Filed under: Design, Photo, Utilities, Windows, Macintosh, Freeware
Desktoptopia: desktop background management for Mac and PC
by Todd Ritter Apr 7th 2008
On OS X, the app installs as a preference pane where you can change the rotation time (hours, days, etc.) and select feeds from which to pull pictures. Desktoptopia offers categories like abstract, film, photography, and typography. You can also add your own feed, which greatly increases the functionality of the program.
The Windows version requires .NET Framework 3.5, and is definitely beta. We had mixed results including a sluggish interface, slow loading of backgrounds, and .NET unhanded exception errors. We had to restart the program a few times just to get an initial background to load.
You can rate the desktop backgrounds, have different (or the same) backgrounds on multiple monitors, and pause the rotation schedule if you find a background you really love.
Desktoptopia recently dropped their price to everyone's favorite: free. With the free price tag, however, comes the potential of seeing branded backgrounds.
[Via TUAW]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Bufsabre said 11:14AM on 4-07-2008
i dont really care for software with this but i think it would of been much better if they went for 'Desktopia' the double top looks and sounds retarded, and with that i mean no disrespect to actual retards
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Mark said 11:37AM on 4-07-2008
"your desktop background automatically with well-designed pictures that are chosen by the Desktoptopia team. "
So if I understand this, THEY choose what wallpaper you have and you can't choose your own? If so that's dumb, and yeah Desktopia would have sounded way better.
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Todd Ritter said 2:26PM on 4-07-2008
You set a schedule for when you want your background changed. The backgrounds come from "feeds" of pictures that they approve based on how good they look. You can also add your own feeds. If you want to choose your own background, there isn't much reason to have this application.
The application is great for people (like me) who get bored of the same background after a few days. I have mine set to change daily, for instance.
julian said 2:42PM on 4-07-2008
dont macs do this already?
plus why would i want someone elses branded pictures i rather have my own
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Joey said 3:03PM on 4-07-2008
I think this is pretty great. I love the desktops, and the fact that I don't have to scour the web to find them!
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jackson said 4:13PM on 4-07-2008
way better i.m.o. is desklickr, a freebie mac program that changes your desktop using pics from flickr.
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Rboyett said 11:55AM on 4-08-2008
It seems to lock up on my Leopard installation..
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Xupisco said 12:48AM on 4-19-2008
BTW, I just wrote this script if someone want to save the current Desktop (like me).
tell application "Finder"
set wp to get desktop picture
duplicate wp to desktop
end tell
It just copy the file to your Desktop!
Hugs!
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