lite

An old Game Boy saved me from buying a PS Vita

When the PlayStation Vita launched, I didn't buy one -- or even preorder one, which seemed odd to a few people who know my affinity for Sony.

I've written about the device numerous times on CNET and enjoyed many extended gameplay sessions with major launch titles at press events. I kept up with Vita chatter on jumbo-size gaming forums like NeoGAF, reading about the trials and tribulations of the new system from faithful early adopters.

And let's face it. The Vita, with its array of sensors comparable to the Death Star, would capture the attention of any geek. Like some of you out there, I've grown tired of playing touch-screen games on my iPhone 4 and wanted buttons like the old days. Who could resist the doubleheader quad-core processor and quad-core graphics driving a mega, 5-inch OLED screen?

Well, so far, I have resisted, and I largely credit a visit to my mother's house several weeks before the PlayStation Vita launch on February 22.… Read more

ClipMagic Lite demonstrates ClipMagic's capabilities

It seems that nothing in Windows can't be improved by a little (or a lot) of tweaking, and the perfect example is the Clipboard. ClipMagic Lite a freeware version of a clipboard management tool. Like the others, it lets you save, store, and manage clips, especially text files and images. It automatically adds clips when you press CTRL+C or select Copy, and even saves URLs when copying text from online sources. It has many other features, though some of the tools and options described in the extensive Help manual and tutorials are only available in the paid upgrade, … Read more

Strengthen your clipboard with Spartan Lite

Spartan Lite Multi Clipboard is an enhanced clipboard for Windows. It saves the 25 most recently copied clips in a simple, spreadsheet-style grid and also stores many permanent clips, including text, images, Web and e-mail addresses, and anything else you can copy and paste from the clipboard.

It does more than just paste stuff, though. You can configure it to perform a wide range of functions such as sending e-mail, running programs, filling forms, bookmarking Web sites, and dialing telephone numbers. Spartan Lite is a fully functional freeware version of Spartan, with no adware or nag screens. The freeware only … Read more

Clean metadata from your JPEGs with BatchPurifier Lite

BatchPurifier Lite removes metadata from JPEG images without affecting their quality. Such data can include thumbnails, geotags, Photoshop resources, EXIF data, and even the make and model of the camera that captured the image. Removing some or all of the metadata from your images helps reduce their size on the disk, but it can also help protect your privacy, especially if you like to share pictures online. BatchPurifier Lite can also remove metadata from compressed images. This freeware version of a premium tool is fully functional but limited to JPEG images only.

BatchPurifier Lite's wizard-based interface starts with the … Read more

Back up your drivers with Driver Magician Lite Portable

Driver Magician Lite backs up your system's drivers to a folder you select. If you need to reinstall your operating system or just need a driver, you can get them from the program's archive. Driver Magician Lite is a freeware version of Driver Magician. The free tool backs up drivers but doesn't restore them automatically. But you can still access the archived drivers manually, which is what most users will need anyway. Driver Magician Lite Portable is a totally portable version of the freeware edition. It does everything Driver Magician Lite does, but it runs from any … Read more

Get more information with MediaInfo Lite

Most Windows users know that you can right-click on any file to view its properties, such as its file type, size, location, and dates that it was created, modified, and last accessed. If you wish the Windows properties menu included more information, try MediaInfo Lite. While it doesn't display full metadata, it does let you quickly access a little more information about your files, especially videos.

Once installed, MediaInfo Lite can be run as a standalone program or accessed via the context menu. We tried the program with several image files, and it displayed the file size and format, … Read more

Find words and solve riddles with Puzzle Game Lite

We love a good puzzle, and all the better if it's a type of puzzle we've never tried before. Puzzle Game Lite is part word search, part riddle, and lots of fun. This version of the game provides only eight puzzles, but it's a good introduction to the game if you're considering the full version or just want to try something new.

Puzzle Game Lite is easier to play than it is to explain. Each puzzle has a sentence across the top with several key words removed; in the blanks are numbers representing how many times … Read more

Manage your social networks with Social Lite

Social networking can take up both a lot of your time and a lot of real estate on your computer screen, so it's no wonder that there are now clients that let users handle multiple social networking accounts all in one place. Social Lite is a basic program that lets you access Facebook, Twitter, and Gmail, and provides balloon notifications for new posts or messages. It's not bad, but with such stiff competition among social networking clients, it definitely has room for improvement.

The program functions much like a browser, with icons across the top for Facebook, Twitter, … Read more

Manage sales and contacts with EQMS 2012 Lite

Customer relationship management is so important in business that it's usually just called "CRM." EQMS 2012 Lite is a free sales CRM solution optimized for sales executives, especially for individuals and small and microbusinesses. It's a simplified free version of a CRM system that is also available in a range of premium applications. EQMS 2012 Lite helps sales managers track leads, follow-ups, and closures. It keeps contacts current, captures a wide range of information, measures sales performance, analyzes data, and generates reports. Centralized data management makes it easy to find all the information you need.

The … Read more

Fix faces with Cosmetic Guide Lite

Cosmetic Guide Lite cosmetically corrects portraits, especially full-face portraits, with graphics editing tools instead of makeup. The Lite version is a freeware release of a premium tool. Unfortunately, it contains few of the cosmetic-specific features of the paid version, making it of little use beyond demonstrating the paid tool's capabilities with video demonstrations.

Cosmetic Guide Lite is essentially an image editor, like Photoshop and many others, but with reduced and simplified features. The Lite version includes the standard Smudge, Brush, Crop, Resize, and Text tools, as well as the Smart Patch and Bleach Teeth tools from the premium version. … Read more