We continue with the best of 2023 according to MC Leaving hardware behind to talk about software, one has no reason to exist without the other. On the contrary, in a world as changing as the technological one, it is very difficult to keep up with new trends…

… when a person has their basic needs covered for a long time, it should be added. Therefore, make a list of s best app of 2023 It is not as simple as it might seem a priori, when the list is based on personal and non-transferable opinions, as is often said.

The best app of 2023, according to MC

In this case, we did not limit ourselves only to applications that were created this year, but to those that conquered us in some way during this period, wherever we found them, regardless of the platform or application model. distribution.

Tiny 11

• Category: system – installers
• Platform: Windows
• Price: Free
• Recommended Juan Ranchal

A large portion of Windows users dream lighter and faster operating system, which can be used on computers with lower hardware levels and is not as loaded with software as the default installation. Until Microsoft listens to us, third-party tools like Tiny11 will come to the rescue, dramatically lightening Microsoft’s operating systems without sacrificing compatibility or key features.

You already know the situation. Windows 10 had its own thing, but Windows 11 is even worse, very exaggerated advertising, services and applications which nobody uses and which consume resources unnecessarily. To this we must add what comes from Bloatware, a phenomenon that is far from solved, but punishes long-time users with “unhealthy” software that comes in ever-increasing amounts.

In addition, Microsoft’s latest operating system requires artificially increased minimum requirements with a TPM security module or features such as Secure Boot, which not all computers have. This leaves a large number of capacity processors outside of official system support.

To solve both problemswell-known developer @NTDEV_ has created special variants of the official ISO images published by Microsoft, which aim to reduce the number of applications loaded in the standard version of Windows 11 to a minimum. In addition, it is able to skip “mandatory” requirements such as TPM and Secure Boot and can be installed under local and offline accounts on computers with low hardware requirements, only 2 GB of RAM and 8 GB of disk space.

Tiny 11 is freely available in the Internet Archive with the latest version 23H2. Installation is as simple as previous versions: you download the ISO image, create an installation media just like an official Microsoft image (we recommend using Rufus), and install. As with all Windows images, you need a valid license to activate the system. If you need them, you can buy them with the offers that we offer you regularly.

The developer also created Tiny10 for those who want to slim down Windows 10. Both versions are highly recommended free Windows from so much “junk” software, remove artificial requirements, and be able to run it on computers with lower hardware levels.

Paint.net

• Category: photo editing.
• Platform: Windows.
• Price: free.
• Recommended Isidro Ros

It’s not a new app, in fact I’ve been using it for quite some time, but version 5.0 was released earlier this year and the truth is that I find it so useful in my daily life that I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to share it with you and recommend it in this article. It’s also an app completely free, very light and full of featuressomething that is not usually common today.

In my case, I mainly use Paint.net to open certain image formats, for simple editing and also to instantly reduce image weight. The latter is particularly useful because Paint.net includes an adjustment bar that allows you to fine-tune the relationship between image quality and image weight. Thanks to it, for example, we can convert an image weighing half a megabyte into an image of only 100 kilobytes, while maintaining relatively good quality.

User interface as well It is very simple and intuitive. Even if you’ve only used the very basic editing tools like Paint that come standard with Windows, you’ll be pretty decent at first, and if you do your part, you’ll be fluent in no time. time. For what it costs (it’s free as I said at the beginning), how light it weighs, and what it offers, it’s one of the best apps in its class.

Still not convinced? Well, it should won the Microsoft App Store Award in 2022, as you can see in the attached picture. If you haven’t tried it you should and if you’re worried about its requirements don’t be, as I said it’s very light and very undemanding.

PhotoPills

• Category: photography
• Platform: Android and iOS
• Price: 10.99 euros (Android) / 12.99 euros (iOS)
• Recommended David Salces

Mobile phones currently have cameras that, even in the worst cases, provide quite decent results, either when taking photos or when taking videos. So much so that the entry-level digital photography and video camera markets were virtually doomed as a result of the proliferation of smartphones and the improvement of their cameras. And no, I’m not saying that a camera is the same as a smartphone, but I’m saying that for the needs of ordinary mortals, both devices are capable of satisfying them.

