http://news.softpedia.com Softpedia News - Reviews Softpedia News en-us 2001 - 2009 Softpedia. All rights reserved. Sat, 28 Nov 2009 21:10:09 GMT Sat, 28 Nov 2009 21:10:09 GMT News http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 10 http://www.softpedia.com/base_img/softpedia_logo.gif http://news.softpedia.com/ http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/psp/Star-Wars-Battlefront-Elite-Squadron-Review-127908.shtml “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...” Sounds familiar? It should, because for more than 30 ears the Star Wars phenomenon has been spreading around the world, creating a huge community of fans keen on bringing to life the fictional characters from the trilogies. The innovative costumes and the carefully designed plot have manged to produce more than four billion dollars over the last three decades, only in the movie industry alone.

Aside from the motion pictures, the Star Wars games collection has been developed and introduced to the average person in the hope of both clarifying some of the aspects of the movie and giving everyone the chance to fight for the empire or the rebels. Over the years, as the gaming industry began to grow, the Star Wars universe was explored through strategy games, role-playing scenarios and even the occasional first-person shooter. Jedis, death troopers, Siths, rebels and even the clone army, I'm sure that, at one point, you got to play a game in which you were one of these characters. As you can see, there aren't many things that have remained uncovered when it comes to exploring the Star Wars story.

Still, what differs from one game to another are the missions and whether you play the title on a console, PC or PSP. Each of them adds to the action a uni... (read more)]]> Fri, 27 Nov 2009 17:11:01 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/psp/Star-Wars-Battlefront-Elite-Squadron-Review-127908.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/psp/Star-Wars-Battlefront-Elite-Squadron-Review-127908.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Adrian Arsene) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Nero-PhotoSnap-Review-128064.shtml As plenty of users know, among the applications included in Nero multimedia suite, there is also an image viewer that doubles as an image editor as well. PhotoSnap Viewer is the tool that loads up the images for viewing purposes. Modifying an image can be easily be done by quickly snapping to editing mode of the application.
The purpose of the image viewer in Nero may seem quite simple at first, that of loading up images and showing them to you, but as it is the case with all photo viewers nowadays, this sort of software must have a few more features than this basic one. In the case of Nero PhotoSnap Viewer, the options are as simple as they can be, since it addresses the average user and not a professional one. But even so, the application manages to provide information about the currently loaded image, lets you zoom in and out up to a certain point, rotate the picture by 90 degrees to the right or left, and of course, send it to the printer.

Picture information reading is one of the most important features in Nero PhotoSnap Viewer, especially for a photography aficionado, as it gives the size of the picture, resolution and metadata details like orientation, software used to modify it, last modification date, or EXIF specific data. As far as supported graphic formats go, the viewer is perfectly capable of loading all popu... (read more)]]> Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:01:00 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Nero-PhotoSnap-Review-128064.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Nero-PhotoSnap-Review-128064.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Ilascu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Nero-DiscSpeed-Review-127771.shtml Although discs nowadays are two-a-penny, and wasting one would not generally cause too much trouble, in the case of re-writeable media things change, as you have to know how reliable they are at each use.

Another instrument included in Nero Toolkit is DiscSpeed which is designed for benchmarking the speeds of the optical drives available on your system. The results are presented either as a graph or as test log, both of them offering a comfortable view. DiscSpeed comes with the particular quality of unleashing a set of different tests in a single run.

Among the results the application can return at the end of the tests, you can count on transfer rate, DAE quality, Access/Seek Times, CPU usage, Burst Rate, Spin Up/Down, Load/Eject, data disc creation and image file burning, all having their shortcuts for a nimbler start and each can be executed individually.

Just like in the previous version of the application, main window allows easy navigation to the most important testing areas, such standard tests (benchmarking), disc creation, disc quality, or disc damage scan.

Nero DiscSpeed pulls out all the stops to provide accurate and complete details about your optical drive and the disc inserted. Almost regardless of the test made, the application offers real-time graphical representation of test progress, ... (read more)]]> Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:41:00 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Nero-DiscSpeed-Review-127771.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Nero-DiscSpeed-Review-127771.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Ilascu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/DriveSpeed-BurnRights-ControlCenter-Review-127465.shtml Nero DriveSpeed 4.4.12.0

Sometimes, the noise produced by the optical drive when reading a disc can reach pretty disturbing levels. What very few users don't know is that all those decibels spawning from disc reading process can be toned down with the use of DriveSpeed application in Nero's toolkit. Nero DriveSpeed's purpose is to give you the possibility to control the read speed of your optical drive and, by reducing the tempo, avoid reading errors.

