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Organize Your System Tray IconsSystem Tray icon manager |
By Radu Bogdan, Windows Editor
30th of June 2008, 20:11 GMT
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Despite the fact that Windows is providing a few good ways to launch, store, manage and organize important shortcuts, we often feel the need to use additional software in order to complete those features. From the start we have the desktop space that can be very helpful but at the same time it can become really crowded sometimes. Second we have the Quick Launch area that can store a limited number of shortcuts to reduce the Task Bar space, which is where Windows displays all the running applications. But there is another place that can store shortcuts to any running application, the System Tray area. Not all programs offer the possibility to minimize to System Tray.
When I first installed the JT Tray Organizer application I thought of only one thing: this will help organize my running applications so I can free some Task Bar space and finally let only the ones I work more often with to surface. So far so good. But don't get fooled by this idea, because it will happen to you too. The more space you have the more applications you will run. So in the end your system will work really slowly and you will still have only three or four applications in your Task Bar, while the other ones are well organized in System Tray. Yet, this is not to be considered a general rule.
JT Tray Organizer comes with a 31 day trial period and costs $17.95. Besides the trial period the application will work only on Windows 2000 or XP so it is limited to a certain number of users. JT Tray Organizer was designed upon two basic rules: first, it will manage the existing System Tray icons like Volume Control, Network Connection and any other icons that are created by running applications and second, it will let you minimize any running program to System Tray.
For every icon from System Tray, JT Tray Organizer will let you either keep it there or send it to Tray Organizer Panel or to Tray Organizer Menu. This action can be set from the item options window. The icons from Tray Organizer Menu will appear in the right click menu of JT Tray Organizer icon. The Tray Organizer Panel will be displayed when you hover the mouse cursor over the System Tray icon.
One great feature that I found very useful is the minimization of every running window. The only provided method to minimize a widow is to right click on minimization button from title bar. The thing is that when you right click on the minimize button of a window an option menu will appear, the same menu that shows up when you right click the title bar. After minimization to System Tray menu or panel, that menu will be left hanging on the desktop. One solution to this small issue would be to implement another minimization method, like a hot key, let's say.
The user interface of JT Tray Organizer consists of the Tray Organizer Menu and Panel. The application will add an additional button near the clock, which can be used to hide both the tray and the clock. If you ask me, it is a lot easier to work with Tray Organizer Panel, because of the simplicity and minimum effort. Just put the mouse cursor over the System Tray icon and select the application to call. Another thing that needs to be mentioned is that the user interface comes in both English and Russian.
I did expect to find more options to choose from by default, like let's say a group with computer management shortcuts (Shutdown, Reboot, Log Off), a few Internet shortcuts (Home, Favorites) or even a Control Panel group that can be easily launched from System Tray.
The Good
I was glad to find that JT Tray Organizer offers the possibility to minimize any current running application. Another feature that I did find useful was the use of Tray Organizer Panel, which can store many shortcuts and from where you can easily call the applications.
The Bad
The fact that it was designed only for Windows 2000 and XP limits the number of JT Tray Organizer users. The application offers very few options and features for $17.95.
The Truth
JT Tray Organizer is a simple application that can be used to organize your System Tray icons and it can minimize any running application to said location.
Here are some snapshots of the application in action:
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