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Media Converter for Android lets you convert images, videos, audio files, and more into just about any compatible format, from PDF to MP4 to you name it. It can even convert video files to MP3s.

Media Converter's interface is as straightforward as it gets. Just launch the app, then choose one of the converter options on the Home screen: Video Converter, Audio Converter, Image Converter, Document Converter, Ebook Converter, or Archive Converter. From there, browse for your file, choose your output format, hit Convert, and watch the magic happen. The app itself actually doesn't do much converting. What … Read more

The Mandelbrot set is a set of points that generates a particular two-dimensional fractal image. Mandelbrot Explorer lets you play around with images produced by both the Mandelbrot set and the similar Julia set. You don't have to be a math nerd to enjoy this program--it's fun to explore even if you have no idea what's going on.

The image created by the Mandelbrot set consists of a circular shape with a cleft in the right side, with several smaller circular shapes and fuzzy-looking bits attached to it. Once you start clicking on it, however, you realize … Read more

It's hard not to prejudge a program called Glitter Frame GIF Maker. We had visions of a program that would likely only be appealing to a 10-year-old girl, and indeed, our prediction wasn't far off. That doesn't make it a bad choice, though--just a program with a limited audience.

The application's interface is plain and fairly easy to navigate. It comes loaded with 10 animated GIF frames, most of which include some combination of flowers, stars, hearts, and bubbles. To apply a frame to an image, simply load the photo you want to use, crop it … Read more

It's not uncommon to have to wait for your graphics software to open and load just to look at a picture, but even dedicated viewers like Microsoft's built-in tools have limitations. Image Eye from FMJ is a free image viewer that doesn't pretend to be Son of Photoshop. Speed is its advantage; it opens high-quality, nondestructive, nonaltering, individual views of nearly 30 digital image types in what we can only describe as "lickety-split." For viewing images, it's all you need.

Image Eye is a compact, zipped download that offers the option to associate it … Read more

Pixia is a free image-editing and drawing program. It's essentially the English language edition of a popular Japanese application. Like many such tools, it offers Photoshop-like capabilities such as layers, multiple undos, and plug-ins; it will even accept Photoshop's plug-ins. The difference, of course, is that Pixia is free, something Photoshop certainly is not.

Pixia's installer is so polite, it even asked to be associated with its proprietary file format. The program's interface resembles similar applications' layouts. Pixia uses pop-ups to configure items like filters and masks, and expandable Palette, Color, Pen, and Layer windows that … Read more

Vectorization sounds complex, but in fact it's the fairly simple process of converting raster images, which we'll call "pictures," into vector sets that can be used in CAD, GIS, CNC, and similar digital design, control, and automation environments. Simple, yes; but elaborate in methods and processes. That's where WinTopo Standard enters the picture. It's a free tool for extracting vectors from JPEG, GIF, PNG, and other images. It's essentially a pared-down version of a pro tool, but its results are more than good enough for millions of users, apparently.

WinTopo's interface resembles … Read more

Uploading images is to Net newbies what parallel parking is to new drivers: it takes a lot of trial and error to get it right. And Megabyte-size snapshots hog Facebook bandwidth. Fileminimizer Pictures 3 from Balesio is a free tool that promises to help solve both issues. It resizes image files by up to 98 percent without zipping and without sacrificing quality. Its Facebook Uploader Module also makes it easy to post your pictures on Facebook.

Fileminimizer's interface is businesslike but attractive, with subtle but effective use of color and highlighting to differentiate the various icons and controls. Most … Read more

Vallen Jpegger is a fast, free, efficient image viewing tool that is capable of displaying virtually any kind of image file (more than 40 file types) as well as music, sound, and other files. It supports lossless JPEG rotation, so you can orient your snapshots without losing any data or clarity. It has fully scalable print support, a command-line option, slideshow mode, and a screenshot tool. It runs in both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows versions, including Windows 7. It also offers a huge range of language options, with more added all the time. It's designed for quickly browsing and … Read more

COED Magazine produces sexy (but SFW!) content that makes a perfect match for CNET's The 404 Podcast, so we're excited to have Editor-in-Chief Stephen Gebhardt in the guest chair today to chat about the genesis of COED Mag, a scourge of suggestive Katy Perry GIFs, 15 signs you're an Internet weirdo, and "Back to the Future" returning to movie theaters! As you might've guessed, Wilson spends the entire episode shaking his head and fielding calls from the FCC.

COED Magazine is a comprehensive Web publication that caters to a lot of different interests like MMA, sports, tech news, and media, but you can guess the main focus of a Web site with "COED" in the name (queue Wilson scrambling to remove screenshots from the video recording).

Stephen tells us that Katy Perry is driving a ton of traffic to the site, thanks to her appearance on SNL and her cleavage-filled appearance on "Sesame Street." To cash in on her fame, COED presents the 15 most suggestive Katy Perry animated GIFs. If you're like us, these are sure to end your workday productivity, so don't say we didn't warn you.

We also enjoyed this article on the 15 signs you're an Internet weirdo, but mostly because almost all of them apply to The 404 in one host or another. For example, #10: You can't go five minutes without checking your e-mail obviously applies to Wilson, while #1 You play games more hours per week than you work at an actual job sounds like Jeff, and me? Well, it might be easier to read the list and guess which don't sound like something I'd do in the privacy of my own browser.

There's plenty more fun on today's episode with Stephen Gebhardt, including a list of 10 movies about video games that don't suck and some news about "Back to the Future," so enjoy the episode and follow along at COED Magazine!