Software, Hardware, Technology
16 May
doPDF allows you to print from any application that supports printing and produce PDF files.
It is free and because of this, you don’t have many features, but the important thing is that you don’t have to configure it at all.
Just install it and choose doPDF as printer when you want to save something as PDF. Just like that.
16 May
I came across this utility. It is called WinFlip and it adds the features of Windows Flip 3D to Windows XP. What is Windows Flip 3D? read the official description.
You can enjoy this features while using XP if you install WinFlip. It is in early stages, so if you cancounter a problem or bug, go to its website, there is a forum.
Also, here’s a link to the debug versions. The author posts “debug” versions that correct some bugs or add new fearures before releasing another major revision.
15 May
Defraggler is a freeware utility from the developers of CCleaner and Recuva.
Its a defragmentation tool for hard drives. It can defragment individual files as well as entire hard drives.
The engine is fast and you can take it with you because it is just an executable file.
15 May
Maxthon is a free browser that works with the IE engine. It is highly customizable and fast.
You can make it portable just by grabbing all the files in the installation folder.
Read all the features here.
Maxthon is a powerful web browser with a highly customizable interface. It is based on the Internet Explorer engine which means that what works in IE, works the same in Maxthon but with many additional efficient features like Tabbed Browsing Interface; Mouse Gestures; Super Drag&Drop; Privacy Protection; AD Hunter; Google Bar Support; External Utility Bar; and Skinning.
15 May
SMPlayer is an open source, multi-platform video/audio player, focusing in video features.
It uses the well-known (at least in the open source field) command-line player MPlayer. This means SMPlayer doesn’t need external codecs in order to play the files. This is great because it saves you time and troubles when playing less-known formats.
It comes second in my list of favorite video players, just behind the venerable Media Player Classic. I will talk about more about codecs and players in a later guide i’m working on.
Note: If you are using Windows Vista, the default settings of SMPlayer will disable Aero temporarily while playing files.
For it to work well with Aero, go to Options - Preferences. In the General tab, select gl or gl2 in the Output Drivers: Video drop down list. Aero won’t be disabled anymore.
15 May
Autoruns is a great utility for managing startup items in your computer.
It is a compehensive resource for viewing all kind of programs, drivers, services and dll’s that are loaded everytime Windows boots up.
Note:
It is recommended to learn about every item that you want to disable because it can be used for another program or process. So, use it carefully.
14 May
IcoFX is a great icon editor for Windows. It is free and has many useful tools.
Official Description:
IcoFX is an award winning freeware icon editor. It is an all-in-one solution for icon creation, extraction and editing. It is designed to work with Windows XP, Windows Vista and Macintosh icons supporting transparency.
With a wealth of tools and more than 40 effects at your fingertips, there’s virtually no limit to the icons you can create. You can easily convert your favorite images into icons, or icons into images. IcoFX gives you the possibility to create icon libraries or change icons inside exe files. Create a favicon for your website or blog.
14 May
I stumble upon this promotion the other day. It is a 6-month license for Avira AntiVir Personal Edition Premium completely free.
AntiVir is a capable antivirus that has won several awards. I must say however, that my favorite security company is Kaspersky, with its Internet Security and Anti-Virus leading my personal preferences.
But you have to pay because they are not free. If you want to give AntiVir a try (and save some money, by the way), go to this page and enter you information to receive the free 6-month license.