The Download Blog

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Playing with sound files is something not all of us aspire to do in any greater detail than clicking "Buy Now" in iTunes. But this is one of those cool Mac niches that is filled with possibilities you might not have thought about before.

For instance, have you ever wished you could easily record a phone call for a job interview? How about automatically record your favorite radio program from the Internet, even if it's on in the middle of the night? Ambrosia Software's WireTap Studio, recently updated to version 1.0.8, is an inexpensive and efficient way to record and edit pretty much any audio that you can play on your Mac. You can select any combination of software application (Skype, for example) and hardware device (say, your Mac's microphone), and record the output quickly and easily.

WireTap Studio's dynamic formatting means you can check your sound quality on the fly before deciding on a format.

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Once you're set up, simply click record, and the end result will be a clean recording of your conversation for your job interview, podcast, custom playlist, or iMovie project.

WireTap Studio offers a complete set of editing tools and lets you export to a variety of compressions and audio formats. Possibly my favorite feature is called LivePreview, which is a button that allows me to hear what my audio will sound like in different formats and levels of compression, before I start recording. This is great when your needs require the file to be under a specific size, yet you want the best quality possible.

Want WireTap to record while you're asleep? Simply setup a time and date for your session and the software does the rest.

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WireTap Studio costs $69 for the full version (link above is to 30-day demo), but if you have specific recording needs, this is the perfect software for the job and may be worth the price.

Novice-friendly but with features for the expert and free archiving tools rarely cover all those bases, but PeaZip and PeaZip Portable hit back-to-back home runs.

Operating PeaZip is as easy as dragging files. Drop a ZIP file on the interface and PeaZip goes into decompression mode. Drop a regular file and it opens the archiving screen. Well-labeled buttons and simple functions make both processes quick and painless. Adding files and folders is also quickly accomplished using function buttons and traditional file browse tools.

Novice users will be able to use default settings to create well-made archives. Experienced users will like the easily set options. Each well-designed interface includes option tabs that contain simple pull-downs, radio buttons, and text boxes to set compression levels, methods, dictionaries, and even encryption. Most users will find this app one of the most simple to set precisely to their preferences.

Anyone looking for a small and useful archiving tool should give PeaZip a test. Most won't continue their search.

UPDATED: Clarified the end result of AppCompactor on a standard program.

When you gotta go, advanced users should strongly consider using AppCompactor to stay mobile. Just introduced by John T. Haller of PortableApps, this portable power user's right-hand man crushes program files, often shaving 50 percent off the size of a disk.

AppCompactor lets you roll your own portable apps.

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AppCompactor melds 7-Zip and UPX to compress and archive DLLs, EXEs, JARs, and other files essential for running any program into a package that doesn't need to be unarchived to run. Programs that have been compacted run smoothly from a flash drive or other on-the-go storage devices. Programs run through AppCompactor are not, however, truly portable in the sense that they are self-contained programs--they're just significantly smaller.

AppCompactor has already been in use by Haller's PortableApps.com to assist in creating Firefox Portable, Pidgin Portable, and other portable programs. This means that it won't do any good to compress already compacted apps that have used AppCompactor. Theoretically, it might work on portable versions that were not created with it.

When you run AppCompactor, it will ask you to point it at a program directory. From there, you can choose the type of compression you want to run. NRV2E is the default setting, with other choices including NRV2D, LZMA, BRUTE, and a decompress option. You can also opt out of compressing JAR and ZIP files, although the default is to compress them down. As the app runs, it opens a DOS window that shows you the progress of the compression cycle. This should help observant users with fast eyes to keep track of any errors that occur.

AppCompactor shaved off 50 percent of Firefox 3.

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As recommended, I found that saving the compressed program output to the hard drive and then copying to a USB key gave me faster results than outputting directly to the flash drive.

The benefits of compressing such files should be obvious, but this is not a program to treat cavalierly. When using it, it's essential to read through the instructions beforehand. Choosing to compact the main program executable can result in rendering the compacted program inoperable. In other words, do not compact C:/Program Files/Firefox/Firefox.exe, for example. C:/Program Files/Firefox/Files would be fine, though.

