MS Office has been the leading Office suite for as long as I can remember. The problem with it is that it doesn't come cheap at anything up to almost $500 depending on the version and license you want. In the old days, there wasn't much you could do but shell-out the cash but nowadays, there are several free or cheap alternatives out there. Here are 5 of the best. Note that they're all also available on Windows, except NeoOffice and iWork which are Mac only.

OpenOffice

Whenever people ask me what I can recommend as a free alternative to Microsoft Office, I'll frequently recommend OpenOffice. OpenOffice is a multi-platform and multilingual office suite that is compatible with all other major office suites (meaning it will open and edit Word, Powerpoint documents etc) and best of all, its absolutely free to use.

ThinkFree Office

ThinkFree Office looks and feels very similar to MS Office and in some aspects seems to have copied it directly, especially in the way the word processor looks. ThinkFree Office consists of three segments. Write (word processor), Show (presentation tool) and Calc (a spreadsheet tool) and allows you to export to PDF. Unfortunately, despite the name Think Free Office isn't free but it's cheaper than MS Office.

Image Capture is a little application in OS X that allows you to easily and quickly manage your iPhone or iPod's camera roll.

Your iPhone photo library can quickly become enormous, and deleting unwanted pictures one-by-one soon becomes an unpleasantly laborious task you'll simply ignore. You can import your images to iPhoto, and use that as a way of managing your images, but it's still pretty unwieldy.

The quick solution for Mac users is Image Capture,  a little application hidden away in OS X that many users are unaware of. To find it, simply tap it into the search in Finder. Connect your iPhone, open Image Capture and you'll be able to browse the photos on your iPhone.

From here it's easy to import any you want, drag and drop them onto your desktop, and rotate them. Better still, you can select images in bulk and delete them! Image Capture is a faster and lighter way to manage your iPhone camera roll, without the hassle of iPhoto.

Spotify is one of the most popular music streaming services in Europe these days, but US residents are unfortunately still blocked from using it. Though the Swedish-based company had promised to launch in the US before the end of 2010, it seems Americans will still have to wait for a while before they can enjoy the wonders of Spotify.

According to a recent interview with Spotify CEO Daniel EK, the problem is that they haven’t been able to reach consensus with US record labels yet. The negotiation is taking longer than expected, and in turn delaying the launch of this awesome music service in the United States, which was scheduled for this year. Now, three weeks before 2010 ends, it’s highly unlikely that Spotify will reach an agreement with record labels in time to keep their promise. In Ek's words, "we are definitely going to do the U.S., but I can’t commit to a specific date."

On the other side, Spotify is doing great, with 750,000 Premium subscribers and a fast growing rate, thanks mainly to the convenience and accessibility of Spotify Mobile and Spotify’s integration with social networks.

Google has announced eBookstore, the new online ebook store powered by the giant, just in time for the holiday season. It’s not just another website where you can buy ebooks; the Google eBookstore is already one of the largest ebook collections in the world, with more than three million titles available since day 1 – including the latest bestsellers from the NY Times and the classics we all should read at some point in our lives.

The Google eBookstore has been launched with quite a different perspective than similar businesses like Apple iBooks or Amazon Kindle books. “We designed Google eBooks to be open,” says Abraham Murray, Google Books Product Manager. And certainly they are. These ebooks are bought online and stored in the cloud, in a private personal library with unlimited ebook storage accessed with a password, just like you use Gmail.

Google eBooks can be read on multiple devices and synced across them, from desktop computers to netbooks, including tablets, smartphones, and ereaders. The files are downloaded in ePub/PDF format, which makes them compatible with a large number of devices – but leaves others , like the Kindle, out of the list.

You can buy new ebooks from the Google eBookstore itself or from any other of Google’s independent bookseller partners. There’s no official statement about the price, as Google will let editors decide that for themselves – together with the use of DRM in their titles.

The Google eBookstore is currently only available in the US, which leaves Europeans looking forward to the day when it works on the other side of the pond. It’s certainly an interesting third competitor in the ebook market (besides Apple and Amazon), taking a different approach and launched at a perfect time: just in the middle of the holiday shopping frenzy.

The wait is over. World of Warcraft Cataclysm, the new expansion set for the most popular MMORPG game in the world, is finally here. Several retail stores in the US, Canada and many European countries held special launch events to celebrate the release of the expansion, which brings more characters, more land to explore and more levels to achieve.

