Free software download

XnView, simply put, is a file explorer. What makes it a bit special is that instead of treating every file as equal, it tries to make sense of each and every one and let you see, in the most relevant form possible, what exactly is contained in the file.

When checking this program out, we were immediately reminded of another quality file previewer, ACDSee. While that has gone on to become a fully featured photo manager, available for $50, XnView will take care of most users’ basic needs while boasting a price tag of $0 (for personal use). With its built-in preview engine, the program can display 400 different image file formats as well as play various media formats such as AVI or MP3.

Using the program will already be second nature to most users as it works like Windows Explorer. On the left side of the screen you see all your directories, with the contents of the directories being displayed in the upper half of the right window. Selecting any of these files will then bring up a preview in the lower half of the window. If you’re browsing through some photos you can run them as a slideshow and view in full screen. If you’re browsing through simple TXT or INI files, the opening few lines of text will show up as an icon and you can view the entire contents of the file without needing to open other programs.

There is a good level of support for various formats and the interface zips along without delays, even when displaying large video files. On encountering a file that it doesn’t recognize, XnView displays its hash values, which may or may not be of use. If you run into any difficulty, there is a help file that is sufficient but not overwhelming.

One aspect that wasn’t quite as we would have liked was that it didn’t recognize the native format of files. For example, a simple text file with a LOG extension wasn’t treated as the same file with a TXT extension. It’s a small inconvenience but does stand out because of the general high quality of the software. For anyone with a large number of files that they want to organize, convert or just browse, XnView is certainly worth a look.

Download XnView 1.96 in Softonic

Feniks Windows

Download PDF-XChange Viewer 2.0.41.2 in Softonic

Feniks Windows

Cabal Online is an online action role playing game. If you like fantasy worlds, this one pushes all the right buttons. If you don’t, be warned!

After what is a very lengthy installation and registration process, you are taken to the character creation page. There are five types of character, like warrior or wizard, and as well as choosing your gender there’s a small choice of appearance configurations to decide on.

After all this, you’re popped into the world of Nevareth, which is under attack from the evil Cabal. From there you have to undertake quests and battle monsters, buy and sell items and join guilds (groups) to make your way through the Cabal story.

For novices of massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs) Cabal can be a little daunting as there is no automatic tutorial. Nevertheless, the first quest, when you find it, should introduce you to the ins and outs or MMORPGs pretty well. The player ranking/levels system is much the same as in other games of this genre – over time you gain experience, which equals points, which make you more powerful in various ways. To gain in game currency, killing wandering beasts is the best way to start off with.

Cabal is attractive to look at, and using the mouse to move and look around feels very natural. The sound effects are fine, although the soundtrack will become grating after a while! While you can play for free, Premium users get some in-game advantages.

Compared to the more famous MMORPGS, Cabal lacks some of the drama and is a little too generic in appearance to inspire you. However, it’s free, the combat system is good and it’s easier to play in small bites than its peers.

Download Cabal Online: The Revolution of Action in Softonic

Feniks Windows

One of the greatest features in Firefox is its ability to be customized with extensions. But what if Windows could also have its own extensions?

Extensions for Windows makes it possible. This handy collection of utilities adds extra functionality to Windows, most of them available through context menus in Windows Explorer.

The good thing about Extensions for Windows is that you’re free to decide which ones you want to install and which ones not to. All you have to so is browse the list of available plug-ins in the “New Extensions and Updates” tab, and check those you’re interested in. Selected plug-ins will be automatically downloaded and installed on your system. Depending on how many you choose, the process can be a bit lengthy.

The plug-ins featured in Extensions for Windows cover many different tasks, from photo editing to disk analyzing, as well as a variety of tools such as a video converter, a virtual PDF printer or an FTP client. This diversity enables you to tailor the program precisely to your needs.

Extensions for Windows currently features fifteen different plug-ins though it’ll probably include more in the future. Also, your installed plug-ins are automatically updated so that you don’t have to worry about new versions.

With Extensions for Windows you can add extra functionality to Windows and tailor the system just the way you need it.

Download Extensions for Windows Beta 2 in Softonic

Feniks Windows

Do you get easily bored by your desktop wallpaper? Wallpaper Rotator is a really simple and lightweight application allowing you to change your wallpaper with a double click.

The first time you the program is run you have to specify a folder where you have your desired wallpaper images, then decide whether to tile, center or stretch the images. From the open application, clicking Rotate! will do just that, but it’s not necessary to keep the program running.

Installation will give you a shortcut named Rotate Wallpaper!, and double clicking it will change your wallpaper. Wallpaper Rotator will quickly open to perform the task, and then close again, leaving your system’s resources unburdened by idling applications.

Wallpaper Rotator does nothing to help you find wallpaper, but it an easy way to quickly change your background. While having a shortcut on your desktop is useful, it has to be said the Wallpaper Rotator icon is pretty ugly, so is best left in the start menu.

Wallpaper Rotator is a no frills and system friendly way to keep your desktop feeling fresh.

