Try Organizing Your Images with Pixa Beta

Photographers and digital artists alike always try to keep their images organized neatly. If you’re a designer, this is typically vital to doing your job as well. There are a bunch of different ways to organize these files on your Mac, from Adobe’s Bridge (included with Photoshop and other software) to iPhoto, Apple’s default solution for OS X. I’ve never been a keen user of either of these because the former is too complex in areas and the latter can often dawdle here and there.

To find an app that would suffice for my needs, I took to Google and have been looking around for a few months in vain. A few weeks back, however, a friend recommended Shiny Frog’s Pixa, a new beta app that’s in constant development. The promise is to help you organize images “the easy way”, but does Pixa live up to it? Let’s find out.
Continue Reading

GIMP: A Robust Freeware Image Editor

When it comes to image editors, Adobe Photoshop remains the gold standard for professionals. But for students, the amateur, or anyone starting their career, the $700 price tag (or even ~$200 with a student discount) is likely prohibitive. There are cheaper apps available, such as Acorn and Pixelmator, but they offer far fewer features.

Luckily, there’s GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) a completely free and open source image editor that nearly matches Photoshop’s versatility. It’s long been available on the Mac if you had X11 installed, but never looked the part of a high quality Mac app. That’s all changed with the latest 2.8.2 release of Gimp, which shipped as a fully native Mac app. That’s what prompted us to take a closer look at the most popular Photoshop alternate.
Continue Reading

Retinizer: Retinize Non-Retina Apps

There’s always a downside to being an early adopter when it comes to computers. If you, like me, jumped on the MacBook Pro with Retina Display bandwagon already, you’ll notice that there are a considerable amount of apps that aren’t compatible with the beautiful new Retina display.

Retinizer is a completely unsupported way to bring crisp text to some non-Retina applications until developers take the time to upgrade their apps. In this quick review we’ll take a look at Retinizer, and how well it performs with popular applications.
Continue Reading

Become Your Own Magazine Publisher with Zeen

With the advent of the tablet, specifically the iPad, book and magazine publishing has gotten a lot more attention than they thought they would ever get. Gone are the days of just publishing your book for print and selling millions of hard back copies to make the New York Times bestseller list. You have to also think about publishing for ebooks and for some, targeting devices like the iPad or another tablet. The same goes for magazines, more and more I am seeing them being tailored to the tablet or the web because frankly, that is where the audience is at or heading toward.

The same can be said for content creation as well, it is moving toward creating for not only a hard back, but also for the web and other devices. But, what is also pretty cool is that content creation is becoming easier for the average Joe to get his/her hands on and come up with something pretty decent. Zeen, is one of those services that make this possible for people like you and I to create something beautiful on the web, and then be able to share it out with the world in a way that looks presentable. It is one of those apps that if you are willing to be a little creative, it has a lot of potential to be a useful tool.
Continue Reading

Wiggio: Group Collaboration Made Simple

Are you a multitasker and are you currently a part of several groups? Are you frustrated by the countless amount of time and effort spent in reading group emails, Facebook group updates, phone calls, and text messages? Do you want a solution to ease your frustration and facilitate better group collaboration?

That was what the folks at Cornell University thought. So they sat down, dumped all their thoughts, time and technical expertise into a magic pot, said “abracadabra”, and out came Wiggio. Or so it seams. Wiggo is an easy to use, full-fledged web solution for group collaboration, one that just might be what you need to make your team collaboration really work without overwhelming everyone.
Continue Reading

Turn Any Article Into a mp3 with SoundGecko

The Internet has made it possible for anyone to become a writer with the click of a button. Naturally, the number of quality articles have increased, which are more easily discovered by curators such as LongForm, Kottke, TheBrowser, and more. Invariably, it means that you won’t have enough time to read everything that catches your fancy. So here’s an idea: why not listen to it on your commute?

A new web app called SoundGecko makes the process super-simple by converting any article you want into an MP3 file, using text-to-speech technology. The audio files are sent to your email inbox and can be synced with your Google Drive or Dropbox. There’s also the option of listening to your files in the form of a podcast from any device. Let’s get started.
Continue Reading

Simple.com – A New Way To Bank

I hate dealing with banks. In a world where currency has more meaning on screen than it does in hand, you would think that banks would be getting better and not worse. The best bank is typically the one you never have to deal with. I generally have to mentally prepare myself for a few days before I call a bank as I know it is going to raise my blood pressure a few points.