Cataclysm is the third World of Warcraft expansion set, after Burning Crusade (2007) and Wrath of the Lich King (2008). Besides increasing the top character level to 85 and the top profession level to 525, Cataclysm also brings all sorts of new stuff for WoW players: two new races (worgens and goblins), a new secondary profession (archeology), new zones (Hyjal, Vashj'ir, Uldum, Deepholm, and Twilight Highlands), new dungeons (Blackrock Caverns, Grim Batol, Halls of Origination, Lost City of the Tol'vir, The Stonecore, Throne of the Tides, The Vortex Pinnacle) and four new raids, among other features. It'll also be the first time that players can fly over the game's entire world, including the oldest areas of Azeroth.

That's certainly a lot of new stuff, but let us not forget that this game was launched for the first time in November 2004 - yes, that's six years ago - and Blizzard want to make sure long-term WoW players have new challenges from time to time to keep their interest in the game.

To start playing in World of Warcraft Cataclysm, you only need to buy the expansion DVD (or download it via Battle.net) and install it on your computer. No additional patching is needed. If you're in-game when Cataclysm goes live, you'll get a notification asking you to log out of the game and log in again in order to have full access to the new content. Bear in mind though that there have been login issues on the European servers for a few hours, so it might take you a while before you can actually take a peek at the new Azeroth.

The latest version of social networking browser Flock has just been released for Mac with some interesting changes. I took it for a test-drive to see how Flock 3.5 performs.

Flock is a web browser which was originally based on Firefox but has been best known for broad integration with a wide range of social networking sites. Flock 3.5 however sees it changed considerably under the hood. Gone is the Firefox base in favor of a Chromium one which is interesting considering the recently released RockMelt has also based itself on Chromium and aims to steal the social networking par excellence crown from Flock. However, Flock beats it in the social networking stakes offering integration with LinkedIn, Flickr, and YouTube compared to just RockMelt's Facebook and Twitter.

Black Friday is nearly upon us here in the U.S. Getting anxious to snatch up all those unbeatable deals? Make sure you get a head start on your holiday shopping preparations with these useful Black Friday apps:

Black Friday Wish: A lot of great Black Friday deals are being advertised online and in the newspapers. They’re difficult to organize without making quite a mess, however. That’s where Black Friday Wish can step in to help. Create a wish list based on categories of items you’re interested in purchasing. You can even notify your friends about specific deals via Twitter, Facebook, and email.

Black Friday Survival Guide: Everything you need to know to get the best Black Friday deals comes in this sleek little app. Much like Black Friday Wish, you can organize your purchases into a shopping list. This app goes a step further though, in that all newspaper advertisements have been scanned in so you can view them right on your device. There’s even a news section to keep up with the most up-to-date deals as they’re announced.

Black Friday App: Simple in name and style, yet this app takes Black Friday holiday shopping one step further by allowing you to make online purchases of the deals you find (if the particular store has the option to do so). This app is perfect for people who prefer not to endure the mayhem and endless lines in actual stores this Friday.

TGI Black Friday: Another black Friday app with a great look and features, this app allows you to browse great deals by store, category, or product. Click on an interesting product and visit the store for more details. You can then email the link to yourself or or add it to a list. Take care when using this app, however, as sometimes the prices it lists are not the same as what individual stores are advertising.

Amazon Price Check: This isn’t technically a Black Friday app, but it gets the job done nonetheless. If your device has a built-in camera, you can scan in product bar codes, or even snap a picture of the product you’re interested in. You can also compare prices in stores with Amazon.com’s U.S. inventory and prices. If Amazon has the better deal, buy online through the app in a few simple clicks.

These apps are great supplements to your other tried and true Black Friday strategies, and the best thing about them is they allow you to prepare in advance. Black Friday can be a pretty crazy experience, especially if you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for or where to go to get it if you do. These apps simplify the process, allowing you to organize your shopping expeditions before you set out and, in some cases, even shop from your home instead.

If you’re among the multitudes of people who plan to find the greatest deals possible this Friday, best of luck to you. In the interim, Happy Turkey Day and enjoy the holiday weekend!

