Controls+ brings a little bit of iOS 7 Control Center to OS X

Since the first day that I laid eyes on iOS 7 in June, one of my favorite features has been Control Center. Let's face it -- it's much easier and quicker to just swipe up from the bottom of my iPad or iPhone screen to get access to frequently used controls than to either go into settings or launch an app. Now It's About Time Products is introducing Controls+ (US0.99 intro price through October 18, $4.99 after that point) to the world in hopes that they can provide the same convenience as Control Center to Mac OS X users.

When installed and launched, the only indication that Controls+ is running is a small icon in the menu bar that looks like an iOS 7 settings toggle switch. Click on that icon, and you have access to all of the features of Controls+. At the current time, Controls+ includes the following features:

Adjust your display

• Brightness

• Wallpaper -- drag and drop images to change the Mac wallpaper

• Start the screensaver

• Turn on the Flashlight (turns the entire screen white) -- great for video chatting in a dark room

iTunes Controls

• Play/Pause

• Next/Previous

• iTunes volume

• View album Cover

And more...

• Timer

• Stopwatch

The app's developer told TUAW that he intends to continue developing new capabilities for the app, and that he would like to hear from early adopters about what features they'd like to see in future updates.

Controls+ is available through October 18 for $0.99 and the price will go up to $4.99 after that. In my personal opinion, I think the app is reasonably priced for a buck and overpriced at the $5 level, considering the current limited functionality. However, I like the concept and the execution, and think that Controls+ could really grow into a useful time-saving utility.