reading

ExifTool is a handy, free Perl-based program for editing the Exif information in digital image files as well as the meta information in other digital files, such as music and movies. It's available in several configurations; we tested the standalone Windows executable version, which doesn't require Perl and omits some of the features of the command-line version but offers essentially the same functionality, including, notably, a command-line capability.

ExifTool downloads as a ZIP file and unpacks as a Windows executable file that we chose to park on the desktop. To use ExifTool, you simply drag and drop a … Read more

If I'm ever stranded on a desert island, I hope I've got MegaReader on my iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch. And, um, a solar charger. And 3G. And a Starbucks would be nice.

Because MegaReader, you see, supplies enough reading material to last a lifetime. The app promises access to a whopping 1.8 million free e-books--far more than any other reader app I know.

Whether that count is accurate is difficult to say, but at the very least you'll have enough books to tide you over until rescue comes--or you get mixed up with The Others.

The … Read more

Reading Glasses is a nifty Google Chrome extension that lets you read on the Web only what you want to read while blocking out the rest.

A small Reading-Glasses icon will appear to the right-hand side of your address bar after the quick install. While you are reading a body of text, highlight your focus and click the icon. Doing so will white out everything other than the text. The problem with this extension is that it can be very finicky; sometimes it whites out more than you want it to, and sometimes less. It seems that luck may have … Read more

And, lo, the era of the sub-$100 e-book reader is finally upon us! Sears (Sears?) has the Sony Reader Pocket Edition PRS-300BC for $99.99 (plus $7 for shipping and sales tax in some states). It's new, not refurbished.

For years I've been saying (to anyone who'll listen--a surprisingly small group) that $99 is the magic price point for e-book readers like this and the Kindle. (Apparently $139 is fairly magical as well, as evidenced by the immediate sellout of Amazon's new Kindle Wi-Fi.)

Sony's product doesn't get nearly as much ink (no … Read more

Recently, Barnes & Noble announced that it was rebranding its eReading software across various platforms and calling it Nook. As part of that evolution, the company has released a "next-generation" Nook for iPhone application that incorporates many of the features found in its Nook for iPad app. At the same time, it's updated Nook for iPad to include some new features, including one that allows you to rate e-books from within the app. Users had been requesting the feature, the company said.

Nook for iPhone appears to be a big improvement over the company's previous B&… Read more

As you've probably heard by now, Amazon just took the wraps off two new Kindle models: the Kindle Wi-Fi and Kindle Free 3G+Wi-Fi.

Let's set aside for a moment the curious naming conventions at work here. (Yo, Amazon: was something wrong with "Kindle 3" and "Kindle 3 Wi-Fi Edition"? What's with all the vague "All-New Kindle" and "Latest Generation" monikers?) The big news is price, at least for the Wi-Fi model: $139.

When the Kindle debuted nearly three years ago, I was excited by the hardware (I'm … Read more

iPad app Flipboard calls itself a "social magazine," a way to browse Facebook and Twitter content with the same breezy effortlessness you'd browse the pages of a favorite periodical.

I call it cool.

Flipboard reminds me of Blogshelf, the awesome iPad app that gives blogs and RSS feeds an iBooks-style makeover.

Here, however, the app pulls from your Facebook and Twitter accounts, turning friends' updates into nicely formatted, perusal-friendly pages. (Shades of Sobees, which works a similar kind of magic--though only for Facebook.)

Flipboard also delivers your choice of a couple dozen aggregated content sections (news, finance, … Read more

"Oh, goody," we thought when we saw MB Mind Reading Numerology among our software review assignments. "Another bad program from Mystic Board." We always try to approach programs with an open mind, but we've had enough experience with Mystic Board products to know exactly what was in store for us. Mystic Board never fails to disappoint.

The gimmick for this particular piece of software is mind reading based on a series of nine numbers. The interface, which is cluttered with ads, instructs users to close their eyes, take a deep breath, and enter the first … Read more

I'm a lucky guy. I wear glasses, and I like wearing them. They're sort of my way of saying, "Screw you, world, I'm an actual nerd!" My glasses are big, they're black, and they make me look so good that I've destroyed all of my mirrors because I just can't stand it. But they're single index, meaning they're not bifocals. Undoubtedly, though, one of these days (probably around the time I hit 40, according to the research), I'll need to upgrade.

But maybe I won't be getting bifocals … Read more