Section 11.4. Sherlock

11.4. Sherlock

Sherlock is like a Web browser that's specifically fine- tuned to bring you the most popular kinds of Web info , without the waiting, without the navigation hassle, and without the ads. With Dashboard (Section 4.4), however, you have most of the same features at your fingertips in any program, with a single keystroke. Sherlock, therefore, is quickly losing any edge it ever had in the information-access department.

Among the channels that can safely be ignored are Stocks, Phone Book, Flights, Dictionary, Translation (all of which are now in Dashboard), and Internet (a basic Web search, supplanted by Safari's Google toolbar). Even Sherlock's eBay tracker is a lame duck, since Dashboard has several terrific widgets that do the same thing. (Check www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard.)

But three remaining Sherlock modules are still useful, in some cases because they're not yet available as Dashboard modules. Here's a rundown.

11.4.1. Pictures

Need a photo of something? Type in whatever you're looking for into this channel's "Picture Topic or Description" box Santa Claus, October squash, Keanu Reeves and then press Enter. In a flash, you see thumbnails of photographs from commercial stock-photo Web pages all over the Internet that match your search (seeFigure 11-14). Double-click one to view its Web page in your browser, so that you can download itand pay for it.

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Tip: For noncommercial use, the Image Search tab of Google.com is far more powerful. It finds far more pictures on the topic you're seeking, because it grabs them from thousands of everyday Web pages, rather than limiting its search to stock-photo companies. (Yes, you should ask permission from one of the Web sites whose pictures appear before you use it for some other purpose.)

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Figure 11-14. If you're a busy graphic designer with the money to pay for professionally captured, professional-resolution digital images, this channel can be very useful. It's like having the searchable catalogs of several stock-art companies at your fingertips

11.4.2. Movies

This channel makes finding a movie or theater in your neighborhood so easy and efficient that Moviefone.com looks positively antique by comparison. As you can see in Figure 11-15, it's an instantly updated database of movies and show times for your neighborhood.

True enough, you can download Dashboard widgets that show local movie times. But Sherlock also shows movie descriptions, ratings, cast lists, and even QuickTime video previews, which is nothing to sneeze at.

The only thing stopping this module from becoming an international smash hit is that well, it doesn't work internationally. It knows only about movie theaters in the United States.

Figure 11-15. Type your city and stateor just your zip codeinto the text box at the top, and then press Enter. After a moment, a list of movies near you appears. Click one to see the theaters where it's playing (in the second column); click one of those to see today's show times (last column). You even see the address of the theater, the movie poster, the movie's rating and length, a description, and even the QuickTime trailer for the movie, if any.

11.4.3. AppleCare

This module gives you a direct line to Apple's Knowledge Base, a huge collection of answers, troubleshooting tips, and feature explanations for every Mac model ever made. It's based on the same technical library consulted by Apple's tech-support representatives, so you may as well check it before you call the Apple help line.

The trick is to use just a few words in the Topic or Description boxyou might type Simple Finder , for example, or Windows networking . When you press Enter, you see a list of the articles from the library. Click one to read the article in the bottom half of the window.