Tag Archives: desktop

Feewhee: Use Mouse Scroll To Resize Windows & Adjust Their Transparency

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When Windows Vista came out, the Aero-Snap feature revolutionized the way we resize our windows. It allowed users to quickly resize windows in different sizes to make efficient use of the available virtual work space. You can place windows side by side, place them vertically or automatically resize more than 2 windows horizontally and vertically to be able to access the content from each one. However, the default Aero-Snap feature is somewhat limited. It doesn’t allow you to stack windows in different positions. For instance, if you want to stack four windows on your screen in the form of a grid, you will have to manually resize them, or use a third party desktop manager that allows you to perform automatic window resizing and management of all open applications. Read More

Disable Mac Dashboard & Rearrangement Of Desktop Spaces [Tip]

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Desktop spaces are, by far, one of the most intuitive ways of managing your apps’ windows. For those that don’t know, the Desktop spaces don’t just group your windows; they’re actually smart to remember which ones you use most frequently, and rearranges them as per your preference. The feature is great, but if you prefer to maintain a particular order for the spaces, this rearranging can be quite frustrating. Should you be looking for a simple way to maintain your preferred order for the desktop spaces, this tip is the solution. If you also find the Dashboard to be either useless or annoying (or both), there is a way to disable that as well. Read More

MetroTwit Updated: Windows 8 Support With Filters, Undo Tweet Options

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Twitter is one of the most famous social networking services out there. It allows you to keep yourself updated and get to know about events in real time. A lot of Twitter users prefer to use desktop clients rather than the web app because the desktop clients, such as TweekDeck, Seesmic, Sobees etc, provide much better viewing and management options than the web app itself. Back in June 2011, Usman covered a Metro UI based Twitter client for Windows called MetroTwit. At that time, the application was in beta, and lacked certain features as well as possessing bugs. Now, however, the first stable version of MetroTwit has been released, with Windows 8 support as the major highlight. The developers have introduced some very useful and much needed changes in the client, including Multiple account support (paid version only), filter support and undo tweet functionality. Keep reading to find out more about the changes included in the latest version. Read More

Wallpaper Master Switches Between Wallpapers By User-Defined Rating

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In the past, we have covered some great Windows 7 Themes, and applications like Mourao Wallpaper Changer,  SyncWall and Kuvva that automatically change desktop wallpaper after a specified time. Wallpaper Master is another powerful and highly customizable desktop wallpaper manager that allows you to cycle through specified desktop wallpapers. Apart from changing wallpapers after defined time interval, you can set various wallpaper-related settings in order to customize the wallpaper changing process. For instance, you can set the default position of wallpaper, change wallpaper order in the list, set wallpaper ratings and more. Keep reading to find out more about Wallpaper Master. Read More

Add Your Favorite RSS Feed As Animated Wallpaper On Mac [Tip]

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We’ve covered apps that conveniently put your entire RSS feed on your desktop, thus saving you the trouble of visiting a browser window whenever you need to check for or read new stories. For those that only go through their feeds once a day, either at the start or end of it, having an app that monitors live feed and promptly displays it or notifies you of it seems like too much. There is, of course, the rare time when you do need to actively follow a feed and there isn’t time to find the right app for it, you can put the feed on your Mac desktop with this little trick. Read More

[Giveaway] Droppy: Easily Move Files Between Desktop Spaces & Apps On Mac [Paid]

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Desktop spaces in Mac make it easy to manage multiple apps and windows. Compared to Expose in Snow Leopard, Desktop Spaces, coupled with Mission Control, let you easily distribute and organize your work without overthinking it. While this feature is mostly convenient, it does get difficult to switch files from one space to another, or between two apps that you have open in different spaces. Droppy is a Mac app worth $0.99 in the Mac App store that gives you a simplified way of transferring files between two apps on different desktop spaces. The app adds a wormhole area to the screen, visible across all spaces, where you can dock a file. You can then swipe between desktop spaces and drag the file onto the app you want to add it to. Read More

Bypass Windows 8 SmartScreen Filter To Run 3rd Party Desktop Apps

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Among Windows 8’s new features has been the rather-hyped SmartScreen Filter. The filter itself is nothing new, as users of Internet Explorer have been familiar with the said protection measure implemented in Microsoft’s internet browser to provide precautions against phishing websites and malicious downloads. With Windows 8, Microsoft brought the same security concept to third-party programs (applications downloaded from the internet), and the default behavior of SmartScreen does not allow many applications to run when they’re downloaded. There is an easy method to change that, however, and you can find out all about it just past the jump. Read More

What’s New In Windows 8 Desktop, Start Search, And Start Screen [Review]

