You probably have never changed your cursor settings on your Mac. These are located in Keyboard & Mouse in your System Preferences. You can normally change the size of the cursor and the speed at which it is moved around. But that's pretty much it. We've found five different applications that allow you to add extra features to your cursor, from cosmetic changes to added actions.

• SteerMouse - This driver for both USB and Bluetooth mice lets you customize all aspect of the device, from the wheel to the clicks and movements. You'll be able to set cursor speed and acceleration and have it placed at a particular location when certain windows are opened up. SteerMouse also lets you customize cursor actions depending on the application.
• Mighty Mouse - Working tightly with Application Enhancer, Mighty Mouse gives you full control over your cursor, from scaling it to the desired size to select a new one from a wide choice of over 200 options. If you're feeling creative, Mighty Mouse also lets you create and import your own cursors.
• iCursor - Visual effects might really be your thing. In this case, you'll probably like iCursor. This program allows you to choose from 20 different effects to accompany your cursor activity. These go from sparks to fire, bubbles, a shower of stars or more. The effects are well designed yet you might want to turn them off after a while, as they tend wear you out a little.
• Wraparound - This ingenious little program literally lets you wrap your cursor around multiple screens, as the name obviously suggest.Those of you who work with multiple monitors will know the pain of dragging the cursor on large spaces. With Wraparound, all you need to do is approach it to one side of your screen to switch to that one. A real lifesaver.
• OmniDazzle - Similar to iCursor, this little plugin adds effects to your mouse movements. It can be both entertaining and practical as it's also an original way to highlight movements and actions with your cursor. You can easily change colors and sizes of elements according to what needs to be revelaled on your screen.

After more than seven years working as software reviewer, I can honestly say I've seen it all: from virtually perfect applications to programs you would throw out of the window without remorse. And during all these years I've come to realize there are certain characteristics, typically featured throughout many applications, which I find especially annoying. Yes, I admit it: there are things I hate about software, even if it's precisely the software business that helps me pay off my mortgage! Things like:

• Running every time Windows launches. This is a classic. If I want a program to run when I start Windows, I can decide that by myself. And I need to test the program at least for a while before I make up my mind. Not all programs are that essential!
• Adding itself to the Quick Launch bar. Sorry, but I'm very picky about my Quick Launch bar. Only very specific programs I use on a daily basis enter here. Any app that tries to alter that rule automatically goes to the Trash.
• Placing extra shortcuts on the desktop. I like minimalist desktops, with as few icons as possible. I don't need shortcuts to the programmer's website, the user manual and other apps created by the same programmer. Isn't the executable file enough?
• Not having a proper uninstall tool. Dear programmer: if you're smart enough to code a complete computer application, why do you find it that hard to create the uninstaller? Is it a trick to make us keep your software forever?
• Asking why you want to uninstall it. Just as I don't like websites to collect my personal data, I don't want to be asked why I uninstall certain software apps. It simply feels weird, as if I had to give explanations to my mom (and yes, I'm too old for that too).
• Opening the web browser. This is something I just don't understand. If I run a program, I want to use the program. I don't need to visit the developer's website, or watch a tutorial, or read the FAQ. Again, I can do that by myself when I need it.
• Changing the browser's settings. There's nothing worse than a software app that adds a toolbar to your browser, replaces your current home page or changes your default search engine. All these should be directly prosecuted by law!

There are so many burning programs out there, that it can be tough to separate the wheat from the chaff. To be honest though, the quality and speed at which you burn CDs or DVDs almost wholly depends on your optical drive. I like how easy it is to burn discs on a Mac, but I still prefer to use a third party application, simply because they offer more features to work with. Here is a roundup of the best five burning programs for your Mac:

•  BurnAgain DVD - A good choice if working with CDRs,CDRWs or DVDRWs. As the name suggests this app is specialized at burning data on discs already containing material. What's more it works in an incremental way, comparing what is on the disc with what you want to copy and only saving new material. Note that BurnAgain DVD preserves you profiles and configurations to make future burns faster.
• Roxio Toast Titanium - A full suite which allows you to burn, recover and backup data. Roxio Toast Titanium includes both TiVo and Blu-Ray support, making it a good choice if you want to make use of the latest technology. Thanks to a streamlined interface you'll find the burning and backup processes to be relatively straightforward.
• ffmpegX - One of the best all time open source applications for Mac, ffmpegX is an excellent choice for ripping DVDs or CDs and converting them into any video format you want. It's quick and reliable, handles subtitles and includes advanced settings so you can adjust video and audio parameters.
• MacTheRipper - Another excellent open source alternative, MacTheRipper is fast and reliable. It's a very popular choice when ripping DVDs. One of my favorite bits with it is that you can precisely select what you want to keep or remove from the DVD.
• Disco - Not only those it have a great interface (just look at the smoke effect when it's running), but Disco is also very efficient. Drag and drop your files, choose a destination, and let Disco do the wor. The application is unintrusive and burns discs quickly. A nice little detail is that, thanks to motion sensor, it can alert you if your Mac is moved around in a way that could mess up your burning session.