Taking charge of the read rate of the optical drive comes in very handy when playing games that require the title disc to be inserted, as you can increase the speed and forefend fragmented play that contributes to poor gaming experience.

Between you and taking charge of the read speed of the optical drive, there is a very easy to manage interface with a comprehensive layout of options. It permits choosing the device the settings are applied for, in case more than one is available. Worth mentioning is that Nero DriveSpeed acts in the same manner as Nero InfoTool when smart drives are inserted, as it will not make the difference between the real optical drives and the virtual ones.

The options present in the application let you select between two read rates, one for fast access and the other for a slower processing of the disc, offer... (read more)]]> Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:21:00 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/DriveSpeed-BurnRights-ControlCenter-Review-127465.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/DriveSpeed-BurnRights-ControlCenter-Review-127465.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Ilascu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/PhotoJoy-Review-127048.shtml The desktop is one of the most important parts of your operating system. It works like a bridge between all your applications, files and folders and serves as a support for your shortcuts or other widgets. A handy feature is the fact that you can customize it according to your needs. You can change the background picture, screensaver, theme, add widgets and other tools to ease your work.

PhotoJoy is the application that can do all of the aforementioned operations and even more. It can drive away the monotony from your desktop and bring a touch of novelty. You'd be amazed of what this tool can do with your desktop.

The interface is simple and intuitive without fancy options that could mislead you from your main goal: to customize and beautify your desktop. PhotoJoy comes as freeware, another reason to give it some attention. The only thing that can be annoying is the additional shortcut it creates on your desktop, which leads to one of the developer's websites.

PhotoJoy will surprise you with its simplicity and ease of use. The upper part of the main window features the four major tabs that you will be dealing with: Collages, PhotoToys, Screensavers and Photo Library. Apart from these, only a few clicks keep you away from the full desktop customization it offers.

The Collages tab is the first you will encounter when ... (read more)]]> Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:31:02 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/PhotoJoy-Review-127048.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/PhotoJoy-Review-127048.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Cosmin Anton) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Nero-InfoTool-Review-127040.shtml Nero InfoTool is another instrument in Nero 9 Reloaded toolbox. It is tailored to offer the user the most important information on installed drives, inserted discs or detailed data on drive properties (buffer size, firmware, serial number, production date or DVD region code). Moreover, the application extends its talents to briefing the user on hardware configuration and burning software currently ready on the system.

If you are familiar with this instrument in the new Nero suite, you'll notice that very little has changed in terms of looks. Leaving some design brush up aside, all the components of the last version are the same.

Just like in the previous edition of the application, a total of eight tabs are ready to offer you relevant information about the burning software, system configuration, drive and disc properties. There is also the HD readiness area, which gives you a heads up about the system's capabilities to render high definition videos.

Before accessing all the data, a brief assessing session needs to take place. The duration of the scan depends on the type of disc inserted in the optical unit and its quality. In some cases, when smart USBs are detected, Nero InfoTool will try to test the speeds of the virtual optical unit, which may come as a downfall as it should skip that test. However, you can manually by... (read more)]]> Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:11:02 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Nero-InfoTool-Review-127040.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Nero-InfoTool-Review-127040.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Ilascu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Nero-RescueAgent-Review-126886.shtml In case of accidental deletion, there are sufficient choices on the market that can give you a hand with recovering data. The rule of thumb is to refrain from storing any sort of data on the partition you are going to recover files from. If you manage to do this, there is even free software that can be used for the job. Piriform's Recuva is an excellent choice for this type of job.

However, in case of corrupted data on media discs or even hard disks, the range of possibilities to pull you out of the jam are quite limited. The latest Nero suite, just like the previous version, comes with Rescue Agent application, specially designed for this sort of trouble. It has been developed to recover data from scratched discs or files that cannot be read correctly due to storage media's ageing.

But RescueAgent is also useful for recovering deleted information off storage devices such as memory sticks, or hard disks. The rule of thumb expressed at the beginning of the article is essential for getting back the lost files.

Compared to the last edition, Nero RescueAgent's looks have undergone some changes, although the same ease of use and wizard-like interface have been preserved. The latest release features two types of scan, fast and deep, the former for FAT formatted storage devices, the latter for NTFS.

From the drop-d... (read more)]]> Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:41:03 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Nero-RescueAgent-Review-126886.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Nero-RescueAgent-Review-126886.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Ilascu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Call-of-Duty-Modern-Warfare-2-Review-127553.shtml Modern Warfare 2 does not live up to the hype that surrounded it before the release date and to the standard set by its predecessor, which was released in late 2007. It ticks all the points on the list: there are better graphics, there's a bigger “What the Hell?” moment, there are tougher characters, bigger firefights and more controversies. It's a fun, quick, at times tough shooter that satisfies the urge to redeem by wielding a firearm and has superb level design.

