Windows: You’ve probably never heard of it, but QQ Messenger is the most popular IM client in China. With over a billion registered accounts, it  has everything you need: support for voice and video, tons of smileys, customization options, photo and file sharing… all of it in a nicely designed interface that makes the program a pleasure to use.

iPhone: Tower Defense has to be one of the most addictive game genres of all time. This free iPhone version of the game sees you try to defend your sheep from aliens who want to make scarves out of them. TowerMadness Zero: 3D Tower Defense arms you with a variety of different weapons that you need to place strategically on the field in order to block the baddies’ route.

Mac: The creation of Letterbox is a good example of developers responding to simple user needs. Letterbox takes advantage of widescreen monitors to make using Mail a much easier experience. It’s ideal for those using Powerbooks, MacBook Pros and Cinema displays, although it’s appropriate for anyone with a widescreen display. It makes reading clearer and organization more stress free.

It’s taken a while, but mobile operators have finally given up trying to fight against VoIP services. That’s the assessment from Tobias Kemper, Vice President at mobile VoIP heavyweight, Nimbuzz. Speaking to OnSoftware following the launch of the service’s new NimbuzzOut feature he said: “operators have stopped seeing us as enemies, but rather as a value add for their services and networks.”

NimbuzzOut allows users to make dirt cheap international mobile phone calls over the Internet via Nimbuzz. Rates are as low as 0.02 cents for calling the UK and China. Traditionally, these kind of services have struck fear into mobile operators worried about losing call revenue to cheap and free VoIP alternatives.

Several operators, including T-Mobile and AT&T have previously banned VoIP services, such as Nimbuzz, Skype and Google Voice from using the company’s network. Following widespread criticism these bans have since been overturned, and Kemper now believes the future’s looking bright for mobile VoIP and social media messaging.

Operators understand that the future is in VoIP for reasons of quality assurance and scalability. Nimbuzz is a brilliant data magnet that increases loyalty and customer churn for the operator. Operators have been more and more receptive toward us over the recent months and we will have some more interesting announcements coming up, beyond the roll outs with O2 in Germany and Eutelia in Italy. Operators have never been successful in banning third party services and evolution. T-Mobile tried and lost in court. T-Mobile USA has now seen its data traffic increase by factor 10 in the last quarter, only because of social media messaging.

NimbuzzOut has been already been rolled out for iPhone and Symbian devices, with the remaining platforms to be supported in the very near future. Notably, the developer has chosen to retain SkypeOut functionality within Nimbuzz, though it’s clear it will be encouraging users to switch over to NimbuzzOut. “It’s the choice our users. We have a very diplomatic solution and the user decides what’s best for them. NimbuzzOut is a great addition for everyone who is new to the VoIP game or looking for a cheap international calling solution,” said Kemper.

Kemper said that Nimbuzz will now focus its attentions to location-based feature to make the program even more useful. There’s plenty of competition in the mobile VoIP and social media market and Nimbuzz must continue to evolve if it wants to compete with the likes of Skype, Fring and Google Voice. In fact, they go head to head for the Best Social Network App award at the Crunchies in January, which you can vote on here.

Windows: Having the appropriate codecs is essential in order to be able to play any audio or video format. With K-Lite Codec Pack Mega you can rest assured that you have all the codecs you need on your PC, plus a bunch of interesting related tools. The latest update 5.4.4 includes the most recent versions of a handful of codecs, plus other changes and improvements.

Santa’s Run: Being the actual Father Christmas is not a job I would relish, given the amount of work the guy has to put in. However, playing the role of Saint Nick for just a few minutes can be jolly good fun, as Santa’s Run proves. The game charges you with the task of delivering presents to children across the planet. You need to throw the presents into the chimneys or doorways, using your finger to flick them in the air.

Mac: Are you frustrated by the inability to use the webcams in MSN Messenger for Mac? aMSN (now updated to version 0.98 1-1) is an alternative to the classic MSN Messenger with more features - including webcam support (but not audio) - yet a more slimline interface. The aMSN developers have delved into the preferences menu, adding extra little features like event alerts and sounds and conferencing support.

Windows: If you need more space but can’t be bothered to buy another external hard drive, try online storage. With SkyDrive Explorer you’ll be able to access your Live SkyDrive free storage from Windows Explorer, just as it it was one more local drive on your computer. All you need is a Windows Live ID, and 25 GB of online free space will be yours for free!

iPhone: If you’re a interested in space exploration, this NASA app for iPhone is a must. This app basically allows you to follow all of NASA’s missions. The main screen lists the missions you can follow, and touching any of them takes you to a description of the mission with a counter for the time elapsed since the mission started.

Mac: Renaming files can be an absolute nightmare if you’re faced with a batch of wrongly-named ones, or recovered files which have had their IDs corrupted. A Better Finder Rename (now updated to version 8.37) is a comprehensive file renaming solution for Mac and can rename huge numbers of files in seconds. A Better Finder Rename allows you to do just about everything you need to rename files.

