Stay in Focus with Isolator and Menu Eclipse

Can’t concentrate because you’ve got a billion windows opened?

Check out Isolator. The clever Mac app dims background application windows to keep you focused on the current application. Couple it with Menu Eclipse to dim your menubar, and you’ve got a distraction-fighting dynamic duo.

I’ve covered similar apps, Doodim and Menushade, two years ago. Unfortunately, bugs in both apps have made them unusable in the long run. Doodim doesn’t support drag-and-drop between apps, and switching programs doesn’t always work. Menushade now breaks on my MacBook Pro running Leopard.

Isolator and Menu Eclipse resolve these issues splendidly. With Isolator, you also get a few new features.

You can:

• Blur, “bloom”, pixelate, or crystallize background windows (in addition to dimming them)
• Set the color of background tint to any color you want
• Turn Isolator on and off with a keyboard shortcut

Windows users, I haven’t forgotten about you. Check out Jedi Concentrate or Dropcloth.