own policies and address critical issues like climate change and international trade. Plus, you’ll get to deal with the fickle tastes of your citizens when election time rolls around.

Trend Micro’s Dr. Safety keeps your Mac safe from harmful viruses and threats, working to safeguard your personal information and help avoid data loss.

The app performs regular scans of your hard drive, looking for malware, spyware, and unauthorized network activity—and for a small subscription fee, automatically clears out any threats it detects.

Slash 7’s Freckle ( Mac App Store Link) offers an easy way to keep track of the time you spend on your daily activities and projects.

The app works in tandem with the web-based  Freckle Time Tracking system, and automatically syncs your local information with the web client to ensure your account is always up to date.

Tunabelly Software’s $15 HandsFree 2 ( Mac App Store Link) allows you to make calls and send or receive SMS messages directly from your Mac.

The app connects to your iPhone via Bluetooth, and then lets you to browse your address book, dial numbers, see a list of recent calls, and even monitor the phone’s battery level.

Ready to and lose yourself in a wonderful journey through mystery and excitement? Obsidian Entertainment’s $23 Pillars of Eternity ( Mac App Store Link) lets you join a group of explorers in an epic journey through fantastic worlds and perilous adventures.

For your character, the game serves up six different races and lots of power ups, skills, and specializations unique to each of the 11 classes available. You can even join different factions to gain access to exclusive quests.

Using a companion iOS app, IOSPIRIT’s $25  Remote Buddy Express ( Mac App Store link) transforms your iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV into a Mac remote. From your connected device, you can browse all your files, access all your music, and reboot or shut down your Mac with a simple tap.

The latest update to Bare Bones Software’s  TextWrangler ( Mac App Store Link) introduces lots of new features that make the popular text editor even more powerful.

In addition to its traditional advanced support for editing HTML and Markdown, the app now features a handy folder comparison command, can sync your scrolling between multiple text views, and offers new text selection and highlighting options.

The Soulmen’s $45 Ulysses ( Mac App Store Link) provides you with a comfortable writing environment designed to help you avoid distractions and keep the focus on your work.

The app supports Markdown, lets you embed images and other media, and allows you to preview your work as you type it. When you’re done, Ulysses can export everything to HTML or PDF—and sync the files you create with its companion iOS app over iCloud.