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I happily plunked down $25 when iTunes Match was released last November. I loved the idea of accessing my iTunes music library from my iPhone and iPad. Since then, however, I ponied up for Spotify Premium, which I greatly prefer to iTunes Match. Between Spotify and Pandora, I rarely find myself firing up iTunes, and I can't remember the last time I used iTunes Match to tunnel into my iTunes library from my iPhone or iPad.

I suspected that my iTunes Match subscription would auto-renew after a year, and it turns out my suspicions were correct. If you do nothing, you'll drop another $25 for another year of iTunes Match. It's easy to turn off auto-renew for iTunes Match, if you know where to look.… Read more

If you find yourself needing to click repeatedly on the same object, whether you're refreshing a page or performing some other monotonous task, there are plenty of programs that can take this job off your hands. Super Mouse Auto Clicker is an easy-to-use and flexible program that can be set to click specific locations on the screen and much more.

The program has a plain and intuitive interface, with a list view that displays all of the mouse commands you've created and saved. Making a new one is as easy as clicking New and then navigating through a … Read more

A macro is a series of commands that can be recorded and then replayed whenever needed, which is very useful when you find yourself performing the same actions or typing the same text over and over. Ghost Mouse Auto Clicker is an incredibly easy way to create and edit macros, and we think it's a great choice for anyone who's looking to get started with this technology.

Ghost Mouse Auto Clicker has a plain and intuitive interface. To record a macro, simply click the Record Mouse button. The program will then record each movement and click of the … Read more

It can be hard to keep your software up to date, even programs that check for updates themselves. HQ's AutoUP is a free utility that scans your system to identify your installed and update-capable programs and then searches online for the latest updates. AutoUP can also download and save updates, too. You can set it to run when Windows starts as a one-stop check for all your software. It also accesses and checks Windows Update, too. Handy color-coding tells you at a glance which updates are available and if any are beta versions.

AutoUP's dialog-size interface is colorful … Read more

There are plenty of basic utilities out there that let you set your mouse to click repeatedly on a certain link. Advanced Mouse Auto Clicker is something else entirely. This comprehensive program lets you auto click on certain fixed points, images, and color blocks, and it has plenty of options for configuring its behavior. It's by far one of the better programs of this type that we've seen.

The program's interface consists of a single screen that's cluttered with drop-down menus and radio buttons, but it doesn't take too long to get acquainted with it. … Read more

Cursors are necessary and useful, but every now and then they can get in the way. You might find them blocking the text you're typing in a word-processing document, hovering over the forehead of someone in a video you're watching, or presenting a distraction during a slideshow. This is a problem that can be easily solved with AutoHideMouseCursor. This simple utility can automatically hide your cursor after a specified period of time, keeping it out of the way until you need it again.

The program's interface is straightforward; there are check boxes to disable the program, have … Read more

To give online car shoppers a feel for the brick-and-mortar buying experience, eBay is teaming up with AutoNation to sell new vehicles using a modern take on a "tent sale" method.

Starting today at 9 a.m. PT, AutoNation will post a handful of new vehicles each day on eBay that initially bear the MSRP. However, each hour the price of the car will drop until someone clicks the "Buy It Now" button. The drop each hour will be "significant," said eBay in a statement," and there's no bottom floor or reserve … Read more

Of course you use antivirus software and maybe a firewall, too, but keeping your PC safe only starts there. One of the simplest yet smartest things you can do is disable Autorun in Windows. It's a convenience that runs programs automatically; for example, Autorun starts playing a CD as soon as you close the tray. It's even more convenient for the viruses and other malware that use autorun.exe to do everything from infiltrating your system to destroying it. One of the simplest ways to disable Autorun completely or selectively is with AutoRun Disable by Endpoint Protector. This … Read more

Apple has filed a patent application that describes a method for obtaining and adding metadata to files automatically using the Internet and various social networks.

The process, filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (discovered by AppleInsider), shows Apple's continued interest in creating connections with social networks by inventing a way for users to automatically update their files using data obtained online.

Apple's method, titled "Automatic Discovery of Metadata," seeks to solve an issue that many of us do not likely even know we have. Metadata on files already includes common entries such as … Read more