With Nitro PDF Reader you can not only read PDF files on your computer, but also edit them in several ways: you can annotate PDF documents, insert notes, and highlight, cross-out or underline certain text. Plus Nitro PDF Reader also lets you extract all images in a PDF or save all the text inside the PDF in plain text, removing all the formatting and making it easier to edit.

Another great feature in Nitro PDF Reader is a virtual printer, with which you can convert any document to PDF – as long as the application you use to open it has printing capabilities. All you need to do is choose the Print option and select the Nitro PDF printer.

Nitro PDF Reader features a nicely designed interface that makes the program a pleasure to use. Plus the program seems to have solved the unstability issues that affected earlier versions, so there's really no reason why you shouldn't give it a try!

Nitro PDF Reader is a full featured PDF reader with annotation tools, image and text extractors and a special tool to convert documents to PDF.

Download Nitro PDF Reader 3.5.3.14 in Softonic

In the same vein as other open source productivity suites like OpenOffice.org, LibreOffice boasts a comprehensive set of office management tools arguably on par with Microsoft Office itself. LibreOffice offers six different office management tools to meet your project management needs: Text Document, Spreadsheet, Presentation, Drawing, Database, and Formula.

Text Document is relatively synonymous with Microsoft Word, where Spreadsheet is like Excel. Presentation mirrors Microsoft's PowerPoint, and Database is similar to Access. Then you also have two additional programs in Drawing and Formula, which are an added bonus to the entire package. LibreOffice is compatible with Microsoft Office's document formats and also supports PDFs natively. It also has its own document format called Open Document.

Unfortunately, if you're unfamiliar with Microsoft Office products, this program might take a little additional time to get used to, particularly if you want to master some of its more advanced features. Regular Microsoft Office users will find LibreOffice's interface quite similar, however, and should pick up on how to use its various programs without too much difficulty.

A great alternative to Microsoft Office, LibreOffice is a must-try for managing your various office projects.

Download LibreOffice 4.0.3 Final 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

The extension supports Word (DOC, DOCX), Excel (XLS, XLSX) and PowerPoint (PPT, PPTX) files.

Chrome Office Viewer lets you zoom in on your documents, save them or print them, but bear in mind that it doesn't allow any editing. At the moment, Chrome Office Viewer is only available for the Chrome beta release, but we think that it will be made available for the stable version very soon .

Download Chrome Office Viewer 2.8.7.25 in Softonic

HarePoint Thumbnails for SharePoint allows you to display document and image thumbnails directly in SharePoint document or picture libraries. It provides the very convenient opportunity to preview documents instead of downloading and opening it. Product features: thumbnail generation for the most common file types: Microsoft Office, PDF, images, e-mails, web-pages; custom thumbnail appearance; and SharePoint 2013, 2010 compatibility.

HarePoint Thumbnails for SharePoint displays document and image thumbnails directly in SharePoint document or picture libraries, so you have the immediate opportunity to preview the document instead of downloading and opening it. Download free trial.

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FastLook is a very fast and lightweight viewer, and supports over 200 file formats. It can also open zip files, raster graphics and word documents. FastLook has the most extensive assortment of redlining (mark-up) tools on the market. The FastLook API provides over 400 calls for you to develop your own custom viewing application. You can also view drawings on the web with our ActiveX object.

FastLook is designed for users who want a faster way to view and markup CAD drawings with the ability to print in high quality. We also have the ability for programmers to create custom applications using our API.

Download Fastlook Plus 14 in Softonic

Microsoft Access 2013 is a database management program included with Microsoft Office 2013. Microsoft Access 2013 has been updated with significant changes. The biggest change is the ability to easily create database-related web apps and use them through SharePoint that colleagues can access. This free trial will allow you to easily maintain a database for your business or project.

Features

The biggest new feature is the ability to create Access apps that are fully compatible with SharePoint. Microsoft Access 2013’s emphasis is on these apps as you can easily create them from the Welcome screen using templates. Online Access app templates are designed for collaboration with colleagues, but there are also offline apps for local databases.

