Many of my favorite freeware tools have more-than-adequate competitors out there, but you can never have too much of a good thing. Here are four utilities that you may not have heard of to help you back up your files, take screen captures, uninstall programs, and test your download speeds.
MyUninstaller replaces the default Windows Add/Remove Programs utility, and is a strong alternative to Revo Uninstaller. They both uninstall programs, and that's just about where their similarities end.
MyUninstaller
(Credit: NirSoft)MyUninstaller feels extremely lightweight compared to Revo and contains none of the system tools extras like Autorun Manager that Revo brings to its game. It's far less customizable than Revo, and with the fewer options comes faster uninstall times. Revo took about 2 minutes to get rid of Adobe Reader at the Moderate setting, while MyUninstaller had the task done in less than 20 seconds.
It's not without its little strengths, of course. You can keep files, copy, change installation, and search your list of installed programs. Change installation lets you alter a program by rerunning the installer. MyUninstaller's interface looks like it hasn't changed since Windows 2000, so those looking for a slicker and more robust program will probably gravitate toward Revo. If you're looking for blazingly fast, you might want to make MyUninstaller yours.
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AutoVer)
AutoVer backs up your files, and does it from another simple interface. This simplicity, though, belies what the program actually can do.
Commands for adding and deleting files you want to watch and backup are straightforward. Adding new files was as easy as creating and naming a new file, adding the folder you want to backup, and then choosing the backup location. Folder creation happens immediately, and backups can be initiated as soon as you save the record. More advanced settings let you include or exclude specific files from the backup process, time stamping, pausing and resuming specific folder backups, and a search feature that lets you explore your backups.
Big, primary-colored icons give the program a WinZipesque feel, but that's just about the biggest drawback.
DownTester is a portable app that tests download speeds from multiple HTTP and FTP URLs simultaneously. It's unobtrusive and gets the job done, but it also comes with some useful features that make it worth downloading.
DownTester
(Credit: NirSoft)The Advanced Options menu is well-rounded. You can configure the tests to conclude and move on based on time or bytes downloaded. You can also set the program to retry upon failure and configure the number of times that repetition should occur before moving on, with Passive or Active mode available for FTP. Users have the option to export their test list or import a new one.
Users can't paste directly from the clipboard to the test list. DownTester forces you to open the Add URLs List window first, but that seemed to be just about the only drawback to this utility that anyone diagnosing connection speed problems should check out.
You may not have thought that the world needed another screenshooting program, but GreenShot works pretty well after a half-day of testing.
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GreenShot)
Like many of its competitors, it lets you take screenshots from your monitor using a user-defined rectangle. It displays coordinates as you draw your capture rectangle, and then opens the captured area immediately in a quick-and-dirty image editor with limited but focused features. You can draw boxes, ellipses, lines, or arrows, or add text. You can save the image as a PNG, JPG, BMP, or GIF. You can change the color of any shape or text you add to your screenshot, and change the line thickness.
There's also a good variety of other options, including toggling the save-to location, naming convention and folder, file format, and hot key hooks. Light on resources, it's surprisingly effective for a beta. The arrowhead implementation could use some work when you choose double-arrowheads, but overall it's a freeware worth keeping an eye on.
If you're using a freeware program that you think deserves more attention, mention it in the comments below.
Reports (like this one on The Apple Blog) persist that beta releases of the Mozilla Firefox 3 browser have rendered it a "perplexingly sluggish performer" on the Mac. Despite Mozilla's speed improvements in Minefield, those tweaks haven't seemed to make it into beta releases of Firefox 3.
Until now.
As an open-source Web browser, Firefox is, of course, open to community tinkering. One member of that Firefox community, Chris Latko, has developed his own version of Firefox 3.5 beta, dubbed Shiretoko, and my informal tests confirm what The Apple Blog and others have been saying: it's mucho fast.
What it's not, however, is compatible with all the add-ons/extensions I use with my latest production release of Firefox (3.0.10): AdBlock Plus, Fasterfox, etc. This, however, is to be expected: Shireteoko is beta software, after all.
