Bigwords.com is a website that should be bookmarked by all college students.  The website has a price comparison engine that compares book prices across all the major online booksellers.  With the cost of textbooks these days, this site provides a one stop shop to save lots of money.

In fact, the iPhone app version of the Bigwords.com site is even easier to use.  With the app, you can compare prices online while still in the campus bookstore, allowing to make an educated buying decision on the spot.  The app fully duplicates all the features you find on the website, while making the service more accessible and mobile-friendly.

[LINK to App Store]

The good thing about a Mac is that there is a decent suite of software bundled with the computer.  The iLife suite and built-in apps, like Preview, are good enough that you do not need to go out and download anything.  There are however, some programs that I would install right away if you have a new Mac or just did an erase and install.

• Firefox – The best browser in terms of speed, security, compatibility and versatility.  Safari is nice, but Firefox works with a greater number of websites and has an extensive collection of extensions that really add power to the browser (previous post)
• Gmail Notifier (extension) – While Evan chose the Gmail Notifier application (of which there is a Mac version), I prefer the Firefox extension.  My browser is always open, and I prefer the small footprint of the extension.
• Adium – In my opinion, Adium is the best IM program anywhere.  It supports an incredible number of platforms and integrates well into the Mac ecosystem (previous post)
• TextWrangler – A must if you do any coding, TextWrangler is powerful enough to warrant installing just for the additional features it has over TextEdit (previous post)
• VLC – Another carryover from Evan’s list, VLC is unparalleled in its support for video codecs (previous post)
• Perian – This little add-on for Quicktime gives it much of the power of VLC, while keeping the interface and features of Quicktime (previous post)
• Growl – Growl is a platform for notifications on the Mac. It may not sound that useful, but you will appreciate it when you have it.
• Onyx – a maintenance program for Macs, Onyx has additional features such as tweaking interface pieces and checking system disks (previous post)
• Stuffit Expander – unarchives everything under the sun.  I find the built-in Archive utility on Macs to be enough for my zipping needs
• iStat nano (widget) – Also available as in iStat pro form, I prefer this compact system monitor to tell me some raw numbers about my computer
• Delivery Status (widget) – A package tracking widget that I use all the time.  It is so well done, you’d think it was made by Apple itself
• Microsoft Office – Obvious choice, and the only program you will have to pay for on this list.  Those looking to save money can try OpenOffice, whose most recent Mac version has improved considerably

Well, you can actually access Front Row with the keyboard shortcut Cmd + Esc.  It is also listed in Applications, and you can just double click it.  Once in the Front Row interface, use the arrow keys to navigate (and control volume and playback), Enter to select (and play/pause as well), and Esc to go back.

This little known tip has come in handy for me quite a few times.  It is a nice trick to have in my arsenal.