Download Squad http://www.downloadsquad.com Download Squad http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/%SiteURL%/media/feedlogo.gif Download Squad http://www.downloadsquad.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[A few days later, a better notifier: Ding, It's Up]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/12/02/a-few-days-later-a-better-notifier-ding-its-up/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/12/02/a-few-days-later-a-better-notifier-ding-its-up/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/12/02/a-few-days-later-a-better-notifier-ding-its-up/#commentsFiled under: ,


It seems like only yesterday that I was writing about Notify Me When It's Up, a site that lets you know by email when a website comes back online. Actually, it was a few days ago, but someone has already built a fancier version of Notify Me. It's called Ding, It's Up, and it adds SMS and Twitter notification options, and tells you when a site goes either up or down. Despite my praise of Notify Me's minimal approach, I am forced to concede that Ding outdoes it.

I previously commented that it was nice that Notify Me keeps things simple, even though it could have added more features, or incorporated the functionality of Down For Everyone Just Me. I guess the creators of Ding, It's Up are basically sticking their tongues out at me, because they've done just that, and it's actually pretty neat. Just don't use it to sign up to receive updates by Twitter about when Twitter is down. You might want to use Is Twitter Down? for that.

A few days later, a better notifier: Ding, It's Up originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alertsding-its-upemailemail notifierEmailNotifiernotifynotify-me-when-its-upsmsTue, 02 Dec 2008 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[URL Alias adds superpowers to the Firefox address bar]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/12/01/url-alias-adds-superpowers-to-the-firefox-address-bar/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/12/01/url-alias-adds-superpowers-to-the-firefox-address-bar/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/12/01/url-alias-adds-superpowers-to-the-firefox-address-bar/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Good things really do come in small packages, as is the case with the URL Alias Firefox addon.
I originally installed it looking to make the address bar more launcher-like. For example, I wanted http://mail.google.com/mail/#inbox to open when I type mail or http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=SPORTS05 when I enter wings.

I prefer using words or abbreviations I can remember easily instead of hotkey combinations, and this experimental addon is the perfect tool for the job.

Since URL Alias also supports a variable (yep, just one), you can do a whole lot more with your aliases than just save keystrokes.

To manage aliases, type the following in your address bar: chrome://urlalias/content/urlalias.xul [enter]

Suppose you want to set up a Google search alias for results from downloadsquad.com.

dls http://www.google.com/search?q=%s%20site:downloadsquad.com

The %s is replaced by whatever text you enter after the keyword: dls firefox addons will return results for all matching DS posts. Change the alias text and url, and set up as many site-specific searches as you like.

Continue reading URL Alias adds superpowers to the Firefox address bar

URL Alias adds superpowers to the Firefox address bar originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 01 Dec 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>addonaddonsaliasfirefoxkeyboardMon, 01 Dec 2008 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Textflow parallel word processing app now in public beta]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/12/01/textflow-parallel-word-processing-app-now-in-public-beta/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/12/01/textflow-parallel-word-processing-app-now-in-public-beta/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/12/01/textflow-parallel-word-processing-app-now-in-public-beta/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Textflow is an Adobe AIR-based collaboration app that allows you to incorporate changes from several different people into one Word document. Sending your draft to everyone you're working with, and then manually combining all of their versions is a pain. With Textflow, you can just drop in each person's document and see a side-by-side view of the changes, and then put everything in order with a little bit of dragging. The app is now in public beta.

If you've used track changes in Word, Textflow's "choose or refuse" interface will be familiar to you. But textflow is like track changes on steroids, if you'll pardon a cliché. Besides the ability to handle several sets of changes from several separate Word files at once, it's also a lot easier to tell at a glance who's changed what, and decide which version to use. There's even a scrapboard to store ideas you're not sure about yet. The best part is that your collaborators don't even have to know what Textflow is for you to use it effectively.


[via Go2Web20 Blog]

Textflow parallel word processing app now in public beta originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>collaborationdocumentstext-editingtextflowwordMon, 01 Dec 2008 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[PhraseExpress is so much more than an autotext app]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/30/phraseexpress-is-so-much-more-than-an-autotext-app/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/30/phraseexpress-is-so-much-more-than-an-autotext-app/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/30/phraseexpress-is-so-much-more-than-an-autotext-app/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

A good snippet manager or autotext tool can save just about anyone a little time and effort. For those who do a lot of typing, it can even help prevent repetitive stress injuries. If you're looking for an application like this, take a look at PhraseExpress.

