Tuesday Recap: MacLegion Free Mac Apps, OWC's Aura Pro, SkyDrive Makeover
Tuesday Recap: MacLegion Free Mac Apps, OWC's Aura Pro, SkyDrive Makeover
Purchased a MacBook Pro with Retina Display recently with the stock 256GB of storage and already feeling buyer's remorse? OWC is ready to serve with a 480GB replacement SSD, but you might have a change of heart after seeing how much it will cost (assuming the idea of cracking open your Retina MacBook doesn't stop your heart, that is). But wait! There's more cool stuff ahead, so keep reading and find out what's new for this Tuesday, August 14, 2012.
MacLegion Offers Bundle of 5 Free Mac Apps
We love free apps here at MacLife.com, especially when they normally require cold, hard cash and come bundled with several others. If you're not afraid of giving out your email address, MacLegion has a pretty slick, limited-time free bundle going on for the next five days which includes the all-new ColorStrokes 2.0, Scrambler, MacPilot, Thumbs and Wallpaper Wizard. "This bundle is a thank you to all MacLegionnaires, new and existing, and it's totally free," the website explains. "When the countdown runs out, this bundle will disappear and we'll be launching our Premium Bundle. Get it while you can!" Hey, for free, at least one of these apps surely has to tickle your fancy, so head over to the MacLegion website and click the orange "Keep your money, it's free" button to grab them now.
OWC's Aura Pro Brings 480GB SSD Upgrade to Stock Retina MacBooks
If you tried to save a few bucks when buying your MacBook Pro with Retina Display back in June and are now regretting the decision to stick with the stock 256GB flash storage, there may be hope for you yet. Other World Computing is now offering Aura Pro, a 480GB SSD built in the USA and specifically for the new MacBook Pro with Retina Display. With ultra-efficient block management and wear leveling, the 6G flash storage replacement is capable of over 500MB per second performance and includes all of the tools needed for installation. You'll want to beef up your wallet first, however: The Aura Pro sells for $579.99, but includes a three-year OWC warranty. The company will be posting an installation video soon for brave do-it-yourselfers.
SkyDrive Gets Web Makeover, Updated Apps
The Windows Blog has announced a complete makeover of Skydrive.com, Microsoft's own cloud storage solution. In keeping with the forthcoming Windows 8 and the Outlook.com preview rolled out two weeks ago, Skydrive.com now features a "new, modern design for desktop and tablet browsers with instant search, contextual toolbar, thumbnail multi-select, drag-and-drop organization and HTML5 sorting." And that's not all: the OS X and Windows clients will be receiving updates offering faster uploads and "tons of bug and performance improvements under the hood." Last but not least, Microsoft is making the dreams of Android users everywhere come true by announcing that an official client will be available sometime in the next few weeks for that mobile platform. Don't panic if you don't see any changes yet -- Skydrive.com will be rolled out over the next 24 hours, while the desktop apps will be heading your way sometime during the next week.
Steve Jobs Residence Burglarized, Suspect in Custody
MercuryNews.com is reporting that the Palo Alto home of late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was burglarized on July 17, with the thief making off with more than $60,000 worth of "computers and personal items." The thief, 35-year-old Kariem McFarlin of Alameda, was arrested on August 2 and remains in county jail on $500,000 bail, but ironically the suspect had no idea whose home he was even breaking into. "The best we can tell is it was totally random," explained Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Tom Flattery, who is part of the area's high-tech crimes unit. The report notes that Bay Area cities have seen "double-digit jumps" in burglaries in the first half of 2012, with Palo Alto police blaming its own 63 percent increase on unlocked doors and windows. The Jobs home appears to have been burglarized during recent renovations there which included a temporary construction barrier. It's unknown whether the stolen property actually belonged to the late Apple CEO or one of his family members.
IM+ 7.1 Adds Off-the-Record Messaging via In-App Purchase
SHAPE Services is back with another great update to its free IM+ and paid IM+ Pro apps, and this one adds a unique feature only available via in-app purchase. Off-the-Record (OTR) messaging allows users to have secret conversations with some of their contacts, which are encrypted and decrypted right from within the app. IM+ 7.1 also fixes issues with Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo! authentication, as well as less specific bug fixes. Both apps are universal and compatible with all devices running iOS 4.0 or later; IM+ is free, while IM+ Pro sells for $9.99.
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