Tag Archives: application launcher

Concord Is A Floating App & File Launcher For Windows Desktop

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A few days ago, I cleaned my desktop to get rid of unwanted and obsolete icons that were doing nothing but simply cluttering my desktop and ruining my beautiful background. After making the desktop completely uncluttered, I started to add a few shortcuts of just my frequently accessed programs, files and folders back to it. It was all going smooth and steady until I realized that filling up the desktop with a plethora of icons isn't exactly the most efficient or aesthetically appealing way to access my required content, and started looking for an alternative solution that could provide quicker and more organized access to my shortcuts without spoiling the desktop. My hunt for that intuitive solution landed me on Concord, and it proved itself to be quite handy. It’s a application launcher for Windows that eliminates the need for putting shortcut icons on the desktop. Along with beautifying the desktop with its minimal design , it provides a nifty solution for quickly accessing files, folders, apps and websites. Read More

Launch, Backup & Uninstall Modern UI Apps From Windows 8 Desktop

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Those of you who have already joined the Windows 8 club should be aware that the Start Screen is the only place from where the OS lets you manage Modern UI apps. The Start Screen allows users to pin legacy apps to the Taskbar, unpin any app from Start Screen, uninstall them or change the sizes of their tiles. However, all that doesn't seem very convenient, particularly if you’ve also pinned additional items here, such as files, folders or desktop apps. That’s where Windows App Boss comes to the rescue. This freeware allows users to manage Windows 8 applications right from the desktop. It can also help developers and testers easily add signed packages for testing purposes. Keep reading past the break for further details. Read More

Easily Download & Launch Sysinternals & Nirsoft Utilities With WSCC

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Having too many applications installed on your computer can eventually slow it down. You may already know that different programs and their associated services running in the background consume system resources, adversly effecting the overall performance of your computer. Having individual applications installed might not seem like that big of an issue but having complete software suites such as Puran Utilities - - a collection of various tools to perform different operations such as cleaning junk data, managing files and uninstalling software - installed on your computer can have a bigger impact on system performance. Instead of installing a bunch of utility suites, you can just use WSCC (Windows System Control Center). It is a portable application that lets you install, update, execute and organize tools from different software suites, as well as several built-in Windows tool, all from one interface. Other than the available utilities, it lets you install and automatically update several other tools from within the interface as well. Keep reading to find out more about WSCC. Read More

Turn Your USB Drive Into A Portable Apps Launcher & Media Manager

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Have you ever wanted to take your favorite Windows apps with you and use them wherever you have an access to any Windows PC ? CodySafe is what you’re looking for! It’s a handy portable applications manager that lets you install portable apps on a USB thumb drive or external portable drive. Both the software itself and the downloaded apps are directly installed to your flash drive. In addition, you can carry you favorite media files with you in its pre-configured and well-organized Music, Pictures, Videos and Documents folders. You may also enable the integrated autorun option for CodySafe to automatically launch itself as soon as you plug in the drive. Likewise, the installed apps can be set to auto-execute similarly as well. Read More

Krento Is A Nifty Windows Widget & App Launcher With Multiple Skins

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How about embellishing your desktop with some fancy stones? Okay, I kid, but apparently that’s what this new application called Krento is all about, though the 'stones' in question are quite functional, rather than merely cosmetic. It’s a fascinating Windows freeware that amalgamates the essence of an app dock, an application launcher and a widgets creator by letting you add fancy looking shortcuts for applications, folders, files and website URLs for instantaneous and quick access. Furthermore, you can add Toys (Windows Vista-like desktop gadgets), customize skins and do much more, all in an aesthetically pleasing interface. Read More

Launchbar: A Powerful Application Launcher With Multi-Monitor Support

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Looking for an application launcher with multi-monitor support for launching programs from both primary and secondary display monitors? Launchbar is a freshly-baked open source application launcher that hosts a number of features with an option to specify command arguments to customize the functional behavior of your most frequently used applications. What makes it unique from other application launchers available out there, is that it supports multi-monitor setup; using the Configuration console, you can specify the display monitor from where you want to open the menu for accessing the specified applications. Just like any other app launcher, it allows creating submenus for organizing applications into different groups. Apart from menu-specific customizations, it comes packed with options to set the opacity of the launch bar and set the size of the launch bar as well as the options menu. Sadly, it doesn't support launching multiple applications at a time, but you can create a batch script file containing the location of your apps, and add it to the menu. It also contains an option to set application's process priority, which is applied to the application every time you launch it from the launch bar. Read More

Hot Mouse Flower Is A Hotkey-Triggered Virtual Keyboard For OS X

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Working productively is not just a careful balance of how many times you’re going to check Facebook and look at cats between getting some actual work done. It also involves finding a comfortable arrangement to work with your mouse and keyboard. Not that this is difficult for the average user who can easily switch between using a mouse and keyboard without trouble. Conversely, if you use programs that require you to switch between the two devices very frequently (perhaps in Photoshop) it gets frustrating after a while particularly if you’re working with additional programs. Hot Mouse Flower is a free Mac app that puts a virtual keypad triggered by a hotkey on your screen. The keypad is arranged in a disc and the keys listed are the Function keys, a few letter keys and additional characters. Read More