Apart from point and click insertion of pre-defined text and auto-completion of recognized words and phrases, Phrase Express packs a clipboard monitor, macro support, and system-wide spell check.

Though the settings window presents only two buttons - new folder and new phrase - you're able to do a whole lot more than add commonly used text. PhraseExpress' included macros provide a wide array of powerful functions, including:
  • launching external applications
  • changing window focus
  • opening files, folders, and web pages
  • trimming, formatting, and replacing text
  • embedding autotext suggestions
  • time and date stamping
  • inserting Windows environment variables
Since hotkeys are also supported, you PhraseExpress makes a very capable launcher application as well. Unlike some other launcher/hotkey apps, you're able to utilize the Windows key. Despite its numerous features, resource usage is very light - about 10mb of memory on my Vista install.

PhraseExpress can be installed, or you can download the portable version and extract it to your USB flash drive. It's free for personal use and $49.95 to register for commercial use. There's also a network edition that allows groups to access a shared library that runs $44.95 (or less, based on volume) per seat.

If you're already using PhraseExpress, share your experience. If you don't, what apps do you use (if anything) to handle these tasks?

PhraseExpress is so much more than an autotext app originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 30 Nov 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>autotextclipboardlaunchermacroportablesnippetSun, 30 Nov 2008 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Cubic Explorer is a highly customizable portable file manager]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/28/cubic-explorer-is-a-highly-customizable-portable-file-manager/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/28/cubic-explorer-is-a-highly-customizable-portable-file-manager/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/28/cubic-explorer-is-a-highly-customizable-portable-file-manager/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


There are plenty of Windows Explorer replacements out there, and most of you probably have a favorite. While I'm normally content to use what Windows gives me, I'm always looking for a good portable replacement to help ease file management tasks on customer computers.

Cubic Explorer has a number of options that have earned it the job. While it's packed with functionality and can be customized any number of ways, the interface remains mostly uncomplicated. It's a given that when you add tabs, breadcrumbs, bookmarks, previewing, folder trees, and everything else normally found in an Explorer replacement that the interface will become cluttered, but Cubic keeps things under control.

I've added all the folders I normally need to access during a repair to the favorites, like c:\windows, control panel, network connections, and my network app shares. After launching Cubic, hitting the bookmarks menu and open all in tabs quickly displays everything. It's much quicker than using start -> run every time I need to open a folder.

Cubic also supports sessions, allowing you to have several customized sets of tabs, bookmarks, and layouts. It's a handy feature for moving between customer systems, our office machines, and my home computers. Several themes are included, and your choice is saved with the session.

Cubic Explorer is freeware for Windows only, and both an installer and portable version are available.

Cubic Explorer is a highly customizable portable file manager originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>explorerfile-managementfile-managerportableFri, 28 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Automate your drive re-organizing with Download Mover]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/28/automate-your-drive-re-organizing-with-download-mover/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/28/automate-your-drive-re-organizing-with-download-mover/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/28/automate-your-drive-re-organizing-with-download-mover/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

I've been writing about plenty of manual ways to keep your hard drive neat and clean recently. That's a nice start, but what about some automated help along the lines of Auto-Delete?

While Download Mover is no longer actively developed, it's still good at what it does. Download and extract the zip file and launch the executable, and DM will ask you where and what you want to monitor. Specify the interval for checks and set your notification options, and you're done.

You can specify multiple folders to watch and specify different targets for each file type you add. I often forget to change my Firefox download preferences to save things in my d:\downloads folder. Setting Download Mover to scrape .exe and .zip files into the proper directory keeps my desktop nice and tidy with no interference.

If you've got another automated tool for handling chores like this, please share it! I'm always on the lookout for another app that can tackle tedious tasks like directory cleanup.

Automate your drive re-organizing with Download Mover originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 28 Nov 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>automateautomationfilesfoldershard-drivemoveorganizationFri, 28 Nov 2008 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Frengly does translation, but does it beat Babelfish?]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/27/frengly-does-translation-but-does-it-beat-babelfish/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/27/frengly-does-translation-but-does-it-beat-babelfish/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/27/frengly-does-translation-but-does-it-beat-babelfish/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


The biggest players in the online translation game are Yahoo! Babelfish and Google Translate. They both have their unique charms, but a site called Frengly might offer a little competition. Its selection of languages isn't quite as extensive as Google's -- you won't find Hindi, Latvian or Catalan, for example -- but it does offer more languages and more combinations than Babelfish. Frengly's killer feature is auto-detection, though.

