Humanized, Inc. announced today that its Enso line of software, Enso Launcher and Enso Words, are now available for computers running Windows 2000 and Vista. Both are available for download on the company's website. The Enso platform is unique in that it sits in between the operating system (OS) and all other applications. This enables Enso to work transparently with almost any existing application and makes Enso's functions available to the user in whichever program he or she is currently using.

    Enso's innovative interface is transparent in another way, too: the application appears in a translucent display over the program the user is working in, maintaining the user's connection with the task at hand. The Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg described the program as "dead simple to use."

    "We are very excited to now be compatible with Vista and 2000," said Aza Raskin, president of Humanized. "This advance means that Enso people can now install and Use Enso at work, without system administrator status." Enso Launcher takes three of the most frustrating and concentration-breaking OS tasks - application launching, window switching, and opening files and folders - and puts them at your fingertips.

    To use Enso Launcher, simply hold down the Caps Lock key and begin typing, and a list of options appears. Type "open" and a list of programs appears; continue typing until "open Xcel" autocompletes and Xcel is launched. Switching windows or opening a file deep within the computer is performed with equal ease and speed.

    Similarly, Enso Words makes common word-related functions, such as spell check and dictionary definitions, available at any time, in any application. "For example, say you're adding text to an image in Photoshop and you want to check your spelling," Raskin explained. "Photoshop doesn't include a spellchecker, so you'd have to leave, spell check somewhere else, and copy it back - it breaks your concentration and takes you away from the task at hand. It's the little things like this that ruin your productivity. Enso lets you spell check the text right within Photoshop - you don't have to leave."

    The latest version of both Enso products offers the ability to install Enso from a regular user account now, not just an administrator account. (For security reasons, it's better to use the administrator account only for programs that absolutely need it - and Enso isn't one of them.) This change allows Enso to be installed for multiple users on the same computer, and allows each user to customize their settings, such as changing which key activates Enso.

    The unlimited version of Enso Launcher costs $19.95; Enso Words also costs $19.95, or $14.95 when purchased with Launcher.Enso Launcher and Enso Words are compatible with Windows XP, 2000 and Vista, and are available as 30-day trials on Humanized's website.