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.

Download Google Desktop 5.8.809.8522 in Softonic

Wouldn't it be great if you could have WiFi access anywhere anytime? Of course, we're a long way from universal WiFi access for all but there are some networks that are already putting the principle into practice.

Whisher is one of those. Whisher is a small application which logs you on to the Whisher network and gives you free WiFi access where available. Of course, the key here is "where available" which at the moment, isn't many places, although it's not badly served by any means. It relies on users like you sharing your home WiFi internet connection with other users on the Whisher network.

However, you don't lose control of your WiFi network if you join in. All WiFi networks registered through Whisher are protected and the users have full control over who can access them. The principle of this app is superb - by aggregating all WiFi connections people have at home, it is creating the world's biggest free WiFi network. However, you still have to pay to use it - joining doesn't mean you're given free access to other users' networks. However, the more you share, the cheaper it is for you.

Whisher is an innovative solution to creating a universal WiFi network for all and if you're on the move a lot, it could save you a hell of a lot of money and hassle in finding internet access.

Download Whisher 3.0.09.03 in Softonic

YouTubeGet is an all-in-one package designed to make it quick and easy to both download and convert YouTube videos.

The program offers various options for downloading the videos you want as well as several conversion options from FLV into MP4, 3GP, AVI, WMV, MOV etc meaning you can also watch the clips on your phone, iPod and even PSP. Unusually for a YouTube downloader, this program also supports the resuming of broken downloads which is very useful if you suffer from interrupted WiFi/Internet connections.

The program is automatically configured to detect any kind of YouTube activity that you perform on your PC. This means that even if you copy a YouTube URL to your clipboard, the program will automatically issue a pop-up asking if you'd like to save the video using YouTubeGet. This is useful if you want to download absolutely every video you see but not so useful if you're just sending a link to a friend - in fact it can be annoying and there seems no way to switch it off.

YouTubeGet also comes with its own mini YouTube browser which allows you to perform searches on YouTube videos although it's very limited and you'll be better using YouTube's main interface for searching for videos.

YouTubeGet is a well designed and presented video downloader that supports broken downloads and ensures you'll never have to worry about your favourite clips going offline.

Download YouTubeGet 4 in Softonic

DeviceLock is an excellent tool for network administrators that need to lock out unauthorized users from using USB and FireWire devices, WiFi and Bluetooth adapters, CD-Rom and floppy drives, serial and parallel ports and many other plug-and-play devices. Once DeviceLock is installed, administrators can control access to any device, depending on the time of day and day of the week. The USB white list allows you to authorize only specific devices that will not be locked regardless of any other settings. The intention is to allow special devices (e.g. smart card readers) but lock all other devices. The Media White List feature allows you to authorize access to specific DVD/CD-ROM disks, uniquely identified by data signature, even when DeviceLock has otherwise blocked the DVD/CD-ROM drive.

Once completed, you can generate a report concerning the permissions that have been set and see which users have been assigned for which device and what devices are on the USB white list on all the computers across your network. If you're not a network administrator, I don't advise touching this program without a through reading of the instructions because you can end up locking yourself out! However, generally DeviceLock provides a high level of security with an interface that is well integrated into Windows Group Policy Editor. If you've had problems with people using illegal devices on your company network, it's the answer to your prayers.

Download DeviceLock 6.3.14610 in Softonic

Mobile Net Switch is an award-winning program for Windows XP and Windows Vista that enables you to use your computer on more than one network with the click of a button. Mobile Net Switch allows you to automatically select the correct drive mappings, printer settings, IP settings, WiFi settings and much more.

The powerful easy to use interface allows you to configure your computer for every network you will be connecting to (Workgroup or Domain). It's the perfect solution for everyone with a mobile computer who is using it on more than one network (e.g. when you are using your machine on multiple locations, offices or at home).

Each location is stored in a profile. Simply select a profile and your drives will be mapped correctly, the correct default printer will be selected, IP Addresses will be set correctly, the correct Proxy Server will be configured, and much more. You will be able to use your machine on any network with ease!

Download Mobile Net Switch 3.68 in Softonic

The latest Service Pack for XP is finally here and it includes some minor but important updates for Windows users.

Windows® XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) includes all previously released updates for the operating system. However, this particular update only includes a small number of new functionalities, which do not significantly enhance the operating system. Amongst these updates are features such as an updated Microsoft Management Console 3.0 (which already appears in Windows Server 2008 and Vista) and an update to Wifi protected access to make wireless surfing more secure.

There has also been added a “health checking” component that’s already used by Windows Server 2008 which can check to make sure that certain upgrades and security features are in place for XP-based clients before they are allowed to log onto a network.

Note that this Service Pack is valid for updates across the XP range including Windows XP, Windows XP Home Edition, Windows XP Home Edition N, Windows XP Media Center Edition, Windows XP Professional Edition, Windows XP Professional N, Windows XP Service Pack 1, Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows XP Starter Edition and Windows XP Tablet PC Edition.

