2.4

We've encountered programs like ActivePresenter before, and to be quite honest, we weren't really looking forward to reviewing this one. Most of the software of this type that we've tried has been unintuitive and a huge hassle to use. So imagine our surprise when we opened ActivePresenter and successfully created a presentation almost without knowing it. If you're looking for a simple way to create tutorials, presentations, and anything else using video screen captures, look no further than ActivePresenter.

The program's interface is incredibly intuitive, with commonsense menus and buttons across the top. To get … Read more

It looks like Sony's partnership with AT&T will go beyond the PSP Vita.

On Wednesday AT&T announced that it will be the exclusive broadband provider for the Sony S2 tablet.

Sony Electronics' Senior Vice President of Networked Technology and Services Division Mike Lucas said, "AT&T provides the speed and coverage that are integral to the different features and functions of our tablet. We value our relationship as they share our commitment to growing the 'Sony Tablet' S2 and the tablet market overall."

According to AT&T, the Sony S2 will, … Read more

If you're an astronomy nerd you likely already know about the Astronomy Picture of the Day, a Web page run by NASA that displays a different astronomy-related image with a brief explanation every day. APOD Wallpaper places the picture of the day on your desktop and automatically updates it daily, making sure that you don't miss out on any space-related geekery.

The program appears as an icon in the system tray once it's opened, and clicking on it gives access to a menu with a handful of settings. You can set whether the image will be stretched, … Read more

What you see on your smartphone's screen increasingly resembles what you see on your desktop, and vice versa. HTC Home Portable for Windows is a simple widget that recreates the animated clock and weather display from HTC smartphones on the Windows desktop. It works in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows Vista and 7. It's free and also portable.

Clicking the extracted program file opened HTC Home Portable's attractive display, which resembles an early digital clock's flipping tabs but also displays location, day and date, weather conditions, and temperature as well as a five-day forecast … Read more

Along with the recent updates for Safari, Java, and iOS, Apple updated the software for Apple TV 2 devices to add more services and features, improve onscreen keyboard handling, and add more AV output options, including HDMI color modes, AirPlay, and Dolby Digital 5.1 for Netflix. While these features are convenient and welcome, a number of people after updating are now seeing a flickering output when the Apple TV 2 is connected to their televisions.

Apple Discussion board member "AppDad" wrote:

We could scarcely believe our eyes when we read in HTC's press release last night that both the HTC Salsa and ChaCha "Facebook phones" will run Android 2.4, Gingerbread's successor.

Android 2.4? That at first seemed unlikely given several factors--the fact that Android developers are just starting to roll out Gingerbread 2.3 phones at this show and elsewhere, the fact that Google just finished a substantial effort to educate developers about Gingerbread, and the fact that Google has stated that it's trying to consolidate its Android release cycles. That adds up to … Read more

Not so long ago, the typical science or research lab was filled with large, heavy instruments, each designed to do just one thing. Now scientists, engineers, and amateurs alike can download lab-grade instruments for free. For example, there's SigmaGraph, a free plotting and analysis tool from SIDI. It offers scientific graphing, curve fitting, editable data sheets, drawing tools, a scripting engine, and more.

SigmaGraph consists of three parts: the SigmaConsole, a mathematical tool that's sort of like a tiny virtual blackboard; the SigmaGraph interface, with a typical Windows layout; and the SigmaTray icon, which resides in the System … Read more

Simnet UnInstaller 2010 is a free utility for uninstalling programs from Windows PCs. It's compact and easy to use, and removes programs as completely as the Windows uninstaller. However, it does less than the Windows uninstall tool and similar free uninstallers. It also offers to help you manage your programs, but it only uninstalls them.

Simnet UnInstaller shares a similar interface with the developer's other tools, a compact, colorful dialog with buttons marked About, Status, Programs, Settings, and Help. The Settings are limited to check boxes for automatic updates and creating a System Restore point before uninstalling software. … Read more

KooLoader is a download manager that emphasizes simplicity and ease of use. It supports multiple simultaneous downloads, accelerated downloads, segmenting, and browser integration. We tested KooLoader in Windows XP and Windows 7.

As with many free tools, you can opt to install a third-party toolbar, but there's no other adware. We chose not to install something called the Gossiper Toolbar. The program's interface and functionality are similar to those of other download management utilities, with basic control icons for adding and deleting URLs, pausing and resuming downloads, and accessing the program's options. There are separate windows for … Read more