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jeudi 24 janvier 2013

Download MadAppLauncher 1.6.0.0 Free

Download MadAppLauncher 1.6.0.0 Free

MadAppLauncher is a fully customizable menu from which you can get direct access to your most frequently used applications and folders.

Though the appearance of MadAppLauncher is not as attractive as that of other similar applications, it?s quick and efficient. A user-defined keyboard shortcut opens up the launcher, and a simple click on each button runs the selected application.

Before that, you obviously need to configure which app or folder opens each button. You can choose the name, icon and even the position of the window. Unfortunately you have to do the whole job manually, as
MadAppLauncher doesn?t detect installed software automatically.

Despite the tedious configuration process, MadAppLauncher is still quite a handy tool. It?s fast, light on resources and has room for lots of programs. Not a bad option for an application launcher!

With MadAppLauncher you can quickly access your favorite programs ? no more searching for them.

Pros
  • Quick access to apps and folders
  • Up to 300 customizable buttons
  • Lots of configuration options
Cons
  • You need to set up each app manually
  • Not very attractive design

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Download PixPlant 2.168 Free

Download PixPlant 2.168 Free

PixPlant is a standalone 3D texturing tool that can help make your 2D photos and images pop.

There are a lot of Photoshop plugins available right now. PixPlant is one of them that also has a standalone desktop app available for those who either can't afford Photoshop or prefer some autonomy when they're creating textures.

PixPlant allows users to create normal, displacement, and specular maps that can be used in other 3D modeling applications. You can create these 3D textures from almost any photo because PixPlant boasts advanced straightening and see pattern controls. Its claim to fame is that most basic textures can be created in the span of one to four easy steps.

For beginners, PixPlant will certainly take some getting used to and experimenting around with to get the desired result. You can create these images in high resolution to ensure the best quality possible of the texture. Most people will want to use these images as backgrounds in other images, but other uses include creating basic backgrounds, or even Photoshop brushes. You can start from scratch or use an existing image with PixPlant as well.

PixPlant is an advanced, standalone desktop tool for creating high quality 3D textures from scratch or based on pre-existing images.

Pros
  • Create normal, displacement, and specular maps
  • Create textures from scratch or with a pre-existing image
  • Standalone 3D texturing app
Cons
  • Initially tricky to learn how to use

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mercredi 23 janvier 2013

Download Shopping Assistant (for Chrome) 3.2.8.2 Free

Download Shopping Assistant (for Chrome) 3.2.8.2 Free

Shopping Assistant is an extension for Google's Chrome browser that helps you make informed online purchases.

When you're shopping for something online, there's nothing more frustrating than realizing you could've bought the same product for cheaper elsewhere on the web. Shopping Assistant aims to fix that potential problem for you.

Shopping Assistant is a simple extension that will help you compare prices. When you search for a product on a retailer's site, Shopping Assistant will automatically show you similar products from other popular shopping websites to help you compare.

Shopping Assistant supports price comparisons on eBay, Best Buy, Walmart, Newegg, Buy.com, and Amazon. It also offers price histories for each product sold on Amazon, which is a nice added perk.

If you're big on browsing privacy though, note that Shopping Assistant collects usage data via Google Analytics. It also only supports merchant websites in Canada, China, Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Shopping Assistant is a great way to compare product prices online before buying.

Notes

Clicking the 'Download' button will take you to the Chrome Webstore where you can install the app.

Review last updated: 16/08/12

Pros
  • Compare similar items before purchasing
  • Easy to use
  • Includes price history for Amazon products
Cons
  • Collects extension usage stats via Google Analytics

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Download K-Lite Codec Tweak Tool 5.4.3 Free

Download K-Lite Codec Tweak Tool 5.4.3 Free

Codecs are a necessary component if you want to enjoy all kinds of multimedia content without image or sound problems. However they often end up being a nuisance due to compatibility and updating issues. This is precisely the kind of situation you can fix with K-Lite Codec Tweak Tool in a snap.

All you have to do is run this application (no installation required) and you'll be presented with an options menu where you can choose the actions you want to be performed by the program: fixing problems, enabling or disabling certain codecs or even generating a basic TXT report.

