A new beta version of LaunchBar 4.1 released Monday by Objective Development adds new options for opening items to the fast-launcher utility.
Besides the new options, which are listed in the program’s context menu, LaunchBar 4.1 beta 2 also improves iTunes support, introducing auto-generating “smart” playlists that are generated with simple keyboard commands. Other iTunes enhancements include the ability to activate the music player and play a specific song, album, or artist.
The beta features new “Search in Spotlight” and “Look Up in Dictionary” functionality, supports color labels, and promised improved startup performance. Address Book support has also been improved by simplifying the opening of contacts and adding support for contact notes.
A productivity utility, LaunchBar allows its users to find and launch items by pressing a keyboard command and typing in the first few letters or abbreviation of the item sought. It provides near-instant access to documents, contacts, bookmarks, the iTunes music library, applications, search engines, and more, just by entering short abbreviations of the searched item’s name.
LaunchBar 4.1 is a free upgrade for registered users of LaunchBar 4. New users can buy a commercial license for $39, or a private use license for $20. A $30 family pack is also available, as are pricing discounts for LaunchBar 3 users looking to upgrade.