Posts Tagged
dashboard
When Dashboard widgets first debuted in OS X Tiger, I was immediately hooked. It was a lot like the precursor to iPhone app addiction. There were all these cool little utilities that performed tons of useful and entertaining functions. In no time at all I had a Dashboard full of widgets. I even went so far as to learn to break into certain widgets so I could customize the interface, add different sounds and perform other tomfoolery.
My fascination was fairly short lived. The “out of sight, out of mind” theory kicked in quickly and I soon began going entire weeks and months without so much as a glance at any of my widgets. Before long I closed them all down to save on memory.
These days I leave a few widgets open: weather, iStat and Google Analytics, but I rarely remember to check on them. However, the new Dashboard swipe gesture in Lion has reminded me to check on my old friend Dashboard more frequently.
It seems though that most developers have lost interest in the feature, even Apple doesn’t go out of their way to showcase widgets like they used to. In practice, Dashboard seems like an abandoned project but one that Apple is cautious about removing altogether. How long before Apple kills Dashboard completely or gives it a refresh good enough to bring it back into the spotlight? Perhaps a widget section of the Mac App Store could breathe new life into an old feature?
I’d like to know what you think of Dashboard. Cast your vote in the poll and let us know whether or not you even use it anymore. After that, leave a comment below with your opinions about what should be done with Dashboard. Is it fine the way it is? Should Apple abandon it? Should there be an App Store for widgets?
Wouldn’t you love to have a dashboard for your Mac, similar to the one in your car that alerts you if anything seems likely to malfunction? CheckUp is exactly that. From your hard drive to your OS installation, CheckUp will keep watch for anything that’s wrong with your Mac, and tell you how to fix it.
Today we’ll go into detail with every aspect of this application, and assess whether it’s a worthwhile purchase to keep your Mac running in tip-top shape.
Although Dashboard received a huge amount of attention when it was originally released, it has since become a fairly standard feature of OS X. Thousands of different widgets are available – some far more useful than others.
Today I’ll be taking a look at 10 widgets that really stand out from the crowd, and have something unique and interesting to offer you in your day-to-day computer use. I hope you find a few of them useful!
eBay has become completely ubiquitous with buying and selling goods online, but their website often doesn’t provide the best user experience. For ‘power users’ of eBay, there are a number of apps available for OSX which can help you to get the most from the auction site and save a huge amount of time. Even for casual users, certain tools can make searching, saving results and tracking auctions far easier.
This roundup will focus on 8 different applications which have the potential to make you a much more effective eBay user. Whether it’s through creating great looking auctions, or ensuring you have the best chance of winning in a bidding contest – you’ll see eBay in a completely fresh light.
Editor’s Note: I’m pleased to announce that AppStorm will be running a weekly feature cartoon by the talented N.C. Winters. Author of the popular Freelance Freedom and Creative License strips, N.C. will be gracing the blog with a Mac-related comic every week. Without further ado, here’s the very first edition of MacTastik Weekly! (more…)
