lists

The DIR command displays a list of files and subfiles in a selected directory, and it's been a useful if somewhat old-fashioned feature of Windows since before it was Windows, back in the MS-DOS days. KRKsoft's Directory Lister Pro generates lists from any directory and saves them as HTML, CSV, or text files. It's a shareware utility that wraps the old-school functionality of the DIR command in a modern Windows interface with many options.

Directory Lister Pro's interface is plain but efficient and clearly configured, with three resizable panels: A left-hand navigation panel with a tree … Read more

Apple has acknowledged a newly-discovered security flaw in the iPhone and is promising to offer a fix with next month's release of iOS 4.2.

The new flaw allows someone to access the phone dialer on a locked iPhone by punching a certain sequence of buttons, thereby giving them the ability to make phone calls, send e-mails, and access the address book. Confirmed by Wired Magazine, the Boy Genius Report, and other online sources, the flaw was reportedly first discovered and posted by a user on the MacRumors online forum on October 22.

Bypassing the lock requires someone to … Read more

If you've been checking out the most popular list at the iTunes App Store recently, you might have noticed that a new game has reached the top of the charts--even unseating the mega-popular Angry Birds. It's called Cut the Rope and it challenges you to feed candy to a hungry little monster named Om Nom by cutting various ropes to direct the candy to his waiting mouth. It's a little hard to describe here, so check out Rick Broida's coverage of Cut the Rope here.

Beating out Angry Birds at the top of the charts is no small feat (it's been sitting pretty there for months), so it got me thinking about what type of game reaches the top of the iTunes App Store.

It seems you must have polish--both games were obviously painstakingly produced. From the main characters down to the menus and even the design of the buttons, the whole experience captures the ambiance the developers are trying to convey making the game more immersive. Both games have extremely cute characters; each of the different birds are adorable in their anger, and the little green monster Om Nom couldn't be cuter when he opens wide for the candy. Both games have simple controls that can be played by anyone--this seems to be the biggest factor. Just about anyone from any age group can grasp the simple controls, but the games are still plenty challenging.

Finally, you need airtight audio, with little nuanced and silly additions like the muttering birds in Angry Birds, or the sigh of sadness when the candy misses Om Nom's mouth. Judging from these games' success, it seems as though the combination of these ingredients casts the widest net for capturing most iPhone gamers' hearts.

So what will the next big iPhone game be? My bet is \it will include all of these ingredients. You can be sure there are developers working right now to capture that perfect combination that makes a hit at the App Store. The only question is, what's the next big hit?

This week's apps include a cloud-synced to-do list manager and an excellent sequel to one of the best first-person shooters on the iPhone.… Read more

Many of us spend the vast majority of our time on our computers, so it makes sense to have a to-do list that lives on the computer as well. Swift To-Do List Lite is a simple but capable utility that can help you stay on top of the things you need to get done.

The program's interface is attractive and very easy to navigate. To add a new task, users simply enter a title, select a priority level and task type (if desired), and choose a due date. The program has plenty of options for reminding users of upcoming … Read more

Things for iPhone is a well-designed, easy-to-use, highly scalable task-management app for the iPhone and iPod Touch, and it's even better when paired with the Mac desktop app of the same name. Like its desktop counterpart (with which it can sync over Wi-Fi), Things for iPhone offers a clean, intuitive interface based around the popular "Getting Things Done" productivity method. Tasks are collected under Projects (sets of smaller subtasks), Areas (areas of responsibility, such as work or family), and an Inbox "waiting area" for unsorted tasks.

Things also has a handy Today list (which also … Read more

Keeping track of your USB devices is easy with NirSoft's USBDeview. It's a small, free tool that lists all the USB devices currently attached to your PC as well as detailed information about each, including the device, manufacturer, model, serial number, VendorID and ProductID, and even the date and time the device was attached to your system. It even lists devices no longer attached to your system, plus the time they were removed.

We've made no secret of the fact that we just love tiny apps, especially when they're efficient and effective for their size. USBDeview … Read more

Pear Note is a clever app that helps you type traditional notes while simultaneously recording--and integrating your notes with--any audio or video source, whether a lecture, a meeting, or a narrated PowerPoint (or even a video that you've imported later). Pear Note captures every keystroke and tracks exactly what was happening as you were typing, so you can go back later and easily see what you were typing at a particular point in the recording.

Pear Note's pleasingly minimal interface has gotten even cleaner in recent updates, with an easy-to-use, two-pane window: the main area is devoted to … Read more

As with any classic role-playing-style game, EpicWin ($2.99) gives you experience points in a number of categories that help your character gain skills and move through a mystical world. The difference in this game? You have to complete your own real tasks to advance your character.

While task management and to-do lists are nothing new on the iPhone (see OmniFocus or Things), EpicWin puts a new spin on how you treat your responsibilities that may just cause you to get more done. With so many games geared toward farming computer crops, creating made-up mobs, or killing virtual vampires, EpicWin turns your to-do list into a game with real rewards (and some fun fake ones, too).

Setting up your EpicWin world is pretty easy. In fact, it's the first few tasks (renamed "quests" for this game) you must complete on your list the day you install the App. Those tutorial quests set you up to begin your journey toward tackling your tasks and completing them as your new avatar (choose from three free characters or two you can purchase in-App).

Being a tall, lanky dude, I of course chose the skeleton character for my avatar and began creating quests. The cool part about adding tasks to EpicWin (despite the fact that it does not sync with any current task managers or calendar to-do lists you may have) is that you get to determine each quest's level of Epicness. … Read more

Sometimes the best programs are those that don't contain a lot of bells and whistles, but that simply do a specific task easily and efficiently. Directory List and Print is one such program. This basic utility lets users create, save, and print lists of the files on their computers. It's not fancy, but that's the point; it's made to do one thing well with as little fuss as possible.

The program's interface is plain and easy to navigate, with panes displaying the user's directories and the program's output. Check boxes allow users to … Read more