Ad: Manage updates with the Download App
ie8 fix

FX

Altec's Expressionist Plus PC speakers: decent sound, affordable price

Not everyone likes the idea of having PC speakers with a separate subwoofer. But the reality is that unless you step up to something like Audioengine's fairly large and pricey A5 bookshelf speakers, you tend to need a 2.1 system to deliver a richer, more bass-laden audio experience.

Altec Lansing's Expressionist Plus FX3021 2.1 system isn't nearly as beefy as the company's current top-of-the-line PC speaker system, the Expressionist Ultra, but it manages to deliver decent sound at an affordable price--less than $100. It also looks good, though the speakers' glossy black finish is … Read more

Could this be the world's heaviest drag race?

Having spent time behind the steering wheels of the BMW X6 M, the Porsche Cayenne Turbo, the Infiniti FX50S, and the Range Rover Sport, I was fairly certain that I could predict the outcome of Autocar's drag race between the four sporty SUVs (is that a bit redundant?). And for the most part, I was right. I won't spoil the ending for you, but I can't help but to think that the outcome would be decidedly different and much more interesting if this race where held off-road! I mean, these are SUVs after all.

Place your bets … Read more

Photo effects maker

SpiceFX for Movie Maker provides a simple set of photo effects. By creating a moving set of filters, it's an entirely different type of photo filter.

The program's helpful interface made it a cinch to operate. Thanks to its onscreen instructions and very visual layout, we never felt compelled to visit the online Help file for instructions. While the idea of applying various photographic masks and filters didn't initially sound like anything earthshaking, we were impressed by this program's collection. We could apply various shapes, fades, pans, zooms, and other effects with an impressive amount of … Read more

Photo fun

You don't have to have a 5-megapixel Droid to get good results with FxCamera. The fun, free app contains a set of filters that simulate photo treatment from a Polaroid or toy camera effect to a Warholesque snap. Our favorite? The SymmetriCam view, which drops a flipped copy next to the original image. Autofocus helps keep photos sharp, and a sharing feature helps spread the word. Of course, we'd like to see more filters, and we wish that FxCamera--like every other camera app of its kind--also rolled in some basic editing tools.

KOR-fx, like music to my...chest

Although Rock Band comes pretty close to the "real thing," there's something missing: the vibrations that hit your heart when playing a real drum set.

Immerz, which until recently was a one-man company, created a device that lets you feel real-life sensations of a game, movie, or music. KOR-fx is made up of two plastic devices that lay on your chest and synchronize vibrations with received audio signals.

President and physicist Shahriar S. Afshar, calls it acousto-haptic technology, something he turned to after three years participating in privately funded research. The result of Afshar's experiment contradicted … Read more

iSkin debuts slick new iPhone case: Solo FX SE

iSkin's colorful, form-fitting Solo line of iPhone cases has some of the slicker designs out there. Now the company has come out with the "special-edition" Solo FX SE, which sports a "luxurious outer surface treatment" that combines an "understated" matte finish with a "subtle," embossed, designer pattern.

Available in Onyx (black), Cosmo (pink), and Ice (white) for $34.99 (list), the Solo FX SE is the only Solo infused with Microban antimicrobial product protection that iSkin says prevents the growth of odor-and-stain-causing bacteria on the product.

This Solo is also the … Read more

Photo filter program

Citra FX Photo Effects provides users with a fast option for applying photo filters. With a wide range of options and some neat ways of applying them, this program excels.

We needed a brief visit to the Help file to research what these mysterious command icons meant. With that under our belt, we were scrolling through the drop-down menus and clicking and dragging our options in no time. We were able to apply effects to our images by selecting a specific area and making a circle, square, heart, or free-form shape. The filters and masks we applied to these new … Read more