http://news.softpedia.com Softpedia News - Windows software reviews Softpedia News en-us 2001 - 2009 Softpedia. All rights reserved. Wed, 25 Nov 2009 08:29:20 GMT Wed, 25 Nov 2009 08:29:20 GMT News http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 10 http://www.softpedia.com/base_img/softpedia_logo.gif http://news.softpedia.com/ http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Nero-DiscSpeed-Review-127771.shtml Although discs nowadays are two-a-penny, and wasting one would not generally cause too much trouble, in the case of re-writeable media things change, as you have to know how reliable they are at each use.

Another instrument included in Nero Toolkit is DiscSpeed which is designed for benchmarking the speeds of the optical drives available on your system. The results are presented either as a graph or as test log, both of them offering a comfortable view. DiscSpeed comes with the particular quality of unleashing a set of different tests in a single run.

Among the results the application can return at the end of the tests, you can count on transfer rate, DAE quality, Access/Seek Times, CPU usage, Burst Rate, Spin Up/Down, Load/Eject, data disc creation and image file burning, all having their shortcuts for a nimbler start and each can be executed individually.

Just like in the previous version of the application, main window allows easy navigation to the most important testing areas, such standard tests (benchmarking), disc creation, disc quality, or disc damage scan.

Nero DiscSpeed pulls out all the stops to provide accurate and complete details about your optical drive and the disc inserted. Almost regardless of the test made, the application offers real-time graphical representation of test progress, ... (read more)]]> Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:41:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Nero-DiscSpeed-Review-127771.shtml Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Nero-DiscSpeed-Review-127771.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Ilascu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/DriveSpeed-BurnRights-ControlCenter-Review-127465.shtml Nero DriveSpeed 4.4.12.0

Sometimes, the noise produced by the optical drive when reading a disc can reach pretty disturbing levels. What very few users don't know is that all those decibels spawning from disc reading process can be toned down with the use of DriveSpeed application in Nero's toolkit. Nero DriveSpeed's purpose is to give you the possibility to control the read speed of your optical drive and, by reducing the tempo, avoid reading errors.

Taking charge of the read rate of the optical drive comes in very handy when playing games that require the title disc to be inserted, as you can increase the speed and forefend fragmented play that contributes to poor gaming experience.

Between you and taking charge of the read speed of the optical drive, there is a very easy to manage interface with a comprehensive layout of options. It permits choosing the device the settings are applied for, in case more than one is available. Worth mentioning is that Nero DriveSpeed acts in the same manner as Nero InfoTool when smart drives are inserted, as it will not make the difference between the real optical drives and the virtual ones.

The options present in the application let you select between two read rates, one for fast access and the other for a slower processing of the disc, offering a ... (read more)]]> Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:21:02 GMT Softpedia News - Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/DriveSpeed-BurnRights-ControlCenter-Review-127465.shtml Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/DriveSpeed-BurnRights-ControlCenter-Review-127465.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Ilascu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/PhotoJoy-Review-127048.shtml The desktop is one of the most important parts of your operating system. It works like a bridge between all your applications, files and folders and serves as a support for your shortcuts or other widgets. A handy feature is the fact that you can customize it according to your needs. You can change the background picture, screensaver, theme, add widgets and other tools to ease your work.

PhotoJoy is the application that can do all of the aforementioned operations and even more. It can drive away the monotony from your desktop and bring a touch of novelty. You'd be amazed of what this tool can do with your desktop.

The interface is simple and intuitive without fancy options that could mislead you from your main goal: to customize and beautify your desktop. PhotoJoy comes as freeware, another reason to give it some attention. The only thing that can be annoying is the additional shortcut it creates on your desktop, which leads to one of the developer's websites.

PhotoJoy will surprise you with its simplicity and ease of use. The upper part of the main window features the four major tabs that you will be dealing with: Collages, PhotoToys, Screensavers and Photo Library. Apart from these, only a few clicks keep you away from the full desktop customization it offers.

The Collages tab is the first you will encounter when ... (read more)]]> Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:31:02 GMT Softpedia News - Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/PhotoJoy-Review-127048.shtml Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/PhotoJoy-Review-127048.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Cosmin Anton) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Nero-InfoTool-Review-127040.shtml Nero InfoTool is another instrument in Nero 9 Reloaded toolbox. It is tailored to offer the user the most important information on installed drives, inserted discs or detailed data on drive properties (buffer size, firmware, serial number, production date or DVD region code). Moreover, the application extends its talents to briefing the user on hardware configuration and burning software currently ready on the system.

If you are familiar with this instrument in the new Nero suite, you'll notice that very little has changed in terms of looks. Leaving some design brush up aside, all the components of the last version are the same.