But the soul of the experience seems not to be there anymore. Activision, a company led by someone who stated that one of his goals was taking the fun out of (making) videogames, seems to have left a print on Modern Warfare 2, a game, which might actually sell millions of copies, making videogaming one of the most active segments of entertainment, but which forgot its heart somewhere in 2007.

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Story

The original Modern Warfare was so successful because of two things: the complex multiplayer element, which is still being played by gamers all over the world, and the finely tuned single player campaign, which delivers a lot of corridor solid shooting intertwined with off beat sequences li... (read more)]]> Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:00:00 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Call-of-Duty-Modern-Warfare-2-Review-127553.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Call-of-Duty-Modern-Warfare-2-Review-127553.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Andrei Dumitrescu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/mac/Music-Explorer-FX-Review-127114.shtml Some of us like music a lot. We love it so much that we buy it from the Internet, we take it with us to different places, and we just can’t get enough of it, no matter where we are. Some of us even have some huge and pretty impressive collections of various kinds of music. Rock, pop, techno, classic, each one has its different style and approach to the listener.

If one of us truly wants to become a fan, they have to know that each band has its own story, and some of them are pretty impressive. But, nowadays, the music is not just about fun, and singing, it’s a very big industry, where a lot of money is earned, and egos are massive. Some people became stars really quickly, some have been trying to make a name for themselves in the industry for years. But, in order to do that, they need to be promoted and make contact with the individuals.

Music Explorer FX is a program that allows you to search the Internet for various pieces of information about a specific band, and view others that relate to the genre that the band that you selected plays.

The Looks

I can say that Music Explorer FX is a piece of software created in Java, using the webstart technology. That means it’s lightweight, and very easy to use. The interface is truly one of the most simple I have ever seen. It’s comp... (read more)]]> Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:11:02 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/mac/Music-Explorer-FX-Review-127114.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/mac/Music-Explorer-FX-Review-127114.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Alexandru Tanase) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Lego-Indiana-Jones-2-The-Adventure-Continues-Review-127127.shtml It is a known fact that the movie industry is all about creating new fictional or real content for the sole purpose of entertaining viewers by challenging them to either take part in adventures or discover the human spirit. The Indiana Jones franchise has been around for some time now and has made it from the wide screen into our homes by being incorporated into the videogame industry. This is how everyone can experience the thrill of being a great adventurer from the comfort of their own home either by playing new and daring adventures or by reliving some of their favorite movie scenes.

Most particularly, LEGO has embraced the Indiana Jones trade mark since June 2008, ever since the release of the first LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures. The result was a smashing hit, in part because the developer created an animated cartoonish figure that abides both the LEGO and the Indiana Jones distinct and unique characteristics. The game was a perfect mix of adventure and good old fashioned fun, and also followed the script of the original motion picture. Children were thrilled because they got to play in a LEGO world and adults were entertained by the humorist events and sense of adventure that the game brought forward.
 

[tablec][row] [col] [/col] [col] [/col] [col] [/col] [col] [/col]... (read more)]]> Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:21:00 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Lego-Indiana-Jones-2-The-Adventure-Continues-Review-127127.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Lego-Indiana-Jones-2-The-Adventure-Continues-Review-127127.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Adrian Arsene) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/mac/Data-Crow-Review-127098.shtml Some people like keeping some huge collections. No matter what, they like having a big and impressive collection of whatever they can get their hands on. Movies, pieces of software, images and music, you name it. So, it’s pretty tough for them to organize and manage a big collection. Data Crow is a piece of software created especially for this, one that will help you create a huge database containing all your collected items, and store them appropriately. This is very useful, since one of the most important things for any collection is the appropriate management system, in order to find all the things you search for fast and easily.

The Looks

When starting Data Crow, you will probably be overwhelmed by the many menus available. Not to worry, though, most of them are very easy to use and pretty intuitive. Depending on the module you select, things can get a little different, but, mostly, they are all the same. Data Crow lets you register all of them in an easy way, so that you can store them and gain a quick access to them when needed.

The Works

Data Crow is pretty easy to use by yourself, but, if you need help, you can catalog any media by using the item wizard. In order to add media to a catalog, you must select the module that your media belongs to. Modules range from movies, pieces of software, ima... (read more)]]> Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:01:02 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/mac/Data-Crow-Review-127098.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/mac/Data-Crow-Review-127098.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Alexandru Tanase) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/PIXresizer-Review-126895.shtml Sharing images over the Internet via e-mail services and keeping them in online photo albums often requires that your pictures come in a smaller size. This can be a requirement for previewing purposes, in the case of catalogs, or a condition imposed by the current limit of mail attachments. Usually, these occurrences are best translated by ''less is more'' and the saying is true because the more reduced the photo dimensions are the more their number can increase. So, if you want to display, let's say, all the pictures you took during family vacations, you'd better find a way to decrease their size in order to share them with efficiency.

