typing

Blog platform company Six Apart is adding a free, miniaturized blogging service to its paid blog hosting service TypePad. The new TypePad Micro service is essentially a simplified template, called Chroma, for unpaid users on the TypePad service. It will likely be compared with Posterous and Tumblr.

The Chroma template is flexible and attractive, and most of the blogs I've seen using it look good. It's a great format for short posts and for sharing pictures and embedded videos.

But as a short-form blog authoring platform, TypePad Micro is still TypePad, a powerful and capable blogging system that … Read more

Typing Assistant provides the ability to autocomplete words and save time. With a minimum of frills and an impressively large dictionary, this program will shave minutes off writing.

This program's interface reminded us of the word-completing software present in text messaging, but still required a visit to the Help file's simple instructions for the basics. While its functionality proved to be initially distracting, we quickly grew to anticipate it. Once we wrote a few letters (for example, "Arr") a small screen popped up, providing a list of possible solutions (this example ranged from Arrack, Arrange, Array, … Read more

Typing complex mathematical equations or scientific expressions can be difficult when creating tests or writing research papers if you are using only Microsoft Word or Excel--these apps, though powerful tools, simply are limited in such areas. However, thanks to this nifty app, you can build authentic formulas appropriate for rigorous review and study.

MathType launches a compact interface with four rows of buttons for a variety of symbols, and a row of tabbed buttons categorized by type of expression: algebra, derivations, statistics, matrices, sets, trigonometry, and geometry. These five rows are arrayed over a pane for typing and manipulating the … Read more

Thanks to its helpful tutorials, KP Typing Tutor let you practice typing groups of letters and sentences, as well as get familiar with key positions on your computer's keyboard.

This program is a great solution for busy professionals who never took a typing class in school. KP Typing Tutor is easy to use for adults and children, and there is a link to a Help Web site should you have any questions. We liked how the program offers different types of practice and instruction. You can practice typing anything from simple groups of letters to whole paragraphs. There is … Read more

Perfect Keyboard Lite allows users to easily record text and macros to be used later on, saving time for users who find themselves typing the same things over and over. Even novice macro users will be able to benefit from this intuitive program.

The program's interface is clean and easy to navigate; it should be easy for users who know anything about macros to get started. For those who don't, the built-in Help file provides plenty of guidance, including a section on macro language basics. Users who only need to use the program for text purposes--to insert blocks … Read more

QuickWiper provides users with a simple program to cleanse your computer of unwanted files and folders. In addition, it provides several key features that help clean the hard drive even more, making it a great all-around product.

Most users will not have any trouble jumping right into QuickWiper. The screen consists of only a few command icons, and whenever the mouse is held over them, a brief description is provided. While there is a Help file, most users can skip it and start immediately cleaning their computer. Wiping a file or folder is an easy task. Users simply click on … Read more

Community members of Six Apart's Movable Type platform (MT) are launching a new blogging service on Tuesday. Dubbed "Melody," it's an open-source version of MT that community members are free to build on and change.

Unlike previous open-source efforts though, this one is the first to break off (or "fork") from the main product, allowing for much faster and drastic changes. In many ways it's an answer to WordPress, a competitor of Six Apart that began as an open source project and has benefited from rapid development because of it.

Even though it'… Read more

Here's a look at the new Type R, which comes equipped with a 2.0-liter VTEC four-cylinder engine. The car boasts 237 horsepower and 160 pound-feet of torque. It will be available in the U.K. this fall.

Q: I have yet to really build a music file online. I have dabbled with Napster and iTunes, but really don't have much of a collection. I would like to begin ripping music CDs to my computer. It is confusing, but from what I have read it appears I should rip my music up in MP3 format, which would make it very versatile for different uses. I have several music players (an iPod Touch, a Nano and a Creative Zen V Plus for the gym). I do like iTunes and probably would download less than 75 songs a year. … Read more