Isolator is a small menubar application that helps you concentrate. When you're working on a document, and don't want to be distracted, turn on Isolator. It will cover up your desktop and all the icons on it, as well as the windows of all your other applications, so you can concentrate on the task in hand.
Isolator is similar to, but not the same as Think and Backdrop. The difference is that it works exactly how I want it to. Maybe you'll like it too.
The cleanest, simplest and least memory-hungry of the 'concentration' apps.
But for some reason, since I upgraded to Lion, when the app is set to load as a startup item, it doesn't activate with the hotkey; I have to go and open it again, which is mildly annoying.
Still, that minor issue, aside, this is a fantastic app.
I've been blessed to find a few really great pieces of software lately. Isolator is one of them. It is useful to me because I run many applications concurrently and it can be difficult to keep up with which is the front app. I run 4 monitors which compounds the problem. Frequently I run 3-4 copies of 4D and I have modified the wrong code many times because of losing track of which is which. Isolator solves that perfectly. You can dim out the background apps so that you can see them, but also know they are not the front app.
One recommendation I would make is to turn of the "Filters" which control the look of the background apps. Filters cause a significant slow-down with no real benefit.
To make things even better, Isolator is Free! Can you beat that?!
This is a great tool, but I did have some troubles with it.
I do not like a lot of things in my menu bar, so I switched this option off. I use a (very huge amount) lot of software at the same time, so I erased the keyboard shortcut so it could not interfere with some other app.
...and now I could not control the app anymore and had to quit it in Activity Monitor (clicking the app icon did not do anything).
But it did help me to focus, works very well and the 'filters' to hide the desktop are great!
I've used Isolator in the past to fill the gap when Menustrip was unavailable but now that Menustrip has been resurrected from the dead it does this and much more and much better. Yes, it's 10 bucks and this is free but I think it's worth it.
I used to use MenuStrip and don't remember it having the feature that's equivalent to Isolator. I also just looked at its description and can't find this feature. If it's the "hide desktop" feature, then I don't think you're talking about exactly the same thing. Isolator does more than just hide the desktop. As for hiding the desktop, there are numerous free programs that can do that. (I use Camouflage.)
Oops, previous versions worked fine but now after turning on Isolator the whole computer becomes useless and only holding down the powerbutton can get me out of it. Could be I'm doing something wrong but for now Appzapper made Isolator move to the trash.
Sorry about this. If you're on 10.4/Tiger, it should be fixed in Isolator 3.3. If you're on Leopard, it's a problem I haven't heard about before, in which case please let me know. My email is on the Isolator web page.
I would imagine a lot of people would want to use this with word processors, so they can concentrate, but while using Word I needed to access another window within Word and when I did, it automatically hid the first document and the only way I could get back to it was to turn off Isolator. Also, it gives you the option to Hide Dock, I assumed it meant that it would disable it while you were working so when you got to the bottom of the page it wouldn't pop back up, but there it was. If it just hides the Dock, you can set that up in your regular OS X preferences. I was really hoping this product would be for me. If I'm doing something wrong in Word, I'd love to give this bad boy another shot. Thanks!
Hi Babyfett -- I think you are just looking for a different set of features. Isolator keeps one application in the foreground, and obscures the rest. So when you switch away from Word (say), your Word windows will be obscured. You might be interested in Think, which works differently.
The idea of the 'Hide Dock' option is that you can have the Dock displayed during normal use, and just have it hide when you turn Isolator on. If you normally have the Dock on auto-hide, that feature won't be useful to you.
Seems to be broken under Leopard. Any one else having problems?
BTW This is a fantastic app... and I am very surprised that it is not better known (a great replacement MenuStrip which offered a simliar functionality but which was never updated for Intel Macs).
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Isolator is a small menubar application that helps you concentrate. When you're working on a document, and don't want to be distracted, turn on Isolator. It will cover up your desktop and all the icons on it, as well as the windows of all your other applications, so you can concentrate on the task in hand.
Isolator is similar to, but not the same as Think and Backdrop. The difference is that it works exactly how I want it to. Maybe you'll like it too.
+1
Leftblank reviewed on 30 Mar 2012
Easiest way to shut out the necessary clutter of other apps in order to concentrate on a single task ....
8-)
Giray reviewed on 15 Mar 2012
+45
taja reviewed on 16 Jan 2012
But for some reason, since I upgraded to Lion, when the app is set to load as a startup item, it doesn't activate with the hotkey; I have to go and open it again, which is mildly annoying.
Still, that minor issue, aside, this is a fantastic app.
+6
tfigs reviewed on 16 Sep 2011
+34
Randy Crawford reviewed on 04 Jun 2011
One recommendation I would make is to turn of the "Filters" which control the look of the background apps. Filters cause a significant slow-down with no real benefit.
To make things even better, Isolator is Free! Can you beat that?!
+13
Eelco Deuling reviewed on 26 May 2011
I do not like a lot of things in my menu bar, so I switched this option off. I use a (very huge amount) lot of software at the same time, so I erased the keyboard shortcut so it could not interfere with some other app.
...and now I could not control the app anymore and had to quit it in Activity Monitor (clicking the app icon did not do anything).
But it did help me to focus, works very well and the 'filters' to hide the desktop are great!
+37
JasonE reviewed on 21 May 2011
+1
+152
Gcoghill reviewed on 25 Apr 2011
-1
+99
+1
+272
+2
+11
Ecbrown reviewed on 09 Oct 2010
+35
+3
+73
+3
And that was a really fast update!
+7
The idea of the 'Hide Dock' option is that you can have the Dock displayed during normal use, and just have it hide when you turn Isolator on. If you normally have the Dock on auto-hide, that feature won't be useful to you.
+334
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/23972
+1
BTW This is a fantastic app... and I am very surprised that it is not better known (a great replacement MenuStrip which offered a simliar functionality but which was never updated for Intel Macs).
+81
Paulnojustpaul rated on 29 Apr 2011
+65
James-D rated on 25 Mar 2011
-1
Losmuertos rated on 04 Dec 2010