Although the program is not intended for novice users (you really need to know what you're tweaking and there's no help available), it's quite complete and works really well.

Recent changes
  • Bug fixes
Pros
  • Very complete, many options available
  • Standalone application
Cons
  • Not easy for novice users

Download K-Lite Codec Tweak Tool 5.4.3

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Download Fresh Paint Metro App 1.0.12233.3 Free

Download Fresh Paint Metro App 1.0.12233.3 Free

Fresh Paint is an app for the Windows 8 Metro interface that lets you draw or retouch images on your PC.

Looking just like it fits into the Windows 8 Metro interface, Fresh Paint is an aesthetically pleasing painting app that's easy enough for children to use, but provides enough features to please older users.

One of the things that makes Fresh Paint so unique is just how realistic the painting experience is. The paint in Fresh Paint actually acts like it would if you had a palette and easel in your own home. You can blend and mix colors to get specific shades of your choosing, plus choose from a lot of different editing options to ensure your idea is properly translated onto your digital canvas.

Unfortunately, Fresh Paint has some stability issues, where it sometimes crashed upon startup. This can really add frustration to an otherwise pretty graphically amazing experience. Some basic editing tools are also missing, which will hopefully be updated in the next version of the app.

Apart from occasional crashes, Fresh Paint is a welcome addition to the Windows 8 Metro family of apps, and provides users with a realistic painting experience.

Review last updated: 25/06/12

Pros
  • Fun, graphical interface
  • Easy to use
  • Lots of options
Cons
  • Missing some key features like color fill
  • Crashes randomly and frequently upon launch

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Download Content Guard v2.7 Free

Download Content Guard v2.7 Free

Content Guard is a firewall that monitors and blocks questionable content from reaching your computer.

The internet is a dark and scary place at a times and for parents, it can be nerve wracking allowing their children on the web. Content Guard is an app that will help parents protect their kids from pornography and more.

Content Guard works like a firewall and works automatically or with user defined filters for more personalization. There is a "heuristic" mode in Content Guard that allows the program to actively monitor web traffic and learn. Content Guard will also receive weekly updates to its database of dangerous websites.

One of the best features of Content Guard is that it doesn't depend on a specific web browser to function. Everything works at the low level, meaning it monitors traffic coming into your computer for questionable bits.

On the downside, Content Guard will give false positives, say for example, education sites that talk about the human body. Thankfully you can unblock sites from within the app. No filter is perfect though and you'll probably want to create your own filters.

Over all, Content Guard is a solid web guardian but it could use a few more features.

Review last updated: 28/08/12

Pros
  • Analyzes incoming traffic
  • Plenty of user filters and controls
  • Weekly updates
  • Doesn't depend on certain browser
Cons
  • Returns false positives
  • Single purpose app

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Download GIMP 2.8.2 Free

Download GIMP 2.8.2 Free

GIMP is a free, open source tool that lets you create and edit images.

GIMP has been around for over two decades and development has been stable over the years. The newest update for GIMP gives a slew of new features and a glimpse into the future for this incredible open source image editor.

Features

All the features of GIMP are still present. You can create your own images with tools for airbrushing, penciling, cloning, and creating gradients. Power users can create their own brushes and patterns to use later. GIMP also allows users to manipulate images imported into the program. You can crop, add text, resize, and create nested layers. There is even a way to animate your creations.

New additions

GIMP has now been updated with many user interface tweaks to make the application accessible to newbies. The biggest interface addition is the ability to edit in a single-window. GIMP versions of the past drew criticism for their confusing interfaces, but the developers are addressing many of these issues in this newest version. While single-window mode is great, it is also disappointing that there is no way to view multiple projects side by side.

Other updated features include easier text editing, nested layer groups, and a shift to using the Generic Graphics Library (GEGL), which is a more sophisticated image processing framework. GEGL was introduced a couple of years back in a developer version and has now made its way into the sable, consumer version. GIMP developers hope to move entirely to GEGL by version 2.10. One of the major advantages of GIMP using GEGL is the ability for non-destructive editing and high bit-depth images.

GIMP now only saves to its own XCF format to retain layers and other file manipulation information. Users can still choose to save in formats like JPEG and PNG but will have to "export" the project instead of saving. This follows in the footsteps of Adobe Photoshop.

