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.

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).

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?