MSN Minimise Me is a new Windows Live Web service that lets you create emoticons and avatars for Windows Live Messenger.

You can change colors, hair, face, eyes, add accessories, etc. You can create a random character or download a celebrity character.

Once you've finished creating your emoticon, you just click "Preview & download" that will install your emoticon automatically on Windows Live Messenger. Minimize Me service is completely free. You can create as many emoticons as you like.



View: Minimise Me

FileZilla is powerful Open Source FTP/SFTP client with many features. It includes a site manager to store all your connection details and logins as well as an Explorer style interface that shows the local and remote folders and can be customized independently. The program offers support for firewalls and proxy connections as well as SSL and Kerberos GSS security. Additional features include keep alive, auto ascii/binary transfer, download queue, manual transfers, raw FTP commands and more.

Changes:

+ Right-clicking filter button in toolbar toggles filters
- Fix oddities in visual formatting of IPv6 addresses
- MSW: Enable IPv6 support on SFTP connections
- Connecting using an IPv6 address did not work on SFTP
- Editing remote files did not pick up local changes if timestamp preserving was enabled
+ Enable SOCKS5 and HTTP/1.1 proxy support for SFTP connections
- For sorting remote file list by owner/group
- *nix: Install FileZilla application icons according to the freedesktop.org Icon Theme Specification
- *nix: Use the system's tinyxml library if available
+ SOCKS5 and HTTP/1.1 proxy support
+ The "Open" item in local directory listing context menu will open the system's file browser if a directory is selected
+ New iconset: LonE
+ 2 new file exists actions
- Filecount in statusbar no longer count upwards if deleting files
- MSW: Call WSAStartup, fixes WSANOTINITIALISED problem
- MSW: Use closesocket(fd) instead of close(fd), the latter caused uploads to hang at the end
- MSW: Fix socket hang after changing event handler. Use a better way to resend events
+ IPv6 support
+ Add option to reopen file if trying to edit a file already being edited
- Fix SFTP file descriptor leak on some transfer failures
- Fix crash if remote directory gets cleared between opening context menu and selecting view/edit item

Download: FileZilla 3.1.0
View: Filezilla Home Page

Mozilla Thunderbird is a redesign of the Mozilla mail component. The goal is to produce a cross platform stand alone mail application using the XUL user interface language. The intended customer is someone who uses Mozilla Firefox (or another stand alone browser) as their primary browser and wants a mail client based on mozilla that "plays nice" with the browser





Keep Your Vital Information Organized
Thunderbird 2 features many new enhancements to help you better manage your unruly inbox, and stay informed. Thunderbird 2 scales to the most sophisticated organizational needs while making it easy to find what you need.

Secure and Protect Your Mail
Mozilla has bolstered Thunderbird’s acclaimed security and privacy measures to ensure that your communications and identity remain safe. It’s like having your own security guard online.

Get Your Mail, Your Way
Thunderbird allows you to customize your email to suit your specific needs whether it’s how you search and find messages or listening to music right out of your inbox.

Download: Mozilla Thunderbird 2.0.0.16
View: Home Page

Daemon Tools is an application for multiprotection emulation. It is further development of Generic Safedisc emulator and incorporates all its features. This program allows running backup copies of SafeDisc, Securom, or Laserlock protected games. Also included is a Virtual DVDROM drive enabling you to use your CD images as if they were already burned to CD. It works with all types of CD/DVDROM drives and supports nearly any CD protection.




What's new:

- Updated and improved images engine;
- Adware free! (no more "ad sponsor" check box in setup)
- Languages updates;
- Some minor GUI bugs fixed.
- SPTD version 1.56

Download: DAEMON Tools Lite 4.30.0
View: DAEMON Tools Home Page

With Pownce you'll create a network of friends that you want to share items with, then you can choose whether to send it to the whole list, or specific people. Basically, whoever you want to read or see you item, will be able to. It's free, and ad supported

The new Pownce 2.0 Alpha has been rebuilt from scratch with a ton of new features, such as:

- Embedded media. Images, videos, audio files, and now Digg stories will appear inline!
- Favorite notes! Click the heart icon to bookmark a note.
- Notification alerts. Get notified of new notes with audio alerts.
- Minimize to tray



View: Join Pownce
Download: Pownce Desktop Client 2.0 alpha
Download: Adobe AIR (Desktop Client requires this)

Firefox 3.0 is faster, more Reliable and more secure then any of the previous versions. The Firefox team has
worked hard to reduce the amount of memory used by Firefox 3 over a web browsing session, one of the biggest problems in the previous versions.

