The feedback from Alfred v2 has been overwhelmingly positive over the past 36 hours and we are so thrilled to see how much you’re enjoying using the new features!

However, some users are keen to import some of their v1 settings (beyond the custom searches and snippets we provided an import workflow for in an earlier blog post). As such, we’re currently working on 2.0.1, which should be released later today.

As v2′s architecture has been rewritten from the ground up to introduce the significantly more flexible Workflows, this upgrader tool will not import your extensions. These require some human intelligence to be turned into the most useful workflows possible. Having said that, many of your favourite extensions have already been converted and improved into Workflows on Alfred’s Forum.

For that reason, if you’ve just purchased Alfred 2 and want to import your v1 settings, enjoy a lazy Saturday morning playing with Alfred’s workflows and come back this afternoon to grab the 2.0.1 update. We’ll update this blog post as soon as we’ve tested and released 2.0.1.

Cheers,

Vero

To fix these hotkey issues, we’ve released v1.3.3 (non-Mac App Store version). You can download it from our website or through the auto-updater.

Rather than waffle on about v2, I’ll re-iterate a few things below then let Mega Supporters download the beta and have a play. :)

This is a beta release: While it has been tested and Andrew & I have been using it as our day-to-day Alfred version, you may still encounter unexpected behaviour or bugs. Some features may also change between now and the final release, so be flexible, especially when it comes to workflows.

To help us keep track of bug reports, please email us or join our forum, rather than tweeting us.

Beta is limited to Mega Supporters: To help us limit the volume of feedback for the beta, only Mega Supporters can take part at this time. If you have a single user license from v1, you can choose to upgrade to Mega Supporter to join the beta. If you prefer to wait until it’s fully tested, hold off until v2 goes to general release to upgrade to a v2 single user license. Questions about licensing? Have a look at the FAQ.

Keep version 1 handy: Some features are not yet complete in this beta; for example, there is no iTunes Mini Player yet. You can keep versions 1 & 2 running concurrently by choosing different hotkeys, and we don’t recommend deleting v1 just yet.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be releasing new builds when they’re ready, will publishing documentation and help pages, and prepare for the general release.

Without further ado, Mega Supporters can download the beta here to get started. Once you’re up and running, come back and we’ll post some workflows you can import today!

Cheers,
Andrew and Vero

Another handy improvement for Powerpack users is that when copying/moving files, Alfred will remember the destination folders, making it easier to move files next time!

This release also includes some nice bug fixes and little improvements, which you can find in the Change Log. Note that if you’re already using pre-release build 261, there’s no need to update as this is the same build. Otherwise, check for updates in-app or download version 1.3.1 from our website.

Wishing everyone a great weekend,
Vero

Multi-file Buffer

You can now pick multiple files directly from Finder or navigate to them in Alfred and add them to your file buffer. Once you’ve picked all your files, you can perform an action on all of them. With this feature in your hands, Speedy Gonzales will be left in the dust behind you!

QuickLook

You’ve been clamouring for QuickLook integration, and here it is.  Preview your files and documents using OS X’s QuickLook by pressing Shift or ⌘Y. Simple yet so useful!

Compact View

We’ve added a compact view in Alfred’s Appearance preferences, allowing you to make Alfred’s results view smaller. Handy for users of the shiny new Retina Display MacBook Pros.

Show more results

Alfred will now show you all matched results for your Default Results searches; Just keep scrolling down for more results.

1Password improvements

We’ve made the very popular integration with 1Password even better, by making Alfred find and handle your 1Click bookmarks even more intelligently. You can also choose to include your 1Password bookmarks in default results without the “1p” keyword and copy the 1Click URL to clipboard with ⌘C.

And much more…

Once again, the change log for this release is pretty hefty with many more improvements and fixed, so if you’re curious, grab a coffee and read all the details.

Cheers,

Vero

It’s now available to download by checking for updates in the app, from our website or from the Mac App Store. Both the free version and the Powerpack have received a lot of love in this release so read on for the full details of this fantastic release.

Fast access to your 1Password 1Click bookmarks

We couldn’t live without 1Password so this new Powerpack integration is a marriage made in heaven!

Enable the 1Password bookmarks import in Alfred’s Features preferences, then let Alfred bring up your list of password bookmarks when you type “1p” followed by your search term. Your default browser is launched, and you are logged straight into your 1Password stored site. It’s completely safe as your browser still requires your 1Password master password if you aren’t already authenticated.

