Gizmo's Freeware: Top selections

Remove Images From Web Pages, For Speed And Cheaper Printing

Mon, 05 Jun 2017 18:35:41 +1000

Have you noticed how web pages nowadays are full of pictures? Not just adverts, but illustrations and icons and buttons too. They make the page look nice, of course, but they can slow down the time it takes for a site to load over a slow connection. Plus, if you want to print a page that's full of images, all those pictures use up additional ink or toner that you might not actually want to appear on the prints.

A neat little extension for Chrome, if you use that browser, can help here. It's called Text Mode and you can download it from the Google Web Store and install it directly into Chrome. Once that's done, just click the little T button in your toolbar at the top of Chrome, and you'll be running in no-graphics mode.

Which means that pages load more quickly, and printing is cheaper. If you're printing out a recipe for example, and you want the detailed steps but you can manage without the huge picture of the finished dish, this will definitely save you money. It's free too. Read More

Updated: Best Free Software for Linux

Sun, 04 Jun 2017 19:45:48 +1000

This list of Best Free Software for Linux now includes 156 apps in various categories. Among a plethora of freeware products, we have selected some gems in each category and added them to the list with clear and brief descriptions of each app. Read More

Updated: Best Free Online Books For Kindle

Sat, 03 Jun 2017 20:40:13 +1000

This is the most comprehensive listing of legal and free Kindle ebooks. The links here provide all their works in Kindle compatible formats. I did not include PDF works as many Kindle users complain that those do not display properly.

You do not have to have a kindle device to read kindle books. A kindle application is available for every major smartphone, computer and tablet. Additionally, Amazon has a Kindle cloud reader available, so you do not have to use software or download the ebook to read (free registration and residency requirements). Read More

Wallpaper of the Week: Canyon Reflections

Fri, 02 Jun 2017 19:51:24 +1000

This weeks wallpaper is a picture of a fantastic canyon with a pool reflecting the sides of the canyon. A bit of brilliant blue sky at the top offsets the terra cotta hues of the canyon. This spectacular canyon is called The Wave and is located in Zion National Park in the US. Fans of deserts and canyons will appreciate this wallpaper. Icons show up quite well against this background.

This wallpaper comes in a wide range of image resolutions including widescreen, full screen, HD, and mobile devices and tablets. You can use this background on desktop computers, laptops, mobile devices, tablets and other devices, just install it using the directions for your specific device or browser. Read More

Mix Your Own Soundtrack To Work To

Thu, 01 Jun 2017 18:08:10 +1000

When you're trying to work or concentrate, listening to certain sounds rather than music can help. Perhaps you're the sort of person who prefers the sound of a forest or stream, or a river, or a coffee shop, or a storm. Or perhaps the gentle rattle of a train going over the tracks.

Or maybe you'd like a combination of all of those, plus more too.

If so, then check out Noisli. It's a web-based platform from which you can select and listen to loads of different relaxing sounds, and you can even mix your own. Perhaps you'd like a strong sound of flowing water, with just a hint of coffee-shop? Not a problem. Just adjust the sliders to suit your preferences, then sit back and listen. Or get on with your work without feeling so restless.

Because it's web-based, you need nothing more than a browser and some speakers. Or a smartphone with some. Read more

Quickly Compare Two Windows Folders And Their Contents

Wed, 31 May 2017 22:33:12 +1000

Last week I wrote about a problem I was having with my PC backup regime. Some files were not being backed up, and it turned out that there was a problem with their dates. I found a great freeware tool to tweak their dates.

I'm based in the UK, where today is a public holiday. So I took the time to do some more general maintenance on my computer, including my backups. And the first thing I did was to compare the size of the most important folder on my PC with the size of the folder on my backup drive. Needless to say, I was expecting them to be identical. But they weren't. There are around 32,000 files in total, and a couple of hundred of them were missing.

An investigation was clearly called for. And because my backup drive is just that, ie a standard drive, it was easy. After a little searching for a program to do the job, I settled on WinMerge. It's a 6 MB download and runs just fine on Windows 10. It's reputable according to Web of Trust, and malware-free according to VirusTotal.

WinMerge can do lots of things (so be careful which options you choose!). When you start it up, and supply it with the names and locations of 2 folders, it performs the job that I wanted. Namely, to compare the contents of those 2 folders (and all their subfolders, if you want), to tell you whether the contents are identical or not. By default, the program checks every byte of every file. I changed this to check only the name, date and size, which speeded up the process and was sufficient for my needs.

In just a couple of minutes I had the answer to my query. The folder I'm backing up is actually my Dropbox folder, which seems to contain a number of hidden cache folders that Dropbox uses for its own purposes. These weren't getting backed up, which accounts for the discrepancy.