Simple.com aims to change that. They believe that well designed web and mobile applications can improve the overall banking experience. In keeping it simple and beautiful, they believe they can make banking a positive experience.

So far, it’s working
Continue Reading

Use Branch To Creatively Engage the Web

As the web continues to get better and better, something that I take for granted a lot of the time is the amount of information that is on it. It continues to amaze me at how I can type in a random question or phrase and usually always find an answer very quickly and easily. Add on top of that the increase in blogging and how easy it is for someone to set one up, you will soon have an internet with an almost infinite wealth of knowledge.

But, what about those times where you want to ask a specific question to people, and you want to gather information and opinions in somewhat real time? Yes, a Google search can help with that, but it doesn’t always get the job done. Enter in a web app called Branch, where you can ask questions in real time and get answers from the millions of people around the world. I have been able to test it out over the past week or so, and I have learned some interesting things about it and how it works.
Continue Reading

enThread: This Online Image Editor Caters For Your Basic Needs

Online apps are nothing new, but the range of different web based applications that are available and the level of complexity they offer means that the current crop of tools can be virtual indistinguishable from their desktop counterparts.

Using an online image editor does not mean having to make compromises – you can even use a web-based version of Photoshop. There are plenty of editors to choose from, just as in the offline arena, and enThread is just one that is vying for your attention. Let’s see if it’s the one you should be using.
Continue Reading

Jumpshare: Sharing Files Just Got Even Simpler

We often joke at AppStorm that the majority of web apps are project management apps, but there’s one other category that seems to have more than its share of contenders: file sharing apps. From beautifully simple apps like Droplr and CloudApp, to file sync-and-share services like Dropbox and Box.net, to apps for selling files online, to Bittorrent and the hordes of semi-shady services for sharing, um, very large files, the web’s truly full of file sharing services.

That’s sensible, seeing as we all need an easy way to share our digital creations online, but one has to wonder if there could possibly be any more innovation in this space. After all, there’s many very simple file sharing apps that are beaufiully designed. What more could one ask for?

How about instant uploads, in-browser previewing of 150+ filetypes, and a way to share sets of files without signing up for an account? Would that spark your interest? If so, Jumpshare might be the file sharing app you’ve been waiting for.
Continue Reading

Prismatic: Read About What You’re Interested In

As a writer for the App Storm network as well as a tech fanatic, I am constantly keeping up on all the tech news around the world. For the longest time, Google Reader was one of the easiest and best ways to consume news on the net. But as time has gone on, there have been other apps out there that have gained traction on it and have also incorporated Google Reader into their own app. One of the that comes to mind is Flipboard, who has added their own twist to consuming news while incorporating Google Reader feeds into their app as well, instead of trying to fight Google’s dominance directly.

Then, another major trend is that Facebook and Twitter have become popular ways to consume tech news. There are some developers out there that have recognized this and have come out with some great apps. One of them, called Prismatic, has done this well, enough that I took it for a test drive for a few days and came away impressed. Can it replace your Google Reader feed? Well, I guess you are just going to have to read on and find out.
Continue Reading

Choose How the World Sees You With Vizify

I don’t know about you, but since the dawn of social networking sites, I’ve managed to put a great deal of information about myself on the web. I have posted status updates on Facebook, tweeted, shared my location on FourSquare, instagrammed photos, pinned art to Pinterest, put my resume on LinkedIn and so much more. To sum up, I’ve generally managed to probably overshare a great deal of my life, and now that information is there and waiting for the next time someone searches my name.

With this tendency towards oversharing having become the norm, a growing number of sites are popping up which allow us to create and protect our overall online presence or “brand.” Vizify is a relatively new (still in public beta) site which allows you to create an interactive and visually appealing infographic landing page. The site connects with the social networks of your choosing in order to summarize and showcase the best of your (appropriate) online presence. Stay with me after the jump to learn more about this exciting new service and what I think about using it.
Continue Reading

Save Your Favorite Quotes with Findings

Social bookmarking is still quite popular, even as Delicious and other original bookmarking sites struggle to find their way. There are sites dedicated to bookmarking images, videos, items on your wishlist, and even good old fashioned websites. One thing you don’t typically see being bookmarked is text. We read and share articles on social networks all the time, but sharing special quotes from online articles isn’t something that is typically seen.

