Filed under: Software
Think 1.0
Applications that offer 'full screen' modes are all the rage now a days. The idea is that if you run one application in full screen mode you won't be distracted by all those other things that fight for your attention on your Mac.The good people at Freeverse are savvy to this, but they figured why bother creating individual applications with a full screen mode when you can create an app that'll let any app have a full screen mode of sorts. Thus Think was born.
Think has a very cool Illumination Panel that allows you to pick from any of your currently running applications. As soon as you pick an app, Think throws up a backdrop (the color is up to you, though it defaults to black) that covers up the rest of your desktop (on your main monitor as well as any secondary monitors you might have) though the Dock remains visible. Think goes one step further and displays the icon of the currently focused app in its Dock icon, just in case you forget.
It is obvious that Freeverse spent some time thinking about this application. Now, what would you expect to pay for such an application? If you said nothing, not only are you cheap but you're also correct! That's right, Freeverse is giving this gem away (Mac OS X 10.4.3 or later is required).
Check out the gallery below for some screenshots.
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Jeroen said 6:54PM on 2-05-2007
This really great. I just installed it and now the clutter is gone!
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Johnny Thrash said 7:05PM on 2-05-2007
I like all my applications broken apart like they are on the Mac. That is one of the many, many reasons I quit Windows a year ago.
I'm sure there will be people who find this application useful, but for me it's just cumbersome. I am constantly switching from application to application to application while I work and this just gets in the way.
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Mat Lu said 7:39PM on 2-05-2007
It's kind of cool, but it's strange that you can't use your arrow keys to switch between illuminated applications when you bring up the "Illumination Panel." I also think there need to be a bit easier way to switch into and out of it, e.g. that you can set certain applications (e.g. your word-processor) to use it, so that you could just use the switcher, and when you switched to that application it would be illuminated, but when you switched to another, the backdrop would go away.
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Jay said 7:48PM on 2-05-2007
Neat little app. Although I wonder why people don't just hold down command-option and then click on an icon in the dock or on a open window - will hide all other apps, allowing to focus on one app at a time. Seems to do achieve the same goal as Think.
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bobics said 7:58PM on 2-05-2007
That's not "full screen mode". That's, "make your background dark mode".
Full screen mode would be if the entire window was expanded to take up the entire screen. This would be WAY more useful.
This just addresses the minor annoyance of clutter.
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scott said 8:53PM on 2-05-2007
DragThing does this too - been using it for years...
SB
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Aron Trimble said 8:54PM on 2-05-2007
i'm sorry, but isn't one of the great benefits of using a mac is that multi-tasking is way easier? I guess I am of the mindset that if I only want one application open, than i'll only open one application. What is the point in having a massive display (or multiple displays) if i'm only going to have one window open per monitor?
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AlMeister said 9:29PM on 2-05-2007
Looks to me like an app that tackles a problem that doesn't need solving (IMHO). Illumination Panel? Why re-implement the dock?
If I need that "distraction free mode", I just use opt-cmd-H (hide others).
...at least it's free though.
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Quix said 10:22PM on 2-05-2007
Very cool. I've been wanting a way to easily change the screen background white for better illumination during iChat video conferences. This should fit the bill nicely!
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KeepLooking said 10:31PM on 2-05-2007
Here's the MacOSXHints thread that led to Think:
http://forums.macosxhints.com/showthread.php?t=66076
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scryber said 11:07PM on 2-05-2007
A lot of these 'full screen' apps are popping up these days, but all I want is for someone to update FocusLayer for 10.4 (or 10.5).
FocusLayer, simply put: the current app is highlighted while the rest of the screen is masked by a layer with user-defined opacity--a little or a lot. And the best part is, you can click right to other apps without any cmd key or other keyboard modifier. Just works... except in 10.4 Sort of but not quite.
Originally made for 10.2, the author admits FocusLayer is a bit of a hack and has released the source. Won't somebody pick up the ball?
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Bjorn Nitmo said 11:07PM on 2-05-2007
If you don't want a black background and can live with a dimmed background, check out Doodim:
http://www.lachoseinteractive.net/en/products/doodim/
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Dustin MacDonald said 11:07PM on 2-05-2007
Thanks for pointing this app out, it's pretty cool. Like others have said though, it has some issues. I've published my thoughts and ideas for Think here:
http://www.dustinmacdonald.net/2007/02/improving-think.html
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Adam Betts said 11:20PM on 2-05-2007
Not exactly similar to this software but the concept is similar, MegaZoomer is a SIMBL plug-in that'll make any cocoa window grow to full screen. Pretty amazing especially for Mail app and Safari.
http://www.ianhenderson.org/megazoomer.html
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Real Mac User said 6:04AM on 2-06-2007
"Full screen mode" is for switchers who miss "maximize." Why, oh why, do you have to encourage the PC users to crash the party? This is the cancer that is killing the Mac platform.
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David Moss said 6:52AM on 2-06-2007
Another app I use, which does a similar thing is Backdrop (http://www.johnhaney.com/backdrop/)
I personally find it most useful when watching WMV videos in QuickTime Player since the free version won't allow full-screen viewing (which still puzzles me.) I'd hardly say apps like this are "killing the platform", just offering a different way of working which may or may not benefit you.
Anyway, if I remember correctly, a "single window mode" was written into early versions of OS X, wasn't it? By the people who built the platform in the first place!
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Jeff said 9:24AM on 2-06-2007
I've been using Auto-Hide for years to hide my other open apps.
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Scott McNulty said 10:18AM on 2-06-2007
'Real Mac User,' I say the more the merrier to the PC users who are switching. Aren't all Mac users 'Real Mac Users?'
I use a PC about 50% of the time, does that mean I am not a real Mac user?
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Kirk Rheinlander said 10:18AM on 2-06-2007
DooDim is a significant superset of this, allowing you to vary the dimness of the background to your heart's content.
http://www.lachoseinteractive.net/en/products/doodim/
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Targuman said 10:58AM on 2-06-2007
And Doodim can go to black as well. Personally, I am not sure that any of this really helps productivity. As others have said, just "Hide" the other apps and (if you are really ADD) choose a simple desktop image. In all of this you still have to have enough self control to not bring up the other apps... Is this really so hard?
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