Google Video Player: Your Ticket to Google's Multimedia Megaplex - 9/21/2006 Google's new Google Video service takes us into the realm of multimedia content, gathering up a rich archive of moving pictures to be accessed either for free or for pay. Think of Google Video Player as your key to the palace.
Seek and Ye Shall Find: Copernic Desktop Search 2.0 - 9/20/2006 With generation two of the popular Copernic Desktop Search tool now available, WinPlanet delves into the impressively redesigned app to get a feel for all that the new CDS release has to offer.
Google Spreadsheets: Google Spreads It On - 9/13/2006 The search engine giant's online spreadsheet won't cost you a penny, but don't toss that Excel program anytime soon.
Active Security Monitor: Track Your PC Protection with Ease - 8/22/2006 By now you've hopefully protected the PCs in your home. You've shielded them against viruses, spyware, and a host of potential maladies using a range of defenses. But how do you know for sure those protections are actually working the way they should? Enter AOL's new ASM freeware tool.
Total Commander: File Management Power Behind a Beastly Exterior - 8/10/2006 Total Commander has persevered as one of the more powerful file management utilities available for Windows. While it retains a loyal following, will new users be able to look past a drab interface to its solid feature-set?
Microsoft Codename Max: Photo Sharing Now ... With More to Come? - 8/3/2006 Microsoft Codename Max is an early iteration of something that shows you pictures now, but may well do something else entirely later on. Take a look at what the eye-catching app currently offers and what may be on the way.
Looking Ahead to Windows Vista: Part 3 - 7/26/2006 In this third and final installment of our series, we look at the hardware a PC needs in order to run the various versions of Microsoft's Vista. Whether you're upgrading or buying new, we'll tell you what you need to know.
McAfee SiteAdvisor: Web Browsing Just Got a Whole Lot Safer - 7/19/2006 If you register with a Web site, will you be flooded with spam? If you accept a download, will be you taking on malicious programs along with your desired software? It sure would be nice to know this information in advance. That's the knowledge SiteAdvisor can deliver.
The Cleaner Professional: Cleaning Up Malware Contamination - 7/12/2006 The endless wave of malware and other nasties floating around the Internet is unlikely to abate any time soon, but there are now nearly as many options available that claim to protect your computer. The Cleaner Professional enters the competitive realm of PC protection, but how well does it fare against larger, more-established anti-malware tools?
Does Microsoft's Small Business Accounting Add Up? - 7/10/2006 A year of public beta testing helped Microsoft smooth out its accounting program's rough edges. Now a few months into its 1.0 release, customers have found a lot to like.
Microsoft Office 2007 Preview: Worthy of an Upgrade? - 7/5/2006 The long-awaited Microsoft Office 2007 is now available in a pre-release beta. A look at the preliminary version indicates some well thought-out changes, but will a largely evolutionary update ultimately prove worthy of an upgrade?
Looking Ahead to Windows Vista: Part 2 - 6/22/2006 In part two of our series on Microsoft's upcoming operating system, we take a closer look at the multitude of new features and enhancements in Windows Vista that can help your small business perform and produce more securely.
An Early Look at Microsoft Windows Live, Part 2 - 6/14/2006 If you're itching to discover what will be "live" and online from Microsoft in near future, read on as we
continue our look at Microsoft's lineup of upcoming online offerings. This week we delve into beta versions of Windows Live Toolbar, Windows Live Safety Center, and Windows Live Favorites.
An Early Look at Microsoft Windows Live, Part 1 - 6/7/2006 If you're itching to discover what will be "live" and online from Microsoft in the coming months, read on as we review beta versions of Windows Live Mail and Windows Messenger, two of the major components in Microsoft's upcoming online offerings. After test driving and poking around under the hoods, we find lots to like and much potential in Microsoft's next-generation tools.
Hamachi: Roll Your Own VPNs the Fast and Free Way - 6/1/2006 Hamachi is a handy new freeware tool that enables you to easily create and manage your own "zero-configuration" virtual private networks (VPN). While a rather Spartan interface lends itself to simplicity, Hamachi's security architecture ensures communications are encrypted and authenticated with industry-standard algorithms and protocols.
Looking Ahead to Windows Vista: Part I - 5/16/2006 The rollout of Microsoft's new, long-promised operating system draws closer. We're kicking off a three-part series to look at what's new and what Vista offers small business.
Simdesk: The On-Demand Office Suite - 5/4/2006 It's not perfect, but Simdesk offers a roster of online tools that let you run a business from anywhere on the road.
KlipFolio: Managing RSS Information with Style - 4/26/2006 KlipFolio is a refreshingly minimalist RSS dashboard. While the interface takes some practice to get proficient with, the utility certainly offers a unique and efficient way to manage the torrent of information from the Internet without overwhelming your desktop.
NoteTab Pro: When HTML Coding Speed Matters - 4/19/2006 If you're comfortable with HTML and CSS and don't want or need a WYSIWYG Web editor, then NoteTab Pro may be the editor for you. Its many features and clip libraries make it an excellent choice for getting down and dirty in the midst of your code.
