The interface for managing the default "open with" programs in Windows isn't the best, and in the past we've recommended utilities that make managing the default apps a little easier.

When we come across application launchers they naturally focus on one thing: launching applications (duh). Impressively the free WinThunder program wants to focus on presenting you with a beautiful interface for opening only your most used shortcuts, but it also throws in some niceties you may not find in other launchers.

Over the last year I've become a heavy digital note taker. Evernote is definitely my go-to app when it comes to longterm note storage, but what about those quick little snippets that seem worth saving but aren't necessarily something I want cluttering up Evernote? That's where QuotePad comes in form me.

One of the features in Windows 7/Vista that I use quite regularly is the ability to click on the time in the System Tray to reveal a month-to-month calendar. The only problem is that some of the systems I use on a regular basis are stilling running Windows XP, but in situations like that I fallback to a solution I've been using for years... a customized wallpaper for the desktop.

Every now and then someone really shocks me with what they've managed to do using Autohotkey... Quick Cliq is a fine example of just that. Most people look at Autohotkey as a scripting language, but Quick Cliq demonstrates how it can be used to create a full-featured application.

I know many of you are diehard fans of Process Explorer, and I am as well. However, I always try to point out alternatives when they are available, and Process Hacker is exactly that. It's an open source project that consists of over 250,000 lines of code, and the end result is an advanced view of what's running on your system.

Here at CyberNet we always try to point out when applications are portable because, let's face it, there are some apps it's nice being able to take with you without the worry of having to download it again or reconfigure it. The problem is that many of our favorite apps aren't portable, but a free program called Cameyo looks like it may be the cure for this.

I'm a pretty big fan of CDBurnerXP when it comes down to the best freeware for burning your CDs and DVDs. Incredibly, however, I have to say that the free AmoK CD/DVD Burning tool comes in a close second thanks to its portability, footprint, and size. This app uses less than 1MB of space once extracted, and uses around 7MB of memory while running.

There are a lot of integration points in Windows that developers can take advantage of, and many of them do. For example, if you have a program like 7-Zip or WinZip installed you may see related entries when you right-click on a file or folder.

Keyboard shortcuts are something I've always try to make the most of, and doing so has served me well over the years. One thing that Windows has seemingly lacked was a way to let me make my own keyboard shortcuts, but with Clavier+ I am one step closer to eternal keyboard bliss.

We've shown you how to kill processes through the command prompt or batch file, but sometimes having a graphical interface can make things faster. Think about a time where you wanted to kill multiple programs, but when you opened up the task manager you had to go through and kill them all one-by-one. There's gotta be an app for that, right? There is.

The free and portable Radical Image Optimization Tool (RIOT) has been an app I've recommended for a few years now (I think I've been using it since about 2008). As the name suggests it focuses on doing one thing, and doing it well: optimizing images. It can compress, resize, adjust, and convert your images in a way that leaves you in control of the end result.

Keeping tabs on my machine is something I've done for as long as I can remember. I like watching the performance of my applications, monitoring network connections, and all of that stuff most people would never think twice about.

This free app will surely be a gem for any information-bearing geek out there. Not only is Drive Manager free, but it's also portable... that's a combination we don't see nearly enough.

In Windows 7 Microsoft has finally decided to revamp the built-in calculator so that it's a bit more useful for people. There is, however, already a free super powerful calculator available to all Windows, Mac, and Linux users. It's called SpeedCrunch.

Keeping your Windows Registry clean is something that can be quite a chore. Comodo, who happens to make an incredible free firewall tool, also has a free registry cleaner that not many people know about. One thing that I love the most is that you can download the typical installer, or you can grab the portable format that requires no installation.

For whatever reason I frequently find myself needing to resize and measure things on my computer screen. I'm normally measuring some images, trying to figure out how much space I have to work with, or want to make sure things are spaced evenly. It's taken me a little while to find the tools that are just right for the job, but I think I've done it!

I can't even count the number of requests I've had to create a Portable Firefox 3 from the latest Beta version that was released. There has been at least a few dozen requests, and I try to do my best explaining how users can create their own version of Portable Firefox.

Google has launched a service called My Location, and it could be a huge breakthrough in mobile mapping technology. My Location is available at no cost to those who use Google Maps on a mobile device, but don't have GPS capabilities built-in. Technicalities aside, it uses cell towers to approximate the location of the user so that it is easier to find out where you are headed.

I think this week should be declared application launcher week on CyberNet. :) Exactly one week ago we wrote an article on the best application launchers, then one of our readers pointed out a cool app that we missed called Executor, and finally yesterday we wrote about Launchy 2.0 Alpha.