Software : Round up: The best free PC software 2016

---

• Round up: The best free PC software 2016
• Now you have to deal with ads in Apple's App Store, too
• Downloads: Download of the day: IObit Advanced SystemCare
• Here's why the government wants to investigate price comparison websites
• Apple's new partnership shows that it means business
• The 20 best mobile productivity apps
• Round up: The best free software to speed up your PC

Round up: The best free PC software 2016 Posted: The best free PC software The best free software for Windows Superb software doesn't have to cost a fortune - thanks to open source, shareware and ad-supported projects, you can equip your Windows PC with a complete set of essential everyday programs completely free. We've put the best free Windows software to the test and hand-picked the very best programs for your PC. These are the programs we use ourselves at home, and we hope you enjoy them as much as we do. Don't see your favorites listed? Share your recommendations in the comments below. Avira Free Antivirus Fast, reliable protection from viruses and other online threats Great protection from the latest virus and malware threats, Avira Free Antivirus has a minimal impact on your system performance and offers a range of well-designed presets – just set and forget. The best free antivirus 2016 LibreOffice More productivity programs than Microsoft Office, all completely free A complete office suite for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, vector graphics, mathematical formulae and databases, LibreOffice is in constant active development and is fully compatible with Microsoft Office formats. The best free office software 2016 Google Chrome Google's browser is fast, flexible and almost infinitely extendable The browser wars are as fierce as ever, but Chrome takes our top spot thanks to its flexibility, stability and cross-platform support. Its integration with your Google account makes it incredibly easy to carry your favorites and bookmarks between devices, and it supports a huge archive of extensions. The best web browser 2016 MusicBee The ultimate player, streamer and organizer for music lovers Everything you need for managing a music collection of any size, MusicBee offers smart tagging and hardware optimization for the best possible playback quality. It's also a great choice for streaming internet radio and enjoying podcasts. The best free music player 2016 GIMP Make your photos look their best with the best Photoshop alternative The best free alternative to Adobe Photoshop, GIMP is packed with smart tools like a clone stamp, healing brush, transformations, smart selections and a host of filters – from the subtle to the creative. There are also dozens of superb user-created plugins to add even more features, and GIMP receives regular updates from its team of volunteer developers. The best free photo editor 2016 Foxit Reader Read, create and convert PDFs, with superb format compatibility View, edit and create PDFs, and convert Microsoft Office files and scanned documents. Foxit Reader's superb feature set is rounded out with annotations, cloud-sharing and security options to protect you from potential security vulnerabilitites. The best free PDF reader 2016 qBittorrent Packed with all the tools music, TV and movie fans could want Fast and efficient, with a built-in search engine and media player, qBittorrent has everything you need for quick, secure downloads. There's automatic prioritization of torrents, torrent creation and IP filtering too, and it's easy to master. The best free torrent client 2016 Any Video Converter Download, convert and burn clips from all the biggest video-sharing sites Download videos from YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion and many more, then convert them to any audio or video format you like. Any Video Converter can also burn converted files to disc, and rip content from your own DVDs and CDs. The best free YouTube downloader 2016

Now you have to deal with ads in Apple's App Store, too Posted: First announced at Apple's Worldwide Development Conference (WWDC) earlier this year before being rolled out for beta testing over the summer, adverts are coming to Apple's App Store from October 5. Called Search Ads, these adverts start working when you search a keyword in the App Store search bar. Depending on what you've searched for, ads for relevant apps will appear at the top of your search results. According to Apple, over 65 per cent of app downloads via the App Store come from search results so spending some money to put your app at the top of the results list could prove to be a good move, particularly if the process is as easy as Apple claims. Spend money to make money Setting up a Search Ad can apparently be done in "a few easy steps", with developers retaining complete control over how much money they wish to put behind the ad, the kind of audience they want to target, and insight into the numbers coming from placing the ad. Being as simple as it is, Search Ads could be especially useful for small independent developers that are trying to get their app noticed by potential customers. If app download numbers do actually depend quite so heavily on the search results page as Apple says, a couple of days at the top of the results list could be all a genuinely good indie app needs to boost its popularity. In an attempt to keep the playing ground more even, Apple is ensuring that popular developers with larger marketing budgets can't abuse the service by targeting popular terms with app ads that are irrelevant to a user's search. For example, you won't find an Angry Birds ad when searching for fitness apps. The relevance algorithm is also being implemented for the sake of app store customers who won't have to worry about scrolling through pointless and irrelevant apps before seeing the results they actually asked for. Safety first To make sure not safe for work apps don't manage to crawl their way to the top of the results, Apple has also put together a content policy list which advertisers must comply with before their app will be featured. Though app store users won't see ads until October 5, Apple is allowing developers to set up their campaigns from now, incentivizing US developers by offering them $100 credit towards their first use of the service. Best iPhone apps 2016

Downloads: Download of the day: IObit Advanced SystemCare Posted: Download of the day: IObit Advanced SystemCare Over time, you'll notice that your PC no longer runs as quickly as it once did. Files left behind by uninstalled programs, temporary caches, fragmented files, unused software and broken registry entries all accumulate, resulting in slower boot times and sluggish overall performance. IObit Advanced SystemCare makes cleaning up your PC and optimizing its performance incredibly straightforward – not only deleting junk, but also managing startup programs and services, and protecting you from malware and spyware. Why you need it There are lots of PC cleanup utilities around, but few are as comprehensive as IObit Advanced SystemCare. Its Clean & Optimize tool is the quickest way to improve your PC's performance; simply select which common junk files and errors to search for (including spyware, disk errors, tracking cookies and browser history) and click 'Scan'. You can also let IObit Advanced SystemCare fix any problems it finds automatically – just go and make yourself a cup of tea and come back in a couple of minutes to a cleaner, faster PC. More advanced users can customize their scan using a comprehensive settings menu, and decide for themselves what happens to detected junk, errors and vulnerabilities. Once you've cleaned your PC, move to IObit Advanced SystemCare's Speed Up tab to optimize its performance. Here you can disable unnecessary processes and services to conserve RAM and make other adjustments like removing font formatting from desktop icons. It's a case of marginal gains – small changes that add up to make a noticeable difference. There's also a quick program uninstaller that removes unwanted software, then scans for leftover temporary files and registry entries that can be erased, and a tool for removing browser extensions. The premium Advanced SystemCare Pro offers some bonus features, including real-time protection, but the free edition is superb. Download it now and see what a difference it makes. Key features Deletes junk files Fixes registry entries Corrects software vulnerabilities Manages startup processes Uninstalls unwanted programs, toolbars and browser extensions Works on Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10 Price IObit Advanced SystemCare – Free IObit Advanced SystemCare Pro – US$19.99 (about £15, AU$25)

Here's why the government wants to investigate price comparison websites Posted: A government watchdog has launched an investigation into price comparison websites and apps, in an effort to pin down how well they serve both consumers and businesses, and also to potentially make it clearer how these services earn their cash. The Competition and Markets Authority (or CMA – the organisation was formed from a merger of the Office of Fair Trading and Competition Commission a few years back) is planning a major review across all industries including the likes of utilities, car and home insurance, broadband, flights and banking. The idea is to explore what consumers and businesses expect from such comparison services, and how the user experience can be improved, along with considering why some industries have seen more successful efforts in this arena than others. And the CMA also intends to address thornier issues such as the impact that price comparison sites have on their listed suppliers, and whether arrangements between the sites and suppliers could somehow restrict competition. Money, money, money... Furthermore, there are also some concerns over levels of transparency, and the government watchdog intends to mull over whether users should be made more aware of how price comparison services make their money. On a broader level, trust is an issue, as well. As Andrea Coscelli, CMA Acting Chief Executive, commented: "Digital comparison tools have played a big part in changing markets for the better, bringing new ways of doing things and forcing businesses to up their game … [but] some people have also raised concerns about certain issues, including whether consumers can trust the information that's available, and the study will look at these issues." The CMA wants to hear views from any interested parties at this stage, with the deadline for submissions being set at October 24. That material will then be considered and the watchdog will subsequently publish a report on its findings inside the next year – which could well come with recommendations for changes to the price comparison industry. You might also want to read our analysis of how governments are becoming more tech-savvy

Apple's new partnership shows that it means business Posted: Deloitte is to help Apple show businesses how they can work better if they adopt iOS devices in the workplace, with the creation of an 'Apple practice' boasting a huge staff of advisers, and a new service called Enterprise Next. The Apple practice will have in excess of 5,000 advisers – iOS specialists including designers, developers and industry experts – who will be on hand to push the benefits of the iPhone and iPad, and to underline exactly how companies can make them work best and use iOS hardware to ramp up their levels of productivity. There will be dedicated teams of iOS experts across the Americas, EMEA and APAC regions, advising firms on how to improve every aspect of their business from dealing with customers through to recruitment, research and development, managing inventory, supply chains, and running back-office systems. As for the Enterprise Next service that will be the second major pillar of this Apple and Deloitte partnership, that's designed to ensure customers take full advantage of iOS, via tools and workshops which help organisations spot where custom-built apps could help push their business forwards, and then to swiftly realise those apps through rapid prototyping. Value maps The overall idea is for iOS specialists to help companies spot opportunities using processes such as 'value maps', and subsequently build "high-quality native apps that integrate seamlessly with existing business platforms", with libraries of pre-integrated solutions on offer to further accelerate the design and deployment of software. Punit Renjen, CEO of Deloitte Global, commented: "We know that iOS is the best mobile platform for business because we've experienced the benefit ourselves with over 100,000 iOS devices in use by Deloitte's workforce, running 75 custom apps. "Our dedicated Apple practice will give global businesses the expertise and resources they need to empower their mobile workforce to take advantage of the powerful ecosystem iOS, iPhone and iPad offer, and help them achieve their ambitions, while driving efficiency and productivity." Don't want an Apple tablet, ever? Here are the best iPad Pro alternatives

The 20 best mobile productivity apps Posted: Introduction Thanks to advances made in mobile technology over the last few years, more businesses are turning to devices like smartphones and tablets to help them in managing their operations. Generally speaking, the days of relying on a PC to do everything are over. When you're running about in meetings all day, have hundreds of emails to read, and must meet tight deadlines, the attraction of mobile is undeniable. Apps, in particular, are changing the way we live and work in so many different ways. And if you download the right apps to fit your business needs, then you can easily improve productivity. There's an app for almost every task and area, from accounting to product management. In this article, we've highlighted the very best business productivity apps – and in some cases web-based tools which you can use on your mobile – that are currently available. Also take a look at our 10 best office apps for Android Image Credit: ymgerman/iStock 1. Join.me There are a ton of web conferencing and collaboration apps out there, but they aren't always mobile-friendly. Enter Join.me, an online meeting tool that's easy to set up and can be used from any device – there's a web version which means you don't have to download anything if you don't want to. It provides free screen sharing and unlimited videoconferencing. There's a handy whiteboard feature as well, letting everyone contribute ideas virtually. The app is available on iPhone, iPad and Android. Platforms: Android and iOS Price: Free 2. Gyst When you have so many things to do and not enough time to play with, you can easily become overwhelmed and fall behind. Gyst is the app that wants you to stay organised and get more done. It consolidates texts, contacts, calendars and to-do lists into one place. Because of this, you don't need to keep dipping into different apps and it will help you stay on top of things. You can also use the software to prioritise text messages, schedule meetings and communicate with your colleagues. Platforms: Android and iOS Price: Free 3. Basecamp 3 Basecamp is a veteran piece of project management software in the business world, having been around for ten years. Features include the ability to keep and track client feedback, chat with your colleagues, set up work-related reminders, praise co-workers and give them tasks to complete, and share documents. Like Gyst, you're also able to create to-do lists, although you can easily pre-order them based on their priority and relevance. An internal message board plays a big role in the app too. With it, you can post announcements, proposals and ideas. You can sign up and get your first outing for free, but beyond that you'll have to pay. Platforms: Android and iOS Price: Free/From $29 (around £20) per month 4. Doodle Diary clashes are annoying but pretty common in the business world. This is where Doodle comes into the picture. It's an app that helps you streamline meetings and stay productive. How does it work? You sign in, set up an event and suggest times to your colleagues. They then choose the times that work for them, and the app tries to find the best slot for everyone. What's great is that your colleagues don't even need to be signed up to the app in order to participate. Platforms: Android and iOS Price: Free 5. Trello Trello is another great app worth checking out if you have a busy life with your work or business commitments. Aimed at helping you to get things done and stay organised, the app lets you create boards for all the projects you're working on. You can work on these individually or add colleagues so they're kept up-to-date with the tasks they're undertaking. As well as this, you're able to add to-do lists on boards, assign tasks, comment on items, upload files and videos, and attach files. It's free to use, although you have the option to upgrade for added functionality. Platforms: Android and iOS Price: Free 6. Google Drive You could spend a good deal of cash on a package like Microsoft Office, or you could stick with Google Drive and pay nothing. Drive offers you a full suite of word processing, database and presentation applications. The great thing about them is that they're cloud-based, so you can work on documents and files from any device – be it a laptop, smartphone or tablet. Everything is saved as you left it, and you have the option to view revisions. Platforms: Android and iOS Price: Free 7. Slack The market for communication apps is quite fragmented, but when it comes to keeping up-to-date with your colleagues and in-work teams, Slack is a no-brainer. It offers real-time messaging, and you can share files in one-to-one and group conversations. The app is known for its powerful search and archiving functionalities, so you'll always be able to find past files and conversations easily. And there are also integrations with apps and services such as Dropbox, Asana, Google Drive, Twitter, Zendesk and more. Slack syncs across all devices, from smartphones to computers, and it's free with certain limitations (which you can rid yourself of if you upgrade to a paid subscription). Platforms: Android and iOS Price: Free 8. Peakon Peakon is a new web platform with an iOS app dedicated to maximising productivity within companies. It provides automated employee feedback and measures engagement to help firms create happier, more sustainable working environments. Sounds good, right? But you're probably wondering how it actually works. That's pretty simple to explain. Peakon constantly asks you questions to build a coherent, realistic analysis of how you're feeling at your company. While you have to pay for a basic subscription, you can have a free 30-day trial to test the service out (no credit card details needed). Platforms: iOS Price: From £2.60 ($3.50) per user per month 9. Omnifocus 2 Omnifocus claims to be a PC-grade, in-depth task management solution that you can use on your iOS device. While it costs £30, the app offers flexible viewing options, location awareness and on-the-fly task entry features to help you get through a busy day. You can assign tasks based on location, people and energy level to accomplish jobs. Every task or piece of work you add to the app shows up in the iPhone's Notification Center, so you don't have to worry about missing deadlines. Platforms: iOS Price: £30 (around $40) 10. Nudjed If you feel unmotivated, stressed or unwell, it's likely your work will suffer. And in an ideal world, that's something you'd like to avoid. Fortunately, online platform Nudjed is on a mission to boost employee health. It collects data across key areas of health to help employers build a picture of how their staff are feeling. Using this information, they can then step in and develop work-based health programmes so all employees are happy and thriving. The company was set up in 2013 by Welsh designer and entrepreneur Warren Fauvel. Platforms: Web only Price: Varies 11. Scoro Scoro is a worthy end-to-end work management solution. Soon to be launched in app form, it allows professionals and businesses to control their entire workflow from one place. The tool also aims to streamline work and eliminate unnecessary processes that may affect productivity. Scoro's features include calendars, task and project management, quoting and billing, enterprise-level reporting and a real-time dashboard. While it costs to subscribe to Scoro, there is a free 14-day trial available. Platforms: Web only (app coming soon) Price: From £8 ($11) 12. Pen and Paper A simple pen and paper is always a great way to stay productive, and this aptly named app digitises the process. With Pen and Paper you can create handwritten notes and documents on your trusty iPhone or iPad. You draw with your finger or a stylus, and can doodle away if you wish and easily pull off tricks like resizing, adding text boxes or creating diagrams. The app works with Dropbox too, so you can import and annotate PDF documents and other files. Platforms: iOS Price: £2.29 ($2.99) 13. Buffer If you deal with a ton of social media feeds at work, then you ought to have a look at Buffer. It's one of the best tools you can get for scheduling posts on sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. The platform is easy to use, too. You simply link your company accounts to one email, and you'll be able to push out tweets and status updates in a matter of seconds. There are apps for iOS and Android, although you can use Buffer on the web too. An individual account with one social profile is free, but if you have multiple profiles or team members who want to use the service, you'll need to pay for a subscription. Platforms: Android and iOS Price: Free 14. Evernote Evernote has been around for a good few years and is one of the safest bets when it comes to using apps to boost productivity. It offers a variety of note-taking tools so you can change the way you work on and organise your personal and professional projects. You can write, analyse and store ideas in the form of notes, notebooks, checklists and to-do lists. Notes can be taken in a plethora of formats, including text, sketches, photos, audio, web clippings, PDFs and more. The app syncs across all your devices, so you never have to worry about losing your precious notes and documents. It's free to use, although there's the option to upgrade to a pro version with more features. Platforms: Android and iOS Price: Free 15. DropTask When it comes to working on projects with a large team, things can get pretty hectic. Allocating tasks ends up taking forever, and soon everyone's confused. The solution? DropTask. It offers a vibrant, colourful interface that delivers an enjoyable but effective task management experience. The main feature here is a customisable workflow board, where team members can allocate tasks and check what they're expected to do. You can invite up to five colleagues to work on tasks in real-time, and you can assign items under multiple categories. Like many of the other apps listed in this article, DropTask is cloud-based and syncs across devices. Platforms: Android and iOS Price: Free 16. Be Focused Pro It's easy to fall behind when you have so much work to do, and it doesn't help when there are so many distractions to deal with. If you suffer with these sort of issues, Be Focused Pro could help you. This iOS app lets you focus on your work and get things done by splitting individual tasks into intervals, separated by small breaks. This, the creators claim, will help you retain motivation while you work. As well as being able to create and configure tasks, you can also track your progress throughout the week, month or year. Platforms: iOS Price: £1.49 ($1.99) 17. Harvest One of the banes of running a business is having to deal with time and expense sheets. Unless you're willing to shell out for an accountant, this is something you're going to have to tackle yourself. But Harvest makes the task a lot simpler. The app is a way for you to track time, log expenses and manage invoices on-the-go. You can use the app to send invoices to clients and track when they've paid, add, view and edit time entries, take photos of receipts and upload them, monitor mileage, and much more besides. There is a basic free plan but it restricts the number of clients and projects available, so you'll need to fork out for a paid subscription if you want to unlock those limits. Platforms: Android and iOS Price: Free 18. TinyPulse Are you a business owner? Then you'll understand the importance of knowing how your employees are feeling. After all, if they're not happy at your firm, then the chances are they're going to underperform – or go elsewhere. TinyPulse is an app that lets you get to know your staff, giving you the ability to set them questions and analyse their feedback. Using this data, you can then make changes if they're needed. You can also share virtual suggestions with your team, ensuring they're always included in strategic decision-making. And hopefully the result of all this will be a happier, more democratic working environment. You can get a free trial to test the system out, although you'll need to contact the company for details of pricing plans when it comes to the full service. Platforms: Android and iOS Price: Varies 19. Bria Bria is a business-grade communication app available on iOS and Android as well as BlackBerry. It creates a SIP-based softphone client using Wi-Fi or a cellular data network that can make and receive calls over the net. The service uses the phone's existing contact list and has been designed to facilitate easy, effective communication management. There's an intuitive interface that accommodates multiple calls, and functionality includes the ability to swap, merge and split calls, plus you can perform attended and unattended transfers. You needn't worry about security either, as it boasts built-in audio encryption. Platforms: Android, iOS and BlackBerry Price: £6 ($7.99) 20. Wunderlist There's certainly no shortage of to-do list apps out there, but equally there's no denying that Wunderlist is one of the best. The app allows you to create as many task lists as you want and share them with your colleagues. They sync across devices, so you'll always have them to hand. Note that the app is free, but there's a pro version that'll cost you a few quid a year. You can delegate tasks, set deadlines, add notes, create reminders and split items into sub-tasks – and the interface is easy-to-use, and looks good, too. Platforms: Android and iOS Price: Free

Round up: The best free software to speed up your PC Posted: The best free software to speed up Windows The best free software to speed up your PC Is your Windows PC running a little slowly? It's not your imagination: over time hard drives accumulate all kinds of things that slow things down. Software can't solve obsolescence - if your computer is struggling to meet the system requirements for your OS or apps that's a job for more RAM or the addition of an SSD - but if the slowdown is software-related, it can really help. It's worth noting that you can do much of what these apps do yourself using Windows' built-in system maintenance tools, but that's time consuming; what's really being sold here is convenience. 1. Iolo System Mechanic Enjoy a cleaner, faster PC with greatly improved startup times Iolo System Mechanic removes junk files and unwanted apps, blocks bloatware and unwanted auto-run settings, clears out RAM and wipes various logs, browser histories and caches. Not only does this free up key system resources, it also eliminates traces of your browsing activity to protect your privacy. It really does make a difference; whenever we've tested System Mechanic we've found a significant speed improvement, especially at startup. The free edition is excellent, but the premium version is well worth considering if you find yourself using it regularly: it also includes a file recovery tool, and for US$40 (about £30, AU$50) you're entitled to use it on as many home PCs as you like. The genuine performance boost we saw after running System Mechanic made it our favorite system optimization tool. Read on for four more of the best apps around for speeding up your Windows PC. Have we missed your preferred speed-boosting tool? Let us know in the comments below. 2. IObit Advanced SystemCare Effective cleaning and maintenance that's ideal for novice users IObit Advanced SystemCare comes in two forms: a free version that covers basic house cleaning, and a Pro version that adds internet speed-boosting, real-time optimization, privacy protection, deep registry cleaning and 24/7 technical support. That's currently US$20 (about £15, AU$25) for a year, and the license covers three PCs. Whichever edition you choose, the interface is well designed, easy to use and unlikely to frighten even the newest PC user. We'd deduct points for an installer that wants to add additional programs - that's hardly in keeping with the philosophy of keeping unwanted stuff off your computer - but they're easy to avoid if you choose a custom installation. Like most of the tools here, it cleans up files and folders you don't need, neatens up the Windows registry and corrects errors on your hard drive - all via a simple, slick dashboard. 3. Piriform CCleaner Eliminate unnecessary files, registry entries and tracking cookies Piriform CCleaner has been around for a long time, and part of the reason for its ongoing popularity is that it cleans the parts of your PC that many other free apps don't. There's a paid-for version that adds real time protection and cleanup scheduling, but the free version covers the important stuff such as removing temporary files, getting rid of browser caches, removing unwanted cookies while keeping the useful ones and so on. If your PC just feels sluggish then this is the app to try first. It doesn't have all the advanced features of apps like System Mechanic, but the stuff it does clear is famous for slowing down PCs. 4. PC Decrapifier Just bought a new PC? Clear out the bloatware for improved performance PC Decrapifier is particularly useful on brand new PCs, which are often either full of exciting opportunities to discover new apps or stuffed to the gills with a load of useless junk, depending on your point of view. If you tend to the latter then then this free app is well worth a look. It analyses your system, shows you the apps it thinks you should get rid of - based not just on its developers' opinions but on other users' feedback - and then removes the ones you choose. It's so focused on cleaning PCs, it doesn't even install itself. 5. Razer Cortex: Boost Performance enhancement specifically designed for gamers If your system struggles when you're trying to get your game on, Razer Cortex: Boost could well be the answer. The free app suspends unnecessary system processes, clears out memory and defrags your system to get the very best games performance possible. It's available for Windows 7, 8 and 10, and while the differences won't make you jump up and down in astonishment - for most people the results will mean slightly smoother visuals rather than astonishing performance improvements - it does automate the fiddly process of turning off unnecessary software and services when it's time to play.

You are subscribed to email updates from TechRadar: All latest Applications news feeds. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States