You can add new downloads from the Internet Download Manager interface, but it's more usual to let it capture links. This means that every time you click on a certain file type (which can be specified through configuration options), Internet Download Manager will handle the download itself rather than letting the browser do the job. Everything is automatic: no changing from one app to another, no copying and pasting, no hassle at all.

Once Internet Download Manager captures the link, you can either download the file right away or save it for later, which can be a good alternative if you need all of your bandwidth for the moment and plan to leave the computer on during the night. Downloads can be classified into custom categories before starting them and can also be resumed if the connection is lost or broken.

Speedy downloads

Internet Download Manager does accelerate downloads, although it all depends on your internet connection. That is, don’t expect to download at the speed of light if you’re still using one of those old-fashioned 56K modems. Internet Download Manager achieves quite satisfying download rates by using multiple thread connections with servers.

Internet Download Manager's configuration menu displays a wide range of functions and tools devoted to handling your downloads, such as checking files for viruses with your own antivirus or limiting the amount of bandwidth used by the program. There’s also support for server authentication and proxy, FTP and HTTPS servers.

Internet Download Manager does its job and does it well, so even if your internet connection speed is faster than usual, you should still give it a try.

Download Internet Download Manager 6.15.12 in Softonic

Features

Baidu Antivirus 2013 includes full scans that will check your entire computer, quick scans for top level problems, and custom scans to hunt specific problems. You can also opt into real-time protection with additional features such as file system protection, proactive defense, web access protection, and self-defense. Unfortunately, most of these more complicated features only have short rollovers that briefly explain what they do.

Baidu Antivirus 2013 also contains a feedback window where you can provide suggestions or report errors to Baidu. You can easily attach images or files to help clarify your issues. There is an option to include your contact information such as email, Line, MSN, or even Facebook.

Usability

Baidu Antivirus 2013 has large icons that make it very easy to understand their function. When you first open the app you’ll be presented with buttons to select full, quick, or custom scans. An arrow tab on the right will reveal the real time protection tab. Here you can slide large switches to turn options on and off.

You can further customize Baidu Antivirus 2013 in its detailed settings menus. Here you can schedule automatic openings and scannings, choose what happens to quarantined programs, and how thorough each scan will be. There are also buttons to quickly reach Baidu’s website and community forums.

Quality

Baidu Antivirus 2013 looks clean with a simple white and blue color scheme. All of its features are laid out intuitively and we have not encountered any bugs or slowdown. Full scans will likely take a long amount of time, but the scanning process had no noticeable effects on computer performance. One thing to note is that the beta of Baidu Antivirus 2013 has no audio or pop-ups to let you known when a job is completed.

Conclusion

Baidu Antivirus 2013 is an efficient tool for protecting your computer. The beta works great without noticeable hitches. If you do experience any problems Baidu is happy to hear feedback of how Baidu Antivirus 2013 can be further improved.

Download Baidu Antivirus 2013 3.4.1.29117 Beta in Softonic

Ubuntu epitomizes everything that open source software is all about - free, quality software that works well and looks good. The latest version of Ubuntu "Maverick Meerkat" is packed with new features aimed at bringing Ubuntu to a wider market by making it easier than ever to use.

This download is for the Windows installer version of Ubuntu which installs Ubuntu on your system just like any other application you might install in Windows. It's the easiest and safest way of installing Ubuntu for the first time because you can easily remove it if you find you don't like it. If you do like it, you can download the desktop version which you'll then have to transfer to a CD or USB stick to install correctly.

Ubuntu allows you to do everything that Windows allows you to do with bonus that everything from the word processor to the e-mail client is free and it's fast. Ubuntu comes with Mozilla Firefox preinstalled although you can choose Google Premium from the fantastic Ubuntu Software Centre. One of the big stars of Ubuntu is Open Office which provides you with everything that Microsoft Office has. The IM client is Empathy IM and the mail client is Evolution Mail although you can install Skype and Thunderbird if you prefer. Other apps included in Ubuntu include Me Menu which gives you access to Facebook, Twitter and Identi.ca plus The GIMP, Flickr and Shotwell for image editing.

The major innovation in 10.10 however is the integration of a music store. Ubuntu's music player includes an integrated store, so you can buy and download new tracks. In addition, Ubuntu One's file-syncing means you can stream your music uninterrupted to your Android device or iPhone. This file syncing capability extends to other files and folders too. For video fans, you can still watch clips in YouTube, iPlayer, and MSN Player as well as play your own videos with Movie Player or you can use Pitivi to edit your videos. For game fans, there's lots of games to choose from in the Ubuntu Software Center including puzzles, adventures, strategy games and more - all for free.

