2010 is coming to an end; dotTech has reviewed and featured dozens upon dozens of programs/apps/services in the past twelve months. It is now time to recap the best ones.

The following list – in no particular order – contains shareware and freeware programs for Windows, websites/services, and apps for iOS and Android; and it only contains software/services/apps talked about in 2010 – it does not list the many great programs that have been discussed on dotTech in previous years.

The best of the best of 2010

Shareware (Windows)

• ArtStudio – Brilliant program that allows users to animate images with little to no graphical knowledge or skill.
• WinUtilities Professional Edition– Despite any misgivings between YL Computing and dotTech, WinUtilities is a terrific jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none utility.
• EASEUS Partition Master Professional – Very nice partition management tool that does more than format your partitions, without forcing you to download a 100+ MB program.
• SIW Pro – Need a system diagnostic/information tool? SIW is for you. Has a freeware version, also.
• FILEminimizer Office – It will cost you a good chunk of your paycheck, but a very handy tool for compressing PowerPoint, Word, and Excel files.
• Tabbles – Absolutely brilliant file tagging/organization tool. Has a limited free version.
• Magnifying Glass Pro – A magnifying glass program that does more than zoom in/out.
• Process Lasso Pro – Install Process Lasso and let it worry about your rogue-CPU-using program problems. Has a free version that has some limited features but still has the basic core functionality.
• Paragon Drive Backup Professional – Although now discontinued and replaced by Paragon Backup & Recovery Home/Suite Editions, Paragon Drive Backup Professional was (is) an excellent tool to backup your files with.

Freeware (Windows)

• FILEminimizer Pictures – A program that allow users to easily and quickly compress images.
• WinUtilities Free Edition – The freeware version of WinUtilities Professional Edition, while not as good as Pro, it still an excellent tool.
• AdBlock Plus and other adblocking tools/methods – While ads may be the lifeline of many websites, some users may want to block them and these tools allow you to do exactly that.
• Wubi – What to try Linux without going through the hassle of dual-booting and installation? Wubi is a Linux installer for Windows.
• League of Legends – A free, micro-transaction funded game that is attractive to novices and hard core gamers alike.
• EASEUS Partition Master Home – Freeware version of the Pro edition; has everything but the boot disc.
• iPrint – Save paper by easily printing multiple pages to one sheet.
  • (dotTech talked about iPrint on December 25, 2009 – close enough to 2010 to be included in this list.)
• IOGraph – Creates cool graphics based on how you use your mouse.
• AxCrypt and TrueCrypt – The two best encryption utilities available on the market today.
• YoWindow – View the weather, in style.
• Teamviewer – Without a doubt one of the best tools to use to share/control computers remotely.
• Lazarus – A Firefox and Chrome add-on that allows users to recover from oh **** moments where we fill out a form.
• Virtual CloneDrive – Dead simple, malware free image mounting/unmounting tool.
• CCEnhancer (aka CCleaner Enhancer) – Takes a brilliant tool (CCleaner) and makes it that much better.
• NirLauncher – A wet dream for users who enjoy NirSoft and SysInternals utilities.
• Avira/avast!/AVG/Microsoft Security Essentials – Four of the best free anti-malware programs available.
• XBoot – Thoughtful program that allows users to create multi-ISO bootable media.
• Rainlendar – Brilliant multi-platform task management application
• Freemake Video Converter & Downloader – Two great utilities that allow users to do more than just convert and download videos.
• Paragon Go Virtual – Although it doesn’t have as many features as Paragon Virtualization Manager, Paragon Go Virtual is a very useful tool that can be used to virtualize your computer.
• Outpost Security Suite Free – A much awaited update to one of the best free firewalls out there.
• CleanMem Mini Monitor – A small yet handy add-on to CleanMem, a terrific memory cleaning utility.

Websites/web services

• Dropbox – The file uploading/backing up/sharing/etc. service to use.
• Startup Applications List – Database of over 20,000 startup programs makes it an invaluable source for research
• DownForEveryoneOrJustMe.com – Extremely useful website that allows users to get a second opinion on if a website is down or not.
  • (dotTech talked about DownForEveryoneOrJustMe.com on December 25, 2009 – close enough to 2010 to be included in this list.)

Android Apps

• AdFree Android – Simple but genius app that lets users block advertisements on their Android device. Requires root.

iOS Apps

• BargainBin – Handy iOS app that allows users to save money on Apple Store apps.

Conclusion

While there have been many quality software, apps, and services talked about on dotTech in 2010, the above are the ones that stand-out for one reason or another. If you disagree, or if you have other software/apps/services you would like to add to the list, let us know in the comments below.

Here’s to hoping for a great 2011, for you, me, dotTech, and everyone else. Happy New Year’s everybody! (In advance.)