Aeon for Mac

Aeon for Mac incorporates a new visualizer into some of the most popular media players, including iTunes. Like others of its kind, this premium extension presents you with abstract graphics and animations that react to the tempo of the music that is playing. What sets Aeon apart is the underlying hardware acceleration that improves the performance on slower machines.

Since it integrates with iTunes, Aeon for Mac will ask during installation for your administrative password. The demo version we tried does not come with a standalone app. Instead, it has to be activated via the View menu in iTunes. We tested the visualizer on a MacBook with integrated graphics and saw no distortions or stuttering. The animations are pleasing, but most of the transitions are somewhat abrupt, and each following visualization has little or nothing to do with the previous one, thus breaking the sense of continuity. The extension utterly lacks customizable settings.

If you like watching computer-generated graphics while enjoying your music, you will like Aeon for Mac. The ability of the visualizer to respond to the music's tempo helps to immerse you even more into the whole media experience. Don't expect it to be flawless, though.

Editors' note: This is a review of the trial version of Aeon for Mac 3.5.5.