Adjust brightness and contrast from software with ClickMonitorDDC
ClickMonitorDDC is a tiny free tool which allows adjusting the brightness and contrast of DDC-compatible monitors (and that’s most of them, if you’re unsure).
You could do this anyway with the monitor buttons, maybe opening the Display Control Panel applet, but ClickMonitorDDC will often be much more convenient.
Hain is a search tool, launcher and desktop assistant for x64 Windows
Hain is an open-source keyboard-oriented launcher, desktop search and productivity tool for 64-bit Windows.
The program is convenient to use. Unzip the download, run Hain.exe, it adds an icon to your system tray and pressing Alt+Space (customizable) launches the interface when required.
SoftMaker FreeOffice 2016 improves performance and interoperability with Microsoft Office
SoftMaker Software has released SoftMaker FreeOffice 2016, a brand new version of its office suite for Windows and Linux that’s free for both personal and commercial use.
The new release comes with the promise of improved performance as well as better compatibility with Microsoft Office documents. It also includes a number of new features and tweaks, confined largely to the suite’s presentation and spreadsheet components.
Block unauthorized webcam usage with Who Stalks My Cam
Who Stalks My Cam is a free Windows application which alerts you to dubious software attempting to access your webcam.
The download unzips to a regular installer, but there’s also a portable version if you just want to take a quick look. Once it’s running, Who Stalks My Cam displays an audio alert and a popup whenever a program tries to access your webcam.
Identify, monitor and overclock your GPU with NVIDIA Inspector
NVIDIA Inspector is a versatile tool for checking, monitoring and overclocking NVIDIA graphics cards.
This can be a complex area, but smart design ensures the program has something to offer every level of user.
Video Thumbnails Maker 9.0 adds animated video contact sheets
SUU Design’s Video Thumbnails Maker 9.0 has shipped with new support for creating animated video thumbnail sheets. You’re able to choose which thumbnail is animated, and the duration of the animation (2-10 seconds).
The finished results may be saved as WebM or APNG, and a scaled-down version should be embedded here.
ORPALIS PDF Reducer cuts document sizes by up to 80 percent
ORPALIS PDF Reducer is an effective tool for optimizing PDF documents, reducing their size by up to 80 percent.
Unlike some of the competition, the program doesn’t just cut your document DPI: it applies multiple techniques to deliver the best results. This starts by checking individual PDF objects. Any which aren’t used are stripped out of the file, and you can optionally remove other items you may not need: annotations, bookmarks, embedded files and more.
Take a low-level look at your PC desktop with Window Inspector
Binary Fortress Software has released Window Inspector, a free tool for examining the low-level details of any application window.
Move your mouse cursor over any window and a detailed display lists its class, text, icons, owning process, command line, Style and StyleEX flags, and more.
Record everything launched on a PC with Process Logger Service
Process Logger Service is a Windows service which logs every process launched on your PC. It’s a useful tool that can help answer a range of questions. Like, did the email you open launched something? What did that installer do? When was a particular program last run? And more.
The service must be set up manually. It’s not a difficult process, but does involve a little more work than we expected.
Stream torrents before they’re fully downloaded with WebTorrent Desktop
There’s nothing new about the idea of streaming torrents before they’ve finished downloading, but WebTorrent Desktop does a better job than most of making that happen.
It’s open source, and installs on Windows, Linux or Mac with minimal hassle. No adware, no browser extensions, no complicated options to consider: just run the installer and it’s finished within seconds.
Eagle Mode: not your average file manager
Tired of Windows Explorer? There are alternatives around, but most use a very similar core interface with a few extras bolted on.
Eagle Mode is more imaginative. There’s no folder tree, no file pane, in fact it doesn’t look much like a file manager at all. Until you begin to explore…
IObit ships Smart Defrag 5
IObit has shipped Smart Defrag 5, a major update of its freeware disk optimizer. A new defrag engine supports multi-threading for maximum performance.
New defrag types allow users to focus on large files only, or to consolidate free disk space. If you’re unsure which defrag type to use, IOBit’s Smart Defrag/Optimize Technology will intelligently select if for you.
Add style to your photos with ON1 Effects Free
ON1 Effects Free 10 is a collection of professional photo filters and effects which can be used stand-alone, and as Photoshop or Lightroom plugins.
Beginners can use the package much like other apps. Open an image, choose a preset -- Cinematic, Color Grading, Haze Reduction, more -- and just click a thumbnail to apply that effect.
Vivaldi 1.0 arrives, promises uniquely customizable web browser for power users
Vivaldi Technologies has unveiled Vivaldi 1.0 FINAL, the first stable release of a web browser aimed squarely at those who want full control over their web browsing experience.
Vivaldi has been developed by a team led by Jon S von Tetzchner, co-founder of rival Opera, and is available for Windows, Mac and Linux. Vivaldi’s moniker -- "Not for everybody, just for you" -- highlights its different approach to other major web browsers.
Get the lowdown on your PCs storage devices with Diskovery
Bvckup 2 developer Pipemetrics has released the first beta of Diskovery, a free system information tool which reveals all about your PC’s storage devices.
It’s a familiar idea, but Diskovery stands out for its thoroughness, using multiple technologies to discover and talk to drives.
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