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ie8 fix

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Efficient shortcut switchboard

Although Start Button Shortcuts appears to be designed in the days of Windows 95, we found it to be a handy tool. It's well-suited to help the beginning computer user or anyone looking to cut a few mouse clicks.

Start Button Shortcuts looks exactly like it sounds it will. The program features a plethora of buttons for simple tasks and common features within Windows. The beauty of this app is that all of these features are in one, easy-to-use platform instead of spread across the Start Menu, programs list, Control Panel, My Computer, and so on. Users can quickly … Read more

What to expect at SXSWi, part 2: Panels and keynotes

This is part two of a four-part series. Here's part one.

If you've never been to the South by Southwest Interactive Festival--which runs Friday through Tuesday in Austin, Texas--you might get the impression that it's just a bunch of wild parties where people run around drinking margaritas and then snarfing down barbecue and tacos to temper the effect of the tequila so they can be lucid enough to put up the evening's photos on Flickr and Facebook.

Not quite.

There is, actually, an extensive and packed lineup of panels, keynotes, "salons," and "core … Read more

Alarm fails to sound

There are more than a few problems with this desktop utility, which had two identities and several features that just didn't work. Desktop Alarm, or Desktop Angel, as the interface states, primarily offers one-stop access to existing Windows tools, but this version fails to deliver.

A slim window is added that floats on your desktop. Most of the text was cut off, and we found ourselves annoyed by the animation on the interface. In one click, though, you can empty the Recycle Bin, access the Control Panel, and erase browsing history. The emphasis is on "can," because … Read more

Dent an Aptera 2e, win $100

In Aptera Motor's manufacturing facility, visitors are given a sledgehammer and encouraged to swing away at the company's electric vehicle prototype. Dent it, and you can win $100.

This challenge, of course, will not apply to accidents on the streets when the three-wheeled aerodynamic vehicle hits California's congested highways in October.

The hands-on exercise demonstrates the vehicle's inherent safety, and is an attempt to overcome the perception that a small, lightweight, three-wheeled vehicle isn't as safe as a conventional gas-fueled car. … Read more