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[Windows] 12 free image viewers or organizers (Windows Photo Viewer alternatives)
![[Windows] 12 free image viewers or organizers (Windows Photo Viewer alternatives)](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/02/2013-02-15_233516-290x160.png)
Windows comes with built-in capability to view images. However, that built-in image viewer has many limitations such as the inability to view animated GIFs, inability to crop images, inability to easily share images aside from via email, inability to convert images, etc. To solve the woes of Windows Photo Viewer, [...]
Read More »[Windows] Stop your mouse from accidentally double-clicking with Left Mouse Button Fix
We have all more than likely experienced it at some point. You are using your mouse like normal, you click something, and your mouse double clicks. It can be very annoying! This goes double when trying to highlight things or just use your mouse in general. Usually the best solution [...]
WARNING: Someone is spoofing dotTech’s email to send spam, don’t be fooled!
Hi dotTechies,
I just wanted to give everyone a head-up that some scumbag is using dotTech’s email to spend spam emails.
If you receive an e-mail from “admin@dottech.org” that is not characteristic of the emails we send (i.e. not an article or comment notification), then the email is probably spam. [...]
Read More »Adobe Reader is hit with new zero-day attack, avoid immediately to stay safe
Adobe Reader, Adobe’s popular PDF viewer, has a flaw that is allowing hackers to install malware on users’ computers. The exploit affects the latest version of the program (11.0.1), as well as earlier versions. This appears to be Windows only.
Adobe engineers have tried to make malware attacks harder to [...]
Read More »This guy turned his AK-47 into a saxophone [Image]
![This guy turned his AK-47 into a saxophone [Image]](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/02/ak47_saxophone-278x160.jpg)
Someone who was simply bored, ingenuity in the face of harsh financial conditions, a salute to peace, a love for music, or simply an opportunity to turn a leftover war relic to good use, or maybe some other reason — I really don’t know. Whatever the reason may be, the [...]
Read More »[Windows] Focus completely on your work with WriteMonkey, a clutter-free and portable writing application
I would like to say that when I sit down to write something, I get into the “Zone”. Unfortunately, that would be a lie. I can become very easily distracted. So I went looking for a writing application that could help me stay on track. What I came across was [...]
[Windows] Simultaneously view and export internet browsing history from Firefox, Chrome, IE, Safari, and SeaMonkey with BrowsingHistoryView
Last month we reviewed MiTeC Internet History Browser, a program that allows you to view the history of all your browsers at the same time. Not happy with MiTec Internet History Browser? BrowsingHistoryView does the same thing except it also allows you to export your history. Let’s check it out.[...]
[Windows] Turn text to speech with Balabolka, a portable text-to-speech reader
From time to time, I like to use text to speech programs. However, I never use them enough to actually need one that you have to install. In fact, I usually find myself wanting to use the program more often when I’m “on the go”. So that brings us to [...]
[Windows] Convert (transform) videos into animated GIFs using Any GIF Animator
Animated GIFs…we all love them. They are becoming a very fun way to express an “idea” or “feeling” online. Usually, they express a feeling a lot better than what words can…and they are typically pretty funny. However, if you are like me, you may not be the best at making [...]
FBI likes to torrent, too — here are some of the FBI’s favorite things to pirate via BitTorrent
Try going to MegaUpload.com and you’ll see an FBI anti-piracy warning. The warning is for the purposes of discouraging people from pirating copyrighted content. But that doesn’t mean the FBI doesn’t like to pirate things themselves! BitTorrent monitoring company ScanEye has once again given us a little peak into what [...]
Read More »AOL still sells over $600 million worth of slow dial-up internet per year (!)
I remember back when we got our first computer. We were so excited about not only the computer itself but also finally being able to have dial-up AOL (America Online) — including hearing the awesome “You’ve Got Mail” jiggle every time we would log into AOL. Unfortunately, at the time [...]
Read More »[Windows] SlimBoat is a shockingly fast, full-featured, and portable web browser [Mac OS X, Linux]
I am a firm believer that there are great browsers out there that many of us have not tried. Don’t get me wrong, I like Chrome and Firefox as much as the next guy. That being said, I enjoy using SeaMonkey and Maxthon more. However, there are still a number [...]
