Easy Window Switching With Fantasktik

Microsoft Windows has always had a taskbar for switching windows. On the bottom of the screen you just click the window you want to quickly switch to it. So why doesn’t Mac OS X have something like this? Now, with Fantasktik, it does.

Fantasktik, from Dockland Software, is a thin, slightly transparent taskbar that resides under the menu bar or at the bottom of the screen. It displays the icon of each open application with a small number on each one; this is the number of open windows for that application. Next to the icon are small bubbles for each open window. You can hide or expand the windows by double clicking the icon of the application. If you hover over a window in Fantasktik, a quick preview appears. These quick previews are great for easily identifying the window you need to switch to. Also, you can click and drag to scroll through the open windows. Each side of the taskbar has a small circular icon. Clicking this hide the whole taskbar, and clicking it again reveals the taskbar.

Fantasktik is great for window switching. It has a simple interface and great features like quick preview. Still, it comes with a few problems: The taskbar covers up most applications if they are at the top of the screen. Also, if you use Spaces, Fantasktik only shows up in one space. But these issues should be fixed in coming updates, according to the developer.

Fantasktik is only available for Mac OS X 10.5. It currently costs $9.99, but the price will rise to $14.99 after September 30. You can download a 15-day trial and purchase the application from Dockland Software.