Avast! has just released the first public beta version of the company’s 2012 security lineup. Interested users can download Avast Free, Avast Pro and Avast Internet Security from the official beta announcement thread in the Avast forum. First thing that users notice is the new installer. Avast notes that the beta versions can be installed [...]
Free Software Reviews
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Disk Encryption Software TrueCrypt 7.1a Released
I have been using the open source encryption software TrueCrypt for a long time to keep my data secure on connected hard drives. The program has evolved over the years, and can now create encrypted file containers, encrypt full partitions and even the whole computer system. TrueCrypt is that solid that its developers need to [...]
DHE Drive Info, Portable Hard Drive Information Software
DHE Drive Info is a free portable software for the Windows operating system that displays extensive information about all connected hard drives and their partitions. It may take the program a few seconds to scan all drives before information about them are displayed in list form in the main application window. Each device is listed [...]
Zer0 Makes Sure Deleted Files Can’t Be Recovered Anymore
Every now and then you may want to make sure that files that you delete on a PC cannot be recovered anymore by other users. This may be important if you are passing on the PC to another user, working on a multi-user PC or system that others may have access to. It may even [...]
SFunKey, Make Fn Key Actions Directly Accessible
Many notebooks, laptops and netbooks ship with a smaller sized keyboard that lacks some of the keys that are on standard sized keyboards. This often includes media keys like play, pause or changing the volume, but also keys like numlock or other numpad keys. These keys are usually removed because of size constraints. Manufacturers add [...]
On Keeping An Open Mind When It Comes To Windows 8
As a Windows user, I’m keeping a close eye on all Windows 8 development tidbits and leaks that I can find online and offline. Most of what I know comes from the developer preview version of the operating system that was released last year, and leaks that seem to have picked up in pace recently. [...]
QTranslate, Versatile Desktop Translator For Windows
Having a translator at hand can be quite useful when you are browsing the Internet. With users from different social background and countries coming together, there is always the chance that you stumble upon text written in languages that you do not understand. Often your only option to make sense of the text is to [...]
Screenshot Captor 3 Released
One essential tool in a blogger’s repertoire is a screenshot capturing software. These programs range from basic applications to sophisticated tools that offer editors and other features that make life a lot easier. Screenshot Captor is one of those Swiss army knifes in the screenshot taking world. The program supports all the capturing options that [...]
Clipboard Magic 5 Released After Six Years
Remember Clipboard Magic? No? Then you are in good company as the program has not made the news in the last six years. The developer of the clipboard manager has released version 5 of the program after six years of radio silence. Clipboard Magic 5 at its core is a clipboard manager for the Windows [...]
Soluto Moves To The Web, Adds Remote Control Options
Remember Soluto, the software that allowed you to optimize the startup time of the Windows operating system? Appears that the developers have moved their application from the desktop to the web. Instead of downloading the program right away, installing it and using it locally, Soluto users now need to create a web account first before [...]
Skype 5.8 For Windows Released
Microsoft today has released an update for the popular voice over IP, messaging and video calling software Skype. Skype 5.8 for Windows is currently only available on the Skype homepage and not via the program’s update checker. Existing Skype users who click on Help > Check for Updates are receiving notifications that they are running [...]
Speed Clicker, Computer Aided Mouse Clicks
The author of Speed Clicker has created the program to get more out of games such as FarmVille or FarmTown. While I have never played those games on Facebook, it appears as if players need to click the mouse as fast as possible in various situations like harvesting or fishing. Speed Clicker saves your mouse [...]
Dashlane, A New Password Manager For Windows and Mac
Just yesterday we have reviewed the Norton Identity Safe password manager which had been released as a beta version earlier this month. Today, I’m going to look at another password manager that is currently making the rounds. Dashlane is currently in private beta, which means that you need an invite to start using it (thanks [...]
Norton Identity Safe Beta, PC And Mobile Password Manager
Password managers are essential tools to stay safe on the Internet. Most offer a lot more than just saving passwords in a secure database. My personal favorite KeePass for instance can generate secure passwords, export or import some or all into various other formats, integrate with web browsers to make the login more comfortable or [...]
Create Stunning Photo Slideshows With IMGDissolver
If you ever wanted to create a stunning photo slideshow for your own personal use or for distribution, you’d probably discovered that it can be quite difficulty to find the right program for the job. We have covered slideshow creators like Wow Slider for instance in the past. IMGDissolver has been released in an early [...]
SMPlayer 0.7.0 Media Player Now Available
One of my favorite media players of all time, SMPlayer, has recently been updated to version 0.7.0. SMPlayer is a front-end for MPlayer making it a player that supports nearly every video format out of the box without the need to go codec hunting before you can start watching the video or movie you are [...]
Protect Files From Unauthorized Access With Encoding Decoding
Full disc encryption or encrypted container files are useful to prevent unauthorized access to a larger number of files. This may feel like overkill though if you only want to make sure that a single file is protected from access. That’s where a program like Encoding Decoding comes into play. The program, available as a [...]
View and Extract File Icons With Thumbico
File and program icons distinguish different file types and applications visually from each other. Users come into contact with icons every time they use the computer, but only a few would consider changing or modifying program icons on their system. I can only think of two user groups who would need the to view, modify [...]
SmartCopyTool Lets You Copy Files From Large Folder Structures
If you are using Windows Explorer for your file copying jobs you have probably noticed that it is not the best tool for advanced operations like copying all mp3 files in a folder structure to another folder, or merging directories. That is where specialized tools like SmartCopyTool come into play. The free program lets you [...]
Windows 8 Metro UI Won’t Allow Custom Backgrounds
With the Windows 8 Beta just around the corner, it is becoming easier to see into which direction Microsoft is heading in regards to the final version of the operation system. I have already expressed my concern that Windows 8 could become too tablet centric, and as a result alienate a large part of the [...]