Windows software of the day [March 25, 2012]

Windows has hundreds of thousands of programs. Because of this great volume and lack of a central store, software discovery (aka finding new and useful programs) is extremely difficult. With our Windows Software of the Day initiative, dotTech aims to change that. Everyday we post three programs, allowing our readers to discover new software, daily. Enjoy! [Subscribe to our Windows section to never miss an article: RSS Feed | E-mail]

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Software for March 25, 2012

BreakTaker

As someone who uses a computer a lot, I know that sitting in the same position for too long can be a real pain. (Literally.) If you want to take steps towards being a healthier computer user but don’t know where to start, you can start by using a simple break timer like BreakTimer that gets you out of your chair for just a few minutes every once in a while.

After installation, BreakTimer will ask you to take a short break every once in a while–about once an hour. What’s the weather like outside? Are you thirsty?

If you ignore it or click “No thanks”, it’ll change its break schedule to every five minutes until you accept. It’ll also turn itself red so it’s more noticeable and in your face.

BreakTaker is a cool little tool that makes it really easy to get yourself to take a break. In fact, I’m off to take a short one now!

Price: Free!

Version discovered: v1.2.0.3

Supported OS: Windows XP/Vista/7

Download size: 402KB web installer w/ 1.87MB download

Malware scan: VirusTotal scan results 0/43

BreakTaker homepage

TinEye Client

That’s a beautiful picture. But what is it? If you have a great picture of a mountain, town, or other thing and you want to know what it is, you can always Google for various descriptive factors like “mountain” and “black and white”. However, that will get you nowhere fast, because that simply isn’t descriptive enough.

Now imagine there was a service where you could just right click any photo you have and find matching photos on sites probably have descriptions of that photo! With TinEye Client, you can easily upload pictures to that awesome service without having to find an image upload site, upload your image, get the link, and paste it in.

It’s that simple: click once and you’re ready to search.

Price: Free!

Version discovered: v1.1

Supported OS: Windows (unknown)

Download size: 333KB

Malware scan: VirusTotal scan results 0/43

TinEye Client homepage

WindowSlider

Having a small monitor can be annoying, especially when you have to deal with tons of windows at once. WindowSlider is a small freebie that lets you put lots of windows on your screen without cluttering it by “sliding” your viewport around. As you can see to the right, although I have Firefox, Paint, and Notepad all open and visible, only Notepad is in focus so I can concentrate.

WindowSlider is a great utility that definitely has quite some thought and design poured into it. Rather than jarring and jumpy, the transitions and animations are smooth and look great.

Price: Free with the option to purchase a $15.00 Plus version

Version discovered: v1.0

Supported OS: Windows XP/Vista/7

Download size:496KB

Malware scan: VirusTotal scan results 0/43

WindowSlider homepage

dotTechies: We have tested all the software listed above. However, Windows Software of the Day articles are not intended as “reviews” but rather as “heads-up” to help you discover new programs. Always use your best judgement when downloading programs, such as trying trial/free versions before purchasing shareware programs, if applicable.

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