The Download Blog

So, you were one of the lucky people to receive a shiny new Mac for the holidays. We're all jealous! But if you're reading this, you've probably already spent some time getting set up and checking out all the cool features and programs that come with your Mac--and now you want more! Out of the box, your Mac is loaded with cool apps to get you started on stuff like uploading and organizing your digital images, creating a music library, making your own movies, and surfing the Web. (You're here, so it must have worked!)

While new Macs come with a ton of goodies already, there are a number of cool apps Mac users count on every day that aren't included in the initial setup. To get you started, we've rounded up 10 must-have downloads for your new Mac. From Web browsers and useful utilities to fun and games, these top Mac downloads are perfect for your new computer and a great way to start exploring the world of Mac software at CNET Download.com.

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Sure, Safari comes preloaded on your Mac and it's got a lot of great features, but it's not for everybody. The folks at Mozilla developed Camino from the ground up with the intention of creating a light and fast browser that plays nice with the elegance of Mac OS X. Though its not as feature-rich as its older cousin Firefox, users looking to keep it simple (with class) should try Camino.

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Do you like hot keys? If you're the type of person who likes to load Web sites, apps, and files quickly, check out this solid utility. Simply bring up the tiny Quicksilver interface to type a few letters of your chosen app, file, or Web site to get a list of possibilities--without your fingers ever leaving the keyboard. If you want a quick way to launch anything, this is the app for your Mac.

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A fully interactive globe on your desktop? What's not to like? Use Google Earth to point to a place on our planet and zoom in to see satellite imagery, detailed maps with street and location names, and much more. The recent addition of street level views adds to the fun with more and more major cities getting added all the time. Frankly, if you want a fun, interesting, and educational free program, Google Earth is a must-have download.

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QuickTime supports several file types on its own, but if you've ever spent time on the Internet you know QuickTime doesn't do it all. If you have a pesky video file type that won't open in QuickTime, VLC Media Player is the answer. Packed with features for playing DVDs and almost any video, this free app is more than worth the download time and you'll never have to worry about whether you can watch a particular video on your Mac again.

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Good image editors are hard to come by, and popular professional ones can cost in the hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. GraphicConverter X is a longtime Mac-user favorite, supporting the conversion of a huge number of file types with plenty of tools for just about any image-editing project. The shareware nag screen is sure to annoy you after a while, but you have to admit, $34.95 is nowhere near as painful as hundreds of dollars.

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Not everybody uses the same chat client so iChat probably won't work with all your contacts. Adium X is the popular Mac chat client that works with most of the popular services seamlessly. This means you can connect with and sign up for Yahoo!, MSN, ICQ, AIM, and many more all from within the same program. If that's not enough, maybe we should mention it is free.

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If you're a Web designer, pro blogger, or even just looking to start up your own site, Coda has the comprehensive toolset you need. Boasting one-window Web development, Coda offers an integrated file browser, fully-featured text editor, a CSS editor, preview functions, and a built-in terminal--all within the same interface. Big Web-design apps are too expensive for most users, but Coda is only $79.95 to register--and you get to put it through its paces before you buy.

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Free long distance? No problem with Skype. This Internet telephony app lets you freely contact anyone around the world as long as they also have the free Skype client. Simply get your long-lost cousin to download Skype and you're all set. Sign up for Skype paid services so you can call landlines. This app is a no-brainer for international callers who don't want to pay big long-distance bills.

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Get the news your way with one of the best RSS clients we've seen for Mac. NetNewsWire offers a slick 3-paned interface shows your favorite news outlets on the left, headlines on the right, and expanded stories on the bottom if you see something you like. Adding new feeds couldn't be easier and you can set how often NetNewsWire updates its feed list so you always have the latest updates. NetNewsWire is easily one of the best and most intuitive ways to get the latest news on your Mac.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Most great first-person shooter games for Mac are the type you need to buy online or at your local video game shop. Nexuiz is the attempt of some generous developers to make a free, multiplatform, online deathmatch game for everybody. It still has a couple of problems and bugs to be fleshed out, but for sheer high-energy shoot-'em-up mayhem in a free game, you're going to have a hard time finding one as fun and challenging as Nexuiz.

