The Heat Web

7 Best File Compression Tools

Christian — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 05:03:53 +0000

This is a guest post by James Adams. If you want to guest post on this blog, just drop me a message using the Contact page.

Since the days of floppies and dialup modems, file compression has been a vital piece of the computer landscape. Now, even with broadband, DVDs, and terabyte drives, file compression is still important to conserve space, group files together, and get attachments past firewalls.

Here are the 7 best file compression tools available today that will add power and simplicity to your life.

1. 7 Zip is a free utility for Windows and Linux that has its own, powerful 7z compression format, but compresses and uncompresses 7z, ZIP, GZIP, BZIP2 and TAR files. This convenient compression tool will also uncompress files in the ARJ, CAB, CHM, CPIO, DEB, DMG, HFS, ISO, LZH, LZMA, MSI, NSIS, RAR, RPM, UDF, WIM, XAR and Z formats.

2. Universal Extractor is a popular Windows compression tool because it integrates nicely with Windows Explorer. This free utility will open compressed files for viewing and extraction as well as other file types such as executables and database files. Universal Extractor detects the type of file you want to open; you can open files even if they have no extension, so extracting files is always fast and easy. Universal Extractor extracts files: it does not have the ability to create compressed files.

3. PeaZip is an open source compression tool that will extract and create compressed files such as 7Z, 7-Zip sfx, ACE, ARJ, BZ2, CAB, CHM, CPIO, DEB, GZ, ISO, JAR, LHA/LZH, NSIS, OOo, PAQ/LPAQ, PEA, QUAD, RAR, RPM, split, TAR, Z, ZIP. You can download versions of PeaZip that run on either Windows or Linux for free.

4. KGB Archiver has one of the highest compression ratios available when it uses its own PAQ7 algorithm. In fact, with KGB, you can shrink files to less than one-fifth of their size This program works with KGB and Zip files, so you’ll use it more to compress than to decompress. KGB Archiver also integrates with Universal Extractor and incorporates the option to use AES-256 encryption for files you create. Version two of KGB Archiver is now in beta and is available for Windows only. The current release of KGB (1.x) runs with Windows, Linux, or Macintosh. This is a free utility.

5. TUGZip is a robust compression tool that supports scripting and other powerful options. File archives in P, 7-ZIP, A, ACE, ARC, ARJ, BH, BZ2, CAB, CPIO, DEB, GCA, GZ, IMP, JAR, LHA (LZH), LIB, RAR, RPM, SQX, TAR, TGZ, TBZ, TAZ, YZ1 and ZOO formats are all opened in TUBGZip and disk images in BIN, C2D, IMG, ISO and NRG formats can also be opened. TUGZip will create 7-ZIP, BH, BZ2, CAB, JAR, LHA (LZH), SQX, TAR, TGZ, YZ1 and ZIP files. This program integrates well with Windows shell and enables powerful browsing and drag and drop functionality as well as several encryption formats. TUGZip is free and runs only in Windows.

6. WinRAR is a shareware file compression tool for which you must pay if you use it beyond the trial period. WinRAR supports encryption, and handles all the most common file formats. You can download WinRAR for use with Windows, Macintosh, Pocket PC, Linux, Linux 64, FreeBSD, and MS-DOS. You can purchase WinRAR for $29 for a single user license, with options with a declining pricing scale for additional users.

7. The Unarchiver is designed to be a replacement for the default Mac OS X file archive handler. This is free software that runs on Macintosh. It handles files in Zip, Tar-GZip, Tar-BZip2, RAR, 7-zip, LhA, StuffIt, and other formats and easily installs in the Mac OS X environment.

These 7 best file compression tools all have outstanding capabilities and will help you deal with compressed files whenever you need to create them or open them. Try them all. Find the one you like best or install one or more on your system to make sure you are always ready.

About the author: James Adams writes a blog about advertising, art and media design for an online toner cartridges specialist where he reviews hardware like the MLT-D1082S.

© 2010, The content is copyrighted to The Heat Web blog by Christian Casino. Please refer to the license before using our content.
Permalink | Post tags: essential tools, file compression, list

List Of Websites That Convert YouTube Videos To MP3

Christian — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:55:56 +0000

There are a lot of awesome videos on YouTube that have a very nice background music and after watching that video, we are very curious to find out “what’s the title of that song?” or “where can I download that sound effect?”. Actually, there are a lot of websites that can help you convert and download the background music/sound effects used in a YouTube video so that you can transfer it to your iPod or other MP3 gadgets and listen to it anytime, anywhere!

Here is a list of websites that convert YouTube videos to MP3:

1. Video2MP3

Video2MP3 is a fast and easy way to convert YouTube videos to MP3. All you need is the URL of the video you want to convert and their software will extract the MP3 and give you a link to download the audio file. Aside from YouTube, it also supports MyVideo, Clipfish, Sevenload, Dailymotion, and MySpace.

