User Logger - Log computer usage

User Logger stores information about who is using the computer it is installed on and when they used it. It can log user activity, with the option to stop logging once the log reaches a certain size. User Logger can also also take automatic screen captures of the desktop at a specified interval or whenever a specified keyword is triggered by the user. An optional warning screen can inform the user, that he is being logged if so desired. Some additional options (encryption, scheduling, key capture) are offered but disabled in the freeware version. Download : Click Here

Stealth Web Page Recorder - Record web sites visited

Stealth Web Page Recorder is a simple but effective tool, that allows you to record all Internet Explorer web sites that were visited, including contents of password protected pages and web pages which use secure HTTPS connection. It also enables you to record e-mail messages that are viewed, using online email services like HotMail and others. The program logs and records all text on visited pages (not the images), and sorts them by date and site for easy review. It runs completely hidden, and you can configure the program to record all web sites visited, or only the ones you specify. Only works with Internet Explorer. Download : Click Here

Free Hide Folder - Hide personal folders

Free Hide Folder enables you to hide personal folders from prying eyes or unauthorized access. Once hidden the folders are no longer visible from within Windows Explorer. You can select one or more folders and toggle their hide/show status from the password protected interface. An integrated backup options enables you to backup your folder settings (not the data) to a file. Download : Click Here

Hide Folders - Hide selected folders

Hide Folders is a security utility that hides your folders out from prying eyes. You can select up to 2 folders, that you wish to hide and click the hide button to make them invisible. Hide Folders works in the stealth mode, once your folders are hidden doesn t have to be running in order to keep the folders hidden. A Pro version is also available, that allows you to hide more than two folders and offers additional password protection. This free version however works great, if you need to casually hide some data from being accessed or accidentally modified or deleted. To unhide the folders, simply run the program and select to do so. Download : Click Here

Webaroo - Surf the web offline

Webaroo enables you to surf and search portions of the web that interest you without an Internet connection. It works by compressing and downloading relevant content to your hard drive, which you can then search and surf, using a browser based search engine interface. Webaroo offers several pre-compiled web packs that include content for specific interests or locations, and you can also add your favorite web sites to the list. Adding of custom URLs is rather limited though, and we would have expected to see some options to gather search engine results, news reports or similar content. Unlike other webpage downloaders, Webaroo analyzes the content and select the pages that are most relevant to the topic and require the least storage space. Your content can then be browsed on your PC or laptop, or synchronized to a mobile device. The currently available selection of web packs includes all of Wikipedia, several city guides, World Fact Book and much more. Download : Click Here

WinHTTrack - Offline browser

HTTrack is an easy-use offline browser utility. It allows you to transfer a World Wide Web site from the Internet to a local directory, building recursively all structures, getting html, images, and other files from the server to your computer. Links are rebuilt relatively so that you can freely browse to the local site (works with any browser). You can mirror several sites together so that you can jump from one to another. You can, also, update an existing mirror site, or continue an interrupted transfer. The robot is fully configurable, with many options and features. The program is Open Source. Download : Click Here

JDVoiceMail - Send compressed voice emails

JDVoiceMail is an easy to use application that lets you record and send voice mail messages, using your default email program (Outlook, Outlook Express etc.). It creates compressed .wav files using DSP True Speech, GSM 6.10 or LAME codecs, and can achieve file sizes of about 30kb (using a 30 second message as an example). The receiver does not need to install any software and can listen to the message with Windows Media Player or any other audio player. The interface is straightforward and easy to use with standard playback controls. The audio message can be automatically attached to a new email message or saved to disk. Other features include a customizable subject line and body text, a photo address book, as well a codec selection and recording controls. Download : Click Here

CQPhone - PC to PC phone

CQPhone is an easy to use PC-to-PC phone, that allows voice chat, as well as video chat and text chat. In addition, you can easily exchange pictures and web links by simply dragging them onto the interface. Once you install the software, you will be automatically assigned a phone number, no registration or sign up required. To connect to your friend)s), simply enter their CQPhone number, just like you would with an ordinary phone. CQPhone works with most firewalls and routers without additional configurations. The sound quality is very good.
Download : Click Here

