RGdot

Author: Reza

Video Rotator: Freeware That Does What It Says!

Video Rotator is a simple and easy program that does what it says but also does another, as if almost by accident! The other function, other than the rotate in its name is that it converts videos.

Video Rotator’s main aim and feature is that it rotates vidoes. This is perhaps mostly or only useful when working with mobile devices and the (sometimes) habit of holding mobile devices in a wrong orientation.

Video Rotator supports 15 videos formats as input and can convert them into any one of mp4, mpg, avi, mov or flv. Open or drag one or more vidoes into the interface and choose the output format, rotation – 90 degree clockwise, 90 degree anticlockwise, horizontal mirror, flip upside down or none – and optionally change the default output folder and click on the Rotate Videos Now Button. Video Rotator goes to work and opens the output folder and also provides a sound reminder when the task is done.

The program’s sole setting is turning off the aforementioned sound reminder.

Simple, easy and clean Video Rotator requires Windows XP and newer.

October 19, 2012
ToolWiz Pretty Photo: Fun, Feature-Packed Freeware Image Editor

ToolWiz Pretty Photo (Version: 1.5) is a freeware image editor with lots of features that place it very high when compared to other free, shareware and expensive editors.

ToolWiz Pretty Photo supports the more common picture formats and can also do screen captures. Screen captures, available from the File menu, are rectangular ones created with click and drag of the mouse. When an area is chosen a mini toolbar offers to save the capture, open or return to ToolWiz Pretty Photo’s window or add any of a collection of shapes, lines or text immediately.

ToolWiz Pretty Photo can merge layers, when objects are added to an image for example. It can rotate, crop and move layers to the back or front.

The Add Objects menu has a large collection of symbols in addition to lines and shapes such as rectangle and ellipse and others like cloud popups.

The Adjust Picture menu features the common resize, hue/saturation, color balance, curves, levels, brightness/contrast and invert. Additionally Add Frame adds a (configurable thickness) border that can be filled with a solid color or another image. A shadow can be added in a similar manner and the Picture Selection option allows the user to select and crop any part of an image. The cropped section can be a rectangle, ellipse, round rectangle or lasso (free form.)

The Beautify menu is the fun part of ToolWiz Pretty Photo. Available options include Add Wig, Blush, Eyebrows, Necklace, Glasses, Mask, Hat, Pupils and more. Various other effects are also available and include adding Mosaic Paint to an image. Color Paint is another which turns an image into grayscale and then allows the user to color section(s) of the image. Soft Focus Paint (shown in the image above) is another useful feature to blur out an image and then only reveal a part of it.

Image Filter includes 39 “art filters” such as Gothem, Kelvin, Nashville, Toaster, Lomo, Polaroid, Sunshine Beach, Old Photo, Early Bird, Brannan, White and Black, Closer Black and White, Emboss, Happy Tone, Color Emboss, Diabolical and others. Emboss, AntiAlias, Add Noise, Pencil, Split Blur, Motion Blur and Fill Light are here as well.

ToolWiz Pretty Photo requires Windows XP or newer, it is available in a portable version as well.

October 17, 2012
ClipMon: Freeware Clipboard Monitoring

ClipMon (Version: 1.0.1.1) is a freeware clipboard monitoring tool with an aim to improve on the drawbacks of the Windows’ single clipboard feature.

The first and obvious feature is that ClipMon can remember and store more than one clipboard item. The second is that it keeps and categorizes them into text, images and files. It comes with history browser, a separate process (HV.exe) on its own, where clipboard items can be viewed and also edited. ClipMon also features a floating and resizable sticky note look-a-like window where the latest clipboard item is displayed.

Text items can be edited inside the program and using available scripts text items can be opened in Notepad or Wordpad (with a double click), converted to numbered or bullet lists and encrypted/decrypted. The latter option didn’t work using the portable version of the program. Image files can be previewed and re-copied. Double clicking images shows them in the internal viewer. The viewer has a selection tool (drag the mouse to draw a rectangular selection) to be used to crop images. External programs to open images with can be added as well.

Use the Send This Clip To to email or save an item outside of ClipMon’s history. Configure a recipient and then email items to him or her or send and save a copy of an item to a directory outside of ClipMon’s. The send to feature is rather non intuitive as ClipMon seems capable of sending any item in its history but it is not immediately obvious how to send the non current clipboard.

