There's a ton of great technology in Opera, and it's free to compete with Mozilla Firefox.
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Although still in public beta, we have great expectations for Yahoo Desktop Search, and we like the features we've seen thus far.
Like GoToMyPC, PCNow offers powerful remote-access features, plus some extra capabilities for a low monthly subscription, but LogMeIn is free and a better choice for telecommuters.
If you want a fast, intuitive, and free photo organizer, Picasa 2.0 is definitely the one to get.
Winamp is still a fun player for customizing your playback experience, but most users will prefer the all-in-one experience of Windows Media Player or iTunes.
Google's toolbar goes above and beyond its competitors, offering a wide range of specific searches, stellar search results, and a slew of extras, including an automatic form filler.
Specs: Free
Complete with scores of options, a wide variety of specific types of searches, one-touch access to Yahoo bookmarks and services, a killer spyware utility, and a pop-up blocker that goes the extra mile, Yahoo Toolbar deserves a place on your Web browser.
Microsoft hustles to catch up with search engine giants Google and Yahoo, but the beta version of MSN Search still leaves plenty of room for improvement.
A robust library of high-quality music files and seamless integration on the OS and media jukebox level give MSN Music some distinct advantages over established stores and services.
Windows Media Player 10.0 is a great choice for Windows XP users who want a single jukebox that does it all.
If you subscribe to a streaming audio service and want the music in your permanent collection, Replay Music is a sound investment.
IMsecure Pro is a valuable way to secure your IM communication against hackers, identity thieves, and spim (IM spam).
If you don't mind Google's computers scanning your e-mail messages, then you'll come to appreciate the unique features of Gmail.
LapLink Everywhere makes sense if you need only Outlook or Outlook Express. To run all of your apps remotely, buy the twice-as-pricey GoToMyPC.
For on-the-move individuals and business types, GoToMyPC's Web-based service is the easiest remote-access service to set up and use, and it's also versatile. But it's priced higher than the competition.
An effective and easy-to-use tool for fighting spam, McAfee.com SpamKiller 2.90 is a must for anyone whose in-box is overrun by unwanted mail.
We liked RealOne MusicPass when it debuted, but it pales with a bit of competition. No way to burn songs to CD? No way to transfer to portable players? No way. Get eMusic instead.
Music Now more than meets your need for radio-friendly fluff, but unless you're always bound to the computer, you'll miss eMusic's CD-burning capabilities.
If you're a huge fan of Christian music, you might get your money's worth from BurnItNow, despite its small catalog of tunes. Everyone else, look to RealOne MusicPass or eMusic for a wider selection.
Open usage policy, a low per-download price point, and intelligent editorial content make eMusic a boon for fans of independent labels.