If you're interested in AppCompactor, you can post your compression percentages in the comments below.

This file-compression tool offers all the bells and whistles required by power users, while keeping the program easy enough for novices. Quick Zip's button and pull-down menu helps users by ghosting unavailable commands until they're applicable. The multipane interface makes it easy to see files, folders, and archive properties. An extensive Help manual should give inexperienced users everything needed to be program power users.

Numerous options and methods to use this application means a steep learning curve for those who want to master every feature. However, operating Quick Zip can be as easy as dragging files to the interface for quick compression. In a testament to the program's flexibility, power users could play select multimedia files still stored in archive files.

Quick Zip compresses well and fast, and offers much to advnaced users. Newbies should appreciate the default drag-and-drop operation, making Quick Zip practically a no-brainer.

If you're looking for one tool that can handle a myriad of compression methods, from RAR and ZIP to TAR and TGZ and nearly 30 other formats, ALZip just might be for you. In fact, archive format support is ALZip's forte. It'll even open ISO and other CD images. All the usual archive application options are here, as well: context menu additions, password protections, virus scanner integration, and assistance in creating self-extracting archives.

The interface looks modern and is well-designed, with archive contents displayed as icons, in a list, or in a detailed spreadsheet-style grid. There are 14 criteria by which you can sort files, the program supports 21 languages, there's a test function to make sure the archive works, and you can save in eight formats. Some people will most likely not be impressed by the bird-egg icons, but I thought they were a subtle way to differentiate the app from its competitors.

This program leaves a slightly larger footprint than WinZip, but since we're talking about a difference of 2MB I think it's worth giving ALZip a chance to fly.

Although it's ancient in Internet years, WinZip is still up and kicking. Among the various improvements and tweaks, the latest upgrade to Version 12 includes one massive reinvigorating feature: the WinZip folks have figured out how to compress JPEGs without sacrificing image quality.

WinZip 12 delivers on its promise of lossless JPEG compression.

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The details on exactly how this is done remain a secret for now, although WinZip has promised to open up its compression algorithms as they've done in the past. On the user end of things, this means that ZIP files containing JPEGs will be more than just bundles of your photos--the archives will actually be smaller in size.

To test it out, I wanted to create a massive archive. I used all the screenshots I've taken of programs since January 2007, more than 550 images that worked out to be about 70MB uncompressed. Keep in mind that the issue here isn't basic compression, but lossless compression, where the image quality in the JPEG doesn't turn south.

That test provided 24 percent space savings, toward the high-end of WinZip's predictions of between 20 percent and 25 percent. This only works with JPEG images. GIFs, TIFs, PNGs, and others will be compressed using standard algorithms, and so it's unlikely that you'll see a drastic savings in space with them.

Some of the other new features in WinZip 12 were nearly as interesting. The Pro version of WinZip offers a Zip from Camera option. This cuts out multiple steps and instead lets users archive their images as they get transferred onto their computer. There's also a new tool, Send Selected, that lets you e-mail archives as they get created. However, this is WinZip playing catch-up--other compression tools, like 7-Zip or WinRAR, have offered this for some time.

This latest version includes better encryption control that should appeal to system administrators, where they can determine the encryption method or specify if one is even to be used. Both professionals and home users will probably like that you can now create new folder architectures within a ZIP once it's been created. WinZip also now autodetects the file type in Smart View, which will then show thumbnails if the archive is made up of images, for example.

Without a doubt, the lossless JPEG compression is the big draw here. The minor improvements to the workflow and security settings are important, but not must-haves unless you're a die-hard WinZip fan.

It's easy for Windows users to forget that WinZip isn't the only file-compression utility in the world, nor is WinRAR its only replacement. Like its better-known competitors, the free 7-Zip unpacks a host of archive formats, including ZIP, TAR, GZ, and its own 7Z format. Unlike the competition, though, it can create TAR and GZ archives, which are commonly used on Unix and Linux systems. Even though it's small, there's an even smaller portable version, too.

