Snagit

When I found out about Snagit through some online reviews, I was hesitant to buy it at first since I’m not fond of buying software programs (I’m a freeware fanatic). But then, there’s something in me that wanted to try it so I decided to purchase my very first licensed software app. And it was actually one of the best decisions I’ve ever made!

Snagit Editor

Snagit saves me a lot of time and effort. Aside from being a perfect all-in-one screen capture app, it also comes with a great annotation tool that lets you edit your screenshots and put some texts, arrows, or highlights, in just a few clicks! Perfect for reviewing apps and adding comments on the picture.

Snagit – Awesome Features

All-in-One

One of my most favorite features of Snagit is the All-in-One which lets you capture the whole screen, a region, a window, or a scrolling window in just one-click! This is really great if you’re undecided which part of the screen you’re going to capture.

Cool effects

Want to add some awesome effects to your screenshots? Well, with Snagit Editor, you can easily do that in just a few clicks.

Stylishly delete unwanted pieces of an image by removing vertical and horizontal sections. Add a background image to fill the gap, or make it transparent. You can also make your image look as if one of the corners is folded over for an eye-grabbing effect. Pick from one of the preset page curl options, or create your own.

Share easily

Once you finished editing your capture, you can easily save it to your preferred format then share it with friends via email, upload to Screencast.com (with free 2GB of storage), or publish it to your website via FTP.

I just hope that they’ll include direct share to Facebook or Twitter on their future updates.

Organize

Snagit also knows that it’ll be quite difficult to organize all your screenshots after a long time of using it that’s why it’s good that Snagit has the auto-tagging feature that lets you search for your captures by date, website, application, or a custom flag that you create and assign.

Even now that I’m already working, I still use it every time I need to capture anything on my screen. All my laptops have Snagit installed and the only thing that’s missing now is an Android app.

* Snagit has a PC and Mac versions.

You can try the full version of Snagit for free for 30 days or purchase a license key worth $49.95. Another option is to join The Heat Web’s exclusive giveaway and get a chance to win a genuine Snagit license key for free! Check out the details below for more info.

Snagit – Exclusive Giveaway

TechSmith, the company behind Snagit, has been very kind and generous to sponsor three (3) license keys to be given away to The Heat Web readers!

NOTE: The license key is good for the Windows version (10) or Mac version (1), and the winners can use the winning keys on up to two machines under the licensing agreement. So if someone runs a Mac at work and a PC at home they can install each version once with the same key, or install two Windows versions with the same key – one for home, one for work, etc.

To join this giveaway, simply follow the steps below.

Step 1

Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or add us on Google+ (Optional, but higher preference will be given to our followers)

Step 2

Like, tweet, or +1 this post.

Step 3

Leave a comment with the link to your post. Winners will be notified through email so make sure you enter a valid email address when leaving a comment.

This giveaway starts today and ends on February 12, 2011. Winners will be chosen randomly. Good luck to everyone!

Let’s show our love to Snagit by following them on Twitter or Facebook.

Love this giveaway? We got more awesome giveaways ahead! Be the first to know by subscribing to our newsletter. Please use the form below. Thanks!

© 2012, The content is copyrighted to The Heat Web blog by Christian Casino. Please refer to the license before using our content.
Permalink | Post tags: application, featured, giveaway, Mac, screen capture tool, screenshot, upload, Windows

Nightfall Mysteries: Asylum Conspiracy

The game revolves around Christine, an orphan who travels to an abandoned mental institution named Ashburg Asylum to find her missing grandfather.

Once there, she discovers that the asylum is not so abandoned after all, and that something sinister has been going on. As she explores the eerie grounds of the asylum and encounters one unsettling character after another, Christine uncovers the dark secrets of the institution and, ultimately, the truth about her past.

This exciting and thrilling puzzle game provides over 6 hours of gameplay, tons of hidden objects to discover as you make your way deeper into the conspiracy! The game features excellent graphics, and impressive story line that will keep you entertained for hours.

