Desktopia: Time Specific Wallpaper for Your Desktop

Everyone wants an interesting desktop. More specifically, everyone wants an interesting desktop wallpaper. Yes, there’s the default Apple wallpaper (the blue aqua one on Tiger or the space-time one on Leopard) but that gets boring after seeing it on Macs all over the place.

The other included images are nice, as are digital photos of friends and family, or even your vacation photos - but what else is there? Desktopia is an app that keeps your desktop fresh all day. Put simply it allows you to make the desktop change its background at different times of day. It sounds unnecessary, but as it turns out it is really quite fun to play with.

Okay, this app isn’t going to change your life. But it will make it more interesting. On it’s own, Desktopia is included with 3 “picture sets” to use. The first is of a streaming light highway during 3 different times of day, then an interesting view of the clouds at different times of day framed by an airplane window. Finally, my favorite one is just a basic field with grass.

There are 8 photos in this set, and each of them is a stunning representations of the different times of day. It really looks amazing, with the dock tucked just underneath the grass line. I can’t really explain why I find such joy in the idea of a constantly rotating desktop series, but it’s kind of cool to see the weather outdoors reflected on your computer screen.

Of course, it would probably be better for each and every one of us reading this post to, instead of downloading this app, shut down their computer and take a walk outside. But we all know that’s not going to happen!

Desktopia is controlled from a menu bar icon and is easy to customize, even allowing for you to mass adjust the times that new wallpapers spawn, when daylight savings comes around. Even if the app doesn’t appeal to you, the included 8-piece wallpaper set is really worth the download. They are simply beautiful, and look great with Leopard.

Desktopia is by Pierre Chatel and is available for free with the 3 great picture sets. If this just doesn’t appeal to you as a desktop, you may want to check out the previously mentioned EarthDesk, which shows you an up-to-the-minute views of the earth in all of its day and night time glory.