Aston 1.9.5
Premier Software Reviews is an active blog, being recreated from my
Swan Reviews (Almost!) Everything web site. Once recreated
(just a couple of days now,) ~ Swan will be providing fresh
reviews three or four times per week as usual.
Please adjust your bookmarks.
Good afternoon software seekers!
Today I have a product to show you that just could blow your mind! It's a Windows shell replacement application, which transforms your desktop into a brand spanking new, tidy, much more useful, elegant layout.
Aston 1.9.5, even though it still appears to be in its infancy, creates an environment that will make your work easier and less time consuming, with all your regular programs right at your fingertips.
Developer: Gladiators Software
Supported Languages: English/Russian
System Requirements: Windows 98/NT/2000/XP;
Additional Requirements: Pentium or better; 16-bit video mode
Tested on: Windows XP Pro.
My review is a little late today, because I had such a great time playing around with this software. :) It's an extremely intuitive application and I managed to do all the things I wanted, without even referring to a help file, though there is one available.
There are some really cool, useful features, which I'll go into later, and some of you will probably find yourself wondering why you've put up with the inadequacies of a Windows desktop, for as long as you have.
Aston also gives you a brand new Start Menu, and with the theme that I chose, all the desktop menus are incredibly stylish. As with the Windows version, you can also add and remove shortcuts from the Start Menu, enabling you to personalize it even further.
All items in your Quick Launch menu stay in tact, and display the same menu design as the one on the right.
If you're wondering if your Windows desktop has disappeared forever, the answer is 'no,' you can switch back to it anytime you want - but why on Earth would you want to? ;)
There are so many themes and plug-ins to add to your desktop on the Aston web site, that like me, you'll be wanting to try a few of them out before you decide on the one you want to keep.
By clicking on the Start Menu and selecting the Theme Wizard, you'll find out just how easy it is to change from one theme to another after downloading them. You'll enjoy them and while there are some I wouldn't use, there are really plenty that are just gorgeous and I already know that I'll be changing my desktop from time to time.
Take a look at how I've transformed my own desktop. I've added some explanatory text, so by all means click on the thumbnail and read my notations before we proceed.
As you can see, I'm not exaggerating when I say that my desktop has taken on a much more elegant 'look'.
While working with the desktop, you'll see many references to 'Categories' and 'Elements.' If you think of them simply as folders and files, you won't get confused with them at all.
Toolbars:
There are three permanent toolbars on your desktop:
The top toolbar has menus with category headings and holds elements, (programs or folders) that you want kept there. As you can see, it behaves as a drop down menu. This is a far more efficient way to find your often used programs, rather than having to locate them in your Start Menu, or among the clutter of the way your desktop used to be.
This toolbar, came with the following categories, but you can always add more if you wish:
- Graphics;
- Multimedia;
- Internet;
- Tools;
- Web;
To the right, still on the top toolbar, there is also a cool little audio application, that allows you to control music or any other media that's playing.
Both the left and right toolbars, utilize auto-hide - or you can configure their settings to display them permanently - it's all your own preference.As you can see in the image above, both side toolbars are fairly unobtrusive, but they are incredibly useful. I don't plan on going through each one of them, but suffice it to say that they're comprehensive, configurable and easy to design the way you want it to look.
Features:
Quick notes; I fell in love with this little application as soon as I saw it. It's available from the right toolbar and I used it to type up my notes as I was testing the desktop software today. You can think of it as Wordpad with tabs! You can see it in the image above.
So why would you even want tabs in a quick note application? The first tab is just for quick notes - however the second tab is labeled Private. This is an interesting one, as you can password protect that tab, to keep your notes away from prying eyes. I know that I'm going to make a LOT of use with this great little notebook.
I've already added another tab called Blogger, where I'll type up my review notes in the future. Another cool feature about this little application, is that you can save your notes, without having to give it a document name. It just ensures that you don't lose your notes while you're using it.
On the left toolbar; there's a nice little animated graphic that represents your CPU monitor. You can also access:
- Options;
- Theme Wizard;
- Shell Swapper;
- Help.
- Switches quickly and easily from one shell to another, with no issues whatsoever that I could find;
- Choose your own icons;
- Mousing over the task bar at the bottom, will give you a preview of any windows that you currently have open;
- Many free themes and plug-ins available on-line, which are simple to install and uninstall;
- Extremely small memory footprint, which is always great news;
- On-line forum for help on any particular issue.
I actually thought I was going to get through this review, without discovering any negatives whatsoever, however in the long run, I did pick up a few:
- No drag and drop support;
- Not able to sort menus.
- Originality: 8/10
- Functionality: 9/10
- Intuitiveness: 8/10
This price is definitely in the expensive ballpark. As lovely as my desktop looks now, I don't think I'd ever pay that amount of money just for a desktop application. I really think the price needs to come down, considering that there are plenty of cheaper and freeware alternatives, albeit not as good.
Amendment to price:
I've just been notified by Khai, that the Giveaway of the Day website had advertised the wrong price for Aston. It's actually: US$29.99. While the price does become more palatable, I would normally say that it's still a little expensive for a desktop utility.
However, I've spent a lot of time in their forum today, and have to say how impressed I am with the community and all the different themes they make for their members to download - gratis. Not to mention how willing they all are, to help someone else.
Because of this rich resource, I'm inclined to reverse my decision, and say that together with the program itself; the rich resources and downloads available in the forum, DO make this software worth the asking price.
Thank you Khai.
Summary:
This software functions flawlessly on my computer and has already made my working life easier this morning.
During testing, Aston felt just as much like a toy as it is the extensive, useful, configurable program that it is. It was actually fun to play around and discover all the categories and add new elements to them.
Aston does what it intends to do, by keeping your desktop tidy and organized - with no more fiddling around trying to make your desktop actually work for you. With Aston, you couldn't become more organized.
The fact that its memory footprint blows Windows Explorer away, is a huge bonus for users. I watched it a lot while I was testing the software, and I don't think it ever got above 7-8Mb.
Recommendation:
I definitely recommend this software and if you're quick, you'll be able to pick it up for free on the Giveaway of the Day web site for the next few hours. I for one consider Aston to be a definite keeper.Why not spend a little time shopping at Software by Swan
If you enjoy my reviews, please vote for this blog - votes are always appreciated and give more visibility to my clients and their products, which therefore obtains more work for me - thank you! :) Not to mention that it improves your own karma!
~ Swan
Perhaps you'd also like to read another point of view - from my good friend BladedThoth :)
All Content is Copyright © premreviews.blogspot.com
All Rights Reserved.
Developers, Software Houses and Web Designers:
Please contact Swan if you'd like to purchase a candid, constructive review, under privately agreed terms, of your software; games; or web site design.
Advertisers:
Please contact Swan, if you'd like to arrange for advertising your product on this web site.
Ahhh Agloco!
“The day will come when machines and software will tell us whom to know; what to eat; what to wear; when to go to work and what profession to pursue; when to sleep; what entertainments to enjoy and with whom to have any kind of relationship. It can’t be avoided and you will succumb.”
~ Swan (2005)
-
Originally posted - September 17th, 2007 This blog, is slowly being recreated from the Swan... Read Full Story » -
.Hello and I hope everyone is having a great Wednesday. :) I'm really happy to present another... Read Full Story » -
Good morning everyone! Well, this web site is finally up to date I'm happy to say - so you can... Read Full Story » -
I am SO embarrassed. The photobucket notice at the top of this web page is referencing the... Read Full Story » -
These are some of Free tool for helping us recovering deleted files. For more information about... Read Full Story »
