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A web browser is more than just an application, it is your main gateway to the digital world. Choosing the right browser can directly affect your productivity, browsing speed, and even your security experience.
Google Chrome: Still the unshakeable "king", holding the largest market share globally. Chrome is highly appreciated for its fast performance, simple interface and rich extension store, providing maximum support for daily tasks. Furthermore, the ability to sync data (bookmarks, history, passwords) across devices with just one Google account is a huge advantage, especially for users who frequently switch between laptops and phones.
Mozilla Firefox: Once Chrome's biggest rival, Firefox is still the top choice for privacy-conscious people today. This browser is known for its strong security features, high customizability, and stable performance.
Microsoft Edge: Built on the same Chromium platform as Chrome, Edge offers speed and efficient resource management, often using less RAM than Chrome. For Windows users, deep integration with Windows features is also a notable plus.
Coc Coc: A product of Vietnam, Coc Coc impresses with convenient features optimized for Vietnamese people, including easy video downloading from websites and effective ad filtering capabilities.
For users in Vietnam, a stable Vietnamese typing software is a prerequisite. Among them, UniKey is always the most trusted name. This is a free, lightweight, and especially stable software on all applications, from web browsers, email, to office tools.
UniKey supports many popular typing methods such as Telex and VNI, allowing users to customize flexibly. Its intuitive and easy-to-use interface makes it an ideal choice for beginners, while also offering advanced options for experienced users.
To manage large files effectively, compression and decompression software is indispensable.
WinRAR: This is one of the most popular file compression and decompression software on the market. WinRAR supports most popular compression formats such as RAR, ZIP, 7-Zip, with fast processing speed. In addition, the software also has advanced features such as setting passwords to protect files and improving compression ratios, helping to significantly reduce capacity.
7-Zip vs WinZip: If you're looking for free and open source options, 7-Zip is a great alternative, supporting many formats and having good compression rates.
WinZip is also a powerful compression software, offering bank-grade encryption to protect your data.
It can be frustrating when you can't open a downloaded video or music file. VLC Media Player is the perfect solution to this problem. Known as a universal media player, VLC can handle most popular media files without the need to install additional codecs.
VLC is free, lightweight, and compatible across multiple platforms, from Windows, macOS, to Android and iOS. It not only plays files on your computer, but also supports playing CD/DVD discs, watching online TV and YouTube videos easily.
The office suite is the backbone for all tasks related to word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations.
LibreOffice: Is a free and open source office suite, popular with many users as an alternative to Microsoft Office. LibreOffice offers tools similar to Word, Excel and PowerPoint, ensuring the necessary features for everyday work. It is also compatible on multiple operating systems like Windows, Linux and macOS.
WPS Office & Microsoft Office Online: WPS Office is another free option with a similar interface and functionality to MS Office, with high compatibility
Microsoft Office Online is a free online version of Microsoft Office, providing basic and suitable features for online office work.
PDF documents are the standard format in many fields. A good PDF reader will help you work more efficiently.
Foxit Reader: Known for its fast speed and user-friendly interface, Foxit Reader not only allows reading PDF files but also supports creating, sharing and adding annotations to documents. This is a free, lightweight tool that is compatible with many operating systems.
Adobe Acrobat Reader DC: Coming from the creator of the PDF format, Adobe Reader is a trusted software with powerful reading, printing, e-signing and system protection features.
Sumatra PDF & Nitro PDF Reader: Sumatra PDF is a super lightweight option that opens files almost instantly and supports many document formats other than PDF.
Nitro PDF Reader is highly rated for its ability to create, edit, and convert PDF files to other formats.
To organize ideas, work, and personal information effectively, note-taking apps are a powerful tool.
Evernote: This is one of the most popular note-taking apps, allowing you to add text, images, audio and sync them across multiple devices. Evernote has a free version with basic features and a paid plan with more advanced functionality.
Microsoft OneNote: Built into the Microsoft Office suite, OneNote lets you sync notes across devices, password protect them, and search handwritten text.
Sticky Notes: If you like simplicity, Sticky Notes is a built-in "virtual" note-taking application on Windows that helps you create compact notes, stick them on the screen and sync them via OneDrive.
Online meetings and communication are an integral part of modern work.
Skype: Once the most popular video calling software, Skype is still a good choice for communicating with friends and colleagues. While no longer the top choice for businesses, Skype still offers basic chat and video calling features, with no time limits on 1-1 calls.
Google Meet: Built-in for Gmail users, Google Meet is easy to use and can run directly on the Chrome browser without any additional installation. This is a suitable choice for small and medium sized businesses with limited budgets.
Microsoft Teams: Designed by Microsoft to replace Skype for Business, Teams is an "all-in-one" online meeting platform that integrates deeply with the Microsoft 365 suite. Teams is ideal for businesses that need a comprehensive solution to manage classrooms, assign assignments, and host conferences with thousands of participants.
A laptop cannot be safe without antivirus software.
Avast One Essential: One of the oldest and most reputable security brands. Avast's free version offers a fairly comprehensive layer of protection, including ransomware protection, a firewall, and vulnerability scanning. Avast One Essential is compatible with many operating systems and devices, from PCs to smartphones.
AVG AntiVirus Free & Bitdefender: AVG is another security brand, acquired by Avast itself, so it has many similar features.
Bitdefender is a highly rated antivirus software that supports a variety of operating systems and has many online banking protection features.
To optimize download speed, download manager software is essential.
Internet Download Manager (IDM): The most famous tool in this field, IDM is known for its ability to increase file download speed many times, integrate well with web browsers and allow easy pause/resume of downloads.
Free Download Manager (FDM) & EagleGet: If you want free solutions, Free Download Manager and EagleGet are names worth considering. Both have full features of a professional download accelerator software and are highly appreciated for their speed and stability.
In fact, we don't always need Photoshop or professional software.
Paint.NET: An enhanced version of the default Paint on Windows, Paint.NET offers more useful editing tools like layers and filters.
Pixlr & Fotor: Pixlr is a free online photo editing software, with an intuitive interface and a full range of basic and advanced tools
Fotor is also a powerful option, applying HDR technology to help balance light and edit skin and face quickly.
Equipping your laptop with the right software from the start not only helps you optimize your work performance but also ensures safety and enhances your user experience. The above list is highly rated by the community and technology experts, including both free and paid software, meeting a variety of needs. The final choice is yours, consider carefully to turn your laptop into the most powerful work and entertainment tool.
