Rating: 4.5/5

I’ve tried several implementations of virtual desktops on multiple platforms. While Spaces is not the slickest looking, it doesn’t utilize superfluous effects over usability. Spaces also is also vastly better than other virtual desktop solutions because it’s supported and included in more machines.

Spaces has some key features that make it truly great. One, Spaces is tightly integrated with Exposé. Activating All Windows will show only the windows in the current space. Additionally, if all spaces are shown in a bird’s eye view, it will show all windows in all spaces. The second major feature of Spaces is application binding, called “Application Assignments.� The crux of virtual desktops is having certain application windows appearing in specific spaces automatically, and this is what Application Assignments does. These automatic assignments take away most of the work of moving windows to specific spaces. The last major feature of Spaces is the one most virtual desktop implementations lack: a bird’s eye view of all spaces. This view not only allows you to see which window is where, but also move windows effortlessly between spaces.

Spaces has some other convenient ways of moving windows to other spaces. You can drag windows to the edge of the screen nearest the other space. For example, to move a Safari window to the space to the left of it, drag it to the left edge and hold it there for a few seconds. Spaces shows a nice bezel-like window which displays which space you just switched to. Spaces also has numerous ways of switching to other spaces: keyboard shortcuts, a menu bar item, a Dock icon, and more.

Spaces is not without its problems though. Individual spaces can only have a non-descriptive number for a name, rather than a name like Communications or Web Browsing. Spaces also has a minor bug where windows appear in the wrong space. I’ve encountered this only once in about a week of owning Leopard. It happened when I activated iCal’s preference window and it appeared in the space above the current one.

Virtual desktops are great for organizing a large quantity of windows —therefore providing a less distracting interface. Despite some minor deficiencies, Spaces is simply the best implementation of virtual desktops I’ve ever used.

Price: included with Leopard, $129 or £85

Site: http://www.apple.com/

Make sure too digg this article as well! http://digg.com/apple/Review_of_Spaces_on_iAppblog/

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 3rd, 2007 at 6:32 pm and is filed under Apple, Mac OS X Leopard, New Software, Reviews, Software, Utilities. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.