The Applications Folder

Free Mac Software

• Address Book: A storehouse for your contacts—names, phone numbers, email addresses, and so on.
• Calculator: A robust number-cruncher with advanced and programmer options.
• Dictionary: An easy-to-use program that lets you look up word definitions and synonyms.
• Font Book: The Mac’s exclusive program for installing, managing, organizing, and removing fonts.
• iCal: Calendar software that allows you to set up repeating appointments and reminders that can be viewed by the month, week, or day.
• iChat: A program that lets you use your computer to communicate with others via instant messaging, long distance audio chat, and videoconferencing.
• Mail: Apple’s built-in mail program, which comes with a junk mail blocker.
• Photo Booth: A photo-taking application that comes standard with every Mac that has a built-in camera.
• Preview: The Mac graphics viewer, which can be used to view PDFs, faxes, .jpgs, .gifs, and other image files.
• QuickTime Player: The program of choice for viewing small video files, or movies, on the web.
• Safari: Apple’s elegant and fast web browser.
• Sherlock: A kind of search tool that you can use to find information such as local movie times and locations, stock quotes, flight times, and stock photos.
• Stickies: Post-It–type notes for your desktop.
• TextEdit: Apple’s basic word processing program.

iLife

• iTunes: iTunes is one of the best ways to organize and play all your digital music and video. Use it to turn your CD collection into digital files, and you’ll have a vast library of music at your fingertips. Or, connect to the iTunes store to download music, movies, and tele­vision shows at any time. If you have an iPod, Apple’s portable digital music player, you can use iTunes to manage its music. (For more information, see the Quamut guide to iPod & iTunes.)
• iPhoto: With iPhoto, you can import, edit, and share your digital photos—up to 250,000 images, which likely means you never have to worry about running out of space. Create albums to organize your photos, and tag them with keywords so that you can search for specific photos. Use iPhoto’s editing tools to boost color, sharpen blurriness, or create special effects such as black-and-white or sepia. iPhoto also lets you easily create slideshows, calendars, and books and share your images via email or on a web page.
• iMovie : This user-friendly home video–editing program goes beyond basic features to help you create professional-looking digital movies. Use iMovie to import digital footage and arrange your clips in a simple and intuitive environment. iMovie supports HD, or high definition, formats.
• iDVD: iDVD helps you turn your digital photos or movies into widescreen DVDs, complete with menus and audio. The Magic iDVD feature makes designing title screens and menus easy with preloaded themes and a drag-and-drop interface.
• iWeb: With iWeb, you don’t need to be a web designer to create a blog or website, even one with podcasts, movies, and photos. Its templating feature offers a number of preloaded themes, so you can get right to work publishing on the web rather than toiling away at site design. The iLife Media Browser helps you locate your iLife content, such as MP3s, photos, and video, to add to your new site.
• GarageBand: GarageBand is the easiest way to record music or podcasts on your Mac. Its interface features knobs and sliders that let you adjust levels, edit sounds, and add sound effects and mini-jingles.

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