An assortment of Stardock software, Object Desktop 2008 Ultimate is a suite dedicated to customizing the GUI, look, and vibe of your desktop.  From the ability to enhance themes, enable transparency, or even use animated wallpaper, Object Desktop 2008 Ultimate throws in a whole slew of capabilities into your computer.  I do realize that I took a comprehensive look at half the software suite — but alas, it was far too much work, and I couldn’t handle the capacity.  So, I’m going to finish off what I started three months ago with this one-shot review of Object Desktop 2008.

Overall GUI

The GUIs in all the software were acceptable and usable – alas, some were a lot more dated than others (I’m referring in particular to Tab Launchpad).  I liked how, in essence, Stardock used similar features and layouts within certain software.  From what I can see, there are two types of layouts Stardock uses in Object Desktop software: one being a graphic and list beside it, which is used in software such as TweakVista with many options.  The second looks more modern, and is used in software that has a heavier use of graphics, such as previews of themes.

A prime example of this would be the similarities between the layouts in IconPackager and WindowBlinds.  However, I also felt that Stardock could’ve done better in this continuity thing – some of the GUIs look a bit dated (Tab Launchpad), and some look way too wonky (MyColors).

The Deal-Sealers

Every suite’s got a set of deal-sealers – a single or variety of features that makes it worth the juice worth the squeeze.  Not every single piece of software is absolutely essential to the suite – contrary to my previous belief – and I’ve isolated the deal-sealers to a trio:

IconPackager

I think IconPackager was an appropriate deal-sealer for two reasons:

1. Not only does it offer a one-click change of almost all your default computer icons, but it also supports Vista’s folder view feature – meaning that now, you can see that preview of your documents all the while using IconPackager icons.
2. Nothing else does it like IconPackager.  If you want free, you’re going to want to have a look at IconTweaker, or manually change those icons by yourself.  Ugh.

I had once tried emulating Mac OS X, and I realize that this tool would’ve come in extremely handy for such a purpose.  Unfortunately, back then, I hadn’t actually considered paying for software, so I gave up and stayed with XP’s look.  Right now, I’ve gotten sick of Vista’s default look, so I actually use a Japanese-themed icon set that I’m extremely satisfied with.

DeskScapes

Now, you don’t need Windows Vista Ultimate to enjoy the beauty of moving wallpapers.  I don’t think I need to say anymore – this alone arguably makes the purchase worth it, considering the price difference in the versions of Windows Vista.  If you understand what I’m trying to say.

WindowBlinds

How could Object Desktop 2008 be what it is without WindowBlinds?  In fact, I argue that the entire Stardock might be in jeopardy if it weren’t for WindowBlinds.  This widely-renowned piece of software is a non-resource-hogging, skin-serving, machine.  I didn’t even notice it running in the background – because I had it switched to the default Aero theme.  I must say, I’m impressed – for what it’s worth, WindowBlinds’ reputation precedes it.  I’m glad to see that generally, many users have started realizing that WindowBlinds doesn’t hog as many resources as people claim.

You might have a few doubts as to my choice of selection – and I can’t say that I didn’t expect such a question.  What made these three pieces of software stand out from the others?  Wouldn’t MyColors, DesktopX, or even Impulse, have been worth a mention?  I suppose that they do deserve a mention, but I personally don’t think that a software that forces you to pay for themes, or a software that simply packages everything together in even wider themes is very deal-sealing.  I hadn’t heard of these pieces of software before the review, and I can see why – in contrast, IconPackager was famous, DeskScapes was popularized by Vista, and I’d had WindowBlinds in mind since Day 1.

Conclusion

Long overdue, but I’m glad I finally got through with it.  For $69.99, I’m saying that Object Desktop 2008 Ultimate probably wouldn’t be as nice as a new wireless keyboard or even an Adidas sweater – but for you customization freaks, it’s an absolute essential. In fact, if you had asked me two years ago, I would’ve said it was the best thing since sliced bread – and if how your computer looks is a priority, then don’t even take the time to question or hesitate and pick up Object Desktop 2008 Ultimate.

Before I proceed to blab on about what I think of ObjectBar, I think that I should make one thing clear – it’s definitely not the easiest thing to use. In truth, ObjectBar actually took me a heck of a lot longer to learn how to maneuver effectively in comparison to other customization software, such as WindowBlinds and ObjectDock. ObjectBar is actually free has a shareware version which is ad-supported and expires after 30 days, but the full version comes as part of the Stardock Object Desktop 2008 suite.

