zip

Social archiving and zipping in the cloud

WinZip continues to push off last year's momentum with version 17 to persuade users that it remains significant in today's world of computing.

Much of what's under the hood remains solid and hasn't aged. The latest entry builds upon the 64-bit ZIP engine from 2011 by adding additional OpenCL support for multicore CPUs like Ivy Bridge and AMD Fusion. But in version 17, WinZip's redesigned ribbon interface and workflow takes the spotlight.

WinZip has opted to simplify the way users manage their archives with a redesigned ribbon. The language is easier to understand and bears … Read more

Handle RAR files on the Mac with RAR Expander for Mac

RAR Expander for Mac is a utility to create and uncompress files in RAR archives. Supposedly fully compatible with WinRAR, RAR Expander for Mac is a clean, simple app that installs in a few seconds and works flawlessly in the testing we did. Notably, RAR Expander for Mac also supports AppleScript, so you can create shell utilities to handle packing and unpacking RAR files in a larger environment.

RAR Expander for Mac works with both single and multi-part RAR archives. It also supports password-protected RAR files. To use RAR Expander for Mac you can either open the app and provide … Read more

Fitbit adds Zip to its workout routine

Tuesday's CNET Update has some Zip:

If you geek out over workout and personal fitness technology, then check out the review of the new Fitbit Zip. For $60, this fitness tracker is an advanced pedometer that records calories are burned over time. Progress is displayed on the app, and data is synced to an iPhone via Bluetooth. (Bluetooth syncing not yet available for Android.) Users also earn fitness badges and share progress with friends. The higher-end model is called the Fitbit One, which in addition tracks sleep and has a silent vibrating alarm. That comes out in early October … Read more

How to quickly create an encrypted archive in OS X

To make sending multiple files by e-mail or other means easier, Apple includes a quick Finder contextual menu option to zip a selection of files and folders into an archive, which not only will ensure that the files stay together, but can also greatly reduce their size for the file transfer. While convenient, Apple does not provide a means to encrypt or secure the contents of the ZIP archive with a password; however, there is a way to do this if needed.

To place a file or folder into a ZIP file that is encrypted, you will need to use … Read more

WinRAR is a winner

WinRAR is a lightweight, flexible, and easy-to-use archiving utility that can unpack most archive formats, as well as compress to both RAR and ZIP. Free to try for 40 days ($29 for single license), WinRAR is a top dog in the compression category.

WinRAR's interface is about as simple as it gets. Start creating (or add to) an archive by dragging and dropping your files into the interface or by browsing through the Folder Tree side panel (when enabled). From there, the most common functions are laid out in the form of colorful, mostly intuitive icons along the top, … Read more

WinRAR is a winner

WinRAR is a lightweight, flexible, and easy-to-use archiving utility that can unpack most archive formats, as well as compress to both RAR and ZIP. Free to try for 40 days ($29 for single license), WinRAR is a top dog in the compression category.

WinRAR's interface is about as simple as it gets. Start creating (or add to) an archive by dragging and dropping your files into the interface or by browsing through the Folder Tree side panel (when enabled). From there, the most common functions are laid out in the form of colorful, mostly intuitive icons along the top, … Read more

Keep track of your files with DigiCat

Between external hard drives, USB drives, laptops, desktops, CDs, DVDs, and other storage locales, it can be hard to keep track of which files are stored where. DigiCat is a simple program that allows you to quickly and easily create catalogs of disk contents, making it easy to determine where files are stored when you need them.

The program's interface is fairly intuitive, though it took us a few minutes of poking around to figure out exactly how things worked. We tried to access the Help file, but, despite the presence of a Help tab, the program had no … Read more

Google splices home page with zipper-di-doodle

Though I had often been grateful for it, I had never thought who had actually invented the zipper until tonight.

Again, Google's fine polymathic doodlers entered my mind and implanted another chip of knowledge.

For it seems that a Swedish-American electrical engineer named Gideon Sundback was the man who perfected the zipper.

Britain's Guardian, which, thanks to the time difference, must have enjoyed an early exposure to Google's latest doodle, explained Sundback's technological breakthrough.

While interlocking teeth had been around for a while, Sundback had stuck a dimple on the underside of each zipper tooth and … Read more

The best personal fitness gadgets right now

Spring has sprung and that means summer is right around the corner. If you still haven't worked off those extra winter pounds, it's high time to start before swimsuit and tank top weather cruelly arrives. Luckily, there are new mobile accessories that harness wireless technology, competitive behavior, social media, and other online tools to help couch potatoes catch the exercise bug.… Read more

Free Zip Archiver

Even with the increasing capacity of today's hard drives and faster Internet connections, file compression tools continue to be popular. Especially those that handle more than just ZIP files. Hamster Free Zip Archiver from Hamstersoft is one such simple tool. This free program will compress files in the ZIP and 7z formats, but it is fully capable of decompressing RAR files, as well.

It's easy enough to install and use. The interface is clean and modern, and compressing files is as simple as drag and drop. If you happen to be a newbie, have no fear, clicking the … Read more