iValet V1.0.2
reviewed by Mike Hubbartt
ZiggySoft Released: July 2006 $19 USD single-user license (Shareware), $190 USD world-wide site license. Requirements: Mac OS X 10.2 or newer, Universal Binary. Strengths: iPod-style interface, useful easily-accessed tools for heavy internet users, extremely reasonable cost for site and world-wide site license pricing, very good response to reported problems. Weaknesses: Calendar To Do list not integrated with iCal, must import phone list - not kept in sync. iValet provides telephone dialing, time and date and task tracking, clipboard and a calculator modules in one package. A number of diverse features, ZiggySoft chose an intuitive look-and-feel very similar to the iPod for iValet. |
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PHONE
To test iValet, I wanted to use numbers from my Address Book. iValet supports importing phone lists from the Address Book or Microsoft Entourage. I imported my Address Book and encountered my first problem: after completing the import, the iValet smily program icon disappeared. Although the menu was still there, the application itself was gone. I had to restart my iMac to regain access to the software - something familiar to Windows users but not typical for Macs. I contacted ZiggySoft and they had a workaround the same day and had issued a patch to fix the problem within a week. Two of the supported phone modes are for Gizmo and Skype - very useful, but I did not have software installed to test the other three modes (Jon’s ABDialer and MacDialer).
A nice feature, but not a reason I would buy this application.
TIME
iValet includes a monthly calendar and clock, and provides a daily To Do list. To add or remove a reminder, click in the area below the clock. Enter the To Do and select a time and you’re done - the To Do and time are displayed below the clock for easy reference. Simple and intuitive. My only issue with this: not integrated with iCal. I believe most people find it difficult to keep two separate calendars and To Do lists in sync by manual intervention. Just too much work and I hope this module will be enhanced at a later date.
I like it, but I’m not going to use iValet over iCal.
CLIPS
Writers aren’t the only ones that save snippets of information. How many times have you composed an e-mail and needed to save a copy for future reference? Or wanted to save a URL list for a website? Or jot a note on a scrap of paper and stick it to your monitor? Or save yet another password for some site? Wouldn’t you prefer a single place to go for that kind of information?
The iValet Clips module lets the user save text clips, password, URLs and e-mail text. Very nice. I saved some notes for article ideas as Text clips and just needed to highlight and select the ? on the wheel at the bottom of the module to edit the content. I entered some accounts and just hover the mouse over them to see the password. I entered several important URLs (www.maccompanion.com, Apple,com, etc) and just double-clicked on the iValet reference to launch that website. Note: make sure you put ‘www.’ in front of URLs that use it as part of the address.
Very nice feature!
CALCULATOR
We already have a Calculator with Mac OS X, but I’m glad ZiggySoft included one as well. iValet can be in front of all other Mac windows, so it is easy to use the calculator while referencing data in other applications.
Not a big or new feature, but useful as it stays on top of other applications.
OVERALL
I personally found the software most useful as a clip repository and calculator. The phone and time/date features will be more useful to other people, but I believe the phone list and calendar/tasks must be integrated with their Mac OS X counterparts to be most useful. I like the intuitive interface, and think the global licensing price is a bargain.
