We scoured the Web to bring you the most innovative, time-saving, and helpful applications and services available online.
And, they won't cost you a cent!

If you know where to look, you’ll find that the Web is packed with a tremendous variety of freebies that can simplify your life, save you time and money, boost your productivity levels, and help you stay in touch with the important people in your life. But to find the good stuff, you often have to waste a lot of time rummaging through heaps of uninteresting, poorly produced, and just plain useless sites. We did all the slogging for you, sorted out the good from the bad, and put together a list of the free sites and services that we consider to be true winners.

ICQ (www.icq.com)
ICQ is the wildly popular instant-messaging program that allows real-time communication with other users on the Web. This revolutionary Internet tool lets you know who’s online at any time, and enables you to contact them at will. With ICQ you can chat, send messages, files and URL’s, play games, or just hang out with your fellow “Netters” while still surfing the Web. With 50 million subscribers, and over 10 million unique users every day, ICQ is a huge success story.
Other noteworthy instant messaging programs include:
AOL Instant Messenger (www.aim.com)
Yahoo! Messenger (messenger.yahoo.com)

JUNO (www.juno.com)
How would you like to put an end to your monthly Internet access fees? With Juno’s basic Internet service, you won’t ever have to worry about fees of any sort again – no monthly fees, no hourly fees, no start-up fees, nothing. Juno’s free Internet service offers fast, reliable connections at speeds up to 56K, award-winning Juno e-mail software, space for your own Web site (up to 12MB), and free online technical support. It’s the quickest, cheapest, and easiest way to get connected to the exciting world of cyberspace!
Also check out Netzero (www.netzero.net)

EFAX (www.efax.com)
Whether you’re on the road, at the office, or working from home, Efax is the fastest, quickest, and cheapest way to receive your faxes. Once you register online, you’ll be issued a fax number that you can give to anyone wishing to send you a fax. eFax will then reformat and forward all incoming faxes to you as e-mail attachments, which can be read via the free downloadable fax viewer. It’s the perfect tool for those of us trying to run a paperless office.

PASSKEEPER (www.passkeeper.com)
Are you having a hard time trying to keep track of the many usernames and passwords you use to access various Web sites and e-mail accounts? This convenient program provides you with a secure place to store all your log-in information, and encrypts all your passwords and IDs so that no one can peek at them.

EVITE.COM (www.evite.com)
When you have to organize any kind of event, be it a party, BBQ, dinner outing, or sport’s event, you’ve got to call or e-mail everyone, collect RSVPs, and give directions. Why waste so much time, when Evite can automate everything for you in one easy step. You simply need to fill out a form that describes the parameters of the event, and all the invitees will get an email directing them to a Web site of your event. Evite will tally the RSVPs, and display group feedback and decisions on a private Web page – created just for you and your group.

FREEADVICE (www.freeadvice.com)
Attorneys from over 25 law firms around the country have contributed to this site’s extensive information on over 100 topics – including everything from personal injury and estate planning, to immigration and bankruptcy. It features a database of over 3,000 questions and answers, written in easy-to-understand terms, a good dictionary of legal terms, and bulletin boards where users can chat and share information. You can also pose questions during real-time sessions with affiliated lawyers.

ASK JEEVES (www.ask.com)
Got a question, but can’t find an answer? No matter what you want to know, this well-organized site allows you to ask a question in plain English, such as “Where can I find a recipe for Beef Wellington?” or “How can I get a free credit report?” Once you’ve asked your question, Jeeves will retrieve the information you need, and present it to you as a list of search results. Kids can use Ask Jeeves for Kids to find answers to their schoolwork and homework questions.

AMERICASDOCTOR (www.americasdoctor.com)
It’s the next best thing to a house call! This site’s “Ask the Doc” feature allows you to have a one-on-one online discussion with real, board certified doctors 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at no cost to you at all.

