Are you a PDFpen user? The big news in the Apple world this week is that Nitro Software is buying PDFpen from Smile. Adam Engst talked with both companies and thinks it’s likely to be a positive development for everyone, including existing users. Those perturbed by how much information Google is accumulating about them should try the public beta of Brave Search, which promises fully anonymous searching and an independent search index. It’s not as good as Google, but Adam preferred its results to those from Microsoft Bing-driven search engines like DuckDuckGo and Ecosia. Looking to save some money on your cellular plan? Josh Centers tested and switched to Consumer Cellular, an MVNO with a refreshingly no-nonsense approach that resells access to the AT&T network. Finally, we’re pleased to welcome our latest TidBITS sponsor, Global Delight, makers of the Boom 3D audio enhancement utility that provides 3D surround sound for all audio on your Mac. Notable Mac app releases this week include Backblaze 8.0, KeyCue 9.10, BusyCal 2021.3, DaisyDisk 4.20, HoudahGeo 6.1, and SpamSieve 2.9.44.
We’d like to welcome our latest sponsor, Global Delight, makers of the Boom 3D audio enhancement utility for the Mac.
Smile’s PDFpen, which has long provided a powerful yet inexpensive alternative to Adobe Acrobat Pro DC, has been acquired by Nitro Software for $6 million in cash.
If you’re perturbed by Google’s tracking and profiling based on your searches, there’s a new alternative in town that doesn’t, like DuckDuckGo and Ecosia, rely on Microsoft Bing. The new Brave Search provides fully anonymous searches using an independent search index, though it also currently checks its results for quality against Google using anonymous queries.
Fed up with Verizon’s high prices and poor service, Josh Centers decided to try the AT&T network through Consumer Cellular. After a successful test, he ended up switching.
Watchlist
Major new release brings a performance boost to the backup software. (Free, 23.7 MB, macOS 10.9+)
Maintenance release for the keyboard shortcut and emoji cheat sheet utility now requires macOS 10.10 Yosemite or newer. (€19.99 new, free update, 4.0 MB, macOS 10.10+)
Major upgrade for the calendar app brings refinements to the user interface plus several new features and improvements. ($49.99 new, free update, 44.1 MB, macOS 10.12+)
Adds support for scanning Dropbox and Google Drive accounts. ($9.99 new, free update, 7.6 MB, macOS 10.10+)
Maintenance release brings several improvements to the photo geotagging app. ($39 new, free update, 27.2 MB, macOS 10.14+)
Adds support for Mail in the forthcoming macOS 11.5 Big Sur and macOS 12 Monterey. ($30 new, free update, 18.8 MB, macOS 10.9+)
