Features

Mozilla Firefox 18 is the latest version of the popular web browser and brings with it a few key and welcome new features. First among them is the company's claim to a speedier, safer browsing experience. Tests reveal that this newest version of Mozilla Firefox is certainly quick to load even the most graphics intense pages.

Firefox 18 also now features secure connections when performing Google searches to improve privacy and there's an updated site identity indicator in the URL bar. Windows users also now get silent updates while Mac users on Lion or above can use Firefox in full-screen mode.

Mozilla Firefox's new tab layout itself is a pretty noticeable new feature. Quite similar to Google's Chrome browser, instead of seeing a blank page whenever a new tab is opened Firefox users will now be treated to icons that offer quick access to everything from bookmarks to most recently accessed and most frequently visited sites.

These icons are fully customizable in Mozilla Firefox as well. You can click and drag them to any spot you like on your name tab's page. If you're not a fan, you can also go to the grid icon on the upper right side of your browser and erase them entirely.

Something completely new to Mozilla Firefox is Facebook integration. Firefox now supports Facebook's social API so you can have dedicated buttons for Facebook in your browser. Mozilla Firefox supports Facebook's Messenger within Firefox, giving users desktop notifications as well as a persistent friends list and activity feed on the right. Conversations will open up as overlays on top of whatever website you're on so you can multitask while you chat.

Usability

Mozilla Firefox really changed the way people browse the web when it originally burst onto the scene. Today Firefox remains an incredibly powerful and customizable browser, although competition from Google Chrome has given it a definite run for its money.

Conclusion

Mozilla Firefox 20's interface isn't much different from previous versions, but the features it has added certainly make for a nicer, more enjoyable browsing experience overall.

What's new

For full release notes, please visit https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/20.0/releasenotes/

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Features of uTorrent

uTorrent includes everything you would expect from a complete, reliable torrent downloader: highly detailed stats, support for RSS feeds, automatic shutdown, download scheduler and more. There are a couple things that uTorrent is missing though: a full torrent search tool and a built-in player to preview your downloads.

uTorrent 3 lets you play media in streaming as you download, rate and comment torrent files, drag and drop files to share them, and disable the UDP tracker.

Ideal for all user levels

Since version 3 uTorrent has sported a totally redesigned interface: more usable, easier to use and a perfect match for uTorrent’s web interface.

Just like previous versions, uTorrent 3 is easy enough to use for everyone no matter what their level of computer expertise is, but it also includes dozens of configuration settings that will please the most tech-savvy users. Also, this new version includes several beginner-oriented guides to make sure everybody can make the most of it.

Light on system resources

After a quick installation process (although there are quite a few prompts to install browser add-ons etc) and a handy built-in speed test to make the initial setting much easier, uTorrent is ready. The program takes up minimal hard drive and PC resources, which enables you to have a good amount of torrents downloading and still be able to use your computer without any lag.

Conclusion

If you're searching for a reliable, fast and lightweight torrent client, look no further: uTorrent is what you need.

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Just bear in mind - as it is a beta, it's not final and could still be a little buggy. If you'd like to stick with the stable version, check out the standard Skype review instead!

Facebook integration has been improved in this version. Previously, you would have to create a Skype account and then log in with your Facebook account but now you can log in only using your Facebook account, which makes getting started with Skype much quicker.

Besides checking what your friends are up to on the Facebook Wall – which you could already do in the previous version – this new Skype lets you interact with their posts by liking or commenting on them, and more importantly, use Facebook chat right from Skype. In this way you can chat with your Facebook friends from a much more comfortable interface.

Skype Beta also offers a few details about your Facebook contacts, though if you want to check their complete profile you’ll need to open that up in the web browser. Also, if your friends have included their phone number in their Facebook profile, you’ll be able to call them via SkypeOut right away.

Besisdes Facebook integration, the new Skype Beta includes improved call controls, which are now larger, more elegant and easier to use, and the ability to share the screen in computers with more than one monitor. On the downside, this beta is quite heavy on system resources, and very unstable as well – we had lots of problems while making video calls during our tests.

In this newest version of Skype, users can log in with their Microsoft IDs and will be able to send messages to friends using Windows Messenger, Xbox, Hotmail or the new Outlook.com.

The new beta of Skype offers better call controls and an almost perfect integration with Facebook –but it’s still pretty unstable.

