Category: Utility and Tools

One of the biggest elements of Windows 8 is the new Metro interface. If you don’t fancy the idea of installing the Developer Preview version that can be freely downloaded or using one of the various transformation packs, Metro Sidebar enables you to test drive one of Windows 8’s new feature with a minimum of fuss.

The app adds a new sidebar to the right-hand side of your desktop which fairly closely mimics the tiled look of the upcoming version of Windows. In terms of functionality, the options offered by Metro Sidebar are a little on the limited side. The sidebar can be configured to always appear on top of other open windows so the information it displays is always visible.

The sidebar starts by displaying the date and time, and beneath this are the options to restart or shut down your computer as well as locking, logging off or switching user. These are handy as it eliminates the need to visit the Start menu, saving you a click, but it is not something that most people do all that often. Beneath this is an information panel that lists the version of Windows you have installed – not necessarily something you need to be reminded of constantly.

The next section of the sidebar enables you to monitor the state of your hard drive by showing you the capacity, as well as the amount of the free and used space. The final feature of the sidebar and the only one that can be customised is a link to the web browser of your choosing. That’s really all there is to it – Metro Sidebar is an attractive piece of software, but it really has little to offer.

It’s a well-known fact that Microsoft has dropped desktop gadgets from Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 versions due to security reasons, and has been offering a tool to completely remove sidebar or desktop gadgets from Windows 7 as well.

Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 users who aren’t concerned about the security can download and install third-party desktop gadget packs that include ported desktop gadgets from Windows 7. The advantage of these gadget packs is that you not only get native Windows 7 gadgets but also get tens of cool third-party gadgets designed for Windows 7.

MetroSidebar for Windows 8 and Windows 8.1

Since desktop gadgets were originally developed for Windows 7, they don’t go well with Windows 8 and 8.1’s Modern interface. If you’re running Windows 8 or 8.1 and looking for a good sidebar program with the tiled interface, you should check out MetroSidebar program.

MetroSidebar is a free sidebar program designed to add Modern UI-style (Metro-style) sidebar to Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1. The cool thing about this sidebar program is that it goes very well with the Modern interface of Windows 8 and Windows 8.1.

The recently released MetroSidebar 2.0 displays date, time, your user name, user picture, and weather info at the right side of the screen with default settings.

Just like the tiles on the Start screen in Windows 8 and 8.1, the tiles on the MetroSidebar update in real-time. The sidebar also shows a slideshow of pictures located in Pictures folder, comes with an Alarm tile, and also lets you quickly launch Computer (My Computer or This PC), Control Panel, Recycle Bin, and Internet Explorer right from the sidebar.

The best thing about this app is that it is fully customizable. You can even change the colour of the tile to match your background wallpaper. You can also push down gadgets to other sidebar faces. The number and active face will be denoted by dots present at the bottom. You can remove the gadget tile you do not want on the sidebar. Gadgets like clock and launchers and weather do have their own settings.

To add a new tile, click the Settings icon located at the bottom of the sidebar and then click Add tiles. Select a tile’s name in the left pane and then click the plus button to add the tile to the sidebar.

MetroSidebar (version 1.0.0) has a file size of 4.47 MB and is available for download from our website. Just click the green Download button above to start. Until now the program was downloaded 121 times. We already checked that the download link to be safe, however for your own protection we recommend that you scan the downloaded software with your antivirus.

 

Download METROSIDEBAR

So you’ve bought yourself a gaming PC or built one from scratch. Now it’s sitting in pride of place in your office, just waiting to be pushed to its limits.

Whatever the origin, that humming mass of silicon and plastic is in need of superior software to take it to said limits. The catch? You’ve blown all your cash on your rig and now your bank balance is looking decidedly depleted.

The solution? Our carefully collated collection of complimentary curatives, of course. These 10 free Windows apps will help turn your burgeoning beast into a towering powerhouse, enabling you to track frame rates, voice chat with ease, and stream like a seasoned pro.

1. GameMaker: Studio

Game Maker is easily one of the most popular game development tools in the industry. This is because its drag-and-drop system allows you to make games many times faster than if you were coding it.

You also have the option of upgrading to the Professional or Master Collection versions for access to more tools.

2. Unity

Unity is a popular game development tool which is being liked by the game developers from a long time. This development tool initially started with the 3D engine but later on added 2D support in 2013. This gaming tool has everything that a developer requires to create 2D or 3D games as it supports both 3D as well as 2D games.

3. Stencyl

With this toolset you can make Flash games faster than with any other program out there. The interface features a drag-and-drop system along with blocks of code for you to utilize.

While you can make great games with Stencyl, it’s often tool by developers to make quick prototypes of their game ideas.

4. LogMeIn Hamachi

Enjoy multiplayer games over a secure virtual network, completely free

If you want to organize secure meetings or record multiple contributors to a podcast or game session, you need to be able to rely on a strong and robust VPN (virtual private network).

As you might have guessed since it’s included in this list LogMeIn Hamachi is totally free to use, but don’t let the absence of a price tag scare you off – free most definitely does not equal ‘cheap’.

Hamachi enables you to establish an airtight network between multiple computers and do everything from sharing files to playing private games, using a super–secure P2P protocol to ensure it can smoothly access servers, firewalls and routers. It boasts one of the simplest interfaces we’ve ever used in the world of VPNs, so if you’re relatively new to the concept, Hamachi won’t make you feel a total noob.

5. Razer Cortex: Game Booster

Optimize your PC’s settings, no matter what gaming platform you’re using

Razer, as a long established maker of PC gaming peripherals, also makes some very powerful free software to optimize your machine. Of course, there are areas of the suite that will lead you to some of Razer’s premium apps, but there’s still a lot of gratis gold to be mined from Razer Cortex: Game Booster.

It’s been designed to work with every kind of PC, so whether you’re rocking a basic build or a souped–up monster of a rig, Game Booster has something to offer your machine. Whether you’re using Steam, Origin or any other platform to launch your games, Game Booster will start trying to enhance your settings to improve your experience automatically.

It’s a really clever bit of free software for your gaming PC, and it’s ideal if you’re looking for a little extra improvement without much effort. It’s also great if you want to make an older PC work a little harder.

6. OBS Studio

OBS Studio is a free, cross-platform, and open-source HD streaming and recording application for capturing footage. You can use it to stream games online, record video and audio directly from your webcam, integrate with YouTube for speedy streaming.

It has a clean UI which at first may seem complex but once you get the hang of it it will be a smooth sail onwards. Its features also include an unlimited number of scenes, an inbuilt audio mixer with per-source filters, hotkeys, a customizable layout, plugin support, etc.

7. CPU-Z

CPU-Z is a free software that gives you information on your computer. This information includes your processor name, number, codename, process, package, and cache levels.

It also gives details on your Mainboard and chipset, memory type, size, timings, module specifications, as well as a real-time measurement of each core’s internal frequency, and memory frequency.

8. KeyTweak

KeyTweak is an application with which you can modify the inputs of your keyboard. Its remapping system enables you to switch the values of keyboard buttons and create shortcut combinations which can boost the productivity of any creative gamer.

9. Cocos2D

Cocos2D is an open source tool for creating 2D games with C++, although there is support for Lua and JavaScript.

Your finished game can be published on Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Windows Phone, or the web. Notable titles made using this program include Badlands, Castle Clash, Kingdom Rush, Tiny Village, and Matching with friends.

10. PlayCanvas

This HTML5 game development platform allows you to develop 2D and 3D games alongside a collaborator on the cloud.

This means you don’t have to download and install anything and are even given 200MB of disk space. New developers and experts alike can make use of this free and open source engine.