These products I use and recommend.
Favorite Apps Of All Time
- SugarSync- file backup, sync, and sharing (runner up Dropbox.com)
- The most feature-packed file personal file backup and sync tool. Too many features to list here, but this app keeps all my files synced across 3-5 computers and smart phones, between my family and work teams. Awesome.
- Evernote- One place for all your notes
- Literally my brain online. Sync all your notes, screenshots, voice memo’s, blog ideas, receipts, to-do lists, small files, etc. between your smartphone, the web, and their desktop app. I use have used this tool to manage nearly everything I do every day since 2009. Couldn’t recommend this enough.
- Skype – Best voice and video chat
- LogMeIn- free remote access to your computer
- I’ve used logmein.com for years and it rocks. I use it weekly to access computers from other computers, from my iPhone, and help my family around the world remotely. Fast and easy and never bugs you to buy it, if all you need are the free features.
Security (“do all these things and you’ll live safer on the web”)
- Microsoft Security Essentials- free (and great) anti-virus
- Best and simplest option out there for home Windows PC’s and up to 10 PC’s in a business. Free, low maintenance, and generally better than all free and paid anti-virus out there right now. We don’t need password savers and Internet search filters built into our anti-virus, so forget the bloat of other venders. Installing this should also uninstall your existing anti-virus.
- Secunia PSI- software security patch scanner
- This is needed *in addition* to anti-virus, and will find all that outdated software on your computer that needs security updates to stay protected online (Java, Flash, Acrobat, Quicktime, etc.). I often say, if you run Windows Vista or Windows 7 (keep UAC enabled!), set Windows Updates to automatic, have a up to date anti-virus, and run Secunia PSI at least monthly… then you are already ahead of 99.9% of everyone else in “keeping your home computer secure”. Now just stop blindly clicking those email links and downloading everything without thinking
- This is needed *in addition* to anti-virus, and will find all that outdated software on your computer that needs security updates to stay protected online (Java, Flash, Acrobat, Quicktime, etc.). I often say, if you run Windows Vista or Windows 7 (keep UAC enabled!), set Windows Updates to automatic, have a up to date anti-virus, and run Secunia PSI at least monthly… then you are already ahead of 99.9% of everyone else in “keeping your home computer secure”. Now just stop blindly clicking those email links and downloading everything without thinking
- DynDNS Internet Guide- DNS filtering
- Change 2 settings on your home Internet router after creating a free account with DynDNS and you’ll have another layer of protection against accidently browsing to an unsafe site.
- WOT (Web Of Trust)- Web site safe/unsafe indicators
- Not 100% correct but it’s a browser plugin that will give you stoplight indicators while googling and warnings when you try to access a page that could be bad for you. If used in conjunction with DynDNS then between the two hopefully you won’t hurt yourself by going to a “bad” web site.
Personal Backup Software
- Backblaze – $4 a month for the best and easiest single computer online backup
- Backs up *all* files (even on USB disks) automatically, including old versions of documents, and even provides a feature to help find your stolen computer should that ever happen.
- SugarSync- file backup, sync, and sharing
- The most feature-packed file personal file backup and sync tool. Too many features to list here, but this app keeps all my files synced across 3-5 computers and smart phones, between my family and work teams. Awesome.
- Mozy- file backup
- If you just need a basic backup, and don’t want the hastle of tapes, USB drives, or manually copying files the Mozy is the best. Mozy works for businesses and servers too. If you have more then 100GB and just one PC then I recommend Carbonite which does unlimited backups for $55 a year.
- Carbonite- super simple single computer file backup
- Cheaper and allows more space then Mozy, but has less features. I generally recommend this for the user who wants “set and forget” backups on a single home PC.
Other Apps/Services
- SpaceSniffer – drive space analysis
- Scans your drives and gives you a visual representation of them based on size of folders/files. In seconds you can drill down to where all your space is being taken up and remove them.
- Nitro PDF Reader- better then Foxit, more secure then Acrobat
- I use the paid Nitro Professional so I can create from scanner and edit PDF’s, but this reader has tons of features including SAVE PDF and Print to PDF. Also free from Nitro is PDF to Word Converter and more.
- Paint.NET
- Easier to use then GIMP and way better then Paint.
- Aptana Studio- favorite free web code IDE
- I’m not a full time coder so I don’t need a paid product, but for CSS, PHP, and the like I use Aptana Studio which is now free.
- Sublime Text- best lite and portable code editor (scripts, logs, quick code editing)
- simple yet full of features. Love the minimal!
Business Cloud Apps/Services
- Office 365 10 User Trial (small biz 1-50 users)
- For $6 a month per user, you can’t beat these “big business” apps like Exchange, SharePoint and Lync. What used to take thousands of dollars and weeks to setup for your business now takes your lunch hour.
- Microsoft Intune- Windows PC management
- Subscription service that includes full Windows 7 Enterprise licenses, Anti-Virus, remote management of updates, and remote support to users from your tech guru. All managed from a web-based console in the cloud. This plus Office 365 fully automates your basic business computer apps and needs.
- Bluehost- web hosting
- I’ve used dozens of web hosts over the years. Bluehost is my current and best hoster so far. Their backend cpanel is kept up to date, prices are rock bottom awesome, and they are one of the biggest/best shops out there so says the web and Tim Ferriss.
- Elegent Themes- great WordPress blog and website themes
- For your new Bluehost web site above, get a custom theme to run your business or blog. Not free themes, but it’s amazing what you get for the $39 bucks. I currently use their theme’s for several projects. The backend theme customization and support are top notch.
- FreshBooks- Time tracking, invoicing, and billing online for free
- I use this, even for non-paying projects as a time tracking tool. Free for up to three clients and has all the features a freelancer should need. Doesn’t try to do everything, and are good at what they do.