Just like in the previous edition of the application, a total of eight tabs are ready to offer you relevant information about the burning software, system configuration, drive and disc properties. There is also the HD readiness area, which gives you a heads up about the system's capabilities to render high definition videos.

Before accessing all the data, a brief assessing session needs to take place. The duration of the scan depends on the type of disc inserted in the optical unit and its quality. In some cases, when smart USBs are detected, Nero InfoTool will try to test the speeds of the virtual optical unit, which may come as a downfall as it should skip that test. However, you can manually by... (read more)]]> Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:11:02 GMT Softpedia News - Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Nero-InfoTool-Review-127040.shtml Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Nero-InfoTool-Review-127040.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Ilascu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Nero-RescueAgent-Review-126886.shtml In case of accidental deletion, there are sufficient choices on the market that can give you a hand with recovering data. The rule of thumb is to refrain from storing any sort of data on the partition you are going to recover files from. If you manage to do this, there is even free software that can be used for the job. Piriform's Recuva is an excellent choice for this type of job.

However, in case of corrupted data on media discs or even hard disks, the range of possibilities to pull you out of the jam are quite limited. The latest Nero suite, just like the previous version, comes with Rescue Agent application, specially designed for this sort of trouble. It has been developed to recover data from scratched discs or files that cannot be read correctly due to storage media's ageing.

But RescueAgent is also useful for recovering deleted information off storage devices such as memory sticks, or hard disks. The rule of thumb expressed at the beginning of the article is essential for getting back the lost files.

Compared to the last edition, Nero RescueAgent's looks have undergone some changes, although the same ease of use and wizard-like interface have been preserved. The latest release features two types of scan, fast and deep, the former for FAT formatted storage devices, the latter for NTFS.

From the drop-d... (read more)]]> Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:41:03 GMT Softpedia News - Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Nero-RescueAgent-Review-126886.shtml Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Nero-RescueAgent-Review-126886.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Ilascu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/PIXresizer-Review-126895.shtml Sharing images over the Internet via e-mail services and keeping them in online photo albums often requires that your pictures come in a smaller size. This can be a requirement for previewing purposes, in the case of catalogs, or a condition imposed by the current limit of mail attachments. Usually, these occurrences are best translated by ''less is more'' and the saying is true because the more reduced the photo dimensions are the more their number can increase. So, if you want to display, let's say, all the pictures you took during family vacations, you'd better find a way to decrease their size in order to share them with efficiency.

This task can be easily accomplished by anyone thanks to the multitude of tools out there that are specially designed for this specific purpose. It's more a matter of personal choice to opt for one piece of software or another, as the differences among these utilities tend to become smoothed out. For the ease of use, solid pack of features and great overall value, you can try PIXresizer, a freeware that will surely fit your bill.

With an uncomplicated interface that was created to accommodate even the less experienced users, this application is easy to set up and operate, so you can do the transformations fast and with quality results. The focus is mainly set on functionality, therefore you shouldn'... (read more)]]> Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:51:02 GMT Softpedia News - Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/PIXresizer-Review-126895.shtml Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/PIXresizer-Review-126895.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Olivian Puha) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Able-Launch-Bar-Review-125288.shtml The daily use of applications are limited to just a few programs, such as web browsers, audio/video players, email clients or games, though the number of programs installed on the system is much bigger. A defrag tool, registry cleaner or hard disk clutter cleaner are instruments you run every once in a while. Programs with a bigger usage rate can be accessed simply by creating a desktop shortcut. However, plenty of us use the desktop to save temporary data or even longer lasting documents. In time, this space can shrink to the point that some items need to be cleared. And a cluttered desktop is not at all convenient to work with.

That is why a launcher is very useful. The basic idea is to add as many shortcuts as possible and organize them in different categories, in order to access your files with greater ease. The item sorting system is different from one application launcher to another. Some programs offer launch options using hotkeys, other using launch bars or floating menus. Able Launch Bar was designed to be a small tool that provides a launch bar for users to organize their files and thus access them in a more convenient manner.

It is an application really simple to use and configure that comes at the price of 9.95$. The only limitation is that the “Always On Top” feature is available for registered users (I th... (read more)]]> Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:11:01 GMT Softpedia News - Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Able-Launch-Bar-Review-125288.shtml Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Able-Launch-Bar-Review-125288.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Radu Bogdan) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Ginipic-Review-123968.shtml Images are a very important part of our life, whether we are talking about the photo of a cute actor that we want to use as a wallpaper or the image of a rose to employ as a postcard, the Internet is an enormous source of all sorts of pictures. But it’s quite difficult to locate the image that you want just by using an ordinary search engine, you would want something that would search through many image sources and you would want it done fast.