Findings is a new social bookmarking site that hopes to change this fact. With Findings, you’re able to highlight, save, and share all of your favorite quotes from whatever you happen to be reading online. After you bookmark a quote, it shows up in the Findings feed where other users can check it out, comment, and add the quote to their personal collections. Keep reading after the jump to learn more about how Findings works and what I thought about it.
Continue Reading

Turn Ideas Into Actions With Catch Notes

It was a great day when app developers started wising up to the fact that sometimes taking notes involves more than just text. Now there’s a whole slew of apps designed to let you incorporate photos, voice memos, URLs and more into your notes. Well, here’s another: Catch Notes.

Catch Notes lets you capture ideas and other stuff you come across so you can organize all your thoughts and never forget a thing. You can break big tasks down into more manageable checklists, share to-do’s with your contacts, and set reminders for yourself. See how Catch Notes stacks up after the jump.
Continue Reading

Prismatic Helps You Discover News Easier

Finding genuinely interesting content on the Internet has become a chore. There’s a lot of rubbish out there that no one cares to read, then there’s the quality stuff that comes in short supply. Most people like to read The New York Times or another major publication like The Wall Street Journal regularly, relying on the same journalists all the time. If you’re like me, however, it’s nice to find something new for your reading list. One writer can always sound the same and that’s not always preferable.

Today I’m going to take a look at Prismatic, a very promising content discovery service that’s available on the Web and as a iPhone app. Join me.
Continue Reading

Lift: Helping You Reach Your Goals

When you want to make a change in your life, it can be hard to know where to start. Even once you’re on the right path, it’s easy to let go of your goals and fall into the same bad habits.

The developers of Lift, a new goal-tracking app, want to make it a little easier to switch to those good habits and keep them for the long term. With props from fellow users and handy tracking features, Lift may help you actually complete your goals and keep you on target for the long haul.
Continue Reading

Amateur Surgeon 2: Gory Fun

The people at Adult Swim aren’t right in the head. Sure, their nighttime lineup for Cartoon Network is pretty sweet, but the games they make for the iOS platform are just nutty. Should I be surprised to discover that Amateur Surgeon 2 makes me feel a bit uncomfortable?

Yes, it’s a lot of fun to play, and sure, it’s quick and fast paced. But at what cost? Will you come out of the game having lost a little bit of your decency and maybe even your sanity? Join me as I see how deep down the rabbit hole we can go.
Continue Reading

YouTube Returns to the iPhone

Just over a month ago, the Apple community learned that iOS 6, set to release tomorrow, would not include an integrated YouTube app. Google’s video streaming service has been available on the platform since its inception in 2007, but Apple’s agreement with the search engine was going to expire so it was up to Google to make its own app for the many iPhone users out there.

On September 11th, Google released a free native YouTube app for the iPhone; the iPad version was said to arrive “in the coming months.” Regardless of tablet support, Google’s official app boasts usability, a better video selection, beauty and simplicity. The search engine giant has the potential to make a great app for the iPhone, but does it live up to this promise?
Continue Reading

Share Your Location With Twist

Our lives can get so busy at times. We need to take one of the kids to soccer practice, the other one needs to go to ballet, then the whole family needs to meet for dinner afterwards and it is crucial that you are all on time. Between my wife and I, we can try and text or call each other to stay in touch to make sure we arrive on time or to see where the other one is, but that can take up a lot of time, and to do this on the road is definitely not safe.

Now there is an alternative that can help, with an app named Twist. It gives you the opportunity to let someone know where you are and how long it will take to reach your destination without having to risk texting while you are driving. If this sounds intriguing, then follow along after the jump.
Continue Reading

Wanelo is Your Next Shopping Addiction

What do you want, need, love? Wanelo can tell you. (Want, Need, Love — get it?) Kind of like Pinterest for shopping, this app lets you browse items other users have found and deemed cool enough to post. But instead of being limited to just oohing and aahing over what they’ve discovered, you can buy the items, too!

Browse, shop, buy or save items for later, plus connect with other users and maybe even start your own Wanelo following. Hit the jump and I’ll show you how it works.
Continue Reading

AnyList: A Better Way to Create Grocery Shopping Lists

I don’t know about you, but I’m not a fan of grocery shopping. It’s tedious, you have to deal with people blocking your way in nearly every aisle, and it’s just a hassle, plain and simple. Unfortunately, it’s a necessary part of life (like laundry or dishes), so if there’s anything that can make this otherwise unenjoyable experience better, I’m willing to give it a go.