Nightfall Mysteries: Asylum Conspiracy – Main features

• Over 120 screens to explore
• 15 challenging puzzles to solve
• Hundreds of hidden objects to find
• Interactive tutorial
• Unlimited hints

Nightfall Mysteries: Asylum Conspiracy – Download for free

Help Christine find her missing grandfather. Download Nightfall Mysterious: Asylum Conspiracy (worth $9.99) for free for a limited time only and help her unravel the mystery of asylum and uncover the secrets of her past.

Download Nightfall Mysterious: Asylum Conspiracy – For PC

System requirements:
OS: Windows XP/Vista/7
CPU: 1.0 GHz
RAM: 512 MB
DirectX: 8.0
Hard Drive: 191 MB

Download Nightfall Mysterious: Asylum Conspiracy – For Mac

System requirements:
OS: 10.4
CPU: 800 Mhz
RAM: 256 MB
Hard Drive: 198 MB

(via Techno360)

© 2012, The content is copyrighted to The Heat Web blog by Christian Casino. Please refer to the license before using our content.
Permalink | Post tags: free download, games, Mac, mystery, puzzle, recommended, Windows

SnowFox iPod Video Converter

SnowFox iPod Video Converter lets you convert home video files such as AVI, MPEG, WMV, DivX, XviD, 3GP, MOV, M4V, FLV, VOB, etc., and extract audio from these video files to iPod supported formats, including iPod MP4(H.264), iPod MP4(MPEG-4) MOV, MP3, and AAC with high speed and good quality.

It  says in their website that it can adjust brightness/contrast and apply different video effects on the video but I can’t really find that option. The only thing that I can do with it is to trim video clips. It also has a built-in player but it’s a bit disappointing too.

SnowFox iPod Video Converter is specifically designed for iPod users. It supports all the iPod series including the new iPod Touch 4, iPod Classic, iPod Touch 3G and iPod Shuffle.

The good thing about SnowFox iPod Video Converter is that it has both Mac and Windows versions so you can enjoy it on your PC or Mac.

SnowFox iPod Video Converter Giveaway

Though I’m not totally impressed with the SnowFox iPod Video Converter, it’s still a decent video converter for iPod considering that it’s fast and easy to use. If you’re looking for an app to convert all your home video files to iPod supported formats, try SnowFox iPod Video Converter and get it while it’s free.

* This Halloween promo of SnowFox is valid until October 31, 2011 only.

© 2011, The content is copyrighted to The Heat Web blog by Christian Casino. Please refer to the license before using our content.
Permalink | Post tags: application, featured, Freebies, giveaway, iPod, Mac, video converter, Windows

iPhone and iPad users know so well the pain when transferring video or audio files from PC/Mac in order to watch it on the iOS device. Sometimes it may require them to convert the media file first if they are not in the right formats. Lucky for others if they already have the application that they can use to convert these files but for many, they still have to search for a free video converter software which is really a time-consuming case, big headache for Apple users!

Luckily, Air Playit is here to the rescue! It is a revolutionary app designed to stream video & audio files from PC/Mac to iPhone/iPad without the need of conversion and transferring. As it claims, it is capable of streaming 320 different video and audio formats via WiFi, 3G, or 4G network.

It does a pretty good job at handling variety of media formats, allowing you to convert videos on the fly and watch them instantly, without taking up any space on your device at all!

Actually, Air Playit is not the first media streaming app but it is the first one that comes with innovative functions while keeping it free. Compare to other similar video streaming apps, it has a nice feature which lets you download compatible audio and video formats to your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch over air. It will be stored to the Download Library inside Air Playit so you can enjoy watching them anytime even when you’re offline.

Air Playit also works as a remote video converter software that lets you convert incompatible videos offline then download it later to your device via network.

Image source: AddictiveTips

More than a video streaming app, Air Playit is also an audio streaming app to stream music to iPhone, iPad, iPod via network. Another cool feature that Air Playit has is the Built-in HTTP server which can be used to access the audios and videos stored on your PC or Mac via any web browser. When you’re done, you can use Air Playit to remotely control your computer to shutdown or restart.