FINANCENTER (www.financenter.com)
Whether you’re looking for advice on investments, banking, credit cards, insurance, budgeting, car financing, or home loans, this site has it covered. Packed with smart, intuitive calculators, Financenter can quickly figure out a vast range of financial scenarios. For instance, how much will my savings be worth in 20 years? What will it take to pay off my credit cards? This site also features detailed articles, written by financial experts, on important personal finance topics.

BRITANNICA.COM (www.britannica.com)
A remarkable combination of encyclopedia, search engine, news service, and independent content provider, Britannica.com is the leader of the pack when it comes to providing relevant and timely information on thousands of topics. By typing a word or phrase into the search box you’ll receive unabridged encyclopedia entries and current articles from more than 75 periodicals, books, and relevant Web sites.

MYFAMILY.COM (www.myfamily.com)
Featuring a sophisticated-but-simple toolkit, MyFamily.com lets its members create a family Web space complete with bulletin boards, live chat, space for news and photos, and a calendar for planning family events. It’s a great way to stay in touch with family all over the country, or around the world.

EHOW (www.ehow.com)
How do you grow tomatoes? Write a business plan? Change the oil in your car? You’ll find detailed responses to thousands of questions at eHow, and each answer is accompanied by a list of items you may want to buy to help with the task you’re trying to accomplish. eHow encourages its users to contribute their own how-tos to the site, and to share tips and tricks for various topics.

MAPQUEST (www.mapquest.com)
Throw away those bulky, impossible-to-refold maps, and leave your driving directions in the hands of this intuitive site. Whether you’re traveling across town or across the country, all you need to do is to enter your starting location and destination, and Mapquest will provide you with detailed maps and step-by-step directions to help you get where you’re going safely, and with no wrong turns.

HOMESTEAD (www.homestead.com)
Whether you want to promote your business, advertise a hobby, or simply keep family and friends updated on what you’re doing, Homestead is a great place to build your own site. It gives you 16MB of relatively ad-free space, a great selection of site-construction tools for beginners, experts, and everyone in between, and even allows you to add animated art, counters, and guest books to your site.

SONICNET (www.sonicnet.com)
Tune in to this Web site to hear a constant stream of music all day long, just like traditional radio – only without the DJs and annoying commercials. You can choose from more than 40 stations, which offer everything from jazz and country, to rock and classical. You can also create your own radio station, read album and concert reviews, watch full-length music videos, and get up-to-date news on your favorite artists.

ESPN FANTASY GAMES (games.espn.go.com)
Join the sporting action at this sprawling ESPN Fantasy Games site, where you’ll find a powerfully appealing and addictive array of free and fee-based games. Free games include a betting pool sweepstakes for in-season sports and “virtual GM”, in which you become the general manager of a basketball team, and have to put together your own team. There’s also a good selection of free arcade-style games, like Soccer Shootout, Field goal Challenge, Ultimate Bobsled, and Slap Shot Shoot-out.

REALTOR.COM (www.realtor.com)
Although you can’t actually buy a home online, you can certainly shop for one. And this site is one of the best places to scout out what’s on the market. In fact, it covers more than 90% of all available inventory offered by multiple-listing services (the same database that real estate agents can access), and also offers advice on buying, selling, making an offer, and applying for a loan.

PRODUCTOPIA (www.productopia.com)
If you want buying advice on a wide range of products, this is the site to turn to for solid suggestions on everything from cars and computers, to toys and tennis shoes. Productopia offers a plethora of straight talk from consumers who have road-tested the gadgets and gizmos that you’re thinking of buying, and it also features evaluations and background information written by its own staff.

MYSIMON (www.mysimon.com)
No matter what you want to buy, this powerful shopping bot will do a better job of finding the best deal around than any other shopping agent. MySimon queries more than 1,700 merchant Web sites to find the product you want, and returns the results by neatly displaying the name of the merchant, a hyperlink to the merchant’s site, a description of the product and its price. The site is divided into dozens of categories that cover just about any item you’re likely to buy.