Kim Komando - Weekend Downloads

5 cool things to do online

The Web is full of useful tools. These programs can help you do almost anything you can imagine. But some defy categorization. I’ve picked some cool tools that do cool things you may not have thought of. They’ll make your life easier and your work better.

Paper Rater—You want your writing to look its best. It could be a college research paper or a business report. It always helps to have someone else look it over. But you don't always have someone to be your proofer. That's where Paper Rater comes in. It will check your grammar and style. It also tests for signs of plagiarism.

Autodesk Homestyler—Redecorating or remodeling your home is a lot of work. It helps if you start with a good plan. But it can be hard to visualize everything in different places. This tool lets you build a 3-D model of your home. You can then fill it with furniture and decorations. You can move walls around. When you’re done, fly through the model to see how you like it.

Bing Translator—We often think of English as the common language online. Most of the sites you visit seem to confirm this. But the Web is a global destination. You'll find content in every language imaginable. If you run into a foreign-language site, grab the URL and head here. Bing can translate between dozens of languages.

Free OCR—We live in a digital world. But we still have to deal with paper documents occasionally. You can use a scanner to get them onto your computer. But you don’t always have one nearby. This site is a nice workaround if you're in a jam. Take a photo of the document and upload it to the site. It will extract the text. You can paste it into a new file for editing.

Bender Converter—The Web has revolutionized the way we make and consume video. More video is stored on YouTube than ever existed before the site. And you can watch it all online. But maybe you'd like to download your favorites. You could watch them online or carry them on an iPod. This site will convert YouTube videos to the proper format. You can then download them to your computer.


Cost: Free
System: Windows XP, Vista and 7, Mac OS X