Notefly is more than just a basic note taking application, as it lets you create notes in different colors. This feature is not just for aesthetic purposes but is actually useful when you are trying to group your notes and sort them by topic.

Also, you can make lists in the program, great when you are noting down items you need to buy in the store, or just a list of things that you want to do. If you want a particular item to stand out, underline it or make the text bold, so you can easily it. Making some words bold is also a good way to make headers for your lists.

Notefly has a Manage window so you won’t have any problems arranging your notes, removing those you no longer need and placing the priority ones in front. If you’re into coding, you can use Notefly to highlight snippets of SQL, HTTP, HTML and PH so you don’t get confused about it.

For such a powerful app, it is a real lightweight at 300 kb, and even better is the fact that it doesn’t mess with the Windows Registry when you download and run the software. So unlike large programs that do all sorts of things to mess up Windows, this one doesn’t.

Notefly can run on Windows 7, and it also requires NETT Framework 2.0.

Related Links:
Download Notefly

Awesome Screenshot isn’t that big, so downloading doesn’t take a lot of time. Learning how to use it is a no-brainer. If you want to share a webpage, just go to that page. Click the extension button and that’s it. The annotate toolbar provides several options for annotating pages. Options include adding lines, circles, boxes or drawing freehand. A useful feature allows you to blur information. Use this tool if you want to hide specific elements.

The image can be saved locally after you are done editing. The URL can be shared with friends or coworkers. This is a nifty tool that helps with collaborative works. Everything is done inside your browser, so there’s no need to launch other applications.

Awesome Screenshot can capture any visible area/region. You have the option of saving an entire image. Captured areas can be cropped, with specific dimensions indicated. It takes just one click to upload a captured area. Links can be shared on Twitter and Facebook.

Awesome Screenshot is designed for a simple task, but it does the job well. It has more functionality than similar utilities. It doesn’t take up a lot of resources and runs unobtrusively. As stated, its numerous functions work great in projects that require collaboration. But even casual web users will find applications for it.

Related Links:
Download Awesome Screenshot

Created by NQ Mobile (NetQin Mobile Inc.), this developer has quite a big list of productivity apps under their belt, so they definitely know what they are offering with our today’s little treat.

Developers of the app are trying to maximize the entire Android output by increasing the overall speed, monitoring data usage and background apps, and saving crucial battery life. The app does provide quite a jump in Android’s performance within seconds of installing the app. The most effective part of the app would be its user-interface; slick and simple to say the least.

On the features front, this app is loaded to the gills with even the most power-hungry advanced user will get confused fiddling with. Memory Booster helps a great deal by increasing the free memory and the overall Android OS speed. Task Killer is nothing very unusual as the higher-end Android beasts integrate it with a more fluid approach.

Something that comes as a sure breezer is the Battery Power Monitor that keeps a track of apps using up the maximum battery space, while giving tips on reducing power consumption considerably. Traffic Monitor will do a world of good to heavy travelers as this keep a real-time check on Wi-Fi/mobile data network send/receive info. This in turn greatly avoids over usage charges.

Overall, the app is very fluid with minute details being integrated without any issues. The higher-end Android Super-phones will not need much of this as all this comes pre-loaded within the device system services. Though, the more advanced users, who would want to feel more in control will just love the functionality this app has to offer.

Related Links:
Developer Website
Android Booster on Android Market

The software allows you to add webpage snapshots, videos, images, audio files, PDFs and other files. Your texts are indexed so search results are quick. Apart from colleting research materials, you will be able to manage bibliographic data.

Zotero has several features designed to make your work easier. There are tools for managing bibliographies, footnotes, in-text citations and syncing online. There is web browser integration too. You can integrate it with NeoOffice, OpenOffice.org Writer, LibreOffice and Microsoft Word.

When you are on websites like Wikipedia, Google Docs, Google Scholar etc, Zotero displays an icon when you are looking at a book or article. Click the icon to save the entire reference data to your library. You can also save full text PDF copies of academic text. Copies of web pages can be saved for reference too.

Once you have all your materials, you can add attachments, tags and notes. Part of your library info can be saved as bibliographies with full formatting. You can save rich text memos and bibliographies as HTML. Zotero lets you make bibliographies and citations via word processor plug-ins. You can prepare your own citation designs.

There are two versions of the software. One is standalone for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X. The other is an add-on for Firefox. Both are available on the download link.

