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Hourglass is a lightweight Windows utility developed by Chris Dziemborowicz that focuses exclusively on countdown timing. Designed for users who need a no-frills yet flexible way to track remaining minutes or seconds, the program accepts time input in virtually any intuitive format—type “25m”, “1h 30m”, “90”, or “2:30 pm” and it instantly parses the string into a running countdown. The single-window interface stays out of the way until the alarm triggers, at which point a configurable sound, pop-up, or message announces that the interval has elapsed. Typical scenarios include limiting focused work blocks, pacing presentation slides, reminding oneself to stretch, or timing food in the kitchen. Because the application lives in the system tray, it can be minimized while still displaying the remaining time as a dynamic tooltip, making it useful for classrooms, open-plan offices, or shared lab environments where discreet monitoring is preferred. Hourglass belongs to the Clocks & Alarms subcategory of Productivity software and is distributed as freeware without adware or bundled offers. Version 1.15.0.0 is the first and current release, offering stable 32- and 64-bit binaries that run on Windows 7 through Windows 11. The executable is small, portable, and requires no installation, so it can be carried on a USB stick and launched on any compatible PC without leaving registry traces. Settings such as default alarm sound, auto-repeat, and always-on-top behavior are saved to an XML file alongside the binary, simplifying backup or synchronization across machines. The software is available for free on get.nero.com, with downloads provided via trusted Windows package sources such as winget, always delivering the latest version, and supporting batch installation of multiple applications.
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