One of the other hats I wear in Cambria (other than AboutCambria.com’s web maven) is owner of Ace Solutions. My company provides professional support for individuals, small businesses and nonprofits. A little over 60% of the support I provide is computer-based. As with everything in my life, I try to be well-informed and when I come across good, useful information, I like to pass it along.
Here, then, are 10 useful tools for your computer and your life.
Silently running in the background of your Vista PC are services that you don’t need. These leeches slow your system down and increase your system’s boot time. The free Vista Services Optimizer helps fix the problem, by analyzing your PC, telling you which you can safely turn off, and then turning them off for you. Click the Services Diagnostics to start. You describe your PC–whether it’s connected to a network, whether you use a digital camera, whether you have third-party anti-spyware and firewall, and so on. Then the software checks the services that run in the background, and gives you a report that details which you can safely turn off. You can then have the Vista Services Optimizer turn off all the unnecessary services for you, or you can use the program to turn them off manually, one at a time. There are some nice extras here, such as a screen that shows you your CPU and RAM use. But the key here is Vista Services Optimizer’s analysis and recommendations for turning off services.
In a world of high-priced subscription antivirus programs that bog down your PC while protecting it, Avast stands out. This program is one of the few free antivirus applications that do as good a job as any of the big boys. Avast includes more than seven different kinds of shields, safe-surfing tools, and real-time virus protection for your OS, as well as Outlook.
No one puts End User License Agreements at the top of their reading list. Failing to read these, though, can results in privacy risks, unwanted software, and other nasty surprises. You should always read EULAs from end to end, but EULAlyzer makes it easier to home in on the important parts. To start, click the plus-sign button in EULAlyzer and drag it to the text requiring analysis. You’ll see the text appear in the program’s window. When you click “analyze,” EULAlyzer searches the document for what it calls “words of interest”. EULAlyzer then assigns its Interest Rating. You can then search the entire EULA for keywords–”trial,” for instance–and pull up further data.
Of course, EULAlyzer is no substitute for reading the EULA. But EULAlyzer does save you time and effort. You can also save EULAs in EULAlyzer, so you can check back later if you think a program’s not treating your PC (or your privacy) as kindly as it promised it would.
Note: This program is donationware. It is free to try, but the author accepts and encourages donations towards further development.
Use drop.io to privately share your files and collaborate in real time by web, email, phone, mobile, and more. Create each drop in two clicks and share what you want, how you want, with whom you want. Check out our ‘How To’ video. Drop.io is an easy to use, online collaboration and file sharing service that provides users with a simple, real time and private way to chat and share images, video, audio, documents and other digital content through unique, user-created and controlled sharing points called ‘drops.’ watch our how to video Each ‘drop’ is non-searchable, non-networked, does not require any type of account registration and can be password-protected and set to expire after a period of time, so you can share exactly what you want with whom you want for as long as you want.
20-word Description: Tatango offers the simplest, most effective way for groups to communicate through their mobile phones.
CEO’s Pitch: As an all-in-one solution, Tatango allows any group to collect, manage and message all of their group members both from a computer and mobile phone. Tatango was born from the promise of giving groups the ability to stay connected anytime, anywhere. The Tatango service doesn’t require a special phone or its users to download software to use the service. The service is ad-supported and completely free, Tatango places 30-character text ads at the bottom of group messages, costing you no more than a standard text message to receive a group alert.
Perhaps the best thing going for Tatango is its completely intuitive feature set. Once you’ve registered, it doesn’t take long to get your circle of contacts connected. And once you’ve made that happen, group messaging will no longer be such an arduous task. Efficiency is bliss, eh? (from Mashable.com)
Craig’s List may have a wider audience, but the classified ads page of AboutCambria.com are more local and targeted. They don’t expire and can be removed at your request in under 12 hours.
When sharing any kind of formatted document (like Microsoft Word), the formatting can get screwy when the file is opened on another person’s computer. To eliminate this problem, make a PDF instead. PDF documents will maintain all formatting and the file will open on any computer looking just likeyou meant it to look. CutePDF creates professional quality PDF files from almost any printable document. FREE for almost anyone to use. No watermarks. No popup Web ads.
Don’t think you need this utility? I suggest you read this page about why you should reconsider sending Word documents to people, and what better alternatives are available for document exchange over the Internet.
Hundreds of fonts of all kinds divided into catagories, free to download. This font site is my favorite because YOU can choose the test the font sample will use to demo the font. Looking for the perfect for for your name? Use it as the same and automatically see it in every font available.
Use MeetingWizard to arrange and schedule meetings and other events. MeetingWizard automatically does the following:
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- sends invitations to participants proposing alternate times
- summarizes their responses
- updates you on the results
- sends confirmations
- sends optional reminders prior to meetings
MeetingWizard requires only that you and your participants have access to e-mail and a browser. It uses the simplest technologies possible, ensuring that all of your guests will be able to use the system.
FaxZero lets you send a fax to any fax machine in the United States (including Puerto Rico) or Canada for free. You don’t need a fax machine yourself, but you do need a valid e-mail address. This service is free for up to 3 pages. They charge for faxes 4 pages or more.
With Ace Solutions, you get a professional, intelligent assistant when you need one and powerful resource for your success. I can’t change how many hours there are in a day, but I can help you leverage your time and get things done. I am accepting new clients for a limited time. When you need customized support for any personal or professional projects on your “to do” list, send me an email or give me a call at Cambria 4191. Visit my web site to read more about what I can do for you.
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