In Mac OS X, if you need to burn some files or a music CD, it’s not too hard to do the basic things. However, if you need more and ask around for the application to do it, Toast will be the answer you get most of the time. When I had my Mac Mini it didn’t have a DVD burner, so I was limited to what I could burn, but with my new iMac I can burn just about anything, and I was excited that Toast would be my first review on it.

Toast 10, developed by Roxio, comes in two flavors. Toast 10 Titanium and Toast 10 Titanium Pro. You can view the comparison here, but in short Titanium Pro includes additional items like SoundSoap, Sonicfire Pro, and offers HD video burning and more. Some of these functions can also be used in Titanium with the purchase of additional plugins.
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Posterous.com is a service gaining popularity.  It specifically notes that it is not a micro-blogging service, but a site which lets you post pictures, blogs, videos, etc. by sending it through e-mail or other means such as the app we are discussing today.  I use Posterous to post images from my iPhone, camera, and images from the web.  Take a look at my page to get an idea of how it looks. [Continued]

Recently, I needed to find an application that was “similar” to one I use on Windows, which was Microsoft Visio.  After asking around on Twitter, there was only one response from a bunch of people…..OmniGraffle.  Wow, how did I not run across this before?  Needless to say this was an app I had to grab, as just looking briefly at the screenshots on their website, I knew this would work for me.

Just to get you up to speed, OmniGraffle is an application to create diagrams, charts, layouts, mockups, and everything else in between.  My need at the time was to create a detailed network chart of devices, computers, wireless access points, etc.  I was anxious to jump in to Omnigraffle and see what it could do.
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I have long been a fan of Bento, which is a personal database application for the Mac.  I have used it since version 1, and have had the pleasure of reviewing it several times since.  Bento fills a gap for people who need a database solution, but do not need an application like FileMaker, which although it’s a fantastic piece of software as well, it’s a bit too much for personal needs.  That is where Bento comes in.

Not only is Bento great for home use, it can also be a valuable tool for small businesses.  Inventory, customer databases, contact management, the possibilities are out there to create a database for almost every type of small business need you can think of.  This new edition brings a bunch of new features and updates, much of which was requested by users.

• iPhoto Integration. Placing images inside a created database was always as easy as drag and drop, but with iPhoto integration, using images in Bento has gone to a whole new level.
• Sharing. This feature alone is worth the upgrade.  Using a local network, you can share your information with others creating a fantastic way to collaborate with family members or co-workers.
• Grid View. They have added a new grid view which gives a much cleaner way of viewing images, documents, etc. inside your databases.  They have also improved the File list view as well.

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The iPhone is one of the most locked-down devices available today, yet, one software product is opening it up. PhoneView, from Ecamm, is built to give you access to the file system, your media, and more on your iPhone or iPod touch.

First off, PhoneView can serve as a ‘Finder’ for your iPhone. It gives you access to the file and folder hierarchy, allowing you to transfer files as you please. However, your phone must be jailbroken to see the entire disk, otherwise just the media folders will be displayed.

Another unique feature to PhoneView is the ability to view and export Call History and SMS messages. Additionally, the app allows you to view and edit notes, use the iPhone as a storage device, and gain access to the media, without going through iTunes.

The entire set-up is extremely simple, for after installing, the app will instantly open whenever an iPhone or iPod Touch is connected to the computer. From there, navigation is simple to any Mac user. The iTunes-esque sidebar contains all of the locations, and the content is displayed in a fashion that resembles the Finder.

PhoneView is undoubtedly a great tool to have, but is not for every user. Most people don’t need, or want, the access that PhoneView provides. In fact, most of this functionality can now be duplicated with either the 3.0 software, or other free tools via jailbreaking the iPhone software. However, if you’re looking for a way to gain easy access to your content on an iPhone or iPod touch, PhoneView is an elegant and effective solution.

See more on PhoneView and download it from ecamm software.