Posts filed under 'Reviews'
If you were on the lookout for a wiki like notebook which stores thoughts, contacts, to-do lists, ideas or anything else, perhaps you should take a look at WikidPad 1.8. This application is a bit different. What makes it different? You can easily cross link your info with this app. When you type in WikiWords links are created. A WikiWord is a mixed case word typed into the editor. Examples of this are JohnDoe or To-do List. In Hawaiian, wiki means quick, wikidPad is about linking information quick. The included features are on the fly WikiWord linking, auto completion, attribute based document indexing, incremental search, text styling, export to HTML and auto save.
This software comes as a free download with a 30 day trial limitation. It requires Windows 95 or higher. If you are used to Wikipedia, this freeware is a blessing. Computer programming, comparative literature and such fields mean taking and organizing notes. This software has the benefit of Wikipedia as well as Notepad.
The layout of this software is not too alien to Notepad users. You need to get familiar with the wiki format. Once comfortable with it you can wikify any aspect of your work and life. This app is stand alone and open source. There is good enough documentation to guide you along and reading this documentation is necessary. This extremely useful academic tool helps you track, schedule and more
August 24th, 2008
If you are looking for something that enhances your web surfing experience, is free and is a great plug in, then PicLens is something you seriously need to check out. This cross platform and cross browser plug in does a great job as a pic viewer. What it does is, takes the pics from a website, enlarges them and then allows you to surf them in an interface that is really classy.
When you install it, there is a button placed on the toolbar. It works only on PicLens enabled websites. You need to click the PicLens button and then sit back and enjoy as the images on the site zoom past you. After they stop zooming past, you can surf the site using the surf bar that is on the top of the monitor. Clicking on a still image enlarges it while clicking on a video enlarges and then plays it.
The only issue with this great freeware is that it is not supported on every site. Facebook, Myspace, YouTube, Picasa, Flickr and some others are supported. PicLens functionality can be created through a WordPress plugin for Bloggers. This plugin works finest with Mozilla Firefox. It is worth every second of download time. Recommended.
August 10th, 2008
When you work on your computer, you need a reliable software that helps you manage the vast amounts of data that your computer stores for you. The SugarSync manager is an amazing online backup and remote access service for accessing, protecting and sharing your music, videos, documents and photos etc.
Working with the SugarSync Manager, your files are conveniently organized for you. They are automatically, without repeated instructions from you, backed up to your secure and personal website in real time. This service allows you to share and access these files from your mobile phone as well as any web browser. SugarSync, unlike it’s other contemporaries, allows you to backup as many computers as you may desire with one single account.
You are also allowed to sync these files across multiple computers. The whole process is extremely secure with SSL file transfer, world-class data centers and 128 bit AES encryption. With the computer crash rate at one per five seconds, SugarSync makes sure you rest easy when it comes to the safety of your important files.
The SugarSync Manager scores high in its ease-of-use, reliability and most importantly, speed department. Useful additions to this software include features like the Magic Briefcase and search field etc. This software is highly competitive and offers stiff competition to its counterparts.
The SugarSync Manager can be purchased for a mere $2.49. It’s a must for both home and office users alike.
July 27th, 2008
Sifting through emails for relevant information can be a tedious task. But with the Xobni 4024 beta software you can now manage your emails easily and quickly. The freeware Xobni can be integrated into your Outlook installation. The brilliance of this software lies in the fact that it reveals to you more about your emails than Outlook itself.
Xobni is a great inside revealer. Whenever a person sends you an email, it also shows you other information about the sender such as who else do they frequently communicate with, the social networks they might be members of and it even digs up their phone numbers from inside their emails if you want. Handy isn’t it! Apart from that it also showcases all the conversation threads that you have participated in with the sender and also an account of all the attachments they may have sent you. It has a built-in redundant but snappy email search engine.
Usually add-ons diminish or hamper an applications performance, not so with Xobni. It is a useful addition to Outlook that functions in accordance with Outlook without impinging upon its performance or the absolute worse, crashing it. It is an invisible weapon in Outlooks armor. Being in beta, Xobni the platform is needed to run Xobni the application. Unlike other plug-ins it is this platform that empowers Xobni to build a viewing pane into Outlook.
Users world over speak highly of this software with the only downside to it being that it might actually provide too much information. But that depends on user discretion and so there is no reason why you should not give this amazing software a try.
July 12th, 2008
Most of us have trouble saving the computer screen as it is. You just can’t seem to get the settings right! But with the Gadwin PrintScreen software you can bid these problems goodbye. This print screen application is capable of doing much more then you can possibly imagine and that too free of cost.
The Gadwin PrintScreen facilitates an increased variety of options with the PrintScreen button at the top of you keyboard. In normal circumstances, on hitting the PrintScreen key, the current screen is loaded onto your clipboard. You have to then open an image editing software, paste the image there and then save the file in order to save a single image. Tedious is it not? Well, the Gadwin PrintScreen software simplifies this whole process.
