ChronoWall

Hello GameDev.net,
I am currently looking for beta testers for a product I have been developing for the past year.

Note that this isn't a game, but a desktop enhancement application. I figured this would be an appropriate place to post this since many of you here like customizing your computers. This software's main function is setting your desktop wallpaper based on the time of day and time of year. In addition, you can apply time-based effects to your background - i.e. having an image appear more red as the sun sets (with one of many available image adjustment "templates"). There is also a collage feature. Images can come from several different sources such as your computer, Flickr/Google/Bing/Yahoo, Facebook and media RSS feeds.

Here are a few screenshots (many of the background images used are made by digitalblasphemy.com - used with permission):














You can personalize your desktop in ways that can quite literally change your mood / work environment. I use it all the time at work, and it personally makes a big difference in productivity for me. If this sounds like something you would be interested in beta testing, please let me know! Keep in mind that this software is still in beta, so you should expect bugs (the full disclaimer is on the product website).

Link to website:
ChronoWall

If you decide to sign up to be a beta tester, please use the 'sign up' link on the website. The reason for having a sign up form is so that I can maintain communication with everyone involved in this beta test. If for some reason that form does not work, you can PM me here and I will sign you up manually. If you want to test the software's features without signing up, you can download the installer on the 'sign up' page. Note that this software will not set your background until a beta key is entered (for the time being).



Here is the full description of the product (taken from the product website, as of 06-30-2011):

ChronoWall is an all-in-one desktop wallpaper manager for Microsoft Windows 7/Vista. One of the key features is the ability to specify which wallpapers to use based on the time of day and time of year. Beyond that, ChronoWall offers many unique ways to view your photos on your desktop.

The underlying linear effect layering system allows you to change the way an image looks based on the time elapsed. Imagine being able to look at a green meadow and have it red-shift as the sun nears closer to sunset. Or if you want something more out-of-this-world, you can colorize an image throughout the entire spectrum as time elapses. There are several effects that can be applied to an image.

Another feature of ChronoWall is the ability to have photo collages overlayed on top of your background. Collages can be displayed in several different styles, and the images used in them can come from several different sources. You can have your friends from Facebook on your desktop cheering you up as you work on a project, or have a Flickr search of a beach vacation giving you motivation.

For each image source, you can specify exactly how and when you want to look at them. For instance, you can look at a search of beaches from Flickr during a Summer day and images from NASA at night. You can also mix several image sources together. When image sources are mixed together, you can specify how often you want to see each of them. Each image source can be displayed as the background or as a collage, giving you endless possibilities.[/quote]


Thank you for your time.


Comments and suggestions are welcome.