Windows: When it comes to voice chats on the web, Skype is definitely the way to go. This awesome app - chosen by three Softonic editors as top of the decade - keeps on improving with every new version. The latest one, Skype 4.2 Beta, features call quality indicator, Google Chrome extension, enhanced support for the Windows 7 taskbar and the ability to transfer calls.

iPhone: If you're growing tired of the default Clock feature on your iPhone and want a new way of waking up then check out Alarm Clock Free. This handy app turns your iPod into a stylish digital clock and alarm. The neon green-on-black clock skin bears a striking resemblance to Night Stand, but this is no bad thing, as it looks good and is easy to see from a distance.

Mac: There are few Mac applications that can compete with VLC Player when it comes to playing video but MPlayerOSX is a very decent attempt to do so. MPlayerOSX impresses by playing virtually any video file type. These include MPEG/VOB, AVI, Ogg/OGM, WMA/WMV, QT/MOV/MP4, RealMedia, Matroska, and many many more. It may be a little rough around the edges in places compared to VLC Player but it's definitely worth a try.

The number thirteen might be unlucky for some, but not for this application, which makes it into our list of 2009's top software. It's unlikely you'll guess this one because the program is relatively unheard of - but have a stab at it anyway!

All writers suffer from writers block from time to time, and xxx is a tool designed specifically to overcome it. xxx consists of a very basic word processing program with absolutely no frills. You set a word target and a time limit and start writing. If you don't meet the target within the time limit, xxx erases all your work. If that isn't motivation, I don't know what is! - Niamh

Windows: A good antivirus doesn't necessarily have to be a system resources hogger. With Panda Cloud Antivirus your computer will be protected while keeping its performance intact. This popular antivirus has reached version 1.0 and remains a lightweight, easy security tool that does its job without nagging you with constant updates or desktop notifications.

iPhone: Ever hear a song you like on the radio, on TV or at a party but don't know what it's called? Install Shazam on your iPhone and you can find out. Whenever you hear a tune you dig, simply hold your iPhone's microphone to the speaker. Shortly after, as if by magic details of the song will appear in the Shazam interface, including the name of the song, the singer, and the album it appears on.

Mac: You may have already switched from Safari to Mozilla's Firefox. But are you ready to ditch Mail and try the developer's Thunderbird mail client? Mozilla Thunderbird is Mozilla's award winning and free solution to manage your mail more efficiently. And there are many advantages of switching to it too. Unlike Mail, it can handle virtual identities, create on-the-fly addresses and has one of the best spam filters out there.

If you've got yourself a spanking new Magic Mouse for your Mac, you may be more than just a little bit disappointed with some of its functionality.Fortunately, a mini-cottage industry of Magic Mouse software is already developing to fill the gap left by Apple. There still isn't much out there at the moment but here are a few essential software downloads to get the best out of your Magic Mouse. Note that all of these work for Trackpads too:

BetterTouchTool

This is completely free to use and amazingly simple. BetterTouchTool is the work of a single German developer who has produced an easy way to customize Mighty Mouse actions. These include the all important pinch in/out (zoom), single finger taps and even three finger swipes. Note that it only works with Snow Leopard.

MouseWizard

A more polished Mighty Mouse enhancer software which adds three extra buttons, namely, 'pinch', 'bloat', and 'tap to click' gestures and allows you to customize almost every aspect of your Mighty Mouse. You can even put your Magic Mouse to sleep using it. The main interface is very easy to use, allowing you to configure which type of clicks do what such as configuring a middle-click for Exposé or a fourth click to open Spotlight etc. If you get stuck, a handy wizard takes you through the configuration process by telling you where to place your hands on the Magic Mouse. The disadvantage is that it's not free (although only costs a modest $2.50).

iPhone: If you reckon you can do a better job than Dr. Dre at making 50 Cent sound good then prove it by installing this app on your iPhone. The snappily-named 50 Cent "Baby By Me" Sound Lab gives you the chance to remix the rapper's hit single. You don't need to be an experienced music technician, either. The mixing desk consists of a series of icons that represent different tracks (e.g. drums, vocals, bass, etc.).

Windows: Songbird is an open-source music player and organizer with which you can manage, play and discover music. It's free, cross-platform, highly customizable thanks to a wide variety of plug-ins and can be improved and extended by the contribution of its user community. It also works like a web browser, and will collect any MP3s that you find on pages automatically.

