BEST OF THE BEST: Freeware

Well a while back, I wrote a post about the best of the best technology. I haven't really covered all the subjects before so i'm gonna continue here. CLICK HERE FOR PART 1.

FREEWARE!!!!


I thought that I should dedicate a mega-category (with sub categories) to FREEWARE!!! If you don't know, freeware is software that is released to the public for free. Free demos don't count.

NOTE: Sometimes the Freeware has an upgrade for money but i DON'T recommend paying for it.

Antivirus


avast!

If you have me as a friend on Facebook, you may already know which antivirus software I love. If you aren't, the best free antivirus is avast!. I loved this software since it was released but i had a slight issue with the non-user friendly interface. The keyword in the previous sentence is "HAD". Now avast! 5.0 is released with the new very user friendly interface, I can't say I love any program as much as I like avast!. This program with one click protects your computer as good or better that Symantec Antivirus. My good friend Deon would highly disagree though...

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Microsoft Security Essentials

I have recently downloaded this program on my computer and it is actually not a bad freeware program. There's one catch though. You have to have a Genuine copy of Windows XP, Vista, or 7. It will check to genuineness (yes thats a word) of your version of windows when you try to install it. I would suggest that you download BOTH avast! and Microsoft Security Essentials because its never a bad thing to double up on antivirus. Some people have problems with having multiple antivirus programs but I have never encountered this issue with these two programs but I had problems before I uninstalled Symantec.

Internet Browser
 
Google Chrome is the best browser, just in front of Mozilla Firefox. Theses are both great browsers but Firefox has a older, IE-esque look but, Chrome (as in the name) is new, modern, sleek, and still has that new browser smell!(joking). It's not all about the looks though! In Google Chrome, you have highly sophisticated security, similar or better that Safari. It will block and warn you when you attempt to enter a potentially hazardous website but if you trust it, Chrome will still allow you to go in. Also, if you have multiple computers, you can sync all your settings and bookmarks to your Google account and sync to all your computer.

VoIP


VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. These are services that let you use your computer like a phone. The best is the very popular Skype. You can call anyone else on Skype for FREE anywhere in the world. Skype is also now available in some cell phones, Smartphones, and the iPod Touch. This can't replace your phone but can definitely save you money. Contrary to the note at the beginning of this article, buying Skype credit to call phones is not a bad idea. For example, if you have a plan on Skype (FYI they aren't very expensive) and a iPod Touch, you can use it like a phone. There is also video calling on Skype and it can be one way to.

PC Accelerator


There are many programs that claim to speed up your PC but the most effective and easy-to-use one is Advanced System Care 4. This program will clean recycled files, defrag, and many other things to speed up your PC. There is also a cool feature called Turbo Boost. Turbo boost disables all unnecessary background programs to speed up your PC. This program was originaly introduced by my other good friend Gary (Click here for his video describing this program)

Design

Well I think that many of you have heard of Adobe Photoshop and it's truly the best but it cost over a thousand dollars to get CS5. The GNU counterpart is GIMP 2.6. It's not as great or easy to use as Photoshop but GIMP is the best free design software you'll get out there.


This is the end of this article of BEST OF THE BEST but I am sure that there are gonna be more so stay tuned! and As always... LEAVE YOUR QUESTIONS AN COMMENTS BELOW!!!!