This task can be easily accomplished by anyone thanks to the multitude of tools out there that are specially designed for this specific purpose. It's more a matter of personal choice to opt for one piece of software or another, as the differences among these utilities tend to become smoothed out. For the ease of use, solid pack of features and great overall value, you can try PIXresizer, a freeware that will surely fit your bill.

With an uncomplicated interface that was created to accommodate even the less experienced users, this application is easy to set up and operate, so you can do the transformations fast and with quality results. The focus is mainly set on functionality, therefore you shouldn'... (read more)]]> Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:51:02 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/PIXresizer-Review-126895.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/PIXresizer-Review-126895.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Olivian Puha) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/playstation3/Ratchet-Clank-Future-A-Crack-in-Time-Review-127172.shtml Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time is a fitting end (if it is really the end, hard to know when it comes to such a long running and interesting series) to the adventures of the very unusual duo of a Lombax and a sentient robot.

The first installment in the series arrived in November 2002 and just seven years later, there are five games in the original series, including a ground breaking one on the PlayStation Portable, three videogames in the Future series, featuring the one reviewed here and another spinoff on the PSP, which puts Clank in the spotlight. It's been a good few years of Ratchet and his partner, and Sony platforms have benefited from the exclusive nature of the franchise.

Right from the onset, it must be said that Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time is a refinement of the gameplay elements found in Tools of Destruction and Quest for Booty and not a leap from the designs used there. There's nothing mind-blowing innovative here but the people at Insomniac do not need to inject anything new into the series at this point, as almost all aspects are solid and coherent, providing challenges while not inducing frustration.

This is not Halo where each new release needs to introduce fresh tactics and shooting mechanics in order to allow for enjoyment on the part of gamers. This is Ratchet... (read more)]]> Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:02:00 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/playstation3/Ratchet-Clank-Future-A-Crack-in-Time-Review-127172.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/playstation3/Ratchet-Clank-Future-A-Crack-in-Time-Review-127172.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Andrei Dumitrescu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/mac/Camouflage-Review-127051.shtml Using the Desktop as the default saving location of your files, projects or downloads proves to be, in most cases, very time efficient. This way, you don’t have to think twice about where are your recent files are and you can continue your work after a short break almost instantly. Things get complicated when you realize you have a pile of files and folders that you haven’t had the chance to organize yet, so you get lost every time you are looking for something.

Still, if you are the kind of person that has a visual memory and you know exactly where each and every file is, there are some situations when you might want your desktop to look impeccable.

For example, if you are making a presentation or a video tutorial or you are simply taking some screenshots of your work in order to share them with your colleagues, the overall impact might be diminished by the appearance of your cluttered desktop. And since you don’t want to find yourself in the situation of explaining why you have in your screenshots small files called “my dog,” “my dream wedding” and so on, Camouflage is the trick you were looking for.

Developed by Briksoftware and offered as a freeware product, Camouflage gives you the possibility to have professional materials and presentations without renouncing your “messy&... (read more)]]> Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:31:01 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/mac/Camouflage-Review-127051.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/mac/Camouflage-Review-127051.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Iulia Ivan) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Able-Launch-Bar-Review-125288.shtml The daily use of applications are limited to just a few programs, such as web browsers, audio/video players, email clients or games, though the number of programs installed on the system is much bigger. A defrag tool, registry cleaner or hard disk clutter cleaner are instruments you run every once in a while. Programs with a bigger usage rate can be accessed simply by creating a desktop shortcut. However, plenty of us use the desktop to save temporary data or even longer lasting documents. In time, this space can shrink to the point that some items need to be cleared. And a cluttered desktop is not at all convenient to work with.

That is why a launcher is very useful. The basic idea is to add as many shortcuts as possible and organize them in different categories, in order to access your files with greater ease. The item sorting system is different from one application launcher to another. Some programs offer launch options using hotkeys, other using launch bars or floating menus. Able Launch Bar was designed to be a small tool that provides a launch bar for users to organize their files and thus access them in a more convenient manner.

