2014 Review – Just Good News [video]

FreeFile Review – Any Burn

Any Burn is a portable burning application. It will burn almost every type of non-video optical disc (audio, data, ISO) onto CD, DVD or Blu-Ray. Since I discovered this program a month ago, it has become my go-to application for burning data discs. Any Burn is Windows only.

What I like –

Portable (no installation needed – just unzip and click on AnyBurn.exe).

Simplicity (limited options, but all the necessary ones are there).

Reliability (no program crashes, no burning errors).

Data discs burned quickly and problem free. In my audio CD test, a 48 minute, 12 track CD was ripped to Mp3s in 5 minutes. Those 12 Mp3 tracks were then burned to an audio CD in about 3 minutes. I find those times to be very good. The ISO functions also seem to work quickly and error free. Burning options are limited to the basics (recording speed, finalize, verify). CD rips can be saved at several different bit rates in several formats (Mp3, Wav, WMA, Flac or Ape).

What I didn’t like – Nothing – although, video DVDs would be nice.

– – – – – The Bottom Line – – – – –
AnyBurn’s simplicity and snappy performance make it a no-brainer. If you need burning software, get Any Burn.

Download AnyBurn HERE

Read more FreeFile Reviews at DanKostecki.com

 

2012 In 4 Minutes [video]

FreeFile Review – Video Converter Showdown 2

It has been nearly two years since my first head-to-head comparison of free video converters. In 2010, Freemake edged out Hamster due to its ability to author DVDs. Since then, Freemake has become one of my primary video applications. A few features have been added, but it is basically the same program it was in 2010.

This time, I tested TEncoder and Full Video Converter Free against Freemake Video Converter. All three programs are for Windows only. They all convert files quickly (thanks to multi-core support and GPU acceleration) and output files of whatever quality you choose. So, let’s look at their differences.

TEncoder is the odd man out. It works on fewer formats and has fewer features than the competition. The interface is rather busy and will confuse inexperienced users. Its performance was on par with the other two programs, but without any advanced features, I can’t recommend it.

Full Video Converter Free pleasantly surprised me with a lot of features. It can perform simple video edits (trim, crop, adjust brightness, contrast and saturation), apply a variety of filters, join videos and capture snapshots from the video. It is able to create VOB files for DVDs, but it does not author DVDs. The interface is clean and easy to use. Performance was very good, however, it did crash once in testing and it regularly pops up a window advertising the paid version of the program.

Freemake Video Converter is the easiest to use of the three programs. It does not have all the editing features of Full Video Converter Free, but it is the only one of the three programs that authors DVDs. Performance is very good.

– – – – The Bottom Line – – – –
I continue to recommend Freemake for its ease of use and DVD authoring. Full Video Converter Free is a good choice if you need to make some simple video edits or capture a snapshot and don’t want to pay for video editing software.

Download Freemake Video Converter HERE

Download Full Video Converter Free HERE

Visit DanKostecki.com for more FreeFile Reviews

The 1st. video converter review (2010) HERE

FreeFile Review – Sudoku

I recently took a look at two free Sudoku puzzle applications that are quite different – one is no-frills, the other is packed with options. Both programs are Windows only and require no installation. Also, both allow the player to select the level of difficulty.

The first one, CR-Sudoku is a simple Sudoku game, best for on-screen play. It generates only the standard 9×9 Sudoku grids and has no print function. The on-screen play is aided with ‘Show Errors’ and ‘Next Move’ functions as well as the option to enter small “helper numbers” with a right-click.

The other program, Color Sudoku, is a full-feature game for both on-screen and paper-and-pencil play. It will generate a printable PDF file with multiple games on each page for those who prefer paper-and-pencil. Grids are not limited to the standard 9×9, but can be configured from a simple 6×6 to a 20×20, with 8 different multiple grid layouts. Very large, very difficult games are possible. For on-screen play, ‘Show Errors’ and ‘Hint’ functions are available, but it lacks CR-Sudoku’s “helper numbers” function. One interesting feature is the option to use colors, instead of numbers. Interesting, but I don’t know if I will ever use it.