After selecting from a variety of templates you will need to select a type of data to be tracked, such as contacts or tasks. The app will then generate the database structure, navigation, and command interface. If you’re not happy with the data displayed in the app you can edit it or add in new data types.

The focus on Access apps does have a few drawbacks for those seeking older database tools. Microsoft Access 2013 removed some Query designs such as Pivot Chart and Pivot Table, as well as the Upsizing Wizard. It is possible that these features were rarely used in the 2010 version, but it would have been better if Microsoft improved these tools instead of omitting them. You can still use Microsoft Access 2013 to create standalone databases instead of Access apps, but there are not handy tutorials and templates to guide new users.

Usability

Access 2013’s interface is similar to the 2010 version, but updated to the sleeker look of Microsoft Office 2013. Data creation is entered from either the toolbar or corresponding hotkeys. The main tools such as Table, Query, and Form all return, along with new menus to quickly list different SharePoint and Access apps. The look and feel of Access apps depend on which template you select.

Some of them are better suited for displaying timesheets or orders, but might be a poor choice for graphs and charts. All of the fields and interface will depend on the template you select. You’ll need to spend time and try different templates to find one that actually fits your project.

The app is tailored for sharing your database and apps with all of your business partners. To achieve this you’ll be constantly connected to SkyDrive in order to share and edit files. While this is useful on a large stable network, it can cause problems if you are ever disconnected from the cloud and have to edit data offline.

You can still work on local Access apps while offline, though you will have to connect to the cloud if you want to upload and transfer to a collaborative app. Thankfully, Microsoft Access 2013 has many tools and prompts to easily import data from local apps, Access 2010, or Excel into an online Access app or database.

Quality

The app is color coordinated to help highlight key menus and notifications. The majority of Access app templates create a sleek web app that looks very similar to Outlook.com. Microsoft Access 2013 generally functions quickly, even when working on many complex projects. Collaborative Access apps open in your default web browser, and functions in multiple browsers such as Internet Explorer, FireFox, and Chrome. Access functions Local Access apps have a similar look and feel, though you don't have to be online to use and edit them.

Conclusion

Updates to Microsoft Access 2013 are great for connecting your business into a single connected database. The 2013 version removes some functionality from the 2010 version and is geared towards SkyDrive and SharePoint integration. If you are ready to move forward and leave old tools behind Microsoft Access 2013 is an excellent upgrade.

Download Microsoft Access 2013 15.0.4420.1017 in Softonic

In the same vein as other open source productivity suites like OpenOffice.org, LibreOffice boasts a comprehensive set of office management tools arguably on par with Microsoft Office itself. LibreOffice Portable offers six different office management tools to meet your project management needs: Text Document, Spreadsheet, Presentation, Drawing, Database, and Formula.

Text Document is relatively synonymous with Microsoft Word, where Spreadsheet is like Excel. Presentation mirrors Microsoft's PowerPoint, and Database is similar to Access. Then you also have two additional programs in Drawing and Formula, which are an added bonus to the entire package. LibreOffice Portable is compatible with Microsoft Office's document formats and also supports PDFs natively. It also has its own document format called Open Document.

Unfortunately, if you're unfamiliar with Microsoft Office products, this program might take a little additional time to get used to, particularly if you want to master some of its more advanced features. Regular Microsoft Office users will find LibreOffice Portable's interface quite similar, however, and should pick up on how to use its various programs without too much difficulty.

A great alternative to Microsoft Office, LibreOffice Portable is a must-try for managing your various office projects.

