Windows: We recently detailed two ways of getting Mac-like multi-finger scrolling on a Windows laptop, involving little open-source apps and hacked drivers. Touchpad giant Synaptics actually offers its own app, Scrybe, that provides multi-finger scrolling, along with gesture-style application launching. The big catch to Synaptics’ own Scrybe app is that it’s fickle. You need to have a Synaptics touchpad...

Windows/Linux: Sleeping your computer is a useful way to save energy, but free utility SonarPM takes power management an awesome step further: It puts your computer to sleep automatically when you walk away from your desk—using sonar. Almost any computer with speakers and a microphone can take advantage of this software, so most laptops are good to go. It works by emitting an inaudible frequency from your speakers, and...

I have a daughter, aged 1.5 years. I guess watching me play with my phone, on my desktop clicking and tapping, on my laptop doing the same, all resulting in beeps and screen flashes captures a child’s interests and imaginations. So what can you do when they are this young but insist they need to use the PC. Lots, actually. And none of the solutions damage your settings or files. After all you want to encourage them as much as...