You don’t buy a program like iVideoToGo because it can transfer video to an iPod or PSP. A growing number of programs offer this ability. You buy such a program for how quickly it does this, as well as its price, how it handles, and what else it offers. At $29.95, iVTG is no lemon.

Like Partition Manager’s installation, iVTG’s raised one gripe, namely an invitation to anonymously transfer data to InterVideo’s Information Service Program that was defaulted to yes, as well as a Google Desktop installation. I appreciate the offers, just not the assumption my answer is “yes.” Otherwise, testing went smoothly on a 3.2GHz Intel P4 WinXP system with 1GB of RAM and 150GB drive and an Athlon 64 3700+ WinXP system with 2GB of RAM and 80GB drive.

If you’ve used InterVideo’s PowerDVD or other software, you have an idea of how iVTG handles. iVTG claims to put video on your portable device in three easy steps, which it does. Convert DVD, Convert File, and Copy To Go buttons get you started. Say you want to convert a DVD to MPEG-4 video to put on an iPod. Just select the source drive (copy-protected DVDs won’t work), destination folder, and format (MPEG-4 or H.264 variations). It’s that easy.

Read more »

Yellow sticky notes have been a fixture on the Windows Desktop for years, but as with real Post-it Notes, there are limits to their uses. Lots of sticky notes tend to get disorganized and usually can’t hold that much information, but there are alternatives. One of the more useful is AM-Notebook, a “note-taking program” that combines useful features with simplicity and virtually instant access.

The main way AM-Notebook breaks away from the limitation sticky notes present is to get rid of the yellow notepad theme. As an alternative, YM-Notebook has a dual-pane window with an organization tree on the left and your notes on the right. Tabs in each pane let you further organize multiple notes at once.

Although AM-Notebook can handle more than just text, it does a good job with it: There are several formatting commands for notes (fonts, colors, paragraphs, etc.), you can add hyperlinks to your notes, and so on. You can also set up spreadsheets with AM-Notebook, but they can only handle simple mathematical formulas.

Read more »

There are times when the undo button just isn’t enough: You don’t want to undo the last one, two, or 10 actions you’ve performed, you want to start over completely with your changes. Many programs have a revert command, but these usually only let you go back one version. Enter Verjet, a universal versioning and regression utility for Windows, which works with nearly anything and is simple to use.

Once you install Verjet, you tell it what folders you want it to monitor (such as My Documents), and you’re basically finished with setup and configuration. Thereafter, any time you save a file in that folder or its subdirectories, Verjet takes a copy, renames it based on the date and time, and then stores it away in an invisible subfolder called “__history.” To restore an older version of a file, click the Browse button in the Verjet Control Center, right-click your file, and select History from the dropdown menu. In the Verjet History View window, select the older version of the file you want to restore and click the
Revert button.

Read more »

Unlike the other programs, Migrate Easy focuses its migration efforts on drive-to-drive rather than system-to-system transfers. It proves useful, for instance, when upgrading from a drive with a small capacity to one with a larger capacity or when moving a hard drive from an old PC to a new one.

It has a straightforward installation and an intuitive interface that provides one-click access to its two primary migration functions: disk cloning and adding a new drive. Each option is accompanied by a wizard for step-by-step assistance. The online help files offer additional guidance, although experienced computer users probably won’t need it.

The utility handily manages the entire disk migration process. It can create, delete, copy, and even resize partitions to make full use of a larger drive’s capacity. It will copy all of the programs, data, and settings from an old drive to a new one and then wipe the old drive clean and redeploy it for use as a backup drive, if that’s what the user wants to do. Migrate Easy can establish the new drive as the boot drive, as well, allowing users to avoid the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) setup tool.

Read more »

Panda Antivirus (PAV) 2007 seems like quite a bargain $29.95 to protect two computers from viruses and spyware. The designers went for small and fast, creating a product that has a lightweight install and produces no noticeable drag on system performance. But you get what you pay for: The app’s protection doesn’t come up to that of higher priced products even Panda’s own.

The utility scans for viruses on demand and on access. It scans both inbound and outbound e-mail attachments but lacks other expected features. You’ll find no scheduled scan and no ability to quarantine malware, for example. Search for Panda’s TruPrevent technology, which blocks zeroday attacks, and you’ll also come up empty-handed. Yet despite the dearth of features, you still need to explore complex configuration options, because PAV turns off some useful features by default.

Read more »

Although this PIM looks and feels like a stripped-down Outlook, it’s attractive. But you get no password manager, conduits for syncing PDAs cost extra, and you really pay to share info. Small but colorful and easily identified buttons on a bar give access to core functions : Contacts, Calendar, Tasks, Diary, and Notes. Pin the buttons to the screen and they become tabs with cool flyout panes (but I like the default layout better).

Contacts and Calendar offer the usual capabilities (you can attach files to contacts, link contacts to calendar and task entries, and so on) and views. The versatile Notes area lets you enter your thoughts into a Rich Text editor, create floating “sticky” notes, and even access Web pages. But the “browser” lacks navigation controls and won’t update the page on subsequent viewings.

Read more »

Beyond managing contacts, appointments tasks, and notes, this PIM, like AnyTime Deluxe, tracks passwords. But nowhere else does this pricey, underpowered program match its rival. I admire its fl exible design but not its weak calendaring, support for external programs, and networking.

The app has pluses the tree-like folder structure, for example, makes accessing main modules (Contacts, Events, Notes, Passwords, and Tasks) easy. It also lets you add and rearrange folders, organizing as you see fit rather than fumbling with categories, filters, and other Outlook conventions. You can password-protect documents and folders, and even assign a top-level folder to each user.

Read more »