The simplest method to maintain your sanity, as well as reduce overspending, while grocery shopping is done by creating a list of items to buy. If you remember correctly I’m a big fan of ListBook, which works well for creating grocery lists. But as an app connoisseur of sorts, I’m always on the lookout for something better. In this particular instance, AnyList by Purple Cover, Inc. sets the standard for grocery shopping list apps. Find out why after the jump.
Continue Reading

Keri Racing Serves Up Pet Raising, Racing, Farming and More

Social network games have become extremely popular in part due to their simplicity. For the same reason, however, some fans grow bored after a period of infatuation.

Keri Racing, named for the ability to race fantastical feathered “keris,” plans to turn that trend on its head by providing plenty of variety in exchange for long-term loyalty. If you’re nostalgic for the good old days when your favorite SNG wasn’t just a grind, Keri Racing might just be the cure you’re looking for.
Continue Reading

Frisbee Forever 2: The Extreme Ultimate Frisbee Game

When it comes down to simply fun iOS apps, there are a few developers that just hit it perfectly. One of these developers that we rely on is Kiloo. They have never failed to impress with games like Frisbee Forever or Subway Surfers. With their newest app, Frisbee Forever 2, we are glad to say that Kiloo has done a marvelous job. Was it good enough to oust the original Frisbee Forever from its glory? Or will it live in its older brother’s shadow for the rest of its life? Find out after the break.
Continue Reading

WP Politics: Informed Voting Made Easy

If you are in the United States, then you know that the presidential election is just around the corner. Maybe your mind is already made up on who is receiving your vote this election, but how do you keep up with the current election news? Do you view content from multiple sources to keep a broad perspective or do you just rely on one source?

WP Politics aims bring together several different perspectives into one central politically infused app. This can be useful to stay on top of all the political news, or even help make up the mind of voters who are unsure of their presidential vote. Cast your ballot after the jump.
Continue Reading

Be Amazing With Thor: Son of Asgard

Chances are pretty good that you’ve seen at least one of the more recent Marvel movies — Iron Man, Captain America, The Avengers — but out of all of those, one of the least likely to catch on was Thor, because hey, who’s really into Norse gods? Turns out that Thor ain’t that bad a guy; in fact, he’s pretty cool.

When it comes to playing Thor on the iPad in Thor: Son of Asgard, you get a little bit of the awesome part of the character, and a lot of the parts that you’re not sure are very cool. Lost yet? Don’t worry, let’s go to Asgard and figure out what makes the Odinson tick.
Continue Reading

Amateur Surgeon 2: Gory Fun

The people at Adult Swim aren’t right in the head. Sure, their nighttime lineup for Cartoon Network is pretty sweet, but the games they make for the iOS platform are just nutty. Should I be surprised to discover that Amateur Surgeon 2 makes me feel a bit uncomfortable?

Yes, it’s a lot of fun to play, and sure, it’s quick and fast paced. But at what cost? Will you come out of the game having lost a little bit of your decency and maybe even your sanity? Join me as I see how deep down the rabbit hole we can go.
Continue Reading

graBLOX: A Charming Block-Grabbing Puzzler

Puzzle games are a dime a dozen on Android, but few are as good as graBLOX, an endearing and fun free title by MobilityWare. With a clever concept, challenging levels, and charming presentation, the game’s only major shortcoming is that it ends too soon — although new levels are on the way…
Continue Reading

Slices by OneLouder Cuts Through Twitter Noise

Slices is yet another Twitter app for Android but, before your eyes glaze over and roll into the back of your head, it’s one that deserves a second look. Developed by OneLouder, Slices builds on their expertise in UI design while bringing several new features to the table.

Besides giving you the basics that you’d expect to find in any other Twitter app, it dices up your Twitter stream and helps you cut through the noise to get at what you really want. It also provides an easy way to discover live events and new topics on Twitter.
Continue Reading

Deci Uses Crowdsourcing to Help You Make Decisions

Whether you are an indecisive person, or someone who is very forthright in expressing what you would like to do, or how you think things should be done, there are times when it makes sense to gauge opinion and get input from other people.

From deciding where you should go for dinner, to choosing between two different holiday destinations, Deci is a free app for Android users that makes it easy to canvass opinion and hold a quick poll.
Continue Reading

GetGlue: A Content Recommendation Powerhouse

I’m a movie and TV show fanatic. I could sit on my couch all day long and watch one show after another. In fact, I do that whenever I get a chance. For a couch potato, the problem these days isn’t the availability of content, on the contrary, there’s an abundance of scripted and original material. The problem arises when I try to find a new show or movie to watch. Discoverability is so broken, that valuable time is wasted searching for new content. Recommendations are confined to lists, which are very Web 1.0 and don’t take into account my personal taste and interests.

