PCWorld's Favorite Downloads of 2011

PC World - All year long, we PCWorld reviewers immerse ourselves in desktop programs and Web software. After evaluating a program, often we uninstall itbut several of this year's finds earned places in our workflows and/or our hearts. These programs and services are the ones we reviewed for PCWorld Downloads and also kept using for our own productivity and enjoyment. Perhaps you started using them this year, tooand if not, well, a shiny new year is right around the corner.

(To get all of the download links in one convenient list, see our "PCWorld's Favorite Downloads of 2011" collection. And click on each image below to see it in full size; click on "Close" in the image's bottom right to return to this list.)

Improve Your Productivity and Security

CloudMagic

If there's one thing I could use more of, it's time. Well, and money, too. And sleep. CloudMagic may not be putting money in my bank account or helping me catch more Zs, but this handy little Firefox extension sure is saving me time. It searches my Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, and Twitter accounts in what seems like record time. And its results are unfailingly accurate, too. What more could I want?

Read the full review and download CloudMagic beta (free).

--Liane Cassavoy

Visual Thesaurus

If you love words, think that reading a dictionary is great fun, or simply need a more organic way to search for synonyms, Visual Thesaurus is a great online resource. The dynamic, intuitive graphical interface is intelligent, playful, and educational. On the surface, it offers a tree-like visual structure that displays related synonyms in branches, surrounding the word you looked up. Click a synonym to display the next level of related words. Definitions are also a click away. We've found Visual Thesaurus so helpful that it is always open in one of our Internet browser tabs, so we can refer to it quickly while writing.

Read the full review and download Visual Thesaurus ($20, free trial).

--Sally Wiener Grotta and Daniel Grotta

Foxit Reader

The original lightweight alternative to Adobe Reader strayed from the winning formula for a while by getting fat, installing junk, and generally trying to do much. It's back on point with a clean, intuitive interface--and back on my PC opening PDFs faster than Adobe Reader and rendering them every bit as cleanly.

Read the full review and download Foxit Reader 5 (free).

--Jon Jacobi

LastPass

I used to waste a lot of brain power remembering all of my passwords. The ones for my email accounts. And my credit card accounts. And my online shopping accounts. Now, I'm relying on LastPass instead. It not only remembers and organizes all of my passwords for me, but it also generates secure ones. With all of the brain power I'm saving, I could spend my free time solving complex mathematical equations. I'm not, but I could be. Maybe.