Firefox 3 sets the innovation bar very high with exciting new features, including one-click bookmarking, the smart location bar and lightning fast performance.

Version 3.0.1 fixes a pair of critical vulnerabilities.

What's new in Firefox 3

More Security
- One click site info
- Malware Protection
- New Web Forgery Protection page
- New SSL error pages
- Add-ons and Plugin version check
- Secure add-on updates
- Anti-virus integration

Easier to Use
- Easier password management
- Simplified add-on installation
- New Download Manager
- Resumable downloading
- Tab scrolling and quickmenu
- Text selection improvements
- Find toolbar

More Personal
- Star button
- Tags
- Location bar and auto-complete
- Smart Places Folder
- Bookmarks and History Organizer
- Easy to use Download Actions

Download: Firefox 3.0.1 (English)
Download: Other Systems and Languages
View: Release Notes

Notepad++ is a free source code editor (and Notepad replacement), which supports several programming languages, running under the MS Windows environment.
This project, based on the Scintilla edit component (a very powerful editor component), written in C++ with pure win32 api and STL (that ensures the higher execution speed and smaller size of the program), is under the GPL Licence.

Features:

- Syntax Highlighting and Syntax Folding
- WYSIWYG
- User Defined Syntax Highlighting
- Auto-completion
- Multi-Document
- Multi-View
- Regular Expression Search/Replace supported
- Full Drag 'N' Drop supported
- Dynamic position of Views
- File Status Auto-detection
- Zoom in and zoom out
- Multi-Language environment supported
- Bookmark
- Brace and Indent guideline Highlighting
- Macro recording and playback



Download: Notepad++ 5.0.1
View: Notepad++ Home Page

With Live Mesh you can synchronize data across multiplae devices (currently just Windows computers, but theoretically it will extend to mobile and other devices in the future) as well as to a web desktop that exists in the cloud. It can sync data across devices used by a single users, as well as create shared spaces for multiple users.

Live Mesh is a Windows Live service so you can expect it to work with other Live suite services, including the Live ID sign-on, formerly Passport, Live Mail and Microsoft Connect. It's not just SkyDrive.



New Features:

- Sync Live Mesh folders peer-to-peer only, excluding your Live Desktop
- File conflicts management on the Live Desktop.
- Added news events for New Live Mesh folder and Delete Live Mesh folder.

Fixes:

- Improved performance when syncing files peer-to-peer.
- Better coalescing for news events.
- News performance and scale improvements.

Version Numbers:

- Live Mesh software: 0.9.3103.2
- Live Desktop: 0.9.3103.3

View: Live Mesh
View: Live Mesh Blog

FileZilla is powerful Open Source FTP/SFTP client with many features. It includes a site manager to store all your connection details and logins as well as an Explorer style interface that shows the local and remote folders and can be customized independently. The program offers support for firewalls and proxy connections as well as SSL and Kerberos GSS security. Additional features include keep alive, auto ascii/binary transfer, download queue, manual transfers, raw FTP commands and more.

New features:

- IPv6 support
- Add option to reopen file if trying to edit a file already being edited

Bugfixes and minor changes:

- Fix SFTP file descriptor leak on some transfer failures
- Fix crash if remote directory gets cleared between opening context menu and selecting view/edit item

Download: FileZilla 3.1.0 Beta 1
View: Filezilla Home Page

Google has launched a new 3D virtual world called Google Lively, similar to Linden Labs' Second Life and Sony's planned 'Home' service for PlayStation 3, in which users create avatars for themselves and interact virtually.

Users can create their own 3D "rooms," and deck them out with furniture and other accoutrements, in addition to being able to add themed music to complete your personalized virtual space in Google Lively.



Users will be able to visit others' rooms, leave items for other Google Lively netizens as well as being able to stream photos and video

Download: Google Lively Installer
View: Google Lively
Source: Techradar

From the makers of CCleaner. Recuva (pronounced "recover") is a freeware Windows utility to restore files that have been accidentally deleted from your computer. This includes files emptied from the Recycle bin as well as images and other files that have been deleted by user error from digital camera memory cards or MP3 players. It will even bring back files that have been deleted by bugs, crashes and viruses!

