Software

WriteMonkey is one of our favorite writing tools. For starters, it's portable freeware. Free is good, and portability adds flexibility: You can take WriteMonkey along with you on a USB drive and run it on any handy Windows machine. Zenware notes that WriteMonkey has "an extremely stripped-down user interface," but that's what sets it apart from other word processors and notekeepers. That "stripped-down," full-screen interface replicates the inspirational purity of a blank piece of paper. But WriteMonkey is also a full-featured writing tool that doesn't cut corners and even packs lots of cool … Read more

WinPDFEditor is shareware that stands above the masses of freeware and just beneath the do-it-all, big-box (and big-bucks) "solutions" for editing and converting PDFs. Since software costing three bills is no "solution" for most users' needs, WinPDFEditor's far more modest price makes it a serious alternative for home users, small businesses, and others who need something they can't find in freeware. WinPDFEditor Version 2 works in Windows versions 2000 to 8. WinPDFEditor is free to try, though the trial version places a watermark on output files, and file conversions are limited.

WinPDFEditor started with … Read more

You've got a scanner, but to scan images into your PC, you need software like VueScan from Hamrick Software. VueScan is compatible with most flatbed and film scanners, and their software, which means you can use it without making any changes to your PC or existing scanner software. VueScan's processing features can restore faded colors and perform other professional-type adjustments, but it's also easy to use. VueScan is free to try, though the trial version places a watermark on saved images. The free trial might also support fewer devices, though the list of supported devices is so … Read more

Recently I splurged on a Samsung Series 9 Ultrabook, which I absolutely love. It's a svelte, speedy marvel of modern computing, and almost certainly my favorite laptop of all time.

Which is why I'm especially fearful of losing it. Laptop thieves are everywhere. If they're not breaking into your car or home, they're snatching and grabbing from offices, coffee shops, airport security lines, and so on.

Arguably the only thing worse than your laptop getting stolen is knowing there's no way to get it back. After all, it's not like it can "phone … Read more

URLNotifier is a different sort of search tool, but one with lots of potential uses. It searches Web sites en masse for words, phrases, links, and code excerpts--just about anything you can specify--and logs the results in an easy-to-use interface. It can match text, regular expressions, or whole sentences and check sites individually or in batches using site-by-site or global search terms and criteria. Andrey Shchukin's URLNotifier is portable freeware.

URLNotifier's user interface opened with a new Project ready for us to add URLs using a pop-up wizard. We could add as many URLs as we needed and … Read more

Softland's Tiny Burner not only burns CD and DVD optical discs but also Blu-ray discs: both single- and double-layer media. It's compatible with most optical disc drives, including the latest BD burners. Tiny Burner also creates ISO images of existing discs, meaning you can use it to create backup copies of your movies and games. Tiny Burner also turns your disc burner into the functional equivalent of an external backup drive, except the only cost is the price of a blank disc: Unlike an external hard drive, Tiny Burner is free. This easy-to-use disc-burning tool works in both … Read more

Free CUDA Movie Converter takes advantage of Nvidia's CUDA parallel processing technology to speed up video conversions in computers with CUDA-capable Nvidia graphics cards. Of course, Free CUDA Movie Converter works in any PC running Windows 2000 to 8, but running it on CUDA-capable machines lets you harness your GPU's extra processing power. We tried it on an ASUS Netbook running Windows 7 HP and equipped with Nvidia's CUDA-capable second-generation Ion graphics processor. This proved a great test platform since the Netbook's extremely limited resources make the GPU's help that much more welcome. Free CUDA … Read more

VinylStudio for Mac easily converts all your favorite tapes and vinyl records to a more convenient digital format without losing sound quality. The program stores your recordings as a well-organized collection, which you can burn on a CD or simply copy to your MP3 player. Additionally, it lets you split your recordings into tracks and helps you clean up your audio with effective sound cleaning filters.

Upon startup you are prompted to create a name for your collection and the location where it will be stored. During the "new user mode" the speech bubbles will pop up to … Read more

Vectoraster for Mac quickly creates vector point or line raster patterns based on bitmap images. The program performs its main functions well and may appeal to more experienced users who frequently use image and video editors.

Vectoraster for Mac comes with a free trial version that randomly alters the output image. A user manual accompanied the program, which was helpful. The first menu that appears is one to purchase the full version of the program. This was difficult to work around, at first, but could be minimized or closed once the main program started. The main window on the left … Read more