Skype - Make Internet phone calls

Skype is a user friendly P2P software, that allows you to make free Internet telephone calls (VoIP) to any other Skype user, anywhere in the world. The sound quality is as good or even better than regular phones, and requires no additional equipment, besides a normal PC microphone or headset. The Skype interface is similar to popular instant messenger clients and allows you to create a profile, with optional picture, that will be displayed when you call other Skype users or receive incoming call. The program is very easy to use, and works with firewalls and NAT without any additional configuration changes. Basically, all you have to do is download, select a Skype username and you are ready to make or receive calls.
Download : Click Here

Google Earth - Interactive satellite maps

Google Earth allows you to view global imagery and other geographic information right on your desktop. Just type in the address or location, and watch the interactive 3D navigate to that location, zooming in to street level (you can actually see cars on the street). Along with the detailed satellite images, you can pan and zoom, mark locations, and activate layers that show points of interests like banks, schools, restaurants shopping areas and much more. In addition to the standard satellite view, Google Earth also includes a tilt feature that allows you to render the map in a realistic 3D perspective that shows elevations levels. Additional features include on-screen measuring, emailing and printing of map views, personal places and more. Download : Click Here

NASA World Wind - 3D satellite images from NASA

World Wind is an open source project, that lets you zoom from satellite altitude into any place on Earth. It uses Landsat satellite imagery and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission data, as well as several data sources that provide historical and information on storms, fires, floods and other major events, as well as important landmarks with links to additional information on the web. World Wind also includes a full copy of the Blue Marble, a true-color image of the entire Earth as seen on NASA's Earth Observatory. Other data sources include Land Sat 7, SRTM, NASA SVS, MODIS, GLOBE as well as country and US state borders and city names. NASA World Wind also provides imagery of the moon. Even though the program appears similar to Google Earth, it covers a much wider range of data sources, however it is not nearly as user-friendly and requires an in-depth look at the documentation. Download : Click Here

Celestia - 3D space simulator

Celestia is a real-time 3D space simulator that allows to to travel throughout the solar system, to any of over 100,000 stars, or even beyond the galaxy. All travel in Celestia is seamless; the zoom feature lets you explore space across a huge range of scales, from galaxy clusters down to spacecraft only a few meters across. A point and go interface makes it simple to navigate through the universe to the object you want to visit, just select it with your mouse and click on Go To from the menu. You can also retrieve additional information on the object from web sites, that are linked from the menu. Celestia comes with a demo tour and several pre-selected tours. You can capture views as images and record your travels as movie file as well.
Download : Click Here

IRIS - Astronomical images processing software

IRIS is astronomical images processing software that provides a full range of features to enhance, correct and process digital astronomical images, optimized for CCD captures. It can open digital raw formats, as well as BMP, FITS and PIC as well as images from the Buil-Thouvenot Atlas. The many features include noise suppression, distortion correction, stacking of image sequences, spectra processing, sun chromosphere image processing, frame grabbing via webcam and much more. Download : Click Here

AceMoney Lite - Personal finance manager

AceMoney Lite makes it easy to manage a checkbook, create and manage budgets, juggle finances in multiple currencies, track spending habits, record expenses, transfer among accounts, and even do on-line banking. The account information can be shared or password protected. The program offers an easy to use interface that is straight forward and much easier to use than most commercial packages. Yet it offers everything you need to balance your personal bank account and keep track of where your money is going. The free version is limited to one bank account. Download : Click Here

