Now that you've seen all the big names and launches of 2008, it's time to give a nod to the apps that didn't get the attention they should have this past year. If you're sick of hearing about Firefox and the iPhone and Gmail and Chrome, you're in the right place. Let's take a look at the least hyped software that launched or saw great improvements in 2008, and give 'em the love they deserve. Photo by ckroberts61.
Songbird
The open-source, cross-platform music player Songbird was supposed to do for your tunes what Firefox did for your web browsing: free you from the claws of iTunes and offer extensibility and general awesomeness. Back in November, the first release candidate of Songbird didn't quite deliver, but the final 1.0 release this week absolutely did, now that the bird plays iTunes Store purchases and ironed out its major wrinkles. Songbird was the application most readers cried foul about for being excluded on our first list of best apps in 2008.
Dropbox
Cross-platform, file-syncing-via-the-cloud web service and application Dropbox debuted this year, offering 2GB of free storage for non-paying users. If that's not enough space for all your documents, Dropbox at least is a fabulous tool for syncing your passwords across all your computers.
Ubiquity
The most impressive prototype that came out of Mozilla Labs this year, the Ubiquity Firefox extension is an ambitious attempt at offering smart and extensible keyboard access to data between applications, so you can, for example, include a Google map to an address inside a new Gmail message without ever switching tabs. Users have complained that the still-fetal Ubiquity prototype slows down Firefox, but the Quicksilver-like concept behind Ubiquity is way impressive. Hopefully we'll see a more fleshed-out and speedy implementation in the coming year.
Picasa 3
Our favorite free software for managing your photo library on your desktop, Picasa, got an upgrade to version 3 this year that added several new features and reduced the need for a separate photo editing tool even more. Picasa's the software you want to install on your parents' computer over the holidays so they can make a photo-mosaic of the grandkids.
VLC
A perennial reader favorite and number two on our list of free software packages we're most thankful for, the open-source, cross-platform VLC media player continues to just get better. VLC will play anything you throw at it; check out how to master your digital media with VLC.
Evernote
Note-taking tool Evernote is one of the best ways for a student or human with an overactive frontal lobe to capture ideas and randomata on any platform—from computer to iPhone to back of the napkin—wherever you are. See more on how to expand your brain with Evernote.
Fedora
Always living in the shadow of the more popular Ubuntu distro must be hard for Fedora, yet the user-friendly Linux package soldiered on this year with two new releases (Fedora 9 and this week, Fedora 10). Fedora came in a distant fourth in our battle of the Linux distros, but it's user-friendly live USB creator and attractive desktop makes it a worthy contender for the Windows user interested in trying out a flavor of Linux.
OpenOffice.org 3
Often poo-pooed for its slowness and bloat, free, open-source office suite OpenOffice.org's 3.0 release this year did impress. While it's not Microsoft Office 2007, it IS the go-to solution for poor students and starving artists who just need to edit that Word document.
Opera
While our current browser stats show usage numbers that trail behind newcomer Chrome, Opera users are almost religious about their love for the free browser. This past year we said Opera 9.5 was still in the browser race, and then the update to version 9.6 added more features. Opera 10's first alpha became available this week as well.
Which of these underhyped apps is your favorite?
( polls)
What does your list of most underhyped apps in 2008 look like? Discuss in the comments. (Special thanks to all the readers whose "other" responses to this poll helped inform this list.)
Windows only: Despite what its name would imply, free application KLS Mail Backup backs up popular Windows web browsers and address book apps in addition to email applications—including Mozilla Firefox, Thunderbird, and Seamonkey; Windows Live Mail, Contacts, and Messenger; along with Windows Mail, Windows Contacts, and Internet Explorer. Backups are automatically zipped, can be stored locally or on a networked hard drive, and are kept under version control. Apart from the backing up, the application also restores any of your archived backups. According to the Download Squad post, it can also run off a portable device, so you can make and restore backups from your thumb drive. In short, if you're looking for a solid backup solution for your browser, email, or contacts app, KLS might be up your alley. KLS Mail Backup is free for personal use, Windows only. 
