Software

Free Screen Capture Software That Clicks With Me

Jul 11th

Posted by Kenny in How To

1 comment


More and more, I’m find the necessity to create screen capture images of my desktop or a portion of a browser window more and more.

Typically, I’ve used the actual “Prt Sc” Print Screen button or the SHIFT+ALT+PRT SC combo to capture just the active window.  This puts the screen grab into the clipboard memory.

From there, it’s an easy paste into MS Paint to resize or annotate with arrows, callout boxes, etc before saving it as “screen-URLorPROGRAMNAME.jpg” to use elsewhere – on blogs, twitpic, email, etc.

I’ve used a couple of Windows screen capture apps but none does what I want without cluttering my icon tray and hogging up resources.  Recently, I’ve been testing out browser-based apps that do pretty much all I need. . .

One of them is called FireShot Pro and I used it with FireFox:

It’s been an easy-to-use screen capture program that works as a live browser plugin.  The free version does most of what I need and even does Read the rest of this entry »

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How To Enlarge Your Field Of Vision: Multi-Monitor Set-Ups

Apr 20th

Posted by Kenny in How To

No comments


As HDTV flatscreen TV’s get bigger and bigger, so do computer monitors.

As of April, 2010, Samsung makes the largest LCD computer monitor at 46″ in size. . . But you can enjoy the benefits without paying $48,000 that is required to buy a big fat computer LCD monitor display!

If you have more than one monitor, that will work too.

It’s one of the best ways to increase productivity (and your geek factor) – chances are you have an extra monitor lying around in the back closet somewhere – it doesn’t even have to be a flat-screen monitor to add value either.

Setting up a multi-screen computer monitor set-up is easy.  Windows and Mac have built-in tools to extend your desktop to more than your main screen.

But sometimes it’s better and easier to use 3rd party tools.  Lifehacker to the rescue with their roundup of 5 multi-monitor management tools for the pc (actually it should be 4 since the include Windows 7 as one of them):

Of course there are bunch of other utilities out there to use, but the first two above do offer freebie versions which may work for what you need.  And the other two made the list for good reasons too.

    QUESTION: ARE MULTIPLE MONITORS ONLY USED BY GEEKS? Share your comments below!

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    Pencil Pushing Made Easy

    Jun 5th

    Posted by Kenny in Deals & Steals

    No comments


    This just might be the right moment for you to go it your own way and start your own business.

    You know you’ve been thinking about it on and off for awhile now.

    Well, since the time is right, where do you start?

    When you open for business, one of the first critical steps is to make sure your books are in order.

    Accounting is so important in business. Not just for tax purposes, unless you know exactly where your money is coming from and where it is going, you won’t be able to make strategic decisions to keep your business afloat and succeed in the future.

    While it’s no replacement for a good accountant that can be a great advisor on your side, bookkeeping software can really make your daily business life a little less stressful. Seriously.

    sign-open

    Here’s one strong suggestion I have for all entrepreneurs when they open the doors to their new business and haven’t paid any attention to the numbers side of business yet. . . Read the rest of this entry »

    Deal Alert: SnagIt Now

    Jun 1st

    Posted by Kenny in Deals & Steals

    No comments

    When you want to show someone else something that’s on your screen, a way to take a photo of your monitor is a great way. Screen captures do exactly that, minus the camera.

    Some screen capture software lets you grab definable regions and/or crop or annotate the images after you take them.

    TechSmith, the maker of Camtasia Studio (one of the best video screen capture software applications) is making their SnagIt screen capture software available as a free download this week (until June 5).

    Just use this link to download SnagIt software v. 7.2.5.

    There’s a newer version available commercially with more bells and whistles, but most users won’t need to upgrade at all.

    techsmith-snagit-screen-capture

    One more caveat – the SnagIt 7.2.5 being offered free is not compatible with Vista (XP only). You can upgrade to the latest version (SnagIt 9.1) for only $24 vs. paying the full price for the latest version.

