Whilst l was galloping through the internet on my trusty Firefox steed, I stumbled across this awesome game:
It looks like Wipeout (or perhaps F-Zero?), has gone through a dubstep obsessed puberty, watched Tron too many times and emerged as an adrenaline fuelled android. And the best part is, somehow, this game is completely free!
The fact that this is available for nothing on the internet got the cheapskate inside me thinking: What other, perhaps more useful freeware is available online? Of course to list it all would take forever, but here are a few that have caught my eye.
Recuva
Say you’ve just finished that important documents you’ve spent hours on but somehow, through a combination of butterfingers and idiocy, you manage to delete it, seemingly irreversibly. We’ve all done it. But no longer will you instantly start weeping and tearing your hair out.
Recuva can retrieve deleted files from formatted hard drives, peripheral devices (digital camera, USB Drive etc), restore lost music along with full track information and recover unsaved documents, usually in under a minute.
This software is an absolute life saver. You can also permanently delete data, along with any traces of it’s existence. But bear in mind, not even Recuva can retrieve this data once deleted in this way.
Download Recuva here – www.piriform.com/recuva
Malware Bytes
If, for some strange reason, you don’t use Malware Bytes already, start using it now! This is the virus detection and prevention tool that paid services have been known to refer customers to. All you’ll have to do is regularly scan your computer to minimise the chance of any virus/malware based mishaps.
Malware Bytes is easy to use, has great features and competes with the vast majority of paid services. You can’t say fairer than that. Download it at www.malwarebytes.org
SpiderOak
You’ve heard of Dropbox, right? Whilst Dropbox is a great service, there is now a better alternative. Spider Oak comes with the same amount of storage, plus an array of additional features. The software can be configured to automatically back-up data, and you can also gain an extra gigabyte of storage for everyone you introduce the service.
I suspect the lack of recognition is due to the weird choice of name. You kind of know what Dropbox is about before you even use it, due to the sheer simplicity of the name. On the contrary, Spider Oak sounds like a company that might sell dream-catchers and hand whittled wooden owls. But despite the name, it’s another great, free service to be taken full advantage of.
Checkout SpiderOak at spideroak.com.
Wunderlist
This task-management application has a great UI (user interface) and is a genuinely useful little tool. It’s essentially a cloud based to-do list, but it’s layout and features make it so accessible and manageable, it should instantly become a part of your daily routine.
It allows multiple people to edit your schedule and is suitable for both business and personal use. No longer will I be blu-tacking illegible lists to my desk and surrounding areas! Find out more at www.wunderlist.com.
All the above programs are great for organising and streamlining your life, not to mention saving the countless hours spent recreating lost documents and fixing a malware infested computer.