Related Links:
Download Zotero
Zotero Official Website
Zotero Forums
Zotero Blog
Zotero on Facebook
Zotero on Twiter

Android users will be shocked with the number of apps that get activated at start-up. These apps run quietly in the background and suck the juice out of the battery. The perfect solution to the elimination of the problem is Advanced Task Killer for Android.

Android Task Killer is like the Task Manager (Windows) of Android. This app is highly accurate and immediately throws up a list of apps running in the background unnecessarily. The app features a tool-kit with options ranging from Ignore List, One Tap Widget, Auto Kill, customize item height and many more.

Another contributor to the whole background app fiasco is the absence of a close button for apps. So when the Android back button is pressed, the apps sometimes fail to terminate and keep running in the background, leading to extra battery usage. Native apps such as Calendar, Notes, Apps which have Event Notification features turned on are the biggest culprits for the fault.

The UI is simple just as the usability. Once the Advanced Task Killer is activated, a user just needs to check the apps he/she wants to kill and Voila! Its done.

However, there are some drawbacks with this app. If a person using the Galaxy S II forgets to ignore or uncheck Samsung TouchWiz, then the home screen reloads again due to Advanced Task Killer eliminating the TouchWiz UI. A very slick feature within the app itself is the Auto-Kill functionality. The Auto-Kill option has three levels Safe, Aggressive, and Crazy. All three modes have their own approach in treating background apps, running apps, and memory consuming apps.

So, Android users with mammoth screens and heavy processors should download this app and increase their battery life without losing out on anything. There is a PRO version also up in the Android market, but it just eliminates the ads and there is no added functionality to its name.

Related Links:
Developer Website
Advanced Task Killer on Knowyourcell
Android Task Killer on Android Tapp

It works on both Windows and Mac OSX or Classic. The program itself is a few years old but it still works great and provides a simple way to access all your media without having to frantically search for them in your random folders. Moreover, Data Crow is free for download and features a public license.

From software, movies, music or books, Data Crow easily retrieves these and places them in a neat and accessible spot. The only thing you really have to do is enter the name or title of the item you want cataloged and the program does the work by searching online for all the info. For movies or books, the program searches for info in places like Amazon and IMDB. When it comes to music files, Data Crow often just uses the tags already embedded onto the files.

The interface is pretty basic and contains all of the features you need. The left portion of the screen provides you with the different categories of media you have. On the center as well as the right portion you’ll find all of the information pertaining to a specific media. You can add as well as manage the information by using the toolbar on the upper part of the screen. You’ll also find the search online option right here.

Although the program does work well, it runs in a Java platform which has lead to several bugs here and there. In spite of this, Data Crow manages to get the job done without much complaint. Once you become familiar with the interface, it’s a breeze to use and performs an exceptional job.

Related Links:
Data Crow Official Website
Data Crow on CNET
Data Crow on Tech Radar
Data Crow on High Tech Legion

Developed by Aaron Smith, this app really packs-in a punch with all the bells and whistles. Android smartphones are packed to the gill in terms of memory, RAM, processors, so an app acting as an assistant is a big boon for advanced as well as causal users.

Many times smartphones run a host of background apps that slow up the phone, drain the battery quick, produce glitches during multitasking, or interfere with the data connection. Here comes in Android Assistant, which helps the users to keep a complete check on all the background processes and unnecessary actions using up the device resources.

The app has 17 features that would help users to keep track of progress manager, cache cleaner (system & browser cache), file manger, battery use, volume control, ringer, startup time, system info, system clean-up and many more. The features that really place all the power into the hands of users.

The app is loaded to the gills just like the high-end Android monsters we all love and is a must-have app for every advanced user, as well as users just wanting to play around. A great option for Android 2.2 and above is the additional option to move the app to the SD card via the APP 2 SD applications. Overall a great administrative tool with perfect tool integration.

Related Links:
Android Assistant on Android Market

iDownload PLUS removes the restrictions on the number of download files at one time. This is a major plus point for all iOS users on an unlimited data plan.

iDownload PLUS gives users the option to download files, images, texts directly from the Safari browser. Also, a great addition is the ability to share links, texts, images on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, MySpace with just a tap. Version 1.3.8 also adds the ability to share via SMS feature.

iDownload PLUS adds a plethora of in-app options and is great for people who work on-the-go. So, users can now view documents in Microsoft Word, Excel, Power-point, txt, htm, html, rtf file formats. Users cannot edit them, but surely can view them anytime. Also iDownload PLUS supports unzipping of RAR and ZIP files on the device itself and that is quite a neat feature. The app also adds a Live-Download bar with information on file size, download speed, and progress bar.