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Features

Lync has more features than you can shake a stick at. Microsoft has had years of experience creating a well-rounded chat client. Lync includes not only instant messaging but video conferencing and powerful collaboration tools.

Instant messaging works just as you'd expect. The current status of your contacts is displayed clearly next to their names. These statuses are integrated into Outlook as well so you know when someone is available to chat with.

Coferencing is one of the useful feathures of Lync. You can share audio, video, screens, as well as white boards and polls. New for this version of Lync is HD video. Microsoft is using H.264 SVC to make sure that video is broadcasted clearly in 1080p.

Usability

Voice and video calls have been overhauled to be stable and usable, even under poor network conditions. Microsoft has worked hard to overhaul the architecture of Lync to make as many features available as possible in the event of a network slow down or failure.

The interface has been completely redesigned to look more like Windows 8's Modern UI applications. Everything is flat, white, and blue. This makes for a somewhat monotonous look but you quickly addapt to it.

Lync is easy to use and all of its features are presented clearly. It doesn't take look to figure out how to do something, even if you've never used previous versions of Lync before. Hovering over a contact will reveal all of the ways you can communicate with him or her.

Lync takes a page out of Google's book by giving a great screen sharing experience where each of the of the video chat is displayed above the shared presentation. This makes it easy to gaguge the reaction of the virtual crowd.

Ecosystem and polish

It's all about the ecosystem these days and Microsoft is tackling that challenge with a complete ecosystem for Lync. There is even a Windows Phone 8 application that is excellent. There are plans for an Android and iOS version as well.

Microsoft knows that not all users will have Lync installed on each computer so they've put in extra work to create a web app for Lync. Any modern browser will allow users to log into their Lync. The web app includes the ability to have HD video conferences, VoIP, instant messanging and desktop sharing.

Last by not least, Microsoft has been vocal about integrating Lync with Skype. This means Lync users will have access to all of their Skype contacts.

Conclusion

While Microsoft is pushing consumers to use Skype, it is pushing corporate users to use Lync. That shouldn't be a problem though as Lync is one of the most well thought out chat clients out there today. There are a ton of excellent features and the interface is well done. It integrates flawlessly with other Microsoft products and the Lync ecosystem is satisfying to use.

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Messenger Plus! is a plugin for Windows Live Messenger that adds more features to the instant messenger like skins, tabbed conversations, custom sounds and more.

Messenger Plus! is the most popular MSN plug-in, collecting together all the extras users could ask for into one program. It's certainly an excellent pack of tools which heavy Messenger users consider as essential and which certainly improves your IM experience. Over all these years it has been able to adapt to every new Messenger version, including the name change and the new interface design. In fact, Messenger Plus! is now seamlessly integrated into Windows Live Messenger 2011: the only way you can tell it's there is by the tiny button on the top right corner of the main interface.

The Messenger Plus! tools can be divided into several groups, depending on the aim they're made for: you get tools to improve your chats, format text, change Messenger's appearance with skins, customize fonts and manage chat logs, among others. Messenger Plus! also lets you password protect your Messenger and includes support for scripting, so that you can add your own features to the plug-in.

The list of improvements Messenger Plus! brings to Windows Live Messenger doesn't end here. Tabbed chat windows, custom status messages, quick texts for frequently used expressions are just some of the new features you’ll be able to enjoy with Messenger Plus!. It can take a while to tweak all these settings, but fortunately a useful after-install wizard makes the basic initial configuration a lot easier.

All in all, Messenger Plus! is probably the only plug-in you'll ever need, especially if you like customizing every single detail of your Messenger.

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The new Windows Live Messenger 2012 comes as part of the Windows Live Essentials pack. It's an incremental development over Windows Live Messenger 2011, looking almost identical, while introducing a couple of changes.

When you install Windows Live Messenger, you have the option to install the rest of the Essentials pack, including Mail, Writer, Sync, Companion, Family Safety, Photo Gallery and Movie Maker.

You can choose to connect Windows Live Messenger 2012 to social networks Facebook and LinkedIn, making the app your social hub in Windows, if you want. Facebook is still much easier to use in your browser though, and integration into Windows Live Messenger 2012 is only really useful if your Messenger contacts are still really active and important to you.

The interface is almost unchanged; so if you were unhappy with the changes we saw in 2011, there is nothing here to make you happier! When you open a chat, there is a new Video call icon, and when you receive a video call, there is a new floating window, much like in Skype. A neat feature of this is the option to answer without showing your video feed - we're not always ready for a video call, after all!

