This month I continue sharing my software, shareware and freeware finds with you, not focusing on any particular genre. I was looking for tools to make my own computing life easier. As is usual, I continue to pursue my interest in shareware esoterica and somewhat eclectic tidbits… so read on! Remember, there is no rhyme or reason for my choices other then what appears interesting, amusing, or heavens forbid, useful. As you will note, I found a few winners.

Note that although it do a quick test run of 4-5 hours, at the very least, on each of the shareware items I review in this column, that review is never as complete as are the individual in-depth software reviews I do for macC [e.g., DEVONnote]. Indeed, where I agree with the developers’ description and other comments, I unabashedly use them in this column. If not, you’ll read about it, load and clear! [Aren’t mixed metaphors wonderful?]

Items Reviewed

CandyBar 2.5.1 — Customize your System, Application, Toolbar, Dock and other icons the easy way. Wintel users can’t seem to do this. “CandyBar is a simple, easy, and fun way to customize your icons under Mac OS X! You can use CandyBar to change a heap of standard system icons —get a shiny new trash can, and personalize the look of your computer selecting from thousands of free icons available for download. and much more! You can also use CandyBar to put a new face on your favorite applications, or dress up your hard drives. CandyBar does it all! [4.0 macCs]

CocoaBooklet 2.0.1 — Create a booklet from of a PDF file or other document including web pages. This program also lets you create a booklet out of a PDF file, which is known as pages imposition. It is a useful tool to reduce the number of pages that has to be printed, which lets you save a lot of paper. [4.5 macCs]

DEVONnote 1.8span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"' — A text content-oriented personal information manager. “DEVONnote helps you take notes and keep them organized. It keeps all your ideas, documents, important information, and even your bookmarks in one single, accessible place, and supports you with professional but easy-to-use features for making structure out of chaos.”  [4.5 macCs]

Illumination 1.5.7 — Find document files on any disk, whether it's initially mounted on your Mac or not. Illumination makes it easier to find, within its few limitations, the files you're looking for in your archives or linked fileserver volumes. Once you find the right file, simply double click on it to open it on its original source volume. If not mounted, the software points you at mounting the source volume on which your file is located. Then, simply double click (or right click) on it to open your found file.

Mouse Locator 1.0 — Find you mouse when you’ve lost it and save your eyesight and keep your cool. Mouse locator is just what I’ve wanted especially when using MS Word. Press a key to find the “temporary locator pointer or move the mouse a little bit. I like the key press alternative more than the move mouse, but both are good.  [4.5 macCs]

PDFshrink 3.1 — Put your PDFs on a diet! PDFshrink is an excellent solution for the problem of bloated, oversized PDF files. Depending on the end use for the PDF, you can, with this application, significantly reduce it in side without adversely affecting image quality. [4.0 macCs]