ie8 fix

Cover your cluttered Mac desktop with Shade

Free Mac app Shade lets you simply hide your cluttered desktop instead of engaging in the painstaking process of cleaning it up and keeping it organized.

Do you use a Mac? Does your Mac have a cluttered desktop? Have you tried various methods of keeping it clean and organized, only to find your various methods aren't sustainable? If you nodded in answer to the previous three questions, I would direct your mouse pointer to Shade, a free Mac app.

With Shade, you neither need to keep your Mac's desktop clean nor feel guilty about its ever-expanding mess. With Shade installed, one click of your mouse lets you pull down a virtual window shade over your desktop, presenting you with a pristine work space free from distraction.

(Credit: Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET)

After installing Shade and launching it for the first time, you will see it places a small leaf icon in your menu bar. Click the leaf and the app lowers its shade over your cluttered desktop. This virtual shade covers the files and folders haphazardly arranged on your desktop but not any open windows. Click the leaf again and the shade rolls back up, revealing once again your mess of a desktop.

The default wallpaper that Shade uses is a pleasing image of blades of grass. You can add your own image by simply dragging a photo to the leaf icon.

One last note: you may need to open Finder or another app with few menu options in order to see Shade's leaf icon in the menu bar. I have a number of apps in my menu bar, so when I have Firefox open, for example, the browser's menu options sprawl so far to the right that they cover the leaf.

Shade, from Limit Point Software, works on Mac OS X 10.6 or later. I use an older MacBook Pro, but the developer claims that Shade is compatible with Retina Displays.

(Via One Thing Well)

Don't Miss

How to

Make your old iPhone run like new

Want to make your iPhone 4 run like an iPhone 5? Donald Bell has some easy tips.

Play Video

How to

Set up the ultimate home theater PC

From configuring your PC to choosing the right accessories, Sharon Vaknin shows you what you need to turn your PC into the ultimate TV companion.

Play Video

How to

Maximize your Galaxy S4's battery life

Stretch your S4's battery life with a few built-in features and lesser-known tricks that keep your phone from draining quickly. Sharon Vaknin shows you how.

Play Video

How to

Let guests DJ your party

CNET's Donald Bell shows you how to turn your iPhone into a shared jukebox that guests can access and control using a free app.

Play Video

How to

Take creative photos with the HTC One

The camera on the HTC One is capable of some pretty cool tricks. CNET's Donald Bell highlights some of this smartphone camera's slick features.

Play Video

 

Member Comments