multiplicity

Run and hide boss key

Boss keys, aka boss buttons or panic buttons, have probably been around about an hour longer than computers--long enough for the first bored programmer to write the first string of code to clear the screen whenever the boss strolls by. And just think: they had no Web sites, no games, no chatting--none of today's distractions, which demand so much more time and effort. So we were tickled silly to see Don't Panic. It's a free application that can open, close, or hide multiple applications with a single button.

Don't Panic's interface has two modes: a … Read more

Why doesn't the iPad support multiple users?

It's been just over a month since I got my iPad 2 on launch day. For the most part, I absolutely love it. More often than not, I find myself reaching for it at times when previously I'd open up my MacBook. It's totally filled a void in my tech life I had not known existed, and for that I am grateful.

However, unlike my MacBook Pro, the iPad is curiously missing what I think is a must-have piece of functionality. Why doesn't the iPad support multiple users? I asked a few colleagues around the office what they think are the reasons for such a gross omission and far too often I got responses like, "But the iPad is such a personal device," or "They just want every household to buy one for each person living there."

Regarding the first excuse I immediately call foul. Yes, the iPad is a personal device, but it's no more personal than my MacBook Pro--which has no issues with giving my wife or me that deliciously satisfying cube-rotation animation when logging in and out. When I think "personal device" I think of, say, a toothbrush. Since the iPad is not a toothbrush (yet), it should let my wife and me maintain separate identities or system states so we don't continuously need to log in and out of e-mail accounts, Facebook, Twitter, and the like 20 times a day. Sure, iOS was originally conceived for a phone, but the iPad is not a phone that I carry around in my pocket.… Read more

Multiple consoles and gaming headsets: Ask the Editors

Hi Jeff,

I've read almost all your reviews about the gaming headsets that give you wireless surround sound, but there's a problem for us gamers who own more than one console. How do I hook up both my Xbox 360 and PS3 to one wireless gaming headset? Is it even possible?

Thanks, Paul, Chicago

Hi Paul,

Thanks for writing. Accomplishing this isn't impossible, but it's certainly an issue we think gaming headset manufacturers need to become more aware of. We've received dozens of similar questions with gamers anxious about having to finagle a way to get more than one source into a wireless gaming headset transmitter.

We'd love to see a device that allows for more than one digital input, though we are fans of Logitech's F540 system, which accepts up to three analog sources. However, if you're using something like the Turtle Beach X41s, Astro A40s, or Tritton AX 720s, you'll have to manually swap out the digital audio cables each time you want to switch consoles. Not only is this an arduous process, but if you're like me, most of these ports and wires are not conveniently accessible without some serious furniture moving.… Read more

Look inside the clipboard

The Windows Clipboard only displays basic file formats like text and bitmap when you copy a file to it, but in fact it makes a wide range of formats available; it just doesn't show them. NirSoft's InsideClipboard is a small, free utility that displays the binary content of all the formats currently stored in the Clipboard and lets you save the content of a specified format as a binary file.

Like most of NirSoft's utilities, Inside Clipboard is completely portable and runs as soon as you click the program file, with no formal installation required. It has … Read more

Rename it all

Hulubulu's Advanced Renamer is a free batch file renaming tool that offers advanced features like thumbnails, image previews, batch undos, support for hi-fi audio codecs like FLAC and AAC, and multiple renaming methods, including the ability to customize and update the tool with new or different method lists.

Advanced Renamer's up-to-date interface features tabs, resizable panels, and an easily customized, spreadsheetlike main list view displaying selected files and actions. This program offers choices within choices, with plenty of default options yet many customizable features, too. Selecting the Thumbnails button toggles the display into thumbnail mode, which we feel … Read more

Get it together

ImageKlebor from Shoran Software is a free tool that combines multiple image files into a single image. It has a command-line option that makes it useful for automation and pipeline integration, and it's free to use, even commercially. However, most folks will find that ImageKlebor is best suited for assembling multiple images into one picture, such as scans of LP album covers; they're too big for all but the largest scanners, and most folks end up scanning covers in two passes and then trying to put the two together in an image editor. With ImageKlebor, putting chunks of … Read more

BlackBerry Torch 9800 is official

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded:

Blackberry Torch is official Details on Blackberry OS 6.0 Middle Eastern countries ban Blackberry phones Google rolls out multiple log-ins Jailbreakme.com raises security eyebrows Facebook updates Android app

Google rolling out multi-account sign-in to users

The shuffle of having to log off, then back on to your Google account to open up Google services from different accounts, but in the same browser instance, is soon to be a thing of the past.

As noticed by the Google Operating System blog, and later confirmed to CNET by a Google spokesperson, the company is in the process of rolling out a new feature that lets users cycle through up to three of their registered Google accounts without having to re-identify their credentials. Even better, they'll be able to switch from one to another with a simple … Read more

Opera browser sings

Opera 10 maintains the program's tradition of striving for the fastest, smallest, and most full-featured browser available. Opera covers the basics with tabbed browsing, mouse-over previews, a customizable search bar, advanced bookmarking tools, and simple integration with e-mail and chat clients. Mouse-gesture support, keyboard shortcuts, and drag-and-drop functionality round out the essentials. Opera 10.52 marked the Mac debut of the Carakan JavaScript engine, which the publisher claims is 10 times faster than the previous version. Even in the middle of benchmarking tests, that claim doesn't seem far-fetched.

Opera 10.60 is a minor update to Opera 10.… Read more