The Alfred App
I’ve been using the Alfred App for about a month now and it’s really one of the best desktop apps I’ve tried in a while. I have no idea if it’s widely used, but it has at least improved my productivity quite a bit.
What it does is that it let’s you search anything on your computer and the web, launch apps and do various in-app stuff (if you have the pro version) from a simple search bar. It also works really well with a ton of services, including various Google services such as Maps, Docs and Translate. If you want to do a translation just hit alt + space to bring up the search bar and then type translate and the term you want to translate. It also supports custom search queries. For example I just type “hypem” from wherever I happen to be, and The Hype Machine opens in a new tab. Searching files and folders is also super simple. Just start the query with a space.
The best thing probably, in addition to all the time saved, is that it really cuts down on the number of times one needs to use the mouse and saves some neck and shoulder pain. After a month with the Alfred App it’s going to be really tough to use a desktop again without.