Download Service Pack 3 now to ensure that your version of XP is updated with the latest fixes and features for maximum functionality.

Download Windows XP Service Pack (SP3) in Softonic

Are you always looking for wireless hotspots or are you dissatisfied with Windows wireless network manager?

If so, CommView for WiFi is a powerful alternative for 802.11 a/b/g/n networks. Despite it's power and advanced features, it still remains remarkably easy to use and is suitable for anyone who's new to wireless networking. The display shows you a list of the nearest access points and stations including per-node and per-channel statistics, signal strength, a list of packets and network connections, protocol distribution charts, etc. By doing this, the program allows you to examine packets, pinpoint network problems, perform site surveys, and troubleshoot software and hardware. Although not an official use, the program can be used to decrypt WEP or WPA-PSK keys by "sniffing" packets and then using a program to crack them. However, one problem you may find is that it doesn't work with all wireless adapters especially those that come pre-installed within laptops. The list of cards that are supported can be found on the developer website although they are listed by manufacturer, not the model of your laptop.

Powerful and easy to use, this is an interesting alternative to most wireless managers although note that it won't help you find more networks - only upgrading your wireless card can do that.

Download Commview for WiFi 6.0 in Softonic

Airfoil is one of those standout applications you come across sometimes.

What it does is allow you to send any audio from your computer via wireless to any other computer (PC or Mac), Apple TV or Airport Express. It works with any application that plays music in your computer.

Syncing is both easy and fast. The clear GUI will list up all the devices that you can sync to, and all you have to do is activate them and set the volume and equalizer. That means you can pretty much listen to your music anywhere. Rogue Amoeba have really succeeded in making a program which is efficient, useful and very easy to use.

The download also includes Airfoil Speakers, which basically turns any PC or Mac into an Airport Express unit which can then receive audio from the Airfoil of another computer.

On the help side, the Rogue Amoeba team is known to offer great support and respond quickly to user queries.

Naturally though, if your wireless connection is poor, then Airfoil will perform poorly, so make sure your WiFi is well set.

Airfoil is a smart and intuitive program, to sync music wirelessly to any computer, Airport Express or Apple TV.

Download Airfoil 2.5 in Softonic

If you're worried about security on your VPN network, then OpenVPN is a fully-featured SSL VPN solution which can accommodate a wide range of configurations, including remote access, site-to-site VPNs, WiFi security, and enterprise size solutions.

The focus of this program is security. OpenVPN provides many options for controlling the security of the VPN client but it also provides options for protecting the security of the server itself. The big advantage is that it's a cross-platform app so it doesn't what matter which type of computer the users are using and it offers excellent stability and scalability for hundreds or even thousands of clients. Installation is also simple and it supports both dynamic IP addresses and NAT. The developers claim that they have worked hard to make it responsive in terms of both normal operation and error recovery. What I liked most is that if it drops the connection, within 5 minutes it will reconnect although this is rather too long for my liking. If you could reduce this to just a few seconds, it would be much more useful as no one wants to hang around 5 minutes for their VPN to connect again.

A simple and secure client that offers users across all platforms a free and powerful VPN solution.

Download OpenVPN 2.09 in Softonic

The term ‘widget’ has traditionally been used to describe some kind of contraption or piece of technology that improves the overall functionality of a particular product. Mac OSX and Microsoft Vista users will be all too aware of how software widgets can bring more power to your desktop, as they now come as standard on these operating systems. For the benefit of the uninitiated, a widget is basically a small application that provides you with easy access to a particular function. These applications are docked on a ‘dashboard’, and you can add as many widgets as you like, giving you instant access to anything from a simple clock to a weather forecasting tool.

Yahoo! was one of the early pioneers of widgets, and this application is likely to intrigue anyone who hasn’t come across the technology before. The package sits on your desktop and allows you to download and install widgets from the Yahoo! site. There’s a healthy range of widgets available here (almost 4,000), each of which are installed automatically as soon as they’re downloaded. Although this helps to keep things simple, it’s frustrating that you cannot change the destination folderwhich folder the widgets are stored in here.

While it all runs from the same package, each widget is actually its own application. In previous releases of the Widget Engine, this had a tendency to tie up your system rescoursces when using multiple widgets. However, tThis issue has been better addressed in this version, and it seems much less memory-intensive than before. Having said this, it’s not a good idea to keep more than about 10 running at once, as you do start to notice it then.

In terms of the widgets themselves, it would obviously be impractical (and quite frankly, boring) for us to review all 4,000 here, but needless to say there are some very useful ones, along with some downright pointless ones. For instance, we can’t really see the benefit of having a dancing skeleton on your desktop , yet there are tools for checking stock quotes, accessing iTunes, organizing your Flickr images, checking your WiFi signal and getting the latest travel news, all directly from your desktop. Graphically, the widgets are very impressive and each of them floats over the screen without the constraints of traditional window borders, ensuring they don’t intrude on your other activities.