It is an application really simple to use and configure that comes at the price of 9.95$. The only limitation is that the “Always On Top” feature is available for registered users (I th... (read more)]]> Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:11:01 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Able-Launch-Bar-Review-125288.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Able-Launch-Bar-Review-125288.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Radu Bogdan) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Ginipic-Review-123968.shtml Images are a very important part of our life, whether we are talking about the photo of a cute actor that we want to use as a wallpaper or the image of a rose to employ as a postcard, the Internet is an enormous source of all sorts of pictures. But it’s quite difficult to locate the image that you want just by using an ordinary search engine, you would want something that would search through many image sources and you would want it done fast.

That’s where Ginipic comes to save the day. It’s a very easy-to-use application that will assist you in your quest for images over the Internet. The program is free, so you can use it for as long as you like and the only requirement is that you have .NET Framework 3.5 installed on your computer. We tested the application on Windows 7 and it proved itself to be compatible with this new operating system. Ginipic has as default sources Flickr, Google, Picasa, Yahoo!, Photobucket, DeviantART, and many other.

The interface of this software is very well done, colorful and a delight for the eye. It comes to appeal even to the picky users by its looks and, also, usability, by being very easy to employ: you just type the phrase that you are looking for and press Enter. You will receive in no time a list of all the images that have matched your search in thumbnail size and you can easily... (read more)]]> Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:51:00 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Ginipic-Review-123968.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Ginipic-Review-123968.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Raluca Burlacu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Kiran-039-s-Typing-Tutor-Review-126896.shtml Working with computers is a complex labor that requires acquiring and perfecting many skills for one to become truly efficient and proficient. Besides the basic knowledge needed for operating software programs, the skillful use of other resources is a must, especially if one needs to employ the PC as their main ''working tool.'' Such an ability is the fast and accurate typing that helps the one who masters it evolve in many directions. They will become more efficacious at their job because, if writing and correcting texts will take less time, one can attend to other aspects of their occupation that certainly need their attention.

Just like in the case of any other perfectible ability, for typewriting, practice makes perfect. It may seem tedious and stressing at first, particularly if you start from scratch, but, in the long run, you have only to gain by developing it and, once you'll reach a decent level, things will start looking brighter. Progress is usually attained at a fast pace, especially if you have the right ''coach.'' Finding the perfect partner is not an easy thing to do, but, if you search enough, you're bound to come across it. First of all, you need to know exactly what you're after and, once you establish that, you'll discover that there are quite a few options to go for.

A free tool, with a very solid ... (read more)]]> Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:01:01 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Kiran-039-s-Typing-Tutor-Review-126896.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Kiran-039-s-Typing-Tutor-Review-126896.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Olivian Puha) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/TheSearchMan-Review-123967.shtml Long gone are the days when 10GB of hard disk were more than plenty for any average user. Today’s computer user can’t get enough even with 500GB of hard disk storage, given all the free information and documentation one can find on the Internet. And if you add some more to the mix of data, one thing is for sure: you can never have a large enough hard disk.

One downside to large storage devices filled with information is that finding what you need may become a much more time consuming task than you anticipated. This is one situation when TheSearchMan may come in handy. It is a small-weight software (only 35 kb in size) designed to help you find the data you need in no time.

Moreover, the application is free to use, which is really a big plus, and doesn't need any fancy installation. You just unzip the program in a specific location and it's good to go. But this does not mean that it is portable and you can carry it on a portable device to use on just any computer.

TheSearchMan comes with a single requirement and that refers to the fact that you must have the .NET Framework 3.5 installed on your system. We’ve tested it on Windows 7 and it works very well thus proving itself Win 7 compatible.

The first thing that you will most probably observe when opening TheSearchMan is that its interface is ver... (read more)]]> Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:01:01 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/TheSearchMan-Review-123967.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/TheSearchMan-Review-123967.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Raluca Burlacu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Panda-Cloud-Antivirus-Review-126499.shtml Panda Cloud Antivirus was released as a public beta in April 2009. Almost seven months later, boasting millions of downloads and with the developer taking advantage of thousands of lines of user feedback, the application has reached its first final stage and is now released to home users. The reason behind all the user interest is that Panda Security broke the traditional antivirus pattern in terms of looks, form of protection (cloud-based scans) as well as costs to the user (it is free of charge for home users).

Among the fixes that have been operated in the latest edition of Panda Cloud Antivirus, we note repairs to scan process, Internet connectivity problem messages, no slowdown of the PC after installing the product, background scan has been improved, as well as management of quarantine and restoration of disinfected files.

The minimalist interface the developer started off with is maintained and, from this point of view alone, compared to the Beta 3 looks, there is absolutely no change. Settings, Scan, Reports and Status tabs are in the same place as always and their functions have not changed one bit.

