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Spanning Sync - for syncing iCal and Address Book with my Google account, and then push it to my iOS devices.
Dropbox - standard app.
Time Machine - as you might have noticed, the icon shows Time Machine as being off. That’s because I use TimeMachineScheduler to control how it and when it backs my data up.
Battery Status
Airport
Clock
Spotlight - don’t have a need for Alfred.
(From )
Every app in my MenuBar is used several times per day. There’s no reason for it to be there if it isn’t.
CoverSutra (hidden): A handy and attractive way to control iTunes without ever leaving your current app.
OmniFocus: Perfect for the Getting Things Done® system, but flexible enough for any task management style, OmniFocus helps you work smarter by giving you powerful tools for staying on top of all the things you need to do.
Dropbox: An indispensable utility that allows you to sync your files online and across your computers automatically.
Droplr: The best way to share files from your Mac on the internet. Period.
Caffeine: A is a tiny program that puts an icon in the right side of your menu bar. Click it to prevent your Mac from automatically going to sleep, dimming the screen or starting screen savers. Click it again to go back. Right-click (or ⌘-click) the icon to show the menu.
Time Machine: Automatically saves up-to-date copies of everything on your Mac — photos, music, videos, documents, applications, and settings. If you ever have the need, you can easily go back in time to recover anything.
Airport Utility: Allows you to manage and monitor AirPort Extreme, AirPort Express, and Time Capsule base stations.
Clock
Spotlight: The lightning-fast search technology built into Mac OS X that makes it easy to find what you’re looking for, even if you don’t know where to look. (Note: I keep Spotlight in the MenuBar, and use it occasionally, but predominantly use Alfred.)
App descriptions are adapted from the individual product pages. They are not my own words.
(From Ian P. Hines, Writer, Interviewer, and Communications and Marketing Manager for the Maryland Energy Administration. Also posted on his blog.)
(full size)
Flux - monitor color adjuster based on the time of day (just installed, found it via this site!)
CoverSutra - iTunes controller, I use it for the keyboard controls
- server utility for streaming videos to the iOS devices
Dropbox - awesome online file sync service
Default Folder X - remembers your recent & favorite folders in Open/Save dialog windows (must-have Mac utility!)
TextExpander - expand snippets of text based on short text triggers, and much more (another must-have Mac utility)
Hazel - handy file automation tool. Folder Actions on steroids.
ClipMenu - excellent clipboard history manager
Pantone Huey - monitor calibration utility, used with the hardware calibrator
Pastebot server - copy/paste from Mac to iOS utility
CrashPlan - online backup service, beta menubar utility
Screens Connect - server for the VNC iOS app Screens
ChronoSync - backup/sync software
StreamToMe server - another iOS media streaming utility
Compost - Trash manager
ShoveBox - Note taking utility
Evernote - sync notes to other Macs/PCs and iOS devices
RemoteTap server - another VNC iOS app
- awesome notifications utility
ForeverSave - versioned file backups
Little Snitch monitor - network monitor
iStat Menus - hard drives, RAM, and CPUs modules active
OS X ites: Bluetooth, Airport, iChat, iSync, Script Editor, Keychains, Sounds, Accounts, and finally custom time/date via iStat Menus.
Yeah, I have way too much crap up there, I know. But I’m used to it now.
(From , cartoonist and humorous illustrator)
- My main way to contact business partners and friends.
Dropbox - Life saver and great way to back up important documents!
Cloud App - Easy tool to upload screenshots to send to clients.
smcFanControl - A tool that allows me to adjust the fans on my Macbook Pro. Useful when Photoshop is making the computer very hot!
Teleport - A tool that allows me to control my Mac Mini that sits right next to my MBP in a sort of dual screen environment.
Caffeine - Great tool to keep your computer awake without having to go into settings each time!
Time Machine - Back ups of my computer.
Bluetooth - Wireless keyboard and trackpad.
WiFi
Sound
Battery
Time
Spotlight
(From , founder of 913 Studios and Platform Summit)
Echofon: My choice of Twitter client these days. It’s not as pretty as the other options, but it has streaming API and syncs across the iOS counterparts. And I was growing increasingly annoyed of Twitter for iPhone with the #dickbar.
Dropbox: The first app I install on any Mac (including the ones I help set up for my friends). I’m a pro user with the 50GB space plan.
: With 3 iOS devices in the house, it’s great to just relax in any corner of the house and stream my favorite movies or TV shows.
(Blurred out as it’s still in beta and I can’t talk about it yet.)
Notificant: I may sound biased, but this has practically replaced all other reminder apps for me. I have the beta of the iPhone app installed on my iPhone 4, so my workflow revolves around notifications via Notificant now.
