wallpaper

Claws and effect

You may be aware of Activision's X-Men Origins: Wolverine game as well as the hit movie it's based on. It stars Wolverine, a mutant with extensible blade-like claws and a personality like his mammalian namesake: ornery, solitary, and ferocious in a fight. Some may argue, but there's little doubt that the brooding anti-hero is the most popular of the X-Men. Fans will love this free pack of five wallpapers based on the game, the movie, and the comic.

The pack contains five different wallpapers, each in five different sizes to accommodate a wide range of screen sizes … Read more

Frame up

Photowall is one of the many shareware photo enhancement packages available for download. You can use it to add various frames to your photos and use them to create desktop wallpaper treatments that can be saved and exported. The interface resembles a music player, with large concentric buttons for rotating the frame and the image within it. Sliders marked "Stretch" change the size of the frame and image, respectively.

The software's trial version comes with severe limitations, such as only one photo frame, a rather startling heart-shaped affair that makes it difficult to position most photos clearly … Read more

Wallpaper slideshow

It's more enjoyable to use personal photos as wallpaper instead of sample photos that come preinstalled on your computer. Wallpaper Randomizer randomly displays and changes images of your choice as desktop wallpaper. This free screen utility makes things fun by mixing it up.

Wallpaper Randomizer is easy to access and use. The ReadMe file explains how to get started with the program. Wallpaper Randomizer runs from your computer's system tray; right-clicking the icon calls up its controls. There are also keyboard shortcuts if you want to change your wallpaper without having to click on the program's icon … Read more

Cityscape wallpaper

This wallpaper features a photo of a silhouette cityscape, shot at an angle from the 37th floor of the Millennium Towers building in New York. The Wallpaper: Cove Towers download includes a wide-screen and regular version of the photo, as well as thumbnails of each photo and a Read Me file that contains information about the location and technical aspects of the photos.

We appreciated that there was a wide-screen version of the photo because our computer is wide screen, as are many contemporary computer monitors. We encountered no difficulty accessing the photos included in this download, but we were … Read more

iPhone wallpaper makes your DNA imprint mobile

For some time, it's been possible to display artwork of your DNA. It's contemporary-looking and convenient, too--when guests compliment your living room decor, you can just point to the canvas above the couch and say, "Now that you mention it, that's the genetic material responsible for my interior decorating brilliance!"

Well, now you can flash your chromosone sequence to strangers on the subway as well. In addition to offering portraits of DNA (and fingerprints), French company Helys is creating customized iPhone wallpapers featuring DNA imprints.

To order the wallpaper, you choose a preferred hue for … Read more

Video wallpaper for your desktop

No more static cling for your desktop; now your wallpaper won't have to simply stand still, and it can get animated and dance around.

Dreamscene Video Wallpaper launches a compact, simple-but-functional interface that's very easy to comprehend and navigate. There are no tabs or other dialog boxes to access. All its features are accessible from the one small window, which is a plus for this otherwise uninspired design. The nag screen--we must admit--is irritating, because not only does it pop up each time Dreamscene completes its playlist rotation, it occasionally slaps a "Don't Forget to Register!&… Read more

Beauty is skin deep

Dream Wallpaper is a wallpaper changer that allows users to select from both wallpapers that come with the program and that can be downloaded from the publisher's Web site. Although the interface and wallpapers are nice, this program is missing some basic features that users may expect of a wallpaper changer.

The program's interface is sleek and very attractive; it integrates well with later versions of Windows. Users have access to a handful of sample wallpapers in both normal and wide-screen formats that are arranged in themes (nature, holidays, etc.), and many more are available for download. Downloading … Read more

Wallpaper gallery

Wallpaper Slideshow LT lets you create a rotating slideshow with your favorite photos on your computer's desktop. Though it comes with only a couple of sample photos, you can include photos from your hard drive to personalize the application.

Wallpaper Slideshow LT is easy to use, which is a good thing since there is no Help file. But if you need a little guidance, the publisher's Web site has information about the program that users may find helpful. When we installed the program, we chose to put an icon on our Desktop and on our Taskbar. It's … Read more

Easy-to-use comic reader

It's not often that we come across a program we'd describe as "delightful," but that's exactly what Merlin Funnies is. This program provides a quick and easy way for users to view their favorite comics all in one place. With a simple interface and plenty of comics to choose from, Merlin Funnies is a great way to get your daily laugh.

The program's interface is fairly basic, with a long checklist of available comics. We were expecting the likes of Dennis the Menace and Hi and Lois, but Merlin Funnies offers a ton of … Read more

Make your iPhone sound like an Italian supercar

While you wait for the newly unveiled Ferrari 458 Italia to be revealed in the sheet metal at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show, you can enjoy the sounds of the Italian supercar every time you receive a call or text message on your mobile phone. That's right, Ferrari has released official 458 Italia ringtones.

We'd call the automaker vain if the 458's 4.5-liter direct injected V8 didn't sound so mouthwateringly good.

Available sound bites include overtaking, acceleration, on board, and off the mark clips. Download the ringtones in MP3 format for most mobile phones or … Read more