PicPick - An all-in-one design tool

Finding a great screen-capture tool that's also free has become a bit tougher, which is why I was thrilled to discover PicPick. Not only does it do screen-captures with ease and versatility, it also "has an intuitive interface and simple, elegant operation. After starting the software, you simply select one of the tools from the PicPick Tools tray icon menu when you want. It features a powerful capture tool, image editor, color picker, color palette, pixel ruler, protractor, crosshair, whiteboard, etc. You can use all these tools freely......."

PicPick 


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SideSlide - Make room on your desktop

This "advanced, portable, unobtrusive, dockable, skinnable, instantly accessible, highly configurable Desktop Extension" adds room to your desktop by providing a neat, tidy way to slide your shortcuts to the side.

SideSlide

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Money Manager Ex - Open source money manager

Don't want to shell out money for software that helps you manage the little you have? Try this open source version of the big, expensive ones.

Money Manager Ex

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Auslogics Disk Defrag - Get your disks humming again

There are now two schools of thought on the merits of defragging a hard drive. No, your strange twist on the topic doesn't count. The old school holds that excessive fragmentation that builds up over time will inevitably degrade the performance of a drive. The new school says, sure, that was true in your day, old dude, but drive speeds in this era make defragging superfluous. Who's to say which school is right?

In any case, if you want to smooth out and mellow the files on your hard drive, this is a very nice, free, way to do it.

Auslogics Disk Defrag

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inquisitor - Browser search add-on

This freebie adds smarts and beauty to your browser's search bar. From the web site:

"Inquisitor... speeds up your searches like no other. Start typing and websites appear instantly, along with suggestions to help refine your search. Inquisitor understands you, learning and tailoring your results as you search. You can also add more search engines with customized keyboard shortcuts. Inquisitor is fast, smart, flexible... and free!"

inquisitor 

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Split Browser - A Firefox add-on that tiles your Firefox tabs

Here's a nice way to have several tabs' worth of Firefox screens in a single window. From the web site: "This splits the content area of the browser window as you like. It will help you in various cases. For example, to compare multiple webpages, to show a calendar always, and so on."

Split Browser 

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Security Software - Install the right blend to protect yourself

This recent headline on CNET News should get you thinking about your PC security.

Study: Malware risks are growing exponentially 

Ask me, most folks are becoming less wary about potential threats, not more, which is out of sync with reality. Sending and receiving joke emails by the bushel, responding to "Send this to everyone you know" come-ons as if they'd never heard of malware or botnets. It's getting pretty darn blase out there.

Here are some quick tips on protecting yourself, software-wise:

Use a free yet robust anti-virus app like AVG or Avast. You can only use one AV app because they don't play well together. Avoid buying into fear-mongering ads for bloated, resource-hungry, expensive suites. Make sure your app is set to update itself automatically.

Use two, or even three, free anti-malware apps like Ad-Aware and Hazard Shield. No single app covers you 100%, but in combination, these apps can keep you relatively safe.

Finally, don't traffic in generic emails with subject headers like "This is sooooo funny!!!" or "McCain is a Liar!!!" Please, I'm begging you.

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Tree Style Tab - A Firefox extension for those with lots of screen width

With monitors going all wide-screen, some of us are lucky enough to have room to spare in the width category. This extension adds a tree-style tab bar to your Firefox installation. Having a hard time visualizing it?

From the web site: "This provides tree-style tab bar, like a folder tree of Windows Explorer. New tabs opened from links (or etc.) are automatically attached to the current tab. If you often use many many tabs, it will help your web browsing because you can understand relations of tabs."

Tree Tab Styler 

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Repair IE - Resurrect an ailing Internet Explorer

Man, Internet Explorer can jump the couch, can't it? (That's not good.) In no time at all IE can go zombie on you. What to do besides bury it (again) and start using Firefox, Safari, etc.? If you really need to breathe life into its dusty bones, try Repair IE. From the web site:

"Repair IE is a free but powerful repair utility for Internet Explorer, with Repair IE you can safely clean, repair and optimize the Internet Explorer registry with a few simple mouse clicks! By using this repair tool regularly and fixing registry errors your IE browser should not only be more stable but it will also help improve your IE browser performance."

