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Name Mangler 2.4.2 offers expanded views

Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011

It’s only fitting that, on today’s one-year anniversary of the company’s relaunch, Name Mangler receives an update: Name Mangler was the first product updated on our relaunched site back in March of 2010. One year later, version 2.4.2 adds one very useful feature, and one bug fix.

The very useful feature is that Name Mangler’s text fields will now auto-expand to show text that overflows the available display space. So if you’ve got a long text entry in a field, you won’t have to use the cursor keys to scroll through its contents (or, even worse, miss the fact that there’s more text there at all). Instead, the field will simply expand to show all the text:

The single line Prefix is what you see in older versions of Name Mangler; the bottom Prefix is what you’ll see in Name Mangler 2.4.2. (If you don’t need the space, the text box will still take up only one line, as it does in older versions; it only grows when necessary.) Read the release notes for details on the bug fix, if you’re interested in the gory details.

Direct purchasers of Name Mangler can update via the in-app updating (or by downloading a new copy from our server); App Store customers should see the update available in the App Store any time now. (The update has been approved and released, but it may take a bit of time to propagate to the various countries’ App Stores.)

Posted in Name Mangler, Products | Comments Off on Name Mangler 2.4.2 offers expanded views

Witch and Key Codes updated

Thursday, March 3rd, 2011

Today we released updates to Witch (version 3.6.2) and Key Codes (version 1.1). Both of these are minor updates, and here’s what was changed:

  • Witch now properly treats the backtick/tilde key on US keyboards as a ‘cycle backwards’ shortcut (just like Mac OS X does with the Command-Tab switcher). We also fixed a problem that was causing double entries to appear for certain programs, most notably Path Finder.
  • Key Codes now lets you ‘unfloat’ its window (via the Window menu), and contains (for the App Store version) our In App news module, to provide updates to users of the App Store version of the program.

Witch users can update via the App Store or in-app updating (depending on which version you use); Key Codes doesn’t support in-app updating, so you’ll need to download the new version if you got it from our web site. (The App Store version will, of course, update via the App Store program.)

Posted in Key Codes, Products, Witch | 2 Comments »

Simplify move-and-zoom with Moom

Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011

So what could possibly be more exciting than the iPad 2 launch today? How about being informed that your brand-new application has been approved for sale in the App Store, during the actual iPad 2 launch? Yes, that’s exactly what happened to us today with our newest app.

So with apologies for stealing the limelight from iPad2 (right…), we’re thrilled to introduce Moom, Many Tricks’ newest tool to improve your productivity.

Moom simplifies a task that most of us do many times a day: moving and sizing windows. Whether it’s wanting a full-screen view while working on a project, or wanting to arrange a couple windows with each taking up half your screen, Moom makes those tasks as simple as a mouse click or keyboard shortcut.

In mouse mode, Moom’s interface appears when your mouse enters a window’s green zoom button; click the desired window size/position, and the window moves there. Change your mind? Hover over the green button again, and click the arrow to return the window to its original size and location. It doesn’t get much simpler than that.

For even more power, though, try Moom in keyboard mode. You assign a global hot key, and which actions you’d like for various combinations of the arrow keys and modifier keys. Press the hot key, and the overlay image at right appears; you can then use the keys you’ve set up to move your windows around.

Using the keyboard, Moom also gains the ability to center a window; something you can’t do using Moom in mouse mode.

Moom is available directly on our site for $5, or via the App Store for $4.99. If you’d like to try Moom before buying, download the free demo from out site—you can “Moom” 100 windows before the trial expires, so that’ll give you a good sense for how it works.

If you have any questions about Moom, please post them here, or contact me directly; I’ll do my best to answer them.

Posted in Moom, Products | 3 Comments »

How-to: Five tips for using Witch (video)

Thursday, February 17th, 2011

In conjunction with the Witch 3.6.1 release today, we’ve created a video that discusses five things you can do with Witch:

  • Basic window switching (really basic!)
  • Creating global hot keys for certain window-related actions
  • Fast toggling between windows without seeing the Witch panel
  • Using shortcuts to see window info, switch to windows, and perform actions on windows
  • Setting up Witch for use with a mouse or trackpad

The video runs just under 10 minutes in length, and is available in two sizes: 640×480 [31MB] or 1024×768 [73MB]. (Both versions are also available in the sidebar on the Witch page.)

Posted in How To, Products, Witch | 1 Comment »

Witch 3.6.1 slides onto the scene

Thursday, February 17th, 2011

This latest Witch update—for both the Mac App Store and web site versions of Witch—includes two requested features and a number of minor bug fixes. (Note for App Store users: it may be anywhere from 15 minutes to a couple of hours until you see the update in the App Store.) The two new features are:

  • Witch can now “see” many more windows without titles than it previously could. In particular, if you save Mail drafts without Subject lines, Witch should now show those as (Untitled) windows.

    Of course, because they have no title, you’ll want to use the pop-up preview feature to see what’s actually in those untitled windows. Witch should also display untitled windows in Elgato’s applications, and Sparrow, the minimalist Gmail client.

  • There’s a new slider in the Behavior tab of Witch’s settings that controls how long Witch will wait to hear from an application before giving up on it.

    Witch works by polling all applications, asking for information about their windows. If an application is slow to respond, we’re forced to make a choice: wait to display the switcher panel, or display the switcher panel in a reasonable amount of time, but leave out the slow-responding application (because we can’t determine its window states).

    Witch is set to wait 0.2 seconds, which is typically more than enough time. Certain troublesome apps, though, may work better with a longer timeout. You can use this new slider—which will let you set a timeout of up to two seconds—to find a balancing point that you’re happy with. Note: Unless you’re having trouble with missing windows, we suggest leaving this slider where it is.

