5 Awesome Home Use Applications
Poser August 28th, 2006
Our first Links For You page will about 5 software applications that you may or may not need, but should definitely check out. These are in no particular order, so dont think I like #1 any more than #5, they are all lovely and special in their own little way.
1. Picasa – http://picasa.google.com/
This gem of a program is probably one of the best Photo Organizing apps I have ever seen. Its slogan “Picture Simplicity” is extremely accurate regarding the ease of use of this program. Not to insult my mom in any way, but if she can successfully (meaning with the least stress possible) use this program, then just about any one can. Orginally a standalone company, purchased and brought to you by Google now.
Picasa is an All in One program, allowing you to transfer pictures from your camera to computer, find and organize photos already on your computer, do simple editing of photos, print photos (either at home or order online through a printing website/service) and even back up to CD/DVD’s for storage or sharing. Related to sharing photos with Picasa is the ability to use the Picasa program itself help email your photos to friends and family, and if you have a Picasa Web Albums account (GMail account required), you can upload photos your online album service (similar to Yahoo Photos or Flickr) using Picasa. Picasa also has build-in support for sharing photos to your Blogger account too.
I have found the interface extremely pleasing to the eye and easy to use. If you’re in the market for some way to easily help you organize photos, Picasa is where it is at. Perfect for simple beginners, to advanced users with options to customize to suit your needs (Ex. Photos imported are saved in your My Documents\My Photos folder by default, which I personally changed to another folder).
2. Hamachi – http://hamachi.cc/
“Hamachi is a zero-configurations virtual private networking (VPN) application.” Best description of the applications right from the home page. Bascially, you use this program to ‘network’ your computers together without actually having to do much of anything to get it working (you do have to specify with folders to share on each computer connected). Download, install, run through the quick easy set-up tutorial, and you’re good to go. I have this set up so I can access files on my computer at home while I’m out and about using my laptop, and its makes it easy to use for Network games and a ton of other uses. All I do is load up Hamachi, let it connect and I can explore the shared folders just as if they were on my own home network or my own hard drive through Windows Explorer.
The program uses strong encryptions, so no worrying about other people ‘hacking’ your network, and the free version allows enough freedom for the average user, while the low price for a Permium account (~$39 USD) expands on features a bit. This is definitely a program anyone can use, from beginners to experts, and ease of use and simplicity are major bonuses in this program also.
3. Paint.Net – http://www.getpaint.net/index.html
Paint.Net is a Windows photo manipulation program that is free and has a lot of power to it. While Photoshop may be THE program to use for photo editing for commercial use, Paint.NET will work wonders for your home use. I use this program a lot because I’m a poor college student who can’t drop $700 for PShop, and it has done fine for every need I could have ever wanted. Recommeneded for those that are proficient with computers, as it might a bit too much for anyone not used to using Tool sets (marquee, eraser, clone stamp, path, etc) that are found in programs like these. For basic photo editing, there is always the lovely Picasa! Clean simple interface, and ease to use for anyone familiar and comfortable with computers on a slightly advanced level or higher. Paint.Net uses the .Net framework for Windows, hence the .Net in the name, which is free and can be found by following the links on the Paint.Net website, or visiting the Microsoft website directly.
4. Hello – http://hello.com/
Another program brought to you by the Picasa people (under Google now). This is a chat program that is geared towards sharing photos. Really easy to use, really simple to install, and really awesome interface. If you’re using Picasa I recommend you use this program for sharing photos, because they are integrated perfectly together. You have a buddy list and chat just like any other instant message (AOL or Yahoo! or MSN), and can drop and drag photos to share with others. Doesnt not take a lot of memory on your computer, and again, a simple to use program for anyone to use without getting lost of frustrated. To share photos you will have to sign up for an account with Hello, and anyone else you want to share files with, but the process is quick and simple.
5. Foxit Reader – http://foxitsoftware.com/pdf/rd_intro.php
Foxit Reader is an extemely lightweight PDF reader. By lightweight, I mean its filesize is really low, you download 1.2mb vs Adobe Acrobat at 27.7mb (20.3 without Yahoo! Toolbar or Photoshop Album Starter), and it loads much much faster than Acrobat. It reads any PDF file with no problems, and allows you to Print and Save. Not a lot of options in Foxit Reader that are found in Adobe Acrobat , but because youre only going to be viewing and printing most PDF’s anyways all you need is Save and Print. Best of all, it needs no installation, so you can run this program off a USB Drive or CD/DVD to be used anywhere on any computer!
I hope you find these programs useful, and definitely check them out if you have never heard of them before. I tend to generally make sure these programs are installed right away on any new computer that I set up. Feel free to leave your comments and opinions here if happen to use and like these programs, and visit and give feedback to the makers of each program at their websites also.