I personally don’t find any use for ObjectBar asides from Mac OS X Finder emulation for Vista. With that said, it’s an interesting piece of software to work with – if anyone ever does get the chance to conceive their own way to navigate around Windows like Cairo Shell aims to do, then it could be with ObjectBar.

Installing & Tweaking New Bars

You’re really not left with much in the beginning, so it’s almost inevitable you’re going to have to download & install new bars. I was surprised to see that Wincustomize, Stardock’s resident gallery for hosting, seemed to only support ObjectBar2, those bars actually are compatible with ObjectBar. Alas, I was still galled at the lack of bars being hosted there, so I searched around for more. And more I got.

Turns out DeviantArt’s got a pretty swell collection of ObjectBar bars – as well as Googling around got me what I really wanted; the Mac Finder. After installing OB Font and Lucida Grande font types into my computer, I found that the experience was beautiful. I was getting Mac OS X emulation on Windows Vista – something that I had thought previously near impossible.

Tweaking bars isn’t too difficult – most of your work will be done within the Theme Editor segment of ObjectBar. However, if you want to change the font, you’re going to have to open the included .obskin file with Notepad and manually tweak it yourself – a task that’s not too hard, to be honest. That said, finding out how to tweak it to my liking took my morning (I guess I just wasn’t feeling the vibe).

Performance

ObjectBar’s performance doesn’t really bug the RAM or the processor, contrary to belief. I ran ObjectBar easily with my pretty standard Core 2 Duo and 2GB of RAM. No performance damage (took 2.7MB of RAM, for the record). It does what it’s supposed to – offer an alternative to the Start Menu – pretty easily, although it wasn’t an easy feat accessing my programs without the Start Menu, without the use of Launchy (thank goodness for Launchy).

Any bugs that I had issues with were mainly because of the way the Finder works as well as errors/bugs on the user’s part, where ObjectBar or Stardock really doesn’t have control over because they didn’t host the bars. So, I guess I can’t blame them there (but just know there are bugs).

Conclusion

Overall, I guess I was pretty impressed with ObjectBar – it took 2.7MB of RAM, it provided a viable alternative to the typical boring Start menu, and it’s free! If you’re on Vista and bored with your Start Menu, pick it up now. And if you need help with it, feel free to leave a comment.

TweakVista is a piece of Stardock’s Object Desktop Ultimate 2008 that makes system-tweaking look good. It’s not exactly a piece of software that allows you to customize the look and feel of Vista – and it’s not to be confused with a piece of software called TweakVI, which tweaks the quirkier items that Vista does not allow by default.

I like to see TweakVista as a sort of aggregator or central location for the user to have easy-access to all the Windows Vista software tweaks allowed by default. As I noticed – everything kind of led to a system file or window of some sort. For example, clicking on the Display tab would have links leading to monitor configuration, etc. However, I see this is as a positive – for users new to Windows Vista, it can be a rough neighbourhood to run through, thanks to UAC patrol. I think that this piece of software, although not a necessity, could be useful to have handy if you run into trouble tweaking.

That’s TweakVista in two paragraphs, I really can’t say much more about it because it’s all pretty self-explanatory. Also, to fix up our review schedule – TweakShell is incompatible with Vista – so it looks like we’re finally done two weeks worth of reviews (took longer than two weeks – yeah, I know).

The right-click menu; the menu where everyone just wants to clean. No more Add to Archive or Add to Zip, just the necessities. Of course, no one expects much more of the right-click menu, right? I mean – how outrageous would it be if I could run a program from the right-click menu? Folks, if you’re sick of the Start Menu or want a faster way to get around, let me introduce you to Stardock’s RightClick.

RightClick doesn’t add any buttons to your current right-click menu; rather, it is a whole new menu on its own – complete with its own skins, functions, and a ton of other stuff. Skins can be customized to correspond with your current WindowBlinds theme, or you can choose from one of the other presets. I chose to use the Windows Classic skin…hey, I like it retro, alright?

Stardock’s RightClick allows you to do a heck of a lot of stuff with just an easy right-click of your mouse on the desktop. That might’ve been one of your concerns – what about the menu that allows you to copy and paste, and do all that other stuff? Don’t worry – right-clicking in applications and folders will not make it launch the RightClick menu – rather, it only works on the desktop, as I had mentioned. The RightClick menu allows you easy access to applications – the same programs on your Start Menu, but it also allows for quick access to programs that you create shortcuts toward – for example, in our scenario, I created a shortcut for Mozilla Firefox.