That’s where Ginipic comes to save the day. It’s a very easy-to-use application that will assist you in your quest for images over the Internet. The program is free, so you can use it for as long as you like and the only requirement is that you have .NET Framework 3.5 installed on your computer. We tested the application on Windows 7 and it proved itself to be compatible with this new operating system. Ginipic has as default sources Flickr, Google, Picasa, Yahoo!, Photobucket, DeviantART, and many other.

The interface of this software is very well done, colorful and a delight for the eye. It comes to appeal even to the picky users by its looks and, also, usability, by being very easy to employ: you just type the phrase that you are looking for and press Enter. You will receive in no time a list of all the images that have matched your search in thumbnail size and you can easily... (read more)]]> Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:51:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Ginipic-Review-123968.shtml Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Ginipic-Review-123968.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Raluca Burlacu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Kiran-039-s-Typing-Tutor-Review-126896.shtml Working with computers is a complex labor that requires acquiring and perfecting many skills for one to become truly efficient and proficient. Besides the basic knowledge needed for operating software programs, the skillful use of other resources is a must, especially if one needs to employ the PC as their main ''working tool.'' Such an ability is the fast and accurate typing that helps the one who masters it evolve in many directions. They will become more efficacious at their job because, if writing and correcting texts will take less time, one can attend to other aspects of their occupation that certainly need their attention.

Just like in the case of any other perfectible ability, for typewriting, practice makes perfect. It may seem tedious and stressing at first, particularly if you start from scratch, but, in the long run, you have only to gain by developing it and, once you'll reach a decent level, things will start looking brighter. Progress is usually attained at a fast pace, especially if you have the right ''coach.'' Finding the perfect partner is not an easy thing to do, but, if you search enough, you're bound to come across it. First of all, you need to know exactly what you're after and, once you establish that, you'll discover that there are quite a few options to go for.

A free tool, with a very solid ... (read more)]]> Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:01:01 GMT Softpedia News - Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Kiran-039-s-Typing-Tutor-Review-126896.shtml Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Kiran-039-s-Typing-Tutor-Review-126896.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Olivian Puha) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/TheSearchMan-Review-123967.shtml Long gone are the days when 10GB of hard disk were more than plenty for any average user. Today’s computer user can’t get enough even with 500GB of hard disk storage, given all the free information and documentation one can find on the Internet. And if you add some more to the mix of data, one thing is for sure: you can never have a large enough hard disk.

One downside to large storage devices filled with information is that finding what you need may become a much more time consuming task than you anticipated. This is one situation when TheSearchMan may come in handy. It is a small-weight software (only 35 kb in size) designed to help you find the data you need in no time.

Moreover, the application is free to use, which is really a big plus, and doesn't need any fancy installation. You just unzip the program in a specific location and it's good to go. But this does not mean that it is portable and you can carry it on a portable device to use on just any computer.

TheSearchMan comes with a single requirement and that refers to the fact that you must have the .NET Framework 3.5 installed on your system. We’ve tested it on Windows 7 and it works very well thus proving itself Win 7 compatible.

The first thing that you will most probably observe when opening TheSearchMan is that its interface is ver... (read more)]]> Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:01:01 GMT Softpedia News - Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/TheSearchMan-Review-123967.shtml Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/TheSearchMan-Review-123967.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Raluca Burlacu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Panda-Cloud-Antivirus-Review-126499.shtml Panda Cloud Antivirus was released as a public beta in April 2009. Almost seven months later, boasting millions of downloads and with the developer taking advantage of thousands of lines of user feedback, the application has reached its first final stage and is now released to home users. The reason behind all the user interest is that Panda Security broke the traditional antivirus pattern in terms of looks, form of protection (cloud-based scans) as well as costs to the user (it is free of charge for home users).

Among the fixes that have been operated in the latest edition of Panda Cloud Antivirus, we note repairs to scan process, Internet connectivity problem messages, no slowdown of the PC after installing the product, background scan has been improved, as well as management of quarantine and restoration of disinfected files.

The minimalist interface the developer started off with is maintained and, from this point of view alone, compared to the Beta 3 looks, there is absolutely no change. Settings, Scan, Reports and Status tabs are in the same place as always and their functions have not changed one bit.

Unlike other antivirus programs that feature a plethora of settings with terminology you have to look up in the dictionary, Panda Cloud Antivirus keeps all the configuration to enabling the automatic... (read more)]]> Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:05:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Panda-Cloud-Antivirus-Review-126499.shtml Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Panda-Cloud-Antivirus-Review-126499.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Ilascu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Wondershare-PDF-Converter-Review-126125.shtml Converting PDF to plain text is nothing out of the ordinary. You just select the paragraph, right-click it, choose “copy” function and then paste everything in the clipboard in a Notepad document. It is just a matter of copy-paste basic in all operating systems.