Download LibreOffice Portable 4.0.2 in Softonic

Other Features: - Remote Backup - Boot to FarStone Recovery Manager Directly - Exclude Selected Files From Backing or Cloning - Google Desktop Search Incorporated - Open File Backup - VMware & VHD Support - New Windows 8 Style User Interface - Multiple Backup Jobs - PXE Server Support - Quota Management

Distinguish Features: - No Hidden Cost; All Features Included With NO Additional Cost - One-click Backup & Restore - 100% Defrag During Backup - HDD and SSD Cloning - Hot and Cold Image Backup - Disaster Rescue Tool - 100% UEFI, GPT, RAID Support - Dissimilar/Universal Restore Included - Touch Screen Support - iSCSI Initiator in Recovery Manager - P2V, V2P for VMWare and Hyper-v - Email Notification Upon Backup - Pre and Post Backup Command - Support Windows 8 REFS File System

Who Need Total Backup Recovery? - Server Backup - Windows Server Backup - Data Server Backup - Application Server Backup - Schools, Libraries Server Backup - Home Office Server Backup - IT Department Server Backup - VMware, VHD Server Backup

Download FarStone Total Backup Recovery Server 9.05 in Softonic

Other Features: - Remote Backup - Boot to FarStone Recovery Manager Directly - Exclude Selected Files From Backing or Cloning - Google Desktop Search Incorporated - Open File Backup - VMware & VHD Support - New Windows 8 Style User Interface - Multiple Backup Jobs - PXE Server Support - Quota Management

Distinguishing Features: - One-click Backup & Restore - 100% Defrag During Backup - HDD and SSD Cloning - Hot and Cold Image Backup - Disaster Rescue Tool - 100% UEFI, GPT, RAID Support - Dissimilar/Universal Restore - Touch Screen Support - iSCSI Initiator in Recovery Manager - P2V, V2P for VMWare and Hyper-v - Pre and Post Backup Command - Support Windows 8 REFS File System - All features are included in one package, no hidden cost

Who Need Total Backup Recovery? - PC & Laptop Backup - Windows Backup - Data Backup - Application Backup - Schools, Libraries PC Backup - Home Office PC Backup - IT Department PC Backup

Download FarStone Total Backup Recovery Workstation 9.05 in Softonic

Download Open Freely now and you won't have a single problem installing or using it. The installation process is simple, and using the app itself is very pleasant - the interface is sleek and simple, the icons clear and interaction smooth. Open Freely is a pleasure to use.

In so far as supported files, Open Freely will open a huge variety of standard formats. It doesn't stretch to anything particularly unusual, but really covers all the basics, from Office Documents to Audio files and Windows system files to coding docs.

What makes Open Freely stand out is that it has some extra tools that will come in really handy. You'll be able to view details of all the files you open, as well as opening any of them in a hex editor, which hardcore users will appreciated. What's more, you can even open and edit Word documents, something you definitely don't see every day.

As far as free file viewers go, Open Freely is one of the best we've seen.

Download Open Freely 2.126.1.0 in Softonic

Thunderbird is Mozilla's award winning and free solution to manage your mail more efficiently. And there are many advantages of switching to it too. Unlike Mail for example, it can handle virtual identities and create on-the-fly addresses and it's widely regarded as having one of the best spam filters out there. Most recently, it's been updated with a slick tabbed interface to make managing your e-mail easier.

The fact that like Firefox, Mozilla Thunderbird can be beefed up with all manner of extensions makes it an extremely competitive mail client. It's also now much faster and more stable than before due to the Gecko 5 engine.

Getting going

Setting up Mozilla Thunderbird is painless. You can quickly import your mail and contacts from your Outlook or Mail account and set up POP3, IMAP or SMTP accounts in a flash. To stay well organized, Mozilla Thunderbird offers filters to deliver your mail into separate folders and inboxes. And of course, there's a built-in spell checker to make sure that your mails are professionally crafted.

What makes Mozilla Thunderbird slightly more unusual is the fact that it comes with an integrated RSS reader. Nowadays, this is a little outdated because many people use a separate application - or even Firefox itself - to follow RSS feeds but it may be useful if you only want to mail and follow RSS feeds at the same time when composing mails.

