Webshots is a great service, and has worked on the Mac for a while thanks to a great app called SwapTop. SwapTop is not a 1st party app though. It does work very well however.
Webshots has finally come out with a Mac version of Webshots Desktop. It is in beta, but it is nice to see a Mac version out for the public.
After installing the beta I am asked if I want to delete SwapTop. I guess I have to do that to smoothly try out this beta.
My dad says this beta crashes on him. I will wait to pass judgement. It is nice to have thumbnail views within the app (something that SwapTop does not have).
Well that didn't take long. Webshots crashes System Preferences when you select Webshots Slideshow in the Screen Saver prefs. It crashes it every time. I had no problems with SwapTop's slideshow screen saver.
The Webshots beta does not come with release notes (such as known issues) nor does it have any kind of uninstaller. I am not impressed.
It is back to SwapTop for me.
Webshots is a desktop picture subscription service that was available for Windows for a while until SwapTop for OS 9 came out.
Thw Windows version of Webshots Desktop is much more advanced still, allowing you to add a calendar to the desktop as well. You can download 800x600 rez images for free, but need a membership to get 1600x1200 versions.
You can even upload your own desktop images to share with others. Although I think their image restrictions are a little tight (no logos or company brands).
the Webshots Desktop app also allows you to organize your non webshots images, as well as use them in a screen saver, etc.
I got a membership because my dad used it for a while, and they are really nice desktop images.
Originally posted on Breaking Windows.
Article comments
1 - Craig Lyndall
Ok, I will be the one to ask. What is this program and what does it do?
2 - TDavid
Looks like from the link provided that it is a photo gallery system of some sort (?). Perhaps Ken or another Mac user familiar with this proggy will elaborate.
3 - Ken Edwards
Sorry, I will add to the post.
4 - Jim Carruthers
At the risk of asking "Me Too" what does this software do? Or is this some sort of stealth spam?
5 - Mac Diva
I'm not clear on what the objective of the program is, either.
This reminds me I've been getting some pretty bad aps from VersionTracker lately. Stuff that will crash your computer pronto, sometimes while you are trying to install it. The descriptions rarely warn of potential problems, maybe because the programmers write them. I am also encountering a lot of dead links or links that commercial redirects have hacked. So, I am looking for a new Palm browser, say, and I am whisked off to a porn site. Maybe I'm just hitting on the sloppy stuff, but it sure looks like there are more bad aps and VersionTracker is not policing its site.
6 - Ken Edwards
I thought I did a good job of describing what this app is, after Craig Lyndall asked.
I will try one more time. Webshots Desktop is the desktop component of the Webshots service (webshots.com). You get desktop wallpaper from this site, 800x600 is free, and you pay for the 1600x1200.
This Mac beta is still very beta, and I will stick with SwapTop for a while, I imagine. SwapTop takes the Webshots image format and will convert it and show it on your desktop/ as your screen saver. Webshots Desktop shows you thumbnails, but its not worth it if it crashes System Preferences.
7 - Jim Carruthers
Okay, you did a piss poor job of describing what this software is or does.
Unique Selling Proposition. What is this software, what does it do and why should I give a damn?
It's not hard, it's not difficult, it is just up to you. After all your blather, I still don't know what this software does.
8 - Mac Diva
Ken, are you saying the pictures are only available in two sizes? For example, would I be out of luck with my PowerBook's best settings -- which are neither 800x600 nor 1600x1200?
Jim is right.
My apologies if this comes off as bossy, but I like to share my experience when I can. I worked as a journalist for years and still teach sometimes. When you write an entry, it is a good idea to try to include the five Ws and an H, like you would in a news story. They are who, what, when, where, why and how. All of them don't necessarily apply to each situation, but if you have that information, include it, preferably in the lede.
9 - Ken Edwards
You are kidding me right? I cannot make it any more simple then this:
"Webshots Desktop is the desktop component of the Webshots service (webshots.com). You get desktop wallpaper from this site, 800x600 is free, and you pay for the 1600x1200."
I implore you to go to webshots.com, sign up for a free account if you wish, and you will see what the webshots service is. once you log in you get personalized info like a Horoscope, so it acts as a portal as well. my point of this post was about the Webshots Desktop software, specifically the Mac beta, not to review the webshots service.
10 - Ken Edwards
My Powerbook resolution is 1280x854, and both SwapTop and this Webshots Desktop beta do the job of fitting the image on my screen without distortion.
I actually work at a college newspaper, though I am not a journalist (it does rub off though).
Maybe it has to do with the fact that I wrote this at around 4 AM, but also I was just planning on writing a short rant on the beta and rave on SwapTop, not a full review. If you do a little googl'ing on, say, "webshots review" I am sure you will find the who, what, where, when, and how. that was the reason i did not write a review of the service.
But from the people who have posted comments here, it seems as though a full review might be in order. However, right now is not the time for me to write it. Mainly because I have some web design to work on today.
Webshots just released version 2.0 of their desktop software for Windows, so I will be writing a review of that, as the screen shots look like a big improvement.
I do not take offense.