Mac Tricks And Tips have published a list of top 100 essential programs for Mac. It's pretty often I come upon this type of post when looking for Mac news to give out. While the majority of them are often very similar, some differ on a few applications, depending on the writer's interests and knowledge. This list, as you'll find, is divided into six sections: computer files, internet, tools, little apps, multimedia and work. It would be hard to really pick out clear favorites in each category, but let me try out.

In computer files I'd single out the Quicksilver productivity app, because of its intuitiveness, UnRar X, because it is so precious when opening up archive files and AppZapper because it allows you to fully uninstall all associated files of a program.

My favorite Mac internet apps would definitely be the Transmission BitTorrent client, Adium for chatting on any IM service, Cyberduck to upload and download files and Unison to handle newsgroups.

Out of multimedia I'd single out the ultra versatile VLC player, Aperture for professional image editing, Google Earth for its originality and Pixelmator as an enjoyable alternative to Photoshop.

Of the so called little apps the only one that really stands out for me is iAlertU, an ingenious program for keeping thieves away from your Mac.

Moving on to tools, Carbon Copy Cloner is an excellent and free backup solution in case you don't have Time Machine, Coconut Battery is great to monitor your battery, and Growl is an essential tool to receive updates. Also check out Monolingual for translations and either Parallels or VMWare for virtualizations.

Last but not least, the best work tools for Mac are iWork as an office suite, Quicken for personal finance and Filemaker to organize your folders.

Traveling with software or data abroad is becoming an increasingly risky act - especially if you're going in or out of the USA. The Washington Post recently reported that The Department for Homeland Security has quietly passed a new law which means that storage devices, including USB drives, hard drives and laptops, can be confiscated for an unspecified period of time with no suspicion of wrongdoing needed. For a developer, this could mean losing weeks or even years of hard work on a piece of software and for more general users, this could mean losing all your backed-up data. Not to mention the inconvenience and gross invasion of privacy a search of your storage devices would entail. Therefore, if you're worried about having your data confiscated at an airport, here are 5 free ways to store your data online instead. Mediafire - Excellent online storage and file sharing site which allows unlimited file storage and easy sharing of data via links you can send in an e-mail. To upload single files bigger than 2GB in size (Mediafire is limited to 100MB per file) however you'll have to upgrade to MediaPro.

Syncplicity - An online backup and synchronisation tool that offers 2GB of free space. You can also upgrade to 40GB for $9.99 a month and receive more free space online for every friend you refer or who subscribes. Omnidrive - Cross platform online storage with only 1GB of free space but a great option for documents as it allows you to edit them online using Zoho.

Allmydata - 1GB of free storage but offer unlimited storage from $4.99 per month. This includes automatic backups, 24 hour remote access to your files and no ads.

Mozy - 2GB of free online backup space and unlimited storage plans from just $4.99 per month.

Don't forget either that if you've got a Gmail account, you can also use it as a handy online storage tool as I mentioned last week.

If you work in design, illustration or publishing you tend to need new fonts frequently, even if you have a few favorites. It's always nice to discover new fonts as you might find a design that you particularly like and that you can use for a specific project. In my opinion, the best fonts are the ones created by independent designers, who take time to really craft something that stands out from the rest. But it's not always easy to find them. Let's face it, most font packs also have to be bought, because you know somebody has spent some time and effort creating them. That's why it's always great to find lists of free fonts to download.

I found one today, on Free Mac Fonts, which is organized alphabetically and easily has hundreds of fonts to download. All are saved as .sit files, which can only be opened up on Mac. Instead of downloading like crazy until you don't know which one is which and where to save them all, I suggest you download a font manager to handle them. Luckily there are a lot to choose from.