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Windows 8 comes with a huge array of new features, Metro UI-based elements, Metro Full Screen Apps, and many other improvements. Amongst all the UI-related enhancements, native utilities and features, Windows 8 Desktop, Metro Start Screen and Windows 8 Search are the most significant. These Windows UI elements have been totally revamped with new metro look, accompanied by some new and interesting features. In this post, we will excavate deep into features that these major Windows 8 elements have to offer. Read More

Stickies: Attach Notes To Specific Programs & Recur After Specific Time

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Most of us have been in a situation where a random but really important thought crossed our mind but we did not have anything to note it down at that moment, and it slipped out before we could note it down. The default Sticky Notes gadget of Windows comes pretty hand in such situations, and has found a lot of utility in both office and home computers. It allows you to save and quickly access important information. If you are “go green” type of person, using virtual Sticky Notes instead of the real Post-It notes can also help in conservation of the environment, since it is becoming a big issue. More and more trees are getting cut down to meet the world demand for paper. However, the problem with Sticky Notes is that there is no unified interface to manage the sticky notes that you have placed on your computer screen. Some days ago, we covered Sticky7List, an application for Windows that lets you manage and search the Sticky Notes stored on your system. Stickies is another utility for Windows that provides you with extensive options to create and manage Sticky Notes on your desktop. Read More

Bazaar For PC: Manage & Get Windows Phone 7 Homebrews From Your Desktop

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If you have a Windows Phone 7 device, and you like to stay up to date with the latest developments going on for Mango, then you must be aware of Bazaar, the Cydia store for WP7. Bazaar is the app which lets users having a fully unlocked device to install homebrews to their phone. It is a Marketplace for XAPs, and replicated the official Marketplace’s features pretty accurately. However, if your device is not fully unlocked, i.e. you don’t have a custom ROM, then Bazaar is of no use to you. That situation has just changed, with the release of the desktop client for the homebrew store, titled Bazaar for PC. Using the application you can manage, browse, share and download XAP files available in the Bazaar store. Read More

HotKey Resolution Changer: Change Monitor Resolution Using Hot Keys

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Just as monitors are designed in various sizes, their display resolution also varies from size to size. Larger displays usually sport higher the resolution and vice versa. Although, LCDs are designed to work best at their native resolutions, sometime we do find the need to change resolution (especially if you still own old CRTs). Thankfully, Windows allows you to change the resolution of your screen from its display properties, but you have to open display settings and change resolution manually, and then save the changes to completely apply it. Some people can find it to be somewhat a tedious task. Previously, we reviewed an application called Display Changer that allowed you to change to the resolution of your own choice, rather than the ones pre-included in Windows, by specifying the desired parameters including width, height, depth, refresh rate, fixed output, rotate and positions including left, right, top and bottom. Today, we have another app at your disposal called HotKey Resolution Changer. It is a portable application for Windows that lets you change the resolution of your monitor through hotkeys. Keep reading to find out more about the application. Read More

Aligner: Adjust Horizontal & Vertical Position Of Desktop Wallpaper

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One of the instant ways to give your desktop a facelift is to change the wallpaper. Wallpapers help in setting up the mood according to what you're doing and give fresh look to your everyday computer work. Loved that quote on the internet? Why not set it as your wallpaper to keep yourself motivated? Beside, no one likes the same old wallpaper everyday. If you are a fan of custom wallpapers, you must've noticed that most wallpapers do not match the aspect ratio of current resolution and you need to manually find wallpapers in native resolution. Sometimes, the favorite part of your wallpaper gets cut away from the background when you use wallpaper in incorrect dimensions, defeating its whole purpose. A while back, we covered a wallpaper application called BackGrounder, which allows you to easily scale and trim images according to your needs, enabling you to create custom wallpapers. Today, we have another application at your disposal, namely Aligner that lets you align the wallpaper on your desktop according to your preferences. You can use this application to choose the part of wallpaper you want to keep in the center of the screen. Moreover, it lets you move the wallpaper anywhere on the desktop, in Top, Bottom, Left and Right direction. More on the usage after the break, so keep reading. Read More

YTubePlayer: Simple & Useful Desktop Tool For Managing YouTube Videos

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I’m sure that everyone who uses the internet knows about, and has visited, YouTube a lot of times. Founded in 2005, it became a lot famous in quite a short amount of time, allowing billions of users to view, as well as share, videos with a global audience. Other than the widely used entertainment purposes, YouTube is also used for showcasing products, launching music videos and educating people. The application can only be accessed through a browser and does not have an official desktop application out yet. YTubePlayer is a third party application for YouTube that provides you with a desktop tool to easily access and manage YouTube. More on YTubePlayer after the break. Read More

Screenshot Helper: Hide Icons, Menu Bar & Dock To Take Snapshots [Mac]

