Get a $90 Mac app bundle for free
The only "price" is your e-mail address and a willingness to subscribe to a newsletter.
There's no such thing as a free lunch, right? Actually, my favorite Chinese place gave me a punch card good for a free trip to the buffet after 10 punches, so there literally is such a thing as free lunch. (I know, you have to buy 10 not-free lunches first. Let's not ruin my analogy with semantics, shall we?)
There's also such a thing as free software -- if you know where to look. For a limited time, a site called AppyFridays is offering a free Mac software bundle. Combined value of the six included apps: $90.
All you do is enter your e-mail address to subscribe to the AppyFridays newsletter. Immediately thereafter I received an e-mail with download links and, where necessary, activation codes for the software. Make sure you take note of the message in that e-mail: "Grab your apps and activate them before the deal ends." (The deal ends one week from today: November 19.)
So, what does your e-mail address buy you? These guys:
- Colorado Desktops: 290 scenic wallpapers from the incomparably gorgeous Rocky Mountains of Colorado.
- Hider: True to its name, it hides important files for added security.
- MacCleanse: Hard-drive optimization utility.
- Musictube: Turns YouTube into an iTunes-style jukebox.
- Picturesque: Liven up your photos by applying one of five visually arresting effects.
- Tunes Cleaner: Cleans up, organizes, and repairs your iTunes music library.
So, yeah, nothing really earth-shattering, but a nice collection of apps all the same. Tunes Cleaner alone normally sells for $29.99. Also, if you're willing to clue in your friends about the deal (i.e., share it on Facebook and Twitter), you can score a seventh freebie: Photo Importer, a "small and user-friendly...Mac application which will automatically import photos from a selected folder."
What's not to like?