Everyone knows Dropbox - a simple yet powerful online file storage service that lets you backup and sync data across multiple platforms. Dropbox gives you 2GB of space for free, with paid plans starting at $9.99/month for 50GB. But there's a cheaper way to obtain more space for your files, thanks to a special Dropbox campaign on social networks.

All you need to do is log in to your Dropbox account and head over to this website. Each one of the tasks proposed on that page will add an extra free 128MB to your Dropbox space when completed. And they're so easy you won't find an excuse not to!

The proposed actions are:

• Connect your Twitter account with Dropbox.

• Connect your Facebook account with Dropbox.

• Follow @dropbox on Twitter.

• Publish a tweet explaining why you love Dropbox.

Complete all four tasks, and you'll have 512 more MB on your Dropbox account for free. Remember you can also earn free space if you invite friends to join Dropbox (250MB for you and each new user you bring to Dropbox, up to 8GB).

Recently released, RockMelt is a Chrome-based browser heavily integrated with Facebook and Twitter, but it's not the first to do that. Flock has been around for a while, and this year it moved from being Firefox to Chrome based too, cutting its extensive social features back to Facebook and Twitter.

Which one deserves your download? Find out below:

Features:

Both browsers are designed for use with Facebook and Twitter. With Flock, both are integrated into a single retractable sidebar, whereas RockMelt uses iPhone-like buttons with notifications and pop-out floating windows. RockMelt also integrates Facebook Chat, while both have share buttons next to the address bar for quick link sharing. Of course, personal taste will come into this, but I do think RockMelt separates the two services more clearly, while its notification system is also neater. Flock does allow you to add your YouTube account, but you can add any feeds to RockMelt.  Winner: RockMelt

Interface:

Chrome is the base of both of these, and that's obvious in their overall style. However, RockMelt's tabs and text look better, and the social features are much flashier and more convenient. With its easily retractable social bar, Flock can quickly give you the most browsing space, but RockMelt's two sidebars are very slim. When you close the Flock sidebar, you won't be interrupted by any updates, while RockMelt's minimized buttons always tell you when something's happening.If you want to use a social browser, staying up to date and connected is the point - so RockMelt makes more sense. If you really want some peace you can easily close all the social sidebars. Winner: RockMelt

Efficiency:

Despite its double sidebars and having Facebook Chat running, RockMelt used considerably less memory than Flock, often by up-to 25%. This is surprising, because Flock's interface seems lighter and simpler and also has less features. Winner: RockMelt

Availability:

RockMelt is still in a limited beta. It's not hard to get an invite, but you might wait a few hours or days depending on your luck. Flock is available now, but unlike RockMelt, the newest version isn't available on Mac yet. Winner: Flock

Conclusions:

In its current development stage, RockMelt is by far the best social browser of the two even though it's still a beta product. Flock feels less developed and isn't different enough to a traditional browser to be a serious contender. The earlier Firefox version was a bit heavy, but it was full of features that really did make it unique. More work is needed on this Flock. RockMelt, feels light, fresh and different. It's great for Facebook and Twitter addicts, although some users may find it a little distracting. You can apply for a beta here, or follow us on Twitter and we will give you an invite as we get more.

Mac media keys come in very handy to control audio or video playback, without having to be constantly switching from the keyboard to the mouse and vice-versa. But since updating to Snow Leopard, iTunes seems to have taken control over these media keys and launches every time you press play/pause - thus making it hard to use them with other apps.

I've been desperately searching for a fix to this annoying issue. I do use iTunes to manage my music collection and my iPhone, but I also use other apps like Spotify and VLC Media Player and it'd be nice to use media keys with those as well. Luckily, after months of trying different tips and tricks, I came up with a solution that works great:

The idea is to patch the system daemon that manages remote control, which also handles Mac media keys.The daemon is patched with a small script coded by a French developer, and which can be easily applied to your system in a couple of clicks thanks to a special installer. All you need to do is download the file and run it. The MultiMedia Fix installer will ask you for permission to patch the daemon.

Valve have officially announced that the long awaited Civilization V for Mac is now available for download on Steam. There was some debate as to whether the game would be released on Steam although it's still not clear whether Windows owners of the game will also get Steam for Mac free via SteamPlay. It seems likely that SteamPlay users that have already purchased it on Windows will get it for free, judging by the response the developers Aspyr got when they posed this question to fans.