Download Air Playit Server

Download Air Playit iPhone Client

Note: The iPad version is under review, will not be available until next week. Android version will be available soon!

© 2011, The content is copyrighted to The Heat Web blog by Christian Casino. Please refer to the license before using our content.
Permalink | Post tags: iOS, Mac, media files, recommended, stream, video converter, WiFi, Windows

Create An Account

In order to use Puush, you need to create an account first. You can do that once the app has been installed on your computer.

Once you’ve created your account, you’re now ready to use Puush! The first thing you need to do is to go to Settings and change the hotkey combinations to your liking. If you’re already comfortable using the default hotkeys, you don’t need to change it.

Taking Screenshots

To take screenshots, you just need to press the hotkey combinations you set, then automatically, the screenshot will be uploaded to Puush’s server. Once the upload is finished, a balloon from the notification area will popup notifying you that the upload is complete! The short URL is then automatically copied to your clipboard.

By default, Puush doesn’t save a copy of the screenshot to your hard drive, however, you can change this setting so you can also have a local copy of the image.

Upload Files

One of its killer features is the ability to upload any files not just your captured images. To do this, just click the hotkey combinations for upload file (default: CTRL+SHIFT+U) then choose the file you wish to upload. Once done, you’ll be given a short URL that you can use to share it with your friends. You can also use the hotkey combinations when you’re in Windows Explorer to quickly upload selected files.

You can easily track your recent upload history by right-clicking on the Puush’s icon located in the notification area.

Puush Online Account

You can also access your captured images or uploaded files online by logging in to your Puush account. From there you can delete captured images, move to Private folder, etc.

Puush’s Limitations

Puush has two versions: Free and Pro. The free version has an upload limit of 20 MB per file size and its total account storage is up to 200 MB only while the Pro version has a maximum upload limit of 250 MB per file size and an unlimited storage. The Pro version costs only $15/yr.

Puush works for both Windows and Mac machines

* Looking for an alternative for Snagit? Check out the 8 Free Screen Capture and Alternatives for Snagit.

© 2011, The content is copyrighted to The Heat Web blog by Christian Casino. Please refer to the license before using our content.
Permalink | Post tags: instantly, Mac, recommended, screen capture tool, screenshot, upload, Windows

Android Screenshots and Screen Capture or a.k.a. Ashot is a great tool designed to take screenshots and record screencasts of your Android device easily. You just have to connect your phone to your laptop/desktop via a USB connection and voila! You can now view your phone’s screen on your desktop.

Another great feature of Ashot is that it can automatically capture screen for you. All the screen changes of Android will be captured and saved on your desired folder. To do this, you just have to click the Start Capture button and when you’re done, just click it again. However, if you just want to take a single screenshot, just click Save Screenshot.

You can also control and adjust the size and orientation of the screen. You can view it in landscape, zoom in and zoom out, or just the actual size.

Ashot is really great if you’re planning to deliver a presentation in your class and I’m pretty sure that you’ll stand out! Watch the video below to see how Ashot works.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c50kXaaHhac

Ashot is very quick and easy to install but make sure you have Java Development Kit (JDK) and Android SDK installed first. Here’s a complete guide on how you can install and troubleshoot Ashot.

* It works on Windows and Mac machines.

© 2011, The content is copyrighted to The Heat Web blog by Christian Casino. Please refer to the license before using our content.
Permalink | Post tags: Android, Mac, recommended, record, screencasts, screenshot, Windows

MacX iPad DVD Video Converter Pack is consist of MacX iPad DVD Ripper and MacX iPad Video Converter that enables Mac users to convert any DVD and video to iPad/iPad 2 supported format as well as to MP4, MOV, FLV, etc.

Giveaway details:

Download MacX iPad DVD Video Converter Pack* and use the license code below to activate it.

License code: BK-TQUOYQYD-PXRXEP

* For Mac users only.

This giveaway will run until March 10, 2011 only so hurry before it’s too late!