Typeset is great to preview and print out lists of fonts, FontAgent Pro has Photoshop CS3 and handles large sets of fonts while Suitcase offers its own Font Doctor repair tool and auto-activation with FontSense. Try them out and see which one you feel more comfortable working with. Once you've made up your mind, you can start grabbing those fonts online.

Think your wallpaper looks bad? Wait till you've looked at the selection Macenstein came up with. I've rarely seen a bad wallpaper on a Mac, first because the default ones generally look pretty, and second because Mac users tend to be very concerned with the general appearance of their machine.

Lack of taste, yet, is everywhere. Macenstein's list is a perfect example. Among the 21 different wallpapers chosen, you'll find a strangely 'swastika' looking crop circle, a seedy casino billboard, and a PowerMac surrounded by two ladies in bikini. Some have gone for the celebrity endorsement style, although in a very awkward way, like you'll see with the Jake Gyllenhaal and the Dawson's Creek wallpapers. Worst of all though are the wallpapers that fit in an Apple motto or logo with an image that has absolutely nothing to do it with such as Superman, an Indian chief or a picture of Nelson Mandela and a 'Think Black' motto.

I hope you are not twisted enough to actually dare use one of these wallpapers. If you really want a beautifully designed desktop background, I suggest turning to UsingMac's list of 90 wallpapers, all which are discreet variations on the Apple logo itself, with varying colors, viewpoints and contrasts. The bottom of the list pays hommage to the Leopard platform with different takes on the feline creature. A universe apart from the ones mentioned before. With the hordes of Apple crazy designers out there you're guaranteed to find great looking material from people that love the operating system. It's hard to pick out a favorite, but my preferences probably go to the Apple Vortex, Crashed Apple and Flaming White Apple.

Anyway, take a look at both lists and see if there's any wallpaper you'd fancy putting up on your Mac.

Most computers have Microsoft Windows preinstalled by default. The operating system, which will soon turn 25, has been widely criticised both by its own users and also users from other platforms.

Do you use Windows? According to statistics, you probably do. This is why we decided to start a series of posts about the main reasons to use different operating systems, starting off with Windows and covering also Mac OS and Linux. These are then the 10 main reasons why you should be proud to use Windows... at least until we find 10 reasons not to use it at all.

1. Out of habit Be honest. You just bought a computer with Windows that already features pretty much anything you need. So why should you bother changing it?

2. Because you paid for it When you buy a new computer, except for rare occasions, the Windows license is already included in the price. So if you've already paid for it, changing to another operating system would be a waste of money, wouldn't it?

3. Because you're a gamer Windows is the platform of choice for hardcore gamers, mainly because PCs can be constantly upgraded to offer better and better performance. Many games are created only for Windows, and generally speaking, one can say that there's more variety, they work better and are easier to configure and use.

4. For software and drivers The same happens with drivers and software. Some developers seem to forget - fortunately not that often - about other platforms when developing hardware drivers and software applications. Although systems have their own alternatives, the truth is that there are more apps for Windows than for any other platform.

5. So that you don't have to give explanations to anybody If you have any less computer-literate friends, they'll probably ask lots of questions when they see that weird operating system you use on your computer. We all know how tiring must be to tell the same tale over and over again, especially when you know your friends won't understand a single word of what you say. So the best way to avoid these situations is by using Windows.

Unless you've got your own radio station, podcasting is probably the easiest way to broadcast your message to millions of people across the world. Requiring no license fees or studio hire, you can literally become your own one man radio station with nothing more than a computer and a microphone. The best thing about podcasts too is that your listeners can constantly keep track of your latest releases because podcasts can be syndicated, subscribed to, and downloaded automatically when new content is added, using an aggregator or feed reader capable of reading feed formats such as RSS or Atom. There's a huge market out there for podcasts as this list of some of the nets most popular podcasts proves. As you can see, everything from better parenting to politics and PSP hacking find a place in the most popular list. Here's a look at 5 of the very best free podcasting apps to produce your broadcast with:

Audacity - Mainly used for editing and recording rather than publishing podcasts but one of the most poplar choices on the net for it's ease of use. It works across platforms and for Mac users, it's even a competitive replacement for Garageband.

Odeo Studio - Anything that you've edited or produced on Audacity, you may find easier to publish with Odeo Studio. Allows you to easily upload MP3's for free although there is a catch - if someone listens to it in a different player, they get a brief Odeo ad.

podOmatic - Don't want to mess around with downloading anything? podOmatic is an online podcast creator which offers free hosting, detailed listener statistics and allows you to design your own customised podcast page with all your latest broadcasts.