Audio and Video player also got some slick additions. Video in .mp4, .m4v, and .mov formats can be directly played on the device and there is the added functionality for TV-out display. In addition, users can now save album-art associated with mp3 files to the photo gallery all while having the option of adding their own custom image. A feature common to both audio and video is scrubbing, with upto 42x speed in landscape mode and upto 28x speed in portrait mode.

The app speeds up the entire download process and manages it quite well, including an option to pause, cancel and resume download at any point of time without a hiccup.

iDownload Plus adds a multitude of functions to the device. My personal favorite is the Passcode lock feature which locks the app with a password, even when the app is in active state. Multitasking support is a relief and not only do downloads run in the background, audio can also be played and controlled when the app runs in the background.

Overall, iDownload PLUS is a great app and a must have for every iOS device owner who hates restrictions. The amount of options really nails the developers statement that the app itself is the best download manger out there. The app also has a paid version at an offer price of $1.99 (original price is $4.99), but there is no mentioned difference or added functionality between the two.

Related Links:
Developer Website
iDownload PLUS Paid version
AppFactor on Facebook

The Android Market is growing at a fast-pace, and so is the risk threat to our devices. Google markets Android as an open-source environment, so there is not a very strict scrutiny when new apps are published by developers. This leads to Malware enetring the Android Marketplace.

AVG Anti-Virus for Android supports both Smartphones and Tablets. The biggest advantage of having this anti-virus installed on your device is that not only does it scans harmful webpages, apps and multimedia content, but also goes through harmful text messages. Developers claim the Anti-Virus protects the user from real-time malware, virus, and other exploits.

AVG Anti-Virus adds a feature similar to the iOS platform, Find-my-iPhone. When AVG is installed on the device and by-chance lost, then the user can locate the exact location of the device via Google Maps. There are other added features such as, Remote Lock and Wipe, Task Killer, Secure encrypted web-browsing, and the ability to scan various files on the device in real-time.

Users who use their smartphone for online transactions are secured, as AVG provides effective anti-phishing methods. Stolen device can become a thing of the past, as even if the handset is in silent mode, a user can remotely activate the ringer.

AVG is no new player in the Anti-Virus war-zone. It provides complete free and paid solutions for desktop environments as well. I have been using the AVG Anti-Virus Free-edition on my PC for more than a year, and it does quiet a decent job. Updates come-in quick, and even though the entire installation procedure is a bit cumbersome, it still does a neat job at the end of the day.

The desktop version offers added security. So when you download an image from the web, AVG scans it automatically before it can be opened. Similarly, when downloading an .EXE file, AVG states a warning for checking the source. Some neat features.
The more recent AVG 2012 update for PC has also integrated Social Networking support. What this basically means is scans links shared on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and other networking sites in real time. Keeping you and your data safeguarded 24×7.

So all Android users who are really into hardcore App downloading, e-mailing, Multimedia Messaging, web-browsing, then AVG Anti-Virus is the best bet for you. Desktop users can head over to the link given below and try out the multiple solutions available out there.

Related Links:
AVG for Android
AVG for PC
AVG Free on Facebook

The program is the perfect solution for people who have trouble getting any work done, thanks to the constant distraction of various social networking sites, emails or maybe YouTube.  

The software was created by Steve Lambert and is a great help to people who simply cannot control themselves in straying from the task at hand. There are plenty of us who subconsciously check emails or Twitter every once in awhile. Most of these actions often lead us to waste plenty of our much needed attention in finishing whatever job we need to do. With the help of Self-Control, it’s much easier to work knowing that no matter how hard you try, you simply won’t gain access to the sites you have entered in its parameters.

Basically, you can assign several sites that you know are the key culprits in creating your distraction. Once you have this, you can set the program to blacklist the said sites including email for a set amount of time. Don’t think you can cheat though. The program ensures that no matter what you do, you won’t get to the blocked sites back until the time has expired. And yes, even if you reboot your Mac, the block will still hold.

There’s definitely no stopping the timer but it’s for your own good, right?
.

Related Links:
Self Control Official Website
Self Control on Brothersoft
Self Control on Wired
Self Control on The Next Web