Frengly's language detection is even cooler than Google's, for a couple of reasons. First, you don't have to select auto-detection from a language list, like you do in Google Translate. If it's automatic, why should it take an extra step?
Second, you don't have to select a target language from a menu. You can just click it, and the original text remains on screen. If you want another language, just click again.

Frengly doesn't do webpages, and doesn't have a bookmarklet. If that's the bulk of what you want to do, stick with Google for now. On the other hand, it does save a list of your translations. If you're looking for a translator to help you do homework or understand a few words in a book you're reading, look no further.

Frengly does translation, but does it beat Babelfish? originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 27 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>babelfishFrenglygoogle-translatelanguagestranslationtranslatorThu, 27 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Use Folder2Iso to declutter your hard drive]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/26/use-folder2iso-to-declutter-your-hard-drive/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/26/use-folder2iso-to-declutter-your-hard-drive/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/26/use-folder2iso-to-declutter-your-hard-drive/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

When I first came across Folder2Iso I wasn't convinced of its usefulness. The author proposes using it in combination with DVD Decrypter and ImgBurn to copy DVDs and CDs, but I'm guessing most of you have a more streamlined system for doing that.

Recently one of our readers wrote in looking for help in tidying up a disorganized hard drive. I thought back to that post, and figured I might be able to use this app to further my organizational efforts.

Instead of leaving multiple folders of installers that I may only require once in a blue moon on my drive, I can use Folder2Iso to quickly convert the whole lot into individual ISO files. If I need and app in a particular category later, I just mount it with Daemon Tools and share it.

My tools folder is quite a bit more streamlined now. Everything I need on a daily basis is in a common folder, and anything else has been dumped to a single ISO file and labeled appropriately.

It's a nice bonus that I can also quickly burn an entire set of tools to give to a friend if I need to using ImgBurn. Folder2Iso is freeware for Windows only.

Use Folder2Iso to declutter your hard drive originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>isoorganizationvirtual-cdWed, 26 Nov 2008 09:12:00 EST<![CDATA[Newzie RSS reader will monitor pages without RSS feeds]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/25/newzie-rss-reader-will-monitor-pages-without-rss-feeds/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/25/newzie-rss-reader-will-monitor-pages-without-rss-feeds/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/25/newzie-rss-reader-will-monitor-pages-without-rss-feeds/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Newzie
It's been a few years since we last checked in on RSS reader Newzie. And it turns out the developers weren't sitting on their behinds for the past three years. Because the latest version of this free RSS reader for Windows is even cooler.

First up, Newzie has all the same basic features we loved, including color coded indicators that let you know at a glance how new an item is. But it also has one awesome new feature: the ability to monitor pages without RSS feeds. Just click the add button, select webpage, and then decide what kind of changes you want to monitor. You can get alerts when a certain keyword pops up on a page, when new images are uploaded, or when anything at all changes.

You can also create several different types of custom channels. For example, if you subscribe to several similar RSS feeds that don't publish posts very often, you can combine them into a single "bulk" feed. Or you can create a "word watchdog" feed that monitors all of your feeds for certain keywords and creates a single feed displaying articles from any other feeds that mention that keyword.

[via gHacks]

Newzie RSS reader will monitor pages without RSS feeds originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 25 Nov 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>feed-readernewzierssrss-readerTue, 25 Nov 2008 15:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Mailplane 2.0: desktop Gmail client now supports Gmail video chat]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/24/mailplane-2-0-desktop-gmail-client-now-supports-gmail-video-cha/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/24/mailplane-2-0-desktop-gmail-client-now-supports-gmail-video-cha/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/24/mailplane-2-0-desktop-gmail-client-now-supports-gmail-video-cha/#commentsFiled under: , ,

If you use Gmail on a Mac, you should definitely know about Mailplane. It's basically a really fancy site-specific browser for Gmail, getting Gmail out of your browser tab and adding a lot of features you'd demand in a desktop email client. You can drag and drop attachments and sign in multiple accounts at once, just to name a couple. Plus, a release candidate for Mailplane 2.0 just came out, and it adds 37 new features.

