Pick a Bundle for Mac

One of the great things about the Mac community is that every year we get new application bundles which offer a great opportunity to get amazing software at rock bottom prices!

So far in 2013 we have already had three great bundles, each with a unique and interesting set of applications. However, historically application bundles have always had a pre-defined set of software. Pick a Bundle is different, allowing a level of user choice.

Pick a Bundle offers thirty Mac applications and allows you to select any ten to create a discount bundle. Regardless of your choice you will only ever pay £32, resulting in up to a 95% saving (depending on your selection).

The thirty applications on offer are listed below, with RapidWeaver, Hype, Flux, DEVONThink, Boom and MoneyWell being personal recommendations.

I suggest you head over to Pick a Bundle now and start building your bundle. Enjoy! 

MacBook Air - LG Display Colour Issues

If you own a Mid 2011 MacBook Air this article is for you! When Apple released this model they procured the display from two manufactures, Samsung and LG. Both displays are technically great, but the LG colour profile installed with OS X is not optimally calibrated, resulting in washed out colours.

 

If you have been using an LG equipped MacBook Air as your only device, you have probably never noticed this issue, however it's quite obvious when compared side by side with another Mac.

Thankfully there is a very fast and simple resolution. A user on the MacRumors forum has put together a custom colour profile that correct the issue.

Before installing the new profile, you need to check if you have an LG display. The easiest way to do this is to run the following command from the Terminal (Applications > Terminal):

ioreg -lw0 | grep IODisplayEDID | sed "/[^<]*</s///" | xxd -p -r | strings -6

The image below shows the expected output, you are looking for a code starting "LP" which signifies an LG display.

Once confirmed, you need to download the the new Colour Profile and copy it to the following location:

/Library/ColorSync/Profiles/Displays/

The easiest way to do this is to hit "Command+Shift+G" to bring up the "Go to the folder" prompt.

Finally, open "Display" from "System Preferences" and select the "Color" tab. Uncheck "Show profiles for this display only" and you should see a new Colour Profile known as "Color LCD". 

Once selected the change should be immediate and obvious. To test I recommend bringing up a high resolution image and switching between the default and new "Color LCD" profile, I think you'll be pleased with the results!

MacUpdate March 2013 Bundle

On the same day as the MacLegion 2013 Spring bundle, MacUpdate have released their own bundle which includes ten different Mac applications.

• Parallels Desktop 8 - Client Virtualisation for Mac
• DEVONthink Pro - Information Manager
• Prizmo - Optical Character Reader
• MotionComposer - Animation Creation
• 1000 OpenType fonts Collection - OpenType Fonts
• iStat Menus - OS X Monitoring Tool
• PhotoStyler 6 - Photo Manipulator
• DiskAid 6 - iOS Transfer Tool
• Mac Internet Security 2013 - Anti-virus Utility
• MacUpdate Desktop - Software Update Agent

This is a great bundle, with Parallels Desktop 8, DEVONthink Pro, Prizmo and MotionComposer all individually worth the £33 asking price. If you were to buy each of these applications separately it would cost you over £412, making this an amazing deal!

To grab the MacUpdate March 2013 Bundle head over to their website, where you have until the 20th March 2013 to place your order.

MacLegion 2013 Spring Bundle

Today MacLegion announced their 2013 spring bundle which includes ten Mac applications at a heavily discounted price.

The offer includes:

• Toast Titanium - Disk Burning
• Set for iWork - Templates for iWork
• LaunchBar - Launcher
• TasksBox - Task List Application
• Animationist - Animation Creator
• iFinance - Finance Manager
• Habits - Create New Habits or Resolutions
• MainMenu Pro - OS X Maintenance Tool
• Corel Paint it! - Photo to Painting Converter
• Stationary Pack 2 - Greeting Card Creator

If you purchase before the 20th March 2013 you can grab all of these applications for just £33 (down from £261). Considering Corel Draw it! is £26 standalone, you're getting a great deal!

The Lifehacker Mac Bundle

Today StackSocial announced The Lifehacker Mac Bundle, offering nine great Mac applications for just £33 (down from £200). The bundle includes: 

• TechTool Pro 6 - Mac Diagnostics
• Path Finder 6 - File Manager
• TextExpander 4 - Text Shortcuts
• MacHider - Data Privacy
• DropZone 2 - Get Things Done
• AirServer - iOS to OS X Media Streaming
• CameraBag 2 - Photo Editing
• MacPilot 5 - Mac Maintenance
• IPNetMonitorX - Network Analysis

This is a great bundle, with some very popular Mac applications such as Path Finder, TextExpander and MacPilot. The only downside is that these applications will be standalone (not connected to the Mac App Store), but this is only a small complaint when you consider the incredible cost savings.

As always, if you are in the market for just one of these applications, then The Lifehacker Mac Bundle is well worth picking up!