Twice this week I’ve had the opportunity to help friends and family work through issues with their computer; and each case, I used or installed a freely available application to address the need.  There’s a lot of really great software out there that doesn’t cost a dime.  So today, I’ve decided to compile a list of the dozen applications that I consider to be among the cream of the crop.  Here they are:

• LogMeIn – Software that allows you to access your home or work PC from anywhere.  The basic version is free and seems to work a lot more readily than the remote access tool built into Windows.  I use this to troubleshoot issues on friend’s computers and to connect from my desktop while on the road.
• Skype – In the past, I used Skype a lot to call family and colleagues from the road.  These days, however, I use it in conjunction with an inexpensive webcam for video calls with my family.
• Evernote – A note-taking and information gathering tool that allows you capture information in various formats (notes, pictures, web-clips), organize it, and then access it from your desktop, the web, or your cell phone.
• Avast! – Anti-virus software that is free for home and non-commercial use.
• Pandora – While not a Windows application, per se, it is very cool and worthy of inclusion.  It’s essentially a personalized jukebox.  You tell it what music you enjoy; and then it scans its database and plays music that you might enjoy.  Over time, you can train it to better understand your musical preferences by giving played songs a “thumbs up” or a “thumbs down”.  There is also an iPhone version that works very well.
• OpenOffice – A freely available replacement for Microsoft Office, it reads, writes, and allows you to edit Office documents in their native formats.
• 7-Zip – A free replacement for Winzip or Window’s built-in file compression tool.  It goes one step further by offering additional compression options that can, in some cases, compress files much more than Winzip or Windows.
• Picasa – Photo management and editing software from Google that reminds me a lot of Apple’s iPhoto application.  It’s quite easy to use and includes a free online gallery so you can share photos with your friends and family.
• Paint.NET – Intended to be a replacement for Window’s venerable Paint application, it is much more powerful than Paint and is more akin to Adobe Photoshop.
• Firefox – No list of great, free applications would be complete without at least mentioning Firefox.  A solid competitor to Internet Explorer, Firefox also offers a multitude of downloadable plug-ins so you can better tailor the browser to your own specific needs.
• OpenDNS – A web-based tool that improves the security of your computer by blocking “phishing” sites and allowing you to conditionally block adult or other questionable content.
• CutePDF – A simple, free utility that allows you to create PDF files from any printable document.

Bookmark/Search this post with:

Delicious  •   Digg  •   StumbleUpon  •   Reddit  •   Facebook  •   Google