We talk up the file launcher and manipulator Quicksilver quite a bit here at TUAW, but there is a solid batch of similar productivity-enhancing utilities that offer different things for different users. Whether you're looking for a simple utility that lets you launch your applications faster than Spotlight can find them, or you're prepared to step up to vast amounts of power and flexibility with what you find and how you use it, chances are I covered an app in this screencast that will fit the bill for you. From the power of Butler to the simplicity of Namely, I wanted to give you at least some of the basics and a visual on how 5 different launchers work, as well as their pros and cons and how they differ from each other. However, since I am a Quicksilver lover at heart, it is very likely that I missed a key feature or two in these apps, so feel free to highlight your favorite features and what you think new users can truly benefit from in the comments. Also, for anyone interested in what I'm using to create these screencasts, I include a very short blurb at the beginning which highlights a few of the tools I use to record the screencast and create some of the effects I use.
This time around I've decided to try something different, and I've created two versions of the screencast. In our podcast feed is an iPod-friendly version of the podcast that's 640 x 400, 17 minute and 40 MB - that's the one you can get by subscribing to our iTunes Store podcast feed or our direct TUAW podcast feed. I've also created an HD version for those who want something with a little more detail (sorry, we don't have an RSS feed for HD podcasts yet; this is a new thing so we'll see how it goes). That one will look better on larger displays and should play mighty fine on the Apple TV.
To make sure we're all on the same page and that you can run out and grab demos of these launchers, here is a list of links to all the apps I mention in the screencast, including the ones I use to create and record it:
Launchers
- Quicksilver - donationware
- LaunchBar - commercial: $19.95
- Butler - donationware
- Overflow - commercial: $14.95
- Namely - donationware
- Desktopple Pro - hiding the desktop icons, custom wallpaper and more (which we've mentioned before)
- Mouseposé - spotlight effects, keystroke overlays (which I didn't use in this specific screencast) and other presentation highlighting tools (mentioned here)
- iShowU - excellent and customizable app for recording screencasts (mentioned a couple times here)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
6-14-2007 @ 12:29PM
Tommyjolly said...
Nice choice for a topic, I'm downloading it at the moment!
Another thing is:
Could you make the descriptions of your Podcasts a bit more specific in the future? They seem to be a bit cluttered and I never know if I'm actually interested in seeing that particular episode!?
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6-14-2007 @ 12:49PM
Dave Chartier said...
#1: What exactly do you mean? I thought this post was pretty thorough - are you referring to the podcast description that appears in the RSS feed? If so, we unfortunately don't have any control over that yet; that description is simply fed by the content of our posts.
We are of course working to update that, but for now it's all we've got.
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6-14-2007 @ 1:04PM
Andrew said...
What about my favorite launcher: F10 Launch Studio?
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6-14-2007 @ 1:09PM
Lee said...
This is off topic, but where could I get that wallpaper..?!
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6-14-2007 @ 1:27PM
James Young said...
When I saw the keynote, the first thing I thought of when i saw the stacks / groups feature was how much it reminded me of the app launcher "Todos": http://www.dbachrach.com/opensoft/index.php?page=Todos
I've been using this for a while and find it a handy way to keep the dock from getting too cluttered w/ apps.
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6-14-2007 @ 1:38PM
benthehackman said...
Hey...Just like Lee... where could I get your wallpaper ? It's awesome !
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6-14-2007 @ 1:45PM
patrice said...
You forget to talk about RapidoStart 1.5 from app4mac.com. It's a free launcher with amazing effects !
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6-14-2007 @ 1:49PM
Luigi193 said...
I have always loved and used Launchbar. GO launchbar!
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6-14-2007 @ 2:04PM
Conner Downey said...
For all who want the wallpaper: http://manicho.deviantart.com/
He has a ton, and they're all good.
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6-14-2007 @ 2:08PM
Ahmad said...
hmm... I always pronounced it "Too-wah" not "Twah"
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6-14-2007 @ 2:14PM
Dan said...
Great podcast, thanks!
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6-14-2007 @ 3:12PM
Mac101 said...
Or just use spotlight in the top right, which is just as fast and free, and uses no additional RAM. I shortcut it to F4- why is it always overlooked?
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6-14-2007 @ 3:37PM
lumen said...
I have used F10 for a long time now and just recently switched to quicksilver. Quicksilver is great program, but i still use F10 to launch quicksilver. I just can't let go, i think it's because its easier for me to press F10 instead of Apple+spacebar. Great post nonetheless.
and for screencast recordings, i recommend snapzpro x, it's a pretty sweet program.
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6-14-2007 @ 4:33PM
Dave Chartier said...
#12 Mac101: People aren't going to all the trouble to develop and install these apps because they simply overlooked Spotlight. There are a lot of things Spotlight doesn't do, such as customizable keyboard shortcuts for apps, documents and AppleScripts, being able to run a script from the searchbox/command line, extra docks for folders, files and applications, etc. Heck, all Spotlight lets you do with contacts is show them in Address Book; with Quicksilver, I can create a new message in Mail or Gmail automatically addressed to that contact, or even compose and send an email to the contact all from inside Quicksilver. That's powerful stuff.
In addition, a lot of users have complained that Spotlight simply gets bogged down over time. You'll see this a lot on the blogs and in forums, especially from developers, power users and budding power users. On my 200 GB Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro with 2 GB RAM, I can comfortably say that Spotlight is almost useless because it's so darn slow, and I've rebuilt my index twice and even tried excluding certain directories to help speed things up.
What works for one person doesn't always work for another. If you're happy with Spotlight, that's good. That said, there are a *ton* of other features these applications bring to the table that make many users happy. I highly recommend checking them out and looking over their major features to see if they offer more productivity to your workflow.
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6-14-2007 @ 4:54PM
jailerjoe said...
Overflow is simply the best at what it does. Check it out at http://www.macmentor.org/switch/
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6-14-2007 @ 5:42PM
Tommyjolly said...
#2: Yep, that's what I meant. The description in the RSS Feed.
The post is really good, no worries!
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6-14-2007 @ 7:10PM
Galley said...
I loves me some Overflow, but it appears it may be somewhat obsolete once Leopard is released with its Stacks feature.
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6-14-2007 @ 7:46PM
Bill Olson said...
Two thumbs up
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6-14-2007 @ 8:43PM
Matt James said...
For the record, this latest episode doesn't appear in the iTunes Store. The only way I could download it was to subscribe to the series. Perhaps iTunes hasn't refreshed the server I'm apparently loading yet?
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6-14-2007 @ 8:51PM
Kevin P said...
Great screencast, I'm watching the HD version, which is excellent. One niggle: in the write-up above and in the screencast itself you describe QuickSilver as donationware. I really wish it was! As far as I can tell there's no way to send Alcor something for this outstanding application.
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