Enso: A Humanized App for Windows?
…Well I’d be damned!
I’ve already propagandised this app to anyone close that showed even the remotest interest in the rantings of an app-loving Sugar (ask anyone: I can be pretty weird when I’ve discovered an interesting new app). 9 times out of 10, this app is a MacOS one, so everyone just keeps on ignoring me. This time, Jono, Aza, Atul and Andrew helped me get my revenge.
These guys started a series of apps that intends to make your Windows life easier. They offer Enso Launcher and Enso Words, two apps based on the same framework that can help you never reach for your mouse again. I can only review Enso Launcher, the trial version of which I’ve already installed both at home and work Windows machines and plan to buy when this trial ends.
Enso Launcher is a Windows application similar to Quicksilver for Mac. It’s intuitive and easy to use and has a less steep learning curve than Quicksilver (I know I’ve not even scratched the surface of this app). It involves typing commands that the computer can understand while holding down the Caps Lock key (or any other command key, it’s configurable). It may seem hard at first but believe me, after some times it’s completely intuitive and straightforward and you’ll wonder how you lived without it.
Looking for an app but tired to look for it in all the cascading menus of the dreaded Start menu button? Try it. Just hold down Caps Lock and write “open firefox”. Boom, your favourite browser is there. You don’t even have to remember the exact name: just type some characters that you think are there and Enso will present you with a list of the apps that fit. Use the arrow keys to select the app that you want, leave the Caps Lock and the application of your choice launches.
Apart from its strong launching abilities, Encho Launcher can also help you quickly calculate a sum, uppercase a string of letters, or google some search terms. What’s more is that since it’s based in Python, it’s extendable, and with some help from the Enso guys we’re bound to see some cool stuff floating around in the next months.
What’s great is that these apps have been created by 4 guys with a passion for simplicity and usability. They’ve put together a nice website and an extremely well done demo video (I strongly recommend it, check it just to know what this is all about, it’s very fun to see and the guys are great. Fav moment: “Soon!” by Jono). With the success of the app, they even decreased the price from $39.95 to $19.95, offering even a money refund to all buyers. Now that’s what I call play-it-nice marketing.
Oh come on, what’s not to love about these guys?
All in all, Enso offers an attractive interface, a simple mechanism and a relatively low number of bugs that will be soon squashed. If you’re a Quicksilver fan and you don’t really like Launchy like me, you’ll surely find it interesting.
enso, humanized, enso launcher, enso words
February 18th, 2007 at 3:15 pm
Hmm, unfortunately I have no Windows PCs to try this. I’ll keep an eye on Humanized. It caught my attention mainly for one reason: Aza Raskin, the president of that company, is the late Jef’s son.
February 18th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
Believe it or not, cosmix, I didn’t know that. Thanks for letting me know.
I like those guys.
February 18th, 2007 at 4:51 pm
Well, I haven’t been following Humanized lately either, so your post triggered my renewed interest in it and Raskin’s legacy. No need to thank me
February 19th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
Nice, I’ll try it as well… Fortunately I have a Windows, an OS X and a Linux machine!!! The beauty of try everything