I first started using them right after a little program called QuickSilver was released. I am not new to keyboard based launchers. Not necessary, but certainly a welcome addition for a Mac nerd like myself. I haven’t had need to do this, because in my experience, Alfred found every app I queried.Īlfred’s Usage button is a neat touch: at a glance you are presented with a graph that shows the number of times Alfred was invoked, along with a running average. The Advanced tab lets you rebuild OS X Metadata, if Alfred has trouble locating your apps and such. toggling auto-highlight and window fade options) as well as specify the number of visible search items returned from a query. In the Options tab, you can toggle the visibility of Alfred’s icon, choose how Alfred acts (i.e. Plenty of Alfred themes abound if you perform a search. Of course, Alfred can also utilize custom Alfred themes, via the paid PowerPack module. Like any highly-polished Mac OS X application, you can customize Alfred’s look via three built-in themes: Light, Dark, and Lion. You can choose to let Alfred know which results you want to be shown, along with defining the locations where you want Alfred to look when it’s performing searches. Outside of customizing the keyboard shortcut to invoke the app, I’ve also configured Alfred to launch at login. (You can toggle the visibility of the icon / menulet within the Alfred preferences.)Īlfred has a comprehensive set of options tucked away inside its tiny 3.4MB footprint. Its menu can be invoked by clicking on the Alfred app or via the Alfred menulet on the menubar. Alfred is an application, first and foremost. Now that you know what Alfred does, it’s time to take a peek at the app itself. Type the equation and the result shows up straight away, without the need to launch the calculator app. Alfred can also parse Google, Amazon, or Wikipedia at the touch of a keyboard.Īlfred even handles arithmetic computations on the fly. With Alfred, the user is not limited to searching for apps. Hitting ‘return’ will launch the app, or I use the mouse (or type Command-3) if I were interested in launching the Finder.app. Typing ‘fi’ in the launcher window results in Firefox showing up at the top of the list. Invoke a custom keystroke (such as Command-Tab), type a few letters, and instantly you are presented with a floating window that lets you quickly find apps, contact info, search a website, or even compute an equation.Īlfred’s searches are fast and efficient. Simply put: Alfred, at its core, is a keyboard-based launcher. Apps like that are difficult to come by, but every now and then, the stars align and a true Mac gem appears.Īlfred, by the husband-wife team of Andrew and Vero Pepperrell, is just such an app. And, if it’s available for free, that’s a double-bonus. As a self-described “power user” (read: Mac nerd), I’m always on the lookout for tools and apps that will improve and enhance my overall day-to-day workflow. Mac users love their productivity tools, and I’m no exception. Review: Alfred: The Launcher for the Rest of Us
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