Speeding up your internet connection is something that all of us try but few actually achieve.

iGetter can greatly improve the speed of your downloads using segmented (accelerated) downloading. It includes all the regular features you'd expect from a download manager such as auto resume on broken downloads, queue filtering by various criteria, scheduling downloads for low traffic periods, auto redial on broken connections, auto hang-ups, shut downs on completion and much more. The number of features bundled into this program is truly staggering but perhaps the most notable is the Site Explorer that allows you to explore entire webs or FTP sites and find and download the files you're interested in. When the Site Explorer is used iGetter displays the web contents rendered in a separate view below the site tree. This makes the process of exploration very convenient as you see the web page directly in iGetter as you would with a web browser. When you reach the file or files you're interested in downloading, you can easily add them to the iGetter queue. In this way, you can download tons of links in just a few minutes.

Fast and easy to use, iGetter speeds up downloads and allows you to download several files at the same time meaning you'll experience quicker downloads than ever before.

Download iGetter 2.5.1 in Softonic

Computer remote access comes in very handy when you need to control your home PC from work and viceversa. It's also a fast, efficient way to help a friend –or even your customers- with software installation and configuration. But remote control apps are usually difficult to use and hog system resources.

Well, not anymore: now LogMeIn makes remote control easier than ever by providing you a simple, fast and free tool to access your PC from anywhere. Just download the client and create an account on their website, and you're ready to go.

The client should be installed and launched in the computers you want to access remotely. Then all you need to do is start your session in the LogMeIn webpage and you'll have immediate access to your computer. You'll be able to manage files, transfer data from the local machine to the remote machine and viceversa (only during the first 30 days, though) and even control the desktop and mouse in the remote PC, with a surprisingly quick response to mouse movements. You can create various users with different privileges or open your remote session temporarily to a guest user, so that he or she can see what you're doing on the PC.

On the downside, image resolution is obviously not very high when remote controlling (forget about viewing photos in the remote PC). Also, the Java-based file manager looks a bit sloppy but that's probably due to Java itself. In all, I think LogMeIn is one of the best free remote control apps I've tried.

Download LogMeIn Free 4.0.732 in Softonic

Orb is all about sharing and taking advantage of P2P technology. In short, Orb provides the ability to "MyCast". MyCasting gives the user instant access to photos, music, videos, live television, and other digital content on their home PC at anytime and from any internet-connected device, such as a mobile phone, PDA or laptop. What strikes you first is the general presentation and interface which is very "Mac" like and elegant. It's also incredibly easy to use and you'll be sharing in minutes whatever your level of expertise.

The developers claim that it is completely secure while having no restrictions in its use. Using any web browser, Orb provides a simple, intuitive interface for the user to connect to their home computer and the ability to stream digital content located there without the interruption of download delays. The software aims to make the process simple - which by and large it does with a clear interface - but also insists that users obey digital rights and copyright laws. If you need to share things quickly with a selected number of unique users, this is a good option.

Download Orb 2.00.1008 in Softonic

P-Tools offers many TCP/IP utilities in one program. This award-winning program can work under Windows 95/98/ME / NT4.0/2000/XP and is indispensable for anyone who uses the Internet or Intranet.

Network administrators will especially appreciate our powerful network monitor: Advanced Host Monitor and program for wireless messaging from our partners.

The program allows multitask operation - You may use all utilities at the same time. Many utilities can obtain information from a single host, from all hosts within a range of IP addresses (ex. 195.128.74.1 - 195.130.200.5) or work with a list of hosts and IP addresses.

It also has a highly intuitive interface that makes operation easy for users.

Download IP-Tools 2.54 in Softonic

LiveStation is a peer-to-peer application that lets you watch watch television online. At the moment the selection of channels is limited to international news stations like BBC World, EuroNews and Al Jazeera along with two radio services: BBC World Service and BBC Radio 4.

The positive aspect of this software is that, being based on peer-to-peer technology, it virtually eliminates buffering time, meaning you won’t have to wait to watch the channels. The video experience is much more enjoyable than what you can get from a traditional streaming service because the data comes from many sources at the same time, reducing congestion problems. Every PC connected is both client and server.

