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If you have a digital camera -- or maybe even if you don't -- you know all too well how easy it is to end up with a hard drive cluttered with duplicate images. Fortunately, there are lots of programs designed to help you identify and delete duplicates, freeing up valuable hard-drive space. Similar Picture Find aims to help with this tedious task, but it's definitely not as easy to use as some similar programs we've tried.

We weren't immediately sure what to do with Similar Picture Find. While most programs of this sort simply want … Read more

Ultra File Search Lite Portable, which can be launched from a USB device, has the sole purpose of helping users find files quickly, a function that we believe it does very well.

The free software has a plain, business-like interface that, like its big brother, organizes search options in simple tabs at the top of the window. These four options give maximum flexibility, allowing you to find files with specific text or by file attributes such as date or size, and each tab allows you to expand the search functionality or narrow the possible results. Results were returned quickly in … Read more

Ever lost a particular file among a multitude of similar files within your PC? If the built-in search tool isn't helping, Ultra File Search Lite may be able to help. We found it to be an efficient and effective alternative to the Windows search tools.

Ultra File Search Lite, once installed, presents a plain, business-like interface that proved very easy to use. You can initiate a search using any of the four tabs at the top of the application, which are divided into Files and Folders, Containing Text, Date and Size, and Attributes, but each tab can be configured … Read more

We like puppies, and we were prepared to release our inner 12-year-old girl upon downloading Cute Puppy Clock. Unfortunately, though, our plans to squeal and giggle fell flat. Although the program is in fact a clock that involves cute puppies, it has drawbacks that make it hard to recommend, even for puppy-lovers.

There's really not much to Cute Puppy Clock, which is part of the problem. It's a couple of inches tall and features a puppy standing on what looks like a wooden crate. The time is displayed on the crate, 24-hour style, in a goofy font that'… Read more

Chrome, like most browsers, lets users bookmark Web sites so that they can be easily accessed again. But if you've ever wished for a way to better organize your bookmarks, share them across platforms, and keep track of notes and to-do lists all at the same time, you'd do well to ditch old-fashioned bookmarking and try Springpad instead.

Springpad requires new users to either create an account or sign in with their Google, Facebook, Yahoo, or Twitter account. Once installed, the Springpad extension appears as a small icon to the right of Chrome's address bar. Clicking the … Read more

With TimeComX Basic, you can tell your PC to shut down, go into hibernation, and run a variety of processes automatically on schedule, after a certain time, or when activity drops. This free program improves and expands your control over a range of automated processes and activities in Windows. Optional password protection, automatic screenshots, and logging make it a great choice for parents, employers, and others concerned about unauthorized access or activity on their computers.

TimeComX's unique interface is clean, efficient, and attractive, beginning with a row of icons accessing Global Settings, Passwords, Profiles, and Logs. The main view … Read more

If you leave your PC unattended and running in a public area, how do you keep people from using it? You have several options, but one of the easiest we've tried is Predator Free. This free security tool locks and unlocks your PC when you remove or insert a USB drive. When your thumbdrive is removed, Predator locks your PC and darkens your screen if anyone tried to use it without entering the password. You can enable passwords for every operation or just once, which adds convenience if you're often away from your desk. It also logs activity … Read more

Automatic wallpaper changers are a good idea in theory, but many of them don't work out too well in practice; they often hog resources, cause desktop display problems, and generally wreak havoc. But then there's Wally. This is a wallpaper changer with plenty of features and no functional problems whatsoever. It may have single-handedly brought us around to the idea of changing desktop wallpapers.

Wally appears as an icon in the System Tray, and right-clicking on it brings up a settings menu. Wally can display images that you have stored on your computer, but the really cool thing … Read more

Cisco Systems released the original Linksys E4200 in January, which turned out to be a formidable wireless router.

Now as the year is ending, the company announced today the second version of the same router. And the Linksys E4200 v2 Maximum Performance Dual-Band N900 turns out to be one of the best, if not the best, router of the year.

The new E4200 v2 looks exactly the same as the original on the outside, with a sleek-looking design that looks more like an expensive jewelry box than a router. On the inside, however, it packs much more power than the … Read more