Windows: do you need help handling your downloads? Then jDownloader Portable is made for you. This powerful download manager doesn’t require installation and makes the whole process of downloading from file sharing websites much easier and faster. No more pop-up windows, waiting times and hidden download links. Let jDownloader Portable will take care of it!

iPhone: The default battery indicator on the iPhone looks pretty, but it doesn’t really give you much information other than a general idea of how much juice you have left. About Battery delivers a more powerful and advanced way of monitoring battery life on your iPhone. Rather than just give you an overview of the remaining power, the program breaks it down into calculations of the remaining time you have left for certain tasks.

Mac: There are basically two options to run Windows on a Mac - using Boot Camp which involves installing Windows on a separate partition and rebooting it in Windows or, running Windows in a virtual environment such as the one that Parallels Desktop provides. Parallels 5 presents more than 70 new features which allow users to define how much or little Windows they want to see, a new Crystal view mode.

Windows: Do you need to convert any audio or video file? Oxelon Media Converter is the perfect tool for the task. This simple app can convert multiple media files simultaneously, and it works surprisingly fast! Oxelon Media Converter supports dozens of formats and is perfectly embedded with Windows Explorer, which enables you to convert files with one click.

iPhone: Halloween is upon us once again, but if you haven’t got the money or the inclination to go trick or treating this year then check out Spooky Photo Free. This app allows you to make scary scenes out of your photographs. For example, you could put a zombie into a wedding picture, make bats appear in the sky above your house, or add a menacing pumpkin head onto an image of your dog.

Mac: Keychain on Mac does a pretty good job of managing passwords but once you’ve tried 1Password you’ll probably never look back. If you’re tired of making up passwords to access sites or worried that your passwords are not secure enough, it really is invaluable. 1Password creates strong, unique passwords for you, then remembers and restores them all within your web browser.

Windows: The quintessential optimization suite for Windows is back! The all-new TuneUp Utilities 2010 has a new redesigned interface and a bunch of new features and improvements that make it even better: Turbo mode, Live optimization, TuneUp desktop gadget, Optimization report and support for Windows 7 in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions.

iPhone: Aside from a jellyfish attack or a sudden downpour, another guaranteed thing to a ruin a day at the beach is an attack by the entire Japanese Imperial Navy. Blood Beach puts you in the unenviable position of a soldier who must take down the entire Japanese WWII fleet alone. You’re holed up on a thin stretch of beach in the Solomon Islands and must take down the waves of planes, boats and foot soldiers landing on the beach.

Mac: Renaming huge numbers of files can be a real pain, especially when you only need to make a few minor changes. Renamer (formerly known as Renamer4Mac) makes it easy to rename a huge number of files at once, in several different ways. One possibility is to search and replace certain components or words, much like using a word processor. Alternatively, you can simply insert or copy over a chunk of text to multiple files.

Windows: The most annoying part of getting a new computer is backing up and import browser bookmarks, but now there’s a tool that can make the task much easier! Recently updated FavBackup 2.0.0 backs up and imports bookmarks and user preferences in the most popular web browsers. The new version features a ribbon-style interface, support multiple profiles and consumes less RAM memory.

Mac: Do you hate watching dubbed movies? Prefer to enjoy films in original language with subtitles? Then install Submerge, which does a great job at merging subtitle files with your movies. It handles most of the subtitle formats, like SubRip or MicroDVD and automatically syncs them to your videos, with very little work on your part.

iPhone: Facebook has grown very quickly to become one of the most popular sites on the Web. Now you can access the service from your Apple mobile thanks to Facebook for iPhone. Adding pictures, comments and mood states can all be done easily through Facebook for iPhone. The application provides four different views of your essential data, namely: your own profile, your friends, recent changes in friends’ status and recently received messages.

Windows: Do you like Skype? Then you’re going to love Skype Portable! This is a special version of the popular VoIP client that doesn’t require installation and can be taken anywhere on a USB pendrive. Skype Portable works just like its desktop brother, features great audio and video quality, and has everything you need to keep in touch with your beloved ones!

iPhone: It’s been a long time coming but iPhone gamers at last got a decent driving sim. Firemint Real Racing GTI is a Volkswagen-sponsored racing game which makes wonderful use of the iPhone’s hardware to deliver a high-octane, realistic driving experience. The control system is probably the most refined, yet simple you’ll find anywhere on the iPhone platform.

Mac: The ability to run Windows on Macs has massively increased the reach and popularity of Apple computers. But you need a virtual environment to do so and the choice usually comes down to either Parallels or VMware Fusion. For developers this ability is absolutely essential, allowing you to run Ubuntu, WinXP and now even Windows 7 (in fact this latest release 3.0 has been optimized for it) all at the same time.

iPhone: What do the three comedy greats Homer Simpson, Fred Flintstone and The Dude from The Big Lebowski have in common? The answer, of course, is that they all love bowling. Guys, if any of you are reading this and have an iPhone then make sure you check out iBowl. This game is perhaps the closest you’re going to get to bowling without actually getting out of the house and going to the lanes.