I can stop worrying now. And WinMerge is definitely staying on my PC because it's a very useful tool. Read More

Finds of the Week: 30 May, 2017

Tue, 30 May 2017 20:48:40 +1000

Finds of the Week is a list of web sites I've come across lately that are interesting, fun, or useful (or all three). I hope you enjoy them. -Rhiannon

- Post to all of your social media accounts at once
- Make sure your Windows PC won't get hit by ransomware like WannaCry
- 19 Best Windows 10 Tips and Tricks You Should Know
- The Difference Between MP3, AAC, FLAC and Other Audio Formats

Read More

An Advanced Android Password Manager That Works Online and Offline

Mon, 29 May 2017 20:46:10 +1000

As a good alternative to LastPass Password Manager, KeePassDroid allows you to keep all your passwords in a database file protected with a master password on your Android mobile.

The only disadvantage of KeePassDroid is that it works only offline. If you need a password manager that can access your encrypted credential file either offline or online, Keepass2Android Password Safe serves the purpose.

Based on the user interface of KeePassDroid, Keepass2Android develops further and offers many more advanced features. It not only reads and writes your local password files, but also accesses and syncs the files from the cloud or the web.

In addition, it has a special keyboard to fill your credentials into a webform and bypass the clipboard as the developer points out his concern below:

"A German research team has demonstrated that clipboard-based access of credentials as used by most Android password managers is not safe: Every app on your phone can register for changes of the clipboard and thus be notified when you copy your passwords from the password manager to your clipboard. In order to protect against this kind of attack, you should use the Keepass2Android keyboard."
Check out this advanced password manager for Android. It is open source and works well with the database file in .kdbx format used by the popular desktop version of KeePass Password Safe 2.x or KeePassX for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X. Read More

Best Free Live Wallpapers for Android - Updated 2017

Sun, 28 May 2017 20:44:47 +1000

Now updated: The best collection of free live wallpapers to make your homescreens alive and interesting on your Android device. Read More

Using Windows 7? You MUST Ensure That Updates Are Enabled

Sat, 27 May 2017 18:36:16 +1000

The fallout from last week's ransomware incident continues. Computers in more than 150 countries were affected by the WannaCry worm, which encrypted victims' files and then used their network to spread itself to other devices in the same area.

It was originally reported that only Windows XP and 8.0 were vulnerable, because Microsoft had previously released patches for all other versions. Although this remains true, it has now emerged that many Windows 7 machines were hit by the rogue software because they hadn't had the patch installed.

It's very important that you always ensure that automatic updating is enabled on your computer. You should also check occasionally in your control panel to ensure that updates are being installed without error. It's not uncommon for the Windows automatic update system to stop working, which means that your computer could be unprotected.

If you still use Windows 7, you can rest assured that you are safe from the WannaCry ransomware. But you should check that you have automatic updating enabled, and that it has been working successfully. Here's how: Read More

Discover What Data Your Web Browser Is Broadcasting About You

Fri, 26 May 2017 19:41:04 +1000

Every time you visit a web site, your web browser sends lots of information to that site. The decision on what to do with that data, if anything, is down to the remote site. Some sites store it for marketing and analytics purposes. Other use it for technical reasons, such as to adjust the display to the capabilities of your computer or the size of the screen.

The information that your browser sends is comprehensive. It always includes your IP address, from which the name of your internet service provider can be discerned. It also includes certain technical details about your computer and browser, as well as your location. As you can see from the screen shot included here, it even contains details of which fonts you have installed.

The harvesting of large amounts of such data is not going to go away any time soon. Indeed, Twitter now collects details about the apps installed on your smartphone and lets advertisers use the information to target their messages towards people who use a certain application.

If you want to find out what data your web browser is broadcasting to every site you visit, try going to Tenta in your favourite browser. This site simply retrieves all the data and then displays it for you to see.

The site in question is, of course, promoting a new browser which claims to block such information from being sent. It even claims to include a free built-in VPN. I'm still evaluating their claims so I'm not yet ready to say whether or not you should try their browser. But the page which reveals your data is both safe and enlightening. Read More

The Best Tool For Tweaking Files' Dates And Attributes

Thu, 25 May 2017 22:41:39 +1000

I'm quite meticulous about taking regular backups. I have an external hard disk which I regularly connect to my PC, copy all the files which have changed since last time, then disconnect the drive.

I don't use a dedicated backup utility to do this. Being rather old-school, I use a batch file and the built-in ROBOCOPY command. It copes just fine with my 250 GB of files, and the regular backup takes just a couple of minutes. Copying everything, rather than just the changed files, takes an entire day so I don't do that very often.

Recently, however, I noticed a problem with my backup procedure. Certain files were always being backed up, because they were always being regarded by ROBOCOPY as having changed since last time. Even through they hadn't. Most of them were photos and videos, including from my wedding 8 years ago. There's no way that these should have been changing.

Like all backup utilities, Robocopy works by comparing the date and time on each version of the file. If the source is newer than the destination, it needs copying. So I clearly needed to examine the troublesome files. Which is when I discovered that they were dated 19th January 2038. No wonder Windows regarded them as being newer than the ones created in 2009!

