Cinch Review (How To Use Aero Snap On Mac OS X)

You’ll often hear from many Apple fanboys how ‘Windows copied OS X’, but you probably haven’t heard anyone say ‘OS X copied Windows’. Whichever side of the fence you may fall, both Windows and OS X have unique features that increase the productivity of many users.

Since using Windows 7, I’ve found myself using Aero Snap every day to organise a web browser next to a document I’m working on, and I often miss this feature when using Mac OS X.

When I found Cinch for Mac OS X, an application that allows you to ‘snap’ your windows to either side of the screen, I had to try it out. The developer was kind enough to send us over a license to check it out, and I found it to be an interesting application.

When starting Cinch for the first time, you’ll be directed to your ‘Universal Access’ panel in System Preferences, where you’re required to check the ‘Enable access for assistive devices’ option for the application to work properly. Once you’ve done this, you can enable Cinch and choose whether to start it up with your Mac and show it in your menu bar for easy access to your preferences. If you don’t show it in your menu bar, it still functions perfectly.

Once everything is set up, Cinch stays out of the way until you need it, and I found it to be an extremely stable and useful addition to my Mac setup – when working on assignments or various other things, it’s a great utility to have available. Like on Windows 7, you can snap the window into place by dragging it either to the left or right hand side of the screen. Dragging the window to the top of the screen will also maximise it like on Windows 7. If you want to return your window to its previous size, all you have to do is drag it back away from the edge of the screen.

I was amazed at how much I found myself using this tool after only a few hours of it being installed on my Mac, and if you find yourself multitasking and needing various applications at once, you should consider Cinch. You can download a free trial or purchase the full version for just $7 from Irradiated Software’s website – who are the developers of Cinch aka “how to use Aero Snap on Mac OS X!

Related Pages:

1. Windows 7 Review – Part 2: Aero Features
2. Firefox 3.6 Beta 3 Released…Without Windows 7 Aero Peek?
3. Windows 7 Review – Part 1: The New Taskbar
4. CoverSutra Review (Minimalist iTunes Interface For Mac OS X)
5. Mozilla Firefox 3.6 Beta 1 Preview

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