Envisioneer Express - 3D home design software

Envisioneer Express enables you to easily create 3D home designs using a variety of drag and drop elements including walls, windows, stairs, home furnishings, kitchen appliances and many other home objects. You can create the initial design as 2D floor plan and the program will automatically render it in 3D, allowing you to do a virtual walkthrough in a fully rendered 3D environment. In addition to the rendered 3D view, the program also offers wireframe and outline views, and even a 3D Stereo Vision display, that you can view with standard 3D glasses. You can zoom, rotate and pan the display, change the camera angle and more. Envisioneer Express includes a library of common home design objects as well as a variety of building materials, including bricks, carpet, wallpapers, paints, fabrics and more that you can use to create your personal design. The program can also be used to display and review professional designs created with many popular design programs on the market including: Cadsoft Envisioneer, 3D Home Architect Series (versions 5-8), IMAGINiT Builder 3D, The Home Depot 3D Home Designer and others. Download : Click Here

Google Sketchup - Easy to use 3D modelling

Google Sketchup is an easy-to-use 3D modelling software that enables you to create 3D models of houses, buildings and many other objects, using an array of drag and drop tools and materials in a WYSIWYG editing environment. You can design your objects with rectangles, circles, ovals, arcs, lines and freehand drawings, and use a unique push/pull tool to add dimension to 2D objects. The program offers a library of building material patterns (brick, concrete, wood, glass, carpte etc.) and colors that you can use to add a realistic look to your creation. The finished design can be exported to popular image formats, including JPG, TIF, PNG and BMP, or shared via the Google 3D warehouse. Google Sketchup does not require any 3D experience, but you should read the supplied documentation and tutorials to make full use of the software - an interactive tutorial will explain the basic functionality for each selected tool. There is also a Pro version available, that offers export to 3D and raster formats. Download : Click Here

Pricepirates - ebay Price comparison tool

Pricepirates is a handy price comparison tool that enables you to compare prices for products between available eBay listings and offers in a variety of regular online stores via Shopping.com, as well as Amazon Marketplace. The program provides a very efficient way to find the best offers for what your looking, and also includes features to track and manage the results. It support for advanced eBay search options, item preview, personal watchlist, favorite searches, optional email notifications, price statistics and more. The tabbed interface allows you to easily switch between results. Pricepirates is compatible with US and international eBay sites. Download : Click Here

Buyertools Reminder - eBay bidding tool

Buyertools Reminder is an eBay bid manager and sniping tool that enables you to keep track of items you are interested in, and also place bids up to a few seconds before an auction ends, using the built-in auction sniper. It can remind you of closing auctions by sound popup window or text message alert to your cell phone. In addition, you can organize your auctions into custom groups, and automatically stop any auto-bids (for the group) if an item in the group has been won. This allows you to place bids on different auction, without risking to win the item more than once. Download : Click Here

Prospector Lite - Advanced eBay search tool

Prospector Lite is an advanced search tool and auction sniper for eBay, that makes it easy to track and find bargains that you are interested in. You can create detailed search queries, using keywords, exclusions, and other filters, even with support fro regular expressions. The searches can be saved and organized into custom categories, so that you can easily refer to them later, using the latest eBay results. Additional features include customizable results layout, automatic searches with email notification, built-in auction sniping and more. Note: The Lite version is limited to 30 searches a day, and 15 snipes a month, which should be plenty for most users. If you need more searches, you can upgrade to the Pro version.
Download : Click Here

UK Kalender - Calendar with ToDo and reminders

UK Kalender is a straightforward calendar and ToDo application with a solid set of features and an easy to use interface. It provides weekly, monthly and yearly views, and allows you to create simple or recurring reminders with optional alarm and custom color choice. Events can also be associated with a document, or launch a command. UK Kalender can optionally export selected calendar views to CSV or nicely formatted HTML (based on customizable templates). Additional features includes customizable snooze settings, custom event categories, hidden events, integrated backup and more. Download : Click Here

EverNote - All in one notes organizer

EverNote is an all-in-one notes organizer that enables you to keep track of notes, To-Do items, memos, sketches, website snippets and more. It integrates with Internet Explorer and Firefox, allowing you to add website excerpts, source code snippets and other items directly from your browser. You can choose to sort your notes into categories, password protect them, export them to XML and more. EverNote supports several notes templates, which allow you to add T-Do lists, Excel-like spread sheets for expenses (that automatically calculate a total), phone notes, contact information and shopping lists, in addition to regular text notes or handwritten notes (via mouse or pen tablet). The program supports HTML content, rich text and various image formats. A Pro version is available that adds synchronization via USB drives. Download : Click Here