  • If you use Matrox products to use extra displays on your laptop Mac, Witch now has some hidden settings that greatly improve the appearance of the switcher panel on those machines. If you’re one of those users, write to me and I’ll provide the usage instructions.

Mac App Store users can update via the App Store application; users of the web site version of Witch should be notified of the available update. (Check the Update tab in settings to make sure you’re set up for automatic notification of new updates.)

Posted in Mac App Store, Products, Witch | 2 Comments »

How-to: Launch and hide Desktop Curtain at login

Monday, February 7th, 2011
Over the weekend, I was asked why Desktop Curtain can’t be launched and hidden at login—when set to run at login, Desktop Curtain appears (as would any other app set to run at login). While you can’t set this preference within Desktop Curtain, it’s relatively easy to do with some help from Mac OS X.

First, make sure the ‘Launch automatically at login’ box is checked on the Advanced tab of Desktop Curtain’s settings window.

Second, go to the Accounts System Preferences panel, select your account in the left-hand column, and then click the Login Items tab on the right. Find Desktop Curtain in the list, and check the leftmost box, in the Hide column:

That’s it—Desktop Curtain will now launch at login, and hide. To get the most out of this tip, you should also set a global hot key (on the Advanced tab of Desktop Curtain’s settings window), so you can then make Desktop Curtain visible whenever you need to hide your clutter.

Posted in Desktop Curtain, How To, Products | Comments Off on How-to: Launch and hide Desktop Curtain at login

Rethinking Time Sink

Monday, January 31st, 2011

What follows is a bit of backstory on Time Sink, our utility that tracks how you spend your time using your Mac. If you’d rather skip the backstory, here’s the executive summary version: effective immediately, we’re cutting the price of Time Sink to just $5 ($4.99 on the App Store).

Why are we doing this? In short, because we think Time Sink is a very cool little utility, and we’d love to see more people using it. For the longer version, read the details that follow.

(more…)

Posted in Mac App Store, Products, Time Sink | 20 Comments »

Conversations with the App Store

Saturday, January 29th, 2011

We’re now roughly three weeks into the Mac App Store’s existence, and both Peter and I have been thrilled with how it’s gone. We’ve found it generally pleasant working with Apple (they’ve yet to reject one of our apps or updates), and the users we’ve chatted with have found the store to be a pleasant place to browse and shop.

With that said, there’s one feature missing from the store that impacts our ability to interact with customers and prospects: there’s no mechanism for developers to respond to questions or comments in users’ reviews. (We could modify our program’s descriptions, but using that space to answer questions seems like using a hammer to crack an egg.)

So we’ve decided to start an occasional series here on our blog, of which you’re reading the first installment: Conversations with the App Store. Each installment will address some of the questions and comments raised in reviews on the global (those we can read, at any rate!) Mac App Stores.

While this isn’t an ideal feedback mechanism—Apple should really allow developers to post responses directly—we hope it provides useful information to those who may have similar comments or questions about our programs. So without further ado, here’s the first edition of Conversations with the App Store.

(more…)

Posted in Company News, Desktop Curtain, Mac App Store, Name Mangler, Witch | 5 Comments »

Witch, $9.99 pricing, and the future

Friday, January 28th, 2011

As we’ve now reached the point where the Witch $9.99 sale is scheduled to end, we thought we’d take some time to talk about how the two-day sale has gone, and what that means regarding Witch’s future price.

Before the sale began, Witch was doing a decent volume in the App Store, and fluctuating between the 20s and 60s on the Top Paid and Top Grossing charts for the Utilities category. So what impact did the sale have?

Unit volume increased twenty-fold, and Witch moved to (as of this writing) number two in Top Paid and number three in Top Grossing in the Utilities category—and it’s hovering around the top 20 in those charts for All Categories as well. Simply put, we’ve been floored…and obviously, the volume numbers got us thinking about pricing over the last two days.

It’s clear from these results that many people felt Witch was a utility they wanted, but one that was simply too expensive at $16.99 (the App Store’s no-preview-images price) and $19 (for the fully-featured version on our site). So we’ve decided to do two things:

  • The current $9.99 sale has been extended through the weekend; it will now end at 11:59pm (PST) on Sunday, January 30th.
  • The new standard price of Witch will be $14 ($13.99 App Store), a reduction of over 25% from the previous level. After talking with some users, and seeing what other utilities are priced at, we feel this is a fair and affordable price for an excellent window-switching tool.

It’s our objective to get our programs into as many users’ hands as possible, and yet do so at a level that will allow us to sustain the company and add support and development resources in the future.

We think Witch’s new pricing strikes the perfect balance between those two objectives—it’s more affordable for everyone now, and yet not so inexpensive that we’re mortgaging the company’s future to achieve unit growth today. After all, what good is the best window switching utility out there if there’s nobody around to support it any more?

Posted in Company News, Products, Witch | 7 Comments »

Witch + window previews + App Store = Save!

Wednesday, January 26th, 2011

Pardon the mathematically-influenced headline, but Witch 3.6 is now available in the App Store. The big news here is that it now includes the pop-up window previews that are present in the standalone version of Witch. This puts the App Store version of Witch at feature parity (excluding software updates) with the independent version.

To be honest, we weren’t sure the image previews would be approved…and now that they have been, we feel like celebrating.

So for the next 48 hours (until 7:00am Pacific Time on Friday, January 28th), Witch is on sale for only $9.99…regardless of whether you buy it from the App Store or from our site.

If you’ve been considering Witch, now’s the time to act. Once the sale ends, both versions of Witch will return to their standard ($19 direct, $18.99 App Store) prices.

Posted in Products, Witch | 6 Comments »

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