You can do anything in Mailplane that you can do in Gmail, including the new video chat feature. The new gmail themes are also supported, and you can add your own custom stylesheet. It feels strange to use Gmail in a browser again after playing with Mailplane. Customizable keyboard shortcuts, dragging and dropping, and iPhoto integration are just a few of the handy features that make Mailplane a joy to use. It also supports one of my personal favorite things, Growl notifications

Mailplane 2.0: desktop Gmail client now supports Gmail video chat originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 24 Nov 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gmailgmail-2.0mailplanevideo-chatMon, 24 Nov 2008 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[BubbleTimer: track the time you spend on your goals]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/22/bubbletimer-track-the-time-you-spend-on-your-goals/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/22/bubbletimer-track-the-time-you-spend-on-your-goals/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/22/bubbletimer-track-the-time-you-spend-on-your-goals/#commentsFiled under: ,

The basic idea behind the new time-tracking service BubbleTimer is that it's not productive to track how you're spending your time down to the minute. It makes more sense to bubble in your activities in 15 minute increments, and BubbleTimer lets you do that with one click. Once you've added some goals and gathered some data, BubbleTimer becomes a playground for info nerds.

You can export your data to programs like Excel and Apple Numbers, or you can create attractive tables and graphs from within BubbleTimer. BubbleTimer is all web-based, so you can update it from anywhere. It's free to try, but if you get really addicted, you can buy a subscription for $20/year.

BubbleTimer: track the time you spend on your goals originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 22 Nov 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BubbleTimerGTDtime-trackertimerSat, 22 Nov 2008 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Help! How do I tidy up a disorganized hard drive?]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/21/help-how-do-i-tidy-up-a-disorganized-hard-drive/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/21/help-how-do-i-tidy-up-a-disorganized-hard-drive/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/21/help-how-do-i-tidy-up-a-disorganized-hard-drive/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


DS Reader Jamie wrote recently looking for some assistance, saying:

I'm not the most disorganized of individuals: my music is in my music folder, etc. etc., but i have a fatal flaw. I put random stuff on my desktop, then it gets cluttered. My solution has been, in a word, poor. I put all the random stuff into a folder that usually goes by the name of misc or sort this out later. I was wondering what kind of advice you'd give for someone in this situation other than, "Get off your ass and go through it all!!"

For starters, Jamie, you hit the nail on the head - but don't fret, chum, you're not alone. Though I've planned ahead far enough to partition my drives on the laptop I'm using to post this article, the D: drive is a nightmarish mess of downloads, old backups, ISO images, and other files.

Let's get started by downloading your choice of duplicate file finders, like Easy Duplicate Finder or CloneSpy. Both work well, and will save time by getting rid of unnecessary files before we start organizing. For the rest of the work, we're going manual - we created our messes that way, so that's how we're cleaning them up!

Continue reading Help! How do I tidy up a disorganized hard drive?

Help! How do I tidy up a disorganized hard drive? originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 21 Nov 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>file-managementfile-managerorganizationFri, 21 Nov 2008 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EtherPad: worth giving up Google Docs for?]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/20/etherpad-worth-giving-up-google-docs-for/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/20/etherpad-worth-giving-up-google-docs-for/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/20/etherpad-worth-giving-up-google-docs-for/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Hosting documents online is nothing new, and neither is sharing them for collaboration. Right off the bat, you're probably thinking of Google Docs. I was too, until I found EtherPad. It doesn't beat Google Docs at everything, but it does have advantages, like editing in real time, and using highlighting to distinguish who wrote which text. EtherPad is also faster to set up, since it doesn't require an account to use.

Just pass the URL to your collaborators, and everyone is set to start editing. There are stylistic limitations, with no fancy fonts and formatting, but edits happen in real time. There's also a handy chat box in the sidebar, in case you need to discuss your changes. Where you might want to use Google Docs instead is if you're writing something long that needs to be exported to Word or another file format. EtherPad does saving -- and infinite undos for all users, which is quite handy -- but it doesn't do exporting. You'll have to plug your document's URL in to pick up where you left off.

Complaints? Not many. The aforementioned exporting would be nice, and although it's great that you can quick-start with no accounts, they should at least be an option for privacy. And, speaking of privacy, users can see each other's IP addresses in the sidebar. I'm not sure what that adds. A built-in spellchecker would also be a perk, but it's not necessary. What EtherPad has so far is quite impressive, and I hope it continues to improve, while staying fast and easy to use.

