magic

ZoomMagic helps take a closer look at the computer screen with this digital magnifying glass tool. By quickly blowing things up and offering a surprising special feature, this is a great choice for anyone needing to zoom in.

The program's simplistic, onscreen directions welcomed us to start right away. We also appreciated how large all tools and texts were, and how accommodating they were to users with visual impairments. The program blew up anything behind its medium-size box that we ferried around the screen, acting as a digital magnifying glass. Also, the box had an option to stay stationary … Read more

Mirror Magic is a puzzle game that's harder than it looks. Although it seems to be marketed toward children, we found it to be quite challenging.

The premise of the game is that Grendoline, a beautiful woman who is bitter about her aging face, has locked a bunch of townsfolk into mirrors. Our heroine, Iris, has to free everyone by solving a series of puzzles. Each puzzle consists of two seemingly identical images with five subtle differences. Users have to identify all of the differences before time runs out. As users move through different locations in the village, complications … Read more

The MagicBook attempts to bring the best parts of physical coloring books to the computer screen while making improvements. The results are a fantastic program that kids will easily learn and learn to love.

With a fun design that looks hand-drawn by a child, young artists will love cycling through the few big, colorful icons and the unique color palette. Point-and-click coloring control should be simple enough for young hands to quickly learn, which is a good thing since there is no Help file for adults. The program itself revolves around kids first choosing a coloring template (birds, cats, and … Read more

We've told you about its cool new packaging, and now we can tell you about the phone itself. It's been a long wait for T-Mobile's second Google Android phone, but the MyTouch 3G has finally arrived. We've given it a shakedown, and we like what we see.

The MyTouch improves on its G1 predecessor in a few ways. It offers a sleeker design, more comfortable controls, and all the benefits of the Android "Cupcake" 1.5 update. And even better, we finally get Microsoft Exchange Server support for e-mail. It's still far from … Read more

Good news Android fans: our T-Mobile myTouch 3G arrived today. And before we get knee-deep in reviewing T-Mobile's second Google Android phone, we wanted to show you its nifty packaging. We're not taking about a standard paper box with a plastic tray here. Rather, it comes in a padded zippered case that slips into a paper sleeve.

The case, which is covered in a nylon-like material, is exceptionally cool. Separate compartments securely hold the phone, wall adapter, USB cable, headphones, and user materials. Not only can you use the case for storing the phone's various parts, but … Read more

Many people use sticky notes at home and work to act as simple reminders. Their ease of use and high visibility make them perfect for creating a daily task list, keeping a shopping list for the grocery store, or taking important notes. Sticky Note for Android provides the same basic functionality with some extra helpful features.

Developed by Bratag, Sticky Note works by placing a small widget anywhere on your home screen. The widget looks exactly like a real note that is pinned to your desktop. Tap the note once and it expands to full-screen mode to display all the … Read more

Fans of strategy, role-playing card games may find this game an interesting variation, but the entire experience seems a little bland compared to actually holding cards in your hand and drawing from a deck.

Heartless Victory launches a window with a number of panes for selecting cards to build a personalized deck. The design is rather bland but functional and easy to understand. One pane provides all the info about each selection, and we were able to build multiple decks and save it with its own name. A second window lets players actually use their decks to attempt beating their … Read more

T-Mobile has finally unveiled its second Android phone, but how does it stack up with the carrier's first release? If you purchased a G1 back in October, is it time to upgrade? How were the major concerns of the first phone addressed?

The MyTouch 3G won't launch in the United States until August, but the phone has been available in other parts of the world for months. The Google Ion, which made the rounds at the Google I/O conference last month, is a limited edition version of the HTC Magic, and shares the same hardware and many features with the MyTouch 3G.

Battery life One of the biggest complaints of the G1 concerned its limited battery life. Users were forced to disable many features in order to prolong use. Indeed, on my G1, I routinely had to disable Wi-Fi, GPS, and other features that I wasn't using. Normally, my phone would normally survive the day, but it was near dead when I placed it on the charger at night.

Luckily, the battery life is no longer an issue on the second Android phone. The Ion's 1300mAh battery offers increased capacity over its predecessor. Though it's only 13 percent larger than the G1's 1150mAh battery, it feels as if it has twice the capacity. Even if I leave all features turned on, my phone is still going strong at night. There have even been a few nights where I skipped charging the Ion, which is something that I could never do with the G1.… Read more

I cringe every time I hear the phrase "iPhone killer." And in a month like this, when we've reviewed the Palm Pre, the iPhone 3G S, and the next Google Android phone that is expected to land at T-Mobile, I've heard it way too many times.

My biggest issue with the phrase is not that's it's overused--though that's part of it--it's that it implies that the iPhone needs to be killed. Calling the latest touch-screen phone an "iPhone killer" automatically elevates the iPhone to a place that it doesn't … Read more