Yes, this is YAICR, or yet another iTunes controller review. This time, it’s Playwatch, small menubar controller.
The Ticker
It gives you controls and a scrolling ticker displaying info on what is currently playing. Be default it scrolls though the song title, album and artist. Underneath the titles in the ticker is a one pixel tall line that shows the time through the song. Next to the to the ticker are the controls, which you can choose to have on either side to the ticker, or if you want, you can turn them off.
The ticker is completely customizable. You can change the font, the color of the background and text. Ticker size is also adjustable, so if you have a smaller screen you can adjust it to better fit in a limited space, while still getting your info. If the ticker is smaller than the title, it will scroll the title so you can read it entirely.
The HUD
When you hold the mouse over the ticker, you get a pop-up HUD display. This HUD shows the album art in three different views. Two of them include the track titles for the album, allowing you to select a different song from that album. The playing song pulses in a subtle but noticeable white. You can lock the HUD to always display, and drag it freely wherever you want on the desktop.
Each HUD view has a unique transition when the songs change. If you have lyrics with your songs, you can also view them in the HUD mode. Just hold down the “Option” key while you hover your mouse over the ticker.
The Verdict
I used to use a menubar controller for iTunes, so when I first started up Playwatch, I loved it. Until I wanted to change the track. I live on hotkeys for iTunes. When I found out that Playwatch didn’t have hotkeys I was very disappointed since I have a button on my mouse mapped to skip track. I think if the developer adds hotkeys, he may have a real winner. If you don’t use hotkeys (or prefer to use the controls on your keyboard), this may be the one for you. Playwatch is available now for $8.99, and works for 30 days if you want to try out the demo.
