App Giveaway: ProjectDesktops

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I have a promo code for the Mac app ProjectDesktops, which makes it easy to organize and efficiently use your Mac’s desktop.

One lucky reader will get the $19.99 app for free. Here’s what you need to do:

  • Follow the site on Twitter at @512px
  • Send me an @ reply saying you’d like to win.

I’ll pick a winner tomorrow afternoon sometime, and DM the winner the App Store promo code.

Adios, Analytics. Hello, Gaug.es.

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A lot of nerds have been talking about their growing distrust of Google — myself included. But complaining about Google and moving away from their services are two different things. Personally, I leave Safari logged out of my account, and really only use search and Reader. (For the latter, I use Reeder, but it’s still powered by Google’s backend.)

However, Google Analytics has remained a central part of my workflow, especially when it comes to the site. While it might not be the best-designed analytics solution in the market, is the most popular, and the one most people rely on for things like advertising contracts.

But earlier today, I turned off Google Analytics on this domain. If you think Google is creepy, why give the company inside-access to your site’s traffic information? Crawling for search is one thing, but knowing all my stats is another.

Now, I’m using Gaug.es to track hits and referrals for 512 Pixels.

The site offers live traffic information, easy-to-read graphs of traffic trends, a referral list and more. It has all of the basic features of Google’s product, without all the extra junk for ads in there.

There’s a WordPress plugin that makes adding the tracking info very simple — no need to dig around in header.php for WordPress users.

I do wish that the service had an RSS feed for referrals like Mint does.

The free iPhone app has all of the key features built-in. There isn’t an iPad app, but the site works just fine in Safari. (Speaking of the site, it’s great. It is easy to read and easy to use.)

Starting at just $6/month, Gaug.es is a great alternative to Google Analytics for the picky nerd.

Missing the Surprise

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In the world of 24-hour news, Twitter accounts and blurrycam photos, it’s hard to be surprised by much anymore.

Sure, Apple pulls it off every once in a while — most recently with Mountain Lion — but usually, when an Apple event is about to be held, just about everyone has a good guess at what is under that black cloth.

This time around, every nerd I know is talking about the iPad 3’s Retina Display, its LTE chipset and the fact that the case is 0.8 mm thicker.

Apple, of course, hasn’t said a word on any of this. Until next Wednesday, the iPad 3 doesn’t exist.

It seems that I’m in the minority, though, judging form the number and size of sites that cover Apple rumors. Without these stories, the Apple new cycle would be much slower, and many sites would have far fewer page views.

But the events would be a lot more fun.

TinyLetter [Sponsor]

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Thanks to TinyLetter for sponsoring the 512 Pixels RSS feed this week!

TinyLetter is the simplest way to send email newsletters. Creating signup forms is a breeze, and TinyLetter even makes it easy to reply to your readers individually. It’s also free.

TinyLetter doesn’t have all the features most email services offer. It’s built for people, not business. Just compose your message, send it to your readers, and find out what they think. That’s all there is to it.