zoom

GNU XaoS 3.5 is a free, open source fractal generator and "zoomer" that offers smooth, fluid navigational movement as you zoom in or out of a fractal. It includes 24 well-known fractal formulas with many possible variations in effects and appearance, but you can also use it to generate your own fractals. It offers effects like a starfield generator, embossing, motion blur, pseudo 3D mode, and even a text display.

The program's 32-bit installation executable includes the 64-bit version for recent editions of Windows like Vista and 7, both of which we used for testing. The … Read more

A couple of people have noticed that the font sizes in their browsers, particularly Safari, seem to be changing when they are using them. When browsing, the text and some images may seem to zoom in a little. There are two possible reasons for zooming behaviors in OS X. The first is if the browser's own zoom feature has been enabled, and the second is if the system's global zoom feature has been enabled. If you use a MacBook with a trackpad that supports multi-finger inputs, these features may be relatively easy to activate.… Read more

A few months ago, my wife asked to borrow a portable audio recorder to interview people for a school project. Unfortunately, most of the devices I have around the house are overkill--the kind of hulking professional recorders that most people would mistake for radiation detectors or face-melting phasers. Eventually, we settled on her using the least intimidating device in my arsenal: a $200 Zoom H2 Handy Recorder. She wasn't thrilled that it looked like a cheap electric razor, but at least it wouldn't scare anyone.

Today, Samson announced a portable audio recorder that would have been perfect for … Read more

The Nikon Coolpix S8000 is a 14-megapixel compact megazoom with a 10x Zoom-NIKKOR ED glass lens on front and a 3-inch 921K-dot LCD on back. It's also one of the slimmest 10x zoom cameras currently available. Nikon was late to adding HD video capture to its compact cameras, but that feature is available on the S8000 as is a stereo mic, which is still a bit of a rarity. An HDMI output is built in, too, for quickly connecting to an HDTV or monitor for viewing photos and movies.

Other features include Optical VR image stabilization, macro shooting as … Read more

MacFixIt Answers is a feature from MacFixIt in which we answer questions e-mailed to us by our readers. We have been getting many questions from our readers, and we hope to share our correspondence so everyone may benefit from and contribute to them. This week we have questions about monitor calibration with multiple graphics cards, window minimization options, screen zooming, and question mark symbols at bootup.… Read more

Yay. Another compact megazoom on the market. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5V impressed us at CES 2010 with its 10x zoom, wide-angle Sony G lens, backside-illuminated Exmor R CMOS sensor, built-in GPS, and 1080p movie capture with a stereo mic--all inside a compact, pocketable body. The H55 is its less capable linemate.

Basically, most of the good stuff has been taken out except for the lens and its body with 3-inch LCD. The H55 features a 14-megapixel CCD, a 720p movie mode with mono sound, optical image stabilization with Sony's Active Mode for smoother video while walking, and a version … Read more

Open any six Web pages at random and you'll get six different layouts and twice as many font styles and sizes.

The simplest way to make a page easier to read via the keyboard is to press Ctrl and the + (plus) and - (minus) keys to increase and decrease the size of text and usually images on the page. If you're browsing by mouse, press Ctrl and spin the scroll wheel up or down to change the size of a Web page's elements. You'll also find zoom-in and zoom-out options on the View menu in Firefox, … Read more

Matt Howard, a software entrepreneur, developed ZoomSafer following an incident when he almost killed a 9-year-old boy because he was texting while driving. He knew that if it happened to him, it could happen to anyone.

Howard, along with co-founders Mike Costello and Mike Riemer, gathered $1 million in venture capital to launch preventative mobile software, called ZoomSafer. When the car has passed 10 mph, ZoomSafer disables the keyboard on the phone and replies to calls or texts with a message letting them know the driver is on the road.

Big deal; why not switch the phone to airplane mode … Read more

Here's an iPhone tip for anyone who can't read the device's screen without the aid of reading glasses or other vision correction: turn on a feature Apple calls Zoom. (The iPhone 3GS and third-generation iPod Touch 32GB and 64GB models all support this feature.)

Once activated, Zoom lets you "zoom" in and out on parts of the screen using a combination of three fingers and a double-tap. Here's how to access the feature:

Activate Zoom on your Apple mobile device

1. Tap Settings app 2. Tap General 3. Tap Accessibility 4. Tap Zoom 5. … Read more