WinZip does look great on Windows 7. But it’s not only about visual appearance: it also takes advantage of all Windows 7 special features. You can, for example, access the most frequently used tasks in WinZip from the Jump lists in the Start menu, or the taskbar.

Another great feature is the Preview in Windows Explorer. Hover your mouse over any compressed archive and you’ll get a tooltip with a list of all the files it contains.

WinZip 14 makes extensive use of Libraries. You’ll see them in most dialog windows (Open, Add, Extract, etc.), together with some other Windows 7 goodies – like different layouts to browse files.

As previous versions, WinZip 14 is seamlessly integrated with the system and lets you access the program’s main functions via the context menu. Also, you can select which commands appear on this menu in the program’s options.

Besides all these usability enhancements, the new version of WinZip also boasts improved AES encryption, faster and more secure… but those features always remain a bit under the hood. In the end, the image that will stick with you after testing WinZip 14 is one of perfect integration with the operating system – which makes both easier to use. Now, this is how everyone should develop software. Good job, WinZip!

All you have to do is login to Live SkyDrive, the free online storage service provided by Microsoft. If you don’t have an account in SkyDrive, you can easily create one with your Live user (that is, your old Hotmail address or Messenger user). Once, you’re inside SkyDrive, you need to upload at least one Office document to any of your folders.

As soon as there’s an Office document in your SkyDrive account, you’ll see a link to join the Preview program to test Web apps. Click the link, accept the terms and you’re in!

Note that Office Web Apps are still under development and have some serious limitations. To begin with, online Word is not available yet. Also, you’ll need to convert old Office files to the newest format (that is, PPT to PPTX, for example), though this seems to be done automatically by the suite itself, while keeping a backup copy of the old document.

As you can see, online Office apps still look quite unfinished and need a lot more polishing but anyway, this trick will be come in handy for those of us who always need to peek at new apps before they’re officially released.

As a starter, Panda Cloud is not compatible with other antivirus tools you may have already installed on your system (in my case, AVG 8.5) but this is in fact a typical feature of Panda software – they can’t even coexist with other Panda apps. Immunet Protect, for its part, doesn’t mind working with other antivirus software, though you should generally avoid having two antivirus apps running at the same time.

Both programs have a ‘Summary’ window that shows system’s current status and other data. But there are some differences: Panda Cloud Antivirus has a nicer interface, with visually appealing icons and large buttons that make it easier to use. Immunet Protect, on the contrary, seems to focus more on numbers and statistics, and its toolbar menu is a bit overcrowded with buttons a links. Just after installation, Immunet performs a first system scan, while Panda doesn’t lift a finger.

Incoming search terms:

• immunet vs panda cloud

Stop the presses, it’s a Twitter service that doesn’t use the prefix “twit”! That already makes FileSocial pretty cool even before you try it. FileSocial is a file sharing service for Twitter, that allows you to share any file up to 50mb.

Using it is simple, you have to allow it access to your Twitter account, then just choose your file, upload it, write a message, and it will be tweeted from your account. You can choose not to tweet directly, and just create a link to your upload. As FileSocial accepts any format, including compressed files, you can share whatever you like, which is excellent. According to their site, there is no expiry date on your uploads, although you can of course delete whatever you upload.

The service is quite new and still in a beta testing phase, but works well. You can see how many visits your link has got, although not how many downloads. Hopefully they will release a desktop application so you don’t need to always go through their website. Otherwise, FileSocial looks like a really promising Twitter service.

NomaDesk bills itself as “The easiest and most secure way to share, synchronize and backup critical files; wherever you are, even off-line.” Such a service does come at a price however – usually $15 per month for teams and $50 a year for individuals although if your data is important, it’s a relatively small price worth paying. Fortunately you can have a free 30 day trial of NomaDesk before parting with any cash.

NomaDesk is available in two separate versions — a “Team Fileserver” for people who want to share and collaborate on documents, and a “Personal Fileserver” for those who use different computers but want to make sure information is synchronized.