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The Mozilla folks always think of Mac users. I've already extolled the virtues of Mozilla Firefox in the past and I still think it's a great browser even when up against Apple's Safari. Mozilla's other Mac browser, Camino, is like a slimmed-down model built from the ground up using native Mac OS X technologies and toolkits. But I'm not here to talk about browsers. The Mozilla folks have another great product for Mac that just got an update.... Read more

Is this the last app you'll ever need?

Last week saw the release of Flock 1.0 beta, a Firefox engine that's been built out with extensive social-networking tools. Is it a flash in the pan, taking advantage of the latest fads, or does it herald a sea change in top-tier open source software? The changes from Firefox to Flock are hardly the work of one extension. The new sidebar includes features that let users add photos to their Flickr account by dragging and dropping, creating new posts to their self-published blog on the fly, and much more.

... Read more

Firefox is the second-most-popular browser on the Internet, and with good reason--it rocks. Want to try out some specialized versions of it? Here are six flavors of Firefox, ranging from the Mac-centric all the way to bird-themed music jukeboxes.

Firefox Campus Edition
The Campus edition is the most recent of the branded/sponsored/partnered Firefoxes. There's nothing particularly special or amazing about this version of Firefox that's different from the regular one, besides a bundle of extensions and add-ons that give Firefox a notably "social" feel. Campus edition ships with a trifecta of extensions, including Zotero, StumbleUpon (also for Internet Explorer), and Foxytunes. Clearly the most useful one of the bunch for education is Zotero, a note-taking tool that lets you collect sources while doing Internet research. StumbleUpon and FoxyTunes remain in the entertainment realm.

Firefox eBay edition
Firefox eBay edition actually came out before the Campus edition, but the idea is similar--it's just Firefox with a smattering of themed add-ons. In the case of eBay edition, you get an integrated eBay sidebar that lets you keep track of your profile and any auctions you're watching. Likewise, you get an Alert Box tool, which will let you know if you've been outbid. These are solid tools if you're a heavy eBay user, and if you're already a Firefox user you can download an extension bundle that gives you the same functionality. Also coming soon for eBay buffs: an eBay buying and selling application that runs sans browser on Adobe's AIR platform.

Netscape Navigator 9
Don't let the name fool you--Netscape 9 looks and plays just like Firefox. It even works with Firefox add-ons and extensions. So what's the big difference? For one, the browser shares tight integration with Netscape's social bookmarking and news site, along with some cool tweaks such as URL correction and built-in integration to Netscape mail. Webware.com took a look at the service when it launched in early June.

Flock
Flock is probably the most specialized of the customized browsers built off of Firefox. It calls itself the "social" browser, which is somewhat true, considering Web browsing is almost always a one-person affair. Flock ties into several social Web services, like Del.icio.us, Flickr, and Technorati. There's also a customized way to bookmark content you like, using a starring system similar to that of Gmail. If you find anything you like, give it a star, and you'll be able to come back to it quickly without having to bother saving it to your bookmarks folder. Similar to Netscape Navigator, Flock will still work with most Firefox extensions, although some are unsupported and can cause instability.

Songbird
Songbird is probably the most experimental browser of the bunch, in the sense that it's not really a browser as much as a music player. The service is still built with Firefox technologies, and lets you browse the Web as you would on Firefox. The easiest way to explain it is that Songbird is a marriage of your Web browser with a music jukebox of the likes of iTunes. If you run into any page that includes music files, Songbird will pull them out and let you listen to them in any order you want with its built-in player. The service is still growing and adding features on an almost daily basis. While stable it may not be at all times, it's a great way to mix browsing the Web with other activities.

Camino
Camino (formerly known as Chimera) is an open-source Web browser that uses Mozilla's Geko rendering engine (the same as used in Firefox) to create a Mac-optimized browsing experience. At first glance it doesn't seem too different from the Mac version of Firefox, but there are a handful of Mac-centric additions, such as using the operating system's built-in Cocoa programming environment, a dictionary application for spell check, and the use of OS X's key chain application instead of Firefox's proprietary system to save site passwords. If you really love your extensions, don't ditch Firefox for this, but if you'd like to use some of your native Mac services, Camino makes for a great secondary to Safari or Firefox.