Gone are the days of carrying a diary, organiser and even business cards around in a briefcase. Not to say that these things are no longer used, but a laptop and mobile phone may have superseded these items as our primary way of staying organised organised. Your computer can be a very useful and versatile method of staying organised, especially if it's equipped with a good personal information manager. Managing contacts, arranging meetings and staying in touch can all be done within a single application.

EssentialPIM Free 3.11 is a free personal information manager that will enable you to stay organised. Use it to keep track of your daily schedule and other important tasks. It has a very usable interface, with things kept simple but extremely functional. This results in a small file size, and makes it easy on system resources.

EssentialPIM Free 3.11 link

Even with a fast and reliable broadband connection, you may find that using a torrent client is a more effective way of downloading large files. Torrent files are actually separated into pieces, arriving from different machines, and then reassembled on arrival. Like a download manager, a good torrent client will enable you to control all aspects of file sharing, from downloading and sharing to queuing and setting speed limits.

BitComet 1.15 is a freeware file sharing tool that's BitTorrent compatible and designed to help you manage all aspects of torrent file management. Use it to queue, pause and resume downloads. Although it's very similar to BitTorrent, it's interface is easier to use. 

BitComet 1.15 link.

Although in most cases data loss can easily be avoided, losing files and folders is incredibly frustrating. Although there's a fairly low risk of this happening as computers become more stable, backing up important files is essential, just in case any problems occur. If disk space is a problem, you could always use and FTP server as a place to keep files and folders.

Comodo Backup 2.0 is a free backup tool that can backup to another disk in the system, optical disks or even an ftp server online. Backups can also be compressed or password protected and the application supports one-click backup of important items like email accounts.

Comodo Backup 2.0 link.

The standard Windows Notepad is a useful tool that many of us have used at some point and is incredibly convenient for copying and pasting. The standard Notepad can also be used for editing text documents and web page code. It's such a small application it enables you to quickly and easily open it up and edit documents with minimal effort. The trouble is that although it's useful for performing basic tasks, Notepad does lacks useful features which is evident when viewing programming code.  

Notepad++ 5.5 is a more versatile and capable alternative to the standard Windows Notepad that ships with many useful tools and features such as a file browser, spell checker and a function list as well as colour coding. If you have the relevant skills you can even use it to completely replace the standard Notepad, after a little editing of your Windows Registry.

Notepad++ 5.5 link.

There is no shortage of free security applications out there, all providing similar levels of protection. There are also many commercial applications available, all varying in performance and price, a potential minefield for those who don't quite know what they require. A good place to start is with a trusted commercial developer, someone who specialises in PC protection and who have been doing so for number of years.

PC Tools Spyware Doctor 6.1 is the latest version of the popular anti-spyware tool. V6.1 now ships with a host of new features including advanced support for finding and eliminating rootkit, Intelli-scan for the proactive search of spyware and SiteGuard, which helps to prevent you from accessing malicious websites.

PC Tools Spyware Doctor 6.1 link.

If you own or use more than one computer, you probably use a similar collection of apps or a particular web browser on any machine you may be using. Having your favourite applications and other information to hand makes working from a computer easy, but using one without your trusted utilities can take some getting used to. Bookmarks are also important, especially if you use the Internet on a daily basis, but syncing them across different browsers isn't always easy.

Transmute 1.6 is a tool that enables users to import bookmarks from one browser for use with another. Although you can use this useful app to export bookmarks across several browsers, it is Windows-only, so you can't use it between your Mac browsers.

Transmute 1.6

I'm sure it was only a few months ago when Google first announced Chrome to an unsuspecting web audience. Ok, it wasn't months, it was a year ago, but they've released three major revisions in a single year. At this rate, they'll over take Firefox 4 which isn't planned for the end of 2010. Perhaps the plan. Maybe web users might think Google Chrome v4 is the more advanced browser as it's excelled above Firefox, which is stuck at v3.x. Unlikely, Opera is now at v10 and it still struggling to take ground from Firefox and Opera.

Google Chrome v3 is now available and it does ship with some new interesting features. For example, there's full support for the latest HTML5 standard. It's ultra-fast as you would expect, as well as shipping with a themed user-interface. Other highlights included an improved tab page when you open a new tab and a few minor enhancements. No Mac version though, which some people had expected for the Chrome v3 release.

Google Chrome v3 link.

The Internet is a fantastic tool that enables you to look at and read about almost anything, and is the perfect base for someone trying to drum up awareness for a new business or product. If you you're your own business, are self employed or are an unsigned musician, creating a website is a great way of letting people find out more about you and what you do. Unfortunately, not everyone has the funds to pay a professional to create, host and maintain a website and for many people, doing it yourself can seem too complex. However, even if you have a basic understanding of web building and its languages, a template-driven web builder could help you create a solid website.

Rapidweaver 4.3 enables users to create professional looking website. It's template-driven and ships with a number of template themes you can base your site on, all with pre-defined colours and layouts. It also supports Flash so you can add slideshows to your site as well as supporting a number of other useful features you may wish to get your site online.

Rapidweaver 4.3 link.

The latest Acronis True Image 2010 is now available and this is a big release. With fast broadband, it's now relatively easy to upload large files to the Internet and this includes your drive and files backup data. With this in mind, this is one of the key features with the new version. You get 2GB of free online storage for the first 90 days, then you need to pay £3.95 per month, after that. That's a small shame as many other backup applications give you 2GB free of charge and Acronis need to remember you've already paid for the application up-front, too.

