Daily Discoveries found on Download Squad: FormatFactory, DesktopOnTop, USB Image Tool, Allway Sync, and Undelete Plus

I’m excited about this one. While there are plenty of shareware and payware ways to convert media files to different file types, freeware programs that are designed for this task has always left me scratching my head. Now there’s a new option in FormatFactory, which Download Squad notes: “What could be better than a program that will convert audio, video, and image files from and to just about any format you can think of? How about one that does it all batch-style with minimal clicking? FormatFactory doesn't care what files you want to swap in what order, just feed it your sources and watch it go to work. Unlike a lot of similar apps, this one doesn't limit you to only video or audio, or even to one file at a time. Dump in as much as you want of whatever you want, and FormatFactory will do all the heavy lifting. It even supports the iPhone and PSP, and 3GP as well - making it a great way to cram multiformat goodness onto your favorite portable player.” Very impressive! Read the rest of their review.

DesktopOnTop is made for people who don’t feel like minimizing their work windows to reach things on their desktop. This is done by showing you an interactive virtual view of your desktop. Download Squad explains: “If you just want a list, you can right-click on the DesktopOnTop icon in the system tray and get a start-menu lookalike with a list of programs and files on your desktop. But a left click brings up a picture of your desktop. Sort of. The first thing you'll probably notice is that the wallpaper doesn't match yours. If this bothers you, you can either change your desktop wallpaper to match DesktopOnTop (which nobody really expects you to do), or you can select a solid color that looks good with your desktop an adjust the program's transparency level.” While I keep my desktop almost completely clean, I know quite a few who do not. Read more about it from Download Squad.

USB Image Tool makes an ISO image file from your USB thumb drive - or whatever you stick in your ports – for backup purposes. Download Squad reviews it: “This isn't the same thing as copying and pasting all the files on a flash drive to a new directory or zip file. Instead, every chunk of data on your flash drive is saved in a single file that you can then burn to a disc, upload to an offsite storage location, or just save on your hard drive." Read the rest of Download Squad's review.

Allway Sync is a personal file synchronization program that can be run from a USB drive. Note: It is free for personal use but you can't sync more than 20,000 files in a 30-day period. That being said, Allway Sync can synchronize your data with just one click (or two, depending on your mouse properties settings) from and to your USB thumb drive or external drive. There are more features that are explained via Download Squad: "The latest version also adds support for synchronizing files with an FTP server or Amazon S3 storage. This makes Allway Sync a great little tool for backing up your files to offsite storage. The only problem is that there's no built-in scheduler. You have to initiate each sync job manually... But the advantage of performing manual backups is that Allway Sync provides detailed information about each new, changed, or questionable file." Read the rest of that at Download Squad.

Undelete Plus is probably the best file recovery software available. While Piriform Recuva is a great tool, Undelete Plus has few matches in this area. I've actually blown people's minds comparing it to their payware, store-bought software on their own systems! I love doing that. Download Squad has a review available of one of my favorite apps. They say: "It quickly completes its scan for potential targets, displays them in a detailed list that includes likelihood to be recovered, size, date created, and path, and even gives you a second pane with totals grouped by file type. We tried the recovery on formats that typically gives these programs fits - images and video - and Undelete Plus recovered each one without issue. Granted, there are going to be times when it can't - no recovery app is perfect - but we were certainly impressed in our testing." Read Download Squad's review right here.

(All images courtesy Download Squad)