Clearly these video files were copied from a camera or memory card that didn't handle dates properly. So I needed to adjust the dates on the files in order to speed up my backup process. Which is where a very handy program called Bulk File Changer came in. It's from Nir Sofer on his excellent Nirsoft site and is a tiny download of less than 0.1 MB. It's portable too, runs on Windows 7 to 10, and is malware-free according to VirusTotal. The site is also rated as reputable by Web of Trust.

Bulk File Changer lets you change the attributes on one or more files with ease. It also lets you change any or all of the dates that a file was created, modified, or last accessed. Once I'd done this to my future-dated files, my backups continued working perfectly. Read More

21 Free Tools for Your Next Design Project

Tue, 23 May 2017 18:57:13 +1000

Make your next design project more visually appealing with these free design resources. This is a nicely curated list of tools you can use on design projects like web sites, publications or products. While the list is geared towards web site creation the tools are still useful - the stock photo list, icons and color resources can be widely used. The tools fall into four categorie: stock photos, font tools, icons, and color palettes.

The one thing I found frustrating about the list is that the links to all the tools go a listing on Product Hunt, thus you have to click to get to the item on Product Hunt and from there click on the link to go to the site. I like Product Hunt but I don't want to do that much clicking and waiting for pages to load. I figured you might not either so here are direct links to all the tools listed in the article. :) Read More

You Have 1 Week To Get This $50 Video Converter For Free

Mon, 22 May 2017 19:57:46 +1000

Our old friends at Digiarty are running another special deal on WinX HD Video Converter Deluxe, their full-featured Windows program which allows you to download, rip, resize and edit videos in dozens of different formats. It's great for copying videos to your phone, tablet or laptop in order to watch on the move.

The program costs $49.99 but you have until May 28th to download it for free. You then need to install it by May 31st. Once you've done this, it's yours to use forever.

If you've never taken advantage of this giveaway before, now is your chance. And if you have used the software before, this new offer will get you the latest version (released 3 months ago).

The installer is 51 MB and is malware-free according to VirusTotal. The site is also rated as reputable by Web of Trust. Read More

Never Forget A Conversation In A Phone Call (Android)

Sun, 21 May 2017 20:08:59 +1000

There are many cases where recording phone calls on a mobile are helpful. Some people give you instructions over a phone call and you might find it too slow to jot them down on a piece of paper, or you work in a business or service industry and need to review the conversations over the phone with your clients.

Many smartphones do not come with call recording enabled due to certain regional legislative restrictions. If you need call recording, there are plenty of choice apps in the Google Play Store and this popular app Automatic Call Recorder is one of the most downloaded call recorders on Android.

You can easily use this free app to automatically record all incoming and outgoing calls, save calls that you need to keep on your mobile and sync them to cloud services including Dropbox and Google Drive.

Recording calls may be prohibited in certain districts or countries so be aware of such restrictions when using this type of app.

According to Wikipedia, “telephone recording laws in most U.S. states require only one party to be aware of the recording, while other states require both parties to be aware”. In case of the former only, you’re fine to use this app legally without any need to inform the other party(s). Read More

Gizmo's Exclusive: Get A Professional Video Editor For Free If You're Quick!

Sat, 20 May 2017 19:56:36 +1000

VSDC Video Editor is a very capable Windows program for editing videos and adding effects.

A basic version of the program is available for free. There's also a Pro version, with support for loads more features and codecs, which costs $19.99 per year. However, I've just managed to obtain a special offer exclusively for Gizmo's readers (that's you!).

First, head to this special web page and download the Pro version. It's a 36 MB file and is malware-free according to VirusTotal. It's also a reputable site according to Web of Trust.

Now here's the good bit. Once you've installed the program, go to the VideoSoftDev website and enter your name and email address. You'll receive a licence key by return. Then just click on the Activate link within the program and enter the licence key.

This offer is worth $19.99 and gets you a year's free usage of the Pro version of VSDC Video Editor. But hurry, because the offer expires in 3 days. So you'll need to request your free licence key by Monday. Read More

Reminder: Check If Your Email Address Has Been Stolen Or Hacked

Fri, 19 May 2017 19:30:50 +1000

With so much publicity surrounding last week's major ransomware outbreak, which spread to more than 150 countries, here's a timely reminder of something that you can do to check whether your details have been stolen by hackers.

When hackers steal your account details from a third-party system, they call it Pwning. It's pronounced Poning, and is hacker-speak for owning someone's details. No, I have no idea why either. But it does explain the reasoning behind an excellent online resource called Have I Been Pwned. It's basically a searchable database of stolen email addresses that have been acquired by hackers and then posted on the internet.

The database currently comprises 3.7 billion entries, from almost 50,000 different hacks. To use it, just go to the site and type in your email address. The site will tell you if your details have been leaked. If they have, you'll need to change your passwords.

You can also subscribe to the service if you want, which will then automatically alert you if your details subsequently appear in the database.

Read More