Livestation requires Microsoft Silverlight to run, but don’t worry because during the installation it asks you whether you want to download it automatically.

The interface is simple but cool with smooth fade effects and once the channel is selected, the very high quality stream starts immediately. Unfortunately there is no pause button, nor any functionality for recording programs at certain times. That said, the application is still at a 'technical trial' stage so there is still room for these kinds of improvements.

If you have a fast internet connection you can always be updated on what’s happening around the world by watching the most famous international news channels with the light and usable LiveStation.

Download Livestation 1.0.73 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

Did you know that Windows maintains an “unseen” history of all of your PC activities, including files you have opened, websites visited, e-mails sent, logins and passwords, etc? It is important to understand that even having taken steps to “delete” files, cookies, search terms, browser history, etc., your data and activity remains on your PC “unseen.

This leaves a history of all of your PC activity available to anyone who may currently have or someday gain access to your computer, be it family, employer, colleague, legal, PC maintenance, shared network, wireless network, or hacker sources. In addition, when you are on the Internet, you may have downloaded intrusive devices such as cookies, bugs, and spyware onto your computer. The intrusive devices may strike at any time.

To truly erase this information off of the hard drive requires a deeper professional “cleaning” of your computer that is provided by History Sweeper software. History Sweeper is very simple and quick to use, and can provide you with the peace-of-mind of knowing that your personal activity and information will remain private and protected.

By maintaining this history of all your PC activity and “deleted” files, the performance of your PC is impacted with less efficient use of the disk space and disk mapping. History Sweeper serves as a very beneficial general PC maintenance program, saving storage space, allowing more efficient mapping, and improving the overall performance of your PC in the process.

Download History Sweeper 2.95 in Softonic

So the first major update to Windows Vista is here at last, fourteen months after Microsoft's latest operating system was finally released. Many potential Vista customers were advised at launch to "Wait for Service Pack 1" - so was this advice valid?

Service Pack 1 contains a range of improvements to Windows Vista, focused in three main areas, which Microsoft terms: Quality Improvements, Emerging Hardware & Standards and Infrastructure Optimization. Quality Improvements are basically bug fixes and this part of the Service Pack includes all the small updates that have been applied by Windows Update since Vista was released, in one handy bundle. Quality Improvements also include attempts to improve system stability and reliability, mainly when it comes to working with 3rd party applications like those you can download from Softonic.

Emerging Hardware and Standards refers to additional support for newer technologies in Vista. Since the code for Vista was finalised, new technologies have been released which many users would like to deploy to their PCs. Examples of these technologies include 64-bit EFI network boot, exFAT storage, improved support for HD-DVD and Bluray technologies, additional cryptographic algorithms, full support for 802.11n wireless, and much more.

Infrastructure Optimization consists of various improvements designed to help organisations deploy and patch Windows more easily. Systems administrators will welcome improvements to the Network Diagnostics tool, Disk Defragmenter, Group Policy and Network Access Protection.

What has to be said about Windows Vista Service Pack 1 is that it still doesn't contain many of the innovations which were originally promised as components in the OS. While many of these hotfixes, security improvements and technology upgrades are more than welcome, there is little to get really excited about in SP1. So yes, it probably made sense to wait for this upgrade, but don't expect Vista to suddenly become a perfect operating system: that's simply not going to happen.

That said, SP1 does include a lot of fixes which might prove very useful for users, especially when it comes to security, and that's why it's a recommended update for all Windows Vista PCs.

Download Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) 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

Geepeeyes is a unique tool that brings together two of the most powerful navigational tools available - GPS and Google Earth.

