convertibles

The Best Video Downloader is an application that works through your Internet browser to convert and download YouTube videos in a number of format choices. It allows you to view or listen to the audio of your favorite videos on any electronic device that supports these formats.

We were surprised by how the Best Video Downloader worked. Once it's downloaded, all you have to do is go to YouTube and there will be a new button listed under the YouTube video you're viewing. It will say Download, and after selecting it you will be given 10 format choices … Read more

Windows RT is not bowling over PC makers. What's not clear is whether this is just the usual startup snafus of a new platform or something more serious.

RT is new. It's the first mainstream Windows operating system to run on chips from companies like Nvidia, Qualcomm, and Texas Instruments. So, it's more vulnerable to glitches and gotchas and vendor skepticism.

That said, Hewlett-Packard does not appear to be showing any enthusiasm for the platform (yet), based on what I'm hearing from sources as well as empirical evidence (no HP Windows RT devices).

And Asian sources … Read more

Windows 8 is about to unleash a tsunami of strange devices upon us all. Call them tablets, ultraportables, hybrids, convertibles, tiny touch-based mobile computers...they're everywhere, and they're multiplying.

HP has them. Samsung does, too. So does Dell, and Lenovo, and Toshiba, and Asus, and Sony. Everyone has them. That's because Windows 8 promises a better environment for touch in mobile computing, and the promise is too tempting not to experiment. Or, alternatively, all these companies need a product out there to plant a flag into this strange soil -- a territory that Microsoft's already visiting via the Surface.

The big problem I see with them is that for every device that emerges, the landscape gets ever-more-cloudy. … Read more

The Pazera Free MP4 to AVI Converter is a software application for converting your MP4 videos to AVI format.

This is a very basic and simple-looking video converter. The program is light on features, because it has one main purpose, which is converting videos to AVI format. The conversion process time varies from one job to another. You should expect it to take about twice as much time as the length of the video being converted if it's longer than a few minutes.

Even if you're not very familiar with computers, it should be pretty easy to start … Read more

iVideo Converter and Downloader is a program for downloading your favorite videos and audio, and converting it to supported formats.

This converter/downloader is an interesting program to have on hand. It has a lot of features including Watch TV, Radio, Games, and Chat tabs. Its main feature, Music and Video, work well and fast. The time per file will vary, depending on the length of the video or file size, but it usually takes somewhere within the time length of the actual video to finish downloading and/or converting. There are a number of format options like MP3, M4A, … Read more

Freemake Video Converter is an application mainly for converting video files to other formats, but offers other converting and downloading features as well.

This application is a worthwhile download. The layout is very simple, making it easy to understand how to use it. Freemake offers a row of media buttons at the top and bottom of the window, which are labeled clearly and are simple to use. It is very easy to navigate the various steps required to convert videos and audio as well as download videos and audio from the Internet. The waiting time varies from one conversion job … Read more

HandBrake is a free application for converting all types of videos into MPEG-4 files. You might be overwhelmed by the busy interface and numerous options, but once you get started, you'll find that HandBrake offers features that will help any user get up to speed quickly.

HandBrake's interface holds all the tools you need but the wide variety of options can confuse users -- especially beginners. We quickly found that the program's preset options were the quickest and easiest way to convert files. In fact, the moment you find the Presets tab, you'll find the best … Read more

Digital video is a wonderful thing -- until it's not. With so many different file formats out there, you're bound to run into one that either doesn't work with your media player or is otherwise unsuitable for your purposes. Fortunately, there are plenty of programs out there that convert digital video from one format to another. Prism Video File Converter Free is an easy-to-use program that lets you convert video between a variety of popular formats. We weren't crazy about the other stuff it installed, but the program itself was a winner.

Prism Video File Converter … Read more

Nitro PDF's PrimoPDF is a free tool that converts all kinds of files into PDFs that you can open, edit, and manage with your usual PDF application (Nitro has a free reader, too, if you don't already have one). Some free PDF converters are more like print drivers and only create documents from the Print command. But PrimoPDF also has a handy desktop icon you can drag and drop files into for rapid automatic conversion. Whichever method you prefer, PrimoPDF gives you the choice.

Clicking PrimoPDF's Drop Files icon opens the main interface, which is where you … Read more