Home & Hobby

Simply Calenders enables you to create a wide variety of custom calendars, including Month Calendars, Year Planners, Week Planners, Birthday, Academic and Fiscal Calendars. You can add your own pictures, and automatically insert US and/or international holidays, religious events, as well as birthdays, anniversaries and other important dates. Simply Calenders can also create a web page from your calendar or export it as PDF file and several other formats. Other features include support for moon phases, sunset and sunrise times, daylight saving time, as well as a basic image editor. Simply Calenders can output calendars in more than 70 languages. The interface could use some improvements, but other than that this is probably the only calendar printing tool you`ll ever need.

My ICE Plan Home Inventory enables you to create a searchable database that contains a complete inventory of the valuables in your home(s). It allows you to include photos and video clips along with detailed descriptions, serial numbers, purchase information, insurance information and more. In addition to personal property data, you can also store information for your pets, create a family emergency plan and access information for federal and state emergency agencies. The program is designed to be portable and can be installed directly to a USB drive, so you can keep it at hand in case of disaster evacuations.

LeaguePad is a football (soccer) league management software, that allows you to track track of your favorite leagues and also publish them as a web site on the Internet. The program is primarily designed for soccer fans, but can be used for other sports as well (e.g basketball). It tracks and analyzes sport leagues in full details. You can create your own leagues and/or download leagues from within the software. LeaguePad allows you to generate customizable statistics tables at the league level and for each team, player and referee. Statistics and league types can be customized, to allow support for various types of league/sports combinations (round-robin with or without knock-out stages, Conferences, etc.). In addition, you can define and save custom queries, events and statistics. Additional features include configurable result predictions, one-click website creation and more.

RoboGEO is a tool to geo-reference digital images with latitude, longitude, and altitude information. It can print this information onto the actual image (small footer on image) and also add it to the EXIF headers, allowing you to permanently link the photo to the GPS coordinates. RoboGEO works with any digital camera and includes direct support for Garmin GPS units and can also import G7ToWin tracklog files, so you can use it with other models as well. It can also be used to launch online maps, that show you the geographical location for images that have the geo data added. RoboGEO does not require the use of a GPS, since you can also enter the Langitude/Lattitude information manually, but it works most efficient if used in conjunction with a GPS unit.

All My Books enables you to organize your collection of paper books into an electronic library. You can quickly add new book titles by typing the name or ISBN number and import the plot, cover image and other details from online sources. You can browse and search your collection, filter by read/unread, assign personal ratings and track books loaned to friends. The program can also export your collection to HTML, CHM, Excel and mobile devices. Other features include password protection, book card printing and database statistics.

Digital Physiognomy is a face reading software that attempts to provide you with details about the character of a person, based on a sketch that you assemble from a collection of facial features and contours. Based on the assembled face, it claims to reveal personally traits such as Temper, Intellect, Self-Esteem, Sense of Humor, Level of Optimism, Will Power, and more. The program allows you to load the photo of a person as an aid to create the sketch (it does no do automated face recognition), and can export the result as bitmap or HTML page. The demo version includes samples using a variety of celebrities, but due to functional limitations, you cannot create your own analysis.

GenoPro is intuitively easy to learn, simple to use, yet capable to handle the most complex genealogy tree. GenoPro is for visualizing, editing and printing large genealogy trees. GenoPro allows you to distribute your genealogy tree on the Internet and supports scanned photos for everyone.

TypingMaster Pro is an interactive typing trainer, that you can use to teach yourself touch typing. It offers an extensive array of exercise lessons that cover all the bases from ergonomics to step-by-step lessons and interactive games to practice your skills. Unlike other products that simply provide you with a set of training lessons, TypingMaster Pro adapts to your unique needs and customizes the learning process based on your skills and progress. It keeps detailed statistics about your WPM rates, problem keys and other details, and allows you to target and improve your weak areas. The program comes with a modern, easy to read interface with clear guidance and navigation. TypingMaster Pro also includes a Satellite program that can monitor your day-to-day typing beyond the duration of the course and can create customized exercises for you to further polish your typing skills. The trial version is limited to the first 2 (of 12) lessons.