The result is the most detailed GPS maps you've ever seen. The good thing is that it doesn't even require you to upgrade to the premium versions of Google Earth to use it. Normally, GPS support is only available on the Plus and Pro editions of Google Earth, and it is limited to Garmin & Magellan devices. GPS and Google Earth fans will genuinely love the way that you the program allows you to look at routes and locations for real instead of plain road maps. The great thing for someone who's terrible with maps, like me, is that you can use buildings and reference points to direct you instead with geepeeyes. Asa result, wrong turns, missing street names or the absence of reliable directions are much less of a problem than they used to be. Even if you don't use it for navigational purposes, it's fun just to watch the maps unveil before you. The only problem you may encounter is that it is prone to bugs due to the fact that it is still in beta testing phase.

A classy little utility that will save you hours getting lost not to mention the money you'd have to spend on Google Earth to support this sort of thing normally.

Download geepeeyes 2 Beta in Softonic

I remember not so long ago seeing a news story where they portrayed a future where everything in your house would be controlled by a single computer and a few hand claps.

That day still has not come to pass for most of us although this is an interesting attempt to bring it to the masses. MisterHouse is a small interface designed to control all your electro-domestic devices from your PC. The program is designed to manage the use of lights, telephone calls, radios, televisions, calendars, watches, alarms, security cameras and answer machines.

Be warned however that firstly, you'll need some sort of infra-red or wireless devices attached to your equipment to allow it to communicate with MisterHouse. Secondly, this is an immensely complicated program to configure and setup. In fact, if you have little Perl programming experience, you should probably stay well away as it relies on many commands to configure correctly. There is a thorough guide on the developer site but still, it takes some understanding if you're not familiar with Perl.

This is no solution for the masses but if you've got electro-domestic equipment with remote communication built in and are familiar with Perl, you may find it worth a shot.

Download MisterHouse 2.103 in Softonic

It seems that not a day goes by without some new software promising to boost your connection speed. The problem is, nowadays it's so hard to tell where the problem is - with your PC, router, ISP, wireless card etc etc.

Simple Net Speed promises no miracles but it does offer some speed enhancements that are not to be sniffed at. Simple Net Speed has been developed with the aim of increasing the transfer speed to surf the Internet and download files. It's especially appropriate for those who frequently suffer interruptions when watching videos and listening to streaming radio stations over the Internet. There's very little to it other than a couple of throttles - one controlling bandwidth speed and the other controlling a multiplier which multiplies whatever speed you're currently running at. The problem is, there's no way of knowing whether this program is genuinely increasing the speed and by how much although you will notice an improvement at times.

Since it's free, easy to use and has no spyware attached, it's worth a go if you've had connection problems.

Download Simple Net Speed 1.4 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

Bandwidth Vista is a modern bandwidth speed test, informative and intuitive to use. Whether you are looking for network problems or simply want to test your bandwidth speed, Bandwidth Vista is the only bandwidth meter and bandwidth tester you will need.

Bandwidth Vista meters all your connected interfaces at once including ADSL connections, wireless and ethernet and holds a history of transfers which can be viewed down to the last hour. This dynamic bandwidth meter also indicates the countries of remote computers that are connected to your system and maps them for you - quite an eye opener! Also included is a Bandwidth Stop Watch, Email Alert service, an icon for each connected program on your system - with the ability to kill the connected program, ideal for spyware experiences!

This bandwidth meter shows real time transfers, including the percentage of your network in use. You can resize the GUI so that you can keep it to one side while continuing your browsing or work. You can also minimize it to the tray. Bandwidth Vista has a handy tray icon which keeps you informed of transfers as they are sent and received.

Download Bandwidth Vista 2.0.0.0 in Softonic

Tiffany Screens is a presentation tool, able to capture the content of the presenter's screen and send it to multiple other computer screens at the same time. Any computer can seamlessly become the presenting computer, no matter if connected wirelessly or through an Ethernet cable.

The self-contained solution does neither require nor use a server. It automatically detects all computers on a local network, running the software and those computers can watch the presentation projected onto their screens. Best of all, with a single button click, any computer can switch from watching into presenting mode.

