3.1.0

As very valuable real estate, the home screen of a mobile device contains a user's favorite widgets and the most frequently-visited applications and allows quick access to information. All of these, however, take up a lot of space. Sidebar Lite comes in handy because it allows an extra strip of app icons. It can quickly be accessed, but is normally hidden.

Sidebar Lite loads immediately and requires no additional setup other than adding applications to the strip. The bar, itself, is accessed by simply swiping the left edge of the screen inward. The sidebar has a translucent look to … Read more

People often want to download online videos from sites like YouTube to watch offline or edit. ClipGrab for Mac claims to allow users to save Internet videos to their desktop, but ultimately doesn't deliver.

ClipGrab for Mac is available as freeware without any restrictions. The program is small and installed easily after a quick download. After installation, the program starts quickly, but there are no instructions, and product support appears minimal. While sparse, the interface is fairly intuitive. Menus allow the user to paste a link with a video directly into the program or search directly in YouTube from … Read more

Photo effects #7 - Text (Free) for Mac is a lengthy name for an app that does one thing, but does it well. Photo effects #7 - Text (Free) turns any image you select into a message with effects, allowing you to type text over the image and apply a selected number of digital effects to create a "work of art." If you don't want to work with a preexisting image, a Mac's built-in camera can also be used.

Photo effects #7 - Text (Free) installs quickly and the interface is basic. The Photo effects #7 … Read more

So you're in a swanky coffeeshop in a trendy neighborhood with a friendly vibe. You only got up to refill your water glass... and your laptop is gone. Vanished. No one looked up from their own laptop or phone to see who walked off with it. It gets farther away by the second: It could be on the other side of the planet in hours. If you were signed up with LockItTight's free online service, you'd be able to log on to LockItTight's site, access your account, and see where your PC is now. Not only … Read more

As a parent, you're responsible for what your children see and do online, and parental control suites like JuniorWatch can help out. This free application monitors, logs, and reports all activity on your family PC or your child's PC. JuniorWatch captures screenshots and Webcam shots, logs keystrokes, monitors the clipboard, saves browser history, and blocks inappropriate Web sites. You can also delete and retrieve files remotely with JuniorWatch. In addition to overall upgrades, new features include anti-phishing and porn blocker tools.

Before you install JuniorWatch, we recommend first signing up for a free account at the program's … Read more

Like all collectors, model-railroad collectors need a way to organize their goods. Train Inventory is a program that seeks to help model-railroad fans with this task, letting users create a database to catalog their collections. Unfortunately, functional problems plague this program and make it hard to recommend.

The program opened with a .NET Framework error, which did not inspire confidence, and it turned out to be the first of many to come. The program's interface is simple but extremely unattractive, consisting of a gray background with some menus and text boxes for entering data. For each item, users can … Read more

Amazifier is an easy tool for jazzing up your digital pictures. It can resize images, correct red-eye, and add frames, stickers, text, and other effects, but its unique interface makes for a user-friendly experience. We tested the freeware version; a premium upgrade adds more features. If you're new to photo-editing tools or feel intimidated by Filters, Layers, and Gammas, Amazifier could be just what you're looking for.

Amazifier's interface is designed to be as attractive and easy to use as possible, and it largely achieves that goal. A left-hand panel accesses its self-descriptive tools: Stickers, Text & … Read more

A lot of changes came with Windows 7, including changes to the Start menu. Taskbar Classic Start Menu lets you go back in time to the days of Windows 2000 and Me, by way of a system notification icon. The menu gives you the best of both Windows worlds, but we found one glitch that prevents us from recommending it.

When installed, Taskbar Classic Start Menu appears as an icon in your system tray. Right-clicking it introduces a Start menu that indeed looks and acts just like Windows 2000 and Me menus. You'll find the Run, Settings, Programs, Favorites, … Read more