Basic Info| App Name | Clock-on-Desktop from Positbolt Software |
| App URL | http://www.posiboltsoftware.com/ |
| App Version Reviewed | Extended Edition |
| Test System Specs | High-spec home-built PC running Vista 32 |
| Supported OSes | Windows only: XP and newer |
| Support Methods | Forum, email, FAQ |
| Upgrade Policy | Lifetime updates and support |
| Trial Version Available? | Yes, runs for 30 days |
| Pricing Scheme | Lite: $9.95, Standard $19.95, Pro $29.95, Extended $39.95 |
| DC Donation Link | Donate to Site here |
| Relationship btwn. Reviewer and Product | Just a satisfied user of the product |
Intro:Clock-on-Desktop is a pretty good name for this product really, since that's exactly what this software does: it provides you with any number of very elegant-looking clocks that sit right on your desktop. The software comes bundled with over 50 skins which means you'll probably find several that are to your personal taste.
I chose it since I'm always on the lookout for ways to make my desktop 'just so' and I am a fussy old stoat. The clocks are skinnable, scalable and support any timezone. I have ended up with a fairly plain, very clear skin that complements my rainmeter theme nicely. This in itself is quite surprising since I am a terrible one for fiddling with the desktop.
Anyway, initial impressions are good: the interface is very nicely designed, with smooth-looking icons and a reasonably intuitive GUI for setting up the basics. The guys clearly have a pretty talented artist working with them, and it's this that makes the software quite appealing. It's verging on the slightly-chubby, soft, Mac-like look and feel. Luckily we stay just on the safe side of twee.
Mini-Review: Clock-on-Desktop from Positbolt SoftwareWho is this app designed for:I suggest this software is really for an enthusiastic PC user who would like to have their desktop look just that bit nicer while offering a fairly practical piece of software.
Mini-Review: Clock-on-Desktop from Positbolt Software 
Mini-Review: Clock-on-Desktop from Positbolt Software 
Mini-Review: Clock-on-Desktop from Positbolt SoftwareTo be fair, the Extended edition comes with a few other features which could potentially be quite useful, and make you feel a lot better about spending a few bucks on what is otherwise essentially a cosmetic feature for your PC.
This is the complete feature list from their site:
- Amazing and beautiful clock on your desktop
- Great skins pack sorted by types: analog, digital and mixed (more than 50 skins)
- Smooth animation and ability to drop shadow for clock and hands
- Multilanguage suport
- Tit-tac and cuckoo sounds
- Multiple clocks with different timezones on your desktop
- Effective alarm system that support various alarm types
- Easy-to-use reminders
- Birthday reminders with support of avatars and Gravatars
- Synchronization with any NTP server
- Replace default Windows screensaver with Clock-on-Desktop fully configurable screensaver
- Todo manager
- Colorful notes to pin to your desktop
- Personal dairy (I'm thinking they mean diary)
In practice these guys are offering a surprisingly good todo list, on-screen post-its and a personal diary. If I had not already commited to some pretty heavy-duty CRM software I do believe I would probably get some solid use from these features.The Good- As many clocks as you like on the desktop
- Pro and above gives you multiple clocks with different timezones
- Very pretty skins and smooth interface
- Clocks scale very well
- Reasonably low impact on PC resources
The needs improvement sectionFor some reason I was required to re-submit my registration a couple of times after the clocks went forward. Luckily it was just a case of a couple of clicks and everything is now smooth again.
I also get the feeling that the forum will not really take off. I posted a couple of messages on there, and it's clearly checked by the developers, but there's no real feeling of activity.
The software is stable enough that there is unlikely to be many new releases. This is both good and bad of course!
You may feel it's too much to spend on 'fluff' software.
Why I think you should use this productIf you're in the market for a nice desktop enhancement, definitely take the 30 day trial and put it up against the many other clocks out there. If you have a hankering for a pleasing-looking piece of software that does just a couple of things, and does them well, this could be for you.
How does it compare to similar appsBoy, have I tried a lot of world clocks in my time. I picked this one mainly because when I installed the trial, it looked good, was very easy to set up the clocks how I wanted, and then it just sat there and worked. I usually install then remove software like this because there's always something thing that bugs me just a little too much. Among the issues I've bumped into with other software:
- Does not 'stick' to the location I place it
- Uses too many resources
- Has intrusuve UI
- Clocks do not scale well and look all jaggy
- ... or just look plain lousy
ConclusionsI'm happy with this software. It starts up when my PC boots and shows me my little list of key timezones. I deal with folks from all around the world from morning to night. It's really nice to get local time for them at-a-glance without having to do advanced mental arithmetic while still smacking my lips and blinking gummily at my first coffee of the morning.