The software occupies your System Tray and allows you to set numerous options. When you press the PrintScreen key or any other specified key for that matter, you have the option to save the screen directly in a specific folder. Not just that, you can select a particular window or specific area of the screen to be saved as it is. The Gadwin PrintScreen allows you to send your captured screen directly via email or to your printer. The images are automatically resized according to the specified dimensions. You can even select the format in which you want your image saved.
Although it lacks a built-in image editor, the seamless screen capture experience in any viewing application of your choice more than makes up for the loss. To top it all, his application is free. What more could you ask from a software such as the Gadwin PrintScreen that gives so much but takes nothing.
June 27th, 2008
SplashMoney is a free to try software with a 30 day trial limitation. If you want to buy it, you will have to pay $29.95. It requires Windows Mobile 5.x/6.x Smart phone. With this software money management can be done easily. You can connect from your desktop to the online bank. Even a wireless handheld can be used to connect to the bank.
Transactions can then be downloaded into SplashMoney directly. In addition, you can create budgets as well as track and analyze spending with customizable reports and charts. Your phone can be synced with the desktop PC. There is also free desktop companion software for Windows.
Now Windows Mobile users can manage personal finances comfortably. This software shares similarities with many mobile money managers. Credit card details, balances, budgets and expenses are all at your fingertips. Data can be viewed in chart and report form.
The data is input in categories. SplashMoney is password protected with 256 bit Blowfish encryption. SplashMoney was available for the Palm OS up till now. Try it out on Windows Mobile phones if you like. It might be worth your while.
March 23rd, 2008
Facebook for BlackBerry is a great new utility for the BlackBerry. If you want to perform all the basic facebook things you need to stay in touch with your friends and updated on your Blackberry then this is the utility for you. However this utility is unable to perform the advanced Facebook functions.
Anyhow your carrier needs to be supported and you need to setup the Facebook profile to get messages on the mobile phone. Sending and receiving messages is now a snap with the Blackberry. You need to shuffle a lot of data, however. The data transfer can be very slow as well.
In case you are wondering about this software, it is fre with no limitations. It requires RIM OS. After downloading this free application, your connection with friends is taken to a whole new level. Homescreen notifications let you know about new Facebook events. So connect with friends on your BlackBerry. What have you got to lose?
March 21st, 2008
Downloading videos is something of an obsession with many netizens. However, slow download times can be daunting. Bearflix is the fastest video download application of its kind that offers you millions of video titles free for download. BearShare and BearFlix have the same engine. However, BearFlix is highly optimized for video download.
It is safe to use and will not affect your computer with adware, spyware, viruses or trojans. All you get is great videos. Sometimes there are issues with proxies. The configuration process is very easy and the toolbar and icon interface is simple and easy to use. If you are an advanced user then you can take advantage of the configuration options.
All you need to do is enter a search term and you get files instantly. You may not always find the file you are looking for and in the name you are looking for. With the file rating option spam is kept at bay. Through hashing identical files are found out and file swarming is easily done without the users effort. Although downloads were fast, system memory used was considerable. In the freeware version there is a banner ad and slightly slower download speeds.
March 16th, 2008
BitComet 0.99 is a free download with no limitations. It requires Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 Server/Vista. It is a great download client. Fast and easy to use, this freeware is one of the most popular of its kind on the web. Simultaneous downloads and DHT networks, a download que, fast resume, disk caching, auto port mapping, proxies, IP filtering, speed limits are supported.
With this latest version, software updates in the system are checked for automatically. There is support for Firefox extension download as well as bug fixing. This interface is heavily cribbed from Windows Explorer. It looks very familiar to the user.
On the left there are features like links to torrent aggregating websites as well as promotional offers. The top features big buttons with familiar icons. In the center window you can see the files to be downloaded. At the bottom pane you will be able to see tracker and peer info.
This software offers chat capabilities, bookmarking, an internet explorer toolbar and a Firefox 2 context menu. Although the speed and ability to handle multiple torrents is a plus, the advertising is a big minus. However it is worth a good look before you decide on your torrent app.
March 13th, 2008
This software is available as a free download without any limitations. It requires Windows 2000/XP/Vista, Java Runtime Environment 1.6. Along with this software you get the ASK toolbar which can be uninstalled or installed depending on your need.
Frostwire is a fork of the LimeWire Source code. The functioning is the same. Searching for a file using FrostWire will yield results from LimeWire and vice versa. There are two differences in the experience of the two. FrostWire’s code is based on LimeWire Pro which is the paid version of LimeWire, hence you don’t have to worry about download restrictions or ads.
