essentials

In my daily life there are applications or utilities that I simply cannot live without. Be it on the Mac or iPhone they make my day what it can be. This list focuses on the Mac side, these apps have the appearance of seamless integration into the OS and my user experience.

The list contains items everyone should at least try if not buy and is not in any particular order.

1. Quicksilver
   If you are not using QS, I hope it is because you are using LaunchBar, that is the only excuse for not being a Quicksilver User. QS is an application launcher, system catalog, shortcut manager super automation wizard.
   The tagline for Quicksilver is "Act without doing" and after a few days of use, it fades into your workflow.

2. Dropbox
   Dropbox helps me keep things in order by allowing me to sync items across multiple systems (Macs, iPhone, Windows). Its a super easy to set up and use, cross platform, online storage, and synchronization tool. One of my favorite ways to use Dropbox is to create symbolic links from Dropbox to each computer to keep application settings in sync.
   Example ln -s ~/Username/Library/Application\ Support/MarsEdit ~/Username/Dropbox/Library/Application\ Support
   

3. 1Password
   1Password allows me to remain sane while maintaining hundreds of online accounts. What used to be a simple password manager has evolved with the release of version 3. It manages my logins, identities, software licenses, secure notes and can manage my wallet by storing my credit cards.
   There are 2 features I use most of all, the logins and the licenses. It integrates very well into most browsers and with a simple right click I can login or create a strong password for a site. The companion 1Password Touch Pro
   

4. Growl