layout

Google on Wednesday made a big announcement regarding Gmail's overall look and feel. Gmail will be taking a new tabbed approach to helping users organize e-mail -- something I'm sure we all struggle with. Over the next few weeks a new tab workflow will be slowly introduced to the Web, iOS, and Android versions of Gmail.

While iOS and Android users have to wait for app updates to hit the respective stores to get the new Gmail, there's a chance your Gmail account on the Web already has access to the feature. It's a quick process … Read more

For those looking to change Facebook's layout, Facebook Layouts for Mac adds some flexibility to the social network's design, but it didn't always work as promised and ultimately has few options that would appeal to adult users.

The application's Web site claims it is compatible with the major Web browsers. When downloading the free add-on, the file format was only readable by Firefox and would not work in other browsers, like Safari, which is a disappointment. Once in Firefox, Facebook Layouts for Mac did install properly and worked after a restart of the browser. The add-on … Read more

Circuit and electronics designers may need an option to better design products on a Mac. LayoutEditor for Mac may not be worthwhile for the average user, but for those needing this type of software, it could be a good option.

Download and installation of LayoutEditor for Mac occurred quickly despite the lack of a native installer. After startup and the acceptance of a lengthy user agreement, the program starts quickly, but lacks any instructions or visible support. The interface is confusing to the average user and the Help section did little to demonstrate the program's features. There are several … Read more

Sudoku Game from MicroTools4U is freeware that lets you tackle Sudoku puzzles from a widely customizable interface. It includes ready-made puzzles but can also generate new ones. It also has full undo-redo, two sets of candidates, and multiplayer statistics.

Sudoku Game opens with an attractive wood-grain background and a basic game layout, with a timer and player, game, and other data to the right. When you first run Sudoku Game, a wizard walks you through the steps of setting up the program, overseen by what appears to be a California Raisin mascot. You start by creating a Player (that's … Read more

Diagrams can often organize information and get your point across in ways that text alone just can't. yEd Graph Editor is an easy-to-use tool that lets you create diagrams, flow charts, and many other visual representations of processes and relationships. It's a fairly sophisticated program and new users might have to spend some time getting acquainted with it, but the payoff -- an endless number of graphic possibilities -- is well worth it.

yEd Graph Editor has an attractive interface, with a tabbed work area that lets you have multiple files open at once. Several aspects of the … Read more

Well, I'm bummed. I paid $75 for this product just a few months ago. But I needed it at the time, and it was worth it.

That makes this deal all the more un-pass-up-able.

Today only, PricePlunge has Serif PagePlus X5 for $14.99, plus $1.99 for shipping. Yep, it's an actual boxed copy, not a download. How quaint!

Update: Sold out! Rats. That went really fast. The closest I can find elsewhere is $42.99 shipped at Amazon. Viewed in a vacuum, that's still a great deal. (But not as great as $15, I admit.)… Read more

Using Windows with non-Western writing schemes is a lot like watching a bad movie: All too often, the wrong characters show up on the screen. You can set up Windows to work in a wide range of languages, fonts, and writing systems, but glitches are common, especially when it comes to different character sets. Many international users have discovered LangOver, a free tool that converts your text to the language and alphabet of your choice when you press F10 (it's customizable). With it, users who set Windows to display Arabic, Greek, Cyrillic, or Hebrew characters (for example) won't … Read more

Periodically, Mac users may find that the system does not seem to recognize icon and window placement settings, and may display items in random orders and positions under certain conditions. Normally when you make a change to a Finder window layout, be it the position of items, the view setting, or the window size and location, these settings are saved; however, it appears in some instances, this may not be happening properly. A number of people who have upgraded to OS X Lion have recently found this to be an issue with their systems.

Whenever Finder window view settings do … Read more

This is an update of a post I wrote earlier this year.

Remember desktop publishing software? Back in the old days, you had your pick of a dozen or more programs (Publisher, PageMaker, etc.), but now the field is practically empty.

Granted, you can still buy Adobe InDesign or QuarkXPress for a small fortune (they run $699 and $799, respectively), but what if you just want a simple program for creating newsletters, brochures, flyers, and the like?

Enter Serif PagePlus X5, the latest and greatest version of what was already a terrific desktop-publishing application. It's ideal for designing print … Read more