Unlike other antivirus programs that feature a plethora of settings with terminology you have to look up in the dictionary, Panda Cloud Antivirus keeps all the configuration to enabling the automatic... (read more)]]> Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:05:00 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Panda-Cloud-Antivirus-Review-126499.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Panda-Cloud-Antivirus-Review-126499.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Ilascu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/linux/Ubuntu-Review-125655.shtml Right after Ubuntu's fifth birthday it was time to celebrate once more, because a Karmic Koala was released, and it brought with it a lot of reasons to upgrade. If Ubuntu 9.10's smart looks haven't convinced you yet, maybe the fast boot times and overall enhanced performance will. You still don't know what Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala) is all about? Then read on, we will clue you in.

While writing this review, I tried to put myself in the "shoes" of a new Ubuntu user. This meant that I didn't go on to installing my favorite programs or setting up everything as I like right after installing the operating system, but instead I tried to make do with what Ubuntu provides in the default installation. Also, I tried to stay away from the terminal and, largely, succeeded in doing so. We've tested Ubuntu 9.10 over a period of one week on the following systems:

[tablec][row][col]· AMD K8 nForce 250Gb Motherboard         
· AMD Sempron 2800+ Processor
· Nvdia GeForce FX5500 Video Card
· 512 MB RAM
· IDE HDD 80 GB Maxtor
· LG CD-RW/DVD-ROM Drive
· 17" LG Flatron L1730S LCD[/col]
[col]· Intel Gigabyte GA-965P Motherboard
· Intel Pentium 4 3 GHz
· Nvidia Leadtek Geforce 7300GS 256 VRAM
·... (read more)]]> Fri, 6 Nov 2009 22:01:00 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/linux/Ubuntu-Review-125655.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/linux/Ubuntu-Review-125655.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Doru Barbu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/xbox360/Halo-3-ODST-Review-126307.shtml Think of Halo 3: ODST as a centaur. Or as a gryphon. Or as a mermaid. Or as any other creature that is half an entity and half another. In the case of Halo 3: ODST, it is clearly half Master Chief and half human. Half classic firefights, pitched battles that never let you hold your breath and get the adrenalin pumping, and half quietly sneaking through a dark city, almost afraid to shoot the enemies. Half complex story delivered in interesting ways and half military stereotypes acted out in a flat manner. Half attempt at innovation from Bungie and half need for commercial success on the part of Microsoft. Half exciting experience and half disappointment. Think of Halo 3: ODST as being a game too ambitious to be an add on and too shy to be a full-fledged installment in the franchise.

Make no mistake, after getting into the action, this is a game you can actually play continuously until it is done, finished, complete. Bungie doesn't make those kinds of mistakes that would render a fan put down the controller and say they’re done because of low quality. But after delivering better and better experiences over the years, the company needed to do something innovative. A quantitative improvement, like the one from Halo 2 to 3, would just not do, they needed to deliver something qualitative. Unfortunately, ODST is just a more contained, sometimes ... (read more)]]> Fri, 6 Nov 2009 09:52:00 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/xbox360/Halo-3-ODST-Review-126307.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/xbox360/Halo-3-ODST-Review-126307.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Andrei Dumitrescu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Wondershare-PDF-Converter-Review-126125.shtml Converting PDF to plain text is nothing out of the ordinary. You just select the paragraph, right-click it, choose “copy” function and then paste everything in the clipboard in a Notepad document. It is just a matter of copy-paste basic in all operating systems.

The only problem is the formatting of the text, which is no longer preserved, and the aligning of the paragraphs can also be an issue. Fortunately, the amount of utilities on the market ready to assist you in this endeavor is huge. The downside is that they do not come free.

Wondershare PDF Converter comes for the huge sum of $49.95 and the evaluation version restricts your conversion to only the first three pages of the document. It can transform the PDF file to Microsoft Word format, Microsoft PowerPoint, HTM or plain text with no hesitation at all.

$49.95 sure is a lot, for any sort of user, considering there are online services that do this for free. However, the developer released the software with a promotion that halves the price. So you'll be able to get it 50% off, for $24.95, a more decent figure.

The interface is as simple as can be, featuring nothing else but the conversion formats supported by the application. One thing you have to keep in mind, though: you can't convert to Word format if the application is not prese... (read more)]]> Thu, 5 Nov 2009 12:10:00 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Wondershare-PDF-Converter-Review-126125.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Wondershare-PDF-Converter-Review-126125.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Ilascu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Ad-Aware-Game-Edition-Review-125890.shtml Gaming experience has for too long a time been corrupted by the various security solutions installed on your computer that in some cases totally disregarded your need for a change. In the last couple of years security product developers understood the urge of the user to keep the system protected even during gameplay and appended a new section to their applications, specially designed for gamers. In some cases real-time protection would be suspended along with all scheduled tasks that may affect your game experience, and alert messages suppressed.

