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Insofta Cover Commander 2.91 - Create box designs and CD covers with superb results

No matter what's in the box, people will not value it if the box doesn't have a captivating cover. A great cover conveys a compelling message that the product under the cover is worth their attention ...and money.

Cover Commander creates professional, custom-designed virtual boxes, CD disks, and screenshots. Just a few mouse clicks is all that's necessary to get the job done. The program’s extensive light, shadow, and reflection controls will allow you to create an image of just about any complexity and see the final picture as it is being made in the real-time preview window. The intelligent project creation wizard will do the “dirty work” for you, thus you can concentrate on the content part of your project.

The program comes with a collection of tutorials that review the most popular cover design cases and provide step-by-step instructions on resolving each case.

Flock 1.1.4 - The social browser for blog addicts

Flock is a browser for blogging and social network addicts. Based on the Mozilla infrastructure, it offers many features found in Firefox like tabbed browsing, quick RSS feed aggregation and customizable toolbars. Thanks to the web clipboard, you can copy any image or text you find on the net. Favorite links can be saved with tags and you can customize your own world, where you showcase your favorite sites, feeds and media. This brings us to one of the main features of Flock, the media bar, placed at the top of the browser. This tool lets you search and view any sort of media from sites like YouTube, Facebook or Flickr.

However the real strength of Flock comes in its social networking integration. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, Xanga, Magnolia and more can be opened up from the "accounts and services" sidebar. Thanks to the people sidebar, you'll be able to quickly see all your friends from your different networks. Flock also offers up a blog editor, from which you can write up all your posts. News junkies will also like the RSS reader, also accessible from the sidebar.

While we were impressed with all the major improvements found in this new release of Flock, we felt that the sidebar was probably a bit overused. RSS feeds, social networks, favorites, and the web clipboard all open up in the sidebar, meaning you can't have them on all at once. The blog editor is a nice touch, but it's a shame that it doesn't allow you to upload images to your blog.

If your high on social networks, Flock is definitely the browser for you.

ErgoNotes 1.12 - A neatly organized notes manager

I've started using a notes organizer only recently, and I can already see all its advantages when it comes to manage tasks, deadlines and meetings.

You can also make the most of your time with ErgoNotes, a handy note organizer you can use for all kinds of purposes: handle shopping lists, jot down interesting topics for future blog posts, set reminders for yourself, organize ideas for brainstorming sessions... pretty much anything you can think of.

ErgoNote organizes notes in a tree-like structure which makes them easier to handle. The program also features an embedded search tool to find notes, a wide collection of icons to identify each note, an encrypting tool and support for alarms, though this last feature only works if you name your tasks following an "alarm node pattern" I was unable to find anywhere – not even in the program's documentation.

What's more, if you have a Pocket PC you can use the Pocket version of ErgoNotes on it as well, synchronizing data between your desktop and your device and making the program even more useful.

With ErgoNotes you can organize your life in a more productive way, especially if you also have a Pocket PC and sync data between your desktop and your device.

Interclue 1.5.5 - Preview the content of web links before opening them

Interclue helps you save loads of time if you're constantly browsing the web, as it lets you preview the content of any links before actually clicking on them.

This Firefox extension runs in the background until you leave your mouse on any web link for a while. Then it triggers a special overlay window with interesting information about the webpage that link takes to. This information may include a thumbnail, a summary of the content, some simple stats and even the page's RSS feed, if it has one. However take into account that some of the data may be missing in certain pages.

Interclue features an extensive settings menu with which you can tweak the extension's functionalities, as well as a fun statistics system that tracks down the amount of time Interclue has supposedly saved you.

With Interclue you can quickly scan through all the links on a webpage without having to open them one by one.

Framing Studio 1.95 - Add photo-frames to your photos

Framing Studio is a photo embellishment tool that allows you to add stunning photo frames and various border effects to digital images. Program's intuitive user interface allows you to use its features quickly and efficiently.

Framing Studio supports cropping, resizing and rotating photos. You may also use special effects. The distribution kit includes more than 70 frames. Framing Studio also contains flexible printing options.

Gnumeric 1.9.1 - Manipulate and analyze numeric data with this spreadsheet app

Gnumeric is a spreadsheet program used to manipulate and analyze numeric data. Gnumeric can help you keep track of information in lists, organize numeric values in columns and rows, perform and update complex calculations by defining each step of the calculation and modifying particular steps subsequently, create and display or print graphical plots of data using bar plots, line graphs, pie charts or radar charts, implement complex optimization modeling or perform many other tasks involving numbers, dates, times, names or other data.

