balances

Maybe it's the ability to influence a billion people or maybe it's the deluxe campus and free food, but Facebook employees have come out in full force and voted their company the best place to work this year.

Company review site Glassdoor annually compiles the 50 best places to work based on comments from employees in dozens of companies. This year, nearly half a million reviews were submitted that rated employers on career opportunities, salary and benefits, work and life balance, senior management, and culture and values. And, Facebook won out.

"The company's leadership truly believes … Read more

The work-life balance often seems like a seesaw, with a grossly overfed boss sitting at one end.

There seems little respect either for personal time or even vacation time, because your time isn't your time. It's time you sold to the highest bidder.

So much so that the majority of U.S. employees expect to have to work on vacation. Well, it is paid vacation, isn't it?

I am privileged to have been passed a survey commissioned by TeamViewer. This is a company that is officially responsible for remote access software, but is uncommonly dedicated to commissioning Harris Interactive … Read more

We expect planners to be easy to use; they're supposed to make our lives easier by helping us keep track of events and appointments in a straightforward way. Almejandro's Daily Planner takes a more complicated approach to this task. It's not the most intuitive program we've ever used, but it does offer some interesting features in addition to the basic datebook functions.

We had to spend some time looking at the planner's interface before figuring out how to proceed. There's a monthly calendar and a list of daily tasks, which made sense. There was … Read more

CyberLink PhotoDirector is an all-in-one photography workflow program that lets you manage, retouch, enhance, share, and print your digital photos. With its intuitive workflow and nondestructive editing environment, it appears to be a great choice for beginners and intermediate users. Plus, with the possibilities furnished by the robust DirectorZone.com community, it might even work for more-advanced users as well.

One change you'll notice from the last version is that the PhotoDirector interface is now split into five main viewing panels as opposed to three: Library, Adjustment, Edit, Slideshow, and Print.

The Library presents all of your digital photos … Read more

Sony is getting into the balanced-armature in-ear headphone market in a big way this year, with, count 'em, 11 new models ranging in price from $79.99 to $499.99.

Sony brought the new XBA line by our offices in advance of CES and I, along with editor Justin Yu and CNET contributor Steve Guttenberg, were impressed with what we heard, even from the entry-level $79.99 XBA-1. The models with an "iP" at the end of their names are designed for use with the iPhone (and iPod Touch) and feature three-button controls, adding a microphone, track, and … Read more

Mint is the iOS mobile companion to Mint.com, the popular financial services site that helps you track all of your accounts and budgets.

You have to set up an account with Mint.com to use the app (which involves giving Mint.com access to your bank, credit card, and investment accounts), then you can monitor your accounts, budget, and cash flow from the site or the app. The passcode-protected app presents your finances in summary form, with the capability to drill down to the item level of a purchase. Follow the trail to the end to edit an item'… Read more

What's the best way to keep track of the gift cards, and their respective balances, you received from family and friends around the holidays?

While we may not have a concrete answer to a common problem, we do have three apps that aim to help you keep better track of your gift cards. Some solutions are free, and others will cost you no more than 99 cents. … Read more

Cutting the cost of solar power isn't all about a better solar cell.

General Electric today announced two research projects to make installation of solar panels easier by standardizing the components, such as racking systems for solar panels. The $5.9 million in research is part of the Department of Energy's SunShot Initiative to dramatically cut the cost of solar photovoltaics.

The price of solar electric panels has steadily gone down and is poised to fall more in the face of a global price war in solar. But as much as half of the cost of solar is … Read more

iHome and New Balance have teamed up for a new set of "fitness evolved" earphones that come equipped with a detachable in-line unit that features a built-in chronograph, pedometer, and heart rate monitor. Here's the quick details for the NB639, which is available now for $99.