(Credit:
CNET)
I use both Windows and Mac machines at my desk for testing and reviewing software for each platform. While both platforms have their advantages and disadvantages, I recently found a simple program that fixes one of my pet peeves about Windows.
One small Windows XP and Vista interface quirk that has always bothered me is the inability to move items in the taskbar. Though it might not bother other people, I always like having my programs set up in a certain way--Outlook on the left, my browser after that, my chat program, and then other programs to the right of those. The problem is that sometimes I open programs in a different order depending on what I'm doing, and I've even gone so far as to quit programs and re-open them in order to get them set up the way I want. Maybe I'm crazy, but it's just the way I like to work. I always figured if I could shift tabs around in Firefox, I ought to be able to do the same thing with the Taskbar.
A simple settings window lets you have the program start with Windows and a few other useful options.
(Credit: CNET)The other day, I stumbled across a free program called TaskBar Shuffle whose sole purpose is to be able to shift items around on the taskbar and in the system tray. With Taskbar shuffle running, simply drag and drop the item or icon, and that's it--just like tabs in Firefox. Even if you like to use group buttons, Taskbar shuffle lets you reorder those up or down within each group. As an added bonus, you can tweak the settings so a middle click to a taskbar item closes that item immediately. You also can check a box in the settings to have it start up with Windows so you never have to think about it again.
This program isn't newly released, but it was definitely new to me and now that I know about it, I've installed it on all of my Windows test machines. I even showed it to my coworker, Jessica Dolcourt, and she included it in her one-trick applications collection because she had always wanted something like Taskbar Shuffle, too. The bottom line is, if you've always wanted to be able to move those items around in the Taskbar because you have a particular way of doing things, this free simple program is an easy way to do it.
It's easy to make your Windows Taskbar work like your Firefox tabs.
(Credit: CNET Networks)Tabbed browsing is one of those software features that didn't seem like a big deal at its inception, but later went on to become more popular than sliced bread. It's simply must-have functionality for any respectable Web browser. Who among us hasn't had 40 different Web sites open in one browser window...and loved it?
Fans of Mozilla Firefox and Opera might claim that their favorite browser invented tabs. However, according to most accounts, tabbed interfaces have been around since the 1980s and in browsers for at least 10 years. Arguments will persist as to the first tabbed browser, but the Internet Explorer shell Netcaptor featured tabs as early as 1997.
Regardless of who invented the feature, once tabs hit Internet Explorer 7 two years ago, tabbed browsing became as much a part of the Web as spam, blogging, Rickrolls, and LOLcats. Favorite extensions for Mozilla Firefox such as Tab Mix Plus, Colorful Tabs, and Tabbrowser Preferences added an entirely new level of customization and control over tabs.
Tabs have become so successful in managing our Web browsing that I've often wondered why Microsoft couldn't apply the same set of features to its Windows Taskbar. After all, the main functionality is very similar--managing unique applications (or sites) in a singular work space.
It turns out that there are several products that beef up your options for managing the Windows Taskbar like browser tabs, and two of the best are free. Today, I'm taking a look at some of my favorite Taskbar enhancement software, including Taskbar Shuffle, XNeat Window Manager, and Taskbar Manager.
There's not a whole lot to Taskbar Shuffle, but sometimes simple is better.
(Credit: CNET Networks)Speaking of tabbed browsing, this cool freeware application applies the same basic functionality with your Taskbar tiles. Drag-and-drop buttons to whatever location you'd like, close windows by middle-clicking their buttons, or automatically group windows when they reach a customizable number. Taskbar Shuffle is lightweight, installs/uninstalls easily, works the way it promises, and that's about it.
You'll notice that some of the other programs mentioned have a larger feature set than Taskbar Shuffle, but if (like me) all you want is the capability to drag-and-drop programs in the Taskbar and close them by middle clicking, this software is my top pick.
The only minor niggling complaint about Taskbar Shuffle is that it automatically inserts itself into your startup menu, which may raise a few hackles. However, to be fair, that option is very easily turned off from the sparse Settings dialog window.
XNeat includes a variety of cool features, and each of the options includes an integrated help file.
(Credit: CNET Networks)Recently covered in-depth by CNET's Jessica Dolcourt, XNeat Windows Manager gives you the same drag-and-drop and middle-click closing features as Taskbar Shuffle, but also includes other interesting niche features like the capability to adjust the opacity of the Taskbar or send open windows directly to the system tray. That last feature isn't as cool as it sounds, by the way.
Right-clicking on the Taskbar with XNeat Windows Manager enabled offers up a host of additional customization options. Go ahead. Hide the Start Menu. Open recent items. View your hidden tray icons. Kill your clock!
XNeat also has some potentially interesting file management options such as saving clones and adding date stamps to files, but neither of those features worked well for me. However, the rest of the functions worked fine, and integrated support material will help newer users figure out what each setting actually does.
There's a lot to like about XNeat Windows Manager. If Taskbar Shuffle didn't give me all the features I need, I'd give it some serious consideration for riding shotgun on my Windows Taskbar.
Taskbar Manager adds the capability to manage startup items and shutdown your PC at a certain time.
(Credit: CNET Networks)More properly named Askarya Task Manager, this shareware application includes some unique features that separate it from other Taskbar customization tools. Along with providing the capability to position Taskbar buttons and to save and load arranged orders, the software also lets you customize your startup items and schedule system shutdowns.
The main interface of Task Manager is divided into three tabs: Taskbar Manager, Startup Manager, and Shutdown. Taskbar Manager provides the same sort of functionality that you'll find in software such as Taskbar Organizer and Taskbar Commander, and it works at least as well as those two in that regard. The capability to manage startup menu items is a nice bonus, if a bit superfluous, though the shutdown features are welcome for me. You can either Power Off, Log off, Reboot, or Shutdown at a specific time such as 8 p.m., May 8 or after a custom time interval, such as 12 hours.