The latest GIMP is better than ever. Its developers are taking the user experience into serious consideration and are speeding up development for this already great photo editor.

Recent changes
  • For a full list of changes, please see here.
GIMP supports the following formats

BMP, GIF, JPG, PCX, PNG, PS, TIF, TGA, XPM

Pros
  • Multiplatform
  • Powerful image editing tools
  • Lots of interface tweaks to make it newbie friendly
  • Single-window mode
  • Powerful free image editing program
Cons
  • Can't view multiple items in single-window mode
  • Not many included automated features

Download GIMP 2.8.2

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mardi 22 janvier 2013

Download Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition Free

Download Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition Free

Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition is a port of the console role playing game, which is revered for its relentlessly challenging gameplay and impressive dark style.

You play an Undead, escaped from an asylum, on a journey to fulfill an ancient prophecy through a huge world that's genuinely beautiful, even though it's filled with horrors. As you journey around the world you can save your progress at Bonfires, which will restore various items. You collect souls and humanity as you kill enemies, and you lose everything if you die. Death is a real punishment in Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition, which is a great part of what makes it compelling.

Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition has a really impressive world, with huge bosses that are excellently designed. However, this is a port of the console version and doesn't take advantage of the additional power that PCs can have. It's a shame Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition doesn't look as good as it could have, but it doesn't stop it being an excellent game.

What may put players off is the unapologetic difficultly, but if you accept it and persevere, Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition is a very rewarding, and very long game. You'll need to practice to become good at this game, as it is not enough to just be persistent.

Although it's not much more than a simple console port, PC gamers should not waste the opportunity to play this excellent RPG.

Notes

The download button will take you to the Steam store, where you can purchase and download the game

Review last updated: 05/09/12

Pros
  • Challenging
  • Memorable boss fights
  • Huge world to explore
Cons
  • No graphics improvement for PC

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Download Thirty Flights of Loving Free

Download Thirty Flights of Loving Free

Thirty Flights of Loving is the follow-up to Gravity Bone, the excellent first person thriller from Blendo Games. It is a short game that features the same mix strange humor, great atmosphere and interesting story telling.

By short, I mean very short. You can finish Thirty Flights of Loving's crime caper in 10 minutes, but it's a very enjoyable 10 minutes. The story is told without dialog, in a series of scenes and cut scenes that are woven together in a really interesting way.

The graphics are stylishly simple - and the sound is a mix of neat effects and excellent music. Thirty Flights of Loving is a totally linear experience, and the controls are limited to looking around, movement and one interact key. The atmosphere is really special.

Thirty Flights of Loving is not free, but includes Gravity Bone and a developer's commentary version with lots of interesting facts and opinions about making the game.

You won't play another game like Thirty Flights of Loving this year, and while it's short, it?s a really memorable experience and I highly recommend it.

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Download Wondershare Streaming Audio Recorder 2.0.4 Free

Download Wondershare Streaming Audio Recorder 2.0.4 Free

Wondershare Streaming Audio Recorder can record any sound that comes through your PC, no matter if it?s played online or from your hard drive.

While Wondershare Streaming Audio Recorder is quite easy to use, the settings can be a little tricky. You need to make sure you select the proper input and output devices, or the program won?t record a thing. Also, Wondershare Streaming Audio Recorder should be started before you launch the program whose sound you want to record.

Once everything?s set up, simply play the music and Wondershare Streaming Audio Recorder will record it as it sounds, in real time ? including online music streaming services . The program can record to a variety of formats, including MP3, AAC, WMA, WAV and OGG. Also, each one of the formats has its own customization settings for sample rate, encoder, audio channel and bitrate.

When the recording is done, Wondershare Streaming Audio Recorder lets you play the file right away with a simple built-in player, or split it into several parts.

With Wondershare Streaming Audio Recorder you can easily record your favorite music from online music streaming services ? and from your own computer as well.