Master Kick 1.3.7 - A fun virtual table-soccer game

When Softonic programmers are tired of working and need a break, they usually play a quick game at the table-football the company has installed in the coffee room. But now that I've found this game, they won't have to leave their desks to play their favorite pastime!

Master Kick is a fun arcade football game that's already been available for a while on different portable devices (Palm, Pocket PC). It's not exactly like other football sims you may have seen before: actually, it's a table-football (or foosball) game, meaning you play with football players attached to bar that you can move up and down to play the ball around the game field.

I don't know if it was because I'm hopeless at table-football, or because the game's AI is too high, but I found scoring goals quite difficult even in the easiest playing mode. On the upside, the game in itself is quite elaborate, with a varied selection of fields and even some crowd cheering sound effects in the background. You can play either a quick match or a complete league, and also try different team layouts. The only thing I missed was the possibility to play against another human opponent.

Master Kick is a fun table-football game, more like an arcade than a simulator. Pity it doesn't have a multiplayer option!

SiteShoter 1.09 - Save full webpages as image files

If you ever need to take a screenshot of a whole website, you'll face a common problem: how do you capture the complete webpage, from top to bottom?

The answer is SiteShoter, a really simple tool that's been specifically designed to capture websites. It's a standalone app – not a web browser plug-in – that can take screenshots from a given webpage just by entering its URL in SiteShoter's interface.

The program captures the viewable area in any resolution you set, but its most interesting feature by far is the ability to capture the whole website, from top to bottom, scrolling down the page on its own a producing an image in JPG, BMP, GIF, TIFF or PNG.

SiteShoter also includes some basic configuration tools with which you can set the image quality and size and also opt to disable certain web elements such as Javascript or Flash.

Capturing complete websites is no longer a pain thanks to SiteShoter, a simple tool that can grab the whole webpage from top to bottom.

Defraggler 1.01.073 Beta - Free defragmenter from the creators of CCleaner

When I saw this defragmentation tool I thought "Well... I don't really need this, Windows already has one". But then I saw Defraggler has been developed by the same people as Recuva and the almighty CCleaner, so I decided to give it a try. After all, I use external apps for many tasks that Windows can do by itself, so why not using a third-party defragmenter?

Defraggler is easy to install and goes straight to the point. Its most outstanding feature is the possibility to defragment individual folders and files simply by putting a tick next to them. In fact, the option to defragment the whole hard drive is much more hidden (either right click on the drive or use the top menu bar).

However, there are things I didn't like about this program. First, I found it a bit slow. Also, it would have been nice to have it minimized to the system tray or similar. Finally, I'd appreciate it if the program included some means to automate tasks: you can't schedule defrags, nor set the program to turn off the PC when it's done.

Byteko FineAnces 2.0.126 - Personal manager for home finances

Managing a budget is not an easy task, so it's always a good idea to count on a software application to help you do the job. Byteko Fineances is a good option, that is, if you're to manage only home finances, as the program features quite basic tools.

These simple functions will enable you to manage incomes, expenses and bank accounts, controlling money balance along the year. Data is a bit difficult to enter, because to have to click on each item (name, category, amount) and enter it separately.

On the upside, the program offers quite a high level of customization thanks to which you'll be able to modify or create as many categories as you need.

Live Email Verifier 2.6.5 - Verify email addresses in an instant

Email Verifier verifies email addresses from mailing list to determine if they are still valid. The Utility allow you easy clean up your contact lists and remove "bad" emails.

"E-mail Verifier is your powerful solution to save money and time for any person who send email messages and needs to maintain a clean email mailing list."

iDeaS 1.0.2.4 - Easy Nintendo DS emulator for your PC

iDeaS is a Nintendo DS emulator that enables you to play Nintendo DS ROM files right on your PC. The program's interface resembles that of the actual gaming device, featuring a double screen and support for touch technology, only that this time you use your mouse instead of the Nintendo stylus.

iDeaS allows you also to take snapshots of both screens and remap keys for a more comfortable game control. It includes a debugger to analyze the execution of ROM files.