The 1Password team also blogged about 1Click bookmarks in Alfred earlier this week.

Large type with ⌘-L

Whether you plan to use it to view phone numbers on your screen from a distance, share the solution to a maths equation or to tease classmates sitting behind you in class, large type is a useful addition to the Powerpack. Hit Cmd + L to show the typed text as Large Type on your screen.

Two new colour themes

A few weeks ago, we announced that two new themes – Dark & Smooth and Pistachio – will be added to the default themes in Alfred’s core (free) version.

Clipboard Merge

Clipboard Merge allows you to merge a second item with the previously copied clipboard snippet. Once enabled, it’s simple to use: Hold ⌘ and press C twice to merge the selected text with the previous history item. You’ll hear a sound confirming the snippets have become one!

New hotkeys

We’ve added a few new handy hotkeys:

• New global hotkeys to take action on currently selected text in OS X
• New global hotkey option to paste the latest Clipboard History item as plain text without having to show Alfred first
• Global hotkeys can be assigned to Snippets for instant pasting, e.g. your favourite email signature

File search overhaul

This may sound like hocus pocus but I can assure you that you’ll find that the improved file matching algorithm will help you find your files more easily than before.

If you’re curious to see how Andrew has refined file matching, have a look at his Tumblr post outlining what has changed.

A boatload more…

Version 1.2 is a big release in terms of improvements and bug fixes as well, so have a look at the Change Log here for the full list of changes.

Thanks again to everyone who helped us test this release over the past few weeks!

Cheers,

Vero

This release brings some great feature improvements to Address Book, Hotkeys and Extensions:

• In the Address Book contact viewer, take action on contacts’ details. For example, dial their number or view their online profiles
• Select text in any app & open Alfred to take action on it with a hotkey
• Set default actions on filter extensions, like uploading a file to Flickr automatically
• Replace existing Powerpack extensions easily when updates are released
• Many more improvements and tweaks to make your Alfred experience even better.

A Bit More About Address Book

The Address Book integration has received a lot of love and improvement in the latest release. With the Contact Viewer enabled (go to Preferences > Features > Address Book) you can now view notes as well as your messaging and social information for each contact right within Alfred. All this information is within easy reach, just a few keyboard clicks away, and not just sitting there idly either because you can take action on what you see.

For example, you can ask Alfred to dial the phone number of your contact using Skype, or to pop up their Flickr profile based on their username. This is highly flexible as you can use a URL scheme or extension to do more with your contact’s information.

Send Selected Text to Alfred

Got some text you want to take action on in Alfred? You can now create your own global hotkeys to send the text to Alfred. The best bit? You can prefix it with a keyword if you want to save yourself some typing. For example, I’ve set a hotkey (Cmd + D) to pop up Alfred with the text I’ve selected and the keyword “define” prefixed.

Get creative and use the keyword for your extensions to launch searches for your favourite sites, developer resources and more!

Set Default Actions for Filter Extensions

If you’re already familiar with the Filter extensions, you’ll know that by setting a filter, you can look for specific file types by using the keyword. And now, you can set a default action for these.

Open the image in Fireworks, upload the video to Vimeo or add the file to your to-do list… It allows you to improve your workflow by using extensions or scripts to set a custom action on the selected files.

And more…

Check out the full change log for all of the new features, improvements and bug fixes.

What about Mac App Store users?

As version 1.1 primarily consists of changes to the Powerpack, and the current Mac App Store version (1.0) is fully stable, this latest release won’t be available in the Mac App Store. You can always download the latest version from our website.

In the next few days, I’ll publish some examples of what you can do with both the Address Book and Filter Action features, including some hand-picked extensions you can download to improve your workflow!

Enjoy the latest features

Cheers,
Vero

Check for updates in Alfred’s preferences to download it now. You may notice that your update arrives even quicker than usual, as we now use Cachefly‘s content delivery network to distribute Alfred at dizzying speeds.

New features

In this release, the Powerpack gets a few new features. We’ve vastly improved Global Hotkeys, allowing you to launch apps, extensions, files and more quicker than ever with a key combo!

URL History is a new and incredibly handy feature; Type a URL once in Alfred and he’ll remember it for next time. Save these URLs for as long as you need and manage which ones Alfred remembers within the preferences. As with Clipboard History, you’ll need to activate it to start using it, as Alfred respects your privacy.

There’s much more too: Snippets now allow you to sort and search your collection of clips, preferences have been tidied up and Alfred has been made even faster. Have a look at the change log for the full list of features, improvements and bug fixes.

