Reviews

BioShock Infinite Raises the Roof
April 02, 2013

Video game franchises typically run a predictable course. Create something unique, and if it's a hit, crank out a few more of the same. This is why some good series eventually stumble. Irrational Games likely pondered this when it began developing the second sequel to the groundbreaking BioShock. How do you follow-up a smash game that takes players to a strange and fascinating underwater city?

Relax and Sleep: Whatever Floats Your Dream Boat
March 29, 2013

Relax and Sleep Plus lets you choose and play ambient sounds that might help you sleep. I tried this app during a grueling jet-lagged visit to London. The UK has a seven-hour time difference from Los Angeles, which is my home base, so my day started there just as I normally would be going to sleep. For me, the net result of the time change was sleeplessness in the dead of local night.

All Things Appy: 5 Best Android News Apps
March 27, 2013

With the unexpected news that Google's RSS feed reader, Google Reader, is being put out to pasture, many users are scrambling to find new tools for news consumption. There are still plenty of excellent free news apps out there, and here's a look at the top five available for the Android platform. Google Currents is a pretty, magazine-like aggregator with a true offline solution that works well in airplane mode.

HP's Officejet Pro Does 1 Thing Extremely Well
March 26, 2013

The HP Officejet Pro X551dw doesn't scan, doesn't copy, doesn't fax, and obviously doesn't make coffee. It is, however, among the best single-use printers you could get in a small-to-medium sized office environment. It is fast, it operates at a low cost, and although it doesn't do those aforementioned things, it does much more.

pwSafe Cracks the Safe-Password Problem
March 26, 2013

Hardly a day goes by without a data breach making the news or a social media account being hacked. That kind of news can be unsettling to many of us and leave us wondering how we can better protect our online security. One way to address the problem is to beef up your first line of defense against hackers: the passwords to your online accounts.

SimCity Is More Magical Than Mundane
March 22, 2013

The latest version of the long-running SimCity was a long time coming, and when it finally arrived, server issues kept many gamers from getting to the good stuff. It's been nearly a decade since the release of SimCity 4, and now the fifth version -- titled simply SimCity -- is offering gamers the chance to once again build the city of their dreams.

Pie Control Pro Is a GUI Delight
March 22, 2013

The early-90s Windows 3.11 operating system offered a graphical user interface that was a breakthrough for me. It was, in fact, my first GUI. I'd been using command-line, error-prone MS-DOS for two or three years before that, and it was a delight to suddenly be able to maximize screens, switch programs, and point around with a mouse, after living with the syntactically regimented MS-DOS.

All Things Appy: Top 5 Chrome Entertainment Apps
March 20, 2013

Here's a look at the top five must-have free entertainment apps for the Chrome Web-browser based platform. Google's Chrome Web browser features three types of add-ons -- Web apps, themes and extensions -- available at the Chrome Web Store. Crackle, owned by Sony, supplies a vast array of free movies on demand. They aren't the latest, but they are full-length and uncut, and a lot of them were blockbusters at one time.

Slices Pro for Twitter Cuts Through the Chaos
March 15, 2013

We're seeing an entire genre of Twitter clients proliferating within the Android ecosystem -- each app with its own idea about the best way to interact with the monolithic, 500 million-strong social network. OneLouder's Slices Pro for Twitter is the latest client to grab my attention -- not least because it provides a way to browse Twitter directories by category to find the best Follows.

NEdit: With Great Power Comes Not-So-Hot Usability
March 13, 2013

The creators of Nirvana Editor, or NEdit for short, consider it paradise for writers. I found, however, that it's not yet the perfect text editor. NEdit is currently in version 5.5, so it is not a newcomer to the text editing scene. I tried it with the hope that it would bring a few new tricks to my aging collection of text editors

All Things Appy: 5 Best Firefox Add-ons for Mobile-Desktop Syncing
March 13, 2013

One of the killer features in the Firefox Web browser is its ability to sync between desktops and mobile devices. Well, you don't have to stop there. Firefox's desktop Web ecosystem includes add-ons that will let you sync open tabs across other ecosystems, like over to Chrome; keep favorite Firefox extensions synced with all your computers; sync passwords; and sync reading matter.

Something to Jump Up and Down About: Dish Hopper
March 08, 2013

Earlier this year, Dish unveiled the latest version of the Hopper, its kangaroo-themed HD DVR system. The improved box features a 1,305 MHz Broadcom processor, WiFi connectivity, and integrated Slingbox and Hopper Transfers. For viewers, this means more recording options and more ways to enjoy TV.

Storage Analyzer: A Must-Have App That Has No Business Being Free
March 08, 2013

I've been running into major headaches with file-storage memory on my Android tablet. If you too have been having problems getting files to fit on your device, it may not be that your device's memory or SD card is full, but that phantom files are hogging resources. I'm usually -- carefully -- buying cheap gear. In the device business, that usually means limited on-board memory.

All Things Appy: Top 5 Windows 8 Tools
March 06, 2013

Forget software, applications and programs. While you're at it, forget utilities -- they're now called "tools." The future is apps, and Windows 8 is not going to be left out. Windows 8 has been designed for touch, yet many of us still use keyboards and mice. Consequently, our No. 1 spot is dedicated to a tool for translating commands.

OruxMaps Lets You Go as Far as Your Mapmaking Skill Takes You
March 01, 2013

Have you ever considered becoming a cartographer? It's not as hard as you might think. I've been trying out OruxMaps, a map viewer for Android that functions two ways. One mode is online with the usual suspects like Google maps, OpenStreetMap, and so on; the second and more intriguing method is offline with maps you've created yourself. Creating your own maps, while not hard, is a project.

All Things Appy: 5 Best Apple Lifestyle Apps
February 27, 2013

The introduction of the smartphone can be credited with inspiring many so-called lifestyle improvements -- not the least of which stems from its ability to multitask. Junk that alarm clock and makeup mirror, and gear up for fashion, shopping and art.

Slick Syncing May Sell You on Firefox for Android
February 22, 2013

I've taken to browsing the Web with a mobile device like a duck to water, despite the generally appalling user experience. I remember well the days of balancing hot and heavy Dell laptops on my middle, recumbent on a sofa -- peering awkwardly at an obscurely angled keyboard, lap getting hotter and hotter. Relief came when the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet debuted in the U.S. in November 2005.

All Things Appy: Top 5 Android Kitchen Apps
February 20, 2013

Distinction's Cocktail Flow features a cabinet system that lets you inventory your bar and then proposes cocktail recipes based on what you've got. This is functionality that really shows off the power of app over website or book. Shopping suggestions for augmenting your bar, along with a budget guesstimate, tell you how many new types of cocktails you're going to be able to make and at what cost.

BeyondPod Takes the Tedium Out of Podcast Playlist Creation
February 15, 2013

I was horrified by the prospect of Google's Listen podcast manager app for Android being discontinued when I first heard the news some months ago. The idea of having to find again, pay for and then configure an alternative podcast app was annoying. I could really think of better things to do with a few bucks and my time -- like buy a coffee.

All Things Appy: 5 Best Chrome Web Reference Apps
February 13, 2013

The Dictionary.com extension is distinct from Dictionary.com's app for Chrome which merely opens a Web page. The extension lets you double-click on any word, on any Web page, to see the definition in a pop-up box -- or you can enter the word in a search box. Both are fast ways to look up words, and are infinitely superior to having to launch a tab and flip between dictionary tab and text that you're reading.