Rating: 4

Version tested: 2.0.6

Description: HandyFind is a memory resident application that provides an alternative search function in Internet Explorer, Notepad, MS Word, and other programs. It uses a hotkey combination that allows you to quickly scroll forwards and backwards between occurrences of the text you are searching for.

I am going to use the question and answer format for this review:

Q: How does Handyfind work?
A: Pressing the pre-defined hotkey combination will produce a little colored "balloon" where you can enter text; with each character that you type it will jump to the first found occurence. Once your text is found, you can press the right and left arrow keys to find the previous or next instances of that text string within the page or document.

Q: Why is this cool?
A: What I like about Handyman is the speed that you can find different instances of the text you are looking for. I also like how the colored balloons ’mark’or flag the text once it finds it.
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Rating: 5

Version tested: 5 (3/5/06)

Description: SmartTab is a freeware replacement for the Windows Alt-Tab dialog. It is a simple lightweight application that adds full window/application names next to open windows and allows you to launch them through number keys or by using the mouse.

This is an Alt-Tab replacement that favors simplicity and practicality over screen previews and Vista-style 3D pyrotechnics. The main advantage is that all open windows/programs are displayed (and labelled) in front of view so you don’t have to waste your time clicking Alt-Tab over and over in order to flip through half a dozen selections to get to what you want.

Here are some more features:
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Rating: 5

Version tested: 1.04 beta

Description: Transfz (pronounced transfuse) is a little memory resident app that is called with a hotkey combination from within any other application. It can perform 3 distinct functions (a) it can search any user-defined search engine/website for any selected text or text in the clipboard (b) it is a clipboard manager that gives you access to your last 10 to 30 used clips (depending on your settings), and (c) it performs a number of handy text editing functions, including counting number of words or characters in a selected text, lowercase/uppercase conversions, and a search and replace function that can be used globally.

Imagine that you’re working on something, say a Word or PDF document or even within your browser, when you decide to do a search for something you encountered on, say, Wikipedia. With Transfz this is as easy as selecting the text you would like to search for, pressing CTRL-D, and choosing from the context menu which one of your favorite engines/services to do the search with (see screenshot).
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Rating: 5

Version tested: 2.5

Description: Send To Toys is a free program that adds a number of useful commands to the Windows shell ’Send To’ menu.

Before I comment on each of the 8 entries that this program adds to the right-click ’send to’ menu, a few notes on the program itself:

• You should be aware that most of the new commands behave in very specific ways if you are holding down CONTROL and/or SHIFT as you run them. Once you know this you will find that the program is more powerful that you thought, allowing you to customize it to do exactly what you want in most cases. My favorites are: Send to Clipboard, Send to Command Prompt, Send to Folder, and Send to Recycle Bin.
• You can mix-and-match the send-to toys that you want and delete the others.
• The ’Send to Toys’ configuration utility allows you not just to configure ’Send to Toys’ but to easily add/remove folders and application shortcuts to the ’Send to’ menu.
• Note that you can your favorite folder(s) as a custom send-to destination, except that you can now press SHIFT in order to move objects to the destination folder (rather than copy them), while control/shift creates a shortcut to the object in the destination folder. This is very useful and makes it extremely easy organize your files.

The following is a brief synopsis of each of the tools that ’Send to Toys’ provides (the first 4 are my favorites):
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Rating: 5

Description: Flashearth is a web application that displays interactive satellite images and maps from a number of different online mapping sources, including Google, Yahoo, MSN, NASA, and others (without official consent).

I always get philosophical whenever I play around with online mapping/satellite imaging services. I always think “wow, look at how far humanity has come even from the time when I was growing up; who would thought that any random joe would be able to browse satellite images of the entire earth at will, searching by address for the neighborhood of even the house they want to look at, zooming in and out and rotating the earth at will!”.

I get even more philosophical and it reminds me of Socrates (or was it Plato?) who said something like: the more I know, the more I know how much it is still that I dont know. In this case what I don’t know is why anyone would want 8 different sources for these satellite images, since they all look and function pretty much exactly the same. If you have any thoughts or ideas about this please leave a comment and let us know ;).

