Mac Apps

Wunderlist 3 releases, adding real-time sync, public lists and 60+ new features

After previewing its major version 3.0 update earlier this month, 6Wunderkinder has now released the refreshed Wunderlist 3, the latest version of the popular cross-platform to-do, task and list management app.

With 60+ new features across iOS, Android, Chromebooks, Mac and on the web, Wunderlist 3 is a huge release for the Berlin, Germany-based company. Two standout new features deserve a mention: an all-new real-time syncing engine and public lists...

Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse leaps onto the Mac

Following its release on the iPhone and iPad last November, Sega's 1991 adorable platformer has at last made its way to the Mac.

Developed by Feral Interactive and published by Disney Interactive, the $14.99 download features eye-candy cartoonish graphics and stars Mickey Mouse who is on the quest to save his lovely Minnie, kidnapped by the jealous witch Mizrabel.

The game involves lots of running and jumping along a side-scrolling landscape, spiced up with attacking enemies, throwing projectiles, solving puzzles and more. The Mac edition has of course been brought to the 21st century with new layouts, updated graphics and silky smooth 60FPS execution...

Sonico launches iTranslate for Mac with voice output, dictionaries, 80+ languages and more

German developer Sonico Mobile makes some fairly nice translation apps for the iPhone. Their excellent iTranslate app, available free for the iPhone and iPad, allows you to translate words and text into over 80 languages.

It supports voice input and output for most language pairs, which works much better than you'd think in terms of dialects, gender, speaking rate and other variables affecting translation accuracy.

Sonico is now bringing that same experience to your Mac with the launch of the native iTranslate for Mac app, a free download from the Mac App Store. With over 80 languages supported out of the box and features like voice output, fast text input, romanization and built-in dictionaries, Sonico's software enables the App Store's most popular translator tool on your Mac...

Sunrise for Mac launches with offline mode, apps, native notifications and more

Sunrise, the popular and free replacement for Apple's stock Calendar in iOS, has been making some notable strides.

Just last month, for example, the team added third-party app integration to Sunrise for iOS. And, the previous month brought us Sunrise for Android and a web app, making for a nice cross-platform solution.

Now available free in the Mac App Store, Sunrise for Mac brings the beautifully laid out iOS experience to your desktop, with such features as full offline mode, third-party app integration, notifications for reminders, support for Google and iCloud calendars and much more...

Taasky is a beautiful and minimalistic task manager for Mac

Taasky for Mac is one of the latest entrants in a highly competitive market of apps for task management, to-do lists and getting things done. How it aims to stand out of the pack is with a beautiful and sleek design, but how does it stack up functionally? Taasky can be best described as simple, both from a design and usage perspective. After giving the app a test drive on my Mac for a few days, here are my first impressions… 

Photos for Mac won’t be dumbed down, says Apple

Apple's surprise announcement that it will cease development of its Aperture app in favor of Photos for OS X Yosemite has left watchers scratching their head. There's also the problem of prosumers and iPhone photography enthusiasts, many of whom have grown dependent on Aperture workflows.

The problem is even more pronounced given concerns that any feature-parity between Photos on iOS 8 and the upcoming Photos for OS X Yosemite Macs would inevitably lead to significant dumbing down compared to Aperture's feature set.

Case in point: the iWork for iCloud effect.

Anyway, Apple has now official confirmed via a written statement that Photos for Mac will include certain pro-grade features such as photo editing, image search and third-party effects and plugins...

Apple updates its pro apps: Compressor, Final Cut Pro, MainStage and Motion

As we continue to chew on the ramifications of Apple's eyebrow-raising decision to stop development of Aperture and iPhoto for OS X and focus exclusively on the upcoming Photos for OS X Yosemite (due in 2015), the Cupertino firm has just issued a round of updates to its pro apps: Compressor, Final Cut Pro, MainStage and Motion.

New versions of these apps are now available in the Mac App Store under the Updates tab. I've included release notes for each app right after the break...

Aspyr game sale: Star Wars, Borderlands, Call of Duty, Civilization and more now half price

Yesterday, my colleague Joe Rossignol's well-received daily App Recap column touched briefly on a few newsworthy discounts on premium Mac games such as SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition, BioShock Infinite and Call of Duty: Black Ops.

Turns out the price drops are actually part of Aspyr's broader promotion, with additional premium titles like Star Wars games, along with Civilization V: Campaign Edition, Borderlands 2 and The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition, being offered half price for a limited time.

Your iTunes download links follow right after the break...

Deal: BioShock and BioShock 2 for Mac slashed from $20 down to $5 each

Feral Interactive is running a not-to-be-missed sale offering a noteworthy deep discount on the original BioShock Mac game, as well as on its sequel, BioShock 2.

Starting today, you can now grab both BioShock and BioShock 2 for $5 each in the Mac App Store, down from their respective asking price of $20 apiece.

Quickly, do the math in your head - that's a cool 75 percent discount right off the bat, valid until June 29...

Air Stylus turns iPad into pressure-sensitive drawing tablet for your Mac

Both FiftyThree's Surface Pressure technology coming to its Pencil stylus this Fall and Adobe's new Ink stylus offer a glimpse of iOS 8′s variable touch sizing technology that allows these accessories to vary the pressure, thickness and width of lines you create.

Say you're an artist in a desperate need of a drawing tablet. Sure, you could pick up a dedicated Mac drawing tablet from the likes of Wacom, Intuos and others.

But why spend hundreds of dollars on a dedicated drawing surface when you already have one in your home - your iPad? All you need to turn your beloved Apple tablet into a pressure-sensitive drawing tablet for the Mac is Air Stylus, a $19.99 app from Avatron...

Mac App Recap: 10 apps for OS X to test drive

App Recap primarily focuses on iPhone and iPad apps throughout the week, but each weekend we post a special edition Mac App Recap for our OS X readers. If you have a Mac, you're in for a real treat. This edition of the roundup has apps ranging from a SoundCloud player and popular RSS reader to a desktop thermometer and an exciting new adventure game. Read ahead for a look at 10 apps that every Mac owner should check out…