Author: Cyril Roger

Pirates and spammers beware, there’s been a new breakthrough in information encryption. Researchers of the University of Queensland and the Australian National University have been awarded the prestigious Eureka 2006 Scientific Research award for their use of quantum physics to encrypt information. Their research consists of using “laser beams to generate entangled photons” thus making it virtually impossible to mess with the transmission of information. According to the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes press release however “quantum computers could also crack the mathematically-based codes we rely on for personal and commercial security on the web”. So much for user privacy.

We’re not there yet however, and it’ll surely be ages before we get any closer to home-owned quantum-powered PCs. Most programs available to protect your data consist of solid yet not totally invincible, 128 or 256KB AES encryption. There’s a good number of applications you can find on Softonic to keep your precious files from prying eyes. AxCrypt is a quick encryptor/decryptor for your files, while Cryptic Disk handles your hard drive and disk partitions. It’s a good idea to make a backup encrypted copy of your files once in a while.

Are you a news junkie? Do you find yourself checking your favorite newsites every 10 minutes to get that headline adrenaline? If so, you must know about Really Simple Syndication (RSS). RSS allows you to keep up to date with all new articles or posts that your favorite site puts up. Here at Softonic we mostly use the inbuilt RSS feature from Firefox, but if there was one to recommend we would go for Blogbridge. This stand alone rss application allows you to search and add the syndication feeds from a url and lets you set tags and ratings. While it is mostly destined for blog fanatics, you can also use it to follow up on normal websites. What we like in Blogbridge is also the interface, with the main window to read your post, and the left side of the interface revealing your list of feeds, a thumbnail for each of them and a short description. If you’re hooked on RSS, what feed reader would you recommend to other users and why?

So Skype is the reigning king of the VOIP but what viable alternatives are there at hand? German company Betamax offers three different versions of the same application: VOIP Stunt, VoipBuster, and VoipCheap. The difference between the three? Not much, to tell the truth, apart from the interface. They all offer the same rates, simple features and a promotion for free PC to phone calls when you sign up (and buy 10 Euros of credit). What really makes one stand out from the others is the different countries to which you can make free calls. Choose wisely and you’ll be able to chat endlessly for free!