I’ve long been looking for a Windows-based Twitter client that can delight me as much as its native Mac counterparts. Too many clients for Windows depend on Adobe AIR, something which isn’t an ideal arrangement, in my opinion. TweetDeck and Seesmic are both powerful tools, but why can’t someone make a Windows-native app that works just as well?
Seesmic apparently saw the wisdom in that idea, because it recently revealed a new Windows-only Twitter client that doesn’t require AIR to run. I jumped at the chance to take the software, which is currently only available as a preview edition, for a test run. Read the rest of this entry »
If you find yourself having to resize images often and use Windows, you might like to check out Dropresize, a handy free system tray application. It runs in the background and monitors a folder you specify on your hard drive — any images that are dropped into the folder are then automatically resized according to the specifications you set in the app’s preferences. Very handy and straightforward, particularly if you have to often have to make images one size (for blog posts, for example). But a word of warning: The original version is not kept when the image is resized, so if you want to keep the original, make a copy first (or hold Ctrl when dragging to make a copy).
Dropresize is a free download, and still in beta so there may be some bugs. No install is required (just run the program), so if you want it to run every time you launch Windows, you’ll need to add it to your Startup folder. It requires Windows XP, Vista or 7 and the .NET 2.0 Framework.
If you’ve found a handy little app like this recently, let us know about it below.
(via Freewaregenius)
As the amount of data we all use and store grows, information management is becoming an increasingly important topic. It’s often ignored until something happens, like losing a software serial number or other vital piece of information in what was once thought to be an organized email inbox or My Documents folder.
I recently reviewed Yojimbo 2.0, an excellent information organizer for the Mac that can help keep track of bits of information you might like to use later. But what if you use Windows? One option is iKnow from PpcSoft. It’s a productivity tool that targets information management and productivity. It uses notes that connect automatically to other notes within the application — sort of like your own personal World Wide Web, but residing in the safety and security of your local hard drive. I decided to take the trial version of the Standard Edition of iKnow for a spin.
Read the rest of this entry »
By positioning itself between traditional project management apps like Basecamp and personal relationship management apps like Gist, Liaise thinks that it has found a useful niche, which it calls “business interaction management.” It claims that it can do this with a very simple setup, no change in work habits, and without depending on others to be using Liaise.
The concept is intriguing: Using two components — a Windows desktop application and a plugin for Outlook 2003 and 2007 — Liaise automatically collects information about projects, deadlines and to-dos directly from incoming and outgoing messages. Read the rest of this entry »
You’d be more than forgiven for thinking there must be something better out there than either Microsoft’s Outlook or than Apple’s Mail.app for desktop email management. You’d be right, too, especially if you’re looking for something that plays nicely with most major webmail service providers. I’m talking about Postbox, a Mozilla-based email client Aliza took a look at back in March.
When Aliza originally reviewed the software, it was free beta release software. Now that it’s reached version 1.0, it comes with a $39.95 price tag for registration. Users can still download a free trial, so you can take Postbox through its paces before deciding to make a purchase.
I tried Postbox back when it was still in beta, right around the time Aliza originally reviewed it, and there are some definite improvements in the 1.0 release. Read the rest of this entry »
Do you often repeat the same tasks over and over on a Windows machine? You can avoid many of the steps and save time if you save your actions for later replay using WinAutomation. The application is ideal for power users and can even take care of complex remote tasks.
If you’d like to automate computer activities when you’re not near the desktop you’ll find many options in WinAutomation to help you. It can handle jobs ranging from running command line tasks to managing FTP activities and executing SQL statements. Read the rest of this entry »
While many web workers use (and love) Macs, most of the rest of the world still uses Windows PCs. So what do you do if you need to connect to, or control, a client’s Windows machine? Microsoft offers its free Remote Desktop Connection Client, but its interface doesn’t make it that easy to use. There is a free open-source alternative, CoRD, which has just been updated to version 0.5. Andrew over at TheAppleBlog has been taking the new version for a spin, and highly recommends it. He particularly likes the way that CoRD supports multiple connections, selectable from a list. The new version also gets props for support for Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, and interface and performance improvements.
CoRD is a free download for OS X 10.5 or later. Check out the post over at the TheAppleBlog for more detail.
Do you prefer CoRD or Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Client?
Twenty-six letters aren’t enough for many of the projects I work on. I need accented letters, symbols and all the characters that make up a full character set. I also need a way to easily use those characters that don’t appear on my keyboard. Not all software apps come with built-in glyph tools and, if you routinely switch back and forth between different programs, a built-in tool may not be enough. Whether you’re typing up a technical document or laying out an ad, having a character selection tool that beats the standard Character Map can help you get the right glyph every time. Read the rest of this entry »
Web Work 101: How To Escape The Cubicle