I should also mention that Flashearth is a very slick app that scores high on the coolness scale (zooming in and out with the mouse scroll wheel is particularly pleasing). Be sure to check it out. Read more »

Rating: 5

Version tested: 1.0

Description: Collanos Workplace is a free online collaboration software for teams with members working from different locations. It offers a suite of streamlined online tools, including virtual workspaces, file sharing, online group discussions, messaging, and a handful of virtual objects such as notes, shared URLs, and tasks.

Here’s what you need to know about this program:

• Virtual workspaces: these are simply tabs that each user creates within the program that belong to the user. You can create a workspace for each project, for example, if that makes sense to you. These workspaces contain all other objects and employ a simple, explorer-like virtual folder structure.
• File sharing: once you grant someone permission to share any one of your workspaces, you can drag and drop any file to the folders within it and these will be available to the other person.
• Discussions: once you create a discussion within a workspace, all members who can access that workspace can participate (read or write). Discussions are essentially multi-way chats that are logged (with dates) and stored as an object. They can be deleted or kept for reference or as an ongoing conversation.
• Security: Collanos states that all data transfers are encrypted using “256-Bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)”. This program employs P2P technology and no data is ever stored on central servers. The makers state that they may introduce features in the future that may require some centralized data storage, but that they will ask for explicit permissions to do so, and they will guarantee its safety.
• Setup: this program works instantly through firewalls. Create an account and password, share your account name with your friends, and you’re up and running. Unlike other programs I have tested, I did not have to do any complicated router setup / port forwarding, or messing with IP addresses. Having said that I should also point out that the documentation states that “TCP ports 9700-9800 and 80 need to be opened to the outside to allow Collanos Workplace to operate behind firewalls”. Read more »

Rating: 4

Version tested: 2.2

Description: Flashnote is a small, memory resident notes program that is activated through a hotkey combination. It function as a quick scratch pad for all those transient text clips that you work with that you would normally store in text files.

Imagine that working with a bunch of html code that you need to paste elsewhere later, or that you have clipped a URL that you plan to visit but do not want to bookmark, or that somebody is giving you an address or phone number over the phone. For most people this information is handled through the creation of text files that clutter the desktop before they are eventually deleted.

Flashnote is designed to be a quick scratch pad that you can summon quickly through a hotkey combination and paste all of all of these pieces of information. Here’s what you need to know about it:

• It uses a hirarchical notes outliner to store information.
• Flashnote is not a clipboard extender/clipboard manager. I personally do not like these because I find that the constant storage of (mostly useless) clipboard contents is inefficient, and that managing the clipboard manager is one activity I would rather do without. Flashnote, on the other hand, is used only when there’s something that you want.
• Flashnote is not text editor or Notepad substitute. Although Flashnote is not a PIM or proper hirarchical notes outliner program, it does offer some functions that are reminiscent of these such as subnotes, timestamps, and some rich text formatting.
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Rating: 5

Description: Sprout is a small flash adventure/puzzle game with a little green seed as protagonist. It features a very original premise and very simple audio-visuals and game dynamics.

This game begins when coconuts drop off a palm tree on a small island off the coast. Except one of these isn’t a coconut at all, but a little green seedling who wants to be an acorn. Both the palm tree and the seedling are puzzled by this, but the palm (which apparently has a rather practical bent) points the little seedling to the spot over the horizon where the oak trees are. The seedling knows that it must travel over to that spot and take root with them.

You play the seedling and you have a very special power to help you accomplish your task. Once you run into other plants, you acquire the ability to morph into their seed and sprout as the new plant. In fact the entire game dynamic revolves around which plant to morph into in which situation in order to progress further.
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Rating: 5

Version tested: 1.05

Description: HTML GUI Tidy is a graphical user interface for HTML Tidy, a program that automatically optimizes HTML/PHP source code and fixes a number of common problems. It also arranges code so as to give it a reasonable indent-style layout.

I am not a programmer nor a developer, but ever since starting Freewaregenius I have learned a bit of HTML and occasionally found myself having to change, modify, and/or add countless parts of code. At times I would need to do something that was over my head or would have a problems with my site that would lead me to seek the help of our hotshot programmers at work. Typically, the first things these guys would go is dump my code into their favorite text editor then proceed to fix the visual layout; separating chunks of code, inserting and maintaining a hierarchy of indents and margins that just made the code look good and comprehensible. They then will go down the code removing unneeded code and checking for beginning and end tags to make sure all of these are present and correctly placed. In most cases, this exercise alone would either solve the problem or at least make it apparent what it was.