The program’s options (accessible from the history browser window) include assigning hotkeys for opening the history browser window or the right click menu and defining the maximum number of text, image and file items ClipMon remembers.

ClipMon works on XP and newer and is available in both installer and portable versions.

October 7, 2012
TagBook: Cross Platform Bookmarking Utility

TagBook (Version: 0.1 beta 2) is a young beta software with a simple yet useful feature. It bills itself as a “cross-platform desktop bookmarking utility” but with a reminder that it can store any text information. Whether the text storage potential works for the average user will depend on the user of course but also on the progress TagBook makes.

Download the jar file and run it. Click on the Database menu to create a new database. Add a new item using the Bookmark menu. The Edit window that comes up requires a Name, Description, Address, Notes and Tag(s). Tags can be added on the fly and applied using the same window or use F3 (View—>Tag Manager) to add tags separately.

Bookmarks can also be added by dragging and dropping text into the Edit window or by pasting the contents of the clipboard using Ctrl+V and Ctrl+Shift+V or Bookmark—>Paste. Search and Filter as you type using Ctrl+F and Ctrl+Shift+F.

TagBook can be locked into a read only mode by clicking the lock button to the far top right. It can export whole or selected items to csv, xml and html formats and attempt to import them from the same file formats too.

Using the filter sometimes causes errors with a disappearing database, this requires reloading or reopening a database, not unexpected for an early beta.

TagBook has potential and worth keeping an eye on. It requires java and is cross platform.

October 2, 2012
Wise JetSearch: Freeware Search Tool

Wise JetSearch (Version: 1.22.63) is a freeware search tool that searches a local machine and attached drives. It starts after a short delay as it scans for local drives.

Input a keyword, if necessary include wild cards (* or ?), press enter and it will find the matching results within seconds. The results can be sorted by the usual modified date, path, size and name. Right click on any result to open it, open its containing folder, copy it, copy its path or copy its directory.

The program can be minimized or even closed but still have the ‘Quick Search’ auto hide bar remain on the desktop for faster access to it (see image.) WiseJetHelp.exe in addition to its own WiseJetSearch.exe process belong to this quick search option.

Wise JetSearch works on Windows XP and newer and there is a portable version available as well.

September 29, 2012
Quick Search: Freeware File Search

Quick Search (Version: 1.1.0.189) is a simple and fast freeware tool to list and search for files on a local machine and storage devices attached to it such as USB keys or external hard drives. It is very fast with all files indexed within seconds. Its interface is clean and straight forward. It starts with a floating search bar or its non-full mode, it can be expanded or maximized to show the program window and all its options and menu.

Find or filter for a file as you type and either search within all files or narrow down the results from Show All to any one of Shortcuts, Folders (and files within them), Documents, Pictures, Videos or Music. Other filters can be added via its settings by telling Quick Search which file extensions should belong to the filter.

Any list of files can be exported to a txt file and the list can be arranged by type, date modified, size and name. Files can also be selected to copy, cut or paste. They files are also clickable, Quick Search opens their containing folder.

The settings has an option – on by default – to show and hide the full program window by clicking the Ctrl button twice.

Quick Search should run on all Windows versions.

September 27, 2012
Marble: Mutliplatform Virtual Globe And World Atlas

Marble is an atlas and virtual globe desktop program. It provides views of Earth – and a few other planets – with a lot of useful information.

Use the left hand side sliding menu to zoom and pan and navigate to locations by searching for them. Have a look at the Legend to see how the maps present their information. Population density, capitals, terrains, places of interest, boundaries, water bodies, elevation and others are indicated. Different Map Views are available and are not restricted to Earth – Moon, Mercury and Venus are some of other available – and others can be downloaded as well. Other maps views include the flat and Mercator views and others like Earth at night and average temperature and precipitation for July and December.

When a location is found it can be assigned to home and a placemark placed on it. The Current Location menu has options to save, track and zoom on home or current locations. The Routing menu will attempt to give directions to navigate between two locations and draw the path on the map too.