EtherPad: worth giving up Google Docs for? originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>collaborationetherpadgoogle-docstextThu, 20 Nov 2008 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Lorem2: for the discerning lorem ipsum aficionado]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/18/lorem2-for-the-discerning-lorem-ipsum-aficionado/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/18/lorem2-for-the-discerning-lorem-ipsum-aficionado/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/18/lorem2-for-the-discerning-lorem-ipsum-aficionado/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Designers know the words "lorem ipsum" all too well. If you've mocked up a layout for anything with chunks of text in it, you've probably run across the infamous Latin paragraphs that commonly show up as filler. Where do you get your lorem ipsum, though, and how do you make sure it's the right fit for your design? Lorem2 is one great way to do it.

Lorem2 is a nicely laid-out collection of lorem ipsum paragraphs and bullet points, both short and long. If you're the kind of person who keeps a text file full of this stuff, you might be better off filling it up with the whole contents of Lorem2. You'll never have to give a second thought to avoiding repeated text that detracts from your layouts, because the solution will be close at hand.

Lorem2: for the discerning lorem ipsum aficionado originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 18 Nov 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>designlayoutlorem-ipsumlorem2texttypetypographyTue, 18 Nov 2008 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[How to log on to Windows XP automatically]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/18/how-to-log-on-to-windows-xp-automatically/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/18/how-to-log-on-to-windows-xp-automatically/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/18/how-to-log-on-to-windows-xp-automatically/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Auto Login Windows XPWhile in in many cases it would be a security risk, having your Windows XP computer log in automatically can be useful. For example, I have my Windows XP instance running under a virtual machine on my Mac. The easiest way to do this would be to use the Administrator account and simply leave the password blank. However, this has two distinct disadvantages: you can't log onto a domain with a machine that is not using a password, and you cannot have a machine configured this way accept Remote Desktop connections.

I have no need to use Remote Desktop to access my virtual machine, but since my XP instance needs to access a Windows network, I do need a password set. In the past, the easiest way to configure your machine to automatically log on was to use TweakUI powertoy for XP, where there is a setting under Logon for configuring automatic logons.

But there's an even faster way do do this.

On the machine that you want to configure to auto-login, click Start, Run, then type "control userpasswords2" (without the quotation marks) and press enter. In the window that pops up, click on the user account that you would like to automatically log in, then uncheck the "Users must enter a username and password to use this computer" checkbox. You will now be asked for the password for this account. Set it, click OK and OK, and you're done.

How to log on to Windows XP automatically originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>auto-loginautomatically-loginhow-tologinpowertoystweak-uiwindows-xpxpTue, 18 Nov 2008 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[To-Do Desklist is a simple, free GTD app with nice visuals]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/18/to-do-desklist-is-a-simple-free-gtd-app-with-nice-visuals/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/18/to-do-desklist-is-a-simple-free-gtd-app-with-nice-visuals/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/18/to-do-desklist-is-a-simple-free-gtd-app-with-nice-visuals/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Jay recently reviewed MiniTask, an ultra- simple to-do list application built on the Adobe Air platform. If you're like me and would prefer to avoid installing yet another oversized Adobe product on your Windows PC, take a look at To-Do Desklist.

Like MiniTask, you can add an alarm to an item and hotkeys are supported for adding new tasks and showing your to-do items. Desklist also allows you to assign priority and add extended notes to tasks.

Alerts can be displayed in any corner of your screen, and they're fully skinnable. The program comes with light, dark, and sky themes built in, but you're free to set your own background color or image and change the display font. You can also tweak opacity settings for the alerts.

The full task window allows you to filter items by priority. When your list gets lengthy, it's a helpful way to make sure you're focusing on critical tasks.

I'd like to have option to hide alerts (like MiniTask) or collapse task items, but for simple lists, Desklist is still a good option. It's freeware for Windows only.

To-Do Desklist is a simple, free GTD app with nice visuals originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 18 Nov 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gtdliststaskstodoTue, 18 Nov 2008 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Notify.me: get site updates via IM, SMS or email]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/17/notify-me-get-site-updates-via-im-sms-or-email/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/17/notify-me-get-site-updates-via-im-sms-or-email/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/17/notify-me-get-site-updates-via-im-sms-or-email/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


If you're not a power-user of RSS feeds, or if you are, but RSS just isn't fast enough for you, notify.me might be just what you're looking for. Notify.me sends updates from any site with an RSS feed directly to your IM, SMS, or email. Facebook, Twitter and Craigslist are just a few of the popular use cases.