We like the fact that you don’t need to register a Yahoo! account in order to use widgets but Yahoo! still doesn’t allow Desktop Widgets to be included on My Yahoo! pages, overlooking something both Microsoft and Google already allow. Although the program doesn’t really add anything you won’t find in Vista’s built-in widgets system, it’s perfect for XP users who want a taste of what they can expect when they get around to upgrading to the new version of Windows.

Download Yahoo! Widgets 4.5 in Softonic

Have you ever wanted to make sure that all your Wireless passwords are stored safely in one place? WirelessKeyView recovers all wireless network keys (WEP/WPA) stored in your computer by the 'Wireless Zero Configuration' service of Windows XP and by the 'WLAN AutoConfig' service of Windows Vista. It allows you to easily save all keys to text/html/xml file, or copy a single key to the clipboard.

WirelessKeyView doesn't require any installation process or additional DLL files. Just copy the executable file (WirelessKeyView.exe) to any folder you like, and run it. After you run it, the main window should display all the WEP/WPA keys stored in your computer by Windows 'Wireless Zero Configuration' service. For WEP keys, the key is also displayed in ASCII format. However, note that the utility can only reveal the network keys stored by the Windows operating system and cannot recover network keys stored by any other third-party software.

A simple application that will prevent you easily losing any of your precious wireless passwords.

Download WirelessKeyView 1.15 in Softonic

Do you know for sure how many PC's are connected to your network? Whether you're a network administrator or home user, AutoScan Network will allow you to see instantly who and who is not connected to your network.

AutoScan features fast multithreaded scanning, automatic network discovery and entire subnets can be scanned simultaneously without human intervention. You can monitor equipment such as routers (useful for home users) plus servers and firewalls (excellent for network administrators). Alternatively, you can monitor network services such as SMTP, HTTP and POP.

AutoScan Network can also detect the OS of connected computers, brand and even the model. Possibly the most useful function is an "Intrusion Alert" which means that if you activate it, any new connecting equipment will immediately trigger an alarm - superb if you are trying to protect your wifi network.

As far as protecting networks go, this is a very basic but effective tool probably of most interest and use for home users.

Download AutoScan Network in Softonic

If you are constantly moving between networks or IP addresses, you'll know how annoying it is to keep reconfiguring your connection settings. This usually involves constantly opening the Network and DialUp Connections applet to manually change the TCP/IP settings to match your current network.

Since the download is a Windows Installer 2.0 "Install From Web" application, it's best to select "Run from current location" on the download dialog as what is downloaded is simply the bootstrap portion of the install. IpManager works by automatically recording the configuration settings of every network you connect to. So basically, next time you work on that network, all the TCP/IP, DNS and Gateway will be ready to go next time you work on that network. The system tray icon runs in the background and from here, you can switch between networks.

This tool is particularly useful for those laptops that connect to the Internet via Wifi in different locations such as at home, at work and in a hotel. If you're always on the move, this is a simple but effective solution to your connection problems.

Download IpManager 1.2 in Softonic

Outpost Security Suite Pro is a robust, proactive Internet security solution that protects against a broad range of current and future threats, from viruses and spyware to rootkits and botnets.

Outpost Security Suite Pro brings together the award-winning Outpost Firewall Pro, a new anti-malware engine that combines anti-virus and anti-spyware capabilities, unique Host Protection module and a self-learning anti-spam engine. The robust, bidirectional firewall ensures that your PC is invisible to hackers when you’re online, and enables you make your surfing private and secure. Additionally, it safeguards a PC from malicious impact when it's connected to unknown or hostile networks such as WiFi hotspots at an airport.

The powerful and efficient anti-malware scanner not only quarantines and/or removes any active or idle malicious objects from your PC but also has deploys proactive behavior to prevent new malware infections. By monitoring how programs interact with each other, the system is able to intelligently preempt and close down any unauthorized or malicious activity. This approach means that conventional scan time is minimized, ensuring optimum performance of your PC at all times.

The anti-spam component takes a Bayesian algorithm approach to the problem of junk mail, empowering you to determine exactly what constitutes spam for you. The longer you use it, the more efficient it becomes. And by shielding its internal components from unauthorized access, Outpost’s special tamper-proof safeguard makes it impossible for the protection to be deactivated.

The final piece of the Outpost solution is ImproveNet, the community of users and Agnitum engineers that together ensures the most secure and up-to-date firewall configurations are automatically distributed to you whenever a new rule is certified for use. So Outpost protection is always as robust as possible, while retaining its acclaimed ease of use for even novice users.

