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6.1

Mail call

Gmail has become pretty ubiquitous, and it's not uncommon for people to have more than one Gmail account. We have several: a personal one, a professional one, and at least one related to a blog we maintain. Keeping track of multiple Gmail accounts can be a hassle, but Gmail Manager, a handy add-on for Firefox, makes this task a breeze.

Gmail Manager appears in Firefox's status bar, showing the name of each configured account and how many unread messages there are in each. Mousing over each account name also shows how many spam messages there are and what … Read more

Detailed weather utility

Weather Watcher is a sleek application that gives users detailed weather information on their desktops. With an attractive interface and plenty of features, Weather Watcher is a great tool for users who enjoy keeping tabs on the weather.

The program's interface is intuitive and easy to navigate, with its major features organized in tabs. When the program is running it displays the current temperature in the system tray; mousing over it displays detailed information about the current weather conditions, the day's forecast, sunrise and sunset, moon phase, and more. Double clicking on the temperature pulls up the program'… Read more

Free Your RAM

Memory Improve Master Free Version brings together several computer settings aimed at improving its performance. This tool is best suited for people familiar with Windows performance management.

Like most memory optimizers, the program operates on the debatable principle that the greater the amount of free RAM, the more efficiently applications will operate and the lower the chances your application or system will crash. Using Memory Improve Master, you can ensure free RAM by manually forcing memory release, "deep compressing" system memory, and setting thresholds and letting the application run in the background. A real-time graph displays the effects … Read more

Tight trial, imperfect conversion

We appreciated this program's wizard-like approach to converting PDFs to Word and Excel files. Though it ultimately converted several PDFs to Word, Excel, Image, and PostScript files, we did hit a few bumps along the way.

Docsmartz PDF Converter Pro has a very easy-to-use interface. Simply browse for the PDF (or multiple PDFs), select the destination folder, and click on the file format command button. The program comes with several conversion modes that allow you to convert the PDF as is, text only, and images only. Similar programs give you the ability to select specific text, but unfortunately, Docsmartz … Read more

Share your screen

In its latest beta release last week, Skype received a much more ambitious feature than it did in its most recent major Windows update, Skype 4.0. In addition to bringing back birthday reminders, Skype 4.1 beta introduced screen sharing.

While choppy transmission and the limitations of broadcasting your screen to one contact at a time makes the feature best for casual desktop demonstrations rather than for serious collaboration or intense troubleshooting, screen sharing in Skype's free VoIP application is nevertheless one more engaging way to connect to friends and colleagues across the miles. Since the application is … Read more

Multioption desktop alarm

Alarm Clock Pro makes organizing your life via your desktop a breeze, assuming you can untangle the innovative options. By offering users a wide swath of date-keeping and time-monitoring options you can make your life simpler, however, learning the program itself may take up the bulk of this newfound time.

Alarm Clock Pro will appeal to anyone who is used to the multiple alarm features that Outlook offers. Unlike Outlook, this simple to install 15-day free trial is independent of a calendar or e-mail system. The many unique aspects are the alarm's capability to function on a specific day … Read more

Powerful memory optimizer

If you run a lot of computer games or other memory-hogging apps, you'll want to check out this toolbox for managing your system's memory usage. Setting thresholds for compressing or releasing memory is made simple with Memory Booster Gold, as is setting up a key combination to release memory on the fly.

Memory Booster Gold launches an attractive, user-friendly interface that's easy to understand and navigate. Although it offers many features, the well-designed interface isn't cluttered. We liked the liberal use of slide bars, which provide a solid visual for users to understand the levels of … Read more