Searching your mail

The search tool in Thunderbird is excellent and searches happen in real time as you type. Search results are displayed in a separate tab. Tabs in general are a very big part of Thunderbird and like Firefox, you can have multiple messages open in separate tabs. This is a fantastic feature of Thunderbird although does tempt you to have too many mails open at once. Archiving is also another handy feature for those that don't want to delete messages but want to clear space in their inbox.

So what about security? You might think an open-source mail client would inherently be less secure than a paid one but Thunderbird is surprisingly secure with a fairly bulletproof spam filter. The reason being is that Thunderbird is regularly updated and crafted by volunteers who's main interest is making a better product rather than profiting from an end-product. Security updates are regular but small so as not to slow-down Thunderbird.

Exchange support

One of the biggest selling points of Mozilla Thunderbird is that it offers Microsoft Exchange support, meaning it will appeal to Office users who previously discounted it.

On the downside, the app is lacking some finesse in certain areas. Thunderbird still doesn't have conversation style email views like in Gmail (although an extension to do this can be downloaded separately) and there aren't many options for managing attachments and photos. There's also no calendar but again, this can be downloaded separately in the form of "Lightning".

Overall, Thunderbird is an excellent free alternative to Microsoft Outlook.

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Download Mozilla Thunderbird 17.0.4 (en-US) in Softonic

A Extended Microsoft Explorer collection; All Explorer pages, all Explorers and all their docking position that you opened last time will be reproduce the same appearance when starts again. So turn on your computer, start the software and have a cup of coffee, other work left for us to do. It's really a graceful way to manage your documents. All explorer pages, all Explorers are dockable. You can dock them as you want. Very useful in document comparison or reference and files copy.

The person who likes to use Microsoft Explorer and wants to improve it, such as preview image, audio, video, Microsoft office word, excel, ppt directly; such as a double directory to convenient file copy; such as often close and open the same file..

Download Vole Internet Expedition Vole Internet Expedition in Softonic

Using the program is a pleasant experience - at the most basic level, add the files you want to compress/decompress using the file explorer on the right and chose the action you want from the main toolbar or by right clicking. The PeaZip interface is fresh and easy-to-use with a few built-in themes to spice things up.

Right-clicking on a file or folder and choosing Add to archive or Browse path with PeaZip will also provide direct access to the program's factions. The compression/decompression process is very quick and smooth, and there are impressive advanced options for users who want to get a little more technical.

Among the best of these advanced PeaZip features are the encryption/password options, compression variables, and the File tools, which allow you to split files, join them and even view the checksum files. PeaZip really impressed us - it's a top-class program that performs at a really high level, and is a worthy rival to apps such as WinZip or 7Zip.

PeaZip is a fantastic program for all your compressing/decompressing needs.

Download PeaZip 4.9.1 in Softonic

Features

Usability

Whether you create a text from scratch or use one of the many templates included, Microsoft Word will help you with a wide array of tools: tables, text formatting options, color schemes, support to insert images and clipart and more. Microsoft Word also includes a powerful spellchecker and tools to revise documents with marked text and personal notes. Support for video, however, is still missing.

Quality

In all, Microsoft Word proves to be an excellent tool for text processing, from a simple note to a complex report with images, graphs and tables.

Conclusion

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Microsoft Office Word Viewer is a handy tool that lets you view or print any Microsoft Word document quickly, without having to install Microsoft Office in its entirety.

After a simple install process, run Microsoft Office Word Viewer and you're presented with an Open File dialog window. Remember: you can't create, change or save any document in Microsoft Office Word Viewer. Select your chosen file (the viewer supports DOCX files via a converter, as well as older DOC and other formats).

Upon opening your document, you'll see that Microsoft Office Word Viewer displays just as it would in the original Microsoft Word, only without any of the editing tools. This means that you can see editorial notes and changes, if they have been tracked on the document. Additionally, you may access the file's properties window which will display statistics and authorship information, along with other details.

