cash

Invoice creator

EasyInvoice provides a simple way to create invoices and manage a small business. With an easy-t0-use design and quick results, this program can help many get organized.

While the interface doesn't look like much, its simple design, clear icons, and intuitive menus will have you creating invoices quickly. The program provides a comprehensive Help file, but you will most likely not need it. Create an invoice by simply following the program's wizard, which asks for all the appropriate information, such as customer information, order information, and due dates. Once all this is filled in, the program lists the … Read more

128: 'Cash for Guzzlers' details emerge

Details emerge on cash for guzzlers--and some of it's ugly! It's a bad, bad week for TomTom. Our hybrid car tech Prizefight divides the CNET car community. And a ride in the best fun car you can get less than $30,000.

SHOW NOTES

• The full details of the guzzlers program (PDF)

• CNET Prizefight: Insight vs. Prius

• First look at the real version of the Acura ZDX

• We just keep lovin' the MX-5 Miata

• Check out Wozniak as a body shop pitchman!

123: A new U.S. car company--do you buy it?

A new car company in Louisiana, the latest on the Cash for Clunkers law, a car gadget that will prove you're an idiot, and a ride in a little hot rod we don't really like.

Listen now: Download today's podcast SHOW NOTES

• Cash for Clunkers: What you need to know

• New car company starts up in Louisiana

• 3D maps and more impress us in the Eclipse AVN726e

• Homer Simpson can be the voice of your TomTom

• Put a video "black box" in your car?

Simple bookkeeper

While some financial management programs are complex and require some time to learn, Easy Cash Manager strips away all but the most simple money tracking elements. It's easy to learn, but it may not fit the bill for everyone needing to manage their money.

This freeware program has a bold, all-green display that is laid out fairly simply. The green is a bit over the top, but the simplicity of the screen makes it easy to get started. The left screen is merely blank space. The right offers simple buttons to add deposits or subtract expenses. In simple black … Read more

'Golden Cash' botnet-leasing network uncovered

Researchers at security firm Finjan said on Wednesday that they have uncovered an underground botnet-leasing network where cyber criminals can pay $5 to $100 to install malware on 1,000 PCs for things like stealing data and sending spam.

The Golden Cash network, dubbed "Your money-making machine" on its home page, sells access to botnets comprised of thousands of compromised PCs to cyber criminals for custom malware spreading jobs, according to issue 2 of the Cybercrime Intelligence Report for 2009.

Here's how it works: a cyber criminal creates a botnet by hiding malicious code in a legitimate … Read more

Comprehensive money manager

Although users with a solid grasp of financial management basics will get the most from this freeware program, GnuCash proved to be a capable tool for personal and small business accounting.

This freeware program's interface is bland but functional, and presents itself in a way that will be familiar to users who do their banking online. Various holdings (anything from checking accounts, to CDs, stocks and any other form of investment) are listed in a tree along the left side. Selecting an entry displays further details in a larger pane. At the top of the screen are various commands … Read more

Is Cisco fattening its wallet for acquisitions?

Technology giant Cisco Systems said Monday it plans to sell $4 billion in bonds to pad its corporate wallet with cash, spurring speculation that the company is on the hunt for companies to buy. But exactly which companies it might target and how much it is willing to pay are still unknown.

Cisco has shared some general thoughts on how it plans to spend the extra cash. For one, it will use a portion of the funds to pay down its $500 million of floating rate debt that comes due this month, according to Terry Alberstein, a spokesman for Cisco.… Read more

This toolbar brings it all together

Combine Web browsing with finding shopping deals and collecting coupons for bargains. This toolbar brings it all together.

The AAfter Toolbar installs quickly and easily. Its not the best design we've seen for a toolbar, and it takes up more viewing real estate than seems necessary, but its not as cluttered with buttons as many other toolbars. We like that it doesn't try to be all things to all surfers. Instead, it focuses on its search engine and shopping deals.

The toolbar performed well in all our tests, quickly returning search results and responding quickly when we clicked … Read more

All-in-one toolbar tries too hard, falls short

The Cash Point toolbar installs an attractively designed bar along the top of your Internet Explorer window--a nice change from many garishly designed toolbars that try to provide something for everyone. The arrangement of tools--search field, weather data, Internet radio tuner, e-mail notifier, and a drop-down list of links--isn't cluttered or too tightly packed. Still, appearance isn't everything.

In our tests, this free toolbar loaded fine, but after about five minutes of use, we received a "This toolbar is corrupted and must close" message. It would load OK in subsequent sessions, but was annoying nonetheless. We … Read more

Who has cash to survive the downturn?

The Financial Times points out that many technology companies are cash-rich and intend to stay so in order to ride out the recession. Apple sits atop nearly $26 billion in cash, while Microsoft keeps $19 billion in its pocket (and is probably grateful that its bid for Yahoo was declined, given how that would have decimated its bank balance).

Surprisingly, IBM is relatively cash-poor, with only $3.3 billion in the bank, and Oracle? Well, let's just say Oracle needs its acquisition strategy to start feeding it fat profits because its bank balance is $700 million underwater.

As for … Read more