Rainlendar Lite - Desktop calendar

Rainlendar Lite is a small and compact desktop calendar that comes with some powerful features under the hood. It integrates nicely with your desktop wallpaper and allows interactive access to selected dates, just click on a date to add an appointment or reminder. It also comes with a ToDo list that can optionally be displayed or maintained hidden. The calendar automatically supports one-time and recurring events and tasks with optional reminder alarms. It highlights dates that have appointments and you can quickly switch between months via keyboard shortcuts or your mouse wheel. Note: The new version replaces the old Rainlendar v 0.22.1 - it no longer offers Outlook integration, a Pro version is available that can synchronize with Outlook. Download : ClickHere

Stickies - Sticky notes for your desktop

Stickies is a virtual post-it notes program that allows you to place sticky notes on your desktop , that will remain where placed until closed, even across reboots. The appearance of the sticky notes can be customized (transparency supported on Win2k/XP) in color, font and other aspects. In addition, the notes can be sent across a networked and also synchronized with friends, imported/exported, sent by email and more. You can choose to hide or show all notes with a single click from the tray and also recover notes that have been deleted in the past. Stickies can be hidden (sent to sleep) for a certain period, or until a specified date and time, to act as a reminder. One of the best sticky note program you can find, it is small, well documented and comes with many useful features. Download : Click Here

EssentialPIM - Appointment and information manager

EssentialPIM is a visual appointment and information manager that allows you to organize your daily, weekly or monthly schedule. It includes an address book to manage your contacts, as well as tree-style notes manager with support for rich text notes. The address book supports pictures and lets you add/remove fields to customize it for your needs. The schedule provides a very convenient way to mark your appointments in different colors, and allows you to simply drag an appointment to reschedule it. EssentialPIM supports single and recurring events, priority settings, color coded categories, completion indicator and reminder alerts. In addition it can export to HTML, RTF and other formats, and supports password protection with strong encryption. A very nice and easy to use PIM, we quite surprised to find that is is free. Download : Click Here

Chaos Manager - Compact organizer with reminders

Chaos Manager is a compact organizer that includes an appointment/to-do manager, a calendar, contacts, a notebook, print/import/export and more. It can remind you of appointments via popup dialog, or optionally send email reminders to a specified email address - allowing you to get reminders, even if you are away from home. If you commute between 2 computer locations, you can use the built-in FTP synchronization feature to exchange and sync data with another install of Chaos Manager (e.g in your office). Additional features include password protection, customizable interface with many skins to choose from and more. As far as features, Chaos Manager is a mostly basic PIM, but the FTP sync features and email forwarding add some good features that may be more useful to some, than other advanced organizer features.
Download : Click Here

RGS-CardMaster - Phonebook and contacts manager

RGS-CardMaster is a personal phonebook and contacts manager that helps you keep track of all your addresses, phone numbers, fax, e-mail addresses and other contact information. It can interact with your phone dialer, fax software and email program and also print contact lists and address sheets. Other features include a detailed search option, export to CSV and MS Word mail merge document, integrated calendar, calculator and optional password protection. Download : Click Here

SimpleOCR - Convert scanned documents to text files

SimpleOCR enables you to convert scanned documents to text files or Word documents. You can simply insert a printed document into your scanner, and SimpleOCR will scan and analyze the text and present you with a spell checker view that allows you to correct incorrectly identified words or spelling mistakes. The result can then be saved to a text file or Word (.doc) document. The free version works with printed documents, and also includes a trial option for recognition of handwritten documents. Download : Click Here

PDF2HTML - Convert PDF to HTML

Pdftohtml is a command-line tool that translates .pdf documents into html format. It offers several parameters, including options to create output with or without using HTML frames,ignore or include images, translate internal pdf links and more. Download : Click Here

RTF Viewer - convert .RTF to read-only EXE

RTF Viewer is a commandline tool that allows to convert a .RTF document into a standalone, read-only executable with built-in viewer. The program is useful to distribute .RTF documents without allowing the user to modify them. It can for example be used with MS Access (after exporting to .rtf) and many other uses. Comandline parameters allow for automation of the conversion process.