© 2011, The content is copyrighted to The Heat Web blog by Christian Casino. Please refer to the license before using our content.
Permalink | Post tags: DVD, giveaway, iPad, license key, Mac, video converter

Threats from external sources have created a need for everyone with internet access to use an encryption tool to secure all information that resides on servers and computers. Large corporations have always used extensive measures to protect their computer networks from viruses and attempts to hack into databases, but many smaller businesses and private users usually ignore threats until an identity is stolen or a network is compromised. Information contained in every spreadsheet or report is the responsibility of the company to protect, and lawsuits can be filed if someone is able to steal that information.

Consider installing one of these top five encryption tools on every computer and server to protect valuable information from external threats. Each of these programs is meant to be installed on every computer. Encryption processes take place in the background without intervention from the user. Every private computer user would be wise to select one of these programs and install the software on computers in the office or at home to prevent outside invasion and theft of personal information.

1. Pretty Good Privacy – (PGP)

• Recently purchased by Symantec Corporation
• Known throughout many industries as the standard in data encryption used to protect sensitive information on removable and permanent data storage devices containing information stored in spreadsheets, word processing documents, email, instant messages, and any other form residing on the media.
• Considered the easiest and most comprehensive software program in nearly every application from the smallest home office to multinational organizations that must protect employees and citizens from foreign investigations into private information.
• Method: Public Key Encryption
• Price: $239 for full version (required in certain applications)
• OS: Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux

2. Stunnel

• Program designed to allow a network to encrypt inbound arbitrary TCP connections that reside inside the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)
• Requires an SSL library, such as OpenSLL, to perform correctly.
• Complex encryption protection of information throughout the network is available after proper setup procedures have been implemented. Transparent to every user and impenetrable to threats from external threats.
• Method: Universal SSL Wrapper
• Price: Free (requires open source code)

3. TrueCrypt

• Encryption solution based on open source implementation written and provided by the True Crypt Foundation.
• Provides varying level of encryption based on the need of the software program used.
• Localized encryption is used for Microsoft programs since drive encryption is not possible when working inside these programs.
• Rated as extremely easy to use and effective in on-the-fly use that enables the user to access any file without extra steps to remove the encryption prior to editing the file.
• Method: Creates a virtual encrypted disk
• Price: Free
• OS: Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux

4. Kruptos 2.0 Professional

• Menu driven with drag and drop option for easy use for each file. Nested files within each directory are treated as individual files.
• Invoked one file at a time for easy control and retrieval of all encrypted files.
• Allows easy editing of encrypted files and re-encrypts the file when it is closed after use.
• Easily integrates with Windows for easy use without attention to actively encrypting and removing encryption through extra steps. All functions are available through the menus.
• Method: Algorithm used for encryption is Blowfish 128-bit
• Price: $14.99 for full version (offers 30-day free trial)
• OS: Windows only

5. Folder Lock

• Provides the option to simply lock folders from external view or apply the encryption algorithm. Whenever the program is opened, the master password must be entered by the user. When external penetration is attempted, the computer can be set to shut down.
• Offers a “stealth” mode to hide the existence of the program on the computer.
• Encryption file size is limited to 25 MB in the free version.
• Method: Blowfish 256-bit encryption algorithm
• Price: Free trial version, $39.95 for full version
• OS: Windows only

The most powerful encryption programs used to protect information that resides on computers are free of charge. When evaluating the best program to protect the information on your computers, look closely at the level of encryption the program provides and the ease of use. Price is not an indicator of the power of the product in this particular segment of the software industry. Repetitive use of the program will build confidence in the software options. External attempts to penetrate the network security can be viewed easily through the statistics options in each of the programs.

Also see: How to password-protect Excel/PowerPoint/Word Documents

About the author: James works at Office Kitten, one of the UK’s top suppliers of business equipment.

© 2011, The content is copyrighted to The Heat Web blog by Christian Casino. Please refer to the license before using our content.
Permalink | Post tags: applications, encrypt, Linux, list, Mac, security threats, Windows

YoWindow is a cool weather monitoring application that gives you animated real time weather reports whether you are in the U.S., or in the Philippines, or anywhere in the world.