Download Wallpaper Rotator 1.0.1.36 in Softonic

Feniks Windows

Fast AMR M4A AC3 WAV MP3 WMA Audio Converter is perfect anyone who has audio files in different formats that need converting.

Utilizing a basic but clear interface, Fast AMR M4A AC3 WAV MP3 WMA Audio Converter is not at all intimidating. Just add the file you want to convert, choose where you want it to be saved, and the format you want to convert it to.

In the full version you can convert in batches, although the trial is limited to one two minute conversion. Conversion quality is good, and really is fast. Unfortunately there is no option to cut files at all, and choose just a part of them to convert. Fast AMR M4A AC3 WAV MP3 WMA Audio Converter supports most common audion formats, so is fine for most conversion jobs.

Fast AMR M4A AC3 WAV MP3 WMA Audio Converter is a fairly comprehensive tool that makes good quality conversions.

Download Fast AMR M4A AC3 WAV MP3 WMA Audio Converter 2.4 in Softonic

Feniks Windows

Fast MP4 3GP AVI MPG WMV RM MOV FLV Converter is a multi-format converter that should cover most basic video conversions you want to do.

The interface is easy to understand, although video is more complex than audio so it may not be obvious which audio codec you want with your video, for example. However, to help there is a good list of conversion profiles to choose from, from TV to various iPods and PSP optimized conversions.

Video conversion is never very fast, and although Fast MP4 3GP AVI MPG WMV RM MOV FLV Converter isn’t slow, it still takes some time to convert long video files. The quality is good however, although unfortunately it’s not possible to convert only a part of a file. This trial version allows you to convert two minutes of one file, and the full version can manage multiple conversions.

Fast MP4 3GP AVI MPG WMV RM MOV FLV Converter is an easy to use application that supports all the most common video formats

Download Fast MP4 3GP AVI MPG WMV RM MOV FLV Converter 4.8 in Softonic

Feniks Windows

If you’re looking for a fun way to improve typing speed and accuracy, or just want to prove how speedy you are, Typomania is for you.

Typomania is an unusual typing game that combines fast typing skills with a fantasy-style orcs and magic storyline. Don’t be put off by that, though, as the game mechanics make this quite a tense game, and you won’t have time to worry about the somewhat generic setting.

By typing words that appear onscreen, you build ‘mana’, which in turn allows you to conjure monsters to attack your opponent. In story mode you learn spells as you go along, which can create faster or stronger monsters and so on. This all costs mana though, so you have to constantly keep correctly typing in words to win.

Typomania is a nice concept, although it’s probably too hard for people just learning to type – even at the easiest difficulty, there’s no time to waste. As the game progresses you need to make strategic decisions and type at the same time, which can be difficult if multitasking is not your strong point!

There are a number of word lists you can use in Typomania, and on the developer’s website there are also instructions for creating your own lists to use in game.

While the learning curve is a little steep, Typomania a good concept and a great educational game.

Download Typomania 0.8 in Softonic

Feniks Windows

If you spend long days in front of the computer, it’s important that the monitor is comfortable to look at. f.lux is designed to help with this by automating screen brightness as the sun goes up and down.

f.lux consists of a really smooth graphical display that shows the current position of the sun. In Settings you can choose a brightness that suits you for the day and the night, and enter your latitude. I didn’t know my latitude either, but if you search for your nearest major town or city in Wikipedia you’ll find it! If you click the sun on the interface it gives you a quick preview of the dimming effects that will happen over the 24 hour period.

f.lux does its job without problems. It features an override button, so if you’re doing color sensitive work you won’t be disturbed by a changing screen. It could be improved by automatically finding your latitude, or at least being able to calculate latitude based on your named location, but that’s a small issue. How useful this is depends on your computer usage – in an office where the light doesn’t change it’s a bit of an irrelevance!

While it’s not difficult to change screen brightness, f.lux means you never have to think about it again.

Download F.lux in Softonic

Feniks Windows

Are you looking for lost files? Accidentally emptied your recycling bin and want to recover your files? Feeling nosy and want to peek into the history of your hard drive (or any storage device)? DiskDigger will go through any disk and reveal what’s been left there, for better or worse!

This free application can’t do magic, obviously, and so won’t be able to repair corrupted files it finds, and once a file’s been deleted it can’t guarantee to find it. It does do an exhaustive scan to find traces of what you want though, so if you file is indeed sitting on your disk somewhere, it will be found.

The great thing about DiskDigger is it doesn’t require installation, and can be run from a portable drive. You can search a drive without leaving a trace of your search. James Bond aside, this also means it’s lightweight and small. Using it is a cinch – choose the type of file you want to look for, choose the drive you want to search and off it goes. Searching a big HDD can be a lengthy experience, but worthwhile if you really want to find something!

When you find something, there’s a button to save it wherever you want, although unfortunately DiskDigger has no search tool, which means you’ll have to wade through the found files manually.

DiskDigger is an easy to use tool for scanning the contents of a drive in its entirety, but we hope future version feature a search!

Download DiskDigger 0.6.1 in Softonic

Feniks Windows