In this section of articles, the history and evolution of computer software is discussed. The different usages of various computer programs are also explained, and some articles break down the way programs operate at the most basic level.
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In this week's Mobile Mac, Dan Frakes takes a look at a few bags for 13-inch Mac laptops.
These outstanding downloads will help you improve, manipulate, and organize your photos, and you won't have to spend hundreds of dollars on them. Heck, some of the best ones are free!
Need to record and clean up music, edit video or sound, burn DVDs, and handle other multimedia tasks? We've assembled some free and try-before-you-buy tools that you won't want to live without.
These downloads, mostly free, will help you optimize your communications with others, improve security, and generally improve your online life.
Had enough of blaring ads, dopey pop-ups, and annoying fly-in Flash ads? Get rid of them with these super ad and pop-up blockers. Most won't cost you a nickel--and you can try them all for the price of a download.
Personalize your desktop, show your artistic side, or protect your privacy.
These tools can address a host of problems, ranging from cluttered hard disks to sluggish performance. Most are free or offer a free trial period.
There still aren't a lot of downloads out there that can really improve Vista, but we've found twenty real keepers that will allow you to tweak it and improve your experience with the OS.
A 360-degree panoramic workspace on your PC's desktop sounds great--if you don't mind the ads.
The Ergotron Neo-Flex Combo Lift places your MacBook right next to your display when you're working at a desk.
Within the software industry, one can expect to find a great many different software packages. Choosing the one that is right for you as an individual or business depends on your needs.
Updated photo management app offers more organizing features and added flexibility with RAW files, but you'll need a powerful PC.
Great at backups, but its interface can be confusing.
Addressing mail has never been so quick and easy as it is now that addressing equipment is available. With your own addressing machine you can take the tedium out of addressing mail manually and add to the professional appearance of the items you send.
This sophisticated image editing application adds editing modes that will appeal to beginners, but it doesn't have much new for people upgrading from previous versions.
An overview of the digital video editor Adobe Premier Pro Effects and its features.
Adobe's video editor is now YouTube-friendly, but its simpler interface is also dumber.
We check out eight products, from the popular to the relatively unknown. They can't protect you from everything, but some come close.
AppleJack is a nifty utility that lets you access a number of troubleshooting tools at startup, even if you don't have an OS X disc.
If you access your programs by putting your Applications folder in the Dock, AppMenuBoy offers a cleaner alternative.
How should I go about preserving the content from old videotapes?
Looking for an easy way to convert audio files? The folks who brought us the excellent VisualHub have applied their considerable conversion talents to the field of audio with AudialHub.
Autoresponder services such as GetResponse can help convert business prospects to customers.
Bean is a slick rich-text editor that's a step up from TextEdit.
If you're a frequent online seller, Bling It is a useful cut-out program that helps you prepare your product shots.
Sometimes a program's new version is actually worse than the previous one. Here are 13 apps we liked better before they were "improved"--plus tips on finding the earlier editions.
Quiet, efficient, and only marginally hotter than your standard laptop hard drive, the Scorpio Black is an attractive drive for any high-performance seeking user.
Black Ink has some quirks-it doesn't remember custom interface sizes between puzzles or relaunches, and there's no way to enter an unlock code for
New York Times puzzles.
Use the blur tool in your computer's image editor to give your digital photo a different effect.
Bracketeer takes advantage of the command-line utility Enfuse which, like Photoshop's Merge to HDR command, merges bracketed exposures into a single image that's much closer to what your eye sees.
Looking for good laptop protection on the cheap? Brenthaven's Trek Sleeve, an updated version of last year's MacBook Sleeve, offers similarly impressive bang-for-the-buck.
Get the right look for your digital photo by adjusting the brightness and contrast.
There are various call center software applications that work together in each and every call to streamline the interaction between customer and agent. Take a look behind the scenes at the technology that makes these calls possible.
This week we find more free games, turn you on to some new music, and get a major art attack in some sweet online art galleries.
You may have heard of this game: Grand Theft...Auto...something. Plus we score you a couple free GTA games and take a spin with Mario's new ride.
This week we tune out with more free TV, watch some classic full-motion video games, and celebrate 13-plus years of commanding and conquering the world.
You can have a zippier, more responsive PC--you really can. You just need the right tools. We've collected 15 great downloads that will do the trick.
Gameloft doesn't just give you chess but also backgammon in this game for the iPhone and iPod touch. The game makes up for interface problems and unimpressive graphics by offering you many different options.
Because there's such variance in terminology and function at this point, there are a variety of things to consider and look into when deciding on a spyware blocker.
A centrally managed platform that allows for the secure query and retrieval of passwords by applications.
Your digital photo editing tools can help you solve a number of issues, including color saturation.
Learn how to combine elements of two digital photos to create one new photo.
Construction software applications encompass a wide assortment of computer software applications intended to facilitate the daily and long term business needs of several construction related industries. Construction software typically consists of several different modules that automate business processes such as accounting, project management, and estimates to help those in construction related industries to perform their tasks in the most efficient and effective manner.
Selecting the right contact management software solution is essential when considering sales force automation and integrating your front office functions of sales, marketing and customer service functions. Here then are some things to consider when selecting the appropriate contact management software solution for your business.
Powerful image editor is overstuffed and cluttered.
Better brushes and photo tools make for a winning upgrade.
Creating an MP3 file from your own CD is a two-step process: ripping and encoding.
Utilize and manipulate the painting and drawing tools in your image editing software package.
The availability of customer relationship management packages for the small and mid-size business market is growing, particularly in the on-demand or software-as-a-service models.
While the novelty of this racing game can wear off quickly, Cro-Mag Rally is a fine game for the iPhone and iPod touch that really demonstrates what this early generation of action games can do on the platform.