Runner`s Studio is a logging software for runners and joggers. It allows you to keep detailed track of all your running workouts, set goals, view statistical charts, share workout stats by email and even track the mileage on each pair of your running shoes. The comfortable and easy to use interface provides an overview of your recent runs, as well as options to set goals, plan weekly workouts, schedule race dates and more. You can input detailed information for each of your runs, including distance, temperature, course, heart rate, body weight, shoes and other details. In addition, you can maintain a personal journal and even set `mega goals` that allow you to simulate several cross-country runs. Runner`s Studio offers a pleasant interface with many features, but has deficiencies that may be important to some users, such as a lack of printing, export and backup features.

TimeTool allows you to track time spent on various projects. It can be used to generate employee time sheets, customer invoices, or simply track time spent on given projects over a certain time period. TimeTool can be used by a single employee, a project group or an entire company using the Pro version). The program can generate 14 different graph styles as well as invoices and time sheets which are completely customizable and can be printed or saved as HTML as well. TimeTool runs in the system tray and automatically tracks your time spent on selected projects, you can quickly take a break or stop timing (billing) with just a mouse click. Projects and customer data can be managed from a database style interface. Time Tools includes Crystal reports and comes standard with 22 different reports. If you are using Crystal Reports, can add also add your own reports and use any 1 of 7 different database structures.

Blaxton Pet Organizer is a database application, that is designed to manage pet related tasks for people that own multiple pets. It allows you to keep track of tasks such as booster vaccinations, worming/flea treatments, aquarium water changes, etc. and reminds you when tasks are due. Furthermore, the program can store veterinarian info and costs, kennels stays, and other related information. You can create HTML or printable reports, search the database and also network the database via TCP/IP.

GS Typing Tutor is a program that will help you to learn touch typing from scratch, or develop your typing speed if your are already using the touch type method. It includes a Basic Course with 16 lessons that starts with the basic finger placements, posture etc. and gradually increases the number of keys with each lesson. The program keeps track of your errors and typing speed and tells you whether your results are sufficient or require more practice. It also tracks frequent errors and provides special review lessons, using the keys that you have problems with. In addition to the Basic Course, GS Typing Tutor also includes a course for symbols and numeric keys and the numeric keypad. Other features include 5 typing games,typing tests, printable reports, statistics and support for multiple users.

Collectorz.com Book Collector enables you to create a digital library to catalog all your books. You can quickly add books to the library by entering the ISDN number or, if you own a Flic bar code scanner, you can simply scan them without the need for any typing. The program downloads book details including author, title, publisher, genre as well as cover images from online resources (like Amazon and various library sites). You can browse your collection as a list or thumbnail display, create view filters, search by keyword and also export your library to HTML, XML, Text or iPod notes.

Baby Diary enables you to create a multimedia diary with all your baby pictures, memories, important events, and any other details you want to add. You can associate a photo, a video clip and an audio recording with each diary entry and view them with the integrated media player interface. The program can also keep track of prenatal and infant development, vaccinations etc. and convert data into graphical charts for easy reference. If you want to share your baby diary with friends and family, the program can create a complete baby web book, including photos, charts and all other details, which can be published on the web or as autorun CD. Other features include database backup, rich text editing, printing of pages and charts and support for multiple children.

GSAK (Geocaching Swiss Army Knife) is a tool for Geocaching, that allows you to import, export and transfer your geocache collections. It supports .LOC and .GPX formats and displays a list detailed information for every item. You can mark items, change status, transfer waypoints to/from your GPS unit, add user notes, generate HTML files, print item lists and much more. The program can be customized in various ways, including options for custom URLs, custom tags to specify waypoint names (based on waypoint information) and icons, color coding, search filters and more. A great all-around tool for active geocachers!

