portable

Uninstalling programs is one job we usually prefer to give to a third-party tool that improves on the built-in Windows feature found on the Control Panel. To make the cut, an uninstaller needs a few essentials, starting with the power to list all programs by installation date. You'd be surprised how many would-be contenders omit this simple but crucial capability, but more than once we've found programs we'd forgotten to remove by sorting the list by date -- and even some that other apps had snuck onto our system, like toolbars we thought we'd declined.

The … Read more

Let's do some math, shall we?

When it comes to portable storage, you can get a 64GB USB 3.0 flash drive for $39.99 shipped. Or you can take advantage of RedTag's today-only deal: a Western Digital My Passport 320GB USB 3.0 hard drive for $39 (plus $1.95 for shipping).

Update: Dang! Already sold out. It's worth checking back throughout the day in case RedTag releases more inventory. But, interestingly, I'd say few people were scared off by the drive being a refurb.

Pricewise, they're a wash. But the Western Digital drive … Read more

Many different Web browsers are built on Mozilla's open-source Firefox project, including Waterfox, a 64-bit version of Firefox. Waterfox takes advantage of a variety of speed-boosting technologies found in most current Intel CPUs and the latest AMD processors, too, such as SSE3, AVX, and Jemalloc. Of course, while your Internet connection's speed and reliability will have a much greater impact on your day-to-day browsing speed than your browser will, a 64-bit browser offers some advantages in 64-bit Windows, such as increased speed and improved stress handling. The 64-bit Waterfox is also available in a fully portable version for … Read more

The Philips Shoqbox SB7200 portable wireless speaker doesn't fill a room with sound quite as well as the pricier Shoqbox SB7300 model, but a tough shell helps it stand out among all the portable Bluetooth speakers currently flooding the category.

The hard-mesh speaker and rubber casing amplify bass tones as well as protect the unit from dirt and dust, making it a logical companion on outdoor adventures like hikes and trips to the beach. Pro tip: its light waterproofing also does equally well in your bathroom if you prefer bathing to a soundtrack. The Smart Sensor does a so-so … Read more

Most external hard drives are on the big, bulky side, and they require their own power supply, which is a hassle to say the least.

Portable external drives run off USB power, which is convenient -- but it usually means a lower-capacity drive and higher price.

Not today. Newegg has the Seagate Backup Plus 1TB portable USB 3.0 hard drive for $79.99 shipped. That's after applying coupon code EMCXWVV26 at checkout.

Now, anyone who follows hard drives like I do needs to get a hobby knows that 80 bucks for a 1TB drive isn't all that … Read more

When we're away from our computers and need to make a note of something, notebooks and sticky notes are two of the most obvious places we might do this. On the computer, however, the answer isn't so simple. A word processing program is too cumbersome, a text editor may be too bare-bones, and neither of these options does anything to keep your ideas organized. Fortunately, Efficient Notes Free Portable Edition provides a way to easily record and organize notes. If you have a lot of bright ideas and nowhere to put them, it might be just what you'… Read more

We tend to be suspicious of anything that claims to be designed specifically for ladies -- not just women, but ladies -- particularly if it's something as seemingly gender-neutral as productivity software. This isn't 1950, and on the whole, women's organizational needs don't tend to differ significantly from men's. Any attempt at making an organizer especially "for ladies" has a high probability of being both ridiculous and insulting. Efficient Lady's Organizer Free Portable Edition confirmed our worst fears. Although it's a perfectly serviceable personal organizer, its feminine touches made us kind … Read more

Creating strong passwords is easy, but remembering them is something else entirely; the very characteristics that make passwords hard to crack also make them hard to remember. That's where password managers come in. Efficient Password Manager Free Portable promises to store your passwords and even help you create new, stronger ones. Best of all, it lives on your USB drive or other portable device, ensuring that your passwords are always handy.

Efficient Password Manager has a plain and attractive interface that reminded us a bit of Microsoft Office. The program comes with a built-in Help file, but we didn'… Read more

LAS VEGAS--If you can't decide whether to buy a portable or desktop speaker for your smartphone, here's a solution that may give you the best of both worlds.

The Zagg Origin, spotted at the Digital Experience event here at CES, is a 2-in-1 speaker system. It consists of a portable Bluetooth speaker that can be used on the go for more than 10 hours with its onboard rechargeable battery.

When this portable unit is docked into the desktop component, sound output is seamlessly transferred to the larger speaker, enabling it to fill a bigger room. Meanwhile, the portable … Read more