Video2MP3 also has a Firefox and Google Chrome extension that makes it easier for you to convert videos to MP3.

2. ListenToYouTube

3. VidToMP3

Aside from YouTube, VidToMP3 also supports MegaVideo, Dailymotion, Metacafe, Veoh, Myspace, Break, iFilm, Google Video, Bolt, ClipJunkie, ClipShack, CollegeHumor, FunnyJunk, Glumbert, GoFish, Grouper, Hallpass, MilkandCookies, Putfile, SantaBanta, Sharkle, Shoutfile, Vimeo, vSocial, Yikers, ZippyVideos.

4. YouTube Download Converter (yt.devzed.com)

At first, I thought it’s the same as Video2MP3 because it has the same interface but I was wrong. Yt.devzed.com can convert and download your favorite YouTube videos to MP3, MP4, 3GP, FLV and AVI (DivX).

5. YouTubeToMP3

6. GetAudioFromVideo

7. Vixy.net

Vixy.net is one of the most popular online conversion and download tools for YouTube videos. This service allows you to convert FLV videos such as YouTube’s videos to MPEG4 (AVI/MOV/MP4/MP3/3GP) file online.

* In the “Convert to” option, choose MP3 (audio only) from the dropdown list.

8. Catch YouTube

Catch YouTube lets you convert YouTube videos to different video and audio formats like Windows (.mpg), Mac (.mov), DVD (.dvd), iPod/Sony PSP/iPhone (.mp4), mobile (.3gp), audio (.mp3 and .wav) and Flash (.flv).

NOTE: DO NOT USE THE ABOVE WEBSITES TO DOWNLOAD COPYRIGHTED VIDEO/AUDIO FILES.

© 2010, The content is copyrighted to The Heat Web blog by Christian Casino. Please refer to the license before using our content.
Permalink | Post tags: convert, list, MP3, web app, YouTube

Multifox – Login With Multiple Accounts Simultaneously In Firefox

Christian — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 07:27:06 +0000

What do you do when you want to login with multiple accounts simultaneously? Maybe some of you are wondering, is it possible? Yes, it is really possible with the help of Multifox.

Multifox is a Firefox add-on that allows the users to connect to websites with different usernames, all at the same time! For example, if you have multiple Gmail or Twitter accounts and you want to check them simultaneously, just click “Open in a New Identity Profile” that will appear in the context menu once the add-on has been installed.

Each Firefox window, managed by Multifox, accesses an account without interfering each other.

To start using Multifox, all you have to do is install it and then restart your browser. Once your browser has restarted, you can now login with multiple accounts simultaneously. How? Just click “Open in a New Identity Profile” from the Context Menu or go to File then click “Open in a New Identity Profile”. You can also use the shortcut, just press (CTRL+SHIFT+M).

Each Multifox window is assigned with a number indicating the identity profile. If you need to access 5 Gmail accounts you will need 5 windows with different identity profiles.

If Firefox crashes, all the profiles generated by Multifox will be preserved when Firefox restores the session.

© 2010, The content is copyrighted to The Heat Web blog by Christian Casino. Please refer to the license before using our content.
Permalink | Post tags: addon, Firefox, multiple accounts, simultaneously

Transform Windows XP’s Drive Icon To Vista

Christian — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 06:03:59 +0000

Would you like to change the appearance of your My Computer’s drive icons? If you’re still using the older versions of Windows like 95/98/NT/2000/XP, I’m sure you want to give it an upgrade, right? Vista Drive Icon is a very simple tool that will transform the drive icons in your “My Computer” to a nearly Vista drive icon.

Here’s how your normal My Computer looks like:

And here’s how your My Computer will look like after installing Vista Drive Icon:

Vista Drive Icon will show the drive’s free space with a smooth colored horizontal bar, similar to Vista. When you put your mouse on top of the icons, a tooltip will appear showing you the used and the free space of the drive.

* It works in all 32-bit MS Windows (95/98/NT/2000/XP)

© 2010, The content is copyrighted to The Heat Web blog by Christian Casino. Please refer to the license before using our content.
Permalink | Post tags: hard drive, icon, my computer, Vista, XP

Download Wondershare Flash Gallery Factory Standard With Free License Key

Christian — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 07:44:06 +0000

Wondershare is celebrating the launch of Flash Gallery Factory 5.1 and they’re celebrating it with a bang! They’re actually giving away the standard edition of this cool software to everyone for free but the promo is only valid until August 30, 2010.

