Cinch Review - Window Resize Made Simple

As Mac users we are always trying to give the operating system that additional little tweak. While watching the advertising blitz for Windows 7, I must admit one feature I was a tiny bit jealous of was the ability to drag a window to the side of the screen and automatically have the OS resize it to fill half the screen. Apparently someone at Irradiated Software felt the same because they have released a small application that brings this resizing trick to OS X called Cinch.

Using Cinch you can set the top, right, and left edges of your screen as “hot zones.” It is pre-configured the first time you open it. By dragging a window to the menu bar and holding it a second, Cinch allows you to fill the entire screen. It works the same on the left and right giving you a half screen. If you want to put two Finder windows side by side, it is very simple. If you drag the window away from the side, it returns to the original size. It doesn’t support keyboard shortcuts. It also doesn’t replace Mercury Mover for customizing window layout but is great for the quick resize.

If you are using spaces you, it also supports moving windows to other spaces and the timing is adjustable. Using Cinch with a multiple monitor set up takes a bit of finesse but works. A license for Cinch costs $7. When I try some software it may take me the full 30 day trial period before I decide if I want to buy it. For Cinch it took me five minutes. You can download it at IrradiatedSoftware.com.

You can listen to this review on the Surfbits Mac ReviewCast.