RocketShip: Create Shortcuts For Openning Apps, Files, Scripts & Folders

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We’ve covered app launchers in abundance before, and most of them provide quick access to frequently used apps or apps that you’ve bookmarked. The purpose of these apps is to minimize the number of apps in your dock and to allow you to group apps, so that you can easily find and launch them. RocketShip is a Mac app worth $1.99 in the Mac App Store that can be broadly classified as an app launcher. However, it is best described as a utility for creating universal shortcuts to apps, URLs, files and folders etc. The app isn’t just restricted to creating keyboard shortcuts for apps; it can also open files, folders, Finder, a website, your browser or run a script. Shortcuts can be added in combination with either the Option or the Command key or both. Shift and Control keys are not supported. Read More

Pipy: Launch Apps, Search Internet & Access Local Files From Your PC

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Some applications are downright minimalist and simple, yet happen to be equally powerful and productive. One such that I came across is Pipy. It’s a concoction of a web search engine, an application launcher and a local directory search tool that aims to let you perform everyday computer tasks in a much efficient way. The program may not eradicate the usage of a computer mouse, but sure to minimize it to a certain extent. It differs from other similar applications in a sense that it relies heavily on two basic ideas – Plugins and Pipes. The developer has provided a clear explanation regarding its usage, detailing how pipes and plugins work in conjunction, but in layman terms, you basically use pre-defined set of commands to tell the application what to do. The interface looks clean and comes with a number of selectable skins. Keep reading to find out more. Read More

Launch Apps Or Run Scripts On Mac From The Bottom-Left Hot Corner

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Hot Corners in Mac are one of the more convenient ways of launching common system features like the Screensaver or Launch Pad. While the feature itself is great, it might not be practical to assign a function to every single corner of your screen. Not only is it hard to remember which corner does what, but the choices for what you can do are limited. BIG Red Button is a Mac app worth $2.99 in the Mac App Store that allows you to launch any five apps or run Apple Scripts. Unlike the default Hot Corners feature in OS X Lion, it gives you the freedom to choose which apps or scripts you want to run, and lets you set an app to run on default when you click in the bottom left corner. Read More

AnyMenu: Open Frequently Used Files & Programs via Middle Mouse Button

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Shortcuts placed on your desktop allow you to have an easy and quick access to the frequently used applications, files and folders. Right now, when you have to open a program, for instance Skype, you just click either its desktop icon, or taskbar shortcut, depending on where you have placed it. Now, imagine if, instead of just clicking the shortcut, you had to open up the Windows Explorer and locate the Skype installation folder inside the Program Files directory and run the application from there. A lack of shortcuts would have taken a lot of time to perform simple tasks. However, like me, a lot of people like to keep their desktop as clean as possible. Shortcut Managers are a decent solution to this problem. They allow you to have both have shortcuts and keep your desktop clean at the same time. Today, we have a simple, portable application, called AnyMenu, which lets you have a custom shortcut menu that can be brought up by clicking the middle mouse button. You can add custom shortcuts for files, folder and applications, and create submenus for organizing similar shortcuts together. Read More

faceMe Opens Files & Apps Using Your Webcam & Face Detection [Mac]

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Controlling your devices via simple gestures that are read through your webcam might seem a futuristic idea, but as recently covered app Flutter showed (read full review here), it isn’t that far away any more. If you think waving your hand infront of your webcam to trigger iTunes was cool, you’re going to love faceMe. It’s a Mac app worth $1.99, and is, literally, worth every penny you pay. Like Flutter, it too is triggered by what the webcam sees; only, instead of being limited to a single app, faceMe lets you launch an audio file, a video or an app, quit an open app, open a file or speak predefined text when it detects a face. More on this marvellous app after the break. Read More

sTabLauncher: Tabbed Toolbar To Launch Files, Folders & Applications

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Shortcut managers, application launchers and context menu editors all have one thing in common: they are all designed in way that they can enhance your Windows experience. In earlier posts, we have covered a lot of applications that allow you to easily access different programs and menus through hotkeys, right click context menus or the system tray. Other programs install toolbars on your desktop that provide you with a quick way to access applications and manage shortcuts without creating a lot of clutter. Applications like Gizmo Toolbar (reviewed here) provide you with an eye candy interface that not only makes your desktop look neat and organized, but also catchy. Today, we have another shortcut management application called sTabLauncher that allows you to launch your favorite files, folders and software from a pull-down launcher on your desktop. It allows you to create separate groups and provides you with easy options to change the look and feel of the launcher. Read on to find out more. Read More

Proto: Keyboard-Only File Manager & Application Launcher For Windows

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If you watch a lot of movies, you must have noticed how actors using computers never seems to touch the mouse or trackpad, getting their jobs done in a jiffy using just the keyboard (The Matrix, anyone?). All that surely looks cool in films, but if you really like to get your tasks done in a quick and efficient manner, especially without using the mouse, then you should consider giving Proto a shot. Developed by Mieszko Lassota, this file launcher and management utility is reminiscent of the Windows CMD (Command Processor) utility. You can manage your files and launch applications using just the keyboard. According to the developer, it’s based on Humane Interface and is aimed at people who favor working using a keyboard over a mouse and value speed in everyday computer tasks. Although there is some sophistication involved during the first run, but once you get a hold of how it works, this nifty application will prove to be extremely useful. Read More

