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Voice for Mac works fairly well at translating text into audio, but the available voice options all sound very computerized. The application is available for free and installs easily.

The main menu seems sparse with few details that would be expected of an advanced application. Fortunately, the main functions are clearly labeled. A box allows text to be manually typed or pasted in from other applications. An export button allows the output to be saved for later use, and a Preferences menu allows selection of a number of playback voices and speed of the reading. After typing in the text, … Read more

MP3 Cutter Joiner Free cuts your audio files into clips and joins them together with equal ease. You can use it to remove blank spaces, extract clips to use as ringtones and notifications, and even create quick homemade mash-ups. If a clip's too big, MP3 Cutter Joiner can cut it down to size. If you need to string a bunch of files together to play as one, it can do that, too. MP3 Cutter Joiner also converts audio files, individually or in batches, and applies various effects. It can join multiple files of different formats and bit rates, and … Read more

With so many free PDF converters to choose from, AnvSoft's PDFMate PDF Converter stands out in a crowded field by offering a super-easy, wizard-based conversion process in an easy-to-use layout. PDFMate bundles six conversion tools in one interface: PDF to EPUB, Text, Image, HTML, SWF, and Word Converters, plus a tool for shrinking multipage PDF documents down to a single page. The latest release of PDFMate PDF Converter, Version 1.6.2, is suitable for Windows XP to 8.

PDFMate's immense, colorful, and clearly-labeled icons and buttons and step-by-step process make it a tool that nearly anyone can … Read more

Some people love Apple's EarPods and some people aren't so fond of them.

If you're in the latter group, it's probably because Apple's retooled earbuds have a tendency to slip out of your ears while you're doing something as mundane as walking around. That's where products like the EarSkinz 2 (ES2) come in.… Read more

Well designed with an easy-to-use menu and a number of useful features, Software.com Desktop for Mac allows users to scan all applications for updates, as well as optimize performance. Performing its functions quickly and thoroughly, the free application would be a good addition to most Mac users' systems.

The program's main menu features a good interface with appropriate and up-to-date graphics. The Home button displays an overview page with the status of all the program's main features. The first time Software.com Desktop for Mac starts, the program starts scans of applications to find out if all … Read more

Web browser aficionados will want to check out Polarity, which integrates Google's Chromium and Internet Explorer's Trident Web rendering engines in one program. Polarity packs most of the features users expect in an up-to-date Web browser, such as tabbed browsing and pop-up blocking, plus some new tools like speech recognition. It's easy to set up, too. Polarity grew out of the Simplicity browser project, and its motto is, "Browse the Web without clutter." However, it really doesn't offer anything special or unique enough to turn heads, and its emphasis on simplicity also means limited … Read more

While lacking more advanced options, InstantPhotoSketch for Mac successfully converts digital photos into pretty pencil sketches. This application is free and performs only one function, but does so without any hassle.

After installation InstantPhotoSketch for Mac opens to a plain but functional user interface. The main menu offers only some basic functions such as open, save as, create sketch, and zoom in and out. There is also a link to the developer's home page. Once the user opens a desired image, they are able to adjust the black level and white level intensity by moving the horizontal scroll bars. … Read more

Just as easy to use as it is to set up, InstantShot! for Mac gives any user the ability to capture a full screen shot, portion of the screen, or a timed screen shot in just a few quick steps.

With just a drag and drop in the Applications folder we had no trouble installing InstantShot! for Mac on our test machine. The menu, which was easy to use, was not in a traditional window, but appeared as a small icon in the top row of the screen. Clicking it drops down a menu with no graphics, but its selections … Read more

LineIn for Mac enables those with good speakers on their Mac systems to play audio from external devices. While some operational glitches exist, this application adds some functionality to Mac systems, but ultimately not enough to recommend it for most users.

The program's small size allowed for a quick download and installation. LineIn for Mac is free, which is readily apparent in its basic interface. There are few graphics to guide users and the lack of a tutorial is noticeable. The menu has a line for input and another for the output. Once the appropriate option is selected, an … Read more