2.3

Anyone with a digital camera knows that the file names that are automatically assigned to your images are often jumbles of letters and numbers that don't tell you anything about the images themselves. For that reason, file-renaming tools have become pretty popular; they let users rename batches of images using words or dates that give meaning to the file names. Unfortunately, Image Renaming is one of the less elegant tools for this task that we've encountered. It works, but it's not particularly intuitive.

The program's interface is less than welcoming, consisting of a blank gray screen … Read more

LAS VEGAS--I'm starting to think that LG has a thing for HD, and I'm not complaining.

Not long after launching the LG Nitro HD, LG and Verizon announced the LG Spectrum, one of two new smartphones to inaugurate Sprint's all-new 4G LTE lineup.

Although I didn't have as long as I would have liked to acquaint myself with the Android 2.3 Gingerbread phone (eventually upgradeable to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich), I immediately liked it. In fact, I can say I clicked with it even more than the pretty lofty Nitro HD.… Read more

It's earning eco cred with its lower-impact packaging and build, but tree huggers aren't the only ones who will eye the Samsung Replenish for Boost Mobile.

Budget-followers will also gravitate toward Boost's first smartphone priced at about a hundred bucks, a rock-bottom cost for a market where prepaid smartphones typically cost between $200 and $300.

The Android 2.3 Gingerbread device has a candy bar shape that supports a full QWERTY keyboard. It also has a 2.8-inch touch screen and a 2-megapixel camera with video capture, among the other Android goodies like access to Google's apps and services.

The Replenish, which was initially released last spring for Sprint, also hosts Mobile ID, the offshoot of Sprint ID that offers packs of thematic apps, wallpaper, and so on to install on your phone in one fell swoop.

The Replenish becomes available for Boost on January 16, for $99.99.… Read more

Digital signatures aren't just common in business, they're critical. Digitally signing your documents protects your rights and helps reassure your clients and customers. DigiSigner is a compact, free tool for digitally signing PDFs as well as verifying signatures. The signatures it produces are completely compatible with Adobe Reader, and vice versa. It can also use a variety of key files, including Windows' key store, smart cards, and PFX or PKCS#12 files.

DigiSigner requires an up-to-date version of Java, which its setup wizard can install if necessary. Its efficient interface opened with an optional tutorial that explained each … Read more

Our mobile reviews team checks out a fair number of unlocked phones. It's fun to see what's available elsewhere in the world, and it's a window into models that might come out here soon with a carrier.

Unfortunately, these phones rarely perform as well as they would if they were tied to a network, especially a fast one. Still, there's much to glean from checking them out, even if their high prices keep us from recommending them to U.S. shoppers.

The Huawei Honor is a case in point. The Android 2.3 Gingerbread device is a midranger that looks pretty good and has some notable additions, like an interesting virtual keyboard. It also has a 4-inch screen, a 1.4GHz processor, a 2-megapixel front-facing camera, an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, and a 1,900mAh battery for longer life.

Call quality and data speeds were poor on the unlocked unit, and the cameras underperformed in some situations. Still, if the specs and design strike you, you'll also be able to check it out stateside as the Huawei Mercury for Cricket.… Read more

The weeks leading up to CES, the annual Consumer Electronics Show, are usually slow, but a new Android smartphone, the Huawei Mercury, is heating things up for Cricket.

At least, that's what Cricket hopes will happen with the phone it's claiming as its most advanced ever.

Previously known as the Huawei Honor (see review) or Glory, the Mercury boasts a 4-inch FWVGA touch screen (480x854-pixel resolution), a 1.4GHz processor, an 8-megapixel camera with HD video capture, and a front-facing camera (with a basic VGA resolution). The device has 2GB of internal storage. Cricket's new tethering plan lets you use the Mercury to provide an Internet connection to up to five other devices.

Although the Mercury ships with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, Cricket apparently hasn't decided whether it will upgrade the device to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, according to a Cricket representative.

The Huawei Mercury is available now and costs $249.99 without a contract.… Read more

Verizon is doing two things: ballooning its collection of superpremium smartphones, and shrinking its feature phone and flip phone offerings. That leaves the carrier channeling budget-keepers toward middle-of-the-road smartphones, like the Samsung Illusion.

For $79.99, you get Android 2.3 Gingerbread, a 3.2-megapixel camera, and a 1GHz single-core processor, plus all of Google's services and Verizon's V Cast apps. It's a decent smartphone, thanks to hardware that can mostly hold up and software that's by now standard. The Illusion is pure utility; just don't expect to be wowed.

Watch the review, see the photos, and read all the pros and cons in the full Samsung Illusion review.… Read more

Software does more stuff automatically than ever before, and few users have the time (or energy) to check every folder for changes. Watch 4 Folder from LeeLu Soft is a free tool that monitors your folders and files for changes and other activity. It can track up to 15 different events, execute programs and batch files, and generate live alerts. It's portable freeware that runs from any directory without having to be installed.

Watch 4 Folder's user interface is the size of a typical Windows dialog box, with two tabs, Settings and Live Log. The Settings page is … Read more

Owners of certain LG Optimus smartphones can look forward to a bite of Ice Cream Sandwich in the near future.

The mobile phone maker confirmed via its Facebook page today that it will be deploying the latest version of Android to select Optimus phones. Included in the upgrade will be the Optimus 2X, the Optimus Black, the Optimus 3D, and the Optimus LTE, all of which hit the market this past year.

LG is also examining Ice Cream Sandwich to see which of its other smartphones can run the new OS in an effort to upgrade as many users as … Read more