Naturally, all files stored on NomaDesk’s servers are encrypted and password protected. Getting them there is also made as easy as possible. For example, you can e-mail them directly to the server and allowing others to access them is as easy as sending a link. In case the worst happens, there’s a handy “Theftguard,” which enables you to remove data from your hard drive in a flash if your computer gets stolen. NomaDesk can remotely remove data at your request but the information is still securely saved on NomaDesk’s fileservers. The program also uses a “Delta-sync” feature which synchronizes only those parts of a file which have changed, saving you time and bandwidth. Meanwhile, if you’ve got an iPhone, you can access and modify your files extremely easily via a NomaDesk dashboard widget.

There are some major drawbacks I found to NomaDesk however. One is the lengthy setup process which requires a complete restart after installation and is really annoying if you’ve got lots of applications open. You also have to send a confirmation e-mail after the restart which all adds time onto the account setup process. Worse than this however are the frequent hang-ups and crashes when NomaDesk logs-in. Twice it hung my entire system forcing me to make a complete restart leaving me less than impressed.

However, these problems can probably be attributed to the fact that NomaDesk for Mac is still in Beta stage. When it is working properly, NomaDesk is extremely simple and easy to use. The cost of using NomaDesk may put off some but if your data is valuable, it could be a price worth paying once it’s more stable.

Co-founder Mathias Hjelmstedt told OnSoftware:

“Since 2005, we’ve been working on developing the streaming technology that’s allowed us to conceive this project. It will offer both TV shows and films on demand and eventually will be extended beyond home computing to become part of your living room viewing experience.”

The service is initially being rolled-out in Scandinavia first before being launched in UK and then worldwide and will work on Windows, Mac and Linux. Voddler has been in beta stage since 1st July and the development blog claims that 16,000 people signed-up for it on the first day.  Once you’ve entered your name and e-mail address however, you’ll have to be one of the lucky ones selected for beta testing. OnSoftware has been granted an exclusive pass so watch this space for one of the first looks at this exciting app.

Asked if Voddler uses the same streaming software common to sites such as YouTube, Hjelmstedt says, “Not at all. If YouTube were to use our patented steaming technology, my guess is that they could save up to 90% of their streaming costs.” A bold statement indeed. Asked also if Voddler is anything like Hulu, Hjelmstedt simply replied, “No, it’s much better.”

But will paid-up users receive a better service than those only using the ad supported version? Hjelmstedt says, “It depends on the film. It’s quite possible that a newly released film at the cinema will be available the same day on Voddler to all users. However, some film studios only want paid-up users to have access to new content so it really depends.”

Eventually, Hjelmstedt sees Voddler as an essential home entertainment system. “Eventually there will be a Voddler box that plugs into your TV so that you won’t even need a computer.” Asked about the price of the premium service, he says, “Cheap. A little bit more expensive than Spotify though because it’s films and not music.”

Scanning the blogosphere, it doesn’t seem that many people have been invited at this early stage although Morten Skogly offers us an exciting sneak preview with high-resolution screenshots.

Apart from the screenshots on Skogly’s blog, the only other shot we have of the service is from the Swedish broadband organization that Voddler is currently being promoted with.

Watch this space for a full review of Voddler on OnSoftware soon!

Alien Communicator – Believe or not, ‘the truth is out there’. And if you want to find it, you better start contacting aliens right now. When you run this tool, aliens will be able to communicate telepathically with you and leave messages by controlling the number generation capabilities of your PC.

Voice Lie Detector – If you think your partner or your kids are not completely sincere, you need a lie detector. This program uses an old algorithm to detect voice stress, an unmistakable signal that will enable you to discover if you’re being lied to.

Parrot Trainer – So you have a parrot, but can’t be bothered to train it by yourself? Let your PC do the hard work for you! This app repeats the same sound over and over again until your parrot learns them by heart. According to the developer, you can also use to nag your kids, husband, wife… What’s more, imore, it comes with four sound samples recorded by the developer himself.

Crane wars is an almost ready for release game from Flashbang studios, the quirky team behind Paper Moon, Off Road Velociraptor and Minotaur China Shop. You can play a beta 3 version of this browser game here. You control a crane at a construction site, and have to build tower blocks, while watching out for attacks from a neighbouring crane company. You can throw objects at the games on Blurst, Crane Wars is compelling mainly because it’s a cool and ridiculous idea. It was originally scheduled for release today on the Blurst site, so if you don’t fancy playing the beta and want to wait, it shouldn’t be long… As with all Blurst games, you’ll need the Unity browser plug-in.