Pictures

Magic Mirror is a basic photo-editing program that allows users to warp, stretch, and otherwise play with their images. Although we've seen similar programs before, this one isn't bad, especially for kids.

The program's interface is basic and colorful, although we wish it were better labeled--or labeled at all. There are four unmarked buttons on the left, a slider numbered zero through 100 on the right, and an unmarked slider that looks like a volume control at the top. On one hand it's kind of fun to play with the effects not knowing exactly what's … Read more

Just in time for the holiday gift-buying rush, Epson on Tuesday announced a brand new PictureMate personal photo printer. We've reviewed plenty of Epson's 4x6 photo printers in the past, but its latest PictureMate Charm promises maximum versatility and print durability for just $150.

The PictureMate Charm gives home photo enthusiasts a new way to produce lab-quality photos on the go at parties, special events, family vacations, and so on, thanks to the inclusion of a carrying handle and a dual-purpose lid that also happens to double as a paper input tray.

Creative types will be pleased to see a variety of color effects and layout options that turn photos into wallet-size proof sheets, stickers, and more. Featuring 5760x1440 dpi, the PictureMate Charm boasts the highest print resolution in its class with built-in auto photo correction and red-eye removal in tow. The Charm will also come with ink and 100 sheets of either glossy or matte-finish 4x6-inch photo paper.

Look for a full review of the Epson PictureMate Charm coming soon. One more photo of the Epson PictureMate Charm after the jump.… Read more

I once asked a happy couple I knew why they loved horror movies. "It's exciting to be scared," the wife explained. So I suggested three large henchmen would be arriving shortly with all sorts of farming implements in order to slice them both into small, but even pieces. They didn't seem to find that exciting at all.

Still, people seem so able to divorce their fantasies from their realities that one should not be agog that "Paranormal Activity," a movie whose sole purpose seems to be to part your nervous system from the solar … Read more

RealNetworks, a maker of media software, has said it will file an appeal and ask that a district court decision to ban sales of its DVD-copying software, RealDVD, be overturned.

In August, a federal district judge issued a preliminary injunction to halt sales of the $30 software, which enables users to create digital copies of DVDs and then store them on a hard drive. Real said in court documents that sometime before November 9, the Seattle-based company will file an appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

The film studios claimed in a 2008 lawsuit … Read more

HP Photosmart Essential provides a simple set of tools for editing and sharing photos. While not offering a ton of options and functions, the program does a fine job of sticking to the basics.

We were surprised by how simple and professional-looking the program's interface was and it was clear the designers put a lot of effort into it. That was even before we watched the brief tutorial videos that showed us everything we needed to know. The program reminded us of many other photo editors, though with only a handful of tools, like color, lighting, resizing, and cropping. … Read more

Back in March I wrote about a skee-ball-type game called 10-balls 7 cups that was surprisingly fun. It had great sounds and graphics, and the gameplay consisted of a flick of your finger to send the ball down the alley and a tilt of your iPhone to redirect the ball into the cups. I said at the time that the only problem I had with this simple yet fun game was that the silly prizes you could buy at the end with your points didn't have pictures.

I just received word that longtime Mac gaming publisher Freeverse has gotten … Read more

ImageConvert is a lightweight and intuitive way to resize images and save them in different file formats. The program doesn't have a lot of features, but it's extremely easy to use and is good at what it does.

The program's interface is very simple, with all of its features displayed on one screen. The only time users have to open anything else is when they select the directory that contains their images. Once that's done, the program shows a list of file names, and users can convert all the images at once or work with them … Read more

Image Compressor 2008 Pro Edition is a full-featured digital image editor. Although it won't replace Photoshop or other top-of-the line editing software, it's a great choice for users seeking a fairly lightweight program that still delivers plenty of options.

The program's interface is quite sleek and intuitive, although we were dismayed that the Quick Start Guide, which seems to invite users to click on it for information about different topics, couldn't actually be clicked on at all. This was the only hiccup we encountered, though. The interface is fully configurable, allowing users to customize the layout … Read more

Too often we see photo utilities that fall into the trap of having only one feature; they can crop or rotate, for example, and that's it. We feared something similar from Picture Resize Genius, but the program turns out to have many useful features that make it worthwhile.

The program's interface is quite intuitive, with all of its functions well organized down the left side. Users can select one image, multiple images, or a folder full of images to be resized, and the program lists them all by file name for easy access. Users then select the functions … Read more