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We’ve covered several apps in the past that let you take screenshots. Each one had its own special features, but what you rarely come across, is an app that is meant to facilitate taking better screenshots. Screenshot Helper is a free Mac app that does not capture screenshots itself, but is actually meant to help you take better screenshots by covering the desktop with either a solid color or an image, hiding all icons on your desktop and hiding the menu bar and Dock. All windows remain visible, and can be minimized as per your preferences. Once you’ve cleared out your desktop, use your favorite screenshot app and capture as many snapshots as you like. Read More

Blacksmith Brings Mac Desktop Spaces, Launchpad & Mission Control To Windows

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Previously, we have covered some very good desktop management applications, such as Desktop Panorama, WindowSlider and mDesktop. All of these desktop managers have their own strengths and weaknesses, some provide you with unlimited side ways scroll capability, while other allow you to preview all the virtual desktops to locate and manage the position of every running application. Today, we have another, very comprehensive, desktop management application for you, which allows you to have more than just multiple virtual desktops on your system. Blacksmith is a portable GUI extension tool and virtual desktop manager for Windows that provides you with the feel of Windows, Android and Mac OS X Lion operating systems. More on Blacksmith after the break. Read More

Instant Eyedropper Is A System Tray Based Tool To View Color Codes

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Yesterday, we covered Plastiliq PixelPicker, an application that allows you to view color codes in 10 different formats, such as RGB, ARM, HTML, CMYK, HEX etc. It can detect the color of items on your desktop and lets you view its view in a lot of formats, which can be quiet useful during web designing projects. Plastiliq PixelPicker has its own interface and a memory footprint of around 31 MB, but if you are looking for something lighter, you can check out Instant Eyedropper. It is a system tray based application with a memory foot print of only around 1.2 MB, which allows you to view color values and automatically copy the values to clipboard in multiple formats, without having to access any interface. More on Instant Eyedropper after the break. Read More

How To Restrict User Access & Enforce Windows 7 Personalization Settings

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Earlier, we showed you how to prevent PC users from accessing Internet Connection Properties dialog, so that they can not change the DHCP settings and DNS server address. Using the built-in Microsoft Management Console snap-in called Local Group Policy Editor, you could define a wide range of system components’ usage constraints to limit users' access to core system settings as well as visual configurations. Like previous Windows versions, Windows 7 lets you prevent PC users from tweaking the default or specified Desktop Personalization settings, including theme settings, screen saver, sounds, desktop background, and other visual styles. This post shows you a simple way of applying user access limits on Personalization and Visual Styles in order to prevent PC users from changing their settings. Read More

Clean My Desktop: Sort Files According To Type & Move To Folder [Mac]

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If your desktop routinely looks like someone threw up icons on it, it might mean one of two things; you are either a bad organizer, or just too lazy to clean your desktop clutter. It can actually be both these things, but whatever it is that keeps you from cleaning up the mess on your screen, it needs a solution before you run out of places to click. Clean My Desktop is a Mac app that works wonders; it analyzes and sorts all files and icons on your desktop, categorizes them as Applications, Documents, Pictures, Movies, Music, Source Code, Folders and Aliases, and separates them into folders. All folders are created as sub-folder in any location of your choice. Read More

ScreenBlur Automatically Locks Your PC Screen In Case Of Inactivity

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Leaving your PC unlocked leaves more room for greater the risk of compromising your personal data. The statement holds quite true for banking sector, where even a single mistake can lead to millions of losses. That's the reason it's a strict rule to always lock your computer before leaving the desk. However, mistakes do happen and where there is no room for mistakes, its better to take precautionary measures instead of facing guilty next to your boss. Just a few days ago we covered a screen locking application named Smart PC Locker Pro. The application would let you lock your system with a hotkey, along with an option to automatically shut down the PC after a specified number of wrong attempts, and allowed you to change the lock screen wallpaper. Although the application was robust, if you are looking for a simple lock screen application, try  ScreenBlur. It is a portable application that lets you simply lock your computer screen, and bars access to any item on your desktop. There is no dialogue box, no complicated procedures and no need to go through tedious configurations - just set your password and secure your desktop! Keep reading to find if can help you out. Read More

Tab Notifier: Get Desktop Notifications From Social Networks [Firefox]

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Firefox has a built-in feature for sending users desktop notifications but it isn’t used as much. Despite its sophistication, Firefox’s desktop notification just don’t see as much use as they could be. Tab Notifier is a Firefox add-on that helps make better use of the notification feature in Firefox. It lets you receive notifications from any website. You can configure it to show or restrict notifications from websites. It is useful if you would like to be notified when there is new activity on your Facebook, Twitter, Yahoomail or Hotmail etc., or any other page. When the title of a tab changes, or when you receive instant messages on various social networking sites, even when the tab is not focused, Tab Notifier notifies you with new desktop messages, and clicking on these simply opens the tab that triggered the message. You may add filters to specify websites that will be ignored when sending desktop notifications. Read More