This Week's Top Downloads

Every week, we share a number of downloads for all platforms to help you get things done. Here were the top downloads from this week.

I’m terrible at saving money, I hate studying personal finance, and I tend to have a “carpe diem” mentality when it comes to buying the things I want. Fortunately, a few automated savings apps gave me a stronger hold on my money by doing most of the hard stuff for me.

Windows/Mac/Linux/Chrome: DuckieTV is a no-hassle, fool-proof calendar to track TV shows you’re watching, and it also automatically searches for torrents of new episodes and downloads them to your hard drive.

iOS/Web: Most apps that automatically generate things like images or web pages end up looking like crap. Adobe’s new free app Spark can do a bit better job than most.

When you really need to keep your files safe and secure, you need encryption. We’ve covered the basics before, and even rounded up your favorite encryption tools, but today we’re putting two of the most popular options for Windows head to head to see which one is the best at keeping your sensitive data safe.

The new Pixelmator update, 3.5 Canyon, brings Quick Selection and Magnetic Selection tools, as well as a Retouch Extension for the Mac’s Photos app.

We don’t get nearly enough dual monitor desktops in our desktop showcase, so when we see one—especially one as good looking as this—we have to highlight it. Best of all, there isn’t much to it, and it’s easy to set up if you have two displays of your own. Here’s how.

OS X: Airmail, one of our favorite email apps on Mac, just got a slew of new features today, including smart folders to more easily sort your mail, VIP contacts and notifications, ‘send later’ email queuing, and more.

Android/iOS: The Amazon Echo is a cool little device that can do a lot of things just with voice commands. However, it becomes useless if you leave the room. Walkie-talkie app Roger can help with that.

Web/Chrome/Android/iOS: We’ve shown you how to encrypt your email with PGP, but it can be daunting to get started with. Passlok is a webapp, mobile app, and Chrome app that makes the process easy, and there’s a Chrome extension that even integrates with Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and others.

Android/iOS: If you’re a music lover, particularly of the electronic music variety, Beatactive could be a sweet workout companion. Beatactive syncs up upbeat tunes, bodyweight exercises, and a DJ who guides you through each workout.

Android: Want a reminder note every time you look at your smartphone? ReNotify lets you add persistent notes to your Notifications pane which won’t go away when you tap the ‘Dismiss All Notifications’ icon.

Android: Before you hit the road this summer, you’ll need the right vacation playlist for your trip. Now, TripAdvisor will help by curating playlists from Google Play Music based on the city you’re traveling to.