nDroid: Windows keyboard application launcher

Filed under: Utilities, Windows, Freeware, Search

nDroid: Windows keyboard application launcher

by Simon Kerbel Apr 10th 2008

Keyboard application launchers are all the rage, and we're always on the lookout for any new entries into the field. One such entry is nDroid, a simple keyboard launcher that performs basic launch tasks, but also has a few tricks up its sleeve.

nDroid is launched by a default hotkey: CTRL+ALT+Z. The hotkey combination brings up the default nDroid window. Type in the name of an application, a document, etc...and nDroid will find any appropriate matches on your computer. In our test searches nDroid was very fast and found relevant results.

nDroid also has a few extra niceties:

Type a ? followed by a mathematical expression and nDroid will calculate the answer.
Shift + Enter will open the application's parent folder in Windows Explorer.
CTRL + Enter will run the typed text as a full command, just like the "Run" option in the Start menu.

So nDroid essentially takes the place of the Run command, the calculator, and to a certain extent, Windows Explorer. Very sweet.

nDroid is built with an open architecture, which means that anybody can build plugins to extend nDroid's functionality.

nDroid is a free download, and Windows only.

Thanks for the tip, Chris!

[via the Wired Blog]

Tags: launcher, nDroid

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Mysterius said 2:40AM on 4-11-2008

As tempting as the benefits of keyboard navigation sound... I don't really want to memorize all these shortcuts for stuff that I can visually navigate to much faster.

I can't be the only tech-blog reader that feels this way, am I?

Stuart Halliday said 11:18AM on 4-11-2008

Ahh Ctrl-Alt-Shift - Z - undo when I'm on Gimp....

Give me AHK - Auto-hotkey. Much nicer as I can remap any key and launch any app via any key, mouse click or well anything! :-)

piyo said 8:05AM on 4-12-2008

It's funny. This utility was made _in_ AutoHotkey! In its older days it was called 320MPH and available as source from the AHK forums. So you have the footprint and speed of AHK.

theplaymaker62 said 3:51PM on 4-11-2008

The article failed to mention that you can change the shortcuts to whatever you like... One of the default options is to use capslock + a , which is much more convenient. Though you can use whatever shortcut combination you like... Also it has a smaller memory (about half) when compared to launchy.

Featured Time Waster

Civiballs is a beautiful, soothing physics puzzle Time Waster

I have an absolute weakness for physics games, and while Civiballs isn't the strongest physics-based game, what it lacks in the physics department it makes up for a few times over in style and fun.

In Civiballs, you are presented with a few colored balls, and your goal is to get those balls into the same-colored urn on the level. The "civi" part of Civiballs is that there are 3 sets of levels to play, each representing a different civilization. While the civilization doesn't affect gameplay, the artwork for each level is beautifully themed to it's appropriate era.

To play the game, you are given only one tool - a sword with which to cut the chains that are holding the balls. The puzzle part of the game is in figuring out what order, and with what timing to cut each chain. Do it right, and all the right balls end up in the right urns, with no stray balls entering an urn (a no-no). Do it wrong, and you get to start over again.

Civiballs is not terribly deep on gameplay; the entire game can be completed in about 15 minutes. But if you enjoy this type of game, it will be a very enjoyable 15 minutes.

View more Time Wasters