Download : Click Here

Mobysaurus Thesaurus - Off-line English Thesaurus

Mobysaurus Thesaurus is an off-line English thesaurus that help you find related and synonymous words for your everyday speaking and writing purposes. It includes a database of over 30,000 root words and phrases and more than 2,500,000 synonyms, all of which can be cross-linked by simply clicking on a word. If you happen to run into a word that is not included in Mobysaurus, you can use the integrated online reference to look up synonyms on Wikipedia, Thesaurus.com, Dictionary.com, MSN Encarta, WordWeb Online and other sites. Other features include wildcard search, clipboard/print support, system wide hotkey, WordWeb integration and more. Download : Click Here

CatsCradle - Website translation aid and editor

CatsCradle is an aid for language translators that provides an easy way to translate web pages. While it does not do any translation, it extracts the text out of evey page and presents it in an easy to editable overview that allows you to translate the text portions without having to deal with any HTML code or other distractions. The built-in editing screen allows for side-by-side editing, as well as optional real-time browser preview of the translated page. Additional features include a built in glossary that can suggest appropriate words and phrases while you are translating, project file catalog with word count and more. CatsCradle can also handle .hhc and .hhk files for translating of .chm help files. And of course, you can also use the tool to edit text on any web page without translating edit, so it can a also handy tool for webmasters that need some quick no-code text editing. Download : Click Here

WordWeb - Dictionary lookup

Wordweb is a powerful free English thesaurus and dictionary. It comes with a local database of definitions, therefore it is very fast. In addition it offers to look up the word over the Internet if it is not found in the local database.

Download : Click Here

TheSage - English Dictionary and Thesaurus

TheSage is a complete dictionary and a multifaceted thesaurus of the English language. It runs locally, and does not use your Internet connection. The program offers a unique structured display, as well as wildcard search, anagram search and more. You can copy the entire lookup, or portions of it to the clipboard, switch between results using the tabbed interface, and customize the interface to your preference. Download : Click Here

VersionBackup (Free Edition) - Personal backup tool

VersionBackup is an easy-to-use backup software that allows you to maintain multiple versions of a backup set on your PC. It can archive the backup to a new folder every day, and optionally delete old backups after X days. VersionBackup uses incremental backup procedures, so only the files that have changed are included in the new backup set - this allows you to keep your disk space usage to a minimum. The program comes with a built-in scheduler, as well as a recovery wizard to restore all, or just selected files from the backup. A wizard interface can guide you through the creation of your backup sets. Good tool for set-it-and-forget-it backups of your important files. Pro version available with additional features. Download : Click Here

SpeedUsb2CdDvd - Backup your USB drive to CD or DVD

SpeedUsb2CdDvd is a standalone program that can be copied to your USB drive and enables you to quickly burn a backup of the USB drive content to a CD or DVD. The backups are stored as compressed and dated .zip files, allowing you to store multiple backups on the same media. You can also password protect your backups, or limit the backup to selected folders from the drive. SpeedUsb2CdDvd runs directly from your USB drive and does not require any additional CD/DVD burning software. Download : Click Here

DriveImage XML - Create a backup image of your drive

DriveImage XML enables you create a complete backup image of any logical drive or partition, allowing to to restore your entire operating system along with installed programs, user settings, registry and all. You can restore the image later to the same or a different drive, and also choose to copy the drive directly to another one. The program includes an image explorer that lets you open previously created backup images and extract individual files. DriveImage XML can use volume locking or Volume Shadow Services (VSS) to create the backup image from within Windows, without the need to reboot. The program stores your images in .dat files, using XML format, allowing you to process them with 3rd party applications. Download : Click Here