Portable Apps Suite: A Powerful (and Free) Alternative to Software Bloat - 4/12/2006 Tired of overblown programs that hoard hard drive space and offer lots of features that you don't need? Portable Apps Suite offers an alternative, a relatively compact set of applications that can reside on a flash memory drive, doesn't need to be installed in Windows, and can be carried from computer to computer.
Mozilla Lightning: A Thunder-and-Lightning Duo Sounds Like Competition for Outlook - 4/6/2006 Mozilla's new Lightning project seeks to capably blend calendar and scheduling functionality into the already adept Thunderbird e-mail client. It's early yet and a few dark clouds currently hover over the preview release, but the sky's the limit for the Mozilla tandem.
Microsoft's Other Office is Worth a Look - 3/29/2006 Microsoft Office Live lets small businesses get on the Web quickly — and for free. The offering (currently in beta) still needs some work, but it could be the answer to your online presence and collaboration needs.
Fresh UI: A Fresh (and Free) Approach to Windows Customization and Management - 3/25/2006 When it comes to diagnosing and customizing your PC, the right set of tools can make the difference between optimal performance and an unexpected disaster. Fresh Devices offers a pair of tools just right for the job, and even better, they're both free.
30 Boxes: Take Your Calendar and Scheduler With You Wherever You Go - 3/23/2006 Wouldn't it be nice if you could easily access your calendar and scheduling software from any internet-enabled computer? Enter 30 Boxes, a remarkably powerful, flexible, and easy to use Web-based calendar application that's always as close and accessible as the nearest browser.
Office Suite Showdown: Corel WordPerfect Office X3 - 3/16/2006 In the battle of the office suites, X3 offers its first-rate word processor, Quattro Pro spreadsheet and a PDF innovation that's unmatched by Microsoft. Plus, it costs nearly $100 less.
PC Inspector File Recovery 4.0: Critical Data Recovery on the Cheap - 3/9/2006 If you've ever been in the situation before, you know the feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you realize you've lost important data off your computer. Whether you know you accidentally deleted your Quicken files or simply can't find any trace of the folder that houses your prized family photos, all you can think about is whether or not you can get that data back, and if so, how? Enter the freeware PC Inspector File Recovery 4.0.
Picasa: Google to the Digital Photo Rescue - 2/23/2006 Picasa arrives as a handy app for serving the needs of casual digital photo mavens. While unlikely to be the software of choice for serious photographers, the freeware Picasa ably helps the rest of us find, tweak and share our digital images.
IE7 Beta 2 Preview: Better Late than Never? - 2/16/2006 Microsoft is playing catch-up in the internet browser arena, with the latest preview release of Internet Explorer 7 adding eagerly-awaited features that users of other browsers have long enjoyed. WinPlanet takes a look at what else the preview release tells us about the upcoming browser.
Deskloops: A Not-So-Common Cure for Desktop Clutter Syndrome - 2/8/2006 Xilokit's unique Deskloops software helps you bypass Windows' rather clumsy way of having all your windows and applications compete for the same desktop real estate. The free tool organizes and streamlines access to numerous open windows in a simple manner that is both easy and fun to work with.
AOL Toolbar for Firefox: The Right Toolbar for the Job? - 1/24/2006 The AOL Toolbar is a handy add-on for Mozilla Firefox that provides quick Web-based access to AOL services and features. Like competing toolbars from Google and MSN, the AOL Toolbar also offers a variety of convenient features for enhancing your Web experience, but the real question is whether the toolbar has enough unique features to distinguish it from its more established counterparts.
McAfee AVERT Stinger: A Lean, Mean Virus-Killing Machine - 1/18/2006 Stinger is a lean, mean, fine-tuned virus-killing machine from one of the most trusted names in system protection. The freeware tool can serve as a valuable supplement to your arsenal of anti-malware protection — provided you understand and accept its limitations.
Steganos Internet Security 2006: Internet Protection from the Security Specialists - 1/5/2006 Along with Norton and McAfee, Steganos offers a viable option for protecting your PC. The company's Internet Security 2006 lacks a few features found in the better known programs, but costs less. If you don't need the readily recognized name, it's well worth the look.
Yahoo! Widget Engine 3.0: A Fun (and Free) Cure for the Desktop Doldrums - 12/21/2005 The Yahoo! Widget Engine enables you to run small programs on your desktop that can be anything from alarm clocks and calculators to stock ticker updates, weather forecasts, and even WiFi signal strength indicators. You can choose from thousands of freely available widgets or even roll your own.
Windows Live OneCare: A Promise of Comprehensive PC Protection from Microsoft - 12/14/2005 Ever feel like you spend all your time protecting and maintaining your PC, rather than using the darn thing? Just released in beta testing, Windows Live OneCare is Microsoft's answer to PC maintenance and the hassle of installing and maintaining system security tools such as antivirus apps, firewalls, and system restore utilities.
EverNote: Capture Every Note and More with Ease - 12/8/2005 EverNote is an ambitious attempt to categorize the uncategorizable. The tool makes it easy to quickly store and later access typed and handwritten memos, images, website excerpts, e-mails, phone messages, document snippets, and much, much more.
