win

LAS VEGAS--MSI was fairly coy about sending out pics of its Android-based tablet, the WinPad 100A. Luckily, the device was on display at the company's CES booth.

The WinPad 100A has a 10.1-inch capacitive touch screen and runs on Android 2.3. It wasn't clear whether the device will be upgradable to Honeycomb when the new OS launches, however.

Other specs and details include an ARM processor, a USB port, Mini-USB, HDMI, an SD card reader, a front-facing camera on the upper-left side, and a headphone jack.

Additionally, the device includes a G-Sensor gravity-detecting device, a GPS … Read more

The first public glimpse at the next version of Microsoft's Windows could happen as soon as next month at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

That's according to The New York Times, which has posted a report detailing the software giant's tablet-centric CES keynote plans, including at the bottom the Windows 8 bombshell.

Thus far Microsoft has remained tight-lipped about Windows 8, though there have been leaked documents, job postings, PowerPoint presentations, and nebulous release dates written in Dutch, that have helped paint a clearer picture of its possible launch timeline and planned feature set.

Along … Read more

Most utilities that promise to clean, tweak, and protect your PC share a shortcoming: they do too much and too little. They give users little control over the sweeping changes they make, sometimes disastrously. WinSettings Pro from FileStream offers plenty of control, but it requires more knowledge and effort than the "all-in-one" tools. However, that's precisely why we recommend it over the free and cheap alternatives.

WinSettings Pro's primary access point is an icon in the Notification Area, aka system tray. The program's stylishly skinned interface and Windows-style layout is anchored by the Group Bar, … Read more

Defragmenting files and folders on your hard drive is necessary to keep your system in check, but the whole process can take a long time and can put your computer out of commission while in use. WinContig is a different kind of defragmentation tool, offering options for defragmenting specific files rather than the entire disk. We found it easy to use and surprisingly fast.

The program has a very straightforward user interface that will appeal to users of all skill levels. You'll find menu options and shortcut buttons across the top of the window, a panel for displaying added … Read more

Registry cleaners can keep your PC humming like new, if used with caution. Used carelessly, they can do more than make existing problems worse; they can create new ones, ranging in severity from nuisance to total catastrophe. Some of the tools we've tested do a better job than others in excluding things that shouldn't be changed, and they're free, too. Take WinMend's Registry Defrag, for example. Its Registry defragmentation and cleanup utilities are designed to be safe and reliable.

Registry cleaners tend to have simple, colorful interfaces that pare the user experience down to the essentials. … Read more

After I expressed my disappointment with Ping yesterday, a helpful reader pointed me to Like.fm as an example of the promise of social music.

Here's how it works. First, download and install the free plug-in for iTunes. (There's also a WinAmp version for you holdouts.) Whenever you play a song from iTunes, Like.fm posts the title and artist on a public Web page. Other users can then click on the "play" button on that page and if a video of the song exists on YouTube, it'll start playing. If you link Like.fm … Read more

It's always a terrible feeling when you realize that you're about to run out of room on your hard drive, and it's even worse when you have no idea what's taking up all that space. WinDirStat Portable is a lightweight program that lets users quickly identify the biggest space hogs on their machines and then take action to tidy things up.

The program's interface is plain and utilitarian. When the program is launched, a dialog box asks users to select the drives or folders they want to analyze. The program then scans the selected locations … Read more

When files are too big to transfer efficiently, people often turn to compressed file formats, like ZIP, to make the files more manageable. Another option, however, is to split files into multiple pieces. WinMend File Splitter is an easy-to-use program that lets users do exactly that, as well as reassemble files that have been split. It may not be the best option for everyone, but those who are interested in file splitting should find that it meets their needs just fine.

The program's interface is attractive and easy to navigate, with its two major features--splitting and merging--arranged in separate … Read more

As with any classic role-playing-style game, EpicWin ($2.99) gives you experience points in a number of categories that help your character gain skills and move through a mystical world. The difference in this game? You have to complete your own real tasks to advance your character.

While task management and to-do lists are nothing new on the iPhone (see OmniFocus or Things), EpicWin puts a new spin on how you treat your responsibilities that may just cause you to get more done. With so many games geared toward farming computer crops, creating made-up mobs, or killing virtual vampires, EpicWin turns your to-do list into a game with real rewards (and some fun fake ones, too).

Setting up your EpicWin world is pretty easy. In fact, it's the first few tasks (renamed "quests" for this game) you must complete on your list the day you install the App. Those tutorial quests set you up to begin your journey toward tackling your tasks and completing them as your new avatar (choose from three free characters or two you can purchase in-App).

Being a tall, lanky dude, I of course chose the skeleton character for my avatar and began creating quests. The cool part about adding tasks to EpicWin (despite the fact that it does not sync with any current task managers or calendar to-do lists you may have) is that you get to determine each quest's level of Epicness. … Read more