characters

Find your favorite characters

PopChar has been around since nearly the dawn of time, at least in terms of the Mac operating system. PopChar started as a Turbo Pascal-based substitute for Key Caps, created on a Mac Plus way back in 1987. Its core functionality remains the same today, helping users insert unusual characters directly into documents--choosing from an increasingly arcane array of strange and foreign symbols, across thousands of Unicode-supported characters, all without having to learn any difficult key combinations.

Similar to the built-in Character Palette and Keyboard Viewer in OS X, PopChar X is accessed from your menu bar (or with an … Read more

Full of problems

Batch-processing programs can be a lifesaver if you need to rename or add special characters to a large number of files. Rename aims to do just that: rename multiple files in one fell swoop. Unfortunately, a poorly designed user interface and lack of results failed to impress us.

Right off the bat, we were turned off by the program's interface. A tiny window appeared with all of its commands squeezed into the left corner of the window. We thought for sure that maximizing the window would remedy the clutter, but it did not. Radio buttons next to vague renaming … Read more

Words count

Many professionals need accurate, specific word counts in a wide range of document formats. Technocom's Word Count 'N' Invoice is a word-counting application optimized for professional-quality transcription in medical, legal, secretarial, and similar settings. It counts words, lines, pages, and characters and calculates billing rates in single documents or batches of thousands of files in more than 15 document formats. It generates professional-quality reports and invoices, too.

This tool opens with a nag screen and a compact but busy interface. A button hides or shows the Settings at a click, though, which cleans up the layout. Tabs let you … Read more

Options for entering accented characters in OS X

Easy access to diacritical marks is often required when typing, especially when composing content in European languages and others that use them. On the Mac, the default method for accessing these marks with the US keyboard layout is to hold the "Option" key, followed by pressing a vowel that represents a specific accent character and then pressing the target letter's key; however, this may take time to get accustomed to. Therefore, for many US users the easiest way to use accents is to open the keyboard viewer pallet, and then press and hold the "Option" key to see available accent marks.… Read more

Mix and match to create funny characters

Slide-a-ma-jig gives the iPhone treatment to a popular children's board-book format, with a touch-screen app that lets children create a huge variety of comical characters by mixing and matching different heads, torsos, feet, and so on.

It's not really a game in the sense that there are no rules or points to score--but that's perfect for the intended audience of young children. The interface is easy to master, accompanied by satisfying sound effects: you start with a silly character (30-odd in all, anything from a hulked-out bodybuilder to a self-repairing robot to a badger-loving fairy), and you … Read more

Inside CNET Labs 80: The excellence of character (podcast)

So Southwest airlines had a good old, fun time with director Kevin Smith this week. Hilarity ensued to be certain, but Eric feels the need to step onto his very worn soapbox about something that, at the end of the day, isn't really important. Entertaining though!

Then, an epic battle ensues between Dong's left and right brains. No matter who wins, we lose.

Finally, hackers get banned. Dong blames Apple and I sit back, relax, and rake in the cash. Just another day for Mr. B Natural.

To subscribe to this podcast, visit us at our main page … Read more

Top 5 video game characters

This could potentially be one of the more controversial top fives we've done. Video games are as notorious as comic books for starting arguments when you try to pick the best and worst, or deal with who would win in a fight. But the overwhelming response to this one makes me feel safer about who's in and who's ranked.

However I fully expect to hear from every fan of the video game characters that didn't make the list. Because let's face it, there are more than five good video game characters. So let your thoughts … Read more

Enjoyable life simulation game

Kudos is an entertaining strategy game in which users manage their character's career, social life, romantic relationships, and more. There's not a whole lot of action, but users who enjoy text-based life simulation games will find Kudos quite enjoyable.

The program's interface is sleek and attractive. Users select a gender and name for their characters and then customize his or her appearance. As the game began, our character had just had her 20th birthday and was ready to make something of her life. We moved through each virtual day with our character, making decisions about how she'… Read more

Simple card game

DreamQuest's 100% Free 500 Card Game for Windows is an excellent teaching and playing program for this classic Australian game. With helpful tutorials and professional play, you can quickly master "500," a blend of spades and euchre that is Australia's national card game.

The program's interface instantly won us over, even though we had no prior experience with 500. Its colorful, professional design was matched by a fantastic tutorial that taught us the rules and nuances of the game. This single-human, three-computer-player game was quick to pick up and fun to play. We enjoyed choosing … Read more