– – – – The Bottom Line – – – –

As someone who prefers paper-and-pencil Sudoku, Color Sudoku is my first choice, however, if your preference is for on-screen play on 9×9 grids, CR-Sudoku is the way to go. Since both are completely free, grab both.

Download Color Sudoku HERE

Download CR-Sudoku HERE

Visit DanKostecki.com for more FreeFile Reviews

 

Sperm Bank Reviews On Google Maps – Very Funny [pic]

Click HERE to supersize it.

original source

Data Recovery Freeware Shootout

If you’ve ever accidentally deleted a photo from your camera or had a memory card crap out, a data recovery program may save the day. I’ve tested 3 free ones – Recuva , MJM Photo Recovery and Zero Assumption Recovery – and here’s what I found.
Installation was quick and problem free on all three programs. Interfaces of MJM and Zero Assumption are quite similar and simple. Recuva’s interface is more refined and includes a wizard to walk you through the recovery process. I found the wizard useful. All three programs are easy to use – simply select which drive to scan, where to store recovered files and click ‘start’.
All three apps were tested for data recovery. Twenty five photos were loaded onto a brand new 4GB SD card and onto a well-used 64MB thumbdrive. In round one all 25 photos were deleted and then each program tried to recover them. In round two, the 25 photos were loaded onto the memory again, but the memory was formatted, to simulate a memory card crash. Recuva and MJM tied with 86% of the photos successfully recovered over all 4 tests. Zero Assumption recovered a dissappointing 63%.
Speed is the only other benchmark that matters. Recuva destroyed the competion by completing all 4 scans in under 5 minutes each. Zero Assumption scanned the 64MB thumbdrive in about 6 minutes, but scanning the 4GB SD card took over an hour. MJM scanned the 64MB thumbdrive in about 35 minutes, but scanning the 4GB SD card took well over an hour.
Based on my testing, Recuva is the obvious choice. It is the fastest program (by a wide margin), it tied for the best percentage of photos recovered and has the most refined interface.
Download Recuva HERE
Download MJM HERE
Download Zero Assumption HERE

DanKostecki.com

Is Chrome The Worst Browser Ever?

UPDATE – March 28, 2011

A new review is now available HERE. It features reviews of Firefox 4, Chrome 10 and IE 9.

June 2010 – Is Google’s Chrome the worst browser ever? It isn’t the worst ever, but it is the worst browser today. I originally took a look at Chrome on its release in 2008, and after recently reading a few glowing reviews, I decided to take another look at it. In 2008, I found the browser fast, but crashy and lacking in features. Now, in 2010, little has changed. Installation was quick and problem free. Chrome even did an excellent job importing my Links Bar from Firefox – I was impressed. It still seems to be fast at rendering pages.

Now the bad. I had heard a lot about how Chrome now has extensions ‘just like Firefox’, so I tried to find extensions similar to the six extensions that I use with Firefox, I could find only one of the six. Strike one!

Very few things in Chrome’s interface can be customized by the user. Buttons cannot be added or removed. The tab bar cannot be repositioned (even with an extension). For a tweaker like me, this Apple-like, our way or no way attitude is a major negative. Strike two!

I was unable to test on a Mac because Chrome is only available for OSX 10.5 and later. Lastly, I again found crash problems. Crashes occurred on only one of two Windows XP systems that were tested, indicating a possible software conflict on the suspect pc, but since no other applications on that pc have crash issues, that is strike three – Chrome, you’re out!

Also, Chrome has always tauted its ability to isolate a crash to the lone offending tab. I have never observed this behavior; when it chrashes, all tabs and the browser go down.

Chrome does make sense on netbooks, where its speed and light weight are big positives. However, with screen real estate scarce, Chrome’s lack of customization is even more painful. Why can’t the Download Bar be disabled?

Chrome may be a good choice if you want a no-frills browser, but I will not be using it. I still prefer Firefox for all of the customization that it offers. I even rate Internet Explorer slightly above Chrome, although I won’t be using IE either. Hopefully, my next review of Chrome will be more positive.
Download Chrome HERE

Download Firefox HERE

DanKostecki.com