Virtual Fools

I don’t remember how I first came across it, but I have become a big fan of the Mac OS X application GrabUp. The premise is smiple: whenever you take a screenshot, GrabUp automatically uploads it to a server and provides you with a URL to view the image. It installs to the System Preferences panel and runs in the menubar. It’s a simple concept and not the only of its kind (see Skitch and Jing) but I’ve found it to be the most appropriate for my needs as it focuses purely on image uploads.

It’s great for capturing things you’d otherwise be unable to link to. For example, a few weeks ago I was reading something on Time.com, got to the end, and it brought up some suggested reaidng material using the previous article’s headline. I learned that money can buy you Bob Dylan and the Louvre:

It’s also great for me as a web designer because I can take quick screenshots of a site in action to get feedback. If someone says that something looks weird in their browser, they can use GrabUp to quickly freeze-frame exactly what they’re looking at and show you how you messed up.

We have a lot of visual information that’s difficult to convey on the computer. For example, recently I was trying to set up a meeting time and needed to give my friend my schedule. Instead of typing it all out, I opened up iCal, took a screenshot, and sent it over. It helped save me time and maintained the visual organization of my day.

Recently the people behind GrabUp have updated their software to improve it and create two different versions. The free version uses the software to upload it to the GrabUp servers and hosts it on a webpage with an ad. It’s not intrusive and the convenience of using the software is worth it. There is also a paid version (which I was lucky enough to receive a free copy of thanks to the I Bought a Mac blog and Jon Wheatley of GrabUp) which allows you to host images on your own server without ads and even add a watermark if you so desire.

In Conclusion:
Everybody should download the free version for sure. It’s easy to use, convenient, and helpful. It’s a awesome little piece of software and I have faith that they wil do nothing but improve it. However, being totally honest and appreciative of the free license I received for the pro version, the $20 price tag is a little steep. It’s definitely a $10 program, but when you start thinking of the other things like cost $20 (a month of Netflix, a Greatest Hits video game, 75 songs on eMusic) $20 is just too much. Two people paying $10 is the same amount as convincing one person to pay $20. Irregardless, grab up a free version of GrabUp and let it save time in your computing life.