Review last updated: 12/09/12

Pros
  • Easy to use
  • You can play, edit and split files
  • Support for many formats
  • Customizable settings for each format
Cons
  • Needs to be carefully configured

Download Wondershare Streaming Audio Recorder 2.0.4

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Download Norton Internet Security 2013 20.1.0.24 Free

Download Norton Internet Security 2013 20.1.0.24 Free

Norton Internet Security 2012 is the newest version of the complete security suite created by Symantec, one of the most popular security software brands in the world.

With Norton Internet Security 2012 your system will be fully protected against viruses and spyware, including the network connections and when web browsing. The program features filters to prevent unauthorized access to your computer and avoid identity theft on the web, as well as protect your web browser and email from other online threats ? all of these without constantly interrupting your work with nagging messages. Norton Internet Security even includes a special Facebook scan to detect malicious links.

Like Norton Antivirus 2012, Norton Internet Security 2011 also includes the new Norton Insight Protection and the Performance Alerts. The first one informs you of emerging threats thanks to the Norton user community, while the second one helps you optimize the system's performance with warnings about slow apps.

The interface in Norton Internet Security 2012 has been slightly redesigned to make it clearer and easier to use. The downside of a simpler design, however, is that the interface is not as informative as it could be, at least at first sight.

Norton Internet Security 2011 is an excellent security suite that provides you with all the tools you need to fully protect your system against online threats.

Recent changes
  • NEW - Threat-removal Layer ? Targets and eliminates hard-to-remove threats less sophisticated products often miss.
  • NEW - Always up-to-date Product Version ? Norton automatically sends you important product and feature updates throughout the year. The latest version installs without you needing to do anything.
  • NEW - Norton Identity Safe ? Remembers, secures and automatically enters your user names and passwords for you.
  • NEW - Norton Safe Web for Facebook ? Scans your Facebook News Feed for dangerous links, infected downloads and unsafe websites.
  • Improved - SONAR Behavioral Protection & Live 24x7 Threat Monitoring ? Stays ahead of, detects and eliminates threats that haven?t been invented yet by watching your PC for suspicious activity
  • Improved - Bandwidth Management 2.0 ? Automatically adjusts Norton data usage updates when you connect to 3G networks to avoid using up your monthly data allotment or causing overage fees.

Review last updated: 12/10/12

Pros
  • Complete suite, including all basic security tools
  • New Norton Insight
  • New Norton Performance Alerts
  • Improved performance makes it lighter on resources
Cons
  • Phishing protection is installed as a toolbar in your web browser
  • Too many buttons open your browser
  • Map is unhelpful

Download Norton Internet Security 2013 20.1.0.24

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Download WiFi Mouse Server 1.2.0 Free

Download WiFi Mouse Server 1.2.0 Free

WiFi Mouse Server lets you turn your Android device into a touchpad that you can use instead of a mouse on your PC. It works with the WiFi Mouse app for Android, that lets you simulate a trackpad with the cell phone screen.

WiFi Mouse Server is easy to install, and runs quietly in the background, so you won't even notice it's there. There are no options for configuration, although you won't need any as it's a very simple app.

WiFi Mouse Server is a neat way to add a cool function to your Android device.

Review last updated: 14/09/12

Pros
  • Easy to install and use
Cons
  • No options

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Download Retro City Rampage Free

Download Retro City Rampage Free

Retro City Rampage is an action-adventure game that pays homage to '80s pop culture.

It's rare to see a true 8-bit game in this day and age where consumers are craving hyper-realism. Retro City Rampage is a breath of fresh air when it comes to action games. It has a great sense of humor that doesn't stop throughout the game.

Story

Retro City Rampage takes cues from many different action movies. You play as a thief working to rob banks and cause mayhem throughout the city. While the themes and events in this game are obviously cliché, Retro City Rampage pokes fun of itself by going way over the top with its action sequences.

The story of Retro City Rampage plays out in cut scenes with dialog boxes. There is no voice acting in this game, which doesn't make much of a difference as it leaves more to the player's imagination. The writing in the game is fun and never stops being self-referential or purposely campy.

Players will get a kick out of trying to identify every game that Retro City Rampage pays homage to.

Graphics

The graphics of Retro City Rampage are pure nostalgia. Everything is displayed from a top down view much like the original Grand Theft Auto and even RPGs like Pokémon. Cut scenes in Retro City Rampage feature more detail but remains in the retro, '80s graphics aesthetics. While its graphics aren't very detailed, it doesn't stop Retro City Rampage from being completely engrossing.