Flash Gallery Factory is an instant Flash slideshow maker to create thumbnail gallery and flash movie with templates easily and quickly. It has a user-friendly interface that will help you create professional-looking Flash photo slideshows with ease and fun – no Flash skills required! It has dozens of motion effects and you can also apply free clip arts and text effects to decorate your web photo album. Check out the samples to see how great this software is!

Input file format supported:

Picture: GIF, BMP, JPEG, JPG, PNG

Video: MP3, WAV, WMA

Output file format supported:

SWF, EXE, XML, HTML, Email, Screen Saver, Share Album online

How to download Flash Gallery Factory for free:

1. Go to Wondershare Facebook fan page and click the “Like” button to become a fan.

2. Once you become a fan, enter your name and a valid email address to get your free license code.

3. Download the installation file and install the application.

4. Use the license code to activate Flash Gallery Factory.

(via Techno360)

* Check out the other freebies!

© 2010, The content is copyrighted to The Heat Web blog by Christian Casino. Please refer to the license before using our content.
Permalink | Post tags: Fan Page, flash, Freebies

Add-on Compatibility Reporter – Enable Incompatible Firefox Extensions

Christian — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 05:33:00 +0000

There are times when we update our Firefox to the latest version, some of the add-ons installed will be automatically disabled because they’re not compatible with the latest version of the browser. I know that this is really disappointing especially if the add-ons that are not compatible are the ones which we often use. Good thing there is an extension that can fix this issue and that is Add-on Compatibility Reporter.

Add-on Compatibility Reporter is a nice Firefox/Thunderbird extension that enables incompatible add-ons for you to test if they’re still working properly with the version of Firefox/Thunderbird you’re using. If you notice that some of the add-ons do not work properly or causing your browser to crash, just open the Add-ons options and click Compatibility next to that add-on to send a report to Mozilla.

If you really want to take part in helping Mozilla or the extension developers in testing and reporting of extension compatibility, installing Add-on Compatibility Reporter is the best thing that you can do. The reports will be sent directly to Mozilla and they’ll let the developers know the issues that their users are facing so that they can do something about it.

NOTE: Mozilla recommends this add-on to Alpha and Beta users only since they’re the ones who often experience these kind of issues.

© 2010, The content is copyrighted to The Heat Web blog by Christian Casino. Please refer to the license before using our content.
Permalink | Post tags: addon, compatibility, Firefox, reports

My iSmudginator – Flash-based iPhone Simulator

Christian — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 07:15:04 +0000

Have you ever wondered how will an iPhone look once it has been filled with finger prints, scratches, and ear prints? I’m sure you don’t want to test it on your phone but if you’re really curious to find out, you can check out My iSmudginator, a Flash-based iPhone simulator.

My iSmudginator allows users to add finger prints, scratches, and greasy ear prints to the iPhone. You can also use the handy-dandy iCloth to remove the finger and ear prints but for you to remove the scratches, you have to click the Reset button. Since iSmudginator is Flash-based, you can only use it if you have Flash installed on your PC.

I know most of you wish that removing the iPhone scratches is as easy as clicking the reset button here in iSmudginator.

© 2010, The content is copyrighted to The Heat Web blog by Christian Casino. Please refer to the license before using our content.
Permalink | Post tags: flash-based, iPhone, simulator

Add-Art – Give A New Look To The Ads On The Web

Christian — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 06:20:09 +0000

Are you the type of person who loves to see art anywhere you look – even on your computer? If yes, then I’m quite sure that you will like Add-Art, a Firefox add-on that replaces advertisements on different websites with a very nice artistic images that will really catch your attention.

Here’s how it looks without Add-Art:

And here’s how it looks with Add-Art:

Add-Art is bundled with the very famous AdblockPlus extension that blocks all the ads you see on the web. To use Add-Art, all you have to do is open your Firefox and install the add-on. Once installed, restart your browser. After restarting Firefox, you will be asked to subscribe to a filter list. Choose the one that is most appropriate for your region/language and click Subscribe. You’re done!

Every 2 weeks, Add-Art releases new set of art shows for you to enjoy. From now on, you should be seeing art images instead of advertisements.

© 2010, The content is copyrighted to The Heat Web blog by Christian Casino. Please refer to the license before using our content.
Permalink | Post tags: adblock, addon, ads, art, Firefox, images

10 Best Free Alternatives To Adobe Acrobat Reader

Christian — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 03:45:00 +0000

This is a guest post by James Adams. If you want to guest post on this blog, just drop me a message using the Contact page.

The PDF is the standard format for document sharing everywhere. When Adobe created Acrobat, it swept the world because of its ease of use. Nearly every user installed Adobe Reader onto their computers so they could read these files. Times have changed, and Adobe Reader’s installation can take up to 100+ megs with the add-ons and toolbars that it attempts to install. Here are ten alternatives to Adobe Reader.

