Cool Tools and Gadgets: Office/Productivity

OpenOffice is the leading open-source office software suite for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more. It stores all your data in an international open standard format and can also read and write files from other common office software packages. It can be downloaded and used completely free of charge for any purpose.

Notepad++ is a free source code editor and Notepad replacement that supports several languages. Running in the MS Windows environment, its use is governed by GPL License. Features include WYSIWYG editor, drag and drop, bookmarking, multi-document editing, and color-coded syntax highlighting for programmers in languages from HTML to C.

GoogleDocs allows you to create and share your work online. Upload from and save to your desktop; edit anytime from anywhere; pick who can access your documents; share changes in real time; files are stored securely online.

Use Evernote to save your ideas, things you see, and things you like. Evernote lets you save anything you see online, your private notes, public notes - just about everything. You can synchronize your Evernotes on the desktop app, the online version, and Evernote for mobile phones (iPhone, Android, and Blackberry).

Zoho is a suite of online applications (services) that you sign up for and access from its website. The applications are free for individuals and some have a subscription fee for organizations

Provides a free web office suite with 1GB of online storage

Complete office software suite for Max OS X. Requires download.

Complete office suite for Windows and Linux. Requires download.

Create PDF files with the world's most popular free PDF creator. With just one click, turn virtually any kind of file into a 100% industry-standard PDF.

PaperRater is an online spelling and grammar checker that goes a little farther with the documents you upload, by checking for potentially plagiarized text that might get noticed by a wary professor. Grammar checking allows you to find mistakes and correct them. The proofreading system alerts you to opportunities to improve your writing.

NewOCR is a free service that allows you to easily convert scanned documents, faxes, screenshots and photos into editable and searchable text, such as DOC, TXT or PDF.

Note: For documents with multiple pages the pages must be converted individually.