Gameplay

Gameplay is where Retro City Rampage really shines. Players are put into this open world where any vehicle can be stolen. There is a story mode but players can deviate from the story at any time. Bored of the story? Take on some side missions instead and acquire some money.

Missions in story mode are satisfying. There is great variation from the types of missions you're giving. There are car chases, stealth missions, and missions where you have to rain hellfire on innocent civilians. Players will be rewarded with ammunition, different weapons, and points for causing more mayhem.

Throughout the game, players will be given puzzles and challenges to solve, mixing some strategy into the mindless killing sprees. You can even wander into an arcade to play arcade games, which makes for a very meta gaming experience.

While Retro City Rampage features a leaderboard so you and your friends can compare scores, there is no co-op or multiplayer modes, which is a shame. Co-op would have elevated the fun of the game by letting you wax nostalgic with a buddy.

Sound

The soundtrack of Retro City Rampage features chiptunes, or 8-bit, synthesized music. The soundtrack if fast paced and works with the crazy amount of things going on the screen at once. The sound effects are often comical in a good way. Explosions sound hefty and subsequently make them feel hefty.

Wrap-up

Retro City Rampage is a breath of fresh air in an age of hyper-real games. Its humor and addictive gameplay are more than enough to keep you smiling throughout the game.

Notes

Clicking the 'Download' button will take you to a page in the Steam Store, where you can purchase the game.

Review last updated: 09/10/12

Pros
  • Well written and hilarious script
  • Huge open world gives players freedom
  • Tons of different types of missions
Cons
  • Driving can be imprecise
  • No co-op play

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Download +You Gbar 0.1.2 Free

Download +You Gbar 0.1.2 Free

+You Gbar is an extension for the Google Chrome web browser.

If you absolutely have to configure every aspect of your web browsing experience, +You Gbar can help. This handy little extension allows you to sort or remove links from the Google bar that appears every time you're signed into your Google account on Chrome.

+You Gbar employs an easy to use drag and drop feature. Just click on the cog button option on the top left of the screen, drag and drop the items you'd like to move to a higher place of prominence on your Google bar.

The nice thing about +You Gbar is that it stores information separately for different Google accounts. If you have more than one account you check, this extension will remember your preferences for each one.

+You Gbar is an easy way to get the customization you want on your Google bar.

Notes

Clicking the 'Download' button will take you to the Chrome Web Store where you can download and install this extension.

Review last updated: 19/09/12

Pros
  • Easy to install
  • Simple drag and drop system
Cons
  • Only available for Chrome

Download +You Gbar 0.1.2

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lundi 21 janvier 2013

Download ChaCha Metro App Free

Download ChaCha Metro App Free

ChaCha for Windows 8 is a questions and answers search engine.

Got a question on your mind? Ask ChaCha and you'll most likely find your answer. Most common answers are answered by human beings and presented so. Searching with Google will give you a bunch of sites that may or may not contain the answer but ChaCha does its best to answer you like a human being.

The interface of ChaCha is slick. Want to search for something? Click or tap on the 'Ask A Question' button and the Windows 8 search side-bar will pop up. Start typing your question and results will appear instantly below. Click or tap on one to see the answer.

While ChaCha has a pretty incredible database of questions and answers, the information that it provides is very shallow. You will often get a few sentences and that's it. If you're looking for more info, you'll have to search outside of ChaCha for it. The Wikipedia app is a good start.

On the front page of the app, you are given a grid of articles that you can read. The topics of the articles vary from top lists to solutions for common problems. These articles are also pretty shallow and don't provide much quality reading as they only present the bare minimum. Annoying, ads are integrated into the grid of articles, disguising them.

Overall, ChaCha is a good, quick way to look up questions semantically but a proper search engine will probably provide you with more information.

Review last updated: 14/09/12

Pros
  • Simple, intuitive interface
  • Instant search
  • Beautiful, in depth galleries and articles
Cons
  • Lots of wasted space viewing articles
  • Photos don't enlarge

Download ChaCha Metro App

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