http://punklabs.com/
An oldie (well, it's been reviewed a bunch by everyone else, but I thought I'd throw my $.02 in here) but goodie, RocketDock is a Mac-like launcher that is smooth-running, a breeze to use/configure, and just looks plain cool.
Now, I am a HUGE fan of Launchy, but I also like to have a toolbar with a couple icons at the top for those apps that I access constantly - which ends up being faster than typing some keystrokes. Certainly, I can access everything I need through Launchy - but RocketDock definitely appeals to me via the 'wow factor'. :)
Like Launchy, there are a number of pre-installed skins available, giving you a choice to find just the style your are looking for. Also, there are a ton of add-ons - - I need to check these out myself!
PunkLabs website lists RocketDock's features:
Features:
- Minimize windows to the dock
- Real-time window previews in Vista
- Running application indicators
- Simple drag-n-drop interface
- Multi-monitor support
- Supports alpha-blended PNG and ICO icons
- Icons zoom and transition smoothly
- Auto-hide and Popup on mouse over
- Positioning and layering options
- Fully customizable
- Completely Portable
- ObjectDock Docklet support
- Compatible with MobyDock, ObjectDock, RK Launcher, and Y'z Dock skins
- Runs great on slower computers
- Unicode compliant
- Supports many languages and can easily be translated
- A friendly user base :)
- And best of all... its FREE!!!
Minimize to RocketDock
I especially liked the ability to minimize your applications to the dock itself (instead of the Taskbar), making it a nice alternative to the Windows Taskbar - you have to enable this feature. But, with this said, minimized applications do not stack, so if you have little screen real-estate, RD will turn into a horizontal scrollable bar, making it a little confusing to find what you are looking for. I will say the minimized icons do have a thumbnail icon of the opened application, which is pretty nifty.
You can adjust RD's icon size, opacity, hover effect, zoom options, font, toolbar positioning and overall style...not to mention that you can adjust any property that is available to a normal shortcut (command-line, arguments, icon, run minimized, etc.).
Auto-hide
You will almost certainly want to go into RocketDock's settings and enable the 'hide' feature, as by default it will sit on top of any windows that are "below" it. I.e. if your dock is at the top of the screen and you've used all the available space up there, you won't be able to click your upper right-hand ([x]) application close button. I'm thinking that this probably should be a default option, as most folks will have it running at the top of their screen (that is, if they are not used to a Mac!). In any case, it is an easy fix.
The graphic transitions and effects are for the most part very smooth (and completely customizable). When you run your mouse over the dock, the icons bounce slightly and enlarge making it easy to see what you've hovered over. This is great for those of us who have bad eyes!
Regarding the graphical effects - I did notice a slight hesitation when minimized apps where "exploding" to their restored state. Again, you can adjust this setting and disable any performance-hindering effects.
Check out their video demo here:
PunkLabs has a few other cool utilities - so check them out and give 'em a hand (or a donation!).
- Windows 2000/XP/Vista
- 500Mhz or faster CPU
- 10MB RAM free
7 comments:
One of my personal favorite features of Rocketdock is the Stack Docklet. I highly recommend checking it out. It adds the mac-like stacking ability to the dock. Very cool.
@Tigsfan: Yeah! I just loaded this, and it is VERY cool...very smooth interface!
For those of you who want to try it, you can get it here
I had tried RocketDock in the past but it makes my HDD produce nasty scratching sound when used. Very few apps do that (2-3 as far as I remember) and it's nothing harmful - just the way they read data or something...
But it gets on my nerves. :)
I am still sticking to SmartStarMenu anyway, docks are too flashy. :)
As another Launchy fan, I'm wondering what RocketDock "buys" me other than eye candy. Can't I use a standard Quick Launch menu to access my shortcuts? Okay, Quick Launch is not as pretty, but other than that, am I missing something? Thanks.
@Alek: Probably not much, but it would appeal to those who are more visual and like the eye candy, while others like the shortcut/hotkey approach.
Really, RocketDock is kind of a mash-up of a toolbar and gadget/sidebar interface, with available 'docklets' which can display system stats, time, and other widgets etc.
It may not be for everyone, but it is a quality app.
Totally agree: it looks quite pretty. ;-)
RocketDock is the best appliation launcher there is!
Here is a great video tutorial on how to install, setup, & organize RocketDock RocketDock, Increase Productivity And Coolness Factor To Your Desktop
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