Cobian Backup - Backup tool

Cobian Backup is a small and simple utility to backup files and directories from some place in your computer to another place in the same computer or to a shared drive in another machine.You can set the program to automatically make a backup within regular intervals of time, for example daily, weekly etc. Cobian Backup offers additional support for PKzip compressions and can be run as a service under NT/2000/XP. Download : Click Here

MyPendrive - Backup your USB drive

MyPendrive is a simple backup tool that allows you to backup all the files from your USB drive to a folder on your PC. The program installs directly to the USB drive, from where it can autorun whenever the drive is inserted. It also offers a full autorun option that can be activate and allows to launch the MyPendrive GUI without user intervention. The program can also be used to easily change the drive label, and to explore the backup folder. Download : Click Here

Karen`s Once-A-Day - Run programs automatically each day

Karen`s Once-A-Day is an easy-to-use scheduling tool, that enables you to start a specific program, file or command-line whenever the computer starts for the first time of the day, or the first time a particular user logs on each day. You can have the program launch your browser with the daily news every morning, automatically open your email program, or perform any other tasks that you want to run on a daily (time independent) basis. Download : Click Here

nMacro Recorder - Record keyboard and mouse movements

nMacro Recorder allows you to record both keyboard and mouse actions and then save them as standalone executable (EXE) file. To playback the action, just double-click the executable. The program is very easy to use, just click the record button, and it will start recording your mouse and keyboard actions. You can optionally disable keyboard input during playback, and also password protect the macro. In order for the program to work properly, the icons, menus and dialogs that are used during recording must be exactly in the same position on the screen. Download : Click Here

MoveIt2 - Automatically move or upload files

MoveIt2 is a utility to automatically move files that are added to a specific folder. You can set filters based on the file name, rename files using regular expressions when moving them to the new destination, create directories based on the file name or date and check if the file already exists. The program can move files from/to local folders as well as FTP directories. MoveIt2 offers quite a few features that make the program very flexible and useful for a variety of file management tasks as well as file backups. It runs in the system tray and automatically monitors the selected folders for any additions that match your file moving rules. You can set up to 5 working threads, each with individual settings. Other features include detailed logging, support for subdirectory scanning, command-line options and more. This free Lite version is restricted to 5 MoveIt2 threads (moving rules), which should be sufficient for most users. Documentation is provided from the website. Download : Click Here

NexMander - Quick access to files and folders

NexMander is a handy toolbar that provides access to your Windows Start Menu, Control Panel, Desktop, open windows and favorite files or folders. The compact interface can be opened via keyboard hotkey or tray icon click and allows you to access the featured items without the need to access the Start menu or go through Windows Explorer. Download : Click Here

Unlimited Menus - Application launcher

Unlimited Menus allows you to launch your favorite folders, files and documents, as well as programs and system commands, using a simple menu that is accessible from the system tray. You can customize the list of items, and also maintain multiple menu lists, allowing you to switch between them as needed. Download : Click Here

Microsoft Warns of New Excel Vulnerability

Although Excel is the focus of the new critical vulnerability, according to Microsoft, other Office applications are potentially at risk. Microsoft stressed in a security advisory that attackers have no way of forcing users to visit a malicious Web site or open a malicious file, but the company did not indicate whether it would release an Excel patch prior to the February 13 round of updates.

Microsoft is investigating another zero-day vulnerability in its Office suite of productivity applications after confirming that a critical, unpatched flaw exists in Excel.
The flaw is called a "zero-day vulnerability" because there is no patch to fix it, which means that hackers can actively exploit it. While Microsoft's next scheduled round of Windows updates is next Tuesday, there is no word yet on whether a patch will be released at that time to fix the flaw.

Redmond is investigating a limited number of attacks designed to exploit the vulnerability in several versions of Office, including 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2004 for the Mac.

Excel Threat

In order for this attack to be carried out, according to a security advisory released by Microsoft, a user must first open a malicious Office file, which would typically arrive as an e-mailed attachment -- a common strategy among malware writers. If the attached file is opened, it would give the attacker the same user rights as the victim has.