Repair IE 

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Vista4Experts - The power to disable some of Vista's more annoying features

Yes, the name of this freeware app is a bit intimidating. Unless you see yourself as an expert with regard to Vista, you may be put off by the name, but it's really not for experts...necessarily. From the web site:

"Warning: the name of the program means that this utility configures Vista for people who know what they're doing (e.g. lowering Vista's defenses). The utility itself is very easy to use and can be used by everyone. The "for experts" means how the system will be configured (not that all experts want to disable the UAC); it doesn't mean that only an expert is able to use this little tool. Experts are, of course, able to tweak their systems without this tool, it's only a time question. I had to write this clarification due to people's misunderstanding of the name."

Clear? Good.


Vista4Experts

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Firefox 3.1 Beta 1 - Faster, prettier, better, et cetera

I can't help it. I'm a compulsive beta jockey. I suspect I am not alone. Anyway, I just went ahead with the Firefox 3.1 Beta 1 installation, even though it'll sideline many of my add-ons for awhile. It's already proven to be the fastest browser out there, has a very attractive 3D tab-switching interface, does java more efficiently. So if you can't resist, check it out.


Firefox 3.1. Beta 1 



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Yuuguu - Share your desktop through Gmail and Google Talk

The free Yuuguu, billed as "By far the easiest way to share your screen, host online meetings and work in real time on the same documents over the web," now integrates with Gmail and Google Talk to make sharing your desktop easier than ever. From the web site:

"Once you have entered your Gmail or Google Talk account details into Yuuguu, your Gmail and Google Talk contacts will automatically appear in your Yuuguu contacts list. You can share your screen with only one click each. Your contacts will be notified that you want to share your screen by way of a web address and, on clicking this, they will be automatically taken to a browser window containing your screen share."


Yuuguu

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Trillian - One-stop instant messaging

All your friends may have things in common...you, for instance...but they probably use a variety of IM apps, damn them. Trillian lets you keep them all together. From the web site:

"Trillian™ is a fully featured, stand-alone, skinnable chat client that supports AIM, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo Messenger, and IRC. It provides capabilities not possible with original network clients, while supporting standard features such as audio chat, file transfers, group chats, chat rooms, buddy icons, multiple simultaneous connections to the same network, server-side contact importing, typing notification, direct connection (AIM), proxy support, encrypted messaging (AIM/ICQ), SMS support, and privacy settings."


Trillian [via downlodsquad]


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QuickenOnline - It's now free!

I just love when things that used to cost money start being free. Seems that only happens on the Internet. QuickenOnline will set you up to keep track of and manage your accounts. From the web site:

"Do you have to visit one site for a bill and another for your balance? Sign in with a single password and bring your checking, savings, PayPal and credit card accounts together all in one place -- plus your bill reminders!1 Get an instant view of where you're at financially plus what's coming up -- anytime, from any computer with a Web connection or your iPhone. What's more, your information is updated every night automatically."

QuickenOnline

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ePrompter - Check up to 16 email accounts

If you have email accounts spread across the Internet like the spore of a deranged AI, here's a great way of keeping tabs on up to 16 of them. From the web site:

ePrompter automatically and simultaneously checks and retrieves your email messages from up to sixteen password protected email accounts and then gives you notification whenever you have new messages. ePrompter also lets you know how many new messages you have in each account, once new messages have been retrieved.

ePrompter also lets you read, delete and respond to any of your messages with a simple click on the account of your choice - without ever having to launch your email program or go to your webmail's site. Importantly, when ePrompter retrieves messages, it leaves the original messages on your various email accounts' servers and/or webmail sites.