Enter GetGlue who have been hard at work for a few years now, trying to recommend entertainment based on what users already like and dislike. After doing a commendable job with their web and iOS apps, GetGlue brought their expertise in suggestions and check-ins to Android users.
Continue Reading

Easily Navigate The Taskbar With 7 Taskbar Numberer

You may not be aware that you are able to jump between open programs and windows in Windows 7 by pressing the Windows key and a number – for example, press the Windows key and 2 and you’ll launch the program that appears second in the taskbar.

This is an interesting and useful alternative to Alt-Tabbing between windows or manually clicking icons in the taskbar. 7 Taskbar Numberer is a free tool that makes things easier by letting you know which number you need to press to activate a particular icon.
Continue Reading

Whip Your Clipboard into Shape with ShapeShifter

The clipboard might be the most useful thing we take for granted in our computers. The ability to take something in one program and insert it somewhere else using the same process whether dealing with text, an image, or a file makes editing and creating so much easier. The common area means that you don’t have to worry about if two programs know how to talk to each other, they both only have to know how to talk to the clipboard.

The biggest drawback to the traditional Windows clipboard is that it can only hold one item at a time. When you cut or copy an item into the clipboard, anything already there is now lost. Much of the time this works well. If you’re only copying or pasting a line of text from one document to another document or another place in the same document, you only need to hold one item. Otherwise, it tends to become a problem. Surely, there must be a way around this!
Continue Reading

Record Internet Radio With Radio Maximus

Caught somewhere between the melee of traditional radio and online music piracy lies Internet radio. There’s such a broad spectrum of radio stations now operating online from small hobby DJs broadcasting only a few hours a week to commercial operations live 24 hours a day.

Unfortunately, the entertainment industry has lurched towards ‘On Demand’ over the past few years. Paid services such as Netflix and widespread torrenting has left what could have been Generation Z’s version of old school pirate radio lying by the wayside.

However, Internet radio lives on. It is particularly prevalent among niche interests and alternative music scenes which simply aren’t covered by commercial organisations. Thousands of stations broadcast on their own dedicated websites and streaming services – often converting live shows into podcasts for those who forgot to tune in.

Radio Maximus is a new piece of Windows Software that offers a more powerful listening experience as well as tools to find, organise and store Internet radio stations and podcasts. There are dozens of competitors so I was interested to see what Radio Maximus could do differently – and what it could do better.
Continue Reading

Resophnotes: A Bare-Bones Note Taking App

There are a lot of note taking applications to choose from, all with their own features, workflows, interfaces and what not. There are notes apps that stores pictures along with notes, attach videos and provide enough formatting options that they might as well be full-fledged word processors.

Is Resophnotes the definite note taking app? Let’s find out!
Continue Reading

Keep Your Documents in Sync With FreeFileSync

You hear a lot about file synchronization tools, but why might you want to sync your files? There are many reasons, but two are particularly useful – backing up files and making it easier to move files between computers using a removable UBS drive.

Manually syncing files can be a nightmare, especially if you are working on more than one computer. FreeFileSync does all of the hard work for you, so you can quickly compare the contents of two folders and copy files in either direction to ensure they are identical.
Continue Reading

Test Drive Linux With Ease With LinuxLive USB Creator

Despite its prevalence in the marketplace, Windows is far from being the only operating system that can be installed on your PC. Unless you fancy going down the route of creating your own Hackintosh, running OS X may well be out of the question, but there is an alternative available in the form of Linux.

The friendly face of the Unix operating system, Linux, is an operating system that many people will have heard of, but only a relatively small number of Windows users have gone as far as partitioning their hard drive and setting up a dual-boot system. LinuxLive USB Creator is an amazing free tool that can help, guiding you through every step of finding a distro to use, downloading it, and then creating a live CD or USB drive so you can try out the OS without the need for installation.
Continue Reading

Ginger: An Invaluable Tool For Writers

As a writer I’m always looking for tools to help make my job easier. Grammar and spelling mistakes are obviously one of the most embarrassing experiences for any writer. And even the best of us make mistakes sometimes. These normally come as accidental and can lead to work not being accepted. After being annoyed by this for months I decided I needed a utility to assist me.

That’s when I found Ginger, a free and easy to use grammar checker. Though, when I first found Ginger I was skeptical, because most of these pieces of software require payment and are difficult to use. However, this seemed like the perfect tool for me, and probably you too! Read on to find out more!
Continue Reading

7stacks: Organise Your Folders Easier!

