I have found some very useful menu bar applications for your Mac. I did some searching the other day for a helpful del.icio.us bookmark app so I would not have to use Firefox all the time. As a result, I found some neat menu bar apps that you might be interested in using.
Delibar menu drop down
from the Mac menubar
Delibar
Delibar is a nifty little application that downloads all of your del.icio.us bookmarks to your menu bar. This alleviates the need for the del.icio.us plug-in for Firefox. All you have to do is login to your del.icio.us bookmarks and they will automatically download and show up as a drop down from your menubar.
To use delibar you needed del.icio.us accounts with some bookmarks in it. After you get your account, you opened the delibar preferences and insert your username and password. Ta da! This version will then quickly download your bookmarks, even if you have hundreds like me, and you can start clicking away using your own del.icio.us bookmarks in Safari or any other favorite browser.
I was getting sick of Firefox’s slow speed and problems with some websites. I will still use Firefox for my web development, but I plan on using Safari for all other activities such as blogging and shopping.
So daily buyer collects all of your bookmarks in the system bar, so you can access them comfortably. It also offers you many of the delicious features such as:
- tag and bundle cataloging
- sorting entries by alphabetic or frequency orders
- a list of your recent posts
- exporting to an HTML page
- auto reload of bookmarks
- proxy support and auto detection
- use of a global hotkey for popping up the deli bar menu
- Delibar is fast
I really do like this plug-in for my menubar. It’s a handy little tool that helps me access my hundreds of bookmarks for personal, school, and work related needs. I would highly recommend it.
iScrobbler
With iScrobbler you can have a compact last.fm application for your desktop. I have personally found that default software for last FM is big, bulky, and rather annoying as I try to work, and that’s with two monitors. So this nifty little software uses a menu that drops down from your menubar. It has been developed by a last FM user and you can even join the iScrobbler group.
Features of iScrobbler.
- Full radio support
- integrated iPod support
- local scrollable lists and profile charts
- scriptable
- minimal or full detail interface — your choice
- native OS X app
- stable and light weight
To use this little app, you will want to have a last FM account. Once the app is installed, you will want to accept iScrobbler as your default last FM player and scrobbler. You then go to preferences from the menu bar drop-down and enter your user and password for last FM. Then allow iScrobbler to sync your iTunes and your iPod with last FM. It is just that easy.
You then have the power to control your last FM radio station from the menu bar. I like that much better, and I don’t have a clunky program open on the desktop.
WeatherBug
The WeatherBug Alert for Mac helps you plan your day by giving you severe weather alerts and showing your live temperature within your menu bar.
Features include:
- Severe weather alerts
- One click access to radar, forecasts, and more on weatherbug.com
To use this little app, you need to go into preferences and indicate your location. You can do a search for your location to make it easier. You also have the option to set up alerts that will show up on your menu bar around the temperature indicator.
Gmail notifier
The Gmail notifier displays the number of unread messages in your Gmail inbox; you even get an overlay pop up on your screen giving you a preview of a new e-mail. In addition, if you have a Google calendar it will display upcoming events, and you will get event alerts if you set them up in your calendar for the specific event.
SoundSource
SoundSource menubar drop-down
With SoundSource you can switch between audio input and output devices. You can even adjust volume settings for both input and output audio devices. This is a really handy app for me as I switch between using my Plantronics headset and my desktop Sound Sticks. This will also be handy for me as I am teaching and needing to easily switch to my portable USB Speaker or one of the speakers in the classroom.
I am actually the most excited about this new app for my menubar. I am sick of opening up system preferences every time I need to switch an audio device. This will be even more handy as I use Second Life with voice.
Other menubar apps
You might also be interested in a rather comprehensive list of other menubar applications sound at the super OS X menubar items website.