Use the File menu to create an image of a map or export the visible globe or map to an image file. Edit menu has two options to copy an image of a map – to paste elsewhere – and to copy the coordinates of a location to the clipboard.

The View menu adds additional layers of info over a map. Enable any of photos, weather or earthquake modes to see more info on any location. Bookmark a home location or any other via the Bookmarks menu. Right click on a location to see its Wikipedia entry using Marble’s internal browser.

The program’s Settings has configuration options for distance unit, map quality, navigation type, proxy and cache settings for connections Marble requires to the internet and routing methods. The latter attempts to draw directions between two locations with car, bicycle or pedestrian routes. Other routing methods can be added.

Marble is an educational tool that is also fun to use and discover. It is available for multiple platforms.

September 23, 2012
Backstit.ch: All New Start Page

Backstit.ch – in beta – is a personal start page site with a clean interface that may be a good option for those who will miss the soon to be retired iGoogle or those using My Yahoo and others. At least based on initial and first impressions Backstit.ch is different from the usual and familiar start page. The potential for a cluttered look seems less likely with Backstit.ch where the pages seem cleaner.

Backstit.ch also makes it easy to view more than just news sources or rss feeds by adding a social aspect with twitter streams, facebook timelines and others that at this (beta) period includes Instagram, Linkedin, App.net, tumblr, Readabilitiy and Instapaper.

Creating a page starts by using the Catalog. The Catalog has a ready made collection available for one click additions. These are divided into featured and other categories like news and travel. The available selection includes TechCrunch, Tanga Deals, CNN and others including more specific social feeds like ‘Photos shared on Facebook’ and ‘Popular photos on Instagram’.

If a site is not featured or available click on the feed search link and then type the site name – not the full url! – to find and add a site to your start page.

With Backstit.ch the start page where everything exists is called Patterns. A ‘See all’ button on the top right of each item is like a maximizer for that feed or item. The Threads page on the other hand displays everything in its category – news, social and others – by date and time instead of by site.

The cleanest and perhaps most useful part of Backstit.ch is that when an item is clicked the full version of the article is presented on its own on a clean and no frills page.

Backstit.ch has potential because it is feels different and focuses on reading and viewing more than anything else.

I first learnt about Backstit.ch from this ghacks post and got a prompt reply from its cofounder (Jordan) when I encountered an error adding a twitter feed. In the second screenshot the facebook feed has failed to load but I am confident this will be addressed as Backstit.ch works its way through the beta period.

September 20, 2012
Giveaway: Back Up Your Site With BackupSF

Comment below to win a BackupSF license worth $25.00 courtesy of EasySector!

BackupSF is a Windows program for backing up web site files and MySQL databases.

Before backing up a site enter the site login details using the Add Project button. Adding a project means filling in ftp details, if needed including or excluding web site folders from the back up, and then filling in database details. It is possible to skip one of file or database back up and only do the other. If database back up is chosen BackupSF will need to upload its php script (and .htaccess file, both included in the download) to the BackupSF_scripts folder which it will create on the host server.

After details are entered a back up schedule – daily, weekly or monthly – can be set up. Finally one can change the default local back up folder.

The program’s limitation is that while it does the backing up the restoring is left to the user – via ftp and phpMyAdmin for example.

BackupSF runs on Windows XP and newer. PHP support is required on the host server. It is available in three versions and the standard version available for this giveaway has a 2 site and 2 MySQL limit.

September 18, 2012
TinyPad: Small Freeware Notepad

TinyPad (Version: 3.0.1.0) is a simple note taker or notepad. Notes can be uploaded to the sharednote.com site and shared online.

Notes are automatically saved in tabs or pads and all are re-opened when the program is restarted. To avoid clutter when pads add up any number of them can be archived to remain hidden unless the View the archive cabinet button is clicked.

TinyPad’s toolbar covers some text operations like text size, color, style, alignment and lists. There is also an insert date/time stamp button but strangely, even though images are supported, there is no add image button. The only way to add an image is to right click inside a pad and paste a copied image.

Multiple undo and redo is available and Ctrl+F searches inside the current pad or use the search and highlight as you type field.

TinyPad can export all notes and save them anywhere, but in .tp files. It is possible to tweet directly from within TinyPad. TinyPad comes with several themes and should work on all Windows versions.

September 16, 2012