ePrompter supports AIM, AOL, Gmail, Yahoo, Yahoo Beta, POP3, Earthlink, Hotmail, Juno, LiveMail, Lycos, Mail.com, Mindspring, MSN, MyWay, Netscape, Rediffmail, SBC Yahoo and hundreds of other email domains.

ePrompter lets you forward and reply back through the account that your messages were retrieved from. You can also send original messages through any account that you have working on your ePrompter without ever having to launch your email program or go to your webmail's site. It also features an address book.

ePrompter let's you delete unwanted spam or suspicious looking mail - the kind that might contain viruses - again without having to launch your email program or go to your webmail's site.

ePrompter's email notification features include a unique rotating tray icon, the main ePrompter screen, audio alerts for new messages, and a choice of five unique screensavers that let you know at a glance the number of new messages in each account.

ePrompter is so easy to set up and use, you'll have it up and running in minutes. One of our loyal ePrompter users posted a demo on YouTube that shows just how easy it is to set up and use ePrompter.

ePrompter 

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gAttach - Send attachments through Gmail via Windows Explorer

gAttach is the way to make sending attachments from Windows Explorer through your Gmail account. Right-click on the file you want to send; select Send To>Mail Recipient; and a Gmail Compose Mail window opens with your attachment in place.

gAttach 

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NODEVICE.com - One-stop shopping for device drivers

Not that you have to pay anything. Nodevice.com has a "massive collection of drivers from all the major manufacturers," so you won't have to go all over the Interwebs to find what you need.

NODEVICE.com

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Budget Calculator - Managing the economic downturn

Most of us will be tightening our financial belts in the face of our sagging economy. Why not figure out a family or individual budget the fun way? Check out this flash-based interactive budget calculator that takes your monthly take-home pay and creates a slick pie-chart of suggested allocations.

Carmen's Budget Breakdown

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Zoho Mail - Now available to all

Zoho already does a boffo job at every online productivity you'd care to think about. Now they've opened Zoho Mail to all and sundry. Some of it's best features (from the Zoho site):

POP Download Support for ZohoMail

You can download your @zoho.com emails over TLS in email clients of your choice. The required configurations are

Incoming server name  - pop.zoho.com (995 port)

Outgoing server name  - smtp.zoho.com (465 port)

Offline Support

Zoho Mail also supports Offline mode. This means you can access your email when not connected to the internet. Like Zoho Writer, this functionality is built using Google Gears.

To use Zoho Mail in offline mode, you'll notice the 'Setup Offline' link on the top. You'll need Google Gears installed on your browser (IE & Firefox are supported currently) to use offline support. Once you permit access, your mails will be accessible offline. You can choose to download images & attachments as well in the offline mode

Zoho Mail automatically detects your connectivity and switches to online/offline modes seamlessly. While offline, you can respond to your emails as you would normally. When you go back online these emails will be sent out from your Outbox.

Customize "From" address for your ZohoMail Account

If you have forwarded emails of other mail accounts to your ZohoMail account, or if your ZohoAccount is part of an email alias and you would like that email Id to be listed as your "From" address along with your ZohoMail account, this is what you need to do,

1. GoTo Settings->Common Settings->My Preferences

2. Under "Account Details" -> Click on the "Add another email address" link

3. You will be prompted with a dialog box, where you will need to enter the "Display Name" and "Email Id" -> The Display Name will be the name part of the email Id that is going to be added.

4. Once you click on "Send Verfication" , a mail with a confirmation code will be sent to the "Email Id" that you have added in Step 3.

5. Upon receiving the "Verification email", copy the confirmation code and enter it in the ZohoMail settings page.

6. If Step 5 is successfull, the new email id will also be listed as your "From" address in the ZohoMail composer.

ZohoMail as default mailto application

If you would like to set ZohoMail as the default application for sending mail, this is now possible if you are using Firfox 3.0.x version. So, how do we do this.

