Apple's OS X gets many things right, but there are still plenty of aspects to it that can be customized, updated, or just plain improved with the right utility app. Aptonic's DropZone 3 ($4.99) takes aim at one of the Mac's most perfunctory features: drag and drop. DropZone catapults drag and drop into the twenty-first century with one-stop-shop access to files and applications, timesaving actions, and effortless menu bar access. Install it, and you'll forget all about your Mac's Dock and Launchpad.
Using DropZone(s)
You can download a free trial of DropZone from the Aptonic website or purchase a full license from the Mac App Store. Once installed, DropZone adds a small icon (a rectangle with a downward-pointing arrow) to your menu bar. You can drag files and applications onto this icon, or click to access a drop-down menu with existing files, applications, and actions.DropZone supports shortcuts to files and stacks of files via its Drop Bar, shortcuts to folders and applications in Folders/Apps, and a host of productivity tools, called Actions. The Drop Bar and Folders/Apps approximate the functionality of the Dock, with an important difference: You can drag files or stacks of files from the Drop Bar onto applications in Folders/Apps.
The next point is simple, but I think it's important. The menu bar is where you want shortcuts to files, folders, and applications. As I'm writing this review, I'm clicking on the menu bar to access Microsoft Word's dictionary, insert page breaks, and track changes; why should I scroll to the left, right, or bottom of my screen (as I would have to with the OS X Dock) or open Launchpad to access my favorite files or applications?
Action Items
Where easy access to files, folders, and applications makes DropZone a helpful utility, it's Actions that make it an invaluable one. By default, DropZone bundles about half-dozen actions you can use to upload files to an FTP server, send Apple Messages, or share photos on Flickr. But that's just the beginning. Click on "More Actions," and DropZone opens an Aptonic webpage with a couple dozen additional installable Actions. Many of these optional Actions are fabulously useful, including tools for truncating URLs, searching for images online, uploading YouTube videos, and zipping and printing files. In fact, my only quibble with DropZone is that many of these latter Actions ought to come preinstalled. Finally, if your Action doesn't exist, you can build it: DropZone offers an API for scripting your own actions.