The only problem is the formatting of the text, which is no longer preserved, and the aligning of the paragraphs can also be an issue. Fortunately, the amount of utilities on the market ready to assist you in this endeavor is huge. The downside is that they do not come free.

Wondershare PDF Converter comes for the huge sum of $49.95 and the evaluation version restricts your conversion to only the first three pages of the document. It can transform the PDF file to Microsoft Word format, Microsoft PowerPoint, HTM or plain text with no hesitation at all.

$49.95 sure is a lot, for any sort of user, considering there are online services that do this for free. However, the developer released the software with a promotion that halves the price. So you'll be able to get it 50% off, for $24.95, a more decent figure.

The interface is as simple as can be, featuring nothing else but the conversion formats supported by the application. One thing you have to keep in mind, though: you can't convert to Word format if the application is not prese... (read more)]]> Thu, 5 Nov 2009 12:10:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Wondershare-PDF-Converter-Review-126125.shtml Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Wondershare-PDF-Converter-Review-126125.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Ilascu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Ad-Aware-Game-Edition-Review-125890.shtml Gaming experience has for too long a time been corrupted by the various security solutions installed on your computer that in some cases totally disregarded your need for a change. In the last couple of years security product developers understood the urge of the user to keep the system protected even during gameplay and appended a new section to their applications, specially designed for gamers. In some cases real-time protection would be suspended along with all scheduled tasks that may affect your game experience, and alert messages suppressed.

Less than a month since the release of the latest Ad-Aware, Lavasoft prepares the launch of a game edition of their flagship software, designed to keep malware out of the system even while playing your favorite games. Ad-Aware Game Edition is not a new product to its core as it relies on the same protection features available in Ad-Aware product family, but it has been fancied up with themed interface and adjusted in terms of options and default settings.

The set of features Game Edition sports are closer to those in Ad-Aware Pro rather than the Plus version, as you'll benefit from both antivirus and anti-spyware protection, as well as real-time security (the full power of Ad-Watch Live! is available), behavior-based heuristics detection, rootkit ... (read more)]]> Tue, 3 Nov 2009 13:34:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Ad-Aware-Game-Edition-Review-125890.shtml Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Ad-Aware-Game-Edition-Review-125890.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Ilascu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/sFont-Review-125051.shtml Finding the best things to integrate into a personal or business-related project is what most of us look for and, if text is involved, then choosing the most appropriate fonts is a must. This task, however, can prove daunting if your library contains hundreds of typefaces. To meet the challenge, you will have to enroll the service of a dedicated viewer that can help you pick out the fonts you consider befitting for the job. Sure enough, the application you're after has to work fast and efficiently, while allowing you an effortless operation. As there are enough such tools for you to select from, it's mainly a matter of personal taste in deciding for a piece of software or another.

An interesting and very likely candidate that meets all the requirements for this kind of utility is sFont, a freeware app designed exactly for this purpose: that of assisting you in making the right choice with no fuss and with a little bit of style. The package is lightweight, under 1 MB, and the installation smooth, just like the interface you'll be meeting. The looks score the first points and the works will reveal more benefits for you, all of them preserving the simplicity without cutting out the quality.

The main window is divided into two areas, one for the list of typefaces and the other dedicated to the preview. There are also several modules in bot... (read more)]]> Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:01:02 GMT Softpedia News - Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/sFont-Review-125051.shtml Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/sFont-Review-125051.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Olivian Puha) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Moo0-ImageTypeConverter-Review-124931.shtml Digital images are now part of all our lives and we encounter them almost everywhere. Today, we have right at our fingertips both the technology and the ability to produce and edit pictures with insignificant effort. There are hundreds of applications that can help you change anything about a graphic file and all you need to do is reach out and pick the right one for you. Many utilities try to do it all and offer you an exhaustive tool for all purposes but often fail because of lack of attention insofar as details are concerned. Then again, once in a while, you come across a piece of software focused on one task but so good at it that you'll keep and use it for a long time.

When it comes to converting images, the range of available apps is nearly limitless even though the possible uses and facilities they can supply are roughly the same. The difference is made by the price you have to pay for such a piece of software, by the complexity of features and quality it provides. If you're on the lookout for a utility that can work with several picture files and formats at once with high processing speed and great looking output, you may want to take a closer look at Moo0 ImageTypeConverter. It offers you, in a small package, all the capabilities of a much larger and complex application with the great advantage of being free of cost.
read more)]]> Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:01:03 GMT Softpedia News - Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Moo0-ImageTypeConverter-Review-124931.shtml Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Moo0-ImageTypeConverter-Review-124931.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Olivian Puha) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Panda-Cloud-Antivirus-Review-125419.shtml After a period of hard work from both hardcore beta-testers and the Panda Security division shaping out the new generation of antivirus of the company, the third beta of Panda Cloud Antivirus is out and ready to protect your system. The application targets home users and strives to offer the best protection with a minimum effort from the user and little impact on system resources.

