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convertible

Cause of PC malaise? Designs not 'compelling,' says Intel

PC designs have been lackluster, offering no good reason to upgrade, according to an Intel executive speaking at the company's Spring Analyst Summit in London.

Navin Shenoy, vice president and general manager of the Mobile Client Platform division, was responding to a question from an analyst when he said the following on Thursday:

We think the usage patterns aren't the driver for elongation [of the PC upgrade cycle]. It's more that we haven't had products in the marketplace that were compelling in any way to the existing product, either from a form factor point of view, … Read more

Review: Apply effects to sound clips with Moo0 Audio Effect

Moo0 Audio Effect is easy-to-use freeware that applies basic special effects to audio clips. Audio Effect can alter the volume, pitch, bass, treble, and other tonal aspects of MP3 and WAV files. It's a very basic tool, which means you can finish a job in less time than it takes to learn which buttons to press on that "full-featured" audio editor. Moo0 Audio Effect is suitable for Windows XP to 8.

We could resize Moo0 Audio Effect's compact user interface by dragging the corner, or we could toggle between Minimum and Advanced Options views. A Language … Read more

Review: Free PDF to Word Converter doesn't make the cut

Free PDF to Word Converter's name describes the program: It takes your PDF files and converts them into Word-compatible DOC or Rich Text files. While it's fairly easy to use and does a fairly good job, some awkward controls and other issues dim its appeal. Better tools aren't in short supply, either.

Free PDF to Word Converter's user interface isn't elaborate, and the program explains each feature and each step, though it does make for a busy look. The main controls are listed under General Options, which is a bit confusing, though clicking Files and … Read more

Review: Convert your audio files into the formats of your choice with FeyConverter

FeyConverter from Fey Tools is an easy-to-use, all-in-one CD ripper, converter, and encoder. It supports a wide range of file types, from common formats such as MP3, WAV, and WMA to less-familiar types like Ogg Vorbis and Bonk as well as high-quality formats like FLAC and LAME. FeyConveter creates playlists, manages info tags, handles plug-ins, and queries and manages CBBD data. It offers advanced configuration options for many encoder types. Best of all, it's free.

FeyConverter's no-nonsense user interface offers a nice change from the usual white-on-black, media player-based tools of its type, though of course FeyConverter integrates … Read more

Lenovo's Windows 8 Yoga 11S convertible now up for sale

Consumers awaiting the Lenovo Yoga 11S convertible can now order one through Lenovo or Best Buy, though they'll have to wait at least a month before it ships.

Available through Lenovo's Web site as of Thursday, the Yoga 11S is an 11.6-inch ultrabook that can close to transform itself into a touch-screen tablet or bend over backward into "tent mode" or "stand mode" to act strictly as a display. The new Yoga is outfitted with Windows 8, upping the original Yoga 11, which offers Windows RT. Buyers also have a choice of two … Read more

Review: Convert image formats with Pixillion Free JPEG Converter

Need a quick and easy way to convert an image or multiple images to another format? Pixillion Free JPEG Converter does this job quickly and without any issues. This software comes with an easy-to-use interface and supports a variety of the most popular image formats.

Pixillion Free JPEG Converter downloads as an exe file. The installation is rather easy. After accepting the user agreement you will be asked to install some additional software and extras, including a toolbar, which you will probably want to avoid. The program comes as an unlicensed trial version with an option to upgrade to a … Read more

Get a Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11 convertible laptop for $549

An ultrabook ultraportable PC priced at $549 must be considered, especially if it's a convertible -- a system with both a keyboard and a touch screen, the latter able to swing a full 360 degrees into tablet mode.

And I'd say no convertible has received more press than the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga, which was rightly celebrated for its slick design -- if not its operating system.

Update: I tweaked the headline to reflect that the Yoga isn't technically an ultrabook, which is Intel's designation for a system with a particular set of specs.

For a limited … Read more

Review: Track the exchange rate with CurrencyConverter for Mac

For international travelers, tracking conversion rates can help with locating the best deals available. While simple, CurrencyConverter for Mac allows users to track exchange rates across multiple currencies quickly and accurately.

The application is available for free as a dashboard widget, which downloaded directly into the widgets area. Installation simply required the user to activate the program into the main area, which completed quickly. There were no user instructions available, but this was not necessary due to the easy-to-use interface and operations. The user can add their base currency, whether it is the Dollar, Euro, or others, to compare to … Read more

Open Office to PDF Converter 1.0 Review

PDF files are much easier to send and read than your standard Open Office files. This app claims to convert your Office files into PDFs, but it does the bare minimum to live up to that name. In fact, Open Office to PDF Creator seems much more like a basic file viewer than anything else.

Most of Open Office to PDF Creator's navigation buttons are clouded by ads that take up the top and bottom of the screen. That really doesn't matter, since you can do most of the converting right from your file menu. Converting .odt files … Read more

Video Converter Fox 4.1 Review

Video Converter Fox bundles together a bunch of audio, video, and online resources into a single interface. It searches for and downloads MP3s and videos on YouTube, for starters, and even converts FLV files to MP3s, so you can save the tunes you find and play them on your portable device. It has a built-in Internet radio player, but it also plays your locally-stored media files. You can watch free online TV channels from dozens of countries, including free online movies. You can play all kinds of games while you're listening, too. And Video Converter Fox even has a … Read more