Windows Live Messenger 2012 is no revolution, slightly improving on its predecessor. It's still a little bloated, and considering Hotmail's recent transformation to Outlook.com, which features a great messenger service right from your browser, it could be curtains for this venerable application.

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In game tools

Functions and resources

Additional widgets available for Overwolf are screen capture, Steam chat, Overwolf Chat, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Windows Live Messenger, and Twitter.

Conclusions

Good looking, functional and free, Overwolf is well worth checking out.

Download Overwolf Beta 0.28.170.36556 in Softonic

Of course, video and audio chatting are now possible in Facebook thanks to Skype integration and Facebook Video Chat simply offers an alternative way of doing it. It simply adds 4 extra icons to your Facebook chat dialog window - a webcam, a microphone, a games icon and a smiley.

The installation of Facebook Video Chat is a bit suspicious however. It tries to install the Babylon toolbar, make Babylon your default webpage and make Babylon your default search engine. However, even if you deselect the check boxes, it still places a Babylon installer on your desktop although doesn't appear to install any of the components.

When you've finished installation, your browser will open automatically with a message of congratulations telling you to log-into Facebook. If you're using Firefox, Facebook Video Chat also requires installing an add-on which it does automatically although this requires re-starting your browser afterwards.

To start a video chat using Facebook Video Chat, just open a conversation window with a contact and click on the webcam icon. A message will be sent to the recipient asking them to initiate a webchat. Obviously, this requires them to have a webcam installed or a speaker installed if you want to start an audio conversation.

The games icon prompts you to start a number of basic board games when clicked on such as chess, darts or snooker. Finally, the smiley icon simply sends a smiley to the recipient - not exactly sophisticated.

Facebook Video Chat isn't really necessary now that Skype is integrated with Facebook but if you're really having troubles with Facebook's integrated video and audio chat, it may be worth a try.

Download Facebook Video Chat 1 in Softonic

remote access microphone recording screen shot recording browser history search engine history

Desktop Shark separates itself from competitors by offering plugins using our online plugin marketplace. Many of the plugins are free and add extra features to Desktop Shark such as our Skype or Microphone recording plugin.

This program works great to catch a cheating spouse, monitor employee activity or protect kids and family members on the internet.

Download Desktop Shark Keylogger and PC Monitoring 3.01 in Softonic

Obviously to use the service you'll have to sign up with a username and password. It's not going to be much fun unless your friends are on it too though, so you'll have to convince them all to use Firefox and install BuddyFox too.

The chat window - and chats - are very simple. There are three statuses, Online, Away and Appear Offline, but beyond that your only configuration options are what color your username is and the ability to create groups. BuddyFox also allows you integrate your Skype account, so you can call contacts from within the messenger.

Anybody who uses a messenger client on a regular basis will find BuddyFox very limited. Even though separating the IM client from the desktop gives you more flexibility, the compromise you make in terms of functionality seems to be a step too far.

BuddyFox is a minimalist messenger client for Firefox, but some will think it's too pared down.

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The number of people who can join a conference call is limited only by your bandwidth. When the caller selects the option to create a new conference Quorum will assign and read back the unique and secure conference number.

The conference creator then gives this number to each conference participant. Whenever any person dials the server and enters this conference number, they will join in the current conversation with the other members of the conference.

Features:~ Easy to use web interface to create and manage call conferences~ Virtual conference room display via a web browser with ability to upload documents for attendees to view.

~ Runs on almost any Windows PC. ~ Handles unlimited simultaneous conferences. The number of calls and conferences is limited only by your bandwidth.

~ Can connect via VoIP using the international standard SIP protocol. If VoIP is used no special hardware is needed. ~ Can connect to ordinary phone lines (or analog PBX extensions) directly using telephony devices.

~ Can connect to one Skype Number (so a Skype user can connect) using the Uplink Skype to SIP Adapter. ~ Easily allocate new conference IDs on the phone.

~ Join any pre-defined conferences by using the allocated conference number. ~ Voice prompts are easily changed via the user interface. ~ VoIP calls can be made using free VoIP SIP Service Providers saving call costs if they are an issue.