The main feature of this intermediary build is that it integrates perfectly in Windows 7 (both 32-bit and 64-bit), but it also brings a new set of fixes and improvements. Performance-wise, the antivirus no longer pops the Internet connectivity message and reduced system resource usage during scans.

The interface has not been left untouched and now you have different scan types available (full scan, which used to get stuck at a certain percentage, has been replaced by a quick scan, which checks the malware-magnet areas of the system). The functionality has been improved a lot, although the main lines have been preserved.

However, despite all the improvements and fixes applied, there are still some problems. During our testing we noticed that a very small amount of the detected and neutralized items were displayed in the Recycle Bin. If you want to view the full list of malware discovered by Panda Cloud Antivirus, it can be found in ... (read more)]]> Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:07:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Panda-Cloud-Antivirus-Review-125419.shtml Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Panda-Cloud-Antivirus-Review-125419.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Ilascu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/LockFiler-Review-124926.shtml The methods for keeping your data safe from prying eyes vary from user to user. Some prefer simply hiding the files from everyone else (if they don't know where it is, they can't peek in), but accidental finding has been known to happen, especially if the perpetrator knows how to make hidden data visible (and this is not quite rocket science), so this is not foolproof.

Encryption, on the other hand, may be a more suitable choice for some of you, because it ciphers up the data in a proprietary container, making the effort of de-scrambling the information too much, even for the most patient wrong-doer. Even if encrypting sensitive files’ weakest spot is that they can be deleted, moved or copied, this method stands among the most efficient ways to secure data.

LockFiler is a data-encryption tool designed to protect your files using the Dynamic Linkage Data Encryption System, which specifies a one-way symmetrical encryption algorithm. To put it in short, the D.L.D.E.S. concept actually applies the encryption key to create the encryption process itself rather than apply the key to encrypt data.

This may be one of the reasons the application does not come cheap. The current price is of €29, quite an amount if you think that there are free solutions on the market possessing file-encryption capabilities, as wel... (read more)]]> Sat, 24 Oct 2009 11:01:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/LockFiler-Review-124926.shtml Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/LockFiler-Review-124926.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Ilascu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Gios-PDF-Splitter-And-Merger-Review-123555.shtml PDF files… can't live with them, can't live without them. The PDF file format is, in my opinion, one of the best there are on the market. You can scan books or other materials and save them as PDF, it allows you to insert pictures, drawings, etc. and can also contain customized display settings, including page display layout and zoom level.

However, all these features have a price and that is the size of the output file and the loading time. But we already know that quality does not come for free, and for those who want to split very large PDF files in individual pages or merge them into a bigger file, there is a simple solution designed to do just that.

Gios PDF Splitter And Merger is a small application that allows you to split your PDF files into single page ones or merge multiple PDF files. The software is released under the LGPL license, which means you can use it for free for as long as you want, without any limitations, and it is also portable, meaning you don't have to install it and you can take it wherever you go on a flash drive.

The graphical user interface of the app is as simple as it gets, though it looks a little oldish, but we have to focus on the functionality of the application and not on its looks, since here you can find all the options and features without surfing through bulky ... (read more)]]> Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:49:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Gios-PDF-Splitter-And-Merger-Review-123555.shtml Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Gios-PDF-Splitter-And-Merger-Review-123555.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Cosmin Anton) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Registry-Booster-2010-Review-124713.shtml It is a well-known fact (or at least it should be) that Windows Registry is the core area of any Windows operating system. It's the place where system and installed application settings are saved as well as information and hardware settings. To make a long story short, mess the registry up and you can start preparing a Windows disc for a fresh installation.

Working with plenty of software frequently (install/uninstall operations) will also lead to this effect, if you don't weed out unnecessary data stored in the registry. But at least you will have a good indicator that this area needs to lose clutter, and that is system performance. The moment it starts going downhill, the most probable cause is an overcrowded with invalid entries, fragmented registry.

The Internet provides both free and paid products cut off for improving registry health on your system. But, we have to admit that, with a few exceptions, freebies do not rise to the standards of the paid programs. RegistryBooster from Uniblue has recently moved on to a new version, ready to resolve registry issues that may occur while working with your computer. It comes packed with registry cleaning options and a registry defragmenter, two tools that are rarely encountered in a single application.

