Online shopping has become a major part of the holiday gift-buying routine. Heck, Cyber Monday is a day dedicated to this very practice. Being able to shop for family and friends in the comfort of our pajamas is a convenient luxury, especially for the parts of the country that are starting to feel the first chills of winter.
But sometimes online stores just don’t cut it. It may be that the stock room has run out of the right size or color, or maybe you’re shopping too late and your order won’t be delivered until after Christmas. On the other hand, if you’ve left yourself enough time, shipping and handling fees can start to add up and really take away from that initial convenience of shopping from home. Maybe you are just having a difficult time finding a gift that is truly unique and thoughtful.
With a little bit of time you can give a useful gift that will save money for you and the recipient of the present. You may think this is a geeky idea, but when you find out how easy it is to do and how valuable it is, you may change your mind.
Here’s the idea: A thumb drive packed full of free software.
Let’s start with the basics. A thumb drive is a data storage device that plugs into any standard USB port on your computer. The free “apps” I’m talking about are portable software programs that can be downloaded from the Internet, but don’t require any formal installation onto your computer’s permanant memory.
What you’ll need: A new thumb drive (this will be your only cost, along with your time), access to the Internet, and some extra time. This gift is a perfect idea from the computer geek, but for the average Joe.
First you have to decide on a thumb drive. You can pick one up at the store or search for one on Amazon.com. The options and prices are endless; you can get one for as cheap as $5-10. There are several different size options according to the amount of memory you’ll need. You can even pick your friend or family member’s favorite color to personalize the gift even more.
There are a lot of great FREE apps out there that you can add to your thumb drive and put your own personal spin on it, but here are some suggestions to start with.
Anti-Virus Software
Good anti-virus software can be hard to find, especially a free option that makes the cut. AVG is free, basic antivirus and antispyware protection for Windows users. It provides the base necessities when it comes to security for your computer and gets the job done.
You’ll get a combined anti-virus and anti-malware engine, LinkScanner, and e-mail scanning. LinkScanner is a part of the software that puts you one step ahead of the internet data snatchers. It analyzes every website behind every link you click or type into your Internet browser. It then lets you know if the webpage you are visiting is safe before you even get there. This software is compatible with Windows 7, Windows XP and Windows 2000.
Media Player
Have you ever had trouble opening a video or audio file? VLC Media Player is not the only option for free video playback, but it’s one of the best. What is so great about this player is that it can play pretty much any format. VLC supports a wide range of video and audio formats, and it even supports play back of zipped files.
Some specific features of the software are frame-by-frame advancement, granular speed controls (which allow for slower or faster playback), and live recording of streaming video. The toolbars are fully customizable, so you can have only the buttons you need in the interface. Overall, VLC Media Player is a must-have application even if it is simply for its ability to open just about any type of video file you throw at it.
Photo Editing
The best photo editing software can cost upwards of $100, but shouldn’t there be an easy-to-use option for photographers of any level? Enter PhotoScape, a free all-in-one image-editor.
It supports a wide variety of major image formats and comes with prebuilt templates for users to create photo collages. The program also has a standard set of major capabilities, including red-eye removal, light/shadow adjustment, and contrast-editing features. Lastly, the software allows you to batch edit images, combine them, and print them out one at a time or several at once.
The program loads pictures quickly and the interface is different from the leading expensive programs. It might take the receiver of your gift time to get used to a different layout, but that is only if they are an experienced image editor; otherwise it’s intuitive, fast, and lacks only the most advanced of image editing features.
These three are just a place to start; there are tons of great free apps available online. Not quite a master of the web, but want to find more? Check out CNET Download for a list of top downloads and their reviews.
This gift is perfect for the non-computer savvy people on your list. They will love to get a gift that wraps all of these apps up into one central place, AND they get a nice little thumb drive to go along with it.
Want more freebies? Check out the QuizzleWire for the latest on free stuff:
- Useful Freebies You Can Find Online
- Free Stuff From the Government
- Quizzle’s Free Credit Report and Score is Catch-Free Too?
And for more money-saving tips and tools, check out Quizzle.com, where you’ll find out your potential for credit improvement and get the most affordable credit monitoring on the web.