Everyone’s folders are cramped full to the brim and often finding files can be a major struggle. Recently though, I found a developer which had decided he needed a change. So, he decided to design a program called 7stacks.This app makes your folders easier to view and more aesthetically pleasing.

Don’t be swayed straight away though! 7stacks is available for Vista and XP too. Read on to find out more!
Continue Reading

Extending Windows Explorer with TabExplorer

Windows Explorer does a basic job for Windows pretty well. But when using it, you can’t feel but that it’s a bit under featured. In the common situation where I’m working with more than one folder at the same time, I have to manage a separate Explorer window for each folder. That was once the normal state for applications, but lately application designers have begun bundling similar tasks into a single window.

Multi-document interfaces date back to the early days of Windows, but became very popular when adopted by many popular web browsers several years ago. The native Windows Explorer application hasn’t followed this pattern so for actions such as dragging files from one folder to another you must keep separate windows open. Will TabExplorer improve your computing experience? Let’s find out!
Continue Reading

MediaRover: Sync And Share Your iTunes Library

Anyone who owns an iPhone, iPad or iPod will have battled with iTunes. It is a piece of software that is unlikely to feature in many people’s top ten but it’s something that pretty much goes hand in hand with owning an iOS device.

If you live in a house where several people listen to music from iTunes, it makes sense to create a centralized library so that everyone can access the music they want without having to worry about which computer they are using. This is exactly what MediaRover enables you to do.
Continue Reading

VirtualBox: The Easiest Way To Run Multiple OSes

Virtualization used to be the domain of system administrator, hardcore geeks and specialized industries, but nowadays it is a far more common practice. While software that could be used to run virtual copies of an operating system used to costs hundreds, there are now plenty of tools available that let you do the job free of charge.

There are plenty of reasons why you might want to create a virtual machine, but for the average user there are three that dominate: a desire to try out another operating system without the need to configure a multi-boot system, a need to run an older version of Windows for the sake of compatibility with older software, or the need to create a sandboxed environment in which to try out software without putting the main operating system at risk.
Continue Reading

Simplify Online Radio With Streamwriter

Imagine you are listening to streaming music online and a song comes on that you wish to save to your computer? Unfortunately, most of the online streaming players do not have an option to record streaming music to your PC. I had the same problem, listening to online radio and desperately searching in Google to download a nice song that I just heard. But StreamWriter brought an end to this.

StreamWriter is a good app for listening to streaming audio, categorizing them and recording them when you wish.
Continue Reading

Tweetro: A Slick Twitter Client for Windows 8

If there’s one thing we can certainly rely on with the upcoming release of Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system, it’s the spate of fresh-looking apps we’ll be seeing on the marketplace. You may remember the popular MetroTwit app from last year that has slowly been churning out updates to it’s fresh new look. Now that we’re closing in on the release of Windows 8, it’s time to shape up and get stuck in to the Windows Store, and soak up the delights of all the new apps that will be piling in.
The MetroTwit team is hard at work on their Windows 8 version of it’s snazzy Twitter app, but there’s always room for different approaches to the Twitter environment in the land of Windows 8′s new interface. That’s where the Lazy Worm Apps team comes in.
Continue Reading

Puran Utilities: Your All-In-One PC Maintenance Toolkit

A computer is unlike most other pieces of electronics you may have around your home. Once you’ve have your TV set up, you don’t expect to have to look after it much beyond giving it a wipe down every now and then, and the same is true of your radio, refrigerator and countless other household goods. Your computer, however, is more like your car – it needs regular, on-going attention to ensure that it continues to run smoothly.

Left unmaintained for too long, your PC will start to slow to a crawl, boot times may dramatically increase and all manner of other problems can star to creep in. Windows includes a number of tools that can be used to ensure the health and performance of your system, but Puran Utilities is a collection of tools that can help you to maintain any version of Windows without the need to hunt high and low for different utilities.
Continue Reading

An Even Better Command Line with ConEmu

I’m a fan of the command line. For many things there’s just no faster way to get things done on my computer. I previously looked at Console, a terminal emulator for Windows that makes the command line experience better by adding tabs among other extensions.

Shortly after that article was published I became aware of another terminal emulator called ConEmu. After using both I’ve largely moved to ConEmu. Why? Let’s look at ConEmu and why it’s become my new favorite.
Continue Reading