Pipy

If you are in a hurry to complete a project, simple tasks, like navigating to a folder or searching for something on the web, will seem like tedious chores. There are many solutions for executing certain actions faster or automating them, but in most cases you would have to spend some time to make the necessary configurations. This is where Pipy comes in. All you have to do is tell it what application you wish to launch, what contents you want to find on the Internet or on your hard drive, by typing short commands, and the application will do the rest.

Pipy is completely free and you can have it up and running in no time. It works on Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 and it doesn't have any significant impact on a computer's performance. Additionally, you don't have to install any prerequisite tools before using the application.

When launched, Pipy will display an input field, on which you can type a command and a parameter to execute a certain action. You can insert different commands, like "search", "websearch" or "launch", which have to be followed by the name of an application, file, web contents and so on. For example, if you wish to run Google Chrome, you must type "launch chrome" and hit the Enter key.

Typing the word "launch" is not mandatory when running applications. As you type a name in the input field, the application will display a series of suggestions, which contain or match your keywords. This is particularly useful for finding files on the hard drive. Instead of suggested applications, Pipy will display search results instantly. Furthermore, if you type the "websearch" command, the application will display different search engines, like Google, Wikipedia, YouTube, IMDB or Amazon.

The best part about Pipy is that it can be used right away, without making any initial configurations. It comes with three plugins, for launching applications and finding local or web contents. You can set up your own commands, add exceptions and make other settings, for each plugin, on the application's general settings panel.