MediaMan is a media manager for all your digital and print media, including books, video games, DVDs, software or music CDs and VHS tapes. You can enter your items by typing or scanning their barcode, or search for them by keyword on international Amazon sites or the Library of Congress. The program automatically imports cover images, descriptions and other details, including user reviews (if available). If you do not have a barcode scanner, MediaMan offers an option to use your webcam to scan the barcode, however, as much as we liked the idea, we could not get it to work. Another outstanding feature is the virtual bookcase view that displays nicely rendered images that resemble your books and CDs, using their original cover art, which provides a stylish way to browse your collection. Other features include rental management, export to various formats, personal tags and ratings, file attachments, custom information fields and more. You can also use the program to launch music or other media directly from the library, as long as the media is located on your PC. Overall, an easy-to-use media organizer with high levels of customization and an attractive virtual shelf display.

Open Fitness is a software for fitness enthusiasts, bodybuilders or personal trainers that enables you to track your workout regimes, supplement usage, body measurements, food and calorie intake and much more. It generates charts based on your progress and allows you to create custom workout plans for weight training or cardio exercises as well as competition training. The program also includes access to an online community and allows you to share your workout and diet plans via email. Open Fitness also includes a feature that lets you sync data with your PDA. Well featured, but comes with a rather clumsy interface.

Weight-By-Date Pro is a complex diet software that helps you track daily intake of calories, carbs, fat protein and other nutrients and logs your weight loss over a period of time. You can set custom weight loss goals, track your exercise activities, add daily notes and keep a detailed diary of all the food you have eaten. The program includes a database with many common food products and you can also add your own items and recipes. The calendar view provides daily calorie intake at a glance, and a reporting tool can generate charts for weight loss, body measurements, calorie intake and more. Other features include custom weight loss goals and diet planning and more.

Touch Typing Deluxe enables you to learn and practice touch typing with the help of 22 lessons that include key exercises, word exercises, finger specific lessons and more. The lessons provide visual references that show you which finger to use for the current letter, as well as the position on the keyboard. At the end of each lesson, you are presented with statistical report that highlights problem areas and keeps track of your overall progress and typing speed. As you becomes more advanced in your typing, you can also use the free writing mode, which allows the writing of e-mails, letter and documents while the typing speed is being measured. Other features include support for multiple users, as well as server and network compatibility.

CyberSky is an astronomy program that provides a personal planetarium to the sky and shows you the current positions of the stars and planets based on your location. It also offers a real-time animation that calculates the current sky and allows you to go back or forward in time. You can customize the display by showing or hiding object labels, constellation boundaries and figures, grid lines and also quickly locate the 8 (9) planets via buttons on the toolbar. Other features include a search feature to locate stars and deep space objects by name, or input of coordinates, atlas or horizon display mode, printable star charts and more. The sky display is rather technical and lacks the eye candy and 3D enhancements offered by other products, however for a size of under 1 mb CyberSky includes a good deal of detail and information for hobby astronomers.

Letter Chase Typing Tutor enables you to learn touch typing with the help of on-screen instructions to learn finger placement and step-by-step training lessons that will get you started. The program includes a total of 11 lessons that cover all letters as well as numbers, symbols and punctuation. Letter Chase Typing Tutor includes statistical charts that display your progress, and you can customize some of the settings to adjust for your typing style.Other features include support for multiple users, typing games, advanced drills, speed tests and more.

Agelong Tree is a genealogy program that allows you to create family trees, complete with pictures, sound, video, attached documents, biographies and more. You can start creating your family history by simply adding persons to a list and provide the details that are known to you, such as birth date, place of residence, occupation and other information, and the easily link them to father and mother entries from your list. Agelong Tree will use this information to automatically build a correct family hierarchy for you that can be easily expanded or updated. You can generate the tree root from any selected person in your list, which makes it easy to generate partial trees (e.g only one generation back). The program provides an intuitive workflow that is easy to master and conveniently cross-linked with information already in your database. The appearance of the tree can be customized in various details and printed or exported to XML or Gedcom format. Other features include Gedcom import, database search and filters, family statistics and more. The trial version is limited to 40 family members.

