Multi-Monitor Mayhem

Like us, you’ve probably found that a single screen doesn’t cut it anymore.
Here are two apps that will help you make the most of your multi-mon setup

DisplayFusion

If you’re tired of using third-party photo-editing applications to get your desktop wallpaper to span multiple displays, you’re in luck. The 15-day trial of DisplayFusion (www.binaryfortress.com) allows you to customize every last inch of your desktop, and the $10 pro version opens up access to Flickr and wallpaper randomization modes.

The program’s main screen is the meat of the application. From here, you can set up a single wallpaper that spans any number of displays, or you can individualize each monitor with a different wallpaper: perhaps a loving portrait of your family alongside your favorite sports team (or sports team’s cheerleading squad).

Randomizing your desktops’ wallpapers is as easy as clicking a button. The program will swap your wallpapers in and out up to once a day. We recommend you not set them to change every minute unless you want to turn your desktop into a screensaver of sorts.

DisplayFusion is unique in its ability to pull down images from any Flickr user and make them into wallpapers. It’s a great feature for the photography enthusiast, as you can then use the application to create a rotating slide show of wallpapers based on everything you upload to your account.

Or you can aim one step higher. Using a series of keywords and group filters, you can turn your wallpaper into an endless stream of new images centered on your specific interests. It’s a perfect solution if you’re tired of the same ol’, same ol’.

UltraMon

Consider UltraMon (www.realtimesoft.com) the jack-of-all-trades for your desktop interface. While it doesn’t offer as much wallpaper functionality as DisplayFusion, it includes a plethora of other desktop features. A 30-day trial lets you try the app out, after which you have to pay $40 for the full version of the program, which includes a year’s worth of updates.

UltraMon builds a ton of functionality into its minimal interface. The program adds additional buttons to the top of your windows that allow you switch a window from one monitor to another without having to drag it over yourself. A second button lets you span your current window across all of your displays. You can also assign these commands—and a host of others— to individual hotkey combinations through UltraMon’s extensive options menu. And you can opt to have Ultra- Mon regulate your windows’ dimensions when moving between displays of different resolutions.

One of the more frustrating issues for multi-monitor users is that it’s impossible to make Windows screensavers run on more than one display at once. You can certainly download multi-monitor-friendly screensavers, but the ones that come packaged with Windows XP work on only one display—unless you have UltraMon, that is.

The utility not only lets you run separate instances of your screensaver across all of your displays but also allows you to assign a different screensaver to each display. Balance out a slide show of your college days with a good ol’ Windows logo.