Unfortunately, Task Manager isn't free, but the trial lets you use the full functionality of the program for 30 days before asking for your cash. Whether it's worth it or not to you will likely depend on the ease and convenience of having those three specific features packaged together. Each of them separately is easily replicated in freeware.
Do you have favorite tricks or software for customizing the Windows Taskbar? Tell me about it in the comments.
I had a problem. Years ago, I bought Microsoft's now-discontinued Digital Media Plus Pack for converting my LP records into digital files. Because it's a Microsoft product from back in the day when Microsoft was gung-ho about Windows Media, it only rips to Windows Media Audio. And of course, it's Windows only. (Other than that, it's a great tool--very easy to use, never messes up line leveling, and has a good algorithm for removing pops and scratches.)
Back when I used iTunes and my iPod exclusively, I'd simply rip the album into WMA, then import the folder from MyMusic into iTunes. It would ask me if I wanted to convert to AAC (the default--it can also convert to MP3), I'd accept, then delete the WMAs so as not to clutter my hard drive with duplicates.
dBpoweramp lets you convert just about any audio file format to any other.
(Credit: Screenshot)But since 2006, I've been using a Zune (review unit) as my primary music player. Zune plays both AAC and WMA files, and it automatically reads your iTunes library. I got lazy and stopped converting my vinyl from WMA to AAC.
Now I've got a Shuffle. And a library full of WMA files that it can't play. Of course, I could do what I used to do--import the folders from My Music into iTunes, convert to AAC, then delete the originals. But what if I want to convert those WMAs into MP3s to make sure they can play on any device with any software app? OK, I guess I could change the default on iTunes. But what happens when you add a bunch of downloaded FLAC files into the mix? Or Ogg files? What about converting AAC back to WMA--I can't see any reason why I'd want to do that today, but who knows where Microsoft and Apple are heading with their file format support?
I needed to future-proof my music collection, while still maintaining the best quality-to-size ratio possible. (MP3 is one of the lossiest formats.)
dBpoweramp Music Converter is the solution. $18 for the regular edition. (The $28 reference edition has features for professionals and more serious amateurs.) You can download just about any imaginable codec from the associated Web site. By default it performs file conversion within the same folder as the original files, so you can easily keep track of what's where. (Not like iTunes, which moves every converted file into the iTunes library by default.) Or, if you want to export directly to an iTunes folder, it can do that. It even adds a feature to the Windows Explorer so when you hover over a file, it'll display full ID3 tag information for that file--useful for changing mysterious file names to match song titles.
Highly recommended.
dBpoweramp shows ID3 tags within Windows Explorer. So you can find out the real title of that Track 4.WMA file you've been carrying around..
(Credit: Screenshot)
Windows taskbars are notorious for being unfriendly, chaotic, and occasionally unresponsive. They also have poor social skills, but I'm not here to pass judgment. Instead, I'm going to show you three great freeware ways to lasso that unruly taskbar of yours and tame it right down, with Taskbar Shuffle, RocketDock, and Launchy.
... Read more
I love my Archos Gmini, but it can't shuffle worth a darn.
(Credit: CNET Networks)I love my Archos Gmini 220. It doesn't play movies, make phone calls, or take snapshots, but it provides me 20GB of digital music and files that I can take anywhere and transfer to any computer. It also only cost me $150 two years ago and is still going strong (with the help of one critical rubber band). It's also very solid as a lo-fi recording device for live shows.
While I don't need a portable music player that massages my back or sorts my laundry, I do need one that can shuffle my tracks randomly. Unfortunately, like most portable media players, my Gmini fails miserably. While shuffling, it will often play the exact same string of songs I heard just a few hours earlier.
So what's a variety-loving listener to do? Well, I make playlists, usually "smart" playlists in MediaMonkey using the "last played" criteria. Of course, Apple's iTunes also provides similar functionality, as do a number of other free digital-music jukeboxes.
Those looking for more automation in the process should check out The Filter, a plug-in for iTunes that will automatically create intelligent playlists based on your own preferences. I've had mixed results, but Peter Gabriel supposedly swears by it.
The future of random playlists will likely happen on the Web. A number of Web sites like imeem and FineTune let you create your own mixes for embedding on your blog or home page, but they haven't yet taken the leap onto portable devices.
When you're looking for a mix of various songs, do you leave your listening choices up to the God of Shuffle, or do you use software or Web sites to help you build playlists? Tell me about your own secret tricks for great mixes in the comments.
(Credit:
CNET Networks)
Today's Apple event in San Francisco offered plenty of iPod news to be excited about. In only the first few minutes, Steve Jobs announced that the whole iPod lineup--from the shuffle to the iPod--would get an upgrade. There had already been a ton of speculation about what Jobs would announce today, but as is usually the case, an Apple event almost always means a surprise.
First on the list of new hardware, the iPod Shuffle. Not much in the way of changes here, but the clip-on design comes in several new colors. It has 1GB of storage space and retails for $79.
There was a lot of speculation around the Mac rumor sites before this event about the new iPod Nano, with alleged leaked photos and feature lists. The real version is a bit different, having a 320×240 screen (204 ppi) and supports the same resolution as iPod videos. Coverflow is now offered for paging through your music and is controlled using the touch wheel on the bottom. A new graphical navigation system splits the screen down the middle with the familiar list navigation on the left side and a snippet of video, a picture, or song name and album art on the right side. It comes in both 4GB and 8GB models like the previous Nanos and sells for $149 and $199, respectively.... Read more
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