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Be up-to-date with birthdays

My Calendar Mobile is an iOS app with a single aim: to help you remember your friends' birthdays. Its nice design and uncluttered interface won't make it addictive, though -- not even for those who have plenty of birthdays to keep track of.

The app is the iOS version of the very popular Facebook application that reminds its users about their friends' birthdays. While the Facebook interface isn't visible, My Calendar Mobile needs to have access to your friends' birthday information. It can do this by syncing with Facebook or with your Contacts, or you can add birthdays … Read more

Get a set of basic office tools with SSuite Office - Advanced Edition

Between Microsoft Office and other programs that come preinstalled on most Windows machines, Microsoft tends to dominate the market when it comes to the programs that we use the most. That doesn't stop competitors from presenting alternatives, though. SSuite Office - Advanced Edition is a surprisingly comprehensive collection of programs, with not only office software but also games, an e-mail client, a graphics editor, and much more. The programs are somewhat clunky and dated-looking, but we suppose that if you're not too demanding, they could be a viable option.

SSuite Office opens with a small menu interface that … Read more

Pleasing PIM

Not too long ago we reviewed EfficientPIM Free and were quite impressed with the attractive interface and wide variety of features offered by the program. EfficientPIM Free Portable is exactly the same, but the portable version of the program comes as a ZIP file. This means that, at 9.79MB, the whole useful program can be popped onto a USB drive or other portable device, allowing you to manage your contacts, events, and more wherever you go.

The program's interface is attractive and intuitive, with a variety of color schemes to choose from. EfficientPIM Free Portable's layout is … Read more

Lookup tables galore in NEC's new professional display

You really can't go a couple of months without NEC announcing a new professional display, huh? Well, at least they keep me busy (as if I needed that).

This week, NEC announced the successor to its MultiSync 90 series of professional displays, the Multisync PA241W. The display features 102 percent coverage of NTSC and 99.3 percent of Adobe RGB standards. According to NEC, this is an increase from 72 percent in the MultiSync LCD2490WUXi?. NEC also claims a 38 percent smaller footprint size.

Below is a list of features included in the MultiSync PA241W:

1,920 x 1,… Read more

ViewSonic makes second foray into 3D

LAS VEGAS--Last year, I reviewed two 3D monitors: the Samsung SyncMaster 2233RZ and the ViewSonic FuHzion VX2265wm. While the ViewSonic monitor delivered a 3D experience comparative with the Samsung, its overall worse performance and lack of an onscreen display meant that, pound for pound, it just wasn't worth the investment.

At CES 2010, the company announced it's trying 3D again with the debut of the 23.6-inch V3D241wm-LED monitor. This time, the monitor had a 16:9 aspect ratio with a 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution--up from the 1,680x1,050-pixel resolution of the FuHzion VX2265wm.

The V3D241wm has … Read more

PC stress test

Heavyload is a free program that offers an interesting way to test your computer's endurance. By pushing your system to the limit, Heavyload will show you how well your PC can handle stress.

The program's interface is cut down to the basics, which makes it easy to navigate. While it only has a few command icons, they're well labeled, and they're all that you need to conduct a successful test. The program's running graph shows your available memory and CPU usage, which comes in handy when using some of Heavyload's other features. There are … Read more

Green is the new black: Two new eco-friendly NEC displays

If you're in the market for an eco-friendly LCD computer monitor, these days you have a few choices. From LG to Lenovo and soon Dell, green is the new black when it comes to LCDs.

Now, NEC is adding to its own EA line of eco-friendly monitors. On Wednesday, it announced two new eco-friendly displays, the 24-inch MultiSync EA241WM wide-screen display and the 19-inch MultiSync EA191M standard-format display.

As with its previously announced 26-inch EA261WM and 22-inch EA221WM, NEC has registered MultiSync EA241WM and EA191M displays as EPEAT Gold and Silver, respectively. The EPEAT rating requires that the displays are Energy Star compliant. Products that earn the Energy Star designation prevent greenhouse gas emissions by meeting energy efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Each of the new displays includes NEC's ECO Mode. According to NEC, in this mode you can lower power consumption and the amount of wasted heat released into the environment. Each display also includes a built-in carbon footprint meter which calculates and tracks carbon savings.

MultiSync EA241WM features:

1,000:1 contrast ratio 400 cd/m2 brightness 1920x1200-pixel native resolution Four-way adjustable stand (110mm height, tilt, swivel, pivot) New cabinet design with intuitive, multidirectional NaViKey Integrated four-port USB 2.0 hub Space-saving, down-firing speakers with headphone jack Dynamic Video Mode with five presets for real-time optimization of image quality Built-in carrying handle HDMI-capable via adapter, 720p and 1080p from DVI-D High Bandwidth Digital Content Protection, which is supported through the DVI-D connector for use with HDCP-equipped devices and encrypted content ECO Mode for significant power consumption savings Ambix, NaViSet and No Touch Auto Adjust Carbon footprint meter for tracking of carbon savings EPEAT Gold registered for EA241WM… Read more

Sony releases nonbroken 2.41 update for PS3

While the reported cases were few and far between, last week's PlayStation 3 firmware update 2.40 rendered a select few consoles completely useless. Sony had removed the upgrade just a day after the highly anticipated patch was released and claimed it was "looking into it."

Well it seems a week was all that was needed as the very bug-free, nonbroken firmware Version 2.41 is currently available for download. All of the features we told you about appear to remain intact in addition to a newer platinum trophy icon.

We should note that if you were … Read more