Compared to the 2009 version the improved issue of the appli... (read more)]]> Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:01:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Registry-Booster-2010-Review-124713.shtml Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Registry-Booster-2010-Review-124713.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Ilascu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Portable-HotKeyz-Review-120450.shtml On a daily basis, we use a third or less of all the applications installed on the system, but the situation changes when it comes to particular work. For example, how often do you use a system cleaner, or defragmenter? Such applications are obviously a must on your computer, but they are not for daily use, unless you frequently install/uninstall programs or spend a lot of time copying or moving data around. The list of the most used programs contains shortcuts that can very well fit in the quick launch area (near the Start button), but to have complete control and gain time when accessing programs I would recommend a program launcher. Why? Because every launcher allows you to access not only programs, but also files, folders, or, even better, system control shortcuts.

Hotkeyz was designed to provide such services. It comes with a bundle of predefined shortcuts to choose from, and not only will it allow you to access your files, folders or applications in an easier manner, but it will also help you sort your shortcuts in categories for a better and clearer management. The basic idea that stands behind this tool is hotkey management. Although it does not sound like it, every power user knows that the keyboard is faster than the mouse.

There is also a portable version of the software, which can be downloaded from here. The application is free and has no restrict... (read more)]]> Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:11:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Portable-HotKeyz-Review-120450.shtml Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Portable-HotKeyz-Review-120450.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Radu Bogdan) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/WinRefine-Review-124457.shtml Microsoft has made huge progress with the post-XP operating systems in terms of stability, performance, ease of use and usability. Well, maybe the initial Vista is not quite the best example to support this statement, but after being patched for the second time it came really close to what it should have been at the beginning.

Nonetheless, one option available in both Vista and Windows 7 is the preview pane for taking a peek at different files, be they plain text, images or audio data. All there is to it is enabling the preview pane from the Organize drop-down menu in a Windows Explorer window and the “Preview Pane” in the Layout menu. After that you should be good to go.

As insignificant as this feature may be to most of you, one developer has created an alternative that does not require selecting the file you want to preview. With WinRefine previewing files is simply done by hovering your mouse over the item (images, video and audio data only) and a separate window shows you the contents or, in the case of audio files, the music will start playing.

The freebie has no interface, save for the configuration panel, which is built in a manner that should not pose problems to any user. None of the settings available needs an explanation as their name is self-explanatory. It does not provide an extensive amount o... (read more)]]> Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:03:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/WinRefine-Review-124457.shtml Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/WinRefine-Review-124457.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Ilascu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Ad-Aware-Pro-Internet-Security-Review-124190.shtml The Extras menu in Ad-Aware contains a set of instruments meant to brush off your web surfing tracks as well as tools such as a process manager, hosts file editor or startup manager. It is compact and split into two tabs: TrackSweep and Toolbox. The former deals with traces left behind as a result of your web browsing applications, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Opera. The odd thing is that Google Chrome, which is offered to be installed with Ad-Aware and which continues to gain market share and popularity, is not present in the list.

Eliminating your web browsing footsteps is no more complicated than it used to be in the previous version of the security suite. Ad-Aware automatically detects the web browsers installed on the system (except for Opera, for which it appears that support has not yet been implemented, so the list is basically cut down to the major competitors) and allows you to choose what you want to be erased. There are no fancy options to deal with and sweeping is enabled by ticking the desired boxes for the desired browser: cache, cookies, history, last typed URL and tabs.

However, all things worked great with Internet Explorer, but in the case of Mozilla Firefox no change was recorded. To make it clearer, after sweeping all tracks in Firefox, Ad-Aware left History intact, allowing me to view... (read more)]]> Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:03:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Ad-Aware-Pro-Internet-Security-Review-124190.shtml Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Ad-Aware-Pro-Internet-Security-Review-124190.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Ilascu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Ad-Aware-Pro-Internet-Security-Scan-and-Remove-Review-124195.shtml Just as Lavasoft has already accustomed its users by taking eight months to bake a new version of its flagship product, Ad-Aware, it could not disappoint this year either, especially with the fierce competition and every security product struggling to adapt to the new trend in malware attacks. In the past years viruses have lost their touch and spyware and spam took the number one spot as the most vicious cyber disease. So this should be Ad-Aware’s lucky ticket as spyware is its specialty and this is the fight it has prepared all this time for.

Regarding the editions up for grabs, nothing has changed. You will benefit from the same three versions, two paid products (Plus and Pro) with features to match their price and a free one, designed for every user out there. For the paid editions prices are $26.95 and $39.95, respectively, the differences between them consisting in the amount of features available. The Pro version is, of course, the full-fledged Ad-Aware that comes with the complete rack of options.