TomeRaider is a cross-platform document reader for the proprietary .t3 format that provides access to a a large library of freely available public domain e-books, reference works and other text content, including encyclopedias, movie guides and more. Other features include image support and content search. TomeRaider`s large content library is certainly a plus, however the application and usability leave much to be desired. The program does not provide any user preference settings, you cannot change font size or type, nor does it offer auto-scroll or similar conveniences.

E-File Magic create 1098, 1099, 5498, W-2G forms for e-filing with the IRS. You can create single forms manually or import data from existing files. Once the information has been entered or imported, you can print Copy 1, 2, B, and C on plain laser paper. E-File Magic requires all forms to be filed electronically with the IRS, but you can also request printing/mailing services. The software is free and you only have to pay once you actually decide to file. E-File Magic is an IRS authorized e-File provider.

CBN Selector is an image editor to re-color your digital images and instantly preview the changes. It is mostly intended for buildings and interior design and provides color choices based on selected building materials (paint, stucco, sealant, grouts, coatings, and pre-colored manufactured building components etc.), however it can also be used for interior design projects, clothing and more. It offers color wheel selections, color harmonies, favorite color organizer, Monitor Calibration utility and more. The program also integrates with an online order option that enables you to quickly order paint based on the selected colors (optional). The re-colored images can be save in JPG or BMP format and you can also generate a full report, including the picture and color choices.

BarCode Descriptor allows you decode barcodes (EAN-13, UPC-A, EAN-8, UPC-E) and find out the country that the product originated from. In addition, it provides a link that can provide you with additional information (name, address and phone of manufacturer) for barcodes, that are registered with the online database. You can add a description to the barcode and save it to file or print it. No special equipment needed, just enter the number combination that is printed on the barcode.

Chessimo (formerly Personal Chess Trainer) is a chess training software that is based on the concept of memorizing tactics, strategies and endgames by (repeatedly) solving specific chess situations, and determining the best move. Rather than trying to teach you the concepts behind these moves, it lets you figure it out by yourself. If your first attempt is incorrect, it will give you a hint by marking the chess piece that should be moved, and if you cannot solve it within the set time limit, it will provide you with the solution (but not always with an explanation). Chessimo was developed by GM Gilberto Milos and includes a database of more than 6000 chess moves from Grandmaster games, that are divided into 3 categories, starting with simple moves and gradually increasing in difficulty. Other features include support for multiple users, customizable chess pieces and layout.

Collmate enables you to organize any type of collection in a customizable database. You can add a description to each item, attach a photograph, and enter any other information, like status, condition, date of addition, value and other information. The program can generate reports, export data (not available during trial) and allows you to search through your collections. It contains templates for various common collection types (CDs, stamps, coins etc.) and you can also create your own, custom templates. Other features include a loan manager and password protection. The program only supports manual input and cannot read any meta tags, nor can it import artist or movie information.

Cook`n Favorites is a recipe organizer that comes with a sampler of recipes and the option to add your own recipes. You can print the recipes on cards or letter size paper, include nutritional information and also print a shopping list for the selected recipe(s). The program allows you to adjust the recipe serving sizes automatically, assign preferred brands to ingredients, associate pictures (.bmp only), sound (.wav) or video (.mpg or .wmv) with the recipe, and also create weekly menu plans. Other features include export to text or HTML, import of MasterCook recipes, emailing of recipes (no SMTP support), export to Palm and more. Cook`n Favorites offers a good set of core functionality, but most of the features and interface appear to be dating back to the Win 95 area. The program is backed by a large library of recipe sets that can be purchased in addition to the samplers that come included with the software.