ALEXIUSCA  4.0: Added blur and other effects to background windows; suspend Isolator when Finder is frontmost; multiple bug fixes.

4.02beta: Update for Snow Leopard; add desaturate effect

4.03beta: Fix glitch with selection of desaturate filter

4.04beta: unreleased

4.1beta: Snow Leopard support, desaturate filter

4.2: Snow Leopard support, desaturate filter

4.3: Fix Sparkle problems. NB This version is not compatible with OS X 10.4 -- I hope the next version will be.

4.4: Fix auto-update problems. NB This version is not compatible with 10.4 -- hopefully the next version will be.  
(Version 4.4)

LEMERLOT  Wow, after years of using Think I discovered Isolator now - and it does nearly all I liked to have with Think. It even hides the dock! If it could hide the menu bar too it would be perfect for me.

Nevertheless I'm very impressed.  
(Version 4.03b)

PJOT  Indeed, a wonderful app, thanks Ben!  
(Version 4.0)

BUMBLEB  Thank you, dear developer

Just what I need. Such niceness;-)  
(Version 4.0)

HARRISTYPE  This has already become an indispensable item in my menu bar. The app works flawlessly and, unlike other utilities that try to do similar tasks, handles multiple apps and Apple's Spaces intelligently. The only feature that I can see that I'd like to have added is an applications exception area in the prefs. That way when I bring up calculator while looking at an Excel spreadsheet, I can have it so that calculator doesn't trigger Isolator, and I can still see the spreadsheet info in the background.

Other than that small feature request, this utility rocks!  
(Version 4.0)

MR AMNESIA  It is a remarkably simple app, that instantly shows its use and benefits. It is perfect if you want a screen shot of a broken app but have something that you do not want seen. You can use it to block out everything else so can concentrate.

Features 5 simple does what it says and well.

Ease of use 5 on or off simple as that.

Value 5 free enough said.

Stability 5 never crashed in all the time I have used it.  
(Version 4.0)

GCOGHILL  Excellent utility! great for not only concentration, but also screenshots and screencasts to keep the background private and/or non-distracting.  
(Version 3.40b)

DNEM41  i already posted comments on this, but forgot to rate it.

its not exaggeration that i gave this all 5's. this is a simple little app that lets you focus on the front window. i have used DooDim, Backdrop, and Think 1.2.

DooDim was my first love, but dumped it when i accidentally crossed paths with Isolator's arsenal of features. Isolator did everything DooDim did, but was sold on the one-button dim.

Didn't like backdrop because the icon shows up in my command+tab window. plus i feel like my machine ran a little slower.

Think 1.2, was going the wrong direction because i dont want another window when im trying to focus on the task at hand.

One last thing about this app (and other like these) is that i love using it in conjunction with Menu Eclipse. menueclipse is a small app that dims out your menu bar (the last frontier of Mac screen real estate). menu eclipse is good enough for now, but i would like something with a few more options and MenuShade doesnt work yet for Intel iMacs.

furthermore, (and maybe this is a little too much to ask, but) i would like the ability to have windows occupy the top where the menu bar would be. it would be neat if i could have something that would auto-hide the menu bar (just like I can autohide the dock). i have a lot of things going on (like iStat) so the menu bar's distracting, and its good that i got a little app that covers it up. but i would like to be able to have windows where the menu bar would be. does anyone have any suggestions?

Isolator developers - you rock!  
(Version 3.39b)

VERYVITO  Just what I needed. Works as advertised, and feels less clunky than Backdrop or other solutions I've tried.  
(Version 3.2)

DNEM41  Yea, I used this for about 4 minutes and decided this was a keeper.

Prior to Isolator I was using DooDim. I needed something to block everything out and DooDim was just the first one I stumbled across. It was good enough until I saw this on the front page of MacUpdate. Tried it out and really liked the one-click dim feature. Also, I really like the blur. Very simple, but I never thought of it myself, and therefore didn't know I wanted it.

Also tried out Backdrop (which is shareware), but didn't like that the Backdrop icon showed up in the command+tab window.   
(Version 3.2)