Remember when I wrote about FruitfulTime TaskManager? Their software is amazing and has only made my hectic life a lot easier. Remembering tasks is a pretty hard job and we might end up forgetting some important things and the consequences could be drastic. The best way to remember and manage tasks is to have a to-do list. However, just when I thought TaskManager got the job done, I was introduced to NoteKeeper 2. FruitfulTime Notekeeper 2 is just as easy and great to use as TaskManager, however, Notekeeper 2 is a professional and comprehensive note taking software. FruitfulTime NoteKeeper 2 helps you to keep your notes and references all in one place. Easy to find, read, and update.

I’m a blogger, so this software has proven to be very useful. Once installed, I was writing notes in no time and saving them to work on later, or archives posts that I have already worked on. You can include, pictures and links, so it was even easier to to references to later. But NoteKeeper 2 isn’t just for bloggers. If you have been thinking about turning that journal of yours digital, then you can. If you are a student and would like to keep your research within NoteKeeper 2, you can easily do so. Professionals, students, bloggers, etc. can all benifit from this amazing software. Fortunately, FruitfulTime NoteKeeper 2 includes the same secure privacy features that TaskManager did so if you are worried about sneaky eyes, then not to worry – you can lock up your most sacred secrets.

FruitfulTime NoteKeeper 2 also helps in the following:

• Supporting documents, such as spreadsheets, can be referenced and opened with one click.
• Access your notes anytime and anywhere when you install on a USB thumb drive.
• Work offline with no internet connection.
• No need to worry where you saved your notes file
• Keep your notes organized in one place and never lose anything.
• Assign keywords and color tags to notes for quick reference.
• Style your notes with fonts, colors, and pictures.

And that is just to name a few. Being that it is FruitfulTime, they pack many features for a reasonable cost. I have been working with FruitfulTime NoteKeeper 2 for a good week now, and I absolutely love it. The only problem I have is that it isn’t yet available for Mac. Perhaps in the future, this will change, so until then, I will continue using NoteKeeper 2 on my Windows machine.

If you are interested in trying out FruitfulTime NoteKeeper 2 for yourself, then I suggest you do so. You have 30 days to play with it, and after 30 days, $30 ($29.99) will be asked of you. If you don’t like it, they guarantee 30 day money back.

FruitfulTime NoteKeeper 2 is available now for Microsoft Windows Vista/XP/2000.

Remembering tasks is a pretty hard job and we might end up forgetting some important things and the consequences could be drastic. The best way to remember and manage tasks is to have a to-do list. Now I’ve tried many to-do list programs and honestly, they all do the same thing – organize what you need to do, right? I was given the opportunity to play around with FruitfulTime Task Manager (a mouthful) and not only does this software application organize what needs to be done, but does so with a long line of other features.

To name a few, you can:

•          Manage your to do list easily and quickly.
•          Create / edit / delete tasks.
•          Tasks can be split into smaller manageable subtasks like paying telephone bill can be split to paying  landline bill and paying mobile phone bill.
•          Monitor the progress on each task / subtask.
•          Assign tasks to different contacts.
•          Set the priority for each task.
•          Set up reminders for tasks
•          Assign tags to tasks
•          Password protect your tasks such that only you will be able to edit and view it.
•          Carry your task list with you anywhere if you install FruitfulTime TaskManager on a USB

So now that you have some basic features in mind, I would like to start off by talking about security. Trusting an application with personal data can sometimes be difficult. The paid version of FruitfulTime TaskManager comes with a built-in password protection, and immediately takes initiative by allowing you to pick a password. Your data file is protected with the Advanced Encryption Algorithm (AES) 256-bit encryption, but the password to your data is stored in a separate — also encrypted — file. The reason it’s done this way is because FruitfulTime TaskManager offers a unique combination of security and safety, but if you forget your password, sending your password file back to the company will allow them to decrypt it and send it back to you. It is a clever idea that not only keeps you protected, but also in the event you forget your password, will not keep you completely out.

