5.4

In theory, a video messenger that lets you easily share your videos with friends seems to be a pretty useful application. While Ravid Video Messenger follows this model, there are other available applications already offering this option that perform much better.

The application loads quickly and the user interface offers a clean and modern design. Ravid Video Messenger is brightly colored and has sharp, high contrast text. It is easy to read and very intuitive in its use. A short registration is all that is required to begin sharing videos. Ravid Video Messenger allows the user to take videos with … Read more

Some Mac users want to use their computer as a substitute for an alarm. Alarm Clock Pro for Mac incorporates a number of features and options expected from an alarm app, but normal users may find other options preferable.

Available as a free trial version with a 15-day usage limit, the full version of Alarm Clock Pro for Mac requires a $19.95 payment to unlock complete functioning. The program's native installer functions well and provides the user with basic introductions if it is their first time using it. Activation requires acceptance of a user agreement and a prompt … Read more

Avidemux for Mac is a video editing and encoding app. It is not available from the App Store but is on many download sites. Avidemux for Mac installs easily.

At its core, Avidemux for Mac is designed to allow you to cut a larger video into a smaller one, although this is not a full-featured video editor. Avidemux for Mac also provides encoding capabilities, converting videos from one codec to another. Avidemux for Mac can also act as a filter, applying specific filter effects to a video clip (although the filter effects are somewhat limited compared to much more expansive … Read more

If you need an easy way to create disk images, it's hard to imagine an option that's easier than PowerISO. This simple program makes it a breeze to create disk images in several different formats, open existing images, and burn disk images to CDs and DVDs.

PowerISO has a straightforward interface that's easy to navigate. A set of clearly marked buttons across the top make the program's main features easily accessible. It took us just a few seconds to navigate to a handful of files we wanted to include and then save them as an ISO … Read more

Here's a novel concept: shoot bubbles to group three or more of the same color together and pop them, while more bubbles appear at the top of the screen. If the bubbles take over the screen you lose. Yeah, we've seen it before in over a dozen different apps for Mac OS X and iOS, but Bubble Shootix is actually a well-done version of this genre. The free version of Bubble Shootix includes ads. To go ad-free you need to spend $0.99. To get additional in-game currency, you need to spend more.

The Bubble Shootix app installs … Read more

Once upon a time, CD-ROMs and other optical discs provided the much-needed storage space that hard drives lacked, but with terabyte drives, shuffling disks in and out of your tray is just a nuisance. SlySoft's Virtual CloneDrive is a free tool that creates up to 15 virtual CD and DVD drives in Windows. You can copy your CDs and DVDs to your hard drive as ISO disc images and run them normally with Virtual CloneDrive. Instead of swapping disks in and out, you can simply mount and unmount disk images with a few clicks. Virtual CloneDrive works with any … Read more

Fring joins the long line of iOS apps using VoIP technology to connect you and your friends through video calls, voice calls, and chat. This free app is a no-brainer to set up, and even beginners will understand how the app works without reading any Help files or watching tutorials. Despite its ease of use, we weren't impressed by the video or voice quality.

Fring's user interface is very intuitive because it's based on our everyday use of the phone. We liked the idea of having video calls with multiple friends simultaneously using Fring's Group Video … Read more

Metalogic's Finance Explorer is a simple, free, open-source tool for managing your personal finances. It's compatible with Quicken, Microsoft Money, and other financial programs. It supports OFX, OFC, and QIF formats, so it can import and manage transaction data from most banks, a huge time-saver over entering everything manually. It can manage your checking, saving, credit, investment, loan, and cash accounts, in any number. It can download stock quotes from online sources, display monthly transactions or net worth, and help you set up a personal budget using an intuitive process. We sampled a fully portable version of Finance … Read more

Steve Jobs had a lot of input into the design of the upcoming the iPhone, according to a report.

The Apple co-founder and former CEO "worked closely on the redesigned phone before his death in October," according to a report from Bloomberg, which did not identify the source.

The Phone's design was in the works before the release of the iPhone 4S, giving Jobs plenty of opportunity to contribute, the report added.

Apple's next iteration of the iPhone, with a rumored 4-inch screen is due by October, according to various analysts.

Other key features of the … Read more