tools

Create forms in Word with TheFormTool

TheFormTool is a free add-on for Microsoft Word. With it, users can create attractive, personalized, professional forms and documents inside Word, using regular Word commands. It also adds many unique capabilities, such as the ability reuse old files as new forms. It's particularly useful to physicians, attorneys, engineers, administrators, and self-employed people--anyone who needs to create clear, legible, archival-quality forms, documents, letters, and records. It's a simplified version of a complex (and expensive) pro tool, but TheFormTool is fully functional and completely free, with no expiration date. TheFormTool requires Microsoft Word 2007 or better, though it's compatible … Read more

Researcher to demo smartphone attack at RSA

A researcher plans to demonstrate an attack on a smartphone at the RSA security conference this week that starts with social engineering via a text message and leads to a malicious Web link that triggers a browser exploit and silently downloads a Trojan.

"It's a demo of a new attack vector on mobile, using a Remote Access Tool" called Nickispy, which showed up a few months ago in China, said Dmitri Alperovitch, formerly of McAfee Labs who is chief technology officer at a brand new startup called CrowdStrike. "No one has publicly demonstrated an end-to-end attack … Read more

Stamp out photo blemishes with Free Clone Stamp Tool

In graphics apps, the Clone Stamp Tool "clones" (copies) a small area of an image and "stamps" (pastes) it over another area, such as a blemish you want to hide. It's also called the Rubber Stamp Tool, but it's the Clone Stamp Tool in Photoshop. Photoshop is the Godzilla of graphics, so tools like LifeSniffer's Free Clone Stamp Tool follow the leader. And that should give you a good idea of what Free Clone Stamp Tool does: It provides a basic, serviceable clone stamp tool for touching up digital photos, especially photos of … Read more

How to easily type in multiple languages on the Web with Chrome

Typing in different languages on the Web can be as easy as clicking on a browser button.

With the Google Input Tools extension for Chrome, you can easily type in multiple languages when typing an e-mail, filling out a Web form, or writing anything else on the Web. Here's how:

Step 1: Install the Google Input Tools extension from the Chrome Web Store.

Step 2: Click on the new browser button in the upper right-hand corner of the Chrome browser and select Extension Options. Choose the languages you want from the input tools list, then close the tab.

Step … Read more

Save it, process it, and share it with Images Tools

Do you handle a lot of image files? Snapshots, archives, and pictures to upload can pile up, especially when they need to be resized, cropped, converted, or watermarked. Sometimes you just want a quick, easy way to do those jobs. Or maybe your PC didn't come bundled with a big-box graphics package and you just want a simple assortment of essential image tools. How about Image Tools? That's the name of IMDrops' free bundle of fast, powerful image apps that handle all the basics we mentioned, and more, including sharing screenshots and uploading image files.

Image Tools has … Read more

How to find mutual meeting times with Doodle

Organizing a meeting time with friends or colleagues can be tedious.

With so many schedules to accommodate and little insight into when, exactly, the participants are available, finding the golden time slot often involves a long, seemingly endless e-mail thread.

That's where Doodle comes in. The free service eases your scheduling stress by allowing you to create a poll of several proposed dates and times. Then, each participant indicates availability and a mutual time is found. Simple, right?

Although the service isn't new, I continue to introduce it to colleagues and marvel at the way their attitude changes … Read more

Map processes and more with Workflow Designer

Anyone who works understands workflow as an intuitive concept, but analyzing, modeling, and designing workflow processes is another thing. Workflow Designer is a freeware workflow application that does much more than map out processes and procedures: it serves as a centralized access point for the data and graphics tools you need to create everything from drawings of simple processes to elaborate mind maps and process diagrams. The optional cloud-based Workflow Connect system gives users access to a wide range of modules to expand their capabilities on demand without committing to unneeded tools.

Workflow Designer opened with an optional tool tip, … Read more

Make your own icons with this easy-to-use freeware

Junior Icon Editor is a free graphics drawing tool optimized for creating and editing icons to use in Windows. You can create icons in sizes up to 64x64 pixels and 32-bit True Color. It includes a variety of standard drawing tools like paint brushes and text tools, and its tabbed interface lets you create several icons at once. You can set transparency, enlarge or reduce images, and smooth edges, among other functions. Once you've created and saved your custom icons, you can use them to replace other icons in Windows.

Junior Icon Editor is basically a simplified, specialized image … Read more

Back up your stuff with Yadis Backup

When it comes to protecting your PC, there's no substitute for full backups capable of resurrecting your system from total disaster. But we're also big fans of regular targeted backups of personal files, favorites, and other data you don't want to lose, especially if your big backups are fairly infrequent. To be sure none of your important stuff falls between the cracks, we recommend a specialized backup application like Yadis Backup from Codessentials. This free tool creates full, one-to-one backups of your important personal data, settings, and documents that you can access normally, without having to restore … Read more