What GUI Tidy/HTML Tidy promises to do is essentially the exercise above. It will allow you to dump your code into the ’originial code’ tab, process it, then generate a new code inside the ’optimized html’ tab with the implemented corrections and optimizations. This tab also contains a third window that contains errors and information on where in the code they were found.
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Rating: 5

Version tested: 2.2.15.31

Description: Free Monitor for Google is a small app that checks the natural search rankings of a URL (or multiple URLs) in Google for a list of user-defined keywords. For each keyword it can show a reference list of the top Google site results.

Here’s what you need to know about this program:

• This program will try to find your URL in the top result rankings for each of your keywords. The number of results it will search and display is user defined (i.e. you can tell it to look in the top 10, 20, 30 results etc).
• It will allow you to work with an unlimited number of keywords.
• For each of your keywords, Free Monitor for Google will remember the best ranking attained. It will also display a little up arrow, down arrow, or neutral arrow to show movement in ranking from the last time the search was conducted.
  Read more »

Rating: 5

Version tested: 4.0.1 build 5896-6

Description: KlipFolio is a desktop-based interactive widget engine.It is designed to be a personal dashboard that monitors any type of online information (such as news, videos, email, RSS feeds, stocks, weather, ebay auctions, etc), but also offers offline tools such as memory/cpu/folder monitoring. It features a slick, customizable user interface and supports hundreds of available widgets (called Klips).

Let me begin this review by saying that I never thought I would want to use desktop widgets. Both Yahoo widgets and Google Desktop were only briefly installed on my computer before I uninstalled them. I must confess, however, that KlipFolio’s sheer coolness factor is so seductive that I am actually considering making it a permanent fixture and using some of the widgets.

KlipFolio has an respectable range of widgets that cover all the (usual) bases and then some more. There’s the obligatory Flickr, Youtube, Google news, Google Search, and Weather widgets. And of course, digital desktop clock(s), email notifiers (for both POP3 and Webmail services), calendars, to-do lists, and desktop sticky-type notes.

But the most impressive thing about this software right off the bat is the way you can manipulate it on-screen. Not only are KlipFolio’s Klips extremely malleable but they also have a certain ’magnetic’ quality that makes them stick together. The 4 sides of the monitor also have that quality and you can easily grab your Klips and position them where you like them the most. The net effect is very slick handling and a self-organizing effect that is very satisfying. Check out the video on the KlipFolio page for a demonstration of this.

Here’s a list of some of KlipFolio’s other notable features:

• Simplicity: you can make it look exactly the way you want it; if you want something, you add it on, if not, you remove it. Sounds straightforward but this is one of the best things about this software.
• Browsing Klips: you can scroll through items within a Klip using either the middle mouse wheel, arrow keys, or side scrollbar. Expanding the Klip makes it much more easier (and enjoyable) to browse items. Your Klip will expand if you press the (+) expand button on the title bar or even if you just hover over the title bar for a few seconds.
• Content viewing: hover over the item you want and it will show in its entirety for most Klips (for some, like email messages, they will appear truncated and you will have to log onto your email service to see all). For video it will send you to the webpage for viewing.
  Read more »

Rating: 5 pick

Version tested: 7.00.03.02

Description: Antivir Personal Edition Classic is a free, award-winning antivirus software. It provides scanning on demand as well as real-time protection against a wide array of malware including viruses, trojans, worms, and dialers. Antivir also offers excellent heuristic virus detection (i.e. its ability to identify yet-unknown threats). Note that Antivir does NOT offer real-time email virus scanning and detection.

This review was borne out of an email exchange with Freewaregenius reader Sinkhan, whose emails I quote below with permission.

Sinkhan: “I feel that there is some freeware that should definitely belong on your site. First of all, in your top ten picks, you list Grisoft’s AVG as your third favorite pick…. I would like to bring up AntiVir from Avira. This program is very near and dear to my heart. Although I’ve tried AVG and a close competitor that you may have heard of, Awil’s Avast!, Avira’s AntiVir Personal Edition Classic is a free program with an outstanding performance record.