You can download the official HD trailer for the game here. In the meantime, here are some screenshots of what to expect from the game, rewritten from the ground-up for Mac and looking better than ever:

Read more »

If you're a developer using a Mac to design web pages, you'll be aware of one big problem - how to test web pages for Windows users on Internet Explorer which no longer works on Mac. In 2003, Microsoft ceased development of the browser for Mac with support ending 2 years later. As a result, most web designers on Mac have to run Windows either via Boot Camp or Parallels which isn't ideal not to mention expensive too. Many will therefore be eager to try a new application called ie4Mac which allows Mac users to run an original, unmodified version of Windows Internet Explorer on Mac.

Most web developers need to make sure that their web pages work in at least Internet Explorer 7 and 8 and even sometimes 6. Ie4mac.com claims that they can use the original, unmodified Windows Internet Explorer natively on a Mac. This will allow users to verify that web pages render correctly, test HTML and CSS compatibility and interactively debug AJAX and JS.

How does it do this? According to the developers:

ie4mac makes this possible by running a cluster of Windows Terminal Servers and delivering the Internet Explorer to your Mac using a protocol called RDP. This way we can provide you with four different versions of IE, running side by side, namely Internet Explorer 6, 7, 8 and even 9 (the latest beta release by Microsoft).

This won't come for free although at the moment, ie4Mac is inviting requests to participate in free private beta testing of it. All you have to do is enter your e-mail address. Everyone that's chosen to take part in the private beta test will be able to use ie4Mac for free during the whole testing period. Look out for a full review here if we get accepted.

17 Feb Update: The launch of ie4Mac has been delayed slightly but will be released for beta testing soon. We'll be one of the first to be invited so watch this space!

June Update: The launch of ie4Mac has been delayed again due to legal issues which have now been resolved but the project is now back on track and it should be available soon at the following address: http://www.browser-test.net/

Aspyr have confirmed that the long awaited Civilization V for Mac will be released next week on 23rd of November but the big question now is whether it will be released on Steam or not. If you're one of those that wants to see it released on the gaming platform, you can encourage Aspyr to do so here in a blog post encouraging feedback on the issue.

What's stimulating most debate is whether users that have already purchased Civ V via Steam on PC, should also get the Mac version for free via SteamPlay or whether they'd be happy to purchase it separately to play using Boot Camp instead. Aspyr tested the water by asking:

We are still weighing the options but out of curiosity, how many of you have already purchased the PC version and expect a free Mac version? Did you purchase it on the PC to play via BootCamp in hopes you’d get the Mac version? Or did you purchase on the PC and just assumed you’d get a Mac version? Wondering what the expectation is out there.

They've also stressed that:

Civilization V Mac will feature SteamWorks, the DRM and playing experience will be exactly the same no matter where you purchase the game, disc or download.

As might be expected, user feedback has been overwhelmingly in favor of a free Steam release for Mac for those that have purchased the PC version. It only seems fair that is the case since that's what happens with other games that have been released on SteamPlay, so why should Civ 5 on Mac be any different?

If you work with PDF documents on a regular basis, then be sure to check out the new Adobe Reader X, which is now available for download. The tenth version of the ubiquitous PDF reader comes with a host of new features to make working with electronic documents more comfortable.

New features of Adobe Reader X include sticky notes and a highlighter tool for sharing ideas and comments about documents. Adobe has also ramped up the amount of content viewable in PDF format, to include drawings, email messages, spreadsheets, video, and more. Document security has been tightened, thanks to a new Protected Mode for safer viewing of PDFs.

Adobe Reader X is available to download for free now, for Windows, Mac, Linux and Android operating systems. Watch this space for a full review of the program.

No matter for how long you've been using Photoshop, you can still find new tools and tricks in this fantastic piece of software everyday. For instance, I had never tried Smart Objects until recently, and I have already found a good way to make use of them: creating digital photo frames you can use over and over again. Here's how to do it:

1. First of all, create a blank document. Then go to Edit > Fill, choose "Pattern" in the Use drop-down menu and and pick the Wood pattern already included in Photoshop.

2. Now open the image you want to use in your frame and copy and paste it on the document you just created. You may have to resize it (with Ctrl+T) to make it fit the frame.