Windows: If you already have uTorrent as your favorite torrent client, wait until you see its portable version! uTorrent Portable features the same characteristics as its desktop counterpart (clean interface, fast connection, easy to use), only that it doesn’t require installation and you can take it anywhere with you on a USB memory device.

Mac: Grappling hooks have often played a big part in comic book fiction and games like Bionic Commando, but they have never caught on in real life. Grappling Hook is a novel 3D first person game where the excellent device is essential. It starts with little explanation, but a computer communicates to you along the way that you are in some kind of test, and all you have to do if find the right teleporter to finish.

Windows: It’s finally here. Windows 7 has hit shelves worldwide! Generally considered as the true heir to XP, Windows 7 brings many new features and enhancements to your computer that make it faster, more stable and easier to use. Take a look at our review and video, and follow our full coverage on the blog about Windows 7.

iPhone: Boulder Dash is one of the oldest franchises around, and surprisingly the basic format hasn’t changed for 25 years! Boulder Dash - ROCKS! is the latest addition to the family, this time on your iPhone. This Lite version only has 8 levels, but is fun never the less. You control Rockwell as always, and he’s trying to collect all the jewels he can find.

Mac: It’s no surprise then that Altitude has been developed by two self confessed nostalgics for the good old days of computer games when everything was so much simpler. Altitude is a beautifully put together shoot ‘em up where you take control of World War II biplanes and blow the enemy out of the skies. It’s a frenetic game with lots of levels and a breakneck pace.

Windows: Are you worried about spyware and rootkits entering your computer? Ad-Aware Free 8.1 is here to protect your system from unwanted malware. This new version features faster scans, improved detection technology, a community-based defense against the most recent online threats and a new Simple/Advanced interface to suit everyone’s tech skills.

iPhone: Tired of your old music collection? With Spotify (new version 0.3.20) you can have access to thousands of songs, bands and music styles anywhere, anytime. This awesome app streams high quality music to your computer for free, includes bio data about your favorite bands and lets you share playlists online with your friends.

Mac: If you’re looking for a twitter client with a distinctly Mac feel, then look no further than Tweetie (new version 1.2.4). Tweetie features a delicious interface and the overall presentation throughout is first class. All of Tweetie’s main functions can be found in the navigation bar along the left-hand side. This includes the search box, personal mail and a shortcut to your timeline.

iPhone: The default battery indicator on the iPhone looks pretty, but it doesn’t really give you much information other than a general idea of how much juice you have left. About Battery delivers a more powerful and advanced way of monitoring battery life on your iPhone. Rather than just give you an overview of the remaining power, the program breaks it down into calculations of the remaining time you have left for certain tasks.

Windows: There are a few apps to listen to music in streaming, but what if you’d like to buy or download a certain MP3 to your hard drive? With Songr you can search the Web for selected MP3 files and download or buy them from within the program in seconds! Songr uses ten different MP3 search engines and also lets you locate songs by their lyrics.

Mac: With so many mobile devices available nowadays, it’s handy to have some way of syncing your data across them all. doubleTwist is aimed at the media side of this issue, allowing you to synchronize video and music across portable devices, including mobile phones, smartphones, PDAs, PSP, cameras, and MP3 players. It’s ideal for syncing iTunes playlists across your mobile devices as well as many other media-syncing needs.

Windows: Some people need to be constantly twittering about what they do. If you’re among them, this extension is for you! The all new Echofon (previously known as Twitterfox) integrates perfectly in Firefox and lets you check your twitter, send messages and see what your followers are up to, all from within your favorite browser. The new version features a complete redesign and the same great functionality.

iPhone: If you’re a Photoshop addict then why not try out the new iPhone version of the app, Photoshop.com Mobile. It’s by no means a fully-featured editing suite, but what it does do is to allow you to quickly and easily tweak photos on the move, through an excellent interface based around touch gestures. It has some great sharing options, too.

Mac: Making backups should be an easy process, and SuperDuper! (new version 2.62) understands that perfectly. SuperDuper! creates perfect clones of your Mac volume so you have a full backup of all your data, including permissions, user profiles and private settings. SuperDuper! is incredibly easy to use: just select the drives to copy from and to and start backing up.

Windows: Are you the kind of person who has a shortcut-ridden Windows desktop? Then you need an app like Stardock Fences. This handy icon organizer creates customizable areas on your desktop to store and categorize folders, files and icons. The program just hit version 1.0, so it’s time for you to try it out!

Mac: CoverFlow is great for browsing and playing back music in iTunes, but CoverSutra might just change your musical habits. First of all, it serves as a player for your iTunes library, with your list appearing in a sleek dark interface and playback buttons present in a floating dark window. Secondly, every time you play a track from a new album, the cover will discreetly appear on your desktop, with its rating.

iPhone: Reckon you’ve got a steady hand? Well you’re about to find out if you install Marine Sharpshooter on your iPhone. This popular game sees you assume the role of a sniper who is part of an elite American military force. Your objective is to abate a global war of terror by going in behind enemy lines and taking down terrorists from a distance.