The Daily Download

If you're into freeware antivirus and antimalware apps, chances are you're running either AVG Free, Avira Antivir, or Avast. Avast Home Edition guards your PC and the network with multiple shields that scan executables and files. You can select parameters for scanning, and even choose wildcards to exclude specific file types. You can adjust the sensitivity level for the program's detectors when it comes to scanning downloaded files, instant messages, e-mails, and a host of P2Ps. Its efficient interface opens up window after window to tweak its settings to your liking, for novice to advanced-level protection.

Though it took quite some time to run, we're impressed with this application's boot-time antivirus scan. Fortunately, if you're in a pinch you can bypass it. If malicious contents are detected, Avast comes to the rescue with handy virus cleanup tools. Even some decent PC controls are handed out here. You can block certain URLs and file operations, such as writing to files or even renaming, deleting, or formatting them. With immediate real-time protection, clockwork updates, and much more, this free software is highly regarded in our book.

Windows Mobile users now have a green light to try Yahoo Go (video review) on their Windows Mobile phones.

The third version of Yahoo's all-in-one content application for smartphones debuted in January in beta form, and with it came tricks for greater customization. Users can add a variety of widgets to the carousel and quick links to the start page, and otherwise personalize the source of mobile content. The full list of supported Windows Mobile phones can be found here.

A few months ago, I shared a great-looking combo of themes that give Windows XP and Firefox a dark, unified look. WindowBlinds is an app that achieves the same end, but brings a large gallery of theme options to you. Dress your desktop up or down with default selections or choose specially-formatted third-party themes that download straight into WindowBlinds. Either way, the sharp visuals and full-featured, easy-to-use configuration manager make this application a recommended choice for anyone interested in pimping out their desktop. Aww, yeah.

ManyCam is the freeware tool users who need their Webcam for more than one chat program simultaneously. It creates a "virtual" Webcam that replicates your currently installed camera. It then lets multiple applications access the video stream without conflict.

ManyCam is compatible with Yahoo, MSN, CamFrog, PalTalk, ICQ, Skype, YouTube, and more. Once you've installed it, you need to set ManyCam as the primary input for program that you want to use. It'll automatically start when activate your Webcam through that program. The application includes a bunch of gimmicky features that let you change aspects of the background and foreground. You can map a new pair of cartoon eyes over your face, and they track pretty well to your movements, or you can show that your life is hell by replacing the background with flames.

There is an unfortunate toolbar that will install unless you opt out during setup, but other than that, ManyCam is worthy of a Webcam Oscar for cool and useful tech.

2008 is nearly halfway over, which means that poor CNET Download.com senior content manager Peter Butler has reached deeply into the trash heap to pluck out, shake off, and crown with glory the most useless downloads published this year. He's handed the best of the worst over to CNET Executive Editor Tom Merritt for show and tell. Hey, even truly horrendous software deserves its moment of shame fame.

Sun Microsystems has released the first beta for OpenOffice.org 3 for Windows and Mac. The new version of OpenOffice, which is a popular open-source competitor to Microsoft Office, looks to offer users improvements on every component from interface to features to behavior.

OpenOffice.org 3 Start Center

(Credit: CNET Networks)

OpenOffice now natively supports OS X, so Mac users won't have to install the X11 module before running the suite. Full Vista support is also included in the beta, and didn't cause any problems during light testing. Notably, OpenOffice 3 includes filters for the new Microsoft Office document formats such as DOCX and XLSX as well as continuing support for standard Microsoft formats. Support for Microsoft Office 2007 for Windows and Office 2008 for Mac has been lacking until now.

The user interface doesn't look to have undergone many changes, besides getting a slightly snazzier gradated background and slightly larger icons. However, the new features more than make up for this. Enhancements include support for OpenDocument Format 1.2, a Solver feature, spreadsheet sharing to facilitate collaboration, improved PDF creation and importation, and improvements to the Notes feature in Writer.

The new Start Center should appeal to users who like having a landing page or only want to have one link on their desktop. It opens up a window that highlights all of the OpenOffice tools with big icons. Another of the more exciting OpenOffice extensions also being released is a Wiki Publisher tool that should ... Read more

The name might be LogMeIn, but the motto should be SignMeUp.