What if you want to change your wallpaper or desktop resolution though? Simple, just unload RightClick and the menu reverts back to normal.

RightClick takes up .7MB of RAM – practically nothing. RightClick does come as part of the Object Desktop 2008 package, but it can also be purchased individually for $9.95 at Stardock. My opinion: it’s kind of a minor convenience, because the Start Menu in Windows Vista and XP is already pretty optimized and requires just a left click. However, the shortcuts are pretty convenient, especially if you want to keep your desktop clean – RightClick is one of the easier methods to access your programs (Launchy’s great too). I personally would suggest saving up and purchasing all of Object Desktop 2008 Ultimate, rather than buy this program separately.

Tab Launchpad is similar to Keyboard Launchpad in that it launches other programs. It’s a program that launches other programs. Thus, it allows for all of your most used programs to be cleaned off your desktop and into one of the platforms of Tab Launchpad.

My favourite aspect of the program was the different tabs – they can be arranged so that different programs are fitted under different categories. For example, my most used programs are fitted in Herbert’s Applications. If I was a graphic designer, I could put programs such as Paint.NET or Photoshop in a tab called Graphics. A gamer would put his games in a Games tab. The tabs can be created as you wish, and even icon-spacing can be altered.

What makes it interesting is how applications are added into tabs – I couldn’t for the life of me figure it out until I explored the program files. Turns out that you drag and drop short-cuts of applications or locations into the tab’s folder to make the corresponding shortcut or location appear in the tab. For example, in our scenario, my tab is named Herbert’s Applications. I dragged in the Mozilla Firefox shortcut to the folder, and – behold, the shortcut appeared on my launchpad.

Although this technology is still relatively new to me, it looks kind of outdated – the whole icon and colour scheme just doesn’t seem up to date.

In my opinion, I would have to consider Tab Launchpad kind of redundant – the word “obsolete” did come to mind, but that would be a stretch. Not because of its looks, but rather, because of the evolution of launching technology. Mac users have Quicksilver, and us Windows users have Launchy – a software that launches software through the keyboard (not functions though, so it’s different from Keyboard Launchpad). In my opinion, Launchy makes things a lot faster – in fact, I found myself launching Tab Launchpad with Launchy. Productive-wise, Launchy is a lot faster, but if you prefer to use a mouse or tabs, then try Tab Launchpad.

Unfortunately, Tab Launchpad isn’t available for download on its own – it comes with Object Desktop; I feel that even though it does bring something unique to the table, it’s in urgent need of a makeover.

On top of Object Desktop Launchpad, there’s a Theme Manager 2007 that is packaged with the Object Desktop 2008 suite.

Basically, all the themes, wallpaper, screensavers, desktop settings, bootskins, login screens, and everything else in Object Desktop 2008 are aggregated into this one piece of software. It’s a great central location to change themes – or the whole look of the computer.

I feel as though with Object Desktop Launchpad and Theme Manager 2007, Stardock has made Object Desktop 2008 that much more easier to use, but I figure that I’d probably rather be spared such conveniences and just leave it uninstalled – after all, the more free space, the better. It was already foolproof in the first place – why continue dumbing it down?

The methods of receiving our software have been redefined in the last couple of years. From having to go out to the game store, progressing to just sitting patiently and having the games mailed to you, to finally having the game being downloaded for you within the hour. It’s amazing.

Yeah, yeah. Scoff at me for reviewing a content manager. My reasons for taking a look at this:

• It’s a huge integration of Stardock services.
• It’s the only alternative to Steam that I know of.
• It’s the first release of Stardock Impulse, which is the descendant of Stardock Central.

I’ve never used Stardock Central before, but I’ve used Steam as of late. For what it’s worth, the two are very similar in function, but very different in form.

Stardock Impulse combines different services, such as downloading/purchasing games, with community services such as chat and forums. It’s got an internal browser, which navigates around http://impulsedriven.net, which is how the forums and blogs are reached. Also, it’s a great aggregating list of everything that you’ve purchased, as well as a store/catalog for all games and software available through Impulse.

For the most part, Stardock Impulse runs fine. The download speeds are up to par, the installation is automatic, and everything can be ran and activated through Impulse. There are a few too many updates and restarts for my taste, and the loading time can be worked on – but asides from that, everything is smooth. It takes up 37mb of memory – kind of on the bloated side, especially for a content manager. By comparison, Steam uses 31mb of RAM, so I guess an extra 6mb isn’t too unreasonable (right?).

