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Review: Keep your Facebook and Mac contacts organized using AddressBookSync for OS X

Users who keep contact lists between multiple programs need a way to sync them. AddressBookSync for Mac is designed for this purpose alone, but its lack of user guidance and poor performance detract from its usefulness.

Download of this freeware program completed quickly with no problems or user agreements required. There were no user instructions either, which, despite the easy-to-use program features, made AddressBookSync for Mac difficult to operate, initially. The menus appeared dated with few options or features that were identifiable. Two buttons allowed the user to look at matched and unmatched contacts between Facebook and the computer. There … Read more

Show off photos to your friends with Social Frame Free HD Slideshow

Tablets and smartphones can make great digital photo frames on the fly. Social Frame Free HD Slideshow will craft a nifty slideshow of all the photos of you and your friends on Facebook and Twitter. Social Frame works well enough, but doesn't give you enough control of your slideshow. You can't do much with it once it's created.

The slideshow has to physically sync each of the pictures you want it to display individually. If you choose more than a dozen or so photos this takes a very long time and does a number on your phone … Read more

Find duplicate files with FileMany

CodePanic's FileMany is a free tool that scans your hard drives for duplicate files, which you can then choose to move, delete, or ignore. It uses a variety of customizable criteria to distinguish actual duplicates from merely similar data to help you avoid the regrettable error of deleting the wrong files. Even if duplicate files aren't a big issue, running FileMany before you clean or defragment your drives can make the process faster and help reduce errors. And if you boot from an SSD, especially a smaller one, FileMany can help you keep your free space free and … Read more

Become a DJ on your Android device with DJPad MP3 DJ Lite

This app makes it easy to experiment with your MP3 collection as though they were vinyl records. If you are not familiar with mixing music, have no fear, as DJPad MP3 DJ Lite is very easy to use and understand. It does have quite a few drawbacks, however.

Downloading and setting up DJPad MP3 DJ Lite works like a charm. After you download this app you are greeted with a virtual turntable image. The options are listed on the bottom of the screen and you may load two different tracks on the two opposing turn tables. The tracks can then … Read more

Free Stocks Ticker, a slicker ticker

Free Stocks Ticker places a scrolling stock price ticker at the bottom or top of your screen. It displays current stock prices and news feeds from Yahoo, CNN, FOX, and your own sources. You can configure the speed, opacity, and colors of the display, and it's one of the nicest programs of its type that we've tried.

Free Stocks Ticker displays stock prices in a semiopaque black bar. The text is also slightly transparent but still perfectly legible, giving a nice effect that doesn't hide pop-up messages in the notification area. Price changes are color-coded; for example, … Read more

Fast, focused searching with UltraSearch

The search tool built into Windows has gotten a lot better over the years, but many users still prefer a third-party search utility, especially a tool that doesn't use indexing. There are many standalone search tools to choose from, most of them freeware. UltraSearch from JAM Software is a free search tool optimized for NTFS drives. Instead of indexing, it searches your NTFS drive's Master File Table (MTF). It searches while you type, returning results almost instantaneously.

UltraSearch has a compact, efficient layout in a medium-size, draggable window. It's a very simple tool: you see a search … Read more

Extract nearly any kind of archive with Universal Extractor

Legroom's Universal Extractor is a free extraction tool designed to let you decompress and extract files from virtually any archive, including some you probably haven't heard of before. What it can't do is create archives; the developers are quite clear that Universal Extractor isn't meant to take the place of utilities like 7Zip or WinRar. Instead, it bundles together a variety of useful backend utilities. It's a great addition to your Windows toolkit, and great to have around when you need it, even if that's not very often.

Universal Extractor has a user interface … Read more

Make some noise

Think your clackety keyboard is loud enough? Think again! Funny Typing's fairly simple purpose is to make some noise each time you press a key. It's not bad looking, with a straightforward interface and a nice toolbar with large icons. It comes with several themes and the ability to easily download new ones from inside the program.

All the features are easy to find, and seem easy to understand, even without a Help file. You can use the predefined themes, alter them, or create your own. Response time between key press and sound was frequently lagging, and pressing … Read more

Easy-to-use image manipulator

You don't have to try learning a complex program like PhotoShop if you just want to sharpen photos and other images for scrapbooks, simple brochures, and newsletters. This app puts the essential tools in the hands of novices and other users who are intimidated by the learning curve required by professional-level programs.

NuGenImageWorks launches a large, easy-to-navigate interface with two essential screens: the first displays the original image you want to manipulate; the second shows the image with your changes in real time. Novices may have trouble understanding some of the tool names initially if they aren't familiar … Read more