The Windows taskbar is a bit like the command center for your computing experience. At its most basic level you can use it to quickly launch applications, and also to toggle between open programs with one click. One shortcoming of the native Windows taskbar, though, is in its support for multiple monitors. While there are some paid options available to remedy this, check out ZBar for a free solution. Read more
Today, 40Tech is pleased to present a guest post by Keith from Computer Repair Vancouver.
File extensions have become a mainstay in the current computing landscape. Those two or three letter codes that follow a file name allow you as well as your operating system to determine what type of file is being dealt with as well as which programs should be used to deal with it.
If you’re like me, you let your computer – and particularly your PC’s desktop – become a complete mess before you dive in to tidy it up. One way to speed up the cleaning process is by filing away all that mess. If you want a fast way to dump files into predetermined folders, take a look at FileMenu. FileMenu is simple in concept, but it is like the Swiss Army Knife of file management. Read more
One nice feature of Ubuntu, a slick Linux build, is the way that it handles application updates with a unified app. For a similar experience in Windows, try out FileHippo Update Checker. Once you install it, you can direct FileHippo Update Checker to scan your system, and return a list of apps on your system that need an update. It runs in seconds, and requires the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 (which it will download for you, if you don’t have it).
Update Checker isn’t quite as slick as Ubuntu’s solution, as it downloads each update separately, and requires you to install them. Ubuntu does this in a unified manner, with downloads and installs occurring right in the update app. Still, Update Checker can save you considerable time, as you won’t have to open multiple apps or check multiple sites for updates. Update Checker’s site does warn that it doesn’t check ALL apps, which is understandable considering the nearly endless number of Windows apps out there.
When I decided to hunt for a unified app updater, I did check out a couple of other alternatives, SUMo and Update Notifier. I scratched Update Notifier off of my list, as, best I can tell, its database doesn’t seem to be up to date. It told me that all the apps on my system were up to date, when they were not. I didn’t get past the installation screen of SUMo, as I noticed that it asked to install a “marketing research” app during the installation process. You can decline to install this app, but if you’re not paying attention, it would be easy to end up with some spyware on your system.
For these reasons, FileHippo’s app was the winner for me. If you know of any other solutions, let us know in the comments.
If you have an Android device and want to use it to control your desktop’s (or laptop’s) mouse and keyboard, two of your best free options are RemoteDroid and Gmote.
RemoteDroid is a minimalist’s dream — nothing fancy to its wireframe trackpad/button look — and is a little light on the feature side of things, but it is a great way to control a presentation or media PC. It also handles multitouch gestures, such as the two-fingered scrolling option of multitouch trackpads.
Gmote does a little bit more than RemoteDroid, such as allowing you to serve media content from your PC to your Android device. No multitouch trackpad support here, and there are some media playback issues when streaming, but playback to devices is still a beta feature, and the developer seems to be active with updates.
Both of these remote control apps require you to download a server program to your Windows, Mac or Linux machine, and both are available for free. If you need a way to generally control your desktop or laptop remotely, or want a convenient media centre remote control, then give these two a try.
Have you tried any alternative remote control apps for Android? How do they stack up?
RemoteDroid vs Gmote: Remote Control Your PC with Android [Tested.com]