The program's ability to shrink files was stunning. 7Z archives tested up to 40 percent smaller then their ZIP equivalents, although compression did take longer, and the highest compression settings can hog system resources. Advanced options include the ability to create solid and self-extracting archives, and to adjust the compression level and password protection. The program also has a command line module. Though the main interface is overly simple and looks like it was designed for Windows 95, it's not hard to use and just about as self-explanatory as a program can get. The context menu options, which include "testing" an archive, indicate that 7-Zip should be taken seriously.

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Every computer user needs a solid file compression program. Not only are they mandatory for opening downloaded software, they offer several other useful features for tasks like creating e-mail attachments, performing backups, and saving space on your hard drive. Most people use WinZip because it comes pre-installed on a lot of Windows PCs, but WinZip isn't the only program available for file compression.

There's certainly nothing wrong with WinZip, but some programs offer better file compression or features that may be more in tune with what you need. For instance, some apps make efficient compression their focus, while others concentrate on the strongest encryption to keep your files safe. If you're looking for an alternative to WinZip, here are some programs I recommend.

Big buttons and an intuitive interface make this popular utility easy to navigate.

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WinRAR is a popular choice for file compression for good reason: It's a great program. This shareware app ($29) using the RAR format (with support for several others) boasts the ability to compress your archives at rates 8 percent to 15 percent better than regular ZIP files. As an old standby in the file compression category, WinRAR offers a polished interface and easy-to-understand wizards that help you create manageable e-mail attachments, quick document backups, and encrypted archives. It's the only shareware program in this group of apps, but it is well worth the price. You'll be able to access most features without registration.

Though not as pretty, 7-Zip has plenty of power under the hood.

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7-Zip is a free alternative that is not as pretty as WinRAR or WinZip, but like WinRAR, offers its own highly efficient 7z compression method (they claim compression rates 2 percent to 8 percent better than regular ZIP files, but in our tests it was much better) so your backup archives take up less space. You'll be able to create self-extracting archives as well as provide password protection for added security. 7-Zip doesn't offer the polish and ease of use found in the paid apps, but it easily makes up for it with functionality.

This quick to compress alternative works as great as it looks.

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PeaZip is a newer discovery for me, but I definitely like what I see so far. This open-source (free) compression program supports a huge list of formats and is incredibly easy to use with a well-designed and skinnable interface. A solid file browser with search and history features makes finding your archives easy, and PeaZip can handle multiple archives simultaneously. Complete with a number of different solid encryption methods, PeaZip is a great choice for anyone looking for a flexible WinZip alternative.

More than just the key to opening downloads, file compression utilities have a lot of uses. Choose one of these alternatives if you want something other than what's preloaded on your hard drive. As always, let me know if you use something better so I can check it out!

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After a tip came through the wire that Phillipe the Phisher was vacationing in Paris, Power Downloader asked his friend Francois Foto if he might be able to snap some undercover pictures of the information pilfering villain. A week later, Power received an e-mail from Foto saying that he got the shots Power requested, but that he wondered how he could safely send the images without them being stolen in transit. Also, the image files take up a lot of space, so regular e-mail attachments would be too big for some e-mail clients to handle.

Understanding the need for both speed and security, Power Downloader instructed Foto to download the open-source file compression utility called 7-Zip. With this program, Foto could compress his optimized images in the 7z format for an up to 40 percent smaller sized file than is possible with most common compression formats. As an added precaution, Power instructed Francois Foto to use the software to encrypt the file with a top-secret pass phrase, using 7-Zip's AES-256 encryption method. Using a mix of letters and numbers in the phrase, Power Downloader wanted to make absolutely sure that if secret spies captured the file full of images in transit, they would be left with nothing but a useless and virtually impregnable file.

Soon afterward, the compressed file arrived via e-mail. Using the pass phrase, Power Downloader extracted the images to his hard drive. With the images opened in a viewer, Power quickly surmised the pictures were definitely of Phillipe the Phisher. Though the images alone would not be enough to arrest the villain, Power hoped authorities might be able to use Francois Foto's recent photos to identify Phillipe more quickly. When he finished, Power Downloader added the images to his case files using 7-Zip (another great use for the program) to conserve space on his hard drive.