The vulnerability also can be exploited through a Web-based attack. In this case, the attacker would host a Web site that contains an Office file designed to corrupt system memory and allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code on the targeted computer.

Although Excel is the focus of the vulnerability, other Office applications are potentially at risk, according to Redmond. And while Microsoft stressed in the advisory that attackers have no way of forcing users to visit a malicious Web site or open a malicious file, the company did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the possibility of issuing an Excel patch prior to the February 13 round of updates.

Some users are still waiting for patches for four other critical flaws in Microsoft Word, leaving that software open to attack on at least two fronts. Microsoft has noted that it is working on security updates for Office to address this string of vulnerabilities.

Vista Powered

Office users running productivity applications on Microsoft's new operating system, Windows Vista, could find extra protection because even users logged in as administrators still operate in limited-access mode. Indeed, for all the complaints about Vista's security alerts getting in the way of a smooth computing experience, analysts say the new operating system's enhanced security offers an improvement over Windows XP.

Directions on Microsoft analyst Michael Cherry compared negative user reaction toward Vista's hardened security to air travelers who complain about having to jump through security hoops at airports. When there is a terrorist threat, he said, people stop complaining about waiting in long lines. But when conditions calm, he added, they bark about having to take off their shoes and put them through the scanner.

"Everybody will complain about those user dialogs in Vista until there is an incident," Cherry said. "Then they will think it's wonderful. Security comes at a price."

VeriSign Plans $100M Internet Upgrade

VeriSign said the $100 million expansion, among other improvements, will increase its ability to process domain name system, or DNS, queries from 400 billion a day to more than 4 trillion a day. Those queries occur every time Internet users click on ".com" or ".net" Web sites or check e-mail and use applications that utilize those domain names.

VeriSign Inc., which manages the ".com" and ".net" domain names registry and ensures Internet users can reach those locations, said it will spend more than $100 million in a massive infrastructure upgrade to combat a new wave of computer attacks and manage a surge in online activity.

Industry experts said VeriSign's investment comes at a critical time for the computing world. They pointed to hackers' powerful attacks this week on the computers that manage global Internet traffic as evidence of the mounting threat from online criminals.

Stratton Sclavos, VeriSign's chief executive officer, was scheduled to announce the upgrade Thursday in San Francisco at a security conference sponsored by RSA Inc., the security division of EMC Corp.

Sclavos said it's the company's largest investment in infrastructure upgrades and technology development. The overall investment is slated to boost capacity tenfold by 2010.

Sclavos said VeriSign, which operates two of the 13 so-called "root" servers that manage global Internet traffic, has an obligation to stay ahead of increasingly insidious and widespread Internet attacks.

"We're seeing a lot more sophistication in these attacks," he said. "And they're not just targeting thousands of users -- they're targeting hundreds of thousands or millions of users."

The Mountain View-based company said the expansion will increase its ability to process domain name system, or DNS, queries from 400 billion a day to more than 4 trillion a day. Those queries occur every time Internet users click on ".com" or ".net" Web sites or check e-mail and use applications that utilize those domain names.

VeriSign said it currently processes 24 billion such interactions daily, and it is preparing for dramatically higher activity as more users get online worldwide and conduct more of their business and leisure on the Web.

The investment also will boost bandwidth on VeriSign's systems from more than 20 gigabits per second to more than 200 gigabits per second.

The company promises reduced bottlenecks and ramped-up speed from infrastructure that is more broadly distributed around the world.

But Sclavos said security is also a key element of the upgrade, including the strengthening of security provisions and engineering improvements to bolster the ability to identify and track security threats around the globe.

"This is good for the whole Internet infrastructure," Sclavos said. "If the Internet's infrastructure fails, hundreds of billions of dollars in commerce and communications will be at risk. We can't afford for that to happen."

Will Stofega, a research manager with market researcher IDC, said the attacks this week that overwhelmed at least three of the 13 root servers highlight the growing threat posed by online criminals.

He said the last major round of large upgrades occurred during the dot-com boom and that VeriSign's investment could prod other companies into following suit.

