Downloads

Downloads and Software

- Below is a compiled list of great applications everyone should check out. Whether your an avid computer user or not, you will undoubtedly find value and use in each of them.

firefox-logoFirefox

- A great alternative to Internet Explorer, with enhanced functions like tabbed browsing, session restore (brings back all your opened websites if the browser is closed or crashes), and hundreds of plug-ins that really make it more valuable.

Firefox Plug-ins – Install these plug-ins with Firefox to enhance your browsing experience.

  • Xmarks – A MUST for any user. Allows you to backup your bookmarks and saved passwords to a secure server that you can sync to all your other computers/laptops. If you bookmark something on your desktop, it will sync to your laptop as well.
  • Tree Style Tabs – Moves your tab bar to the side of the browser and allows you to organize tabs in a tree format. Useful if you often use many tabs and want more control over them.
  • Download Statusbar – Replaces the clunky built in download windows. View and manage downloads from a small statusbar on the bottom of your browser.
  • PDF Download – Adds additional options to open a PDF from the web, also allows saving web pages as PDF’s.
  • IE Tab – Embeds an Internet Explorer window inside Firefox, allows one click switching. Useful for developers to see how a page looks in either browsers, also useful for viewing sites that only work with Internet Explorer.
  • StumbleUpon – StumbleUpon is a great service that allows you to discover new and interesting websites on the internet with the click of a button. You can find a lot of interesting things through “stumbling” that you may never have found otherwise (you might not even know it existed, let alone searched for it).
  • Google Toolbar – Enhance your searching experience using Google’s toolbar. Allows you to search easier, offers advanced functions like highlighting search items, translating, and more. If you use Gmail, it enables a feature to automatically bring up Gmail when clicking on mailto links instead of Outlook.
  • Cooliris – A visually unique way to look at pictures on the web. Displays pictures on a 3D wall that you can pan and focus on. One of the best ways to browse and view photos.
skype-logoSkype

- In short, Skype is a powerful phone for your computer. Use it to place free voice or video calls over the internet to your friends, family or business contacts. It also can serve as a landline phone to make and receive calls to other landlines and cellulars for lower costs than any normal phone would be.

Skype offers several interesting and useful functions that you may not expect. As a student I use it to video chat with my friends and family that I don’t get to see often as it offers a  great way to see each other and interact.

It can also serve as an intercom system within your own house or small business. Instead of emailing, chatting or walking over to someone you need to talk to, you can simply call them on Skype to quickly talk to them, for free no less. You already have the infrastructure set up to use it anyway (your computer and an internet connection), so it provides a virtually free and low setup communications network.

A great example of using Skype was during a meeting for an Entrepreneurship club I am part of. A CEO of a company was scheduled to come down and speak to us at our meeting but had to cancel last minute. Using Skype, we were able to hook a laptop up to a projector and have a video chat with the CEO from his office across the country, allowing him to still speak to us even though he was away.

evernote-logoEvernote

- Evernote is a simple word document application that allows you to create notes and sync them to a server. I stumbled randomly onto Evernote one day, and have been using it ever since as my primary note taking application. It’s not as powerful as Microsoft’s Word or other applications in terms of formatting, but that’s not where it excels. It’s primary use is to quickly jot down ideas, notes, pictures, whatever you want and store them online in a database. Using the software on a variety of different interfaces such as my desktop, laptop, iPhone, or even through a web browser on any computer, I can access the notes I have written anywhere at any time. Additionally you can search for a particular note akin to using a search engine and it will pull up the relevant documents.

A problem I used to have was writing down ideas, notes, papers, in a bunch of different areas. Whether it be in Word on my desktop, or Word on my laptop, or on a piece of paper in class, or a napkin at dinner after having a brilliant idea. I had no way of easily putting all of these documents into one central area (short of transferring files and re-writing things on one computer). A lot of times I would simply never write something down because I knew it would be a hassle to re-write again on another computer. Now with Evernote I don’t have that problem anymore, as I can jot things down immediately wherever I am on any of my devices and come back to them later on another device.