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DesktopCollage


The "virtual cork board"

collage If you have favorite images, movies, animations or just want to keep pictures of your pets, friends or family on your desktop, DesktopCollage gives you these abilities so that you can let your creative energy flow and personalize your desktop to your heart's content.

DesktopCollage is really for those who want a "virtual cork board" and this feature-rich shareware delivers; however, it may be an uncertain future given that Apple has already announced desktop enhancements in the 10.4 "Tiger" OS that may make the shelf life of this product short.

Collage Control Having said that, DesktopCollage can be fun as it allows the user to post stickies, (images, movies, etc.) anywhere on the desktop, itself, by simply selecting and placing the images you want to appear. A handy movie controller appears for QuickTime files and the application even recognizes OS X's "fast user switching" and pauses the playback when your system is in use by another screen name. It can be set to remain static when clearing your desktop windows via ExposŽ so that the images can be enjoyed at will.

DesktopCollage will resize your large images, allow you to overlap those images and even respond to your workflow by pausing your movies when in the background. Great for when the boss stops by your cubical during the Macworld Expo keynote address you are streaming or while checking out the latest QuickTime movie trailers for "The Incredibles."

collage control panel Even though decorating your desktop is not unique to this software, it is a different approach to it and is less processor-thirsty compared to Konfabulator or simply keeping many viewer windows open.

Personally, I find these images make my desktop too cluttered, even for just one or two images, but my family just loved it. In fact, DesktopCollage may be a little tricky for some student age family members, but they seem to be the ones who like it the most.

If you want to keep photos of your pets, kids, friends, vacations, iMovies or whatever in plain view, DesktopCollage is all you need to do. For me, I can say that I appreciate the thorough design to the interface, ease of use and good quality results, (but this is for my specific needs for my desktop).

This is not something I found to be useful, but my kids love it.

DesktopCollage v2.01

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CREDITS:
Daniel East is the founder and president of The Mid-Atlantic Macintosh User Groups Team (MaMUGs); a member of The Apple Consultants Network (ACN); a member of The Apple Developer Connection (ACN); a panelist on "PC Talk Radio;" a live speaker/presenter and a freelance columnist for several Mac publications. This review may be reproduced with proper attribution. Please notify author of placement and provide a copy/URL for reference. All trademarks are property of their respective owners. (c) 2004 Daniel M. East for The Mid-Atlantic Macintosh User Groups Team (MaMUGs) ... Event dates are subject to change. Some products, programs, or promotions are not available outside the U.S. Prices are estimated retail prices and are listed in U.S. dollars. Product specifications are subject to change. Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, Power Mac, Velocity Engine, FireWire, AirPort, Safari, Sherlock, QuickTime, iLife, iTunes, iChat, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, iCal and Apple Store are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Mention of third-party products is for informational purposes only and constitutes neither a recommendation nor an endorsement.

 

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