free

Users working with large files need applications to compress them for sending over the Internet. Express Zip Free Mac Compression Software for Mac performs this function well, and also has additional useful features.

Available as freeware, Express Zip Free Mac Compression Software for Mac requires no payments to use. After download and installation, the user must accept a lengthy licensing agreement. After this is completed, the program brings up a window that allows download of additional programs, such as file converters for audio and video. The main application menu has few design features, but is functional. A help option that … Read more

Those who run small or home-based businesses need a method to track their business accounts. Express Accounts Free for Mac performs all expected accounting functions well and is simple enough for average users to operate.

Download and installation of Express Accounts Free for Mac finished quickly. The initial menu is one for additional programs that the user can download for additional functions, such as invoicing and point-of-sale applications. While it is not clear if there is technical support, tutorials are available through a link to the developer's Web site. The main menu is basic, but the major functions are … Read more

Those looking for good musical experiences on their mobile devices have many options. Piano Melody Free performs well, but it is still a poor approximation of an actual piano keyboard.

Installation of Piano Melody Free completed quickly, and the game immediately started with no sign in or input required from the user. There is no main menu and the interface is quite easy to use. A tutorial would have been useful, but the menus can be figured out in a few minutes of trial and error. The main screen is part of a piano keyboard. At the top, users can … Read more

It's extremely reassuring to see that hard drive activity light flashing to the beat of moving data. But suppose you have no activity light? With no LED, how will you know if everything's okay with your PC's HDD? Easy: Try Free HDD LED and see the light. My Portable Software's freeware displays the activity of your system's disk drives, including portable drives, in three places: a flashing system tray icon, a desktop gadget, and even your keyboard's scroll lock LED. It also monitors disk space and can even issue warnings when free space is … Read more

File compression and archiving software remains among the most popular downloads, even though Windows integrates a basic but capable compression utility. Aftermarket archive tools tend to be faster, more powerful, and more capable than the Windows utility, and you've got plenty of them to choose from, too -- many of them freeware. We've tried all the big names, including WinZip, 7-Zip, and WinRAR. One tool we haven't tried before is B1 Free Archiver, and we wish we had. This free file compression and archiving solution has a lot going for it, such as wide compatibility with popular … Read more

Users who enjoy a little celebrity gossip may be interested in an application that draws from several sources. Urban Gossip FREE tries to accomplish this job on a small scale but fails miserably. The app crashes and is full of distracting ads.

Urban Gossip FREE doesn't consume a large amount of memory and it loads pretty quickly. The user interface is pretty rough, though. It is very busy and hard to read on a screen any smaller than a tablet. Not only is it incredibly hard to read but it is littered with invasive advertising, too. A scrolling advertisement … Read more

The newest version of iOS has a built-in text-to-speech function that will mechanically read any words on the page to users with learning or sight impairments. It is easy to turn on and works fairly well for most apps and all Web browsing. For those that have more robust text-to-speech needs or that want to communicate with other people through the text-to-speech function, SpeakText FREE is a potentially useful app.

The app's biggest issue is the poorly executed user interface. Lacking clear menus, busied by excess and animated ads, and not taking advantage of the space available on the … Read more

Designed to convert text to speech in a variety of settings, either in the original language or translated into one of a handful of languages in its libraries, SpeakText for Web FREE could be a very useful app. Because the voice files are downloaded before you start, the process is relatively quick and accurate; but an obtuse design, steep pricing structure, and lack of clear direction make it an app only suited for a small number of users.

The first thing to know about the SpeakText apps is that the core software is designed for three different uses, and this … Read more

At first glance, SpeakText for Office FREE seems like a redundant app. It uses text-to-speech technology to read what is onscreen, either in the original language or translated. Of course, the iPad and iPhone come with text-to- speech software, so what purpose does this app have beyond centralizing it into a single space? For the most part, the text-to-speech functions are efficient, but the restrictions with the free version and high cost of the upgrade lessen this app's usefulness.

The free version of SpeakText for Office has limitations on the number of sentences you can have spoken or translated. … Read more