Mac: Don't be fooled by the name - Alarm Clock Pro is much more than just a flashy way of getting you out of bed on time. Now updated to version 9.2.2, Alarm Clock Pro is a fully functional organizer and scheduler that aims to ensure you never miss an important date again. As a wake-up alarm, it allows you to configure the tone as anything from an Internet radio station to an MP3 and even a movie or daily task.

Writing on a computer can be terribly distracting. Word is full of buttons and toolbars, WordPress is incredibly busy, and your system tray is likely to flash up notifications just often enough to put you off your words.

There are a number of writing applications designed especially to improve the atmosphere of your desktop, so you can concentrate on just writing.

WriteMonkey is my favorite free writing app for Windows, that clears your  screen of anything that might ruin your stream of consciousness. All you see is a blank page and the words you write on it. It's fully customizable in terms of fonts and colors, so you can set it up to be perfectly comfortable for your eyes. Use it with headphones, and you can even turn on typewriter sound effects!

There are other free options, like Dark Room, JDarkRoom and Q10, but they are a bit harder to use, and are a little less flexible than WriteMonkey.

JDarkRoom also runs on Mac OS X, which already has the paid apps WriteRoom and Scrivener. However, a design agency in Barcelona has just released a great free beta of something they call OmmWriter:

This is a really slick application, and while you don't have total freedom with font or color choices, OmmWriter makes up for this with its great backgrounds, selection of ambient sounds and really pleasant keyboard effects. It's really easy to use too - everything comes naturally, making it even more relaxing.

I found I could write much more efficiently using these apps, and I actually found OmmWriter incredibly pleasant to use too. How do you block out all the distractions that working on a computer brings?

Windows Mobile users have had top put up with limited, stripped-down versions of Microsoft's Office tools for years. Finally, Microsoft seems to pumping up the power of its mobile productivity suite, Office Mobile 2010. Released at the same time as Microsoft Office 2010 for PC, the latest version adds some powerful new functionality to the suite and harnesses the capabilities Windows Mobile 6.5 to deliver a more comfortable user experience.

The overall look and feel of all the apps within Microsoft Office Mobile 2010 is much improved on the previous version. The drop-down menus are sexier and more touch-friendly, and the apps support touch gestures for zooming in and out of documents and flicking through files. That said, the toolbar icons within the apps still look very outdated compared with the desktop versions. I was also disappointed to learn that you still can't drag over text with the stylus to select it for copying, cutting and pasting.

In terms of the utilities themselves, Word, Excel and PowerPoint are definitely more functional than they've ever been on a mobile. For instance, Word Mobile 2010 now includes more formatting options, a whole bunch of new preset formulas have been added to Excel Mobile 2010, and PowerPoint Mobile 2010 adds a feature for hooking up to your PC via Bluetooth and flicking through slides from your phone.

Well, Thanksgiving is creeping closer, which means that you're running out of time. Got the turkey trussed, the corn cobbed and the pumpkins pied? The lists made, the jobs delegated and the timing perfect? No? Didn't think so. Let OnSoftware come to the rescue with some of the most useful tools this Thanksgiving season. Don't worry if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving (or if it was last month) - this is great stuff for any celebration, whether it's Christmas, Hanukkah or Eid.

Your first challenge is to decide on the big meal. No need to be too creative - people like the old favorites at times like this - but it's still nice to put a new twist on something traditional. Apart from literally thousands of online recipes, there are also some nice desktop apps that mean you won't even need internet access, helpful if you've all escaped to a cabin in the woods. Recipe Cookbook is one - this app will give you hundreds of (sometimes wacky!) ideas, as well as covering the basics.

Now you know what you're eating, it's time to write the shopping list. Make sure you don't arrive home from the market with everything BUT the turkey by enlisting some technological help. Speedy Shopper should be first in line. Grocery List Generator, meanwhile, integrates with Firefox, a really handy way of creating lists as you browse recipes online.

Now that the food's planned and bought, there's a whole bunch of jobs to get done. Make sure nothing gets forgotten and everyone pulls their weight by running the tightest ship around. As everyone knows, organization is the key to success, so download a great planner to make sure everything goes goes like clockwork. As ever, we have the perfect Firefox add-on, ReminderFox, but if you's prefer something offline, we can help with that too. Just take a look at the this selection and you're sure to find one that suits - Golden Rules is my personal favorite.