At any rate, if you have an Intel-based Mac and you've been disturbed by the sluggishness of Mozilla's Firefox 3 beta releases, and were persuaded by CNET's Stephen Shankland's suggestion that Google's Chrome-on-Mac blows Firefox 3 beta 4 out of the water in speed tests, try Shiretoko.
It may keep you patiently waiting for the next great release from the Mozilla Firefox team, rather than looking for Google's allegedly greener Chrome grass.
Follow me on Twitter @mjasay.
(Credit:
CNET)
The big news in the world of iPhone was Apple's sneak preview for the iPhone 3.0 software on Tuesday. Available this summer, iPhone 3.0 will bring many features people have asked for and some that will make things easier for developers of iPhone apps. The two major ones on my list were finally added: MMS (sending photos and other media) and the ability to cut, copy, and paste text. There are a ton of changes coming, so check out our coverage if you want to know all of the changes in iPhone 3.0.
This week's apps include a quick and easy way to measure bandwidth and a simple game that somehow manages to keep you coming back for more.
Watch as Speed Test measures your current broadband speed
(Credit: CNET)Speed Test (free) from Speedtest.net quickly tests your bandwidth speed wherever you are. A sleek blue speedometer comes to life when you hit the "Start Test" button, first measuring your download speed (the time it takes for data from the server to get to your iPhone), then upload speed (the time it takes for data from your iPhone to get to the server). You can then save the results, making it easy to track available bandwidth in different locations. By moving to different locations, you can even find out which parts of your house get a better Wi-Fi connection--useful if you want to download or update a big app.
Watch for and hit the lit-up cups to get the highest score.
(Credit: CNET)10 Balls 7 Cups (99 cents) is a surprisingly fun and challenging Skeeball game for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Using crisp 3D graphics and a realistic physics engine, this game manages to capture what it's like to play Skeeball in an arcade. Each game you get 10 balls you can roll down the alley in an attempt to make them land in one of the seven cups of varying score values. Tilt your iPhone to add spin as your ball rolls down the alley. While playing, random cups will light up, and if you manage to land a ball in the cup, you get a score multiplier that lasts until the end of the game. Hit another lit-up cup to increase your multiplier. At the end, you receive tickets depending on your score that you can use to purchase silly items in the store.
When I first saw this game, I thought about how much I liked playing Skeeball as a kid, but didn't think it would translate well for the iPhone (or I would get bored quickly). But soon I was playing game after game, trying to get bonus multipliers, and getting higher scores. The only problem I have with this casual game is that there are no graphics for the silly items (Finger trap! Glittery T-shirt! Submarine (rare)!) in the store. But overall, this simple game is a great time-waster. If you're still not convinced, watch the trailer (I couldn't resist).
What's your favorite iPhone app? Got a better speed test or other useful utility I should check out? What's your best casual iPhone game? Let me know in the comments!
Sure, you're all jazzed about Barack Obama and looking forward to a brighter 2009, but what about the catastrophes of 2008? I'm not talking about the financial meltdown, Sarah Palin, or The Love Guru, I'm talking about the worst downloads of the year.
Every three months, Tom Merritt (of CNET TV renown) and I collaborate on a lighthearted tribute to the software failures that stick out among the many excellent programs on Download.com worse than John McCain supporters at the Inauguration Day gala.
To qualify, these downloads have to meet the minimum requirements specified by Download.com in our software policies. That excludes all spyware, adware, and rogue software--which disqualifies public enemy No. 1, the notoriously annoying Antivirus XP 2008 and its many variants, which continue to plague Google ads.
Without any further introduction, here are my picks for the most inept, most impractical, and outright goofiest Windows software downloads of last year. If you missed them all the first time, consider yourself lucky.
No. 5. SKAT
In all honestly, this unusually unappealing card game makes my top five worst of 2008 mostly because it's German and named "SKAT." Are you kidding me! That sort of "blue" material might be golden for bawdy comedians, but what about the casual gamer? Unless you're well versed in German and enjoy human-size mice sitting around a photo of an old-timey saloon, you're best passing this diversion by.
