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Web OS 1.1 released - ho hum

Palm pushed it's Web OS 1.1 update to me today, I had hoped for some decent improvements, but they were negligible - nice improvements, but negligible. Palm's release notes can be found on their support site ( webOS 1.1.0). CNET also gave a good overview on their news site: Palm releases WebOS 1.1 for Pre; brings back iTunes syncing. A highlight of this update and of the article is the battle that Palm is raising with iTunes regarding it's ability to sync with that application. I suspect this will be the first of many … Read more

Simple subliminal message program

Whether subliminal messages actually work is a matter that's still up for debate. For users who want to try them out and see what happens, MB Free Subliminal Message Software is not a bad choice.

The software's publisher, Mystic Board, seems to put out a lot of software that is primarily an advertising vehicle. This is evidenced in the program's interface, which advises users in more than one place that they can make money online (which, of course, links to Mystic Board's Web site). Advertising aside, the interface is fairly straightforward, and the online Help is … Read more

New EMC Retrospect 8.1 backup software supports PowerMac

Owners of Time Machine-enabled Macs need not apply. But for the rest--especially small businesses that want a centralized backup solution, then EMC has something for you.

The company announced Tuesday the availability of its Retrospect 8.1 backup software for the Mac platform, which, unlike the previous version 8.0, now also supports the the legacy PowerPC Macs. This is good news for businesses that still have the older Mac computers.

According to EMC, on average, users of Retrospect 8.1 on Intel-based Macs can expect local backup performance to increase from 10 percent to 15 percent over version 8.… Read more

Samsung chip hits 1GHz. Is it bound for the iPhone?

On Monday, Samsung and Intrinsity jointly announced one of the fastest processors to date aimed at devices like Apple's iPhone.

The new 1GHz chip co-developed by Austin, Texas-based Intrinsity and Samsung is similar to the processor that currently powers the iPhone 3GS: a 600MHz Samsung processor based on the ARM Cortex A8 design. U.K.-based ARM licenses its low-power chip designs to many of the world's largest chip suppliers including Samsung, Texas Instruments, Qualcomm, and, more recently, Nvidia.

The new Samsung-Intrinsity chip, code-named "Hummingbird," could be bound for a future iPhone or like device. "… Read more

Motorola Endeavor HX1 reviewed

Ever since we heard about the Invisio Q7 bone conduction headset at CES 2008, we've looked forward to it finally coming to market. The headset promised a way to translate the vibration of the jaw to actual speech without the use of a microphone, thus eliminating noise. But a year had now gone by, and we had not seen any sign of it, leading us to believe it was vaporware.

Yet, it appears it may have been reincarnated as the Motorola Endeavor HX1. Motorola has mentioned that it was working with the Invisio folks to come up with a … Read more

Professional document templates

All-Business-Documents helps you create nearly any imaginable piece of professional business paperwork. With a simple interface and impressive templates, this could be an essential tool for any office.

The program's interface looks a lot like a cluttered version of traditional word-processing software. With three separate screens squeezed below the editing command icons, you may need to close one or two boxes before feeling comfortable. Fortunately, navigation and operation are easy enough not to require a trip to the Help file. Creating a document was mainly a matter of surfing through the file tree of templates provided. Topics range from … Read more

Professional letter maker

All-Business-Letters offers a vault of professional writing templates that are sure to save time. While the interface is crowded, this program overcomes any issues with a simple operation and a vast number of templates.

The program resembles other word-processing software with its commands, but has a cluttered collection of three screens. Thankfully, you can quickly decide what needs to remain open and likely skip visiting the Help file. Creating a letter consists of browsing the file tree of templates and selecting one. These templates are broken down into topics, like Business Transactions, Goodwill, Human Relations, Personnel Issues, Routine Customer Transaction, … Read more

Easy slideshow tool

Magix Slideshow Maker provides users with a fantastic tool for quickly creating a slideshow of photos and music. With a simple layout and excellent results, this is a great choice for computer users of all skill level.

The program's interface is delightfully simple thanks to the step-by-step instructions. By breaking the process down into easy steps and shepherding users through their photos and music, novice users and experts alike will get the job done quickly. If any questions arise, there is also a great Help file available. Creating a slideshow begins with choosing photos and videos in the first … Read more

Lens design gives Panasonic ZR1 more zoom in less space

Every round of releases from Panasonic's digital camera division gets more interesting. Case in point, the very compact 12-megapixel Lumix ZR1 features a 25-200mm-equivalent lens with an 8x zoom. The extended zoom is courtesy of a new aspherical lens design for digital cameras that makes the elements just 0.3-millimeter thick. This allows for a 1-inch body depth and a weight of 5.6 ounces with battery and SD/SDHC card.

According to Panasonic, the camera is very fast because of a revamped high-speed auto focus system and a start-up time of only 1.1 seconds (very good for … Read more