The new interface is blue rather than green. Tabs look better with their rounded corners. You are also provided important information like bandwidth, vendor and version and a built in community chat.
The built in media player does not work with MP3′s or MPG’s. FrostWire has one advantage over LimeWire and this is the lack of ads. The other advantage is faster download times. Check it out.
March 12th, 2008
Pidgin is an instant messaging client that works on multiple protocols. It is available as a free download with no limitations. It works with Linux, BSD, MacOSX as well as Windows. It is compatible with Zephyr, Gadu Gadu, IRC, Yahoo, MSN Messenger, ICQ and AIM. If you have a friend who uses Yahoo Messenger, one who uses AIM and another who uses an IRC channel you can chat with them all at the same time.
But Pidgin (formerly Gaim) is also about unique, exclusive features. One such feature is Buddy Pounces. When a buddy signs on, goes away or returns, you are notified via a message sound or program. There are also plugins like text replacement, buddy ticker, extended message notification and iconofy.
In this latest version there is also theme conversation, fixes with multiple alias edit areas and per contact conversation logging and more. The main change in Pidgin is the redesigned interface. You can view the buddy list in both basic as well as advanced mode.
There are tons of emoticons you can use with Pidgin. You can transfer files as well as chat multiperson. There is also logging and timestamping. There is no IP telephony and video conferencing though. Also some bugs in the help menu are bothersome. However as a text only messaging app Pidgin comes highly recommended.
March 2nd, 2008
The River Media Center is available at a price of $39.98 but is free to try with a 30 day trial limitation. It requires Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP/2003 Server/Vista. With this single program you can integrate your music, photos and video.
This program allows you to connect your PC to the home entertainment hardware and control it with a remote. Watch TV and at the same time load music onto your iPod. All your media files can be managed with just one software – River Media Center. This software also allows you to copy music to a portable digital audio player.
In addition you have the ability to move digital camera photos into MC’s powerful image library. You can easily made a music CD for use in your car. Alternatively you can record your favorite shows to watch them later on TV.
With an attractive interface and an extensive feature set, this is probably the best media browser there is. You can select from six program skins during installation. If you want the program to occupy less space choose a small interface rather than a large one.
You can burn, rip and play CD’s and do so much more with this great program. Worth the $39.98 it costs.
March 1st, 2008
WinStars 2.0 is free to try and will cost you $9.00 to buy it. It requires Windows 98/Me/2000/XP, DirectX 9.0c drivers. If you are into stargazing with a telescope you are about to discover a whole new way of looking at the universe. The latest 3D technology is used to create a realistic portrayal of the objects in our solar system.
You can move from planet to planet or follow a space probe on its journey. You can also observe a celestial event from another part of the world. Jet Propulsion Laboratories DE 404 planetary theories are used to give you an exact representation of displayed events.
The world is yours on your PC with WinStars. Winstars can be likened to a virtual planetarium – view galaxies, constellations and planets as you desire. The items displayed on it’s map can be chosen by you. The scene can be easily animated by you. In addition to a wealth of information on heavenly bodies, you can get web photos for a better view. There are many icons in the main window, though they are neatly arranged. A lot of hard disk space is used up by this program.
This is one program astronomy enthusiasts cannot afford to miss. Recommended.
February 24th, 2008
Comodo Firewall Pro 3 is available from download.com as a free download with no limitations. It requires Windows XP or Vista. If you need to secure your system from Trojans and malware as well as external hacker attacks, this might be just what you need. The interface is simple and user friendly. The single click interface offers complete protection from attack. Connect securely to the internet with Comodo Firewall Pro.
In the latest version there is a new user interface and an addition to the firewall engine for external threat protection. There are many significant changes in the new version. It does not take up so much of your system resources anymore.
If you are an advanced user, there are many options and a lot of information, but beginners will still find this software extremely usable. The new user interface is the other noticeable feature of this software. There is no blue color scheme – there is a white color scheme instead. Between the various options there is more empty space now.
The terminology has been made more intuitive. There are some new tabs – Summary, Firewall, Defense+ and Miscellaneous. The Host Intrusion Prevention System is a new addition that protects against unknown threats. The Comodo programs automatically learns about your computer’s behaviour. This program is a great offering and handles your firewall needs for free. Worth the download.
February 21st, 2008
Quicknote is one Notepad replacement that works at the concept of a lightweight text editor. The interface is unusual and there are some unique features in this app. The package is not highly polished though. In the right corner, a small control panel controls the gross functions which determine how the program behaves.
Mouse-over labels are useful so that you do not have to keep guessing what the feature does. Some tools of this app, like the calculator can be accessed elsewhere. Some functions are unique. A good example of this is a function that allows you to send drawing or text to another computer, if you have the IP address or computer name.