Changelog:

- Added ability to search for non-deleted files (for recovery from damaged or reformatted disks only).
- Added support for .rtf, .pdf, .mp3 and .tif files to deep scan.
- Fixed bug that would limit file size of .avi files to 1GB after deep scan.
- Various UI tweaks.
- Performance improvements.


( Click Image to Enlarge )

Download: Recuva 1.16.333
View: Recuva Homepage

Daemon Tools is an application for multiprotection emulation. It is further development of Generic Safedisc emulator and incorporates all its features. This program allows running backup copies of SafeDisc, Securom, or Laserlock protected games. Also included is a Virtual DVDROM drive enabling you to use your CD images as if they were already burned to CD. It works with all types of CD/DVDROM drives and supports nearly any CD protection.




What's new:

- File Associations for supported images;
- ISO grabber plugin;
- Command line interface extensions (see Online Help);
- DAEMON Tools Toolbar;
- Languages updates.

Bugs fixed:

- Setup fixes;
- Some minor GUI bugs;

Download: DAEMON Tools Lite 4.12.4
View: DAEMON Tools Home Page

MessengerDiscovery Live is a Windows Live Messenger addon which adds well over 150 new features and customisations for Messenger. It contains no form of virus or spyware and is 100% free to download and use.

Features:

- Parental Controls
- Only allow certain accounts to sign into Messenger
- Block accounts from signing to Messenger that use profanity
- Protect MD settings with parental lock
- Unblock a contact after a certain amount of time
- Option to delete the contact as well
- If you are offline when the contact is scheduled to be unblocked then they will be unblocked upon next sign in
- Allow conversation windows to stay open after signing out
- Automatically decline group conversations when status is not "Online"
- Change the visibility (opacity) of contact list
- Change the visibility (opacity) of conversation windows
- Promote MessengerDiscovery and win a iPod, everything is done automatically

New Features in 1.5

- Webcam recording
- Encrypted instant messages
- Beautiful skinable alerts
- Entirely new settings interface
- Pinable contacts
- Webcam snapshots
- Over 50 other improvements and features

Download: MessengerDiscovery Live 1.5
View: Full Changelog
View: MessengerDiscovery Live Home Page

FileZilla is powerful Open Source FTP/SFTP client with many features. It includes a site manager to store all your connection details and logins as well as an Explorer style interface that shows the local and remote folders and can be customized independently. The program offers support for firewalls and proxy connections as well as SSL and Kerberos GSS security. Additional features include keep alive, auto ascii/binary transfer, download queue, manual transfers, raw FTP commands and more.

Changelog:

- Show number of filtered files in status bars if directory appears empty
- Support for international domain names was accidentally commented out
- Add missing path separator in remote filename on file exists dialog
- Fix shrinking panes if using widescreen or blackboard styles
- MSW: If showing file changed notification dialog after editing a file, program could become unresponsive in some cases
- MSW: Fix visual problems with right-to-left languages introduced with the flicker corrections in 3.0.11
- MSW: Main component can no longer be unselected in the installer

Download: FileZilla 3.0.11.1
View: Filezilla Home Page

Flock is a social Web browser, open source, cross platform and based on Mozilla technologies. Currently, the browser implements support for del.icio.us and Flickr. Users can also install alternative hosted bookmarks or photo sharing services. In the search box and the blog manager, Flock offer users a number of choices and the ability to install other services using open standards. Expect the same, over time, for hosted bookmarks, photo-sharing and other services Flock integrates. Flock is based on the open source Mozilla code base.



Flock is focused on fundamentally evolving the browser, bringing a refreshing new approach to how people use and participate on the web and simplifying social and web-based applications by bringing them one step closer to the user and integrating them directly into the browser.

When using Flock, people can easily discover, access, create and share videos, photos, blogs, feeds and comments across social communities, media providers, and popular websites.

Changelog:

* Incorporated Mozilla's 2.0.0.15 patch for Firefox.
* Several fixes for a better Digg experience
* Several fixes for sharing media with Yahoo! Mail.
* A fix for the Media Magic bar and YouTube videos.
* A character encoding fix for importing Favorits.
* A fix for displaying the YouTube avatar.

Download: Flock 1.2.3
View: Flock Home Page