Screensavers have become, in a way, a relic. Today, their original use of "saving screens" from burn-in and ghosting is no longer needed with modern monitors, and screensavers have become used solely for entertainment or security purposes (lock out strangers). That having been said, they're still enormously popular, even built-in to Mac OS X, and since there are literally hundreds of them out there I decided to share my personal list of my ten favorite ones. All Intel compatible, all top notch in coolness, quirkiness, or the relaxation factor, and ultimately gathered through what probably amounts to many hours of screensaver crawling. Enjoy! Continue reading...

Top ten lists are a dime a dozen, but I haven't seen one floating around yet on the most beautiful OS X apps out there. And as someone who's hitting MacUpdate daily as a small part of my job, always on the hunt for what's cool and new, I thought I'd share some of my insight, condensed down for mass consumption into a neat little list. Before you go on, remember that this is going to be controversial no matter what. I haven't found a single top ten list that doesn't get most people complaining. But honestly, after a lot of thought, I feel there are very few truly beautiful OS X apps left out if you include the honorable mentions. Oh, and before you begin, note that Apple apps (like Front Row and Aperture) have been knocked off the list. This one features independently developed freeware and shareware apps. So, without further ado, presenting the ten most beautiful OS X apps in the world:

The List

Starting off this list is the first of two extremely eye-pleasing P2P apps. (Coincidentally, the other one links to this from within its Help menu as the recommended BitTorrent client.) Transmission is an exercise in simplicity and Aqualicious UI design, with notable exception to its icon. (Look for a replacement icon coming soon on this blog by Tom.) For all of you Azureus and BitTorrent users out there, feast your eyes on this baby. And for an even appearance, download an alternate set of toolbar icons by artist Matt Ball.

The  Potion Factory's second release may not be quite as useful as Podcast Maker is for many podcasters (it's also on this list), but the UI is just as lickable. Starting with the mouth-watering application icon (ok, I'll stop with the food analogies there), the eye candy gets only better. (Doh.) You definitely have to try this one to experience it. For what is ultimately an extremely fun voice recording and filtering toy, there's been a lot of love put into this app. You'll notice some really cute icons for each filter effect by the excellent Mischa McLachlan of Zyotism, and the secondary windows for setting reminders and viewing alerts are just as gorgeous. If you have any kids, or never fully grew up, check this one out. Useful as a voice recorder, fun as a prank tool, and costs less than a Yakbak or Whoopee cushion.