The Week in Mac Apps: Document freedom with PDF Expert 2

This week’s roundup of new Mac apps brings us PDF Expert 2, a major update to Readdle’s popular PDF editing tool. Plus, a desktop-based Instagram client, the latest version of Parallels, Slice’s new browser extension that helps you find the best shopping deals, and much more. Read on!

Tinker’s AirMount offers an easy way to move files between your iPhone, iPad, and Mac without having to rely on an Internet connection.

After creating a virtual drive on your Mac, the app integrates with the Finder to let you move and edit all kinds of data. If you like to keep a local copy of your files for safekeeping, you can just drag and drop them to your hard drive, and AirMount will efficiently transfer them using a direct high-speed connection.

Travel to new worlds with Butterflyware’s $10 Alone In Space, where the ultimate goal is to survive hostile environments and change their ecosystems to sustain life.

The game offers a compelling storyline in which your job is to help the stranded Alex find his missing crew—all the while fighting for his life on a hostile planet that’s in the process of being terraformed.

Rafif Yalda’s Flume ( Mac App Store Link) allows you to access your Instagram account right from your desktop without opening your browser.

The app keeps track of your activities, displays posts in their full-sized glory, handles your messages, and lets you read comments in multiple languages thanks to a handy built-in translator. Flume also comes with an optional Safari extension, provides keyboard shortcuts for easy access, and supports voice commands.

With the release of macOS Sierra on the horizon, Parallels has updated its $80 Parallels Desktop to version 12.

The latest Parallels offers a revamped UI, and is compatible with Windows 10 if you ever need to run it on your Mac. Like its predecessors, it lets you easily move files between your virtual machines and your Mac, and is compatible with Retina displays to take full advantage of your monitor’s capabilities. Additionally, it now performs free online backups for up to 500GB worth of data, and shows Windows alerts right in your Notification Center.

Readdle’s $60 PDF Expert 2 ( Mac App Store Link) just received a major update that introduces many new features, including support for nine different languages.

This popular PDF editor now allows you to modify text in contracts, add and remove images, use outlines to better organize your content, add links to websites, and even set up passwords to help you share your files safely.

Top Storey Apps’s $5 Purrfect Memory ( Mac App Store Link) helps you hone your memorization skills with a simple but effective approach.

The app allows you to type in something that you want to remember, and then helps you learn how to remember it by using visual hints and a set of practice sessions that you can schedule at your leisure. While you’re not actively using it, Purrfect Memory stays hidden in the background, ready to periodically remind you to practice through Notification Center.

Slice Watch is a handy Chrome extension designed to assist you with all your online shopping needs, and its icon is quickly accessible in the top-right corner of your browser window. Slice Watch creates a list of products you are interested in based on your input, and keeps track of their price fluctuations, alerting you by email once they go on sale. You’ll never miss a deal again.

Macdaddy’s Style ( Mac App Store Link) lets you quickly transform your images into whimsical drawings that can be tweaked to your taste by combining and overlapping multiple effects.

Make your day even more productive with Radosław Pietruszewski’s $5 Tadam ( Mac App Store Link), a handy app that reminds you to take periodic breaks to keep you focused and motivated throughout a busy work day.

Inspired by the popular Pomodoro technique, the app features a simple reminder that sits on your menu bar and alerts you at preset intervals to let you know that it’s time to rest. You can adjust the length of each break, and control the app using a set of customizable shortcut keys.