Download TiffanyScreens 2.5.1 in Softonic

The GameBoy has come a long way since we first saw that big white and grey block at the end of the last century. Its great, great, great grandson, the Nintendo DS is now even more powerful than the high-tech machines doing the rounds in the arcades of the early Nineties. In fact, it's so good that sometimes you'll want to play with it in the office, which obviously you can't. Well, actually you can. Actually you can't. Well, you sort of can. Let me explain...

DeSmuME is a Nintendo DS emulator that allows you to play games on your PC using DS ROM files, which you can download from the Internet. Trouble is, downloading these files is illegal, so on your own head be it if the FBI van rolls up outside your house. Legalities aside, this is a pretty decent emulator, which was orginally designed for games programmers to develop and test their latest creations. It can be a little tricky to set up, but once running you'll be able to enjoy a huge selection of games in ROM format. But if the Feds ask, don't tell them it was me who told you.

Download DeSmuME 0.7.3 in Softonic

Norton has been always considered to be a synonym of security. Some of their products have been in the market for years and are used by millions of computer users around the world on a daily basis. And Norton Internet Security is one of them.

This complete security suite has just released its latest version, with a noticeably better performance that makes the program run faster and an improved behavior, thanks to which you can just work with the computer or browse the web without being interrupted every now and then.

The suite includes antivirus and antispyware tools, along with two new features which I personally find very interesting: a network security monitor and an identity protection tool. The first one is especially good for wireless connections, as it enables you to prevent unauthorized accesses, while the second one protects you from phishing attacks by displaying an unattractive toolbar in your web browser.

On the downside, I found out that this program is really meant to be permanently running, as there's no option to switch it off. I know I'm not supposed to do that, but in any case there should be an easy, accessible way to temporarily turn protection off. Also, I didn't like the fact that this Norton comes bundled with the Yahoo! toolbar, although you can decline this offer during installation.

Download Norton Internet Security 2008 in Softonic

PageGate allows you to perform network paging or network wide SMS messaging through a combination of communication methods. These include, email, webpages, commandlines, textfiles, Internet, serial ports, modems, mobile phones, wireless modems, direct database access and Windows clients.

It allows you to send SMS or text messages to alphanumeric pagers, numeric pagers, cell phones, PIMs, billboards, etc. Everything goes through the PageGate SMS Server Engine which takes input from any of the front-end modules and sends the messages to paging service providers via modem, the Internet or email. The good thing is that any of these can be used at the same time but note that you'll need licenses for sending to large numbers of recipients. You'll need to know a little bit about server maintenance because the engine runs on an existing file or web server, or a separate workstation or server. It also needs updating every few days to protect security.

If you work in a company or organisation that regularly needs access to a huge range of communications options, you'll find Pagegate useful. However, for most of us used to just e-mail and SMS texting, it's far too elaborate and extensive.

Download PageGate 5.0 in Softonic

Why do you need Steganos Internet Anonym VPN?

Each visit to the Internet discloses your identity to Web providers – often, without you noticing or wanting this. And also your Internet provider can exactly see which Web sites you visit and what kind of data you upload or download. When you use a WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) or a hot spot to access the Internet wirelessly, for example at a train station, an airport, or in an Internet café, it won't be a problem for anyone to spy on you.

It just takes the corresponding software to turn you into a transparent user. All your movements on the Web can then be exactly traced – whether you send private e-mails, carry out online purchases, or enter your personal access data. Even when you dial in to online applications, you are unprotected: Someone could "stow away" and use your access data unnoticed in order to manipulate and even delete important data!
Why surf anonymously? I don’t have anything to hide.

As soon as you go online, you receive a clear Internet protocol address - an IP. The IP acts like a transmitter on the Internet to fix your location and can therefore be traced back to the very door of your house. Every provider of Web pages can recognize precisely what you have done on their Web site: Which products have you viewed but not bought? Which images have you looked at? And even your provider can view a large amount of data such as the movies and songs you have uploaded and downloaded on your legal file sharing platform.

It's not about whether you have something to hide or not. You have a right to privacy and do not have to justify this. Allow yourself the freedom of surfing the Web anonymously as well as of uploading and downloading data.

Download Steganos Internet Anonym VPN 1.1.3 in Softonic