The basic card game pits you against Speedy and Jerry, two suspicious and ill-drawn rodents. The rules conveniently list topics in English like "Game Introduction" and "The Deck and The Suits." However, clicking on any topic only gets you more explanations in German. You can pick up on the rules of the game by playing a few with Speedy and Jerry, but if the lame graphics and retro (yet very polite) rodents don't scare you off, the tedium of the action should put you to sleep in a few minutes.
No. 4. MB Free Psychic Color Test
It's one thing to exploit users' belief in their own supernatural abilities, but why does pseudoscience have to be so doggone boring?
The free psychic "game" MB Free Psychic Color Test is based on using your psychic abilities to select the color secretly chosen by the computer. The Beginner level starts with five colors; Intermediate brings 10 colors to the mix; and Expert kicks up the fun to 20 colors.
Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and think hard. Then open your eyes and select a color. If you're right, you'll get a "correct" message; an errant response receives an uplifting "incorrect" salvo: "Don't lose hope! Relax, take a deep breath, keep a calm mind, and guess again." Wait a minute...guess? There's no guessing involved in psychic color testing. I call shenanigans!
To top if all off, exiting the test brings up a shameless donate page from mysticboard.com, the publishers of this crock of software. Mystic Board keeps skirting the very lowest level of our quality threshold, with a number of ridiculously simple programs related to astrology, the occult, and the supernatural.
No. 3. Alien Communicator
While I must give this ridiculous program props for winning the unofficial contest for most mind-boggling software program of 2008, it also doesn't do very much of anything remotely useful, aside from randomly generate letters and numbers.
According to "The Story" that comes with this download, the Alien Communicator "translates alien psycho-kinetic control of the random number generation capability of a PC computer into readable letters." Apparently, thoughts travel much faster than the speed of light in spatial dimensions that are scaled smaller than "the four we are familiar with."
If you actually believe that aliens are trying to communicate with us via random numerals sent through the fifth dimension, I might suggest that you undergo some psychiatric analysis. However, what I wouldn't recommend would be the next piece of software on the list.
No. 2. Psychiatric Diagnosis Suite
When you or someone you care about may have a serious psychiatric problem, the last thing you likely need is a poorly programmed set of canned questions in an interface that's horrible enough to push you over the edge, but that's exactly what you get from Psychiatric Diagnosis Suite. While much of the information in this program is accurate and semicurrent, it's nearly impossible for anyone to use it.
After you are done answering a set of seemingly random psychiatric questions in the standard screen, a series of pop-up windows suggest possible diagnoses: "Please consider Panic Disorder," "Please consider Agoraphobia," "Please consider Alcohol/Drug Abuse" (that popped up twice for me, uh-oh!), "Please consider Generalized Anxiety Disorder," "Error on line 6933 ... Object Required," perhaps we should "Please consider another software program."
Constant spelling mistakes only reinforce the amateur presentation, and to top it all off the program costs $100 and only allows one trial use. If you ever end up with a psychiatrist who uses this ridiculous software, run away!
No. 1. Automatic Print Email
In a year of "change" where many scientists and concerned citizens believe that our environment is reaching the tipping point when it comes to natural resources, there's no reason to waste paper unnecessarily, yet that's exactly what this software does. For the low, low price of $50, this program will print all of the e-mail from your in-box, creating pages after pages of YouTube links, Viagra spam, Evite invitations, and other minutiae from your friends, relatives, and random strangers.
In my option, you're much better off using an actual e-mail program to, you know, read your messages, and then print out the images and letters for which you want hard copies after your preview your messages. For those responsible members of Spaceship Earth, a free program called GreenPrint takes on the notion of paper waste from an opposite approach. It lets you remove items from computer printouts to avoid wasting paper unnecessarily. Now there's an idea for 2009!
The iPhone and iPod touch offer plenty of distractions for students just killing time between classes or on a commute. But there are infinitely more games to lure you than there are study materials to help you pass that test.
Cram ($10) is one application that may be worth the investment for students looking to create endless study guides for themselves and friends.
