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Get Serif PagePlus X4 for $16.99 shipped

Whatever happened to desktop publishing software? A decade ago you had your pick of at least a dozen programs, but now the field is nearly empty.

Sure, you can still buy Adobe PageMaker or QuarkXPress for a small fortune (make that a medium fortune: they run $499 and $799, respectively), but what if you just want a simple program for creating newsletters, brochures, flyers, and the like?

Enter Serif PagePlus X4, a terrific desktop-publishing application that's ideal for designing print and Web-based documents alike.

Right now, Buy.com has PagePlus X4 for just $16.99 shipped. That's after … Read more

Pages '09 quits when attempting to Save As...

I discovered a quite annoying issue with Pages '09 last night when attempting to change an already completed document and save it as a different copy. Pages would save the document but would immediately (sometimes even during the save) quit. This issue was recreated several times using the Save as... command as well as when attempting to print and using the the Save as PDF... option.… Read more

Digital coloring book

Coloring Book 11: Trucks and Things that Go is a digital coloring book with easy controls; children will be making colorful images in no time.

We found the program's interface to be well-suited for young computer users. The color palette and tools to choose a new image were big and obvious. We cycled through five well-drawn outlines of boats and trains and trucks, but couldn't access the bulk of the program's reported 50 pages because of its trial limits. The ones we saw were easy to fill in, using a generous selection of colors that circle the … Read more

Pics free and easy

Most PCs come with image-editing tools that do a lot, but sometimes too many features can be overwhelming. Imagistik Photo Album is a simple image editor that basically does one thing, which is make it easy to combine and arrange several images on one page, and save or print the results. You can add text to images, such as captions and labels, and rotate images individually. Cropping and red-eye removal tools spruce up your images.

A Windows installer makes the download a snap. The interface is decidedly sparse, with a few simple buttons and only two choices on the Taskbar, … Read more

Top file transfer option

ForkLift one of the best FTP/SFTP clients and file management programs available for the Mac. With its fast, flexible, and friendly interface (especially elegant for an FTP program, with tabs, spring-loaded folders, and one- and two-pane options), Forklift delivers on two of the main criteria for an app of its kind: speed and ease of use.

This app is even faster now that it handles multiple channel transfers over remote connections, and a ton of powerful features can make your work flow easier, such as previewing, batch functions, any-to-any copying (between multiple different devices or sources), filters and favorites (… Read more

Google's mystery UFO doodle finally explained

I know there are some people who have not slept for fear that Google had finally committed itself to some alien culture.

Well, some outerworldly alien culture. Well, some outerworldly alien culture where all beings were green and no one used phrases like "market segmentation" and "41 shades of blue."

You see, a mysterious doodle appeared on the Google home page. It showed an alien spacecraft making off with the second "O" in the word "Google."

Were we really expected to merely gogle now? Didn't that sound uncomfortably close to ogling?… Read more

Mediocre PDF reader

PokatReader is a basic PDF reader with a few extra features. Although the program works well, the interface could be better, and a lot of the features it seems to have are actually only available by upgrading.

The program's interface is a little too basic for our tastes. The first screen is cluttered with an ad for the Executive version of the software and several other options, making it not entirely obvious how a user should get started. Beyond that the interface isn't bad, and we definitely like being able to flip through the pages of PDF files. … Read more

The real Facebook-Twitter turf war: Marketers

On Thursday night, Facebook announced that it's launched its first official Twitter app--sort of. In a post on the company blog, Facebook announced that updates to "fan pages," public profiles for celebrities, brands, organizations, and what-have-you, can now be sent out through Twitter.

"Public figures, musicians, businesses and organizations of all types who've created Facebook Pages often want to share a status update, a photo or an event with as many of their supporters as possible," the post by Facebook employee Michael Gummelt read. "Celebrities may want to share personal news or charities … Read more

The 404 394: Where The 404 gets a 404

On today's show, it's the last day of the Becks Beer sponsorship, so we end on a high note. Joining us in the studio again is Caroline McCarthy, bringing her wit and charm, and we also have Timothy Geisenheimer, who always has something clever to say. So apparently, CNET broke during today's live stream, which is why some people are getting 404 error pages when they visit our Web site. Today's Audio Draft is sponsored by Becks Beer in Conjunction with Last.fm, a subsidiary of CBS Corporation, 5000 XP GTS, is a rising European pop-rock star, Paolo Nutini.

After featuring mostly Indie bands, we're going to bring in some pop from across the pond. Paolo Nutini has a surprisingly sultry yet mature voice for a boy of only 22 years old! Trust us, you'll get knocked off your feet when you hear a dulcet voice come out of what seems to be a skinny Scottish kid. On today's show, we feature two songs from his album Sunnyside Up. The first is "Coming Up Easy", which is a nice tune about waking up in the morning to your significant other. Rounding out the show, we finish with "Candy," a slow-going song about getting some "sweets" from your lover before they leave. Yes, Paolo Nutini is "geting-down" music.

The Semi-Weekly Audio Draft has become so popular that we're going to list our previous picks so you can find the great, new musicians we're featuring here on The 404:

Paolo Nutini Koufax Why Priscilla Ahn Mayer Hawthorne The Hold Steady Grizzly Bear Matt Pond PA The Twilight and the Sound

On top of some great music, we have some great stories on today's show. At the top of the show, we discover the coolest invention ever: the dissolvable bikini! We wonder why it took so long to create this! All this is courtesy of Tim Geisenheimer's German descendants. It might be something you should give your date if you live in New York City! According to Forbes.com, NYC is the best place to live for singles. Caroline really disagrees, but that probably has to do with the fact that women in their 20s outnumber guys by a heavy margin. Wilson loves this, but bemoans the fact that a lot of these ladies are always trying to find the next best one.

In more technology-related news, AT&T and Barnes & Nobles have announced free Wi-Fi in their coffee shops. Sounds like a great idea at first because we've all hated paying $12.95 for an hour of Internet access, but imagine all the start-ups and college students crowding what used to be a nice place for conversation. Also, Twitter and Facebook are coming to Xbox 360, while we don't really have any interest in Twittering while we're playing Resident Evil 5, we kind of hope we can hook up with other gamers through Facebook Connect. Finally, there is a movement that we can all jump on! David Pogue's campaign to bring back the "BEEP", rather than the freakin' 15-second long voice mail message that we all love to hate. If we can call you from our phone, we know how to leave you a message!

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