Gabcast - A great solution for those that don't have access to a PC or microphone, Gabcast allows you to record your podcasts by phone. You can post audio directly to your blog and even host conference calls during your podcasts - great for doing interviews.

WildVoice - Cheap and cheerful style podcasting application for all ages and hosts your podcasts immediately the second that it's finished. Very easy to use and features a step-by-step guide to get you recording podcasts in minutes.

Have you ever used the Bluetooth connection settings on your Mac? It allows you to connect wirelessly with any mobile phone, PDA, keyboard, mouse or other Bluetooth-enabled electronic device and easily exchange information in a short range. Bluetooth is very simple to set up, as easy as opening up Airport access and is as effective. You may not know this, but more and more applications now have some sort of Bluetooth capability. Although most are related to some sort of mobile device, you will find more traditional Mac applications that handle the wireless connection protocol. I've singled out a few. Let me explain to you how they use Bluetooth.

• Bluetooth Texter - Nifty little Dashboard widget that connects to your mobile device via Blutooth and uses it to send SMS messages.
• Phone Wallpaper X - Select and edit your wallpaper on your Mac then send it to your mobile phone via Bluetooth. Easy and quick way of updating the appearance of your mobile device.
• Delicious Library - The award winning cataloger lets you add new books, videos and more with a Bluetooth barcode scanner...if you have one at home. A quick way of scanning your items instead of using your iSight camera.
• wiSync - Still have an old iPhone model? If it's jailbroken you can set up wiSync and make use of fast Bluetooth synchronization features. This will ensure you have the same files on  your iPhone and your Mac.
• SteerMouse - Make use of that snazzy Bluetooth mouse you bought recently. Assign functions, customize the scroll ball and set both speed and mouse movements.
• Booxter - Just like with Delicious Library, the Booxter cataloger lets you add items with a handheld Bluetooth bar code scanner. Small shops with a Mac will find this extremely handle to keep track of items.

In this switchers series, I look for the best PC program in its category, find a Mac counterpart, and explain why it's better, all in the hope that those of you that are still on PC will be tempted to switch, and those that are on Mac hopefully discover something new. We started off last week by looking at common computer tasks, like communicating with friends, exchanging emails or burning discs. It's now time to take this series a little deeper and compare more specific PC and Mac applications. Today I want to focus on programs only related to internet, albeit without counting browsers, messengers and mail clients as these were already covered last week.

The term 'internet application' is pretty vague, especially nowadays when we are connected most of the time anyways.  This is why I've limited this list to very specific applications: BitTorrent clients, P2P tools, download managers, RSS readers, Usenet clients and FTP programs. I've tried to pick what I consider the best application in each category for both Mac and PC, however give a shout if you think there is a better program than the one mentioned.

• uTorrent - Transmission - uTorrent is fast, lightweight and gives you extensive information on torrents. Transmission does all that AND has a speed limit mode, filtering and priority settings.
• Ares Galaxy - Acquisition - It's no surprise that Ares is so popular with PC users. It offers a large network, is fast and responsive and isn't bogged down in features. Acquistion can search both the Gnutella and BitTorrent networks and has a beautiful and structured interface.
• Internet Download Manager - Leech - Heavy duty downloaders will like having a program to handle all their files. Leech keeps downloads well organized, adds password protection and lets you mark URLs for future downloads.
• Abilon - Times - News junkies will appreciate having a powerful desktop RSS reader. While Abilon for PC is both attractive and powerful, I prefer the original newspaper view of the Mac Times reader , the way you can stack articles to read and toggle feeds and pages.
• UseNeXT - Unison - Addicted to newsgroups? UseNeXT provides a great way to browse through them and download at once. Unison for Mac is nothing short of impressive though: simple and intuitive, yet filled with features like multiple browser views, grouping and easy server setup.
• SmartFTP - Transmit - The Mac client still beats the feature rich SmartFTP thanks to Amazon S3 support, handling of remote URLs, droplets and a functional interface.

You were the official prankster in your class. Whenever you were around, nobody was safe from the classic paper doll or the more aggressive "kick me" notice. Later on, you learnt from Bart Simpson's phone jokes on Moe. Now you feel a bit too old to keep on playing jokes on the people around you. But hey, we're in the era of technology and computers have become your best allies, providing you with a wide array of prank software.