See how it works in the First Look video above. If you like it (or even if you don't), tell us why in the comments. Even better, rate the app here.
(Credit:
CNET Networks)
Add "study guide" to the long list of tricks you can do with your iPhone. Cram ($9.99) is a solid application that lets you create and import tests on any topic. You'll be able to take scored multiple choice quizzes or go into study mode, in which Cram provides you with a series of digital flash cards. Cram will flash the question and you decide with a click when the answer appears.
Cram is fairly simple to use, but there is a correct order for getting started. For instance, you had best register for Cram online before you attempt to use it; you can't currently register from the iPhone.
If you're planning to create your own test material in preparation of an exam, you should consider crafting that online as well. While you can technically--and fairly easily--compose questions and answers within Cram, typing a series of multiple choice entries is faster work with a standard keyboard. If you intend to reuse multiple choice answers to trip up yourself or others, your computer's magical cutting and pasting abilities are indispensable.
You'll be able to import tests contributed by others or build your own.
(Credit: CNET Networks)When it's time to import a test, you log into Cram from the iPhone and select the test you'd like. They transfer in seconds. You'll also be able to import public tests that others have created. What Cram's application doesn't tell you is that your personal log-in is useless for getting these. Instead, enter 'cram' as the log-in and the password to access shared files. At the time of writing, 116 tests were public, and some are quite useful.
The principle problem with relying on others' tests is that they're often under 20 questions in length. The shorter they are, the faster you'll ace them and move on.
There are also a few more features the Cram team should think about bestowing. The first is a search bar within the public test gallery to help you identify them by topic or name. The second is a button that lets you learn more about the public test--for example, what differentiates African Capitals numbered 1 through 5?
Even without these additions, Cram makes a good quizzing tool for students who respond well to flash cards, as well as teachers and study groups. You'll also get ecological bonus points for ditching your paper flash cards and going digital. The very recent price reduction from about $16 to $10 makes Cram that much more attractive.
Related download: Cram for BlackBerry
(Credit:
CNET Networks)
No matter what kind of computer you're running--a brand new dual-core Alienware model or your aunt's old Dell laptop--it's hard to gauge the performance of your machine by factory specs alone. Especially with all the versions of Windows PCs out there using any number of hardware configurations; it's tough to really know how your computer measures up to today's fastest systems.
Finding complete system specs is especially important to gamers of course, but they're not alone in their need for system speed. Today's release of the graphics-intensive specs for Crytek's Crysis (from Crave, CNET's gadget blog) surely has many gamers praying their computers have what it takes to really bring the long-awaited game to life. But even if you're not a gamer, you might want to know, for example, whether your computer can handle the latest image- or video-editing software. Fortunately, you can find out in advance using a good benchmarking app. This category of software runs several diagnostic tests which check everything from processor speed and drive efficiency to the output of your graphics and sound cards.... Read more
(Credit:
CNET Networks)
LAS VEGAS--Thursday morning at Black Hat, Window Snyder and Mike Shaver of Mozilla released new tools for testing their browser, Firefox, and other popular browsers, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer, Apple Safari and Opera. The tools include a protocol fuzzer by Michael Eddington, and a Javascript fuzzer by Jesse Ruderman. Fuzzing is a method by which researchers randomly simulate common conditions under which most browsers fail.
In an interview before the presentation, Snyder said that Firefox enjoys a community of users in the millions worldwide. Of these, there are about 10,000 users who regularly download what are called nightly builds. Whenever the Mozilla security team puts out new fixes in the nightly builds, it's these 10,000 users who test the fixes on a wide variety of machines and under a wide variety of circumstances. Thus, Mozilla is able to roll out its security patches faster and with fewer headaches.
Because Mozilla enjoys a very enthusiastic community of users, the company decided to put out tools in the hands of its users that'll help make future releases of Firefox even stronger. After thinking about it, it decided the tools could be used on all browsers, not just its own because many similar vulnerabilities affect other browsers as well. The tool can be downloaded from Mozilla.
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