Now we have a smartphone with an excellent camera, but are we sure we’re getting the most out of it? Are we planning our photos appropriately and with all the necessary information? Do we know the specific parameters of lenses and sensors? With few exceptions, the answer to these questions will be negative, and therefore we will deprive ourselves of the opportunity to significantly improve the result we get every time we press the button to take a photo.

Photopills is an app available for both Android and iOS, originally aimed at prosumers (advanced users) and professional photographers who want to have a huge and very valuable set of tools. However, thanks to the enormous work of those responsible for the dissemination of information, the very well-thought-out interface and the huge amount of documentation for all viewers that accompanies the application, it should actually be owned by anyone who has the slightest interest in taking good photos. on your mobile device.

Heroic Games Launcher

• Category: video game clients
• Platform: cross-platform
• Price: free
• Recommended Eduardo Medina

Although Linux has improved a lot as a platform playing games In recent years, it’s no less true that Valve continues to be very much on its own when it comes to its support. Because of this, there are still no official clients from GOG, Epic Games Store and other platforms for the open source system.

It appeared some time ago as an alternative client for some of the most popular non-Steam platforms Heroic Games Launcheran app that was originally born to cover the lack of support Epic Games Storebut which has evolved over time to include GOG a Amazon.

Although heavily focused on Linux, Heroic Games Launcher is actually a cross-platform application that also supports Windows and macOS. However, it is generally true that the latter two systems are much better supported by the video game industry for various reasons, including the fact that the industry itself prefers closed systems over those that are open in nature.

As a Linux user, I have a policy of not buying anything from the Epic Games Store, and I’m not the least bit interested in what Amazon has to offer, so Heroic Games Launcher became my makeshift GOG client, a platform I use as an alternative to Steam and from which I have acquired some games. In its favor, I can say that the support it offers is much better than that of MiniGalaxy, the GOG client I used before, especially since its development is much more active.

Stremio

• Category: video playback
• Platform: all (PC: Linux, Mac, Windows; Android, TV…).
• Price: free
• Recommended J. Pomeyrol

Stremio has become one of my favorite apps this year, and I’m not short on it, exactly. However, I made the most of it this year and I think it deserves the recommendation. You didn’t know her? Wait, I’ll introduce her to you.

Stremio is a multimedia player focused mainly on video. More specifically, Stremio is the heir to Popcorn Time, or what is the same thing, a kind of universal streaming content player: Netflix, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+… Everything that these platforms release and much more is what anyone can find on Stremio, so we’re talking about hacking app? Yes and no.

Stremio works similarly to media centers like Kodi: through plugins you get the ability to download and therefore view streaming – in P2P mode using the BitTorrent protocol on which the application is based – copyrighted content. But of course it also serves other purposes. Now it is mostly used for what it is used for.

However, Stremio makes it easier than many other solutions in its category: its download is very close (on its website for PC including Windows, Mac and Linux; on the Google Play Store for Android…), installation of plugins Seamlessly uses its integrated search engine, account it synchronizes content and status between devices… The only downside that can be made is that practically everything is in the original version, but that’s not important to me.

But then… am I a pirate? I don’t consider myself that way; but I will tell you why I use Stremio. So far I’ve used it very occasionally to watch something that wasn’t on any platform… because I have them all: Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max, SkyShowtime, Apple TV+… Only and recently I unsubscribed from Netflix which jumped to the price bandwagon and for the garbage it puts out, I catch up a few months a year when I sign up.

I liked Stremio more than necessary because how painful some official apps are. For example, I had to use Stremio to watch The Last of Us because the HBO Max app for Android TV crashed when I wanted to play the series in its original version; I had to use it to watch a few SkyShowtime series because it’s terrible how the official one shows the subtitles because it doesn’t work on Linux and I don’t always feel like changing the system to watch an episode of something; or watch things from Disney+ and Netflix in 4K with uneven quality in the official apps and perfect in Stremio… if the “weather conditions” are favorable, needless to say.

These are two examples, but there are more and different types. That said, it’s a big deal (it has to be said that way, sorry) that an app like Stremio works better than an official solution from giants like those who manage the aforementioned platforms. Only Netflix and now Amazon Prime Video are saved from burning in this regard. If you’re interested in taking a look, here’s Stremio. It’s free and legal, right?