14 DAY TRIAL // iTunes is undoubtedly a great program, both for managing your digital music collection and enjoying it. Over time, there have been thousands of other programs that build on the strong foundations laid by iTunes, but taking things in different directions. Most notably, the iTunes paradigm was applied to movies and video content in general and books. Unfortunately, applying the same principles to real life items can only go so far. Books won't instantly rearrange themselves when you change the sorting methods, nor will they instantly highlight themselves when you are looking for something in particular. Last but not least, they will not stay in perfect order unless you have a hand in it. Despite all this, having a dedicated tool for keeping track of real-world content can be a huge help, both in organizing and enjoying the content you have available? something like Booxter.
What it does Booxter is a library application that you can use to keep track of your books, music, movies and comics. Very similar to iTunes in functionality it specializes in real life items that are not stored on you computer, and require special options for keeping track of. With lets of pertinent features, Booxter is perfect not only for keeping a detailed database of what you own, but also where it is and how you enjoy it.
Working with it To get started with Booxter the first thing you need to do is create a library. Unlike iTunes that keeps everything centralized in one single location, this application lets you create as many libraries as you like, and store them all over your hard drive. The libraries will be grouped by type, depending on their content, but you are otherwise free to move content bout, and you can even drag entries from one library to another.
Adding content is rather straightforward. Specialized identification codes are supported for all media types, so all you have to do is enter the appropriate code. The application will automatically look up the rest of the information over the Internet and auto-complete the information fields that it can. For really old items, such as antique books that have no ISBN, you can manually enter the information in the fields. This can also be done on books whose information is automatically entered, if you want to make modifications. Also present is the option to process barcodes, either with a hand-held scanner or simply using your computer's iSight. Beside the standard information for the items, Booxter also has quite a number of fields that are essential for keeping on top of things. Location, date bought, date read, whether or not the item has been let, and if so to whom and when, all make your life easier.
Once your libraries start getting populated, and you can start using Booxter from the other side of things. There are several ways to view and browse the contents of your libraries.
The Filter View is similar to the way iTunes organizes music in Browse mode, only here you have a whole lot of options. When selecting any criteria on the right, the left list will automatically update with the filtered results, each item also having a bar chart and counter representing the number of items within it. The Tag View is what other applications call a tag cloud, and is rather deceptive. It offers the exact same functionality as the Filter view, only instead of presenting both the categories and subcategories as lists, it will present things in the form of a tag cloud. It has nothing whatsoever to do with 'tags' or keywords that people use in the comments of files to make locating them easier.
Beneath each of these views is the list of possible results, presented in a manner similar to iTunes' album view. And there is also a details panel, which can be invoked with a keyboard shortcut, and which will display all the information available on the currently selected item.
For even further grouping, you can also make lists. This act exactly like the playlists in iTunes, letting you group items together in whatever way you se fit. Beside simple lists, in which you add content manually, the program can also make smart lists, which will automatically update their contents based on the criteria you specify.
The Good
Especially made for real life content and packed with features that make it easier to handle. Great for keeping records and just enjoying your content.
The Bad
Lacks customization in areas where it matters the most, such as the filter/tag categories most of which will simply be a waste of space for the average user. The details panel is also lacks scroll bars, forcing you to resize the window to fit the contents.
The Truth
There are many applications for managing books out there, but Booxter also lets you mange movies, music CDs and comics, all from the same application. It has a few rough spots, but overall it is a great application that should make keeping tracks of shelves upon shelves much easier.
Here are some screenshots, click to enlarge:
