Document Plug-ins

Though most browsers are more than adequate for your everyday Web surfer, there are some features that come with special applications called plug-ins. This week, we take a look at some document plug-ins.

Talking Clipboard 1.1

Talking clipboard, a powerful software that includes Microsoft Agent Technology, just sits in your tray and reads any text in any window: you only have to select the text you want to be read and copy it into clipboard.

It will automatically start reading the text you have just selected. In addition, users get a free Web-based e-mail `talking' address: yourname@4talking.com

Filesize: 0.90 M

Purchase Info: Freeware

Platforms: Win 95/98, Win NT 4.0

Download Location: www.4talking.com

PointPlus

The PointPlus plug-in viewer enables users of Netscape or Internet Explorer to view any Microsoft PowerPoint presentation within the browser window or full screen.

The user has the option of viewing either slide-by-slide manually, or hands-free on auto-play display.

Filesize: 0.25 M

Purchase Info: Freeware

Platforms: Win 3.x, Win 95/98, Win NT 3.51, Win NT 4.0

Download Location: www.net-scene.com/home.htm

NetPicker 1.0

With this small and smart tool, Web surfers can drag and collect information from the Internet, or save their favourite homepages.

Filesize: 0.76 M

Purchase Info: Shareware

Platforms: Win 95/98

Download Location: www.fastbrowser.net

FormsEZ FreeFILLER

FormsEZ FreeFILLER allows the user to fill out, print, save and e-mail electronic forms. The company Web site also offers hundreds of free pre-designed and ready-to-fill e-forms.

Filesize: 2.92 M

Purchase Info: Freeware

Platforms: Win 3.x, Win 95/98, Win NT 4.

Download Location: www.formsez.com

FastView Plus 3.1.26

FastView Plus lets you open and view multimedia and other file types like documents, spreadsheets, and presentations on the Web and from e-mail attachments.

It supports all the popular word processing, image, spreadsheet, and presentation formats such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

You can experience multimedia on the Web with .wav, .avi, .mpeg, .midi, and QuickTime without downloading associated plug-ins.

FastView Plus starts automatically when you click on a Web link, an e-mail attachment, or a file on your computer, or when you view a Web page containing multimedia.

It also can convert documents and spreadsheets into HTML and convert files into text or .rtf formats.

Filesize: 13.40 M

Purchase Info: Shareware

Platforms: Win 95/98

Download Location: www.netzip.com

Cogitum Co-Citer 1.0

Cogitum Co-Citer is a tool for creating and managing collections of texts from the Internet. It captures the selected text, Internet address where it has been found, its title, and the date of grabbing.

Users can assign any comments and save it in a newly created or in an existing Co-Citer folder. The software provides for sending collections by e-mail, export to HTML, transfer to other computers, editing texts, search, print, and more.

Filesize: 0.47 M

Purchase Info: Freeware

Platforms: Win 95/98, Win 2000, Win NT 4.0

Download Location: www.cogitum.com

HELP Read Beta .92

HELP Read is a free Windows application that will read Web pages, Microsoft Word documents, and text files out loud using your PC's sound card.

It can be installed as a helper application to either Internet Explorer or Netscape. The software copies and reads text from any Web page you might be viewing in Netscape or Microsoft Internet Explorer. The Preferences dialog contains an option to automatically load and read Web page text whenever you change Web pages.

Web and content authors can also provide BOK (book) scripts that allow the software to be customised for pronouncing non-standard words.

Filesize: 1.18 M

Purchase Info: Freeware

Platforms: Win 3.x, Win 95/98

Download Location: www.pixi.com/reader1

Compiled by C. Ramesh