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iMonitorPC records the users activity, such as programs used, websites visited, chat room activity (MSN, Yahoo, GTalk, Skype, AOL, ICQ), social network usage.

iMonitorPC also includes selective website blocking, activity reports, screen shots, top 10 used programs, web sites and chats, user warnings, program usage limits.

iMonitorPC is easy to use and configure, intuitive, and password protected. iMonitorPC allows you to define and enforce rules regarding the way a PC user can use it.

Review activity reports online at www. imonitorpc. com or send them automatically via email. iMonitorPC is truly green software! For each purchase, we donate money to offset 100 LB of carbon emissions, the equivalent of using our software for few years.

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iMonitorPC PRO with Remote Monitoring features a company dashboard, giving the employer access to each aspect of monitoring. Using the dashboard, the employer will be able to view graphical reports on employer activity, the top 10 most used programs and visited websites, web usage by computer, comparison between employers and list of installed software on the computer.

iMonitorPC PRO with Remote Monitoring offers detailed activity reports for each member of your team, where you will be able to determine best and worst performances over any given time period.

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The Google Desktop application allows users to search their desktop content quickly and easily. Praised for its ingenuity and criticised for its intrusiveness, Google Desktop brings the power of Google’s search engine technology to your PC.

After installing the application, you’ll have to give it some time to index the files on your PC, including emails, photos, chats, contacts and calendar events. Google Desktop will index the first 10,000 words in the first 100,000 documents on your PC. The application supports the majority of file types and you can decide which ones to index, or omit protected files, using the preferences menu.

In its latest version, which is compatible with Windows Vista, Google Desktop has been given a new transparent look, providing a pretty sleek feel to your PC. Your search results will appear in your browser (in the familiar Google web page format) and a small preview button allows you to view results without actually clicking on the corresponding link. Results are as precise as we’ve come to expect from Google searches, however we were slightly disappointed to learn that the application doesn’t offer logical 'OR' support or substring search. On another note, Google Desktop is not limited to your PC as you can cross index content from multiple machines and share some panel items with your friends.

Google Desktop is not only about search, though. Joining a marketplace already occupied by Apple’s Dashboard Widgets and Yahoo! Widgets, Google Desktop can be fitted with any number of little gadgets. These mini apps perform all kinds of functions, from fetching your mail to jotting down notes or checking up on your local weather. There are hundreds of gadgets to choose from to customize your desktop bar. Our personal favorites are: Google Translate, the Skype plug-in to check your credit and call your contacts, “Am I Blocked” to find out who’s blocked you on IM, Workspace to quickly move between tasks, System Stats to monitor your PC and Games, a selection of Flash games like Tetris and Moonlander.

When running, we found Google Desktop to use up around 30 MBs, but that can quickly increase if you add more gadgets to it. The application is also constantly re-indexing your files to incorporate your modifications and new elements. However you should rarely feel your PC slowing due to indexing.

When you’re dealing with Google, however, you know the main criticism will be about security. Because Google Desktop indexes all your documents, you’re basically opening up your PC and all your personal files to the Moutain View company. What some users fear is that Google could one day take advantage of that access or that a bug in the application would allow malicious users to infiltrate your PC and steal information.

While the intrusiveness of Google Desktop will give some users pause for thought on installing the app, Google Desktop is highly effective and simple to use. The gadgets you can add to its sidebar may not all be essential, but many of them are quite fun and original and let’s face it, the sidebar looks good. Give it a go if you think your PC is a mess and you need quick access to anything.

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Whether you're aware of it or not, your computer keeps track of all your movements: files you open, websites you visit, downloads, IM chats... almost everything is recorded and stored on your hard drive, from where it could be easily recovered with the appropriate tools.

Luckily there are also specific software utilities that help you get rid of all these sensitive data. One of them is Free Privacy Eraser, a simple yet efficient cleaner that removes all usage tracks from your computer.

Free Privacy Eraser, previously known as Internet Privacy Eraser, works with the most popular programs: web browsers (Internet Explorer, Opera and Firefox), IM clients (MSN, Yahoo!, Skype and others) and Microsoft Office, among others. While there are still important programs missing (such as Chrome or Safari), the great thing about Free Privacy Eraser is that you can add your own apps to the list by using the Custom Lists tool. The program also supports scheduled cleans, which enables you to get rid of sensitive data automatically according to a certain period of time.