Custom error messages A common way to play computer jokes is by creating customized error messages. You can start with MBoX, an easy-to-use error generator that saves error messades as self-executable files. Another option is Dr. Windows, which already includes a few predefined messages.

Stubborn mouse Another way to laugh at your workmates is by tweaking their mouse. The easiest trick is swapping the left and right buttons in the Control Panel, but if you're looking for a more sophisticated joke try SakasaMouse, a tool that swaps the mouse's vertical and horizontal axis. User paranoia guaranteed! If that's not enough yet, the last ace up your sleeve can be ButtonShyMouse, with which the mouse won't click on buttons or the Start menu.

When you buy a shiny new computer - or reinstall the operating system from scratch - your hard drive is like a large, empty space waiting to be loaded with dozens of different tools and applications for the most varied purposes. But what if you could save a lot of that space by embedding a few basic tools in just one program? You can easily do it with Firefox and its many extensions. Just take a look at the list below and see how many desktop apps you can replace with extensions.

• FireFTP - A fully functional FTP client embedded into your browser.
• DownThemAll - Download all links and images on a website with just one click.
• PicLens - View your pictures in this attractive, full-screen photo viewer.
• The Converter - A tool to convert between different measurement units on the fly.
• ScreenGrab - Capture complete webpages, from top to bottom.
• FireNES - Play thousands of games in this Nintendo emulator.
• FoxLingo - A fully featured translator in your favorite browser.
• Forecastfox - Check the international weather forecast right in Firefox window.
• FEBE - A quick, easy backup tool for all the important elements in the browser.
• FoxyTunes - Enjoy your favorite music without leaving Firefox

With the Olympics in Beijing exactly one month away now, you might be getting nostalgic for that all time classic game Track and Field which left many a hand blistered in arcades throughout the 1980's. I remember the 100m hurdles being particularly stressful on my fingers to the point where I could no longer hold a coin long enough to play another game. In fact, it was the simple gameplay, based on quick, repetitive button presses that set the blueprint for sequels and similar games in the genre for the next few decades. Fortunately, the game was later released on the ZX Spectrum which saved me a hell of a lot of 10p's in the arcade but also destroyed my keyboard. I was once so desperate to win gold in the 100m sprint that my Enter key ended up lodged deep inside the motherboard - I never did find out if I'd won gold as a result. Track & Field - The original arcade game emulated in all it's glory

Track & Field - ZX Spectrum version of the game - just check out the lame graphics

Track & Field Machine - Download pictures of the original Track & Field arcade machine Track & Field Strategy Guide - Don't beat your hands up - read this playing guide first

New International Track and Field - A modified version of the game for Nintendo DS

Here at Softonic, we take bucket loads of screenshots every day, as we're constantly testing out and reviewing new programs and games. Now on a PC I simply stick to SnagIt, which is by far the best and most complete screen capture tool you'll find. On Mac, there's a much bigger selection of excellent programs that take high quality, crisp screen grabs of whatever it is you want to show.

When you start off taking screenshots on your Mac, you'll probably go with Apple's Grab tool, which is found in your Utilities. Grab is a no-fuss, hands on program, which allows you to capture full screen, a selection, a window or a timed screen. You can also select your pointer type and enable sound. Nothing too exciting, but it gets the job done, and luckily, it's already installed on your Mac. So what are the alternatives? Here is our selection of the best screen capture tools for Mac:

• Screenshot Plus Widget - My favorite. Available from the Dashboard, takes all sorts of captures and lets you format, display, export or save them.
• Jing - One-click capture of anything on your screen. An intuitive new tool from Camtasia, creator of SnagIt.
• Copernicus - Precise capture app which lets you bath preview your shots. Great if you take many screen captures regularly.
• Red Snapper - A smart plugin for Safari that lets you capture full web pages straight from the browser.
• SnapNDrag - A simple screen capture tool. Make your selection, set quality, format, size and snap away.
• QuickSnap - Fast screenshots of your screen, a selection or a window. Gets the job done and looks nicer than Apple's Grab tool.
• Screenium - An advanced screen capture tool with presets for quality and size and a streamlined process.
• grabUp - A smart Preference Pane item that lets you grab anything on your screen and share it online immediately.

PC users, check out Nick's list of 10 screen capture tools for Windows.