If you’re working in an office or a cubicle with no windows, you’ll find this application really helpful because there’s no need for you to look outside just to know the weather on your location. YoWindow gives real time cloud coverage, rain/snow, fog and even thunderstorm!

YoWindow, once installed, can also be set as your default screensaver. It also shows the temperature in the notification area.

YoWindow also allows you to add as many locations as you want. The software will then download the weather data for those locations and display accordingly.

YoWindow has a free and paid versions. The free version gives you weather forecast of up to 3 days while the paid version can give you up to 6-9 days. It works perfectly on Windows, and now, on Mac OS too!

With YoWindow, you bring with you your personal weather forecaster anytime, and anywhere you go!

© 2011, The content is copyrighted to The Heat Web blog by Christian Casino. Please refer to the license before using our content.
Permalink | Post tags: desktop, Mac, screensaver, weather forecast, Windows

Here are the five products to choose from:

1. Video Converter for Mac

This Mac app is designed to convert formats among nearly all popular video and audio file formats. It enables you to change any unaccepted media files into compatible files with Mac OS X and iOS devices. In addition, the Mac video converter allows you to edit videos by cropping, trimming or adding video effects to the original files to create personalized videos.

This application is a must-have for users who enjoy watching videos on their Apple devices.

2. Freesync

Freesync enables users to transfer the iPod/iPhone/iPad songs back to Mac. With this application, you can now simultaneously connect multiple devices to Mac and share music between devices more conveniently without the need to use iTunes. If you need to transfer more files like photos, movies, playlist, e-books, and audio books, you then need to upgrade to SyncPod, a one-stop shop media manager between Mac and iOS devices.

SyncPod also features support for directly copying DVD movies and virtually any video and audio formats to Apple devices.

3. DVD Creator for Mac

I just had a giveaway for this application that ended last January 20, and for those who weren’t able to win a free license key, here’s your second chance to win one!

DVD Creator for Mac lets you burn downloaded movies, self-made videos, and slideshows into DVD disc, or to DVD folder, ISO or DVD media file that can be played directly with Apple DVD player or other regular DVD players. It also lets users apply lots of gorgeous animated DVD menu styles and themes to create a stylish DVD.

4. DVD Ripper for Mac

iSkysoft DVD Ripper for Mac is a powerful DVD ripping software for Mac users to rip encrypted or homemade DVDs with ease. With this application, users can enjoy watching their favorite DVDs right from their portable devices like iPod, iPhone, iPad, etc.

5. Free Video Downloader for Mac

Free Video Downloader for Mac lets users easily and quickly download any YouTube videos including movie trailers, music videos, and etc. to your Mac. If you’re using Safari, it will automatically detect YouTube videos and with just one click, you can download the video instantly! No need for you to copy paste the URL into the program which is a waste of time. If you want to download videos from other websites, you then need to upgrade to iTube Studio which helps you download videos (HD videos supported) from YouTube, Facebook, Google/Yahoo!/Bing Video, Vimeo, and many other video-sharing sites opened in Safari.

You can also use iTube Studio to convert the downloaded videos to iPod/iPhone/iPad supported files.

* Free Video Downloader and iTube Studio has a built-in video player for the convenient playback of FLV files on Mac.

Giveaway details:

Now that you’ve seen all the applications, I’m sure most of you are having a hard time to choose the one which attracts you most. Once you made a decision, just tell us the app you want to take home and include a reason why you chose that. We will then choose 10 lucky winners with the most striking reasons. This giveaway will end on February 10, 2011 and winners will be informed through email.

Good luck to everyone!

Make sure that you follow The Heat Web on Twitter or Facebook because there are some giveaways that I don’t publish here and I’m sure you don’t want to miss it!

© 2011, The content is copyrighted to The Heat Web blog by Christian Casino. Please refer to the license before using our content.
Permalink | Post tags: application, free, Mac, video