Dynamite Downloads

Business/Personal Productivity

Take a look at these helpful productivity applications, which range from an e-mail program to a synonym finder. One of these downloads could be just the tool you've been yearning for.

Easy E-Mail

Delta Mail, 76KB, $12

Two words people rarely use when describing e-mail software: simple and safe. Delta Mail's clean interface recalls the days when e-mail clients weren't cluttered with icons, toolbars, and menus. And the program is as easy to set up as it is to use: Just enter your SMTP and POP3 servers, your e-mail address, and your user name and password. But what really sets Delta Mail apart is its automatic encryption of outgoing messages (including the subject line and attachments) using a 256-bit algorithm that doesn't require digital IDs. You also get protection from many e-mail viruses simply because most virus writers target Outlook and Outlook Express.

--Dennis O'Reilly

View That Document

MakePDF for Word 3.1, 1.7MB, $30

Maybe you need to convert your heavily formatted Microsoft Word documents to Adobe's Portable Document Format so people who don't have Word running on their PCs can read them, but you can't justify spending $249 for Adobe Acrobat. MakePDF for Word is a less expensive (albeit less functional) alternative for people like you. Copy the MakePDF.dot template into your Word Startup folder to add a MakePDF toolbar to Word. Click the toolbar's 'Print to PDF' button to create a PDF version of the Word file and save it to the folder of your choice. You get a range of encryption and file-compression options, but you don't get Acrobat's internal links, bookmarks, and other advanced features.

--Dennis O'Reilly

Maintain Contact

Wordware Personal Information Manager 2002a, 602KB, $24

A cottage industry has developed around utilities that add functions Microsoft neglected to provide in Word. One of the most useful of these gap fillers is Wordware PIM, a simple program that introduces to Word a menu command (to the right of Help), along with a single-button toolbar, that leaves your personal and business contacts' e-mail addresses, phone numbers, and other information just a click away. That click opens a dialog box where you can arrange to enter, edit, and delete contacts and their information; import and export data; create envelopes and mailing labels; send faxes; and even generate reports. Anyone who has struggled with the bulky Outlook interface will appreciate Wordware PIM's clean, simple look. The program does lack some features available in stand-alone PIMs, but if Word is your primary productivity tool, an integrated contact manager like this may be all the PIM you need.

--Dennis O'Reilly

My Notes Are Here Somewhere

TexNotes, 2.6MB, $15

For people who use Microsoft Word or Notepad as a scratch pad to scribble down quick notes, TexNotes represents a flexible alternative that allows you to track your note-keeping. The program lets you organize files and documents in different "notebooks," which it saves to your hard drive and lists in an Explorer-style browser along the right side of the screen for easy retrieval. You can add new files and documents by clicking a button. Each new note is a blank, white page; but a Microsoft Office-style toolbar lets you format your notes however you like, with different fonts, styles, and backgrounds.

--Lisa Cekan

At a Loss for Words?

Idea Magic, 1.92MB, $20

If you're dissatisfied with the word choices offered by Microsoft Word's Thesaurus tool, this program is for you. Idea Magic finds synonyms from a database of 30,000 words, and it works in Word, Notepad, WordPad, and even Excel. When you select a word for it to search on, it identifies the word's various contexts in one pane and provides a list of synonyms for the selected context in another pane. For instance, typing in slippery brings up contexts such as "smoothness" and "improbity," along with synonyms for the currently selected context. Now the right words won't escape you.

--Kalpana Narayanamurthi