DeskAngel - Free Windows Transparency Toy

I've found a new eye-candy application I enjoy toying with. If you have been following me on Twitter, you have already seen me mention DeskAngel. This is a small app, running in Windows 2000 or Windows XP, that makes window transparency very easy to implement. Although this little app gives you several other functions, I've been using this for two things only, transparent Windows and window "shading".


Transparent Windows

This is the feature that drew me to this application when I first heard about it. I've tried some other applications that made transparent windows before, but never without much success. With this, all I have to do is hold down Ctrl + Alt and use the scroll wheel to scroll down. As you can see from my screenshot, I have Firefox running in the back with a transparent notepad window in front, which I can type on. With this application, I can pretty much do dictation as I watch a video on youtube. So you can watch this video on my No Time to Think post and type notes as you watch!

Window Shading

The other feature I like, which I found by accident, is the window shading function. The author of the software calls it "Roll Up Window", I call it window shading. That's because I first saw this
"feature" on Linux systems years ago. I never thought much about it until I tried it on Windows XP. This is a very handy feature if you have several windows open. Again see my screenshot for an example, I have one window in "shade" mode. If you are looking for a window you know is beneath your current window, just double-click on the window title and it will go into shade mode. This will reveal anything below your current window. An added benefit is, you can fit more information on your screen without minimizing windows.

Overall, this little free application has made my windows experience more fun. I really recommend it to anyone who likes to shake things up a bit on their Windows XP system. You can have a little fun with this new software toy to tinker with on your computer. With a little modification on your theme, you can tell your friends you've upgraded to a new OS. You can download DeskAngel here.

Have you tried DeskAngel? What do you like best about it? Follow me on Twitter for additional links to tips and tricks. If you would like to contribute to Frugal NYC in any way, articles, ideas, posts, interesting links, advice, financial assistance, or anything else, feel free to contact me via email at frugalnyc@gmail.com.