At www.av-comparatives.org, an independant organization that researches anti-malware software, recent tests show that AntiVir has stellar detection rates, beating other commercial giants like Norton, McAffee, and quite substantially beating Avast! and AVG. The tests conducted were yes, done on the paid versions, but according to this part of Avira’s site, both the free and paid versions use the same engine for detecting viruses. The only features that the free version may lack is *fully* automatic updating (which however can be configured in the program to be automatic) and e-mail scanning (which I find rather unnecessary when using web-based email such as Yahoo!, G-Mail, or Hotmail).”

Me: “Thank you for your email. Indeed you’re right, there’s a lot of titles missing from my site. This is primarily a function of time, but I will say something about some of the titles you mentioned… I simply stayed away from [Antivir] because of the email scanning issue; for work, I have to use a POP3 account and I simply cannot have that vulnerability. But for anyone who only uses web services (Gmail, Hotmail) like yourself I agree it might well be the antivirus of choice.”
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Rating: 4

Version tested: 1.81

Description: LetMe Type is a small program that resides in the system tray, monitors what you type and collects information about your most frequently used words. It will then use this information to provide a little popup window after you type in 2 or 3 characters, containing a range of words to choose from that it can automatically complete for you. LetMe Type can be used within any application, or the application(s) of your choice.

Most of us are familiar with the autocomplete function when keying in a search term in Google. LetMe Type is a similar service that is available anywhere. Here’s a summary of how it works:

• The small, system-tray resident app monitors what you type and the frequency you use particular words.
• It will then provide a pop-up with numbered options (see screenshot). You can quickly select the word you want using the number keys on your keyboard.
• The downside is that LetMe Type will also learn your misspelled words as well, requiring you to manually go through the list and delete these.

This application is highly customizable: Read more »

Rating: 5

Version tested: 1.1.1

Description: Within a Deep Forest is a very good arcade adventure platform game. It is a ball-bouncing physics game set in a world inhabited by cute characters and full of puzzles as well as the clues that enable you to solve them.

The Storyline: you are a cute ball that was created out of a failed attempt by the evil Dr. Cliche to blow up the world with an “ice bomb”. Or something. Unlike your creator, you have a keen sense of ethics and a love of mankind, which is why you set out to save the universe from his second more successful attempt.

The game: most of the game is spent navigating the world of “Within a Deep Forest” while trying to figure out how to progress further towards your goal. The key to this is (a) listening to the various clues that some helpful characters will give you, and (b) attaining special powers that will be needed within certain situations. These special powers are simply new materials that you can spawn yourself into; e.g. by morphing into a metal ball you can break barriers and resist wind currents, but your speed and movement will be restricted. When morphing into a tennis ball, you can bounce extremely high, but your movement will be imprecise and somewhat random. And so on.
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Rating: 5 pick

Version tested: 1.3.015

Description: File Hamster provides real-time backup, archiving, and version tracking for files and folders. It is a memory-resident application that will monitor the folders and files that you ask it to and invisibly keep a copy whenever you change thse (such as saving or overwriting them), so that you can revert to the old version(s) if you ever need to. It also gives you the ability to create notes on-the-fly whenever you make a change.

Here’s how this program works:

• The first thing you have to do after installation is tell File Hamster which individual files and/or folder to monitor. For folders, you can tell it which file types you want monitored and/or excluded. It can also watch sub-folders recursively.
• File Hamster will now monitor these files in real time at all times. Any attempt to change or overwrite these files will prompt File Hamster to instantly make a copy of the file before allowing the change. This will result in a trail of incremental on-the-fly backups of your files that are done invisibly without any user intervention.
• File Hamster will flash a little window close to the system tray whenever it detects a change. You can use this window to quickly leave comments or notes if you need to that you can refer to later on.
• The process of making backups is remarkably fast and streamlined . This is the case even for large files that take quite a bit of time to be saved from the application that is working with them.
• All historic versions of the file can then be accessed if need be from the File Hamster main dialog (see screenshot).
  Read more »