[Windows] Best free file backup, drive backup (aka imaging), and system backup software
![[Windows] Best free file backup, drive backup (aka imaging), and system backup software](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/02/AOMI-screenshot-250x1761-250x160.png)
Nowadays, computers are quite the keys to our kingdoms. While I’m sure it varies from person to person (and age group to age group), many people have critical data on their computers which, if lost, would be hurtful at best and devastating at worst. So it is always a good [...]
Read More »[Windows] Best free screen recording program (aka best free video capture program) [2nd Edition]
![[Windows] Best free screen recording program (aka best free video capture program) [2nd Edition]](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2012/12/Ezvid-290x160.png)
The ability to record screen activity and gameplay are undoubtedly an important part of digital media today due to the entertainment value as well as educational value of this feature. As a result, several tutorial and instructional videos are made by recording the activity occurring on the author’s computer screen. [...]
Read More »[Windows] 7 free tools to watermark your images, photos, or pictures
![[Windows] 7 free tools to watermark your images, photos, or pictures](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/02/2013-02-05_220030-290x160.png)
You have some images (photos, digital art, screenshots, etc.) you want to share online but don’t want other people stealing your work. What do you do? You watermark the images before sharing them, that way it is extremely difficult for anyone to claim your work as your own. You could, [...]
Read More »[Android] Aviary Photo Editior is one of the best and easy-to-use image editor app on Android
Aviary Photo Editor is an extremely powerful photo editing application that combines fantastic features with an incredibly easy user interface. This application is great for those who need to edit photos directly on their device and find transferring them to a desktop to be too invasive. It is also great [...]
The ultimate guide to rooting, jailbreaking, and homebrewing your devices: Android, iOS, Windows RT, and WebOS [Updated 2/4/2013]
![The ultimate guide to rooting, jailbreaking, and homebrewing your devices: Android, iOS, Windows RT, and WebOS [Updated 2/4/2013]](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/02/2013-02-04_215625-290x160.png)
Is your phone feeling a bit boring? Does your tablet need more customization? Sometimes, your devices don’t feel personal enough. Other times, it can be bogged down by needless bloatware and other cruft. Free it with one of several free tools!
Currently this guide can help with all Android, webOS, and iOS devices
Read More »[Windows] Display images as floating widgets on your desktop with Osiva, a unique and easy-to-use portable image viewer
What is Osiva? Really, the name is an acronym that stands for “Overly Simple Image Viewing Application”. So, as you can guess, this program is a very easy-to-use image viewer. The program is so simple, in fact, that it may be too simple. Just because it is lightweight and [...]
[Windows] Best free partition and disk manager — EaseUS vs Paragon vs AOMEI vs MiniTool vs GParted
![[Windows] Best free partition and disk manager — EaseUS vs Paragon vs AOMEI vs MiniTool vs GParted](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/02/2013-02-02_212131-290x160.png)
When you buy a new computer, it probably comes with one hard drive which has two partitions on it; one partition is your main, Windows C:/ partition while the second (which may be hidden) is your recovery partition. For most people, this configuration is enough; there is no desire to [...]
Read More »[Windows] 11 free PDF creators (aka PDF virtual printers or PDF writers)
![[Windows] 11 free PDF creators (aka PDF virtual printers or PDF writers)](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/02/2013-02-01_191822-290x160.png)
If you asked me 5 to 6 years back about how to create PDFs, I would have told you to download CutePDF and use it as a virtual PDF printer (i.e. create a PDF out of any document or page that can be printed). However, today, in the face of [...]
Read More »[Windows] 4 free programs to test the hardware on used, refurbished, and new computers (i.e. burn-in testing)
This article has been contributed to dotTech by dotTechie BearPup. Thanks buddy!
Back in the days when Windows ran on top of DOS – you manually started Windows from the Command Line (the C:\ prompt!) – entire suites of programs were available to test out your new computer. This [...]
Read More »The Caribbean island of Antigua is launching a government-run pirate (file sharing) website, to “punish” the US
You think Kim Dotcom and his Mega service should worry anti-piracy advocates? That is nothing. The government of Antigua, which is a small country in the Caribbean, is set to a launch a government-run pirate website. Yep, movies, music, TV shows, and software will all be available for download on [...]
Read More »[Windows] View internet browsing history of all your browsers at the same time with MiTeC Internet History Browser
If you are like me, you use a lot of browsers. However, there is really no easy way to view the history of all of these browsers at once. This is because each browser maintains its very own and unique history. You can open up all of them and browse [...]