The Crysis PC game is magnificently rendered, with breathtaking graphics, but this first-person shooter has some quirks that leave it just short of perfection.
Customer relationship management, also understood as customer service or CRM, is a vital part of every business. Good customer relationship management can affect the overall success of one's business and there are numerous CRM solutions and CRM software applications that can make the task of customer relationship management a far easier endeavor than first imagined.
The clone tool in your image editor can help to fix cracks and tears in your digital photo.
How to use the timeline tool in your digital video editing software.
Set a kill bit in your Windows Registry to prevent rogue ActiveX contols from loading.
Document management software can assist you in better organizing and managing your business. This type of software allows you to retrieve, sort, and file all your documents digitally. This allows any document to be retrieved at any time of the day, from any location, by just using the Internet and your Internet browser. This means your business will be run more efficiently and effectively.
There are plenty of painting and drawing programs for Mac kids, but plasq's Doozla is one of the best.
Get comfortable with your PC: First make sure it's safe. Then kick back and watch your favorite shows, no matter where you are.
Make routine tasks simpler with a password manager and a Vista-ready desktop utility.
Peel away layers of change to find a paragraph or image you obliterated long ago, call up passwords so obscure that even you can't remember them, and get a helping hand from browsers that warn you not to bite on a phishing site's hook.
Theme packages let you create a snazzy workspace with matching wallpaper, screen savers, cursors, icons, and sounds.
These (mostly free) downloads will add zip to the look and feel of your PC, and can transform it into something uniquely yours.
With more and more stores being created online, the need for quality e-commerce business solutions is on the rise. There are many amazing tools contained within e-commerce software applications that allow small businesses and large businesses the opportunity to streamline their ecommerce business and transaction practices.
we've gathered up our best downloads and put them in handy, browseable collections.
Electronic medical records software is used by many medical offices to improve the efficiency and management of a medical office. Electronic medical records are critical documents deserving of proper organization and electronic medical records software makes such organization possible.
DESLock+, Namo FileLock, and T3 Basic Security all promise to lock down your personal data.
Enterprise resource planning, or ERP, originally began in the manufacturing sector, but has grown to encompass most industries. The use of enterprise resource planning can assist companies with all aspect of their business. An ERP system can be very complicated as well as complex, and if a company does not plan well, it can be a waste of money. However, with the right guidance, support, and planning, an ERP can save on maintenance repairs as well as costs and make employees' jobs easier.
These downloadable programs, most of which you can try before buying, can save you when disaster strikes your desktop or notebook.
FinderPop, the venerable Mac OS enhancer, is now compatible with Leopard-and it's better than ever.
Learn about FireWire and how it helps to make digital videos fun and easy to work with.
Premiere Elements 3 adds a storyboard and makes telling a video story even easier.
Products offer two very different approaches to smoothing the transfer of files from XP to Vista environments.
Intuit's latest finance package offers a bit more to small companies than does Microsoft's product.
This low-cost app is great for making quick photo touch-ups and sharing snapshots, but it lacks the flexibility of more expensive products.
After all these years and a massive console upgrade, Bungie and Microsoft's epic first-person shooter is still Halo. That's mostly a good thing.
Free suite does much of what Microsoft Office can do and costs nothing.
Beneath its slick graphical polish, the latest SUSE is still a hobbyist's OS at heart.
Encryption apps keep your sensitive data safe.
Roxio wins the face-off for new buyers, but Nero rewards its customers with a free upgrade to the latest version.
The Sentry and eBlaster parental-control apps offer practical tools for monitoring computer usage--but they can be aggressive.
'Gutsy Gibbon' release brings flash and function, cementing Ubuntu's lead as the desktop Linux leader.
Overwhelmed by current events, your work, or your tons of tunes? Take control with these fresh perspectives.
Here are some tips on how to correct a discolored photo with your digital editing software.
Learn how to remove the red eye from your digital photos.
FlySketch is a simple drawing tool that doubles as a screen capture utility.
Here are 15 (mostly free) applications that can credibly replace big-bucks software.
Are you a motorhead, a Matrix fanatic, or a movie buff? Replace your boring, standard-issue cursors with these jazzy downloads.
This casual game offers frantic, frenetic fun, but if you've played Diner Dash-or any of its imitators-there's nothing new in Cake Mania to grab your attention.
With Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, Electronic Arts against sets the standard for real-time strategy games. The game has some hefty video card requirements, but it's a solid addition to the Command & Conquer franchise.
The GX400 combines noise isolating earbuds and an inline mic to create a great lightweight gaming headset.
Want to stream media files from your Mac to your TV, but you don't have an Apple TV? If you've got a PlayStation 3 game console, Nullriver Software's Media Link offers one-click simplicity for sharing audio, video, and photos.
Freeverse's latest game is a colorful shoot-'em-up chock full of action.
A cross between Pachinko and Bust-A-Move, Peggle Deluxe is one of the most addicting casual games on the Mac.
Puzzle Quest is a unique mélange of RPG and match-three puzzle games that offers enduring and challenging gameplay. It's just a shame that a demo isn't available and that PowerPC Macs can't run the game.
This gaming keyboard puts the most important keys at your fingertips to increase your performance.
If you have only a little time to waste, try out one of these 15 quick, simple, fun games.
New computers must meet certain requirements to earn one of two official Microsoft logos.
These mostly free downloads were among the winners and finalists at the 2007 and 2008 Independent Games Festival. Playable, fun, and sometimes quite weird.
These four free programs can help you wrangle your digital media.
Tap into your inner Van Gogh with these 13 great utilities. We recommend everything from free photo editors to drawing tools to screen grabbers.