Less than a month since the release of the latest Ad-Aware, Lavasoft prepares the launch of a game edition of their flagship software, designed to keep malware out of the system even while playing your favorite games. Ad-Aware Game Edition is not a new product to its core as it relies on the same protection features available in Ad-Aware product family, but it has been fancied up with themed interface and adjusted in terms of options and default settings.

The set of features Game Edition sports are closer to those in Ad-Aware Pro rather than the Plus version, as you'll benefit from both antivirus and anti-spyware protection, as well as real-time security (the full power of Ad-Watch Live! is available), behavior-based heuristics detection, rootkit ... (read more)]]> Tue, 3 Nov 2009 13:34:00 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Ad-Aware-Game-Edition-Review-125890.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Ad-Aware-Game-Edition-Review-125890.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Ilascu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/sFont-Review-125051.shtml Finding the best things to integrate into a personal or business-related project is what most of us look for and, if text is involved, then choosing the most appropriate fonts is a must. This task, however, can prove daunting if your library contains hundreds of typefaces. To meet the challenge, you will have to enroll the service of a dedicated viewer that can help you pick out the fonts you consider befitting for the job. Sure enough, the application you're after has to work fast and efficiently, while allowing you an effortless operation. As there are enough such tools for you to select from, it's mainly a matter of personal taste in deciding for a piece of software or another.

An interesting and very likely candidate that meets all the requirements for this kind of utility is sFont, a freeware app designed exactly for this purpose: that of assisting you in making the right choice with no fuss and with a little bit of style. The package is lightweight, under 1 MB, and the installation smooth, just like the interface you'll be meeting. The looks score the first points and the works will reveal more benefits for you, all of them preserving the simplicity without cutting out the quality.

The main window is divided into two areas, one for the list of typefaces and the other dedicated to the preview. There are also several modules in bot... (read more)]]> Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:01:02 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/sFont-Review-125051.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/sFont-Review-125051.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Olivian Puha) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/mac/atPeek-Review-125778.shtml Developed by atPurpose Technologies, atPeek takes advantage of Mac OS X QuickLook plugin framework to display fully functional previews of assets found in iPhone applications, whose contents are otherwise inaccessible using Mac OS system tools. iPhone developers can even extend the core functionality of atPeek by creating and installing custom QuickLook plugins.

By default, atPeek is bundled with two custom QuickLook plugins developed by atPurpose Technologies, which can decode iPhone crushed PNG images and PVR textures. The plugins are also available as a separate download, for free.

Before downloading atPeek, readers should note that the program uses brand-new UI components that are available only in Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard), the latest version of Apple’s Mac OS. Unfortunately, Tiger and even Leopard users cannot make use of the application, something that will undoubtedly affect the sales of this rather cheap developer tool. However, those who are running Apple’s Snow Leopard will find atPeek to be extremely useful.

By default, Mac OS X does not offer users the possibility to examine iPhone application (.ipa) resources. You can only go as far as moving the entire application package from one location to another, Quick Look its icon, or double click it and send it to your iTunes library. You can also get a bunc... (read more)]]> Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:55:00 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/mac/atPeek-Review-125778.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/mac/atPeek-Review-125778.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Filip Truta) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/mac/Audiobook-Builder-Review-125046.shtml It is said that books could be perfect buddies. They do not judge, they offer free advice (and only when you ask them to) and they let you enter their world whenever you have the time. And, as the lack of time and the invasion of bad-quality media are two of the biggest sorrows of our times, the importance of books, and lately the importance of high-quality audiobooks, cannot be underestimated.

Not only that – when read by a crystalline voice, an audiobook could bring joy into your life, but it could also be a wonderful tool to learn a foreign language, to put your mind to work while driving, jogging or even baking, and most important, to simply help you get familiar with the core of a world-famous, forever-young novel that you always wanted but you never had the time to read.

