format

HLP to RTF Converter by Armenian Dictionary Software is an interesting utility that can convert any Windows Help file (HLP) to a printable, high-quality RTF document or generate completely recompilable Help projects. You can use it to print out manuals for employees or for safekeeping, as well as create your own WinHelp project, rescue previously complied files for conversion or re-use, or simplify the generation and handling of HLP-formatted documentation from a standard authoring format.

This program's tabbed, dialog-based interface is practically self explanatory, reflecting its focused mission. Tabs let you select Batch or Single mode; there's the … Read more

Abdio's PDF Converter Pro claims it can convert more than 100 file types into PDF files. It handles Office files such as Excel spreadsheets, Word documents, and Powerpoint presentations as well as most image formats. It also converts 2D and 3D files; HTML, CAD, and text files; and proprietary formats for software like Quicken. It even works with media file formats like IFF and Windows Media Files.

The program opens with a nag screen, which is not optional in the trial version, and a tool tip, which is. The interface resembles a cut-down Windows application, with a left-hand sidebar, … Read more

Practical Scriptwriter is a word processor optimized for scriptwriting. It includes a wide range of script formats as well as tools designed to make it easy to start writing with little or no experience. It can produce results good enough to submit for consideration in TV, movies, and other media, although you must provide the content; it doesn't create characters, plots, or action. What it does do is take on the formatting and housekeeping chores so that you can concentrate on writing.

The program's interface differs from most other word processors, or applications in general, for that matter, … Read more

Security researchers have discovered flaws in common file formats, including .zip, which can be used to sneak malware onto computers by evading antivirus detection.

Eight vulnerabilities were found in .zip, supported by Microsoft Office, along with seven others in the .7zip, .rar, .cab and .gzip file formats, said Mario Vuksan, president of ReversingLabs Corp.

The vulnerabilities could be used by attackers to hide malware that could then be slipped past antivirus software via an e-mail attachment and used to compromise a computer, he said.

"The file goes straight through Gmail or Hotmail because it's a trusted format," … Read more

Most PC users have gigabytes of digital images they're going to go through and resize, one by one, and display online or in an album, someday. Why not today? Magic Project's Image Resizer is a simple utility that makes a fast and easy job of resizing nearly all kinds of digital pictures, singly, in bunches, or in big batches.

Although it downloads with full setup and uninstall features, this small program needs no installation. It opens and runs directly from the downloaded executable file, which makes it completely portable; you can even carry it in your camera's … Read more

The medium-format market is mostly an obscure niche of the digital-camera industry. Prices are high, customers must have lavish budgets, and optics and sensor technology is different from the SLR realm.

Heck, most people hadn't heard of the brand names involved. Until now: This time it's Pentax that announced its entry into the market with a product called the 645D.

It's not going to rewrite the rules of photography. It'll be available only in Japan, at least for starters when it ships in May, it needs its own lenses, and it costs 850,000 yen--about $9,200. But there are enough interesting developments here that it's worth noting.

Medium-format cameras have been niche items for years, distinguished from SLRs chiefly by their larger of a film frame. Now that digital sensors are in and film is out, though, the comparative costs of medium-format cameras have surged, because making a large sensor is a lot more expensive than making a smaller one. Pentax's model uses a 40-megapixel Kodak sensor measuring 44x33mm, larger than a "full-frame" SLR that uses the 36x24mm frame size of 35mm film and a lot larger than the sensors in mainstream digital SLRs.

To go a bit beyond the press release, I recommend reading Luminous Landscape's interview with Pentax's Yasuyuki Maekawa about the 645D. It triggered a number of thoughts about medium format and Pentax's effort. … Read more

While it's not often that hard drives crash or have other problems, it does occasionally happen. When it does, the easiest and recommended way for managing the internal drive is to have a local operating system and local hardware interface with the drive; however, there may be times when troubleshooting and managing the crash requires you to use alternative methods for connecting the drive to a computer.… Read more

HM WebCopy is a handy add-on for both Firefox and Internet Explorer that lets users save Web page content without all the ads and other clutter that often fills Web sites these days. Although the application didn't knock our socks off, we can see how it would be useful if you frequently need to save HTML files without the mess.

HM WebCopy is quite easy to use. Let's say, for example, that you find a news story online that you'd like to save as an HTML document, but you don't want all the ads and other … Read more

There are a lot of video file converters out there, and most of them are quite similar, allowing users to convert videos between different file formats. Free Convert XVID DIVX MP4 VOB FLV MOV Converter works--mostly--we can't say there was anything about it that particularly impressed us.

We had high hopes when we first opened the program. The interface is clean and intuitive, with large graphical buttons. We were excited to see that the program also includes a YouTube downloader, and we decided to try that first. We were disappointed to find that no matter which video's URL … Read more