While you cannot export or save any document from Microsoft Office Word Viewer, you do have two options for obtaining a copy of the text. You may either print the document (which works just as well as printing from the full version of Word), and you're also allowed to copy the text and paste it into another application.

In all, Microsoft Office Word Viewer 2007 is a small and useful free download for viewing Microsoft Word documents. While it has no editing functions, it lets you read documents from any version of Microsoft Word with ease.

Download Microsoft Office Word Viewer 2007 12.0.6038.3000 in Softonic

You can easily scan images using your favorite software, text and image editors by selecting the program in the remote data source in the list of installed scanners, specify necessary settings like color, resolution, size, and the program will take care of the rest.

BlindScanner supports any flatbed TWAIN scanner and readily works with a wireless home local area network. You can also use it for receiving images from the scanner in the automatic mode with timer delay, and save your images to different graphic file formats.

BlindScanner can be used at home or at the office. It can be installed on a computer in a shared room, so one would not have to disturb anybody else when they need to use a scanner.

Download BlindScanner 2.13 in Softonic

- Backup files can be stored in standard Zip (Zip64 for archives greater than 4GB) format. - Strong encryption (AES 128, 192, 256 bit). - Also allows copying folders without compression (synchronization). - Supports inclusion and exclusion of files by wildcard mask as well as by exact file name. - Supports backup of in-use and open files. - Provides detailed logs of all backup operations. - Intuitive user interface for beginners and advanced options for experts. - Has its own scheduler supporting unattended auto-backup and scheduling of any specific time or date, day of the week or month.

- Plug-ins allow creation of archives in ANY other format (WinRar, ARJ, JAR, etc.) - e-mail notification for backup results, incremental backup, multiple backup file versions, an option to run the program as a network service.

Home and office users who needs backup folders and files to hard drive, flash drive or to FTP server.

Download APBackup 3.8 in Softonic

Using this PDF app couldn't be simpler - open the PDF you want to use, and use the tabs across the top to view, edit, comment and more. You'll be able to add bookmarks, make comments, view in different layouts and more. Soda PDF Pro + OCR also lets you make more substantial edits, changing text, adding images and more.

If you want to create PDFs with Soda PDF Pro + OCR, you won't have a problem. You'll be able to create from a completely blank page, a form template or even convert from a variety of other document formats. One excellent Soda PDF Pro + OCR feature is the ability to import and convert documents to PDF in batch.

You'll also be pleased to see that Soda PDF Pro + OCR has good security functions, allowing you to encrypt you PDF or set a passwords and different levels of editing privileges.

Of course, what Soda PDF Pro + OCR offers that many of its competitors don't is optical character recognition (OCR). This means that the program can scan printed documents and interpret the text, leaving it ready for you to edit. True, it's relatively new technology, and the results aren't always 100%, but it's definitely a huge improvement of having to manually type information in by hand!

Although not at the top of its game, Soda PDF is a solid PDF creation suite.

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HIGHLIGHTS * Stand-alone PC-to-Host terminal emulation. * Support for extended TN3270 and TN5250 protocols. * Support for VT52, VT100, VT220, VT320, VT420 and ANSI. * Support for SSL 2.0, and 3.0, TLS 1.0 and SSH1, SSH2 security protocols. * Full multi-session FTP client also integrated into the tabbed interface. * IND$FILE for VM/TSO/CICS file transfer support. * HLLAPI, EHLLAPI, WinHLLAPI Support. * Collapsible panel for quick and direct access to connections.

* Unmatched look and feel, the most intuitive and user-friendly interface, with support for the slickest skins. * Localization for foreign Languages: Available in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Swedish. * Navigators provide a new way to automate navigation sequences. * Integrated Printer Emulation. Send, queue, pause, cancel and even preview you prints! * Integration with Microsoft Office. Export text in the emulation display directly to Word.

Anyone can use z/Scope Classic. It has a friendly interface and the documentation is very complete. An online help is also available.

Download z/Scope Classic 6.2 in Softonic