Delicious Library 2: First Look

By Christina Warren

One of the most anticipated applications in recent memory, Delicious Library 2 is finally nearing release. Earlier this week, the guys over at AppleInsider showed off an in-depth sneak peek of the application and its new features and revamped interface.

I have had the opportunity to play with the beta as well, and I must say, I'm impressed. For the last six weeks or so, I have been working on a little something I like to call Project DVD — wherein I try the various DVD cataloging programs (though most can catalog more than just DVDs) and find the best one to tackle my truly mammoth collection — and it's great to have DL2 in the mix.

Just from my own experiences, what has impressed me most about the beta — aside from the various UI changes/eye candy — is just how much easier it is to add items.

Because I have so many DVDs, it's often faster for me to enter in titles by hand rather than relying on the iSight scanner. No matter how accurate the scanner may or may not be, holding a title up to my laptop is usually going to take longer than just typing in the name (granted, using a USB scanner like Motorola CS104 is a great solution, but at $100 OEM, you really have to weigh the expense to convenience). My biggest problem with Delicious Library (and in fact, almost all of the programs I have tested for Project DVD) has been that adding multiple titles at one time (say, multiple seasons of a TV show) has been either really difficult or impossible.

No more. With Delicious Library 2, adding multiple titles is a snap. Thus, I can search for "Scrubs" and add all six seasons in one fell swoop, rather than having to enter in the name six times into the search engine, or having to scan each title. Since about 1/2 my collection is TV shows, this is is a huge productivity bonus.

Read for the rest of my thoughts, and be sure to visit the gallery below for all the screenshots.

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For many users, the most anticipated feature is the ability to publish collection lists either online or to a type of database. This is a feature that is sorely missed in Delicious Library, and an area programs like DVDpedia really, really shine. Delicious Library 2 aims at achieving both style and substance.
The program offers two different style templates, a library and a paper stencil and both look GREAT. You can upload to a .Mac account, iWeb or your own FTP server — or just publish to a folder on your computer so that you can put it on other sites. The published "file" contains an iPhone and regular web version of your collection and all the necessary javascript files. I'm really, really impressed with just how great these templates look and imagine lots of other users will be too. Make sure you check out the full Gallery to see all the screenshots.
The publishing options in Delicious Library 2

Out of the box, Delicious Library 2 comes equipped to deal with more than just DVDs. Your iTunes library is immediately catalogued, with album art standing in for jewel cases and types of media separated by type – Audio Books get their own shelf, for instance.

Delicious Monster has made it clear they want to be the source for all of your collections – be it books or power tools. Comic book support isn't there yet (just thinking about the logistics involved with creating and accessing a comic database leaves me slightly dizzy — DM says Comic support is something they want, but getting the product out the door took obvious priority). I have to admit, it was pretty cool to be able to find the jeans I happened to be wearing when taking the screenshots for this write-up and add them to my "Apparel" shelf. Amazon.com is still the main repository for where you items are located, so what you can add automatically is limited to that (admittedly vast) catalog. You can still add your own original entries.

All in all, I'm really, really impressed with how Delicious Library 2 and how it has evolved. The eye candy is nice, don't get me wrong, but what really makes me excited is how much more functional the program is from a productivity standpoint, specifically in adding lots of items at one time and publishing your collection to the web.

Delicious Library 2 is on track to be released sometime in March and is Leopard only. If you purchase the current version now ($40 USD), you can upgrade to DL2 for free.

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