Our Verdict
There ’s no shortage of Mac computer software for controlling iTunes when it ’s not the foremost software — just here in Mac Gems , we ’ve cover CoverSutra , SizzlingKeys , and Synergy . Bowtie(Mac App Store linkup ) is yet another first appearance in this crowded field , but it ’s one with a major eminence .
One of Bowtie ’s available topic
Like many exchangeable service program , Bowtie ’s humble window contains buttons — Previous , drama , Pause , Next — for verify playback . ( Bowtie also propose customizable keyboard crosscut for those functions , as well as for shift the bulk , increasing or decreasing cartroad paygrade , and , for Last.fm users , for loving or banning track . ) you could choose to have this windowpane — the “ Bowlet”—stay visible at all times or behave like a normal window .
One of Bowtie’s available themes
What distinguises Bowtie from some of the other iTunes controllers is that it ’s skinnable . There are dozens of free themes for Bowtie , which have you choose what you desire the Bowlet to look like and the controller that it turn back . Some of these stem show album artwork , others only text ; some are tiny , others large ; some have animations ( for example , spinning “ vinyl radical ” phonograph record ) , while others have “ scrubbing ” progress bars for promptly moving to a different position in a racetrack . All of these themes can be downloaded from within the app and use with a click . These idea are dainty if you choose to keep the Bowlet windowpane visible at all times , although in an attempt to keep up CRT screen quad , many are too small to be hard-nosed .
The developer also offer a $ 1 iOS app that lets you control music playback on an iOS gadget from your Mac . It ’s the opposite , in functionality , of Apple ’s Remote app , and it can be utile if you ’ve got your iPhone in a docking speaker organization across the room while you ’re sitting in front of your Mac . The downside is that the remote - app ’s features are restrain to Previous , romp , Pause , and Next .
Bowtie ’s keyboard - shortcut preferences
Bowtie’s keyboard-shortcut settings
Bowtie is a good tool for keep in line iTunes playback from the keyboard , and the many themes for its visual controller supply appeal . It might not render as many features as , say , CoverSutra , which put up cover graphics , elaborated track selective information , and more options in a single floating controller . But Bowtie ’s Mary Leontyne Price is correct . If you need a mere , free tool to hold your medicine , Bowtie will do the joke .
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