"This is a very timely investment," Stofega said. "In a couple of years, we're going to start seeing some very, very serious types of attacks. If we don't start making these types of investments now, we're in trouble."

Folder Guide - Access folders from the right-click menu

Folder Guide is a handy shell extension that allows you to quickly access a list of your favorite folders from the Explorer right-click menu. You can easily switch to a folder from within Windows Explorer, the Open/Save dialogs of applications, or directly from your desktop or the Start button. New folders can simply be added to the list via the right-click menu, or from the Settings dialog. Folder Guide also includes an option to launch folders in Explore mode when they are opened directly from your desktop or Start button right-click menu.
Download : Click Here

Responding Heads - Control your PC via voice commands

Responding Heads enables you to launch programs, commands and actions via voice commands spoken into your PC microphone. The program uses the MS Speech recognition engine and is very easy to configure. It places a small animated head on your desktop that confirms that spoken commands and adds some animation to the process (this can be turned off). Responding Heads supports program launching, e.g say `Open Mail` to run Outlook Express, as well as several system and keyboard commands, text-to-speech conversion, and even typing of pre-configured keystrokes. Responding Heads is very easy to set up, and worked well during our review. Download : Click Here

SideSlide - Customizable launchpad

SideSlide enables you to create a custom launchpad for programs, documents and folders, using a mini-desktop that hides on the edge of your screen until you activate it with your mouse. In addition to shortcuts the program also offers reminders (with alarm) and sticky notes as well as clipboard capture. You simply drag shortcuts into the workspace, create containers to organize your content and completely customize the appearance with background images and colors. The containers and notes can be arranged in layers, shrunk/expanded and moved around freely by means of drag and drop. Other features include support for Launch Groups that allow you to start multiple programs at once, zooming in and out of shortcuts, image display and more.
Download : Click Here

Juice - Podcast receiver

Juice (formerly iPodder) allows you to automatically download and organize audio content from various online sources. The Podcast system works similar to RSS feeds, only that it downloads audio files (mp3), that are provided by various Internet radio stations and other channels. Juice includes a content archive that you can choose from to get started, and you can also add your custom URLs to download your favorite shows. The program can automatically check for new content and download it for you without further interaction. It integrates with iTunes and downloaded shows are automatically added to your iTunes library. Download : Click Here

BlogBridge - RSS feed reader

BlogBridge is a Java based RSS reader than finds blog items based on keyword input and category topic. You can also subscribe to any RSS feed by adding the URL to the list. The program offers an attractive and easy-to-use interface with personal star ratings, weekly status display and collapsible article headlines. It includes some unique features like the option to generate a SmartFeed based on specific keywords, which can be aggregated from your own feeds or various online resources. BlogBridge supports feed specific display settings and themes, feed collections (guides), OPML import, as well as custom feed tags, which can optionally be shared with others. The program also integrates with an optional online service that lets you access your feeds from any browser over the Internet. Download : Click Here

Ziepod - Podcast receiver and player

Ziepod is a podcast receiver and player, that allows you to organize your favorite podcasts, monitor them for changes, download the latest episodes and export them to your MP3 player. It integrates a podcast search feature (powered by Feedzie) that lets you find new podcasts and add them to your repertoire. Ziepod offers a modern interface with different layout styles and integrated playback to listen to your podcasts. Additional features include iPod/iTunes support, BitTorrent support, user ratings, OPML import, automatic synchronization, popup notifications on updates and more. Download : Click Here

GreatNews - RSS feed reader

GreatNews is a RSS feed reader that optimized for fast and efficient reading of your favorite web feeds. It offers different view styles, including a newspaper view, that allows you to read a group of feeds organized arranged in newspaper-style page layout without having to click through individual feed items. The program supports custom labels, email and blog integration as well as custom keyword alerts (news watches) that let you automatically find articles of interest and have them available in a special category. Other features include import/export feeds from/to OPML and XML files, automatic cleanup of old items, browser integration with popup blocking and more. GreatNews is small, fast and very efficient - it does not require an installation, just unzip and run. Download : Click Here