The world is full of great entertainment, music, television, movies, games. You name it and someone somewhere has put it together for our enjoyment. The one massive obstacle to our participation in this fun fest is the army of lawyers and accountants currently blocking all attempts to allow unfettered access to the content, in order to protect their fading business models. And this is not about piracy, it doesn’t even matter if you’re happy to pay, they still won’t let you.
Read MorePosts by tag: Free Software
Webcam Timelapse lets you create cool timelapse videos with your webcam [Freeware]
Who would have guessed that video would be such a big part of the web and our lives at the moment? Mobile phones capture the stuff, upmarket pro digital cameras from companies like Nikon do it as well, and now even watches, sunglasses and pens can capture video on demand. It’s a candid camera era folks.
Read MoreAnywhere Board Games takes free open source gaming to Google+ hangouts [Freeware]
Everyone loves a good game now and then, whether it’s cards, scrabble, chess or any of the multitude of free online game services on offer. The only problem with the online versions is you have to put up with lots of advertising, and maybe even pay a fee if you want pro features. Which is why this new online gaming concept is so interesting.
Read MoreGoogle Maps gets an offline map update…the end of the paper map arrives?
Digital maps are awesome, and top of the tree at the moment is the venerable Google Maps. This map and navigation product started out in typical Google style as a low-key, fairly basic offering, with bare bones location information presented in a clean and nicely designed interface. My how times have changed. Last week’s launch of the latest version of Google Maps on the Android Play market has moved the whole genre onto a completely new level, since it now…
Read MoreKingsoft PC Doctor turbocharges your computer’s performance…in a safe way [Freeware]
The fact that there’s a ton of programs out there to improve the performance of Windows computers says a lot about the resilience of the modern PC. As we all know, using a Windows machine is rather like running a marathon. Sooner or later your computer hits a performance wall, the speed drops dramatically and you end up scanning the adverts for a replacement machine in desperation. But often there’s no need to upgrade, all you need is a tune up…a…
Read MoreISeeYou Lite keeps the screen on while you’re looking at your Android phone, just like the Galaxy SIII [Freeware]
One of the great things about an open development platform like Android is the free reign it gives independent developers to let rip with their skills and imagination. No sooner is a cool new feature announced from a major player like HTC or Samsung, than you’ll find coders across the world trying to deliver the same utility for other phone users on the platform.
Read MoreTunlr.net lets you stream and watch US and UK shows from anywhere in the world
There’s been a fair amount of technology thrown at the problem of how to watch content on sites like Hulu.com from outside the US over the years (and vice versa re UK shows from the US). So far the solutions have tended to be VPN style, where you install some software, fire it up and then ‘tunnel’ your way into the North American continent like some digital mole. The advantage of these fixes are they’re quick and easy, the disadvantage is you’re going…
Read MoreAlive Video Wallpaper is the first HD live video wallpaper for Android which doesn’t suck [Freeware]
There’s a bunch of live wallpaper apps out there for Android, which typically come with a variety of different features and formats. Some are little more than animated slide-shows, others deliver pitifully low resolution video or stutter badly in operation. But to date there’s been no real ‘practical’ video wallpaper product which didn’t suck up all your phone’s processing power or battery life.
Read MoreThe brilliant Airdroid integrates your smartphone and laptop browser to deliver real awesomeness [Freeware]
The smartphone is starting to push traditional computing aside, simply because a handset is generally more convenient to use than a cumbersome laptop (and let’s not even mention desktop PCs, where are they now?). Of course you can’t do everything with a phone, but you can definitely handle most of the communication tasks, like email and instant messaging (WhatsApp = total awesome!), as well as things like location searching and simple information browsing. But there are times when it would be really useful…
Read More10 superb Android apps that will make your smartphone photos sizzle [Freeware]
If you’re one of those who are convinced that smartphone photos are destined to forever remain washed out, blurry, flash destroyed disasters, think again. The latest breed of high resolution phone cameras has spurred on a new generation of apps designed to take advantage of all that lovely power and glory. These �free apps promise to banish bad flash day and herald a new dawn of sophisticated DSLR functionality which almost – but not quite – could be mistaken for…
Read MoreConnectify Lite transforms your laptop into a full WiFi hotspot [Freeware]
It’s a real shame that selfish commercial interests have made it so difficult for communities to set up their own shared WiFi networks on a large scale, but that’s the way it is for now. Apart from services like FON the reality is that the most pervasive public networks all cost money. However there is another option if you’re willing to take a bit of time to install a freeware solution.
Read MorePear Comice 4 operating system turns your ratty old laptop into a blistering Mac clone [Freeware]
Which one is better, Windows or Mac? It’s a religious argument that’s been going on for as long as time has existed. Or close. Of course it’s not important at all, but still people argue and argue as if it was, such a waste. Now there’s a new way to incite even more discussion, because it looks as though Linux systems are slowly emerging from the shadows which mimic the iconic Mac desktop and more.
Read MoreDanoSongs offers free music for your game, video or other projects [Freeware]
One of the great things about the Internet is the spirit of community that you find around the place. Everywhere you look there are folks happy to give stuff away, even if the stuff is their hard work made manifest. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the digital music sphere, where all sorts of genres are represented.
Read MoreSubsonic lets you create your own Spotify cloud music service for free [Freeware]
Suddenly it seems like the world is awash with music services, but for many people it still isn’t enough. The problem is you need to pay for these services, which can be hard for those with a limited budget or a religious aversion to paying for music delivery. There are free alternatives to commercial music streaming though, and with a bit of time and effort the results can be excellent.
Read MoreSurvival Guide makes your smartphone a lifesaver [Freeware]
Never mind the hassles of fighting your way through department store sales day, you never know when things could get really rough. Like, eat or be eaten rough. And when that day comes you’re going to need a friend close by who can stop you doing stupid, and ensure that you have at least a fighting chance of surviving one night without peril.
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