Nick Peers

Jealous of macOS’s Spotlight feature? Want a more accessible -- never mind powerful and customizable -- alternative to Windows’ own dated search and app launching tools? Then Flow Launcher could be just the tool you’re looking for.

Flow Launcher, or “Flow” for short, lets you search for and open apps, files, system settings, and web pages from a single, easily accessible search bar. Triggered by a custom hotkey of your choice, it provides a seamless way to navigate your system. However, its modular design is what truly sets it apart.

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Berlin developer O&O Software has rolled out O&O DiskImage 20 Pro, offering Windows users imaging and file backup in a single application. While version 20 is a relatively minor release, it does at least continue O&O’s commitment to providing lifetime licenses for its products.

While rival backup products -- including Acronis and now Macrium -- have switched to a subscription-based model, forcing users to continue paying in order to not just back up their data but restore it in the event of an emergency, O&O Software is keen to highlight that O&O DiskImage 20 Pro, like every release before it, comes with a pay-once, use-forever lifetime license.

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It’s possibly one of the longest gestation periods in computing history, but after more than two decades of development, FreeCAD 1.0 finally gets its first official, stable release.

The open-source tool for product designers and mechanical engineers has long been used in production despite its lack of official release status, but the resolution of two outstanding issues cleared the way for it to officially reach the 1.0 milestone, complete with brand new logo.

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Rick Brewster and dotPDN LLC has released Paint.NET 5.1, the first major point release in the Paint.NET 5.x series. It comes just under two years after Paint.NET 5.0 first saw the light of day.

The major highlight is support for color management -- ensuring images with embedded color profiles can now be displayed correctly in Paint.NET. The feature is effectively automatic -- when an image containing an embedded color profile is loaded into Paint.NET 5.1, it’ll display according to the embedded profile. Users can then switch to different ICC color profiles via the new Image > Color Profile… dialog.

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The Tor Project has announced the release of Tor Browser 14.0 for Windows (both 32-bit and 64-bit), Mac, Linux, and Android. The browser offers increased privacy to users by redirecting their internet traffic through the open Tor network.

Tor Browser 14.0 updates the browser’s underlying code to the latest Firefox ESR release -- 128 -- while also introducing new improvements that allow its fingerprinting protections to work with several new features introduced in Firefox’s latest ESR release.

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Subscription-based software isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Some of us would prefer to pay a one-off fee upfront for a software package we know will last us years without any significant changes. Thankfully, Microsoft caters to both types of user, both with the subscription-based Microsoft 365 range of products and now with a brand new version of its flagship product, Microsoft Office 2024.

Office 2024, which starts from $149.99 for its Home edition, replaces Microsoft Office 2021 and brings the feature set bang up to date. It’s also joined by a new Office LTSC 2024 release aimed firmly at larger organizations who want an on-premises edition for a disconnected or restricted environment.

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Adobe’s consumer photo and video range gets its annual refresh with the twin release of Adobe Photoshop Elements 2025 and Adobe Premiere Elements 2025 for Windows and macOS.

Alongside the usual slew of new features, tools and improvements comes one nasty sting in the tail: a non-renewable 3-year license after which the programs’ editing facilities will stop working. The program’s trial length has also been reduced to just seven days from the previous 30-day period.

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Berlin software developer O&O Software has released O&O Defrag 29 Professional, a major new release of its extremely configurable defrag and disk optimization tool for Windows.

The new release is the first to offer a Windows build for ARM-based PCs, plus adds two major new features of interest: O&O StartupManager and O&O VisualDisk.

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IObit has unveiled a major update to its driver updating tool for Windows with the release of IObit Driver Booster 12.0.

Highlights of the new release include an expanded database now spanning over 15 million drivers, support for newer hardware, faster and more stable performance, and the obligatory UI refresh.

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Alludo has announced the release of Parallels Desktop 20.0 for Mac. Available in Standard, Pro, Business and -- new to version 20 -- Enterprise editions, the virtualization software makes it easy for Mac users to run Windows, macOS and Linux virtual machines on their desktop.

Version 20’s headline new feature is the Parallels AI Package add-on for Business, Enterprise and -- until the end of the year -- Pro users running Macs with Silicon hardware. This provides access to AI-ready virtual machines to aid in development.

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Are you frustrated trying to use TeamViewer in a non-professional capacity? As its personal-use restrictions lock more and more people out, it’s easy to think that the Holy Grail of a single platform covering all your personal remote desktop and remote support needs is slipping from your grasp.

Thankfully, there’s an alternative riding into town. It’s still undergoing rapid development, but the good news is that RustDesk 1.3.0 is already living up to its self-titled billing as "the open-source alternative to TeamViewer".

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The Document Foundation has released its second major build of LibreOffice for the year with the release of LibreOffice 24.8, the second to sport the new YYYY.MM versioning method.

Highlights include a new Quick Find deck in LibreOffice Writer’s Sidebar, numerous new spreadsheet functions in Calc and the ability to view and edit a slide deck’s notes beneath the slide in Normal view in LibreOffice Impress.

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The Files Community has released Files 3.6, a major new release of its open-source File Explorer replacement for Windows users.

Version 3.6 contains several eye-catching new features, from support for aligning the dual-pane window vertically rather than horizontally to allowing users to add background images to the Files explorer pane on a per-folder basis.

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Primate Labs, the Canadian developer behind PC benchmarking tool Geekbench 6, has unveiled a new addition to its benchmarking family: Geekbench AI 1.0.

Available across the big five desktop and mobile platforms, Geekbench AI allows you to benchmark your devices using a series of frameworks to determine their AI capabilities. But why the need to test your own devices? The era of Artificial Intelligence is upon us, as tech companies fall over themselves in their attempts to convince us that computers can genuinely think for themselves. While the truth of AI -- more a case of machine learning than true intelligence -- doesn’t live up to the hype, that doesn’t mean the AI label is completely useless.

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When it comes to keeping your PC clean, there’s one tool that stands out: Piriform’s CCleaner. But while its free version offers a range of basic cleaning tools, CCleaner also offers a range of premium tiers that come with extra features, boost privacy and security, and offer priority support should you need it.

Whether you simply want to unlock CCleaner’s full set of features on a single PC (or Mac), or install CCleaner and a range of complementary utilities across all your home’s devices, we’ve got a deal for you that could save you up to 63 percent.

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