compare

Frequent use of your PC often results in duplicate and misplaced files. Thankfully, there are programs out there that offer a side-by-side view so you can manage the contents of your folders. Compare Folders (Java) is just such a program, and even goes a step further by generating checksum files for unavailable files.

Compare Folders (Java)'s user interface is pretty plain, but it serves the purpose of the program. A drop-down menu at the top of the window gives you the options to compare folders, create a checksum, find duplicates, and update a checksum file. Another drop-down menu lets … Read more

Any time you have multiple versions of a file--be it a presentation, source code, contract, novel, image, or other document--the potential for confusion arises. For a quick and easy way to compare files or folders, try SwiftCompare Light. This simple program allows users to easily identify different versions of files and sync the contents of folders. With many potential uses, this is a handy program to have around.

SwiftCompare Light has a plain but extremely intuitive interface. Users first choose whether they want to compare files or folders, and then navigate to the particular files or folders they want to … Read more

Both Microsoft and Sony finally showed their respective motion-controlling hands earlier this week at E3 2010. Of course, we'll have full reviews of these products as their release dates approach, but first we're comparing their basic specifications head to head. Here's how they stack up:

DSH Directory and File comparator promises to let users view and synchronize directories on their computer. Unfortunately, the program's poor design makes it more of a hindrance than a help.

The first thing we noticed about the program was its annoying sound effects, which are completely unnecessary in a program of this type. Fortunately, they were easy to turn off in the settings, but that was perhaps the only thing that was easy to do. Like similar programs we've seen, the program lets users view the contents of two directories side by side, which makes it easy to … Read more

If you're a regular user of the revision comparison feature in Google Docs, you'll likely enjoy new service Compare My Docs. It comes from the same folks who created TextFlow, the Adobe AIR-based app that spot differences across multiple copies of a Word document or rich text file.

Compare My Docs does many of the same things as TextFlow, including being able to compare up to six versions of the same document to see what's been changed. The big difference though, is that it runs right in your browser and requires no sign-up whatsoever.

Just like TextFlow, … Read more

Image Compressor 2008 Pro Edition is a full-featured digital image editor. Although it won't replace Photoshop or other top-of-the line editing software, it's a great choice for users seeking a fairly lightweight program that still delivers plenty of options.

The program's interface is quite sleek and intuitive, although we were dismayed that the Quick Start Guide, which seems to invite users to click on it for information about different topics, couldn't actually be clicked on at all. This was the only hiccup we encountered, though. The interface is fully configurable, allowing users to customize the layout … Read more

9-Toolbox is a collection of ten calculators, converters, and other mini-tools (nine tools plus one bonus) that can help you with everything from divvying up a restaurant bill to measuring an incline while you're rappelling down an icy precipice.

9-Toolbox provides a utilitarian but surprisingly friendly interface for each of its tools, which include a Currency Converter (straightforward and automatically updating), Date Calc (to help you track the distance between dates), Days Until (a simple countdown tool), Holidays (major holidays by year for seven countries), Inclinometer (a flexible leveling tool with results in degrees, slope, and pitch), Loan (lets … Read more

Beyond Compare provides users with extensive side-by-side file comparison and management. Novice users might find its interface a little overwhelming, but a visit to the Help menu provides all the necessary details for getting started.

The program consists of two interfaces. The first provides a list of sessions that you can employ, from folder comparisons to text and data comparisons. It also provides summaries of any saved sessions. Clicking a session button introduces the second interface. At first glance, the second interface was a little overwhelming, especially when the files were added. But after spending a little time with the … Read more

ShopSavvy, Barcode Scanner (by the ZXing team), and CompareEverywhere (an Android Challenge winner) are three free shopping applications for Google Android poised to help you find the best deals in town and online.

At their core, they're nearly identical, using the phone's camera to auto-focus on a barcode. That barcode is then matched to a product using an open source decoding library, ZXing, that was developed by Google engineers last year. (You can also search by product name.)

While these shopping apps share a back end, the front ends are distinct. Unfortunately, they all produced varying results that … Read more