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Tray Dictionary is a free desktop dictionary tool based on the Encarta online dictionary. With it you can look up words quickly without having to open an online dictionary site. It also allows quick right-click lookups in Internet Explorer.

We opened Tray Dictionary's Start Menu folder and clicked the program icon to open its System Tray interface, which is anchored by a dictionary icon. Clicking this icon called up a tiny search field for quick lookups. Since we park the Windows taskbar on the right edge of our wide-screen desktop, it covered Tray Dictionary's search button, and we … Read more

Matching puzzle games have become fairly ubiquitous, with a lot of themes employed to jazz up what is typically just the task of getting three or more jewels (or whatever) of the same color in a row and clearing them from the board. Jewel Quest 2 plants this popular puzzle format within some kind of seafaring adventure motif. We're not entirely clear what it is--the game's font is too small to be legible--but the puzzle itself remains the same addictive time-waster it always has been.

In order to play Jewel Quest 2, users must first download the Free … Read more

We should all know the dangers of browsing the Web without any protection. That's why it's best to take the proper precautions. One way to do that is to hide your IP address from prying eyes. Surf Anonymous Free offers a way to disguise your IP address while you browse. It worked as promised, though our browsing performance suffered, often with connections that timed out.

The program's user interface is basic and to the point. Your real IP address appears in the small window, and from there, you have two options: Hide IP and Select Fake Location. … Read more

You're probably familiar with online data storage sites that promise to store your critical data securely, but do you really believe your data is totally safe when it's in someone else's hands and online, too? And are you sure that your computer's Internet connection is totally secure from intrusion and even attack? Common sense suggests the answer to both questions is "No," and that's the rationale behind MyInfosafe. It creates an encrypted, password-protected "personal data warehouse" that stores your important documents and data securely in your PC, not online. It does … Read more

Using multiple computers doesn't mean that you can't always have a full complement of useful programs with you. SSuite Office Portable Edition packs a surprising number of applications for both business and pleasure into a reasonably sized package. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of full-featured programs, but for a portable suite, it's pretty impressive.

The core of SSuite Office Portable Edition comprises its word processor, spreadsheet program, and e-mail client. We had no trouble with the first two; they're not the most beautiful or comprehensive programs we've seen, but they do … Read more

So you're in business, and you've got a PC and a scanner. You're dutifully scanning and saving all your business documents (hopefully not jumbled together in your scanner's default archive). Simple Doc Organizer Free Edition is a free document organizing utility designed specifically for small- and medium-size businesses. It makes it easy to store and find your scanned, saved, or imported documents.

We downloaded and extracted the program's zipped installer, which then downloads and installs the program files. We also had to disable our User Account Control settings, which required a reboot. A Configure Wizard … Read more

Animal Software's Panda Batch File Renamer is a free tool for making stir-fry. No, it's actually a batch file renamer, a tool that renames files in large numbers all at once, the technical term for which is "batches." So, you're mildly impressed but wonder, "Do I need it?" Well, if you have a digital camera or camcorder or an MP3 player, you may have noticed that your pictures and songs don't always make themselves easy to find. It's much easier to rename all of one artist's songs or one summer'… Read more

We've seem numerous iterations of games like Bubble Shooter 4, a puzzle game that involves shooting colored bubbles at other bubbles of the same color to clear them from the board. Bubble Shooter 4 is neither the best nor worst that we've encountered in this genre, but there is one thing we can say for it: we ended up playing it for way longer than we had intended.

The game has an underwater theme, and gameplay is overseen by a cranky-looking mermaid. The game board is filled with bubbles of various colors, and a pointer at the bottom … Read more

Dealing with digital images can be a real chore if you don't have the right tools. Fortunately, there's a plethora of programs out there that can make image editing much less of a headache. Free Image Convert and Resize is one such program. This basic utility lets you do exactly what the name implies for single images or whole batches of them. It's nothing we haven't seen before, but it's easy to use and effective, and for that we like it.

The program's interface is plain and intuitive. An Add button lets you select … Read more