FlashTray Pro: Launch Applications, Folders, URLs & More via System Tray Or Hotkeys

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Shortcut managers, application launchers and context menu editors all have one thing in common: they all simplify and enhance your Windows experience. These applications provide a detour for easily accessing your favorite or frequently used programs, without cluttering up your desktop with shortcuts. We love minimalistic desktops, and believe you people too. In earlier posts, we have covered a lot of applications that allow you to easily access different programs and menus through hotkeys, right click context menus, or the system tray. These are probably the most accessible places to launch your applications. Today, we have another application launcher and hotkey macro utility called FlashTray Pro, which allows you to instantly launch applications, files, folders, URLs and system options from the system tray menu. Moreover, the application has a collection of small utilities, including a Color Picker, Character Map, Screen Magnifier, Calendar Studio and Windows Sizer. The shortcuts can be accessed from both the system tray as well as through user-defined hotkeys. More on FlashTray Pro after the jump. Read More

TimeTask: Task Manager With Built-In Music Player, Shutdown Timer & File/Application Launcher

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With each passing day, the pace of life is increasing all over the world for most of us. Compared to our ancestors, we are required to perform a lot more in much less time. With so many things to do in a day, one sometimes forgets about the all the tasks one has to perform. Nowadays, it is almost a must to have a good task reminder to help you remember and manage yourself efficiently. We have covered some very good task managers for both Windows and Mobile platforms, such as Conqu (reviewed here) and Concenturio (reviewed here). Today, we have another task manager called TimeTask that combines the features of a task manager, music player, shutdown timer and timed application launcher. More on TimeTask after the jump. Read More

minWE: Access Windows Explorer Contents From Quick Launch Bar

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A lot of people do not like to keep a large number of icons on their screen. Application launchers are utilities designed to help you manage your shortcuts and quickly launch frequently used applications without creating clutter on your desktop. They basically keep shortcuts in your reach without disturbing your work space. Previously, we have reviewed some very useful application launchers that allow you to easily launch applications either by adding them to a toolbar or specifying their shortcut path. Famulus, a previously covered app, lets you  launch files as well as websites using hotkeys, while Windows 7 App Launcher lets you effortlessly create application profiles so that they can be launcher with a single click using the Jumplist and Thumbnail Preview features. Today, we have another application, called miniWE, that is a combination of Quick Launch Bar and Windows Explorer, it is not exactly an application launcher, but a file explorer accessible from your task bar. Keep reading to find out more about miniWE. Read More

Famulus: Launch Applications, Files/Folders & Websites via Custom Hotkeys

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Application launchers provide a lucid and simple solution to access your frequently used and favorite programs. They keep you away from cluttering up your desktop with shortcut icons, which steals the beauty of your background wallpaper. More so, you don't have to hunt for your files and applications by going through the hassle of access them from original directory or start menu shortcuts. Previously, we have covered some very good application launchers, such as CianoDock and Zum for Windows, Chuck and Namely for Mac and  Gnome Pie for Ubuntu. They all work awesomely and provide you with either a beautiful interface, or increased capability. However, their functionality is limited to accessing only applications. If you're looking for a similar application that offers more than that, then Famulus is a worthy shot. It is a portable application launcher that also allows you to launch files and websites using hotkeys. The application allows you to specify custom alpha-numeric commands which run as shortcuts to access files, folders, applications and websites. More on Famulus after the jump. Read More

MouseWrangler: Launch Applications & Replace Lengthy Hotkeys With Mouse Gestures

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Ever wanted to use a simple mouse gesture application that doesn’t force you to draw complex shapes to perform the tasks? MouseWrangler lets you associate the combination of 4 simple mouse movements, including right, left, up, and down with defined hotkey (single or multiple keystrokes) to perform any application-specific action, as well as with application executable to launch it by drawing the mouse gesture. You can use the application to quickly open an associated file or application, and run an exhaustive hotkey combination for any application. All you need is to map the mouse directions with hotkey or application executable file to use the gesture for performing the required tasks. Moreover, the application saves all the mouse gesture related information in INI file, allowing you to share your mouse gesture list with others. Unlike other mouse gesture applications, it allows setting minimum length required to draw a gesture, drawing speed, and distance required to detect a mouse gesture. Read More

TyperText: Use Keyboard Shortcuts To Launch Apps & Perform Text Expansion

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Looking for a text expansion utility that can save you from hours of typing and lessen the effort involved in performing routine tasks, such as launching application, running scripts, visiting websites etc? TyperTask is an application that comes packed with an overly simply, yet powerful text expander and application launcher. All you need is to specify the keywords that are to be replaced with specified text string and hotkeys to launch the application, open files and visit websites etc, in its Settings file. The settings file uses a simple syntax to associate hotkey combinations with application’s executable file and website URL etc, and performs text expansion functions. Read More