One of the major benefits of Ubuntu however is simply its awesome speed. If you're used the the sluggishness of Windows, you're in for a treat. However, the major downside of Ubuntu is that it can be hard to get components in your PC to work with it. There is no driver center as such, meaning finding drivers to run your WiFi card, mouse-pad etc can be very hard. However, most newer laptops and PCs should have no problems being supported from the start.

Ubuntu is a fantastic example of how open source software can compete with the big guns. If you can get it working smoothly on your PC, you may never look back.

Download Ubuntu 13.04 in Softonic

Save flash animations in web page in a fast and convenient way. Resume failed downloads. Detect Flash files from an URL; Search in local cache files; etc. Powerful and convenient management of downloaded Flash files. "Copy URL" function (hot key: Ctrl+C): can copy detected flash item's URL to clipboard. Friendly hint Window. Flash Saver's hints are shown in a friendly way like MSN. It won't break your current operation. Downloading in batches, download multiple files at one time.

Suitable for home users and company users to download flash game files from a flash game site.

Download Flash Game Download Tool 3.0.1 in Softonic

Camfrog Video Chat sounds innocent enough and generally it is, although its a bit disconcerting when it asks you for your marital status as mandatory during registration! The Camfrog Video Chat interface is similar to that of an IM client with contacts listed down the right hand and a messaging box along the bottom. When you log in, you're asked whether you want to join the main Camfrog Video Chat room or a specific room such as Latino, LearnEnglish, Single and a special room for those using sign language.

When you log into a Camfrog forum room, the rules are made clear - "No disturbing the room with repeated text or spamming" and "No nudity or asking others to get nude", for example. The main Camfrog Video Chat room is chaos though. Because there are several people all communicating at once, all you see is a flurry of random messages between users. Click on a contact, and you can usually see their webcam (unless they are categorized as a "lurker" which means their webcam is paused for a while).

You can also hear Camfrog Video Chat conversations intermittently like you're tuning in and out of a radio. In general, the whole thing is quite confusing. It would be fine to have a one-on-one chat on Camfrog Video Chat but interacting with several different users at once is like trying to catch rain water. If nothing else, it's amusing just looking at people on their webcams who look equally confused as they stare at the Camfrog Video Chat messages scrolling past and scratch their heads. You also get the sense of a voyeur at times. It's quite odd to accidentally tune into a conversation between a guy who's explaining to his girlfriend that she and Camfrog Video Chat are the best things that ever happened to him!

The Camfrog Video Chat video and sound quality are pretty good and it's amazing how many people are online. It's much nicer to meet people "face-to-face" in this way rather than just chatting to them anonymously. It would be nicer to expand the size of the video but this is only available in the pro version. The same goes for seeing multiple videos at once. The overall Camfrog Video Chat interface looks a bit retro however - like MSN Messenger a few years ago - and feels a little bit cheap.

There are plenty of people online and Camfrog Video Chat has a lot of potential as a group collaboration tool. If you just want to meet friends though, you shouldn't have any problems if you persevere.

Download Camfrog Video Chat 6.5.269 in Softonic

Miranda IM Portable brings all the functionality and features of the popular cross-network IM client Miranda right to your pocket.

Miranda IM Portable can easily be installed in any USB memory device so that you always have a tool to chat with your online buddies, no matter which network they connect to or which computer you're using. Pocket-sized Miranda IM Portable is light on resources, works fast and leaves no trace on the host system's Registry.

Miranda IM Portable supports multiple networks, which means you'll be able to talk to people on ICQ, AIM, MSN, Jabber, Yahoo! and even IRC. The program's interface and general design is honestly not the most brilliant I've seen, but the program is so handy and easy to use that it makes up for it.

Also, though Miranda IM Portable is quite a basic client, you can add loads of new features by means of plugins – just like the Firefox extensions, but for Miranda.

Save Miranda IM Portable in your USB memory stick and you'll be able to chat with your IM buddies anytime, anywhere.

Download Miranda IM Portable 0.10.11 in Softonic

This is where Nimbuzz comes in really handy as it's a multi-platform instant messaging client. This enables you to chat with your contacts and keep track of your friends' updates on more than a dozen different social networks and IM protocols, including Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, MSN, ICQ, Google Talk and Jabber, among others.

