Once you log into the Mac App Store you will immediately notice that there are several sections where you will find the right apps for what you need. The first two sections are called New and Noteworthy which include those applications that have entered the Mac App Store recently. As for the What’s Hot, Top Paid and Top Free section, this one lists the applications which are the most popular at that moment. Other sections include Top Grossing and Staff Favorites.

We should also mention that there is a Categories button while in the Quick Links section you will find a categories pop-up menu. Obviously, the Mac App Store has a Search field which can be found in the upper right corner of the window where you can either search for an app by its name or do a search based on the app’s type that you’re looking for.

Once you have found an application that you would like to purchase, now it is time to buy it. The price of the app is located in the upper left corner of the application’s page. You will notice that the price tag it works as a button and once you do a click on it, this is going to modify into a button which reads Buy App. If you click this button once again, you’ll be able to purchase the application. If you did not sign in before, now you have to so that you can complete the purchase process. After conducting the purchase, the Mac App Store is going to download the application and it will install it on your Mac. If the computer that you have is running on Lion, the screen of your Mac will switch to the Launchpad where you will see the icon of the recently installed application at the bottom of the list as a dimmed icon that has a progress bar called Downloading. You are able to use the computer normally while the download is in progress as the app will be downloaded in the background. For verifying the download’s progress, you must fire up Launchpad once again or you might want to access the section called Purchases which is in the Mac App Store application. Here, the app you have acquired is positioned at the top of the list and it displays a progress bar, along with the amount of time needed in order to finish the download. Speaking of time, the amount varies according to the size of the app and also it is based on your Internet connection. You are able to pause the downloading process by clicking on the Pause button that can be found next to the Purchase screen in the Mac App Store. For resuming the download you will have to open up the Purchases section once again and then click on the same button that now it’s called Resume.

To update the apps you have bought, you’ll use the Mac App Store also so we recommend that at least once a week you open it in order to find out if there are any updates for the applications you have running on your computer. To do this, you simply have to click on the button called Updates which sits in the toolbar.

If you are a brand new owner of a Mac, you probably want to find out more about the compatible software for your shiny new computer. First and foremost, your Mac already comes bundled with a nice selection of software, such as Safari, Mail, iLife, Address Book, iCal and other as well. However, most people want more than just the standard apps and for this they visit Apple’s very own Mac App Store.

What you can find here? An extensive selection of software with thousands of programs that suit different tastes and needs. Here you can find just about anything that you could ever imagine, ranging from audio software, artistic effect filters, food recipes to system utilities and games. If you haven’t used the Mac App Store already, keep on reading to find out what you have to do in order to buy software.

It is quite simple to access the Mac App Store if your computer is running at least OS X 10.6.6, but if you have an older version of the operating system (OS X 10.5.x), you must get an upgrade to OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard or optionally you can acquire OS X 10.7 Lion if you want the latest version of the OS. After you have finished upgrading, you must utilize the Software Update in order to update the aforementioned OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard which comes bundled with the Mac App Store application. From the Mac App Store you’ll be able later on to upgrade to OS X 10.7 Lion that is if you wish to do this. You can find the app in the Applications folder, LaunchPad (Lion-only) or in your Dock. The icon looks like a blue circle that has an A in it. After clicking on that icon you will have access to the Mac App Store where lots of apps are waiting for you. If you have shopped from this store before, most likely you will be automatically signed in. If this doesn’t happen, it is necessary that you log in by using your Apple ID. If you have used this before in iTunes, you’re able to use the same Apple ID for logging into the Mac App Store. Look at the Quick Links section and use the Sign In link which is located at the right-hand side. We should mention that if you only want to browse through the available software, you can do this without having to sign in but you will have to log in if you want to buy something from the store. After clickin on the link you’ll notice a pop-up box which prompts you to sign in with the Apple ID. If you do not have an Apple ID yet, you will have to click on Create Apple ID where you will be asked to enter credit card info or you can provide a PayPal account.

In the second part of this article we’ll explain who to buy software from the Mac App Store and also how to update the purchased apps.

For most people, the standard Music application available for iOS-running devices such as the iPhone or the iPod touch is more than enough since it has a significant number of features. However, you might want to know that there are several interesting alternatives to this, applications that can provide interesting methods of listening and organizing your music, while some of them also are capable of providing a better sound quality.

For this reason, in this article we have gathered three examples of music players for the iOS that you might want to consider if the regular Music application is not the one you have been looking for.

The first one in our list is called SoundBest Player which is perhaps one of the best ones out there in terms of EQ customization. This application will set you back only $3 and it offers the usual EQ presets and also gives you the possibility to make a custom equalizer setting which will match your hearing. After you fire up the application for the first time, you will spend about two minutes for taking a hearing test which is basically just about the same test which an audiologist or an ENT would give you. The application is capable of finding your own “personal hearing curve” and based on this it is able to create a personalized EQ setting for compensating the differences between what’s normal and your hearing. This is quite an interesting approach as it corrects the sound output for matching your hearing deficiencies. Even though it does not make the music sound any better, it does indeed make it sound “right”. With this application you can make multiple presets for different listening devices and store them for later use. Another interesting application is SonicMax Pro which costs $5. This is a good app for tweaking your music and getting a better sound through the speaker docs and headphones. When you fire up the software you have the possibility to select what you are using for listening to the music: headphones, earbuds/speakers, a dock, external speakers, or even a custom device. In the Settings screen of the application you will be able to make several adjustments for enhancing the sound. If you are a big fan of bass, you should know that SonicMax Pro is great at enhancing bass. The app’s BBE Process can enhance high frequencies but if set too high it sounds tinny. Perhaps the most interesting option is called Sound Field which can be considered as a faux surround sound which can render the soundscape considerably more detailed.

