Great, Free Software

Voila Media Group

January 10, 2011 0 Comment

Whether you’re a PC or Mac user, there is a wealth of free software available on the web at your disposal.

This week I’d like to highlight some of my favorites:
*Note: These are all third-party tools. Install at your own risk!!*

Skype – www.skype.com
Most people have heard of Skype, but for those of you that haven’t, it is a free video calling service that let’s you call anyone in the world from your computer, for free! It also includes conference calling (no video on those though, sorry), instant messaging, and Skype-to-phone calling. Skype-to-phone calling does come at a per minute cost, but is relatively affordable especially for international calls.

Skype is especially dear to my heart because I used it for 3 years (!) to talk to my now fiancé while he was living in Ireland. We basically had our relationship over Skype (besides the week or so every 6 months that we got to see each other in person). Now that he’s in the US, we still use Skype every week to keep in touch with his family back in Ireland!

Open Office – www.openoffice.org
Need Microsoft office, but don’t want to pay the crazy high prices? Check out Open Office! It has word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more. You do have to be sure to save your files into MS Office compatible formats, and it doesn’t offer all of the same features as MS Office, but for basic functionality, it’s definitely worth using.

CCleaner – www.piriform.com/ccleaner
CCleaner is a software tool for cleaning your PC (sorry, Mac users). It protects your online privacy and helps your computer run faster, and more securely. It’s very easy to use, and when used with antivirus, can make a significant difference in your PC running efficiency.

Handbrake – handbrake.fr
Handbrake is a great free tool for video conversions and resizing. It’s available for PC, Mac, and Linux and can convert DVDs to MP4s, MPGs, or to audio.

Rocket Dock – rocketdock.com
Have PC but want your desktop to look more like a Mac? Look no further… Rocket Dock is an application launcher that mimics the application dock on Mac OS X. It’s an easy way to organize your highly used applications and software on your desktop without looking cluttered or having to use the Start bar.

FileHippo – www.filehippo.com and AppFresh – appfresh.en.softonic.com/mac
Want to keep all of your software and applications up to date so you don’t have to run updates every time you open one? Run updates on your schedule with FileHippo (for PC) or AppFresh (Mac)! These are great tools for keeping your computer running smoothly without having to wait for updates when you don’t have time.

Teracopy – www.codesector.com/teracopy.php
If you do a lot of backups or video/music file transfers, Teracopy is a great tool. Teracopy cuts out some of the unnecessary steps your computer takes when transferring files and it can significantly cut down on the amount of time file transfers take. It also offers pausing and resuming of file transfers mid-file.

Tune in next week for FREE antivirus software!