Works in: 7 Say you have a broadband card in your laptop, but no way to share its whiz-bang wireless connection with your iPod Touch or another PC. Or maybe you've paid for a hotel's Wi-Fi service but you don't want to pay again just to connect other devices.

You need , a clever utility that turns your Internet-connected PC into the equivalent of a Wi-Fi hotspot. Though at press time it was an early-stage beta, it worked quite well on our test systems. After installing the program, just click the Connectify icon in the system tray, choose the connection you want to share, and then enter a name and password for your wireless network.

Now fire up your other devices and look for the new connection. Join it, enter the password, and you're off to the Internet races. Just keep in mind that because Connectify is still in development, it may not work perfectly with every device. On the plus side, it's free while in beta, and it may remain an ad-supported freebie once it's finished.