[Windows] Easily encrypt files, folders, and email attachments with Sophos Free Encryption
I love keeping my information safe, regardless of if I am sending it over the internet or just storing it on my computer. If something was to happen and I lose my laptop, I would like to know that my information is encrypted. That being said, I really don’t want [...]
You can be fined 1 million dollars and be imprisoned for 10 years for unlocking your phone in the USA
If you don’t already know, unlocking your phone in the US without carrier permission has become officially illegal since January 26th. Section 1204 of Public Law 105-304 says that any person who violates the law willfully and for purposes of commercial advantage or private financial gain will be subject to [...]
Read More »[Android] Maxthon Web Browser unifies your web surfing across all your devices and computers
Maxthon Web Browser is a browser that unifies your browsing data across all of the potential platforms you could use throughout your day. This app is perfect for those who use multiple devices that span multiple operating systems. It is especially useful for people who use mobile devices in addition [...]
[Windows] Best free file manager program — Q-Dir vs Xplorer2 Lite vs Explorer++ vs FreeCommander vs Multi Commander
![[Windows] Best free file manager program — Q-Dir vs Xplorer2 Lite vs Explorer++ vs FreeCommander vs Multi Commander](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/01/Q-Dir-Screenshot-250x1871-250x160.png)
Windows Explorer is the default file manager provided with Windows. It is fine for most people but is not ideal in many aspects such as moving files around. This is where freeware file managers come in; with options such as multiple panes, these programs make managing your files a breeze! [...]
Read More »[Windows] Convert images to different formats with Img2X, an advanced image converter
Being able to convert an image into another format is extremely helpful. I have tried a lot of different programs, but their conversion doesn’t always work. At least, it doesn’t work for the files that I really need to convert. Well, that doesn’t look like it is going to be [...]
[Windows] Best free CD, DVD, and Blu-ray burning program — ImgBurn vs Ashampoo Burning Studio vs Burnaware vs CDBurnerXP
![[Windows] Best free CD, DVD, and Blu-ray burning program — ImgBurn vs Ashampoo Burning Studio vs Burnaware vs CDBurnerXP](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2012/05/ImgBurn-1-290x160.png)
Although optical media such as CDs and DVDs have become less prevalent in recent times, they are still a valid means of storing media and with the advent of the Blu-ray disc, users have the option to store large amounts of information on a relatively small device. This article seeks [...]
Read More »[Windows] Can’t boot into Windows? Recover and backup your data using bootable Windows system repair disk or USB drive [Tip]
![[Windows] Can’t boot into Windows? Recover and backup your data using bootable Windows system repair disk or USB drive [Tip]](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/01/recoverydisk_image_6-290x160.png)
A nightmare for Windows users is being unable to boot into Windows. In this situation, unless you know how to boot into Windows or some other trick, your data is likely lost forever. In this article I will show you a trick on how to use a Windows recovery bootable [...]
Read More »Unlocking cell phones becomes illegal in the United States starting this Sunday
Here in the United States we have the ‘Digital Millennium Copyright Act’ (DMCA). The act is intended to help protect copyright owners against intellectual property theft. However, as we have seen over and over, DMCA is often misused or abused. And today we have yet another example of what is, [...]
Read More »[Android] Discover which apps display ads or are potential security risks with AppBrain Ad Dectector
AppBrain Ad Detector is an app that will detect when an app is spamming your phone through a variety of different channels. This app is great for those, like me, who test out a lot of apps and are constantly installing and uninstalling them. This app will benefit those who [...]
[Android] Avira Free Android Security helps locate your lost device, remotely lock and wipe data, block unwanted SMS and calls, and more
Avira is an app that is designed to aid you if you ever have to deal with your device being stolen. This app is great for those who rely on their smartphones to store some or all of their personal data. It is also great for those who the take [...]
[Windows] Easily compress images (JPG, PNG, BMP, GIF, TIFF) with FILEminimizer Pictures — reduce file size by up to 98%!
I have tons of images on my computer, and they are taking up a lot of space. So having a good image compression program on my computer is a must. FILEminimizer Pictures looks to be a good image compressor. It says that it can reduce the size of pictures by [...]
[Windows] Schedule your computer to automatically shutdown, restart, hiberate, sleep, or log off with Wise Auto Shutdown
Setting up auto shutdown for your computer is something that you can do with your Task Scheduler. However, if you are like me, you don’t like messing around with that thing. Besides that, you will need another program to help you schedule auto shutdowns. That is where Wise Auto Shutdown[...]