With so much free software available to download from the internet, it’s difficult deciding what to install! To make life easier I decided to create a list of free cool software that will actually be useful!
Puffin Browser
Puffin Browser is a mobile browser that has gained huge popularity over the last few years and recently launched a Windows version. Puffin uses cloud servers, when you search the internet, their server pre-processes and compresses the data that you download less data to show the web page. This can be useful for people who ISP’s such as Comcast that are implementing limits on data usage for customers. Puffins best feature is that it blocks malicious websites trying to infect computers with viruses. For increased privacy I recommend browsing in incognito mode so your browser doesn’t store cookies, temporary files or web pages. The browser is currently in beta on Windows and available for use on iOS and Android.
VSDC Free Video Editor
This free video editing software contains features often found in expensive editing tools. Its library is full of visual and audio effects, including color correction, object transformation object filters, special effects and transition effects. VSDC also allows you to export videos in HD and 4k. One of the few limitations of the free version is that it does not
allow for hardware acceleration to speed up the process of exporting and you won’t be able to export unless hardware acceleration is turned off. If you need help using VSDC, visit their how-to section which has a dozen tutorials. If you’re looking for a video editor that doesn’t have a steep learning curve then VSDC is the perfect option.
CPU-Z
CPU-Z is a system profiling and monitoring software that detects the CPU, RAM, motherboard chipset along with other
important hardware features. CPU-Z is more sophisticated than the normal tools within the Windows operating system. When you open CPU-Z, you’ll see the data in a tabbed interface with several categories to choose from including CPU, caches, mainboard, memory, SPD and graphics. The data here is raw with no explanation, so it’s not ideal for beginners. Despite this, it’s a useful program that help users to analyze the performance of a computer.
Shoebox
Shoebox provide free unlimited photo storage that is available on Windows Mac iOS and Android. Similarly to Google Photo’s you are able to backup your photos automatically from a computer, phone or tablet. By default your photos are stored as private, so you don’t have to worry about others accessing your photos unless you want them to. The software is so simple to use that almost anybody could figure out how to use it within minutes. Shoebox gives you unlimited photo backup with a resolution up to 10.6 megapixels and allows 15 minutes of video backup on their free plan. For $5 per month on their pro plan, your photos are stored in their original resolution and you can get up to 10 hours of video backup.
Mixxx
Mixxx is a free DJ mixing program with a full range of mixing, programming and effects which you can use for recordings or live presentations. It has full integration with songs from iTunes and supports most of the common music file formats. It contains many of the features used in expensive DJ mixing software. When you first open Mixxx, the user interface is overwhelming. Thankfully in their support section they provide links to their wiki user manual and community forums where you can receive additional help. Mixxx is available on Windows, Mac and Linux.