There are other highlights though. Acronis True Image 2010 now ships with a Mac OS Leopard style of 'time machine' that enables you to quickly go back to a previous backup. So if you backup your files every day, you can go back to the previous day or one from a week ago, with a click of your mouse button. The new version ships with an improved user-interface and constant backup support so you're data is always secure.

Acronis True Image 2010 link.

Microsoft's Internet Explorer remains the most popular web browser available, even with an array of good alternatives available. There are several reasons why it's so widely used, the main reason being is that it has shipped with Windows for a number of years and people become familiar with using it, but another reason is that some websites still require you to use Internet Explorer to view them correctly. Although many people have migrated to browsers such as Firefox and Opera because they provide more customisable features, IE is still preferred by many and more and more add-ons are being made available.

IE7Pro 2.4.7 enables you to adjust the browser to your own preference. These features include mouse gestures, tabbed browsing, ad blocking and more. The latest version also supports he 64-bit version of Internet Explorer, as well as a Google search option.

IE7Pro 2.4.7 link.

Most computer users have to deal with some sort of issue every so often and although many of these problems are fairly minor, now and again something more serious may arise. At its most serious, a virus could potentially prevent your machine from booting correctly, if at all, which can not only prevent you from identifying the problem but it can also make it extremely difficult to rectify it. Without taking drastic steps, how do you go about recovering your machine and all of the files and folders in such circumstances?  

System Rescue CD 1.3 is a collection of utilities on a bootable CD designed to repair Windows when disaster strikes. It's basically a Linux system on a bootable CD so it doesn't require Windows to start and is still able to read files from the Windows hard disk. It will also access the Internet in an attempt to find answers to any problems your machine is experiencing.

System Rescue CD 1.3 link.

Most of us use different passwords to access online accounts or other important data and, although it's possible to remember two or three passwords that are used on a more regular basis, remembering others that are used infrequently can be more difficult. Writing them down isn't very secure and neither is storing them within your PC because if someone has access to your machine, they may have access to more sensitive data.

KeePass 2.09 is a secure way of storing all your important passwords. By remembering a single master key, you can unlock the database, access and use the stored information as and when required. By using a secure database, there's no need to remember or write down private data. The databases are encrypted using the best and most secure encryption algorithms currently known (AES and Twofish).

KeePass 2.09 link.

For drafting basic text, the standard Windows Notepad can be extremely useful for producing a document without formatting or removing text styles that exist in a pre-formatted document. If you're an experienced developer, you could use this basic application to write up code quickly and easily before using an integrated development environment tool to check through and then compile your code. However, if you need something that goes beyond this basic text editor, you'll need to look at third-party applications.      

EditPad Lite 6.5.1 is a useful tool, but certainly not a replacement for a fully fledged word processor. Although it has greater functionality than Notepad, it would be more suited to more basic tasks. Worth a look if you use Notepad now but need something a little more substantial.

EditPad Lite 6.5.1 link.

When surfing the web, every so often you're bound to come across a website or web page that contain items of interest, but don't really want to add everything of interest to our bookmarks. Printing these pages would result in poor quality images, and you won't be able to print them at all if the page is made up of dynamic content. This is the ideal time to take a screengrab, especially if you plan on using the content for reference purposes, as it's an easier way of storing information.

WebShot 1.7.1 enables you to take grabs of interesting websites and web pages, then exporting the grabs as images. Grabs can be adjusted, printed and stored for use at any time. There is also a professional version available that boasts a more extensive feature set and interface.

WebShot 1.7.1 link.

A good CD burning suite should be designed to make burning a CD as hassle-free as possible. Making it easy for those of us who haven't got time to sit at the computer and burn ¨semi-professional¨ CDs or DVDs of holiday snaps and videos. Luckily there are a number of new burning solutions, including BurnAware and FinalBurner that enable you to quickly and easily burn the disc you need.

CDBurnerXP 4.2.5.1451 enables you to burn virtually any CD you would need to from a standard audio or MP3 CD to a DVD or high-quality Blu-ray disc. This easy-to-use application has been around for quite some time and is definitely worth a try.

CDBurnerXP 4.2.5.1451 link.

All computers will store a certain amount of personal information, and even though most of the files and folders on your machine won't contain private or sensitive information. Although this may be the case, a certain proportion will and you may want to keep them secure, especially if you're using a home computer that you share with others. One way of keeping information secure is to use a file security program, that way you can hide, encrypt and even lock particular folders and files that are stored on your PC.

Folder Lock 6.3.0 can be used to prevent others from accessing private or sensitive folders and files. You can create encrypted storages or 'Lockers' and keep as many of your private files & folders in your Locker and password protect them with a single click. You can also protect any data stored on removable media including USB Flash drives and CD-RW. This is a useful application that's incredibly easy-to-use.

Folder Lock 6.3.0 link.

The hype over Firefox has resulted in the browser becoming the number one alternative to Internet Explorer. Indeed, for most people, Internet Explorer isn't even a viable option. The first thing they do, after installing Windows, is to make sure Firefox is on their computer. With the various synchronisation tools, it's easy to download the browser and then get your favourite bookmarks, passwords and other settings installed, almost immediately.

However, many overlook the rather fantastic Opera, which isn't a new browser. Indeed, the latest Opera 10 for Windows and for Mac was released this week and this release is worthy of your attention. The user-interface has had a makeover for the latest version and looks brilliant on both the Windows and Mac version. Indeed, it's closer to the planned interface overhaul for the forthcoming Firefox 3.7, which won't be here until next year. Other new features include a turbo mode, which will speed up your web browsing on slow broadband connections, visual tabs and speed dial visual bookmarks.

Opera 10 for Windows and for Mac links.