ChrisTV Professional 5.20 - Get the most out of your TV card and watch shows in comfort

ChrisTV TimeShift lets you freeze the live TV stream, giving you a break while it's still recording. TimeShifting gives you recordings with time delayed playback which offers various advantages over the linear recording style you were used till now. By TimeShift recording you can fast-forward through commercials and create your instant-replay on a live TV program. Never miss anything from your favourite show, by timeshift recording, a simple pause will let you resume later the interrupted TV program viewing.

FortKnox Personal Firewall 2008 3.0.195.0 - Comprehensive protection for your system

Browsing the Internet can be a dangerous activity if you don't have the appropriate tools to protect your system, such as a firewall.

FortKnox Personal Firewall sets a powerful filter between your Internet connection and your computer, controlling every bit of traffic that moves in any direction, both in uploads and downloads. You can therefore make sure your PC is protected from hackers, Trojans, spyware and other sorts of unauthorized accesses, as every time there's any kind of strange behavior, FortKnox will display a desktop notice to let you know.

The program features an exhaustive settings menu – which I personally found a bit too complex for a "personal" firewall that's aimed at home users. From there you can configure filters, create security rules, see which apps have access to the Internet and review your traffic logs.

FortKnox Personal Firewall also includes several skins to customize its interface and a real-time traffic monitor that helps you control your bandwidth usage.

Though a bit too complex for the home user, FortKnox Personal Firewall is still a good choice to guarantee security in domestic environments.

FileTypesMan 1.06 - Easily view and edit file type associations

After installing a few dozen software tools you've probably ruined your file association, meaning you no longer control which app opens which file types-

FileTypesMan can help you sort this out by displaying a list with all current file types and extensions currently registered in your system. You can edit each file's properties right on the program's interface, thus fixing broken association or removing non-working right-click entries, just to mention two possible interesting usages.

FileTypesMan doesn't require any installation and while it may seem a bit too technical for novice users, it's definitely a very convenient file type manager that comes in especially handy when your file associations are overrun by any app.

Repair and restore current file associations on your system in a quick, easy way thanks to FileTypesMan.

Kantaris 0.3.6 - Multimedia player based on VLC and Bass audio library

Kantaris is a polished multimedia player that enables you to play files in a wide variety of formats. It features a simple but nicely designed interface with not many configuration options which makes it very easy to use.

Videos can be played in full screen mode with control panel only appearing when you move the mouse. As for music, Kantaris offers four visualization modes that add a touch of color to your songs. However we noticed that if you show the playlist, the visualization is not properly centered. Another problem we had with the playlist is the fact that you can only add tracks one by one.

WinFonie Mobile 2.1.2.27 - Synchronise phone contacts etc with your PC

If you're constantly working between your phone and your PC, then you'll need to make sure that both are in perfect sync. WinFonie Mobile helps you do exactly that by synchronizing contacts, appointments, and tasks between Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express. It also works with Tobit David, Lotus Notes, Lotus Organizer, Palm Desktop, Combit address manager according to the developers.

As soon as data is updated in your PC or mobile phone, WinFonie Mobile automatically detects the change and synchronizes. The good thing about this program is that, if you're not happy with the results of the synchronisation or if your files have been synced badly, you can preview them before accepting. What I also liked is that synchronisation is swift and detection immediate. However, I did find that WinFonie Mobile's access to Outlook was blocked by an a virus scanner I have installed in Outlook. I had to remove the program first before I could sync successfully so if you have any Outlook security add-ons installed, be aware that it might conflict with this program.

Multiple Image Resizer .NET 2.1.0.0 - Batch resize images and adding borders, text or watermarks

Multiple Image Resizer .NET is a batch image processor. The software was originally designed and built to batch resize images but now features a wider range of batch image processing functionality.

Take a look at what Multiple Image Resizer has to offer:

• Resize, rotate, flip or crop images
• Add borders or text to images
• Overlay watermarks
• Preview unprocessed and processed images
• Save and load image processing settings
• Customisable user interface
• Fully integrated help documentation

Wellness 4.3 - Natural healing and alternative medecine software

Wellness software is an extensive data-bank featuring information on a range of treatments. The program contains advice on herbs and herbal remedies, homeopathy, nutrition including vitamins, minerals, amino-acids, neurotransmitters, enzymes, color-therapy, autosuggestion, and other alternative medicines, natural remedies and natural healing therapies. The information contained in the software program will greatly assist you in regaining total fitness of body and mind.