Quicknote can also be minimized to a white bar. It is set at the top left of the monitor by default. This can be changed though. If you mouse over the line it maximizes again. Many options are available which relate to show/hide behavior and transparency. If you want you can set quick time to run on start up. Speaker volume can be controlled by using hotkeys when the program is in focus.
This software includes a scheduler with alarms, a screen measuring tool, task manager, and more. This note taking app does some unique things and this is its strength. Yours for free with no limitations.
February 17th, 2008
Photoscape is a feature rich image editor, that surprisingly, is free. The flipside of this is that it leaks memory and consumes a fair amount of it as well. For people who edit at home and are just discovering DSLR cameras, this is an ideal software. If you aren’t yet ready to spend moolah on GIMP or Photoshop, then try this baby out.
Not only is it good for RAW conversion, it also handles JPG to PNG and all popular image formats. You can also create animated GIF’s with the help of it. There are prebuilt templates to create webcomics, fumetti and photo collages. There is also contrast editing, light/shadow and red-eye removal standard capability in this software.
This quick loading program has an interface that is significantly different from the industry leaders. There is a circular navigator and a tabbed nav on the main screen. You can access almost all essential features from both Navs. The unusual layout takes some getting used to, but overall I would call it intuitive and fast. Only the extremely advanced image editing features are missing here.
If you are a budding photographer without the money to buy Photoshop or GIMP, then this program should work well for you.
February 16th, 2008
Dark Room 0.8b is available on download.com as a free download. It requires Windows XP, Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0. It has no limitations in the free version. If you are into studying and writing papers this is the software to do it on.
Studying and writing are not easy to do. It requires a great deal of focus. Often while writing papers there is a lot of distraction. Often you start surfing the web, checking mail and generally find ways to get distracted.
Dark Room is a tool that helps people who need to stay focussed while writing papers. This program is not very feature rich but its main feature is that it helps you focus and eliminates distraction. With this program, you can write full screen on a black background which hides chat notifications, email alerts and other things that come in the way of writing that perfect paper.
If the black color is not to your liking you can change the background to a color of your choice as well as choose a text color and font. This tool is really useful to writers. The readme file is a big help, and if you know the hotkeys you are going to rock the writing world 
February 10th, 2008
If you have a wallet that is not too heavy and you want to use a word processor, consider AbiWord. This word processor is available as a free download with no limitations. It requires Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP. Although it is not too feature rich, it has all the features you would normally require in a word processor.
The interface will be familiar to users of other word processors. It has a spell checker, interactive rulers and tabs, find and replace, unlimited undo/redo, paragraph alignment, character formatting and the other features that are necessary to prepare a professional document. MS Word 97 as well as Rich Text Format are supported. In addition Newspaper style columns, widow/orphan control, superscript/subscript are supported.
The AbiWord wordprocessor can be learnt quick because of the similarity between it and other word processors. There is no grammar check in it however. The spell check works for many foriegn languages in addition to English. There is a proprietary format that this program saves files in, in addition to MS word. If you want a word processing program completely free, then this one is probably the best one on the market.
February 7th, 2008
The Oxford Dictionary of English, Second Edition is now available as a 20mb download. It is free to try and will cost you $59 to purchase. The free trial is only for 10 days. The system requirements are Windows NT/2000/XP.
This software has been produced by iFinger which has been creating interactive products which can be had as direct downloads. Some of the worlds most famous publishing houses have been collaborated with by iFinger for it’s software.
Both online as well as offline searches can be done. In addition manually entering text searches is possible. 355,000 words, definitions and phrases used in Modern English are covered in this software.
If you want to look up a word quickly as you browse the web, you will find this Oxford Dictionary very useful. All you have to do to check a word is double click it. Before you begin using this software, iFinger needs to be installed and this is time consuming. The search bar instals into any Windows app.
If you want to lookup fast, this software is useful since the most common meanings come up initially followed by more detailed information. The dictionary base can be expanded, word by word or by importing text files. I recommend this dictionary to surfers even if they own the printed version.
February 3rd, 2008
Weather Watcher is a free software with no limitations. It requires Windows 98/Me/NT/2000/XP/Vista. If you want to keep on top of the weather, then this is the way to do it. Weather watcher offers forecasts hourly with detail. Alerts for severe weather and weather maps for cities all over the world are on offer.
The current temperature is displayed. You can choose the information you want to display in the system tray. Weather data can be converted. If you want the weather map on your desktop, you can do it with this app. Log and export weather data as you like. Skins allow full customization of the interface.
In this latest version there are hundreds of new weather maps – most are US ones. All you need is to provide a city or zip code. You get the expected highs and lows and a wealth of information on your fingertips with this app.
The other data provided is wind speed, dew point, moon phases, humidity and pressure. The only problem with this app is that it uses too much memory – 19 MB of it to be precise. However the fact that it is free and is very useful overrode the high memory usage in my decision to download it.
February 2nd, 2008
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