The fact that it's free to use for multiple remote PCs, with reasonable monthly plans if you need more--five computers for $20 per month or $200 per year--makes this remote-access program instantly appealing. The program differs from its competitors in that the application runs in your Web browser. If you're running Firefox, it asks to install a plug-in, then opens an emulator of the remote PC in a new window.

The control window gives you some standard options such as Ctrl-Alt-Del (which kills the connection) and changing the view settings, as well as tabbed access to adjust the connection setting. The 256-bit SSL encryption and dual passwords--one for the program and one for the remote PC's log-in--are welcome protections. File transfer and synchronization features are limited to paid users, but for the functionality and the price, LogMeIn is an excellent program.

It's easy to make your Windows Taskbar work like your Firefox tabs.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Tabbed browsing is one of those software features that didn't seem like a big deal at its inception, but later went on to become more popular than sliced bread. It's simply must-have functionality for any respectable Web browser. Who among us hasn't had 40 different Web sites open in one browser window...and loved it?

Fans of Mozilla Firefox and Opera might claim that their favorite browser invented tabs. However, according to most accounts, tabbed interfaces have been around since the 1980s and in browsers for at least 10 years. Arguments will persist as to the first tabbed browser, but the Internet Explorer shell Netcaptor featured tabs as early as 1997.

Regardless of who invented the feature, once tabs hit Internet Explorer 7 two years ago, tabbed browsing became as much a part of the Web as spam, blogging, Rickrolls, and LOLcats. Favorite extensions for Mozilla Firefox such as Tab Mix Plus, Colorful Tabs, and Tabbrowser Preferences added an entirely new level of customization and control over tabs.

Tabs have become so successful in managing our Web browsing that I've often wondered why Microsoft couldn't apply the same set of features to its Windows Taskbar. After all, the main functionality is very similar--managing unique applications (or sites) in a singular work space.

It turns out that there are several products that beef up your options for managing the ... Read more

Submitted by Peter; Cordoba, Argentina

I'm a writer, currently living in Argentina. My native (and working) language is English. Obviously, word processing software is a vital tool for me. I bought my last computer, a beefed-up HP 2200, in Cordoba, Argentina. Unfortunately, I had to accept the Windows XP Pro OS, in Spanish, that the vendors supplied it with. I specified that MS Office should be included and it was; alas, in Spanish. When I contacted the MS people in Redmond, Wash., about a download in English--there are complicated restrictions about getting CDs through the local customs--I was informed that I had to work through Microsoft Argentina as "...our software distributed to that country is substantially different to the U.S...". End of story? Not even close.

It turns out that the vendor's Office 2003 installation on my computer was pirated! I paid for a license, but in my own foolishness, I didn't check the package for documentation. These people have since gone out of business and their firm exists with new owners.

I worked for a year with the computer offline, then a year ago I connected to an ADSL link and because I run some networked applications, it is on 24-7. About six months into this, Office started to go wrong. At first it froze and I had to close it with the Task Manager. Then the whole system became progressively less stable. Scans with Norton, Ad-Aware, and other security software came back clean. That'... Read more

Microsoft on Tuesday said it is resuming two major Windows updates that had been halted because of a conflict with one of its own software products.

A week ago, Microsoft delayed the release of Windows XP Service Pack 3 because of a problem that could lead to data loss when running the XP update in conjunction with its Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System program. It also halted automatic updates to Windows Vista Service Pack 1 because of a similar issue.

The software maker on Tuesday said it is releasing XP Service Pack 3 for Web downloads, and resuming automatic updates to Vista Service Pack 1, after developing a filter that will prevent machines running Dynamics RMS from getting either update.

The filter is not a fix for the incompatibility, though Microsoft said it is working on that as well.

"A fix for this issue is currently in testing at Microsoft and with customers, and we hope to make it publicly available this month," the company said in a statement. "Until then, Microsoft is advising Microsoft Dynamics RMS customers to not install either service pack."

Those already running Dynamics RMS with one of the Windows updates should contact customer support, it said.