Download Agnitum Outpost Security Suite PRO 2007 5.0.1233 in Softonic

WirelessMon is a software tool that allows users to monitor the status of wireless WiFi adapter(s) and gather information about nearby wireless access points and hot spots in real time. WirelessMon can log the information it collects into a file, while also providing comprehensive graphing of signal level and real time IP and 802.11 WiFi statistics.

The following wireless LAN information is displayed by WirelessMon (when available, as not all wireless adapters will support all of these features).

• Current connection information: SSID; Connected access point MAC address; Signal strength; Tx Power; Authentication type; RTS Threshold; Fragmentation Threshold; Channel in use; Frequency being used; Number of Antennas; Beacon Period; ATIM Window; Dwell Time; Hop Pattern; Hop Set.
• Statistics information: More than 30 parameters are reported. Including a detailed break down of frames sent and received, error counts, transmission retry counters and related low level data.
• IP information: Information about the current TCP/IP connection is reported. Including the adapter MAC address; Adapter device driver name; the IP Address; Subnet Mask; if DHCP is enabled; the Gateway Address and the DHCP server IP address.
• IP counter information: Network throughput is monitored and displayed. This includes the maximum bandwidth available from the network adapter hardware, the current send and receive data rates in bytes per second and packets per second, plus error counters.

Download WirelessMon 2.0.1013 in Softonic

WiFi SiStr enables you to keep track of your WiFi signal strength by means of an attractive, small window that sits right on your desktop. It keeps information about your connection history, generating graphical statistics based on the average quality of your WiFi signal. The program can also be scheduled to play an alert sound in case your connection signal drops too much.

Take a look at what WiFi SiStr has to offer:

• Support for 17 languages
• Easy to use and understand
• Small display fully customizable
• Pre-defined and user defined themes
• Move by left button drag-n-drop
• Very complete Help included

Download WiFi SiStr 1.0.2678.17860 in Softonic

myWIFIzone lets you decide who gets blocked from your WiFi network and who doesn't with a click of the mouse. So you can give "Uncle Bill" in Apartment 301 free access, while blocking "Freddy Freeloader" who lives on the second floor. You don't need to wade through tedious router logs or set up complicated firewalls. myWIFIzone gives you real-time alerts, event logging and intruder blocking right from your PC or laptop.

Download myWIFIzone Internet Access Blocker 4.0 in Softonic

If you have ever tried to use Windows XP's built-in connection manager, you know what a hassle it can be to quickly check your mail or browse the web on the go. You need to browse through a list of access points, find one that you can connect to, manually try to connect to it, confirm the connection and then wait.

Easy WiFi Radar automates all of this. It's main goal is to let you get your mail or surf the web without having to go through all of the connection trouble, and without having to pull your creditcard.

The ideal WiFi-tool for frequent travellers and mobile professionals, Easy WiFi Radar will connect to open hotspots automatically and shows you exactly what it is doing in a cool animated radar screen. Access points are represented as green, yellow or red dots. It plays a sound and opens your webbrowser as soons as it succesfully finds a free connection.

Download Easy WIFI Radar 1.0.3 in Softonic

Ever wished you could listen again to online radio to play back time and again? Replay Radio is a great way to record Radio shows and capture podcasts. It has a wide range of features to help you get the job done:

• Records Windows Media, Real and any other format
• Record XM Radio online or via a hardware cable
• Integrated Replay Media Guide contains 1179 Radio Shows and 2054 Radio Stations
• Record to MP3, WMA, WAV, OGG and AAC
• Make audio and MP3 CDs
• Automatically import recorded shows into iTunes
• Makes Bookmarkable files for iPod listeners
• Options to split recordings by silence, time or minutes after the hour
• Listen in less time with Compress Speech feature
• Eliminate long periods of silence from recordings
• Quick Record makes it easy to record instantly
• Includes Replay Player for listening on the PC and skipping over unwanted audio
• Support for WiFi Boomboxes and media extenders via uPnP
• Optional Enhanced Sound Card Driver makes highest quality recordings
• Custom conversion system to add your own conversions
• Record from radios attached to your PC
• Record from the Microphone

Download Replay Radio 7.31 in Softonic

Kerio Personal Firewall (KPF) helps control how your computer exchanges data with other computers on the Internet or local network. Kerio Personal Firewall is designed to protect any Windows PC that is connected to the Internet using DSL, cable, dial-up, ISDN, WiFi or satellite modems.

Professional and corporate users residing behind a perimeter firewall such as Kerio WinRoute Firewall, would still benefit from using Kerio Personal Firewall on their computers. Kerio Personal Firewall prevents individual computers from attacks initiated by other internal users or compromised systems. It is also advisable to have Kerio Personal Firewall on every notebook for remote workers who connect to the Internet from unsecured locations.

Download Sunbelt Kerio Personal Firewall 4.3.246 in Softonic