    If you are still on Windows XP, this is a MUST DOWNLOAD.  If you’re looking for the latest version, this is a great discount path to the full version for 24 bucks (well worth it).

    How To Make Free Calls on Skype (including Skype for iPhone)

    Apr 17th

    Posted by Kenny in How To

    3 comments

    If you’re too cheap to shell out the $3/month for outbound calls on Skype, you’re limited to free Skype-to-Skype calling.

    That’s pretty good as it is since the entire world is waking up to Skype and millions of people are now on Skype.  As the network effect grows, I wonder what Skype is going to do after it obtains total world domination (but that’s a different blog post in itself).
    free-phone-calls-skypeIt’s catching on so much that eBay, the owner of Skype is spinning off the business as a separate sustainable entity.  Sypke for Business is even a legitimate consideration for small business owners or consultants on the road.

    But the fact remains that you’re a cheapskate, looking for a way to make completely free long distance calls through your computer to non-pc phones like cell phones, or landlines.

    Perhaps you just need outbound calling capability for the rare occasion that your cell phone is not with you, out of batteries, or if you’re not in the USA (and trying to call back home).

    Here’s the tip of the day for Skype – which also works on the iPhone as well by the way . . . Read the rest of this entry »

    How To Edit and Fill Out PDF Forms Without Adobe Acrobat

    Oct 20th

    Posted by Kenny in Raves

    7 comments

    While the Adobe Acrobat file format is very useful and welcomed by all, the price of the Adobe Acrobat editing software is not.

    For years, people would plunk down literally hundreds of dollars to be able to create PDF documents.  I’ve written about various ways to convert documents into PDF format for free – both via virtual PDF printer drivers which allow you to save PDF files to your drive from any program like PDFCreator or online services like Zamzar or Koolwire.

    But what about the times when you want to actually edit or fill out a PDF form you are given?  For example, many of the IRS documents found online now or a simple passport application, etc.

    Recently, I’ve been using a free online pdf editor service which allows you to open up PDF files from your computer or elsewhere on the Internet.  And then you can easily add text to the various form fields.  They even have a neat little “checkmark” maker to add check mark boxes found on many forms!  I love this new website I’ve found. . . Read the rest of this entry »

    How To Remove The “X’s” That Are Hindering Your Life

    Sep 29th

    Posted by Kenny in How To

    No comments

    It seems that “NEW & IMPROVED” is shouted from the mountain tops of every product marketing campaign these days.

    Microsoft product marketing is no exception. Every couple of years, we are coerced into upgrading to the “latest and greatest” bloatware.

    This time around, it has been the old stand-by, Microsoft Office. On the PC, we are moving to Microsoft Office 2007. Whether it’s the pared down Home and Student Office version or the Office 2007 Ultimate Suite with a whopping 10 applications included, everyone is basically upgrading now or later. On the Mac side it’s a fresh “Mac Office 2008“.

    These new versions bring with it all kinds of bells and whistles. A by product of this is that there’s a brand new file format in town. Instead of the .doc file format for Word docs, or .ppt for Powerpoint files, etc, now we have the “new and improved version” with an “X” at the end. Thus the new Microsoft Word files now get saved in .docx format. Powerpoint 2007 files are saved as .pptx.

    If you have an older version of Microsoft Word, you can still open and edit the newer file formats, although you might loose some of the new functionality.  BUT, you have to download and install a free patch to make your older version of Office compatible with the new file formats — there’s one for both Mac and PC.

    But of course, Microsoft isn’t all that benevolent.  They want everyone to upgrade at some point of course (cha ching cha ching, pay Bill more money for basically the same product!).  So NOT ALL older versions of Microsoft Office are allowed to use this patch to allow compatibility.

    What’s the alternative to giving in and sending more cashola to Bill Gates & Co if you have an older version of Microsoft Office that cannot take the upgrade patch??

    Here’s an interim solution that will do the trick and avoid the upgrade if everything else seems to be working just fine. Afterall, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right. . . Read the rest of this entry »

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