When you start the Task manager and begin creating tasks, you will notice tasks and subtasks. I did not realize tasks could be broken up, but with this program you can create tasks and on top of that, create tasks (subtasks) that you need to take to get to the ultimate task. Tasks and subtasks lists are always shown in your FruitfulTime TaskManager window, so it is rather easy to navigate. Each task and subtask can have its own priority, status, start and due dates, and a progress.

In addition, when making a task, it would probably be a good idea to tag your tasks. Tagged tasks can be quite helpful in allowing you to be a little bit more organized. Tags are found in the special Tagging tab which is always shown in your FruitfulTime TaskManager window. Not only tags are shown in your Tasks list, but you can also use them for searching through your tasks list. It is even possible to edit the names of all the default tags, and you can add or remove as many of them as you like. This also makes it possible to filter using the tags.

Now, I just scratched the surface with this program, but I am going to stop now to keep myself from writing a four-page report on everything that FruitfulTime TaskManager has to offer.  Now, I must point out that this program is Windows only. I, like many people, use both Windows and Mac OS, and although I would have enjoyed sharing it with my fellow Mac, I am perfectly content with it is Windows. More features are said to be coming soon, so perhaps this will change.

While there is a free version (with a slight difference in the feature set), there is a $30.00 version that, in my opinion, you should absolutely purchase. There are not too many applications out there I can say that, not to mention, it is relatively inexpensive compared to some with little features. Overall, FruitfulTime TaskManager exceeds my expectations and I recommend you put this application on your current to-do list. 

I got a chance to use a great piece of software. Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery is a complete solution that helps you to search, locate and recover your lost, missing, inaccessible or deleted data. It is pretty cool in the fact that what you thought you might have deleted is actually not deleted at all. Quite simply, it is a stellar addition to any computer.

Unfortunately, “Windows Data Recovery” means that the software is just for Windows machines, so Mac users should look elsewhere. Not only does the software cover Windows machines only, but also covers all operating systems. Stellar Phoenix covers FAT16, FAT32, VFAT, NTFS and NTFS5 file system. It also allows you to recover the data from compressed NTFS drives or individually compressed files.

Stellar Phoenix is powered by an engine which helps scanning the drive three times faster. Standard search is very fast and efficient in normal cases. If you are not able to get the desired results, it also offers advanced search. The method has greater chance to discover lost data. It scans each cluster of the logical drive and also scans the entire unused cluster for known file types. In case of formatted drive, previous file system can be selected for scanning.

What I like most about Stellar Phoenix is the support to “Recover more than 300 file types in case of severe file system corruption.” This means the program will have signatures of almost 300 file types. You can also add, edit and remove signatures that are added. The program also has the capability to determine file size of some of the file types. With this feature, you can recover different file types including MS-Office, Web, Images, Movie, Digital Camera, and Application files.

Lost any of your RAW camera format files? No need to worry. Stellar Phoenix has that covered also. The RAW Recovery option provides enhanced photo recovery and supports all major camera format file types such as NEF, CRW, CR2, ORF, SR2, K25, KDC, DCR, RAF, MRW, PEF, and X3F. If you are like me, some of these file names just don’t make since, but thankfully there is a preview mode. You will see that many files will have strange names while you are trying to recover them and you will not come to know what exactly that file was because it does not have that familiar name.

Of course, I had to test out the software, rather than assume it does its job, so I did a simple test and deleted a bunch of items in my recycling bin. Phoenix did a stellar job at recovering everything. Then I moved to an adventure that is a little more dangerous. Ooops. I accidently deleted one of my hard drive. This time around, I ran the scan in RAW mode, an option that scans each and every sector of the drive for files. This can take quite a long time. My 160GB hard drive took well over 4 hours to be fully scanned.

Afterwards, I was pleasantly surprised that most of my files were back. Not all of them, but luckily I had duplicates of everything before doing my tests. Perhaps something you may not have known is the fact that in Vista, a full format actually gets rid of everything by writing zeros to every sector of the disk, and no recovery software can deal with this – nope, not even Phoenix Stellar. Partitions formatted under Windows XP can, for the most part, be recovered.

