Menuet for Mac is a skinable remote control for iTunes, coming complete with Last.fm integration that allows you to send music, friend recommendations and statistics from within Menuet itself. With a raft of features designed to make iTunes that little bit more flexible, users now get more hot key options, a “smart browse” that improves artist searching, and a sleep timer that lets you put iTunes and your Mac to sleep when it suits you. What’s more, Menuet will retrieve high resolution artwork for your albums from the iTunes store itself, saving you the hassle of using other programs that utilise the often grainy amazon.com.

However, with all these great features, there must be a catch right? Sadly, Menuet is not free and will set you back around £7 pounds for the single user, rising to £17 for the multi user package.

Info and download here.

Get downloading here. Watch out for our next post where we’ll deal with converting your downloaded videos into more friendly formats (MPEG and AVI).

There are a plethora of lists out there on the web that attempt to bring all the best freeware together in one handy place. Some are certainly better than others, but none match the sheer detail and quality of Ask the eConsultant. Displaying 450+ freeware programs, all with direct download links and in a simple html file; finding the correct tool for free has never been easier. Each section is prefixed with “I want a Freeware Utility to…” which somehow helps the brain make its mind up that little bit faster.

Here.

The developers at CyberExtruder have created a pretty astonishing piece of software that can quickly transform photos of human heads into 3D models. Designed to take mobile phone messaging to another level, the software uses advanced 3D facial recognition technology to convert headshots into computer generated forms reminiscent of those seen in Halo and Half Life. What's more, you can even input sound files and get your virtual head speaking. The download is free to demo without restriction and requires a little tweaking to get the right results. For the best outcome, start with a centred image, making sure that eyes are open and mouth closed. Happy playing!

More info and download ( select 3D MMS Demo Version - be warned, demo is very large at 150 MB)

Karl Fogel, the Open Source champion who plied his trade working on the Subversion project, has released his own free book on how to begin producing your own Open Source software. Available as a PDF download or as a simple HTML document, the 184 pages will enlighten you with detailed info on everything from technical infrastructure, packaging and development to dealing with your volunteers and getting your software released effectively. Unlike many developers and in true Open Source spirit, Mr Fogel makes sure his ideas and terms are clear and understandable, making it widely accessible to both rookies and veterans alike.

Get it here.

Following a long wait, you can now finally download the latest edition of the Free Software Magazine. Highlights include tips on Opendocument formatting in Openoffice and KOffice, a review of the exceedingly addictive graphical online game Battle for Wesnoth, plus hints on how to spruce up your XML with CSS. Well written and insightful, FSM upholds the notion that you can indeed get quality for nothing.

Download it here.

“How to Blog” is a handy resource for anyone wanting to upgrade and improve their personal blog. Run by blog priestess Emily Robbins, the site offers a wealth of tips and tricks to help you gain exposure in the blogsphere. This week, Emily has kindly posted a list of 745 free Wordpress 1.5 and 2.0 templates for users to download and use at their leisure. From the simple and uncluttered to the complicated and tech savvy, there’s bound to be a template to suit your blogging needs.

Get them here.

Following the successful conclusion of the $13,000 competition to get Windows XP to co-exist on Macs, Apple released its own official version today for public beta testing. Codenamed “Boot Camp”, it promises to provide seamless switching between the two operating systems without the need to move any of your Mac data. Indeed, the program will go as far as downloading and burning a CD of all the relevant drivers for Windows, saving you the hassle of a long trawl around the internet. Exciting stuff.

More info and download here.

Google has accidentally leaked the latest version of its increasingly popular Google Talk messaging client, adding a couple of major changes along the way. Users can now choose or add their own icon buddies, whilst also being able to sort names alphabetically. The look and appearance of conversations can also be changed, with up to five differing styles to choose from. The integration of Gmail contacts lists is also a welcome.

Have a try here.

HotDigg lets you keep in touch with latest tech news by displaying front page Digg stories as a scrolling desktop screensaver. For those not in the know, Digg.com is an insanely popular “community site”, where stories are submitted by users, and then promoted to the front page through a user-based ranking system. So, whether you’re a laid back geek or just have a passing interest in the tech world; HotDigg could be just the ticket.

Download here.