After you've selected the elements you want to erase, Free Privacy Eraser runs a preview that lets you check how many files will be deleted and how much disk space you'll gain. If you agree with the list, click on Clean and all selected elements will be wiped forever. Bear in mind though that you need to be sure of what you're doing, as there's no way to undo the action and the program doesn't create a backup copy either.

If you're worried about all the sensitive data your computer stores when you use certain programs or browse the Web, use Free Privacy Eraser to remove it in a snap.

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Available everywhere

Not only does Google Talk support Google accounts, it also supports a variety of other protocols and apps. In other words, you can log in with accounts from Jabber, Pidgin, Miranda, Psiand Trillian.

As well as supporting lots of protocols, Google Talk is also available for lots of devices, so even if you are chatting on your desktop, you'll be able to keep in touch with your friends on Android, iPhone and Blackberry. Even though not explicitly supported, you'll also be able to use Google Talk on Mac and Linux, as long as you use the browser version.

Simple but effective

Google Talk is an attractive app and very easy to use, although its bright, almost childlike appearance is looking a bit old-fashioned these days. There are various themes available from the Settings options, although they have more impact on the window layout and are not strictly "skins". You'll also be able to choose your status, picking from Available, Busy, and Idle, as well as custom messages and the option to show your current music track. Google Talk also notifies you when you receive new emails.

Adding and chatting with contacts with Google Talk couldn't be easier. Double click a name to start a conversation, and a new chat window will appear. If you see a little telephone or video camera icon beside the contact's name, they are also available for phone or video chats, but you'll need the Video and voice plug-in to do this.

Works, but it's neglected

Google Talk has many of the features that you'd expect from an IM client. You can add, block, rename and remove contacts, send smileys, and customize the way you see your friends online. If you look under the more technical settings, you'll also be able modify notifications and connect to the service using a proxy. It's not overrun with options, but most people seem to appreciate the resulting simplicity and light resource use.

Even though Google Talk is the go-to IM app for thousands of people, long term users can't help feeling that Google Talk is pretty low on Google's list of priorities. It works perfectly and is a great app, but that's because it was well made and ahead of its time when it first came out.

Overall

Google Talk hasn't been updated in what seems like years and, with the exception of the VoiP features added in recent times, the program feels a little bit forgotten. This has no impact on usability for Gmail users, but it does feel like Google Talk could do with a little more loving care.

If you're a Google User who wants to IM, you'd be mad to use anything but Google Talk.

Download Google Talk 1.0.0.104 in Softonic

MySpaceIM is especially designed for messaging amongst your MySpace friends and networks.

As well as MySpace, you can use Skype, although you have to imort contacts from Skype, and you 'call' using your MySpace name. The app itself is quite attractive, and has a range of skins for you to choose. Like Live Messenger, there are emoticons and actions to use in conversation. Not that these are louder in style than you'll see on Messenger. Accessing your Myspace inbox or homepage is a click away, although they open in your browser. You can also access music your friends are listening to, and a MySpaceIM ChatRoom.

With Skype contacts added, MySpaceIM can look cluttered, but Skype itself works fine within the program. Like MySpace itself, the IM is brash and in your face, and so tends to attract younger users more. If you can live with that style, MySpace is a perfectly functioning messenger.

If you spend a lot of time on MySpace, this IM client is the perfect way to chat and keep up with your friends.

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When I was a teenager I used to save chat logs in all my IM clients (namely ICQ and MSN Messenger). Although I don't do it anymore, I would have loved to know a tool like IM-History back then.

This app saves the chat history of several popular IM clients and synchronizes it with an online storage service. This means that your chat logs are permanently synchronized and up-to-date, no matter where you connect from: home, office or even mobile devices. And of course, you can access them any time with a simple web browser.

Online chat storage is conveniently protected by a personal username and password. As for the desktop client, I must admit I had some problems to properly configure it, but I emailed the Support team and got the solution in about an hour. So if you're having trouble in getting IM-History to find your installed messengers as I did, simply make sure you log on each one of them at least once. I also had some connectivity issues while testing the program, but this is probably due to the fact that it's still in beta stage.

IM-History features a colorful, intuitive interface where you can review all your chats, perform searches by contact or by keyword and also mark any given sentence as Favorite. Chat logs also save emoticons, web links and even photo and video preview.

Despite some configuration and connectivity problems, IM-History is an excellent tool to save, manage and organize chat logs from many different IM clients.

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