When disaster strikes and your hard drives crashes, what do you do? Well, if you don’t have one of the many services that allow backup online, then you can’t do much. Regardless, you can never be too safe. Phoenix Stellar is good at what it does. However, I must admit, it was my first time using such software so I was, of course, pleased with results. The software is a little confusing at times, and I simply did not know what to do, or what many things meant. If you find yourself running into trouble however, customer support is free and 24-7. They are kind and very helpful. The user interface is not a site to behold; however, it is clear that their focus was not so much on looks, but functionality and for that, they are stellar.

The software is $99 after you have used your demo, and can be downloaded here.

OQO has just announced its first ultra-mobile PC with built-in 3G cellular data. The OQO e2 is aimed specifically at the UK market and is a full Windows Vista-capable PC that includes a 3.6Mbit/s HSDPA modem, plus Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The device will sell in the UK through Expansys at around £1290 ($2600) including Windows XP – about £170 more than a non-cellular version. It features a 5-inch 800 by 480 pixel WideVGA screen, a 1.6GHz low power VIA processor, and a full ASCII keyboard that slides out from under the screen.

The e2’s 3G modem will switch to UMTS or GPRS where HSDPA is not available. OQO’s CEO, Dennis Moore said that this version will not be sold in the United States. “3G wireless has spotty coverage in the US, but it’s great in Europe,” he said.

The OQO e2 will sell in the UK network-unlocked, and with or without a wireless contract, unlike the US, where the equivalent model features an EVDO data modem and is sold with a Verizon or Sprint connection.

“There’s so many carriers to certify with here in the UK,” he said. “In the US you need that relationship, but here we can be in the market without that.” It’s nice to see OQO are not attempting to lock the consumer into a carrier like Apple with their iPhone – which seems to be backfiring in Europe anyhow.

When the keyboard is closed, the e2 works as a tablet PC and includes a thumb-operated joystick. It has touch-sensitive horizontal and vertical scrollers in the screen frame, and can also be used with a pen although that needs to be an active stylus – the screen is not touch-sensitive. The non-cellular version has been available for some time now. Moore said that integrating the extra radio had presented challenges, especially in such a small format. “It’s combining all these radios and antennae that made it hard to do,” he added. “You can get simultaneous operation of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 3G, and next year there will be GPS too. I certainly look forward to that, and for now – no plans to ship to the USA, so read ‘em and weep. The makers website is here.

You can also buy it from amazon.com

While geared for Windows Live Spaces users, Live Writer also works with blogs like WordPress, Movable Type, LiveJournal and Blogger. I have never been fond of using blogging tools and always stuck with the WordPress admin panel.Once downloaded and installed, It was easily able to tell I had a WordPress setup and I logged in and downloaded the weblog style. If you use Internet Explorer, there is the option of installing a toolbar that adds blogging functionality, and that is convenient.

When you start Windows Live Writer up for the first time, it will show you a new, blank post ready in WYSIWYG format within your blog style. Live Writer has the basic features you need of any blogging utility from WYSIWYG tools and spell check to inserting maps from Windows Live Local. The post Properties bar is at the bottom so you can add keywords to the post, adjust the time stamp and add URLs to send trackbacks to. On the top right of the window you can select which categories to organize the post into and Windows Live Writer was able to find out which categories this blog had.

Exploring the preferences menu exposes even more features that make Windows Live Writer an awesome tool. You can click on the drop-down arrow for the Publish button and post the draft you are working on to your blog. That way, you can continue blogging from any computer and not risk losing the post if saved locally on your computer. If that is not a big problem for you, you can switch the viewing mode to Web Preview before posting to see what it looks like on your blog. You can also have Windows Live Writer automatically save drafts at intervals of your choice, automatically check spelling before publishing and ping servers you tell it to when posts are published.

Windows Live Write is a beta, so do not get too upset when you find some things are just plain hassles, such as not being able to work on two post at the same time; You’ll have to open another window. Perhaps one of these days, they will fix some of the annoyances. I am sure when you download the product, you’ll notice some of them.

Windows Live Writer has the features and capabilities of a program you would expect to see bundled in the next version of MS Office. Windows Live Writer really creates a well-rounded blogging experience and if you are big on blogging, like me, then this might be a good program to try out.

Windows Live Writer is Free and can be downloaded here.