For those of you who are into the Mac GUI customization, NickelCobalt probably places somewhere near the top of your list of vaporware Mac themes. (Below BBX: Omega.) It's been over two years since Paul Johnson's NickelCobalt took 1st place in the MacThemes Theme Mockup Contest, and unbelievably, it is finally... almost here!

This has been a massive ongoing effort by Skins Factory designer Paul Johnson, master themer Max Rudberg, and Enhanced Labs designer Philipp Antoni, and the result is a very unique theme for OS X that mixes a metallic design with some cobalt blue. What truly stands out for me with NC is its feeling of depth. There really is nothing quite like it.

If you're interested in beta testing this, head on over to the MacThemesForums thread to sign up.

Click for a full screenshot.

Update: The beta is now posted here. Enjoy!

Nearly a year ago, Iconfactory artist David Lanham shared some icon sketches with me based on Bjork's "All is Full of Love" music video which features some really cool white plastic/black rubber sheathed robots. I told him he just had to do a full theme based on these icons, and after a loooong and rather painful (think over 17 totally different attempts at getting the Finder buttons right painful) development, the theme, titled Amora, is now finally nearing release having met David's high standards for his work. Presenting Amora: