Posted 10/20/09 at 02:30:00 PM by David Murphy

The recent release of Stardock's Fences tool (version 1.0) got me thinking about desktop organization. While Fences is certainly neat--the program lets you divide your desktop real estate into individual sections, surrounded by "fences," amongst other space-saving features--this freeware app isn't the only game in town by far. In fact, some of you expressed disgust at Stardock's latest release. Be it the fact that one needs to install Stardock's Impulse client just to access Fences, or your simple dislike of an application whose functionality is mirrored by other freeware apps, Fences was hardly a shot hit out of the park.

 So, here we are. After the jump, I'll show you five different alternative desktop managers that will help you bring increased tidiness, prettier looks, and funer... er... more fun functionality to your typical workspace. Auto-arrange your icons one last time for nostalgia's sake, because I'm about to mix up your desktop crazy-style.

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Posted 10/01/09 at 09:08:13 AM by Paul Lilly

BumpTop, the sexy 3D overlay for Windows-based operating systems, purports to make your PC's desktop act "like a real desk," but that's hard to do when you're still required to fumble around with a keyboard and mouse. Realizing this, the BumpTop developers have added multitouch support, including a handful of gestures the company claims to have patents for.

In addition to the typical gestures found on just about any multitouch device, BumpTop ups the ante with gestures that use all five fingers, both hands, and even the side of your hands. Gestures the company claims to have a leg up on the competition include "lasso," "shove," " scrunch," "fan out," and a few others.

You can download a version of BumpTop for free, but if you want multitouch support -- as well as the ability the toss files onto USB keys, thumbnail previews without watermarks, and other extras -- you'll have to shell out for BumpTop Pro, currently priced at $29.

Video Demo

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