After all that organizing, planning, shopping and cooking, it will probably be high time for the last essential - a cocktail. Ok, the Pilgrims may have raised an eyebrow, but things have come a long way since 1621 and after all that work, a toast to the Mayflower is very much in order! With a store of over 11,000 drinks - both alcoholic and non - CollegeBAR is sure to provide inspiration. Thanksgiving Special, anyone?!

Windows: You've probably never heard of it, but QQ Messenger is the most popular IM client in China. With over a billion registered accounts, it  has everything you need: support for voice and video, tons of smileys, customization options, photo and file sharing... all of it in a nicely designed interface that makes the program a pleasure to use.

iPhone: Tower Defense has to be one of the most addictive game genres of all time. This free iPhone version of the game sees you try to defend your sheep from aliens who want to make scarves out of them. TowerMadness Zero: 3D Tower Defense arms you with a variety of different weapons that you need to place strategically on the field in order to block the baddies' route.

Mac: The creation of Letterbox is a good example of developers responding to simple user needs. Letterbox takes advantage of widescreen monitors to make using Mail a much easier experience. It's ideal for those using Powerbooks, MacBook Pros and Cinema displays, although it's appropriate for anyone with a widescreen display. It makes reading clearer and organization more stress free.

Microsoft have finally launched a first Beta version of the much anticipated Microsoft Office 2010. You can download it from the Microsoft Office website, as long as you have a Live ID (your Hotmail address or Live Messenger account will do the trick).

Microsoft Office 2010 Professional Plus Beta is available in several languages, for both 32-bit and 64-bit systems, and features a few differences from the Technical Preview we tested last July. First of all, the number of apps included in the suite has grown from seven to ten, with Infopath Designer, InfoPath Filler and SharePoint Workspace – the new name for Microsoft Groove.

Secondly, the interface in all the Office 2010 has been slightly redesigned. They still keep the ribbon toolbar, but in a much clearer, cleaner style. Also, the 'Office' button has been renamed to 'File' and opens up a different – and I'd say much more complete - information pane.

Another important new feature is the ability to share documents online, something that wasn't implemented in the Technical Preview. You can now save any Word document, Excel spreadsheet or PowerPoint presentation to your SkyDrive account directly from the Share menu.

It's great when developers respond to the genuine needs of users and produce something simple that makes a big difference to your working day. The development of Letterbox is one such application after a request by a user on an Ars Technica forum to create a plugin that allows Mail to take advantage of widescreen displays.

Letterbox makes using Mail a much easier experience. It's ideal for those using Powerbooks, MacBook Pros and those with cinema displays although it's appropriate for anyone with a widescreen monitor. Being able to manage your mailbox and organize it in widescreen can also increase your productivity by making everything clearer rather than squeezing it all into a small space.

Note that installation of Letterbox might be a bit tricky for the first time user as you have to do it manually. Firstly, you need to create the folder "~/Library/Mail/Bundles" if you've never installed a Mail plugin before. Secondly, you need to open Terminal and type "defaults write com.apple.mail EnableBundles 1". Finally, copy the "Letterbox.mailbundle" into "~/Library/Mail/Bundles". You have to quit and restart mail for these settings to take effect.

From here you can use a GUI to customize everything. You can customize Letterbox's settings in the preference pane by select the menu item "Mail:Preferences". You can also change the preview pane position which is useful if you regularly switch between a laptop monitor and an external monitor. Just go to "View:Preview Pane menu".

One of the frustrating things about having multiple Gmail accounts is managing them all at the same time. Until recently, I'd been using the Firefox Gmail Manager Plugin but it's an absolute pain because having two different Gmail accounts open in separate tabs automatically logs you out of both accounts after a few seconds. This is even more annoying if you've got other Google apps open at the same time because it logs you out of those too. The best answer I've found to this problem is Mailplane.

Mailplane was actually created back in the days when you needed access to your Gmail account from your desktop but IMAP support wasn't yet available. Nowadays you can consult Gmail from any mail client like Mail.app or Thunderbird but unlike Mailplane, none of them are made specifically for the use of Gmail or make managing multiple accounts so easy.

Like a mail client, Mailplane works outside of your browser. Along the top of the interface, you have buttons for replying, sending, printing, forwarding etc much like any other mail client. There are also buttons for quickly adding photos (with special integration for iPhoto) and managing downloaded items. Alternatively, you can drag and drop attachments such as photos and documents onto mail while you're composing it which is another very nice feature of Mailplane. A similar feature also works for taking screenshots and sending them instantly via Gmail.

