Windows/Linux only: Freeware application Tobu is a tag-based note-taking tool with an emphasis on efficiency and keyboard shortcuts. Like most capture applications of this kind, Tobu may take some time to fully understand and integrate into your workflow, but you’ll likely be rewarded once you do. I haven’t spent enough of that time with Tobu, but after FreewareGenius’ rave review, it looks like a strong alternative to shareware-only, previously mentioned Evernote (though it’s lacking the multimedia element). Tobu is freeware, currently in beta, Windows and Linux only.
Windows/Mac/Linux (Adobe Air): Klok, a free time and project-tracking app for the Adobe Air platform, is a great time-tracking solution for multi-platform users, as well as anyone who likes to keep it simple. Simple projects allow you to simply create and describe time entries on a drag-and-adjust grid, or use a template like “Web project” to automatically create sub-categories of HTML, design, text, and the like. You can also use Klok as a work timer using the “Work On” button, and export reports and invoices for clients. Klok is a free download for any system running the Adobe Air platform.
Mac OS X and Linux: Now that you’re dual booting Windows on your Mac, you want to save files to your Windows partition while you’re booted up in OS X. By default, NTFS-formatted disks are read-only in OS X, but the NTFS-3G driver makes it writable. Download NTFS-3G, then use the following command to save and edit files on your Boot Camp partition:
The latest release of the popular Linux Distribution Ubuntu, numbered 8.04 and code-named “Hardy Heron,” is available for download and upgrading. We pointed out most of the new features and improvements in our screenshot tour of Hardy, including a nifty Windows-based installer, file-handling improvements and upgraded applications, but you can check it all out for yourself hassle-free with a live CD. Ubuntu 8.04 is a free download for any system with a 32- or 64-bit Intel or AMD processor, but you can also request to have free CDs shipped to you. How stable and smooth have you found Hardy Heron to be? What feature or change are you still waiting to see included? Let’s hear it in the comments.
Windows/Mac/Linux: Free, open source application BananaSplit divides DivX or Xvid AVI videos into user-defined chunks. There are plenty of reasons you might want to split a video using this app, but the two most obvious that come to mind are to highlight a small section of a long video or to share a large video over the internet when you’re limited by filesize constraints. BananaSplit is free, cross-platform, requires Java. For a quick howto, head over to Simplehelp’s step-by-step tutorial for BananaSplit.
Windows/Mac/Linux: Google Earth has updated and integrated Google Maps Street View, meaning that not only can you soar over the globe with Google Earth—you can also hit the streets and look around when you get tired of flying. In addition to Street View, Google Earth 4.3 promises time-lapse videos of sunrises and sunsets, improved speed, and better 3D graphics. It’s also added new first-person controls so using the software feels closer to what it feels like to play a video game. Google Earth is freeware for all platforms.
Windows/Mac/Linux (All Systems): One fine day in the future, Google will release a Picasa client for Mac OS X, making it possible for anyone to upload or download a Picasa Web Album from any system. Until then, tools like Bradley Beach’s PicasaWebalbumsAssistant will help a great deal. Beach’s Java-based tool lets ou grab either public albums by entering a username, or private albums from an emailed invitation link. Better still, it offers thumbnail previews of the album you’re about to download, and you can skip shots you don’t need. Combined with the previously-posted, OS X-only Picasa Web Albums Uploader and Exporter (original post), Mac users can easily use Picasa’s web features without a long series of file choosing and uploads. PicasaWebalbumsAssistant is a free download that works with any system running Java 5.5 or higher. Picasa Webalbums Assistant
Windows/Mac/Linux with Adobe AIR: Keep updates on all your friends’ social network activities with Alert Thingy, an application for Adobe’s AIR platform that brings FriendFeed functionality to the desktop. We’ve shown that social aggregator site FriendFeed can make it faster and easier to keep tabs on friends, and while you could track those updates with a private RSS feed, Alert Thingy lets you keep it in an buddy-list-like window, available for quick browsing and, best of all, searching. If you can’t keep yourself from digging through your various social memberships to see what’s new, Alert Thingy might at least make it quicker to do so. Alert Thingy is a free download for Adobe’s AIR platform, which runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux.
iPhone/iPod touch: Freeware application Simplify Media streams music from any shared iTunes library over the internet, effectively giving your limited-space iPhone or iPod touch access to your entire music library—no matter what the size. To use it, you’ll need to install previously mentioned Simplify Media on your Windows or Mac desktop. Then, using a jailbroken iPhone, install the Simplify Media app for the iPhone from Installer.app. (Not yet jailbroken? Here’s how.) You’re limited to using Simplify Media to a Wi-Fi connection, and it’s a bit buggy in the beta version, but as you can see from the video, it’s got tons of potential. Ooh la la [Simplify Media Blog via Gizmodo]
Windows/Mac: Freeware application Desktoptopia automatically loads and rotates handpicked, designer desktop wallpapers on your Windows or Mac desktop. Once you’ve installed Desktoptopia (not to be confused with previously mentioned Desktopia), you can set rotation speed, multiple monitor options (e.g., same or different wallpaper on different monitors), and include your own feed of images you’d like to work in with the handpicked Desktoptopia themes. The Mac version is polished and robust, but the Windows version is still in beta (requiring .NET 3.5). Both versions are freeware, so give it a try and let us know what you think of Desktoptopia’s designer wallpapers in the comments. Yet another cool way to trick out your desktop. Desktoptopia [via Download Squad]