1. Login to ZohoMail

2. Type the following in the browser address bar,

javascript:window.navigator.registerProtocolHandler("mail=to","http://mail.zoho.com/mail/compose.do?

extsrc=mailto&mode=compose&tp=zb&ct=%s","ZMail")

3. Click "Add Application" when prompted from browser.

4. Now if you go to Tools -> Options -> Applications of Firefox and search for "mailto", Zmail will also be listed as an mailto application, where you will have the option to set/change your default mailto application.

Zoho Mail

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OpenOffice 3.0 Final - Available today!

The final, stable version of the free office suite is here! OpenOffice is planned to be marketed to the masses on Monday, but you can get it now!

Download OpenOffice 3.0 


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Opera 9.6 - A browser with lots of special features just got better

So, you haven't tried Opera yet. It's time. The latest version, 9.6, has added myriad features that make Opera a real contender in the browser wars. From the site:

Opera Link: Now lets you synchronize custom Search engines and typed History too. So any website address you typed in one computer will be available in all your other computers.

CheckFeed Preview: Click on the feed icon and you will see it in a clean and efficient layout especially formated for your window size. This makes it easier to see the feeds content before subscribing to it or even bookmarking it for quickly viewing what's new in a page without distractions.

CheckSpeed Enhancement: Go on, surf around, you'll notice the Web is snappier in Opera 9.6 with faster page loading than previous versions.

Opera Mail

CheckLow Bandwidth Mode: Now the mail client reduces data downloads as much as possible so you can check your mail faster when you are on the move. Enable it in your account properties and enjoy a faster email experience.

CheckFollow Threads: Keep your eye on important discussions by right-clicking on one of the emails and selecting Follow Thread. All related emails will now appear under the Followed Thread view in your Mail panel.

CheckIgnore Threads: Not really interested in the American Idol discussion your co-workers have going on? Just right-click on the email and select Ignore Thread. Past and future emails from this thread will now skip your unread view.

Opera 9.6 


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Shrink Pic - Send smaller photos without using a photo editor

You people who love to send pictures to all your friends and who thus clog up the Internet, hear this: Here's an easy way to shrink those graphics files down to manageable size. From the site:

Automatically reduce the size of photos for email, IM, blogging and web galleries!

Today's high resolution digital cameras produce multi Megabyte photos. These are great for printing but cause a heavy burden when sending over the Internet.

Shrink Pic allows you to send dozens of photos as email attachments - quickly and with no effort at all!

All you need to do is install Shrink Pic. It automatically detects when you're sending large photo files and compresses them in the background.

There's no setup, no operating instructions, nothing, nada. Just send your photos normally and Shrink Pic takes care of shrinking them.

Shrink Pic 


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Livestation - Tune your desktop into interactive television

"Watch the world's leading TV channels in the highest quality plus your favorite web channels, all in one free player."

• Our official partner channels can be enjoyed free of charge and in the highest quality
• Add and watch your favorite channels from the web, all in one player.
•  Stand alone and always on top means you can email, network, watch and chat at the same time

Livestation

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Picasa 3 beta - Better than ever

For all you beta-lovers out there, here's one you shouldn't miss. With tons of improvements and new features, Picasa 3 beta is a winner.

Picasa 3

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DeskTask - Put Outlook appointments and tasks on your desktop

For a very stylish addition of your Outlook calendar and tasks to your desktop, check out DeskTask. From the site:

DeskTask connects to Microsoft Outlook and displays your calendar and task items on the desktop.

    * Your tasks will always be visible, saving precious time to launch or switch to Outlook.

    * Just minimize every window, and see what are the items due for today or tomorrow.

    * DeskTask displays the whole week so you can be prepared to organize your work.

    * Besides the calendar items, the Outlook to-do list (Folder Tasks) is also displayed. If you work with Outlook, DeskTask is for you.

Download DeskTask 

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