You can add as many accounts as you want using the Accounts button. When new mail arrives, a Mailplane icon in your Menu bar will indicate how many are waiting to be read and each account features a number next to it indicating the amount of mail in that particular inbox. I like the fact that by clicking on the Menu bar icon, a drop down menu shows you the subject heading of unread mail in each inbox. The big advantage I've found though is that managing multiple inboxes with Mailplane is so much easier than doing it in your browser.

Although you can't have more than one Gmail inbox at the same time, Mailplane makes switching between them much quicker and less hassle that in Firefox. In future, it would be nice to see a simultaneous open inboxes feature in the app but until then, it's the best way of managing multiple Gmail inboxes I've found.

One of the most widespread problems people had with Snow Leopard when it launched was a compatibility issue in Mail.app (aka Apple Mail) which prevented messages being sent and even crashed the program in some cases. Nick wrote a guide to fixing these issues, so this obvious failing in Apple's QA testing needn't be too much of a hindrance.

That said, my first thought when I read about people having problems with Mail.app was: why are these people even using Mail.app? I've had my current iMac for around two years and I've never even run the Mail program. Not once. That's because I use Gmail, a mail application that renders Mail.app and all other desktop email clients more or less obsolete.

For those of you still toiling in the dark with an email client, I know there is sometimes a good reason for that. If you're trying to handle lots of different accounts, or if you need to connect to an Exchange server, it's difficult to live without a mail client. But for the average home user and even for most home office users, webmail solutions will always be a better idea than clients. Here's why:

Security and stability

Desktop email clients are inherently less stable than Gmail or other equivalent webmail services. Storing your data on a local disk (even if you backup) will never be as safe as trusting Google's datacenters (which are, themselves never 100% safe: nothing is).

But perhaps more importantly, email clients generally rely on downloading message files (and often attachments) to your computer before you filter out content you don't want. This means that the potential for spam and even malware finding its way onto your computer is significantly higher if you use a mail client application.

Windows 7 is a fast, stable operating system that already includes high quality software by default. But that doesn't mean you aren't allowed to enjoy the advantages of  third-party apps.

Common tasks such as downloading files, chatting with your friends, creating documents or editing photos require tools that you won't find built into Windows 7. Also, some of the tools you used before may not be compatible with Microsoft's new operating system. This is why we've put together this list of 20 top free apps that work with Windows 7, with which you'll be able to take full advantage of your brand new system.

Security comes first. There are many antivirus apps that work with Windows 7, but Microsoft Security Essentials is the one that best integrates with the system. Plus it also protects you from spyware!

Stability is another key issue. While we wait for the new Windows 7 compatible version of TuneUp Utilities, CCleaner can also do a great job cleaning, tweaking and optimizing your system.

Don't be ashamed: we all have deleted files by mistake at some point in our lives. Fortunately we can count on this great tool called Recuva to get them back - and it works like a breeze on Windows 7 as well.

Need a password manager to deal with all your usernames, passwords, secret numbers and personal codes? Keepass is a great choice, and is also perfectly embedded in Microsoft's new operating system.

Browsing the Web is the main activity for most computer users. Windows 7 already features the new Internet Explorer 8, but I'm sure most of you will only use it to download Firefox. Another excellent alternative is Opera.

The web's great, but it's pretty distracting. Between glancing at incoming email, news feeds, Twitter updates and so on it's a wonder there's time for work at all. It's hard to be disciplined enough to not check these things every few minutes, but it's not a very efficient way of working. It's rare to find something totally urgent, after all.

Freedom is a neat little app for Macs that allows you to set a time, e.g. an hour, and from then on your network access will be cut. Harsh, but I tried it and it certainly does the trick! The first few minutes may get a little anxious as you worry about all the emergency humorous tweets you're missing, but once the cold turkey is over it's surprisingly liberating. Great for anyone writing (after web research is done!), as it's really easy to concentrate when all your desktop distractions have gone*.

You can set Freedom to cut your net from ten minutes to eight hours - can you imagine eight hours without the web - and as your productivity during that time will be greater, you'll have made more time to update Facebook for the rest of the day! It really is a win-win application.

Impressively, there seems to be no way of stopping Freedom unless you actually reboot your system - I tried force quit, but apparently still had no web access! Mac users can download Freedom here.

*Smart phone users are doomed, I'm afraid.