First Look: You Control, custom menu utility

The more programs you install and the more files you create, the harder it can be to find anything easily. To provide quick access to the programs, files, and operating system features you need most, You Software offers a utility program called You Control. You Control creates custom menus that can appear in any corner of the screen or a pop-up window, which is called up by a pre-defined hotkey combination. Through these custom menus, you can access various features of your Macintosh.

Although the Dock gives you one-click access to your favorite programs and files, it can only hold a limited number of items before everything gets too small, making them difficult to read. In comparison, You Control’s custom menu lets you store programs and files into distinct categories. For example, you might store all your programs under an Applications category, a word processor and graphics program under an Office menu category, and a game and iTunes under a Play menu category. By offering custom menus, You Control lets you organize your programs and files in whatever way makes you happy.




If you don’t want to take the time to create your own custom menus, You Control offers pre-designed menus (called modules). Where custom menus can substitute for the Finder and the Dock, modules substitute for Dashboard widgets.

Some of You Control’s modules can display a weather forecast for your area, control iTunes, retrieve the latest stock prices, view appointments stored in your iCal calendar, read RSS newsfeeds, and search for names and telephone numbers stored in your Address Book.





If the standard customization features of the Finder, Dock, and Dashboard are still too clumsy for you, then consider You Control as a more convenient alternative. Whether you want to take the time to create custom menus or just use its pre-built modules instead, at $29, You Control is a flexible and inexpensive utility for anyone who wants to make their Macintosh easier to use.

Filed under: computers, software, accessories
Other story tags: First Look, utility