The amount of new features added to this new iteration of the award-winning Ad-Aware is quite impressive, as they have been thought to improve comfort as well as detection and removal of malware. The Neutralizer for instance is an advanced removal tool cut off to combat malicious code that att... (read more)]]> Wed, 14 Oct 2009 07:05:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Ad-Aware-Pro-Internet-Security-Scan-and-Remove-Review-124195.shtml Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Ad-Aware-Pro-Internet-Security-Scan-and-Remove-Review-124195.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Ilascu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Peacock-Color-Picker-Review-124074.shtml Even if their importance is undeniable for a web designer or developer, color pickers are not given the proper attention. Part of this is because this type of software targets only a specific niche of users who don't need to invent colors but rather to “pluck” them out of an image for use in their own project.

Despite the use for only a small category, color pickers are quite a presence on the web. And the best part is that most of them are absolutely free. As for their handiness, this is another issue. Most users will settle for a simple action of picking the color on the screen by means of a special cursor and a magnifying glass. But for a professional the possibilities need to be far more extensive.

Enter Peacock Color Picker, an instrument designed by Reohix and whose functionality does not resume to only letting you get the desired color off a screen and provide its code in Delphi or HTML. The application is free of charge, and, most important, can be used for both personal and commercial purposes.

The looks of the app are a bit different from what you've seen in a color picker, in that the color picking area is available in the interface. You have the possibility to import an image stored on your computer (BMP, JPG, or GIF) and get colors from there, or you can select directly from the windo... (read more)]]> Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:29:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Peacock-Color-Picker-Review-124074.shtml Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Peacock-Color-Picker-Review-124074.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Ilascu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Batch-Picture-Resizer-Review-123079.shtml Working with pictures is something most of us do on a regular basis, especially if a digital camera and a vacation are involved. Sharing the images with family and friends is nowadays a common practice that requires a bit of work for making them fit an e-mail attachment or comply with a website's hosting requirements. To do this, one must have the appropriate tools that operate fast and provide a good quality at the lowest price possible.

Such a piece of software is the Batch Picture Resizer, a small tool with a great potential. The developer offers you a 30-day trial to familiarize with it and test its full potential, whereas, after that, you need to buy it for 29.95$.

With Batch Picture Resizer, you can easily convert your pictures into more popular known formats, including: JPG, GIF, BMP, PNG, PCX, TIFF and TGA. The interface is very intuitive, with no tricky buttons or menus that can slow you down from your work.

The upper part of the main window allows you to find and insert the source files or folders through the use of the Add File(s) and Add Folder buttons. Also, it can display the selected pictures in various ways: thumbnail, large icons, list and details for a better management and ease of use. If you want to remove one, a group or the entire photos from the batch, you can do that with the help of... (read more)]]> Sat, 10 Oct 2009 16:51:02 GMT Softpedia News - Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Batch-Picture-Resizer-Review-123079.shtml Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Batch-Picture-Resizer-Review-123079.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Cosmin Anton) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/M-File-Anti-Copy-Review-123932.shtml What do you do in order to restrict actions such as file copying/moving or even launching programs on your system? There are workarounds in Windows that can help you with setting restrictions like these, but it is not a feasible solution when you need to impose the limitations quickly and without too much hassle. Plus you'd have to really know your way around Windows in order not to fumble, or worse, mess up user/group permission settings.

Luckily there are alternatives to the matter from third-party developers. M File Anti-Copy brings a rather elegant solution to the problem at hand by letting you easily restrict file copying and even application launching. It has already been reviewed here, at Softpedia, and raked unfortunate scores due to some bugs that either prevented the app from applying the file-copying restriction or because some options did not stick after enabling them.

The current version is 4.3 and comes for a $14.75 price. The trial covers only 15 runs, so wasting them is not an option and you should make the most of them in order to decide on the capabilities and flaws of the program.

This edition sports a redesigned interface and an enriched set of options. Among the new features we count the possibility to restrict files from running, USB Anti-Copy and restricting folders from being copied or mov... (read more)]]> Sat, 10 Oct 2009 11:07:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/M-File-Anti-Copy-Review-123932.shtml Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/M-File-Anti-Copy-Review-123932.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Ilascu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Portable-tinySpell-Review-121637.shtml Communication does not imply too much care or effort for the average user (especially if one is chatting with their pals). Misspelling words in an email or an IM window to one's buds can sometimes turn into something hilarious, but it will not have an impact on them as a person.

However, it so happens sometimes that you have to write to someone you'll make a first impression to. In this case, the utmost care has to be taken, because you wouldn't want the person reading your text to think of you as sloppy (you know what they say, "You only make a first impression once").

Some users are careful as to their writing, even on forum pages or any other sorts of post possibilities the Internet can provide them with. If one wants to be professional and not look like an amateur, then every post, email or reply should first be checked for spelling errors and grammar.

