App Store Preview for Mac

App Store Preview for Mac provides a snapshot of the App Store right from your OS X Dashboard. An easy-to-use widget, it lets you sort and search for apps based on cost and popularity. Some of its features don't work properly, though.

App Store Preview for Mac installs into your OS X Dashboard area without any problem. Once moved into the active screen, it takes up a moderate amount of screen space, which makes it difficult to use if you run several programs at the same time. In the upper left, a search bar allows you to enter keywords or titles for specific programs. Unfortunately, entering search terms and pressing "Enter" does not provide any results. At least the four drop-down buttons at the top allow you to browse different app categories, easily, filtering them by type and price. Results display quickly in the main widget window, along with descriptive text for each. For the chosen apps, clicking on the title automatically opens up a Safari window where you can select the app for purchase. From the Web page, the App Store program must be open, itself, before you can purchase the app, adding an annoying extra step to the buying process.

Despite its broken search function and the many steps required to purchase apps, you may still find App Store Preview for Mac useful for browsing and viewing the App Store from your Mac's Dashboard. Try it out, but be ready to put up with some quirks.