1. Sumatra PDF [Windows] This is a one file PDF reader which values simplicity over everything else. This is a bare bones reader which has navigation tools to get around your PDF quickly and easily. This reader was designed to run off of a USB drive with a single file.

2. PDF Hammer [Web Based] PDF Hammer allows you to merge multiple files, edit the order of your PDF documents and password protect your PDF files. You can set the document information and create metadata in your files.

3. Cool PDF Reader [Windows] This light-weight reader is speedy. You can convert your PDF to EPS, GIF, JPG, BMP and more. Extract your PDFs to TXT files for easy editing. This is a no-nonsense solution for PDFs.

4. eXPert PDF Reader [Windows] eXPert Reader is a bloat-free PDF reader which lets you view and print your PDfs. You can also modify comments or outlines and insert rubber stamps. It is skinnable and fast.

5. Foxit Reader [Windows, Linux, Mobile] Foxit Reader is a very light solution to the bloated Adobe Reader. You can add comments to PDF documents, run spell checking, convert your PDFs into text files and much more. You also have the ability to edit your bookmarks and search in the PDFs.

6. PDF-XChange Viewer [Windows] With the XChange Viewer, you can add custom stamps. You can export your files to the PNG, TIF, BMP formats. You can also add annotations to your PDF files. You also have the ability to type on any PDF page.

7. Nitro Reader [Windows] Nitro Reader lets you rotate your PDF files, find text in the document and view your documents full screen. You can switch between PDFs at any time with Nitro’s tabbed viewing. You can read your PDFs in email.

8. Skim [Mac OS X] With Skim, you can view, edit, annotate, and crop your PDFs. This powerful PDF reader for Mac also lets you save your passwords with Keychain and export your PDFs as text files. You can apply bookmarks and read your files full screen.

9. Preview [Mac OS X] Mac users with OS X do not need to get more software for their PDF files. Preview allows you to view, print and edit PDFs. You can annotate, combine and add images to your PDFs.

10. Gnostice PDF Reader [Windows, Mac OS X, Linux] Export PDFs into many image formats. You also have the ability to rotate, zoom and page fit your PDFs. It is designed to be small and fit on a USB drive for portability. The program doesn’t require any registration.

There are numerous smaller and more efficient alternatives to Adobe Reader. You can choose a very basic reader like Cool PDF Reader or Sumatra, a more robust solution like Foxit Reader or PDF-XChange Reader, or something in between like the Gnostice PDF Reader. Your PDF reading is no longer limited to Adobe products.

About the author: James Adams is a staff writer at a print cartridge store based in the UK. James analyses new and old hardware such as the HP 300XL ink cartridge and also writes posts on their design blog, the Creative Cloud, about the arts and technology.

© 2010, The content is copyrighted to The Heat Web blog by Christian Casino. Please refer to the license before using our content.
Permalink | Post tags: Adober Reader, alternatives, Freeware, PDF, web-based

Flickroom – Adobe AIR App For Flickr

Christian — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 06:13:37 +0000

Are you an avid user of Flickr? If yes, you should check out Flickroom, an Adobe AIR based application that provides rich browsing experience for Flickr users.

Flickroom has probably all the features you need to complete your Flickr experience. You can use it to browse your photos, upload easily via drag and drop, chat with other Flickroom users, share photos via Twitter and Facebook, edit and manage your photos quickly and easily, view photo info, comments, and tags, and many more!

To use Flickroom, you must first download and install Adobe AIR. Once Adobe AIR has been installed, you can now install the application.

When you first run the application, you’ll be asked to login to your Flickr account and authorized Flickroom.

Once you have successfully authorized Flickroom, you can now enjoy all the awesome features of the application.

You can easily add comments or notes, edit photos’ information, save photos on disk, and tweet or upload pictures to your Facebook album.

You can also use its cool drag and drop photo uploader so you can upload your pictures easily without any hassle.

Its other features includes, tracking of your recent activities, search photos/users, and chat with other Flickroom users.

Flickroom is definitely one of the coolest applications to enhance your Flickr experience and it’s really worth trying. Even if it’s packed with a lot of cool features, Flickroom remains to be free of charge.

© 2010, The content is copyrighted to The Heat Web blog by Christian Casino. Please refer to the license before using our content.
Permalink | Post tags: adobe air, drag and drop, flickr, pictures

The Heat Web

7 Best File Compression Tools

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List Of Websites That Convert YouTube Videos To MP3

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My iSmudginator – Flash-based iPhone Simulator

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Add-Art – Give A New Look To The Ads On The Web

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10 Best Free Alternatives To Adobe Acrobat Reader

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Flickroom – Adobe AIR App For Flickr

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