At first glance, MiTeC InfoBar looks much like a host of other desktop tools. There’s a display of your CPU utilisation here, your free RAM there – not exactly the most interesting or essential of applications.
But wait. There’s much more here than you might think. And on closer exploration, InfoBar just might be one of the most versatile and feature-packed desktop accessories we’ve ever seen.
Troubleshooting, security, performance – there are lots of different reasons why you might want to change your PC’s DNS settings. But Windows doesn’t exactly make this easy. And even when you’ve figured out where you need to be (Network and Sharing Center > click the Internet connection > Properties > TCP/IP > Properties) you’ll still need to look up the address of whatever alternative Domain Name Service you’d prefer to use.
DNS Jumper, though, is a free and portable tool which offers a far simpler solution. The program provides a lengthy list of free DNS options, and all you have to do is choose one and click “Apply DNS”. (Although clicking “Flush DNS” to flush your DNS cache might also help, as it’ll allow the new service will take effect right away.)
Xara have revealed the latest versions of their Designer family, Photo and Graphic Designer MX 8 and Designer Pro X 8. (Which, if the names mean nothing to you, are the packages formerly known as Xara Xtreme and Xara Xtreme Pro.)
As usual with these particular applications, Xara are aiming for maximum versatility. So both programs can handle most photo editing, illustration, basic Flash animation and web graphics tasks, while Xara Designer Pro X 8 can also create complete websites and online presentations and has support for a stack of high-end design features (PANTONE, colour separation, PDF/X, XPS and more).
The past seven days have been as busy as ever in the world of software and if you haven’t been able to keep your finger on the pulse, we have put together this roundup to bring you back up to speed. Windows users looking to bring one of the features of OSX to their PCs will be interested in TweakNow DriveShortcut 1.0.0 which can be used to automatically create desktop shortcuts whenever removable media are inserted. If you’re looking to have a cleanup of your hard drive, the release of GeekUninstaller 1.0.0.2 is very timely, while EASEUS Todo Backup Free 4.5 has been updated with support for Windows 8 if you want to protect your valuable files. In a similar vein is Acronis True Image Home 2012 (Update 2) v15.0.7119 which has been enhanced with a number of tweaks and new features.
One of the major drawbacks of switching to a web-based email provider like Gmail or Yahoo! is that your desktop hasn’t cottoned on to your new way of working. Sure, you can access your email via your web browser, effectively liberating you from a single email program on a single PC, but it seems your desktop hasn’t caught up with progress.
You’ll know what we mean: click an email link on a web page, or attempt to attach a file to an email directly from another program and you’ll either open an unwanted relic from the past like Outlook, or get some error message. Before throwing your PC out of the window, however, discover how a free software program called Affixa can soothe your furrowed brow.
We’re halfway through May, the weather’s starting to get warmer and there is a bunch of deals in the Downloadcrew Software Store if you’re looking to make a saving on your purchases. Starting off this month’s selection of offers is a series of deals on TuneUp Utilities 2012 which includes everything you need to optimize, fix and customize your computer. TuneUp Utilities 2012, complete with a 3-PC, lifetime non-expiring license can be yours for just $18.99, saving you 62%, while anyone who needs more licenses should take a look at TuneUp Utilities Business Edition 2012 [5-PC, lifetime license] which costs just $22.95 – saving of 73%. Looking to secure your PC as well as speed it up? Look no further than the TuneUp Utilities 2012 + AVG Internet Security 2012 bundle which costs just $22.95 (a saving of 80%) and the TuneUp Utilities 2012 + avast! Pro Antivirus 7 bundle which at just $19.95 will save you an impressive 78% off the MSRP.
Tired of the same old Windows wallpaper? You’re not alone, which is why there are a host of tools around which promise they’re the perfect choice to revitalise your desktop. My Daily Wallpaper is the latest: does it have what it takes to stand out from the crowd? We took a look.
Setup was extremely straightforward. The program is a tiny 186KB download, and portable, so there are no installation hassles, no browser toolbars or other unwanted extras. You just unzip the file and go.
Sometimes it is the smallest of things that makes the biggest differences – it can be little touches that matter the most. Users of OSX and many flavors of Linux will be used to the appearance of a desktop icon when an external drive is plugged in or an optical disc is inserted. This little feature may seem minor, but it is also immensely useful. By installing TweakNow DriveShortcut, you can bring the same feature to Windows.
Acronis Inc has released Update 2 for its complete backup tool for Windows PCs, Acronis True Image Home 2012. Initially a drive-imaging tool, True Image has evolved into an all-encompassing backup tool covering files and settings, data synchronisation and online backup in addition to its partition and drive imaging capabilities.
Update 2 introduces several new features, including Scheduler Smart Start and Archives Scanning Management, plus fixes a number of bugs present in earlier builds.
When you’re not around to monitor a PC then it’s often useful to get notifications of its key events. And so you might like to know when a particular program starts or ends, perhaps, or when the system closes down or restarts.
Some applications understand this already. Many backup programs are able to send an email to let you know when a particular job has completed, for instance: very convenient. And Windows Task Scheduler can also send emails for a host of different events. But if that’s not enough then you can always manually extend your system with Blat, a simple command line tool which allows you to send emails as appropriate from your own scripts and batch files.
If, like us, you’ve tried more than your share of image editors, then you’ll know many of them are depressingly similar. Especially when it comes to filters. All too many developers seem to think they can get by with a simple sharpen, blur, emboss and so on, when most users now expect far, far more.
Fortunately there are also plenty of image editors which manage to deliver plenty of filtering power, though – and the Java-based Pixelitor is a particularly interesting example. Its compact size (the entire program is contained within a single 1.04MB JAR file) suggested we shouldn’t expect too much, but the reality proved very different – it’s packed with essential filtering functionality.
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