You also might want to consider OnCue (priced at $3) which is an excellent tool for making and updating your permanent queue of music which will work just about the same way as iTunes DJ does. With OnCue you can make dynamic playlists and if you swipe you’ll find out what is next in the queue. Needless to say, you’re able to navigate in order to find songs or you can browse by song, genre, artist and album. This software can pick up the playlist that you synchronize with iTunes and within the application you’re able to save your own. In addition, you can develop smart queues which work just about the same way as the smart playlists. If you swipe a track you’ll find out details about that song, such as artist bios or lyrics.

After you have launched an application and after that set it to the full screen mode, you should know that a space dedicated to that application is going to be created automatically. However, you should be aware of the fact that not all apps support this full-screen mode. To find out if a certain app has this feature, look at the upper right corner of the app’s interface to check and see if there is a pair of arrows.

Once you are running an application in full screen mode, the app’s thumbnail is going to appear in Mission Control at the thumbnail list’s end with the app’s name instead of Desktop 1, Desktop 2, Desktop 3, etc.

If you want to add desktop spaces via Mission Control, these new spaces are going to be added before the full screen app, but the good news is that you are able to move this full screen app by clicking & dragging. It is important to mention that adding new spaces after you have moved the full screen app, these new spaces are going to be added at the list’s end. Keep in mind that you will not be able to delete the full screen application space when in Mission Control as the X button we mentioned in the first part of the article does not appear. After you have created enough spaces to manage your work, you should know that there are several convenient methods for switching between these spaces. You’re able to using Mission Control and once you open it you can choose the space that you want to use. By using your Mac’s keyboard, you have the possibility to press & hold the Control button and after that tap the left or right arrow keys. For those that have a trackpad, we suggest swiping left/right with three fingers. For both methods we recommend opening up Mission Control and arranging the spaces in a suitable order. Remember that these switching methods are moving through the available spaces in a linear way so you won’t be able to jump from Desktop 2 to Desktop 5.

We should also mention that in Mission Control you are able to move those apps that are not full screen between the spaces. To do this you have to select the space with the application and after that in Expose choose the app window. Next, all you have to do is drag the window wherever you want. If you are not using Mission Control, you are able to move an app or a window to the previous or next space by clicking & dragging the application window to the screen’s left or right edge. There’s also another method for switching between the available spaces. You have to open the application in the Dock or you can press Command-Tab and after that choose the app. You will be essentially switching to the application itself, but if you have set up the application in a certain space, the computer is going to switch to that place, with a few exceptions.

One of the great features of OS X Lion would have to be Spaces which gives the user the possibility to have several desktops which can prove to be more than useful especially for those that are working in more than just one app and also in different documents.

Let’s not forget that Spaces is also great for those that have just one display.

If you have several desktop spaces, most of the applications which are launched in a desktop space usually are dedicated to that space. One of the apps which you can use in order to manage the desktop spaces in OS X Lion is called Mission Control which can be launched from the Applications folder or the Launchpad. Once you open it you’ll notice two sections, with the main one occupying most of the screen’s center. It is called Expose and shows you the desktop of the Mac, helping you find the window you’re looking for on your computer. The desktop spaces are located on top of Expose and this is the places where you are able to manage Spaces. We have to mention that the available spaces look like thumbnails, with the first one being the Dashboard while the one next to it is the Desktop. If you want to add a new desktop by using Mission Control, you will have to move the cursor anywhere you want to the right of the aforementioned desktop thumbnail. Once you do this a pop-up that has a “+” symbol is going to appear in the screen’s upper right corner. After clicking on it, an additional desktop is going to appear. For deleting a desktop space all you have to do is move the cursor on the one that you want to get rid off and you’ll notice a circle that has an X on it which you have to press.

You might want to know that by holding down the Option button, that “X” is going to appear on all of your spaces, except of course for the Dashboard and Desktop 1. You also have the possibility of rearranging your desktop spaces by clicking and dragging them, with the exception of Dashboard and Desktop 1. We should mention that each of the desktops can have their own wallpapers. What you have to do is go to the desktop where you want to apply a different wallpaper and then modify it by accessing System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver > Desktop. Another way of doing this would be by right clicking on the desktop and after that choose Change Desktop Background. With Mission Control you can create as much as 15 desktop spaces so in other words you’ll have 16 desktops and the Dashboard as well. You will still be able to add new spaces even if you create all of the desktop spaces available in Mission Control by accessing the full screen mode with an application. More about full-screen applications in the second part of the article where we will also talk about moving between spaces.