But what makes this really powerful is the incredible number of high-quality third-party skins and gadgets that you find here and also here. Right-clicking on the gadget gives you access to a couple of more widgets. You’ll be a bit disappointed at first, as it just adds a bare clock, resource, and disk gadget to your desktop: It is probably the resource-friendliest, cleanest, and most customizable Windows shell replacement. For example, you could dock the Weather or Stock app in a little corner on your desktop instead of having it take over your screen.īoth ModernMix and Fences are available as trial versions but they’re worth their $4.99 and $9.99 cost, respectively.Ī discussion about shell enhancements can’t be had without getting the big one out of the way: Rainmeter (try the Beta 3.0, it’s stable enough for day-to-day use). It’s also a great way to create application categories such as “Development Tools” or “Multimedia” to easier find the stuff you’re looking for.Īnother excellent tool in Stardock’s portfolio, ModernMix, is a fantastic addition to any Windows 8 developer’s or enthusiast’s desktop: ModernMix allows you to display all Windows 8 apps in a window and scale them to the size you want. I can now scroll through the fence and quickly get what I want. My “Files & Documents” fence, for example, holds more than 25 documents that were previously scattered all over my desktop. First, there’s Fences, which helps you organize icons and files in transparent rectangles on your desktop:Įach “fence” can fit as many icons as you like without cluttering up your desktop. Stardock has a long-standing reputation in the tools business, and rightfully so: Their portfolio enhances both the look and the productivity of your day-to-day work in a positive way. Here’s my top six list of desktop tools that either add subtle additions to your Windows system or replace the UI noticeably. Much to my surprise, a lot of the once-popular desktop replacements and enhancers are alive and kicking, and they offer more functionality than any of your smartphones.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |