Download Squad

Yesterday I wrote up a little list of things I wished people would quit installing on their PCs. Today, I've put together a selection of handy programs those same people can use to take care of some of the annoyances I mentioned - and more.

Here are six (seventeen, really, but some are grouped) simple applications that will help - and they're all free for personal use!

1. PC Decrapifier - A lot of people that drop their systems off for repair say "take out any programs that don't need to be there." Well, that's exactly the kind of crud Decrapifier is designed to get rid of. It compares the programs on your system to a list of known bloatware (Wikipedia definition) and simplifies the removal process.

2. Malware Bytes - Those annoying popups you're getting? The weird pages you see when you try to search for something in your browser? Malware Bytes does a great job at removing the pests that cause those problems. It's usually the first program I run on horribly bogged-down computers. After a scan, clean, and reboot, they're usually much more cooperative.

3. Glary Utilities - The one-click maintenance mode in Glary is a wonderfully simple way for even non-technical users to keep their systems tuned. It tackles all kinds of tasks, from removing temporary file garbage and broken shortcuts to tuning up your registry.

One note: download the slim version to avoid the Ask Toolbar. You can opt out of it during the regular install, but slim removes it altogether.

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Multi-protocol chat client Digsby received a major update today, with over 100 bug fixes and new features. At the top of the list, the new version should use about 50% less CPU cycles than previous builds.

Digsby is a chat client that lets you chat with contacts whether they're using AIM, ICQ, Google Talk, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, or Facebook Chat. It also lets you read and write updates for social networking sites including Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn.

Here are a few other new features:

• Search your buddy list by hitting Ctrl+F
• Improved file transfer reliability for AIM, ICQ, and MSN
• Support for entering your status on MySpace
• Added support for invisible mode on Gtalk
• New infobox based on WebKit

Some of these features have been available to Alpha testers for a while now, but the new build will allow all Digsby users to access them.

Microsoft kind of, sort of confirmed that that leaked images of the Windows 7 box art we spotted last month were legit when the company posted some nearly identical images on a Facebook page recently. But now it's really official. The Windows team has posted an item on the official Windows Blog showcasing the new packaging.

As you can see, the packaging is pretty simple and actually looks a lot like the Windows Vista packaging. But while the cover art may not have received a major redesign, the overall packaging has. The amount of packaging weighs 37% less than previous Windows packages, and the plastic case is recyclable. There's less inside the box as well. All you get is the case, a paper sleeve, and a brief "getting started" guide.

You can find a picture of an opened box after the break.

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Now that version 3.0 of the iPhone operating system allows third-party apps to take advantage of push notifications, we're starting to see some of the first major push apps popping up. AIM for iPhone, available as a free ad-supported app or a $2.99 ad-free version, now offers push notifications. Now AIM doesn't have to be open for you to see when you've got a new IM coming in.

New push notifications pop up just like SMS messages, but you can also set AIM to badge its icon with the number of new messages you have, or play a sound when a new one comes in. Since third-party apps aren't allowed to run in the background on the iPhone, push makes AIM a lot more practical than it was when you had to have it open and active to see your new messages.

[via Lifehacker]