Grab the Powerpack today

You have a few days left to get the Powerpack at the discounted price of £12 before the 1.0 price of £15 kicks in, so grab it now to get the best value! Don’t forget that if you want a lifetime of Alfred updates, you can also get the Mega Supporter license.

Last month, we set up a new payment process to make it completely fuss-free for you to grab the Powerpack using either debit/credit card or PayPal.

The free version has been submitted to the Mac App Store and will become available as soon as it’s approved by Apple. If you were waiting for the Powerpack to hit the Mac App Store, have a look at this blog post for why you might want to wait no longer and get it from our website.

What’s next?

To everyone who has helped us get this far by spreading the word about Alfred, we thank you. It’s been an exciting ride so far, and we’re loving every moment. We still have some great features up our sleeve for Alfred’s 1.x updates. We are also planning on developing more great Mac apps to make your life easier. *cheeky grin*

Cheers,
Vero

The just-released Alfred 0.9.9 allows you to access even more of your Mac’s capabilities in an easy-to-use environment with the new Extensions tab. Haven’t got it yet? Check for updates in Alfred’s preferences to get this latest version.

Powerpack users now have the option to:

• create their own Command Line Scripts (with Growl output)
• launch AppleScripts (with parameters) with a keyword
• run Automator workflows
• build advanced Search Filters
• create keywords for files and file groups

Extensions can be easily installed just by double-clicking on the exported file or dragging them to the Extensions home below. Have a look at the new Extensions page and the first examples by some of our users.

In addition, Alfred 0.9.9 brings many more improvements:

• NEW FREE THEME: Lion-based theme available both to free and Powerpack users
• Improvements on many Lion quirks
• Growl Support for output from extensions and more
• Global Hotkey usage added to statistics graph
• Address Book Contact’s Notes now visible in Contact Card viewer
• Improved Knowledge Sorting to better account for extensions [and web searches]
• Added ‘Get Info’ action for files
• Make emailing attachments work with Sparrow Lite.app
• Improved accuracy for spell and define keywords
• Ability to use Open Meta tags when creating search filters & extensions

New: Global Hotkeys

Quick and easy access is at the core of Alfred’s philosophy which is why we’re very happy to have added Global Hotkeys. This Powerpack feature allows you to create custom global shortcuts for your most used applications, files and scripts. Once you set the hotkey, you’ll have single-hotkey access and a good feeling about all the time you get to save.

New: Custom Terminal Commands

For the advanced Mac users among you, Alfred’s Powerpack now also brings much improved Terminal/Shell integration and the ability to create custom commands that work right inside Alfred. You can easily run your scripts with keywords and arguments, either via opening up a Terminal/iTerm window or even silently behind the scenes. Here’s an example of a script allowing integration with the popular task manager Things on Andrew’s tumblr.

With this feature you’ll also be able to add custom shell actions to the Actions panel inside Alfred, extending the scope of how you can work with your files and apps.

New: Preference Syncing

Are you using multiple Macs and want to keep Alfred synchronised across your machines? With the Powerpack, syncing your most important preferences and thus keeping your snippets, scripts, custom searches and themes synchronised and ready to be used whichever Mac you’re using is easy and quick.

We recommend using Dropbox, but any cloud-synching service with a locally synced folder can be used.

New: Hide/Quit/Force Quit

With these new System commands, you can now easily hide, quit or force quit applications currently running on your Mac.

New: iTunes DJ

Experience the full power of iTunes DJ and play or add to your playlists, making you the life of the party. It’s a great way to pre-select songs to be played and allows you to compile your own ‘music queue’. Don’t forget to turn this Powerpack feature on in Alfred’s preferences.

And so much more…

The 0.9 release brings over 80 improvements, new additions, bug fixes and a complete overhaul of how Preferences are presented.

Amongst other things, you’ll now be able to drag files right from Alfred onto other applications, add icons to your custom searches, customise some of the keyboard functionality in File Navigation and Result Actions or have a peak at how much of your Alfred usage is spent using the iTunes Mini Player or the Clipboard Viewer.

Here’s a video walkthrough of the new 0.9 features:

Alfred 0.9 Walkthrough from Alfred App on Vimeo.

The full (and it’s certainly long) list of what’s new is in our changelog so go have a look.

Tempted by all the new Powerpack features? The list of advanced features available to you grows with every release so why not grab your Powerpack now?