Content managers update – a lot. Impulse updates quite a bit, as does Steam I noticed. This does get a bit annoying at times, but I realize that it’s a whole part of the process – in fact, it should be seen as a positive thing. The purchased software updates very frequently as well, so there are fewer bugs and vulnerabilities. Don’t take it for granted!

The GUI really bugged me – it’s got twisted Vista-y/Web 2.0 glassy look, making it feel ever so bloated. I realize that the intention was to make it more integrated into Vista, while trying to retain its uniqueness, but I’m afraid Stardock didn’t exactly pull it off that well. It’s got no skins that we can change into, unlike Steam, which has four colour schemes (some of which look actually much better than the default olive-goose-poop scheme).

On the other hand, like steam, Impulse combines content with the community – there are a set of forums and even IM capabilities integrated into Impulse’s browser. It’s a very interesting setup. Not to mention you can set up your own blog (like I did on WordPress!).

I’m glad that Impulse doesn’t have those annoying promotional popups that Steam does, even though I’ll admit that they seem to be quite effective (the Steam popups had me considering purchasing some games).

However, I’m surprised that the support wasn’t more integrated into Impulse – sure, there are support forums, but I’d prefer if there was a live chat of some sort in Impulse.

Overall, it’s nothing special – nothing too different from the already-popular Steam. It’s great they’re up to par on each other, but for Impulse to take the cake, they’re going to have to explore directions where Steam hasn’t diversified in yet (such as the whole Support idea).

06/01/2008 UPDATE: Oops! As Brad Wardell has kindly stated, the version of Impulse that I am using is currently in beta. Sorry about that folks, I assumed that as the version number was past 1, it was ready for public release. My mistake! We’ll be taking a closer look at the June 17, 2008 revision.

Around a couple of years ago, I bought the book Hacking Windows XP by Steve Sinchak from my local Chapters. Although I discovered later on that I could’ve found all that information assorted over the web, it was the harnessing point for my interest in customization. I gradually grew into a customization freak (and back into a normal guy). I’d change my wallpaper on a weekly (daily?) basis, and be testing out the latest Vista and OS X visual styles I found on Deviant Art. That period of time was around the time I first heard of WinCustomize and WindowBlinds. I had tried out a trial version on my older HP computer, but it ended up slowing my system down a bit.

I did end up going for an OS X look, without WindowBlinds (free trial ended and I don’t pay for customization – patched uxtheme.dll ). However, I ended up using ObjectBar and ObjectDock for furthering the Mac emulation – yep, they were both free. When I made the transition to Windows Vista, I was stuck – no more variety in customization, because customizing in Windows Vista was still in pioneer stages. However, there was golden solution – Windowblinds. I was disappointed.

The Current Scenario

The battlefield is different now – plagued with a lack of reliable alternatives, users will have to choose either a life of non-customization, a life with unreliable customization, or Object Desktop’s more reliable solutions. Is it worth it? Would forking over $49.95 for the normal edition or $69.95 for the ultimate edition be worth it?

Don’t worry people – I’m here. We’re going to be taking a comprehensive look at the series of applications in Object Desktop Ultimate. Twenty-one applications. Five weeks (maybe not in a row). Strap on your seatbelt, because you’re going to be in for a wild ride.

So far, my outline looks a little like this:

Week 1:

• Impulse
• ObjectDesktop Launchpad
• Keyboard Launchpad
• Theme Manager

Week 2:

• Tab Launchpad
• RightClick
• TweakVista

Week 3:

• ObjectDock
• ObjectBar
• IconX
• IconPackager
• SoundPackager
• LogonStudio Vista

Week 4:

• MyColors
• IconDeveloper
• Stardock Virtual Desktops
• SkinStudio 6 Professional

Week 5:

• WindowFX
• DesktopX
• DeskScapes
• WindowBlinds

Week 6:

• Final Verdict, Summary, Conclusion

Nothing’s written in stone yet, but so far I think it looks pretty good. Besides, saving up the big four for the final week builds anticipation, right? Stay tuned for the first set of reviews, coming your way soon!

I realize it seems a bit silly to be reviewing everything, but I’ve thought about it – and it wouldn’t do justice to the suite or you, my dear reader, if I didn’t take a good look at everything. I hope you enjoy, and it’s been a long time in the making (hehe).

Cover image by: exfordy