2.0.5

There are quite a few clock apps in the iPad App Store, and the reason is simple enough. The iPad makes a perfect desktop or mantle top clock. It's compact, pretty, and can keep accurate time for hours (or longer when plugged into a dock). On the mantle, in a dock, your iPad can make a nice addition to the décor of your living room. So there are quite a few apps that attempt to capitalize on that, including FaceClock with Calendar.

The app, itself, is quite attractive. Like most iPad clocks, the back is black and … Read more

Users who want to easily search for information may not want a separate browser window open to a search engine. PopSearch for Mac allows access to a favorite search engine using a keystroke.

Available as a free application, PopSearch for Mac installs easily as an extension to a web browser, such as Safari. There do not appear to be any user instructions or technical support available. Users unfamiliar with installing and setting up extensions may have some difficultly figuring out how to configure the program, but this is easy with some trial and error. There is no menu for the … Read more

Sometimes creating a LaTeX file can be a frustrating experience not only for beginners but even for the advanced user. Thanks to its many useful features and one-window design with a straightforward interface, TeXnicle for Mac can ease the process. It adds a bit more flexibility to the document design and layout and can help you organize and edit multiple files.

This free program requires no installation and is usable as soon as it's downloaded. It's stable, smooth, and doesn't crash. The interface of TeXnicle for Mac is divided into three sections. The left section offers an … Read more

Copying large files can be a tedious and time-consuming task. Fortunately, there's ExtremeCopy Free (32-bit). This easy-to-use program can significantly reduce the amount of time it takes to copy files. Although when we tried it the program didn't reach "up to eight times the speed of the Windows copying function" as the publisher claims it can, it still offered a meaningful improvement over the native Windows feature.

The program has no real interface of its own, aside from a configuration menu. Here, users can choose to set ExtremeCopy as Explorer's default copier and keep it … Read more

TurboRisk allows you to try your hand at world domination. Just like wielding global power, this freeware take on the classic board game quickly becomes addictive. Once you get started, it's easy to lose track of time with this game.

After a painless installation, we were presented with a colorful world map in a simple and uncluttered interface. TurboRisk uses just a handful of buttons, and it's clear what each one does. The object of the game is to conquer all the territories on the map. That seems pretty straightforward, but it isn't. Thank goodness there's … Read more

We've been big fans of WinZip utilities for years, and that didn't change when Microsoft bundled a zip tool in Windows. They generally share some characteristics: they're free, for instance, and they integrate with context menus in Windows. They not only zip and unzip files but also handle other archive types, and they often have extra features such as the ability to split and merge files. We've tried them all, or thought we had until we encountered Hamster Free ZIP Archiver. It has an attractive, up-to-date look, and it can pack and unpack ZIP, 7Zip, GZIP, … Read more

Spireframe's PDF Prime is an efficient, standalone utility that can merge, split, lock, and unlock PDF files, the basic functions most users need most often. Instead of spending valuable time learning how to do a simple job with a complex application (or worse, relearning it) you can opt for a simple tool like PDF Prime and be finished and on to the next task.

PDF Prime has a very basic and businesslike dialog-based interface; just a toolbar with a few large icons labeled Merge, Split, Lock, and Unlock, and a simple file menu that essentially duplicates the control icon'… Read more