There are plenty of tools bundled in text processors that offer spell-checking, but you will have to open up the app that has these capabilities and then paste the corrected version wherever you want. This comes as a drawback for short texts because it is so much easier to type directly into the web-page fields. And, yet, there is a tool that will monitor your writing in every window you choose.

tinySpell offers such services. This little tool re... (read more)]]> Fri, 9 Oct 2009 17:41:02 GMT Softpedia News - Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Portable-tinySpell-Review-121637.shtml Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Portable-tinySpell-Review-121637.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Radu Bogdan) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Returnil-Virtual-System-2010-Home-Lux-Review-123679.shtml New comparative tests for different antivirus solutions have been released on the Internet, and judging from the results, we should benefit from tight security against malware. The current solutions will not create an impenetrable shield around the system, making it invulnerable to any sort of attack, but at least it is prepared to deflect a high amount of malicious code.

Yet, besides the traditional solutions available for the traditional user, there are some unconventional methods to keep your system out of harm's way. Virtualization has gained more and more turf when it comes to protecting the computer from any unwanted changes. From dedicated software capable of carrying an entire virtual system to various apps that integrate it to allow program testing and reverting to the initial state of the host, virtualization has been adopted in order to ease users' work with no impact at all on the primary system.

Returnil Virtual System is designed to offer maximum flexibility when deciding to test try something without spending too much time getting rid of all the modifications. What it does is completely virtualize the entire system drive and allow you to make any modification you want, with the possibility to return to an un-touched host system by simply restarting the machine.

The developer makes av... (read more)]]> Thu, 8 Oct 2009 13:11:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Returnil-Virtual-System-2010-Home-Lux-Review-123679.shtml Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Returnil-Virtual-System-2010-Home-Lux-Review-123679.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Ilascu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Emicsoft-DVD-Ripper-Review-121875.shtml In the last few years, storage media has continuously diversified. From the old floppy disks to CDs, memory sticks, DVDs and Blu-ray disks with a rapid growth in capacity and quality. But even these products of modern technology can't get away from the clutches of time, they deteriorate and lose their properties even when properly stored.

Fortunately, there are many software products that can help save your data for later use with little effort. One of these applications is Emicsoft DVD Ripper, a simple tool that will help you backup your DVDs and even add various effects and adjustments for a better result. It is provided as a demo with 5-minute conversion of a more than 5-minute file and half of the files below 5 minutes, but you can unlock its true potential for 35$.

With Emicsoft DVD Ripper, you can easily rip your DVDs into popular video formats including: MP4, MOV, AVI, DivX, XviD, WMV, VOB, FLV, SWF, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, 3GP, 3G2, MP3, WMA for your iPod, iTouch, iPhone, Apple TV, PSP, PS3, Zune, Xbox, Wii, CreativeZen, Walkman, Archos, Gphone, PDA, Palm, Blackberry, MP3 player and more.

The first thing you notice when you open Emicsoft DVD Ripper is the four easy steps you need to follow in order to rip your DVDs. Load your DVD Disc, add effects, trim and crop your video files, select the type of format you want f... (read more)]]> Tue, 6 Oct 2009 16:41:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Emicsoft-DVD-Ripper-Review-121875.shtml Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Emicsoft-DVD-Ripper-Review-121875.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Cosmin Anton) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Easy-TV-Radio-Review-121519.shtml Given the fact that Internet has increased its role in our lives, some of us have decided to replace some of our home electronics like TV or radio with a computer, either because we need the space or maybe just because we spend more time in front of the computer, so it's easier this way.

If you want to replace your TV or radio, there are numerous applications ready to assist you, such as Easy TV Radio, which can be downloaded and used on a 15-day trial base after which you will be asked to purchase the software as a one-off payment of $25.00. The program comes with the following recommended requirements: 400MHz or higher CPU, 256 MB or more RAM, 45 MB disk space, Windows Media Player 11, .Net Framework 3.5, Real Player 11 (Optional), Flash Player 10 (Optional) and a 512 Kbps Internet connection.

Easy TV Radio is an easy to use piece of software that offers you more than 1,500 free TV channels and over 2,000 free Radio channels according to the developer. The interface is simple and easy to access, thus handy for the less advanced users as well. The program comes with a built-in database to give you a start but you also have the possibility to add new channels that you want to watch. This feature makes it possible for you to have virtually a no-limit channel database.

Easy TV Radio is more than just an Internet strea... (read more)]]> Tue, 6 Oct 2009 15:51:01 GMT Softpedia News - Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Easy-TV-Radio-Review-121519.shtml Windows software reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Easy-TV-Radio-Review-121519.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Raluca Burlacu)