To make notify.me even easier to use, there's a browser bookmarklet you can add, to avoid any copy, pasting or typing when you want to add notifications. You also get a username@notify.me email address, which you can sign up to various email lists with, and then use notify.me to direct those messages whereever you want to receive them. A desktop app that will catch all your notifications is coming soon, and you can already see it in action in the notify.me demo video.

Notify.me: get site updates via IM, SMS or email originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alertsnotificationsnotify.merssMon, 17 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Pin minimized windows to desktop thumbnails with miniMIZE]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/17/pin-minimized-windows-to-desktop-thumbnails-with-minimize/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/17/pin-minimized-windows-to-desktop-thumbnails-with-minimize/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/17/pin-minimized-windows-to-desktop-thumbnails-with-minimize/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

I'm always on the lookout for a good application to utilize the extra space on my widescreen monitor, and this morning I happened upon miniMIZE.

It's a free app for Windows that monitors the applications you launch. When you minimize a window, miniMIZE removes the button from your taskbar and creates a thumbnail. It's easy on system resources, only consuming about 7mb of memory.

Thumbnails can be dragged anywhere on your desktop, or you can let miniMIZE automatically line them up along any edge of your desktop. You can also choose to pin icons to the desktop or have them float on top of active windows.

Further tweaks include thumbnail size, opacity, customizable hotkeys, and application icon overlays. Any applications you don't want handled by miniMIZE can be added to an exclusions list - just drag the crosshairs onto the appropriate program.

It's similar to ThumbWin, which Brad wrote about last year, but the site and application are both English.

Note that miniMIZE will only catch things after it's running - so you'll have to close and re-open your other apps after installing it for things to take effect.

Pin minimized windows to desktop thumbnails with miniMIZE originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 17 Nov 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>desktopenhancementminimizethumbnailsMon, 17 Nov 2008 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MiniTask - light task manager for Adobe Air]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/16/minitask-light-task-manager-for-adobe-air/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/16/minitask-light-task-manager-for-adobe-air/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/16/minitask-light-task-manager-for-adobe-air/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

MiniTaskMiniTask is a basic cross-platform organization app built on Adobe Air. The learning curve on this app is basically nil, and you'll soon be adding, checking off, and setting alarms for to-do items with ease. There aren't a ton of features, so it's not the greatest for the completely neurotic among us, but if you just need a simple, unfussy to-do list, give it a look.

Let's a take a quick look at what MiniTask can do (fortunately, it's not much!). There's just one window, and you can right-click (CTRL-click on a Mac) to add new tasks and new dividers. You can use the dividers however you like, for different days or different categories of tasks. To-do items have three modes: checked off, not checked off, and alarm. Double-click a task to change the name, and double-click an alarm icon to change the time on an alarm. Seriously, that's all there is to it!

MiniTask - light task manager for Adobe Air originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 16 Nov 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adobe-airairGTDMiniTasktask-managerto-doSun, 16 Nov 2008 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[What's really on your iPhone? Find out with iPhone Backup Extractor]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/14/whats-really-on-your-iphone-find-out-with-iphone-backup-extrac/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/14/whats-really-on-your-iphone-find-out-with-iphone-backup-extrac/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/14/whats-really-on-your-iphone-find-out-with-iphone-backup-extrac/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

When you back up your iPhone or iPod Touch, iTunes can use the backup to do a restore, but not much else. It's nice when Apple's stuff "just works," but what if you want to see inside the black box and interact with the data on your phone? This is especially important for developers, who can fix bugs a lot more easily if they can look at a user's backup to figure out what's causing problems with an app. iPhone Backup Extractor is a tool that makes this possible.

With iPhone Backup Extractor, you can convert an iPhone/iPod Touch backup to make it readable by the OS X Finder. This lets developers get access to application resources that there's no way to see in iTunes. It might be of some interested to curious non-developers, too, if you just to figure out what files a 3rd-party app has created on your phone.

[via furbo.org]

What's really on your iPhone? Find out with iPhone Backup Extractor originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>backupdeveloperiPhoneipod-touchFri, 14 Nov 2008 09:00:00 EST