Cloud App: I just prefer it over Droplr, though I tend to also use idzr.org and dznr.org at times.
Flow app: Trying this out, so it’s new up there.
Caffeine: Great when you want to leave the screen on.
iStat Menus: The time and the xx% next to it are modules of iStat Menus. A click on the time shows me a list of world clocks and a click on the CPU percentage lists this: http://pre.sh/5Uc4
Bluetooth: Like Ben (Brooks), I like knowing what I’m currently connected to and this also gives me easy access when the Magic Mouse runs out of battery.
Wi-fi: For obvious reasons
Sound: I always plan to remove it from up there, but never actually get to doing it.
Battery: My battery’s status says “Service battery” and I’m almost about to purchase a new iMac, so I don’t want to spend $250 on a new battery. So this helps me keep an eye when the AC Power goes off.
(From Preshit Deorukhkar, Co-Founder and Head of Operations at Smoking Apples and iXyr Media)
I prefer black/white versions of the icons when available.
Visor - I practically live in the terminal
Dropbox
F.lux - Didn’t like it before, now I do
Teleport - I have a few Macs on my desk
Transmit
FlashFrozen
iChat - I have it connect to just about everything, Jabber support is awesome.
iStat Menus
Bluetooth
Wi-Fi
Battery - I like the percentage
Time
(From Ryan Faerman)
BetterTouchTool - A great way to use all the features of your Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad.
Windows 7 Notification area - Part of Parallels 6.
Parallels 6 - Runs Windows 7 in a virtual machine.
Alarm Clock Pro - Event scheduler; ftps data every 10 minutes, and mutes and unmutes my system at night and in the morning.
Zooom/2 - Allows for resizing of windows such that they snap to the edges of other windows.
TextExpander - Great way to turn short abbreviations into full text while typing.
Eye-Fi - Uploads pictures from my digital camera wirelessly over Wi-Fi.
Overflow - Application launcher/selector at the press of a button or hot key.
Divvy - Move windows to predefined places on the screen.
Ping Pong - Keeps my ISP honest by pinging a web site every minute to make sure I have connectivity.
Amnesty - Allows widgets to go on the desktop.
MenuEverywhere - Places the menubar for applications at the top of each window.
HoudahSpot - Great front-end to Spotlight.
TinyCal - Shows a calendar on the screen, with GoogleCal appointments.
- Notifications.
CapSee - Indicates on the screen when the caps lock key is pressed.
LogMeIn - Allows my to connect to my computer remotely.
AppleScript - Easily run and edit scripts.
Time Machine - Back ups.
Bluetooth - So I can see how long my mouse battery is.
Eject button - To eject media.
Volume - Changes sound volume.
Spotlight - Self-explanatory.
(From Mike D)
Droplr — for shortening links and mostly for sharing quick screen grabs.
Dropbox — saves my life.
TextExpander — saves my fingers.
FastScripts — for quickly executing Applescripts.
Bluetooth — I like to keep in the bar so I know if I am connected to anything.
Battery — Icon only because all I need to know is that a red color in my menubar means I need to find power.
Keychain Access — Allows me to lock my screen when I walk away from my Mac, but I need to keep it ‘awake’.
WiFi — Yep.
Clock — I keep it on military with no weekdays so that I don’t waste too much space.
Spotlight — I would ideally like to rid this, but leave Spotlight active.
(From Ben Brooks, The Brooks Review)
Subsonic: Awesome music streaming app. I use this to listen to anything in my iTunes library while I’m on the road. Technically donation-ware, but it must be registered to use the clients. €20 (approximately $28 US) suggested donation, €10 minimum. Worth every cent.
Dropbox: I hate that this icon even needs to be here. I never, ever use Dropbox from the menubar! Free.
: Displays notifications from my phone via Growl. Pretty useful. Free.
Flux: A lot of people seem to use this one. It tweaks your monitor at night to be easier on the eyes. I barely notice it’s running, but I guess that’s the point. Free.
MenuPop: I hate this icon, but I love the utility. This tool let’s you access your menu bar by a keyboard shortcut, opening a context menu under your mouse cursor. I’ve got it set to a shortcut button on my mouse, so accessing menu options is instantaneous. Used to be free, apparently it’s $4.99 now in the App Store. Totally worth it, though.
: No menubar is complete without letting you know when you’ve got a message on reddit. Free app, made by a redditor (voidref) for redditors (obviously!).
(From lowtolerance)
Airport, Battery, Clock and Spotlight.
I am kind of a minimalist when it comes to the desktop. I use Quicksilver as a launcher, and I don’t keep any apps in my dock. I like knowing that everything on my computer is no more than a couple of seconds away, through Quicksilver or Spotlight, but that I don’t have to be distracted by any of that.
(From - full image)