Nimbuzz is already quite popular among mobile platforms, where it has been around for a while. This port to PC has gone a bit unnoticed, I guess partly because Nimbuzz doesn't feature as many tools and options as other similar programs. The tool in itself is quite simple, very light on resources and does what it says on the tin. There are no custom backgrounds, animation effects or any other bells and whistles.

Besides basic text chat, Nimbuzz includes other interesting options such as the ability to organize contacts by groups and the possibility to share files with them, even if they're not online, thanks a to a temporary storage system. Being primarily a mobile IM app, Nimbuzz also allows you to keep contacts synced with your mobile phone.

Despite being simpler than other similar tools, Nimbuzz is still a great app to keep in touch with friends across many different social networks and IM platforms.

Download Nimbuzz 2.5.1 in Softonic

Free Flash Downloader Key Features: Save flash animations in web page in a fast and convenient way. Resume failed downloads. Detect Flash files from an URL; Search in local cache files; etc. Powerful and convenient management of downloaded Flash files. "Copy URL" function (hot key: Ctrl+C): can copy detected flash item's URL to clipboard. Friendly hint Window. Flash Saver's hints are shown in a friendly way like MSN. It won't break your current operation. Downloading in batches, download multiple files at one time. Flash Game Downloader allows you to load all flash files you want to download, then click "Download" button to download them... Easy to use - Just two clicks, everyone can become the master of Free Flash Downloader. Automatically shutdown the computer after downloading. High speed - 400% fast than normal download.

Suitable for home users and company users to download flash files from any sites.

Download Free Flash Downloader 1.0.1 in Softonic

Features

With Skype you can not only have voice chats on your computer – just like telephone, only for free – but also make real phone calls at much lower rates, using the SkypeOut service and paying with Skype credit. Besides voice chats, Skype also includes standard IM functionalities (written conversations, emoticons, user avatars and so on) and also lets you have group video conferences and share screens.

Usability

These video calls are precisely the main focus on Skype's latest version. The program's interface has been completely redesigned with video conferences on mind. This means it's been made wider so that video fits in perfectly with your written chat, your contact list and a toolbar to manage conversation.

The new interface is transformed when you make a call, getting rid of all the clutter, so you just see the video images, and controls. Group video is still being tested in this version, and it's pretty cool.

The other major development is Facebook integration. This is a pretty big thing, as not only does it give you your news feed in the app - anyone can do that - but adds call and sms buttons to any of your friends who share their contact numbers.

If you’ve paid for Skype minutes, you can call your Facebook friends, and if they’re also signed in to Skype you can call them for free. One of the best new features is the automatic call recovery - drop a call and it’s put in pause. Restarting it is now really easy.

Quality

The sound quality during our testing was perfect: loud and clear. Video sometimes appeared a bit pixelated, but nothing we couldn't really deal with. There was also one nice detail, and that's the ability to see your own video image built-in on your contact's video, and the option to take a snapshot of your own image.

Conclusion

Skype 6 features a complete interface overhaul that now focuses more on video chats, and also adds some handy improvements to the way you communicate online.

What's new

Log in with your Microsoft account
Select and pin your favorite contacts
Facebook and Skype contacts combined into one Contacts list
Easier to understand premium subscription notices
Possibility to control Skype video rendering technology for backward compatibility for people who have trouble with video calls

Download Skype 6.3.60.105 in Softonic

Are you tired of heavy instant messengers, which are slow to load, full of colours, animations, and add-ons that put a considerable strain on the whole performance of your PC?
If so, then consider an alternative, lightweight solution like Pidgin Portable which has the advantage, like its name says, of running from a USB pen drive.
You will be able to use it wherever you are, without having to install anything on any computer while travelling or working.
Just plug in your USB pen drive and run the exe file to have all your contacts from different accounts, available for a chat.
Pidgin Portable is able to connect to multiple networks: AIM, MSN, Yahoo! , XMPP, ICQ, IRC, SILC, SIP/SIMPLE, Novell GroupWise, Lotus Sametime, Bonjour, Zephyr, MySpaceIM, Gadu-Gadu, and QQ.
You will never again need to use different messengers for every account you have, Pidgin manages them all at once. Although the interface is rather simple and the icons available are limited, the program is light and lets you choose a picture to represent you.

Try Pidgin portable if you are tired of heavy instant messengers and if you would like multi account application that can run from a USB pen drive, without any installation on the computer you’re using.

Download Pidgin Portable 2.10.7 in Softonic