But, I think there is no need to further emphasize the benefits of having and using audiobooks, because everyone who has bought himself at least one of these new media innovations has probably fell in love with it. Nevertheless, I am not sure that everybody knows how to transform their audiobooks into iPod/iPhone compatible formats. And that’s the main purpose of this review: to guide you through the main features of the Audiobook Builder, a program that makes the transferring of any audiobook to your favorite music player devices a piece of c... (read more)]]> Sat, 31 Oct 2009 08:01:02 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/mac/Audiobook-Builder-Review-125046.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/mac/Audiobook-Builder-Review-125046.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Olivia Irinescu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/linux/PS3-Media-Server-Review-125725.shtml
But what's a connection useful for by itself? As its name suggests, PS3 Media Server is designed to transcode videos and stream them in real time, enabling you to watch media residing on the server on the display that your console is connected to. However, if the files that you want to view aren't in one of the formats that the PlayStation understands, you will need a pretty beefy computer to do the transcoding, especially if you want it to happen in real time. Our first impression was that trying to exploit a Java application for real-time streaming would be impossible because of the memory limitations that the JVM imposes, but in fact all the heavy lifting is done by one of the backends that are selected in the PS3 Media Server's configuration options, like the well-known open-source MEncoder and FFmpeg applications.

Unfortunately, PS3 Media Server's interface is laid out in a pretty complicated way. There are a few buttons on the top, "Save," "Restart HTTP Server" and "Quit," and under them the... (read more)]]> Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:05:00 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/linux/PS3-Media-Server-Review-125725.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/linux/PS3-Media-Server-Review-125725.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Doru Barbu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Operation-Flashpoint-Dragon-Rising-Review-125709.shtml It's not a pretty game. It's not about a hero and it's not about glory. The concept of Dragon Rising is a breath of fresh air, as it steps away from the cinematic depiction of war that games have started to portray exclusively and throws you in the middle of combat as a soldier should be, on a need to know basis. The game is one of the closest things out there not to a first-person shooter's depiction of war but to an actual war simulation. The whole super-soldier factor of unlimited health regeneration doesn't exist and surviving getting shot is a miracle as long as you don't dress your wounds and receive medical attention. You'll soon learn to fear incoming fire and think a hundred times before you decide to open fire.

In the attempt to depict reality, the game stepped away from the classic difficulty level. Enemy's health and combat abilities don't change as you scroll through the possible difficulties, and neither do your guns or the world itself. Another thing about the game that makes it stand out is that things don't seem artificial. Nothing seems out of place, nothings is in a place that it shouldn't be in. Weapon crates and resupply points are inside military positions, be they friendly or hostile, and there are no abandoned vehicles on the battlefield for you to jack either.


[tablec] [row] [col]... (read more)]]> Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:00:00 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Operation-Flashpoint-Dragon-Rising-Review-125709.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Operation-Flashpoint-Dragon-Rising-Review-125709.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Florian Totu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Moo0-ImageTypeConverter-Review-124931.shtml Digital images are now part of all our lives and we encounter them almost everywhere. Today, we have right at our fingertips both the technology and the ability to produce and edit pictures with insignificant effort. There are hundreds of applications that can help you change anything about a graphic file and all you need to do is reach out and pick the right one for you. Many utilities try to do it all and offer you an exhaustive tool for all purposes but often fail because of lack of attention insofar as details are concerned. Then again, once in a while, you come across a piece of software focused on one task but so good at it that you'll keep and use it for a long time.

When it comes to converting images, the range of available apps is nearly limitless even though the possible uses and facilities they can supply are roughly the same. The difference is made by the price you have to pay for such a piece of software, by the complexity of features and quality it provides. If you're on the lookout for a utility that can work with several picture files and formats at once with high processing speed and great looking output, you may want to take a closer look at Moo0 ImageTypeConverter. It offers you, in a small package, all the capabilities of a much larger and complex application with the great advantage of being free of cost.
read more)]]> Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:01:03 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Moo0-ImageTypeConverter-Review-124931.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Moo0-ImageTypeConverter-Review-124931.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Olivian Puha) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/mac/FreeMind-Review-125193.shtml Having a map is essential for any new journey. But mapping the mind? What could this possibly be? The ones interested in taking full control over their thoughts and actions have surely found out about this revolutionary concept by now, because it is truly a concept that stands in the center of the latest brain structure and function discoveries. But let's face the truth: the human brain has been slow to give up its secrets. Until recently the mechanisms that stand behind our thoughts, feelings and perceptions were impossible to examine directly, their true nature being possible to be observed only through their effects.

Luckily, at present, the latest imaging technique reveals the internal world of the mind in the same way X-rays reveal our bones. The information technology does not lose any time either, as the developers have already brought to light software applications that enable you to organize your learning habits and brainstorming sessions in accordance with the latest mind mapping concepts. FreeMind is an example of such an application. So, if you are passionate about this subject and you want to learn more about the FreeMind’s features and options, please read further.

The Looks

FreeMind has a user-friendly interface with a classical and rich-in-options menu. As expected, the File menu lets you open an exi... (read more)]]> Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:10:00 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/mac/FreeMind-Review-125193.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/mac/FreeMind-Review-125193.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Olivia Irinescu)