eye candy

Apr 27 2009

Yahoo! Konfabulator is Free

Now at version 2.1, Konfabulator boasts more than a thousand widgets and a strong cross-platform user base. Konfabulator now represents the only free solution for running desktop widgets for users of pre-Tiger OS X and Windows.

So, whatever your OS (provided it is not Linux) you can join in the celebration of desktop eye-candy. If you previously downloaded Konfabulator (whether you purchased it or not) all you will need to do is download and install a current version to rid yourself the the shareware nags.

Now, once installed I anticipate that you will tire of the built-in widgets – exciting as they are. The first place you’ll want to go shopping is widgetgallery.com. Part of Konfabulator’s own site, this is by far the biggest collection of Konfabulator widgets around.

For a small set of Konfabulator widgets intended to replicate the default widgets in Dashboard, stop by osx-e’s Dashboard Widgets. Studio Widgets also sports a widget directory compatible with Konfabulator.

While there are plenty of widgets to sift through, here are a few of the must-haves:

pimoverview Yahoo! Konfabulator is Free

Don’t miss the built-in PIM Overview. It shows your current calendar items and tasks from iCal and isn’t active by default. Find it stashed in your widgets folder.

systemDashboard Yahoo! Konfabulator is Free

To keep track of all your system stats, you’ll want to grab Justin Pulsipher’s polished systemDashboard widgets. If subtle is more your style, try out Ricky Romero’s compact series.

GasWatch Yahoo! Konfabulator is Free

Adrian Gonzales has a pair of very useful widgets. His Gmail notifier can hide until you have a new message. He also has a money saving widget, GasWatch, that will guide you to cheap gasoline, by zip code.

This is only the tip of the iceberg. There are widgets you can drag files to to upload them, widgets to monitor your POP and IMAP email accounts and even widgets to notify you of voicemail messages in your Vonage account.

With the Yahoo acquisition expect more widgets to come and be sure to join me next week for more free downloads.

Brian

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Apr 27 2009

Getting Things Done

Getting this done is important. Sometimes we get so mired in work that we don’t take time out to look at our tasks and be sure we’re spending time on important things. Hopefully this week’s free picks will help fix that.

Remember the Milk

Naturally, our first stop is a new AJAX powered Web 2.0 solution for task management. If you can get past the cow and the odd name, you’ll find RTM to be a very aesthetically pleasing and useful way to track tasks.

rtm Getting Things Done

There’s email reminders, iCal integration and more. The user forum is active and the developers very responsive to feedback. Of course, the service is free.

TaskToy

While we’re on the subject, there’s another great AJAX web-based solution. This one is perfect for those of you that want to get directly to business, and are less interested in the eye-candy interface of RTM. TaskToy supports email reminders and RSS subscriptions. Its a good, clean way to keep track of those tasks.

GanttProject

In a nod to the old-school, we have to feature this cross-platform Open Source project. GanttProject makes tracking projects easy, with advanced charting and scheduling features. This free solution is ideal for directing large projects with multiple collaborators.

SproutLiner

This AJAX solution allows for a more free-form approach to organizing thoughts and lists. This web-based services (also available for install on your own server) allows you to make instant, flexible lists defined by columns and rows you create.

sproutliner Getting Things Done

SproutLiner allows you to include any combination of check boxes, drop-down lists and freetext that you need to organize your information. Best of all, its AJAX implementation means no page reloading.

voo2do

Lastly, there’s voo2do. This web-based todo tracker is much like the first two. While the colorful interface might overwhelm you at first, you may find the feature set to fit your style. Tasks, notes, projects and deadlines are organized for easy access, and a history feature records what you’ve been up to.

That should be enough productivity tools to waste your afternoon. If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to go prioritize my task list.

Brian

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May 9 2008

plasq works some Core Tech witchcraft with Comic Life Magiq

plasq today released Comic Life Magiq 1.0 for Mac OS X 10.5. If you have every played with the original Comic Life, you know to expect lots of fun eye-candy. Comic Life Magiq doesn’t disappoint. This entirely new photo-comic desktop publishing software allows you to quickly create awesome artwork using build-in templates or warp images with the new Magiq image editor.

Comic Life Magiq is built from the ground up and leverages the power of Mac OS X 10.5 core technologies, like Core Image and Core Animation resulting in photo-comics with unique visual effects and elegant layout. The comic page layout engine can handle complex and creatively-curved comic panels, speech balloons and captions. Artistic ‘brushes’ provide hand-drawn feel to lines, and powerful compositing lets the user flexibly combine their images. A high degree of control over individual comic elements enables complex gradients, reflections, brushes, line styles, fill options, shadows and more. The modular interface lets users hide or view these details while navigating through a continuous WSYWIG page layout view.

Also included are a collection of artist-commissioned templates, props, balloon shapes and spraycans to both inspire and get users straight into the fun. Templates cover a wide variety of life’s events and characters including birthdays, pets, outdoor activities etc.

Comic Life Magiq requires Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) and above. Comic Life Magiq costs USD$44.95. Crossgrades from Comic Life Basic, Comic Life Deluxe and Comic Life Apple Bundle are available for USD$29.95.

Note:

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