Posts Tagged With: reviews
· January 4, 2008 at 6:38 am · Desktop, Software Help
Need a better way to capture the images on your desktop? Now anybody using Windows for more than five minutes can tell you that this is what the “Print Screen” button is for, right? Well true - that does get the job done but some of us need a little more. Here are my best suggestions for desktop image capturing and web site image capturing.
…for the Desktop
MWSnap - this is a powerful free tool that puts your screen capturing ways on steroids. If Microsoft ever released a power toy for screen captures, I have a feeling this is what it would look like.
Here are five MWSnap features I like the most (in no specific order):
- 5 snapping modes
- Support for BMP, JPG, TIFF, PNG and GIF formats
- System-wide hotkeys
- Clipboard copy/paste
- Auto-start with Windows and minimizes to system tray
…for the Web
WebShot - By far, WebShot is the best web site screen capture freeware package you can get. You can capture full size or thumbnail screenshots in a number of different image formats. Wish the documentation was a little better, but it really isn’t that hard to figure out.
Here are some of the features WebShot provides that I really enjoy a lot:
- Automatic determination of page width and height that captures the whole page accurately. Does a great job every time.
- Browser size specification allows you to capture the whole page or part of it.
- Image encoding to JPG, GIF, PNG, and BMP with image quality control to save on disk space. Everybody should have a format to love.
There are a few other options out there too but these seem to far out weight their alternatives from head to toe. So next time you need to grab an screenshot of something on your desktop you should be more than prepaired to meet that chore head on with these freeware goodies.
· October 24, 2007 at 5:24 am · Personal
So far I have been so happy with my new Samsung 226BW 22-Inch Digital/Analog Widescreen LCD Monitor. Look at it - it is just so darn pretty I could cry!
I had to get rid of my old monitor - not because it wore out but because I needed a bigger work space on my desktop and the back stand for the old one just didn’t work the way it should anymore. It is kind of hard to put into words - but I had to stick a hacky sack behind the monitor so that the monitor’s face wouldn’t tilt down so low I had to sit on the floor to use it and type.
I had heard a few bad reviews about this same model after I bought it so I am happy to hear I apparently got one of the good ones. Best thing about the deal was at Amazon - the price after rebate was only $254.97. Now that is a bargain! With this being my second Samsung, I have to say they have done well by my standards yet again.
· July 31, 2007 at 6:43 am · Personal, Software Help
Yes, I am still fawning over my new mp3 player. Can you blame me? Just look how tiny and beautiful it is! Sure the menu system is a little wonky and I am just now starting to manage it but other than that it has been a good solid player thus far.
The software that came with it wasn’t that bad either as a matter of fact.
Usually when software comes a device it is lackluster at best and at worst, well it just sucks. Go ahead and tell me the last software package that came with your device that you actually use. You can’t because none of us do it. The Creative Media Lite program that I was asked to download after buying my Creative Zen Stone Plus is awesome.
Why does it rock? (pun was intended there buddy)
- It Tells Me if the Battery is Charged
- It allows me to Drag and Drop Media From and To the Device
- It Doesn’t Slow Me Down With a Bunch of Other Features I Don’t Need
I was expecting to see something with a music store, big flashing lights and an interface that looked like it was stolen from a Scifi Channel movie of the week. Instead I got a useful application.
Two thumbs up to you Creative, you deserve it!
· July 12, 2007 at 10:07 pm · Hot Web Topics, Online Tools
Well I have been using Pownce for a while now and I think there are some good things about it and a few things that could be improved with it. It hasn’t been fully released to the public though - so I don’t think there is any reason to think they won’t get things fixed up very nicely by the time everybody can use it.
Of course (like with any good Online application) I hope that continue to improve it past that point as well.
For those who are familiar to the instant messaging/connecting aspect of it - you can think of it as Twitter, but actually kind of useful.
Pownce Desktop Client Issues and Problems
I want to be able to minimize it to the system tray in Windows. It should remember it’s resized window as well. Right now I think the default size is a little on the large size, so I’d like for it to remember I resized it down each time I start it up.
Pownce Web Site Issues and Problems
Pownce really needs a better search option for users. I can’t really find people yet because the best thing you can do is a “Name” search. I want e-mail address search, I want keyword and interest search. I just want a little more to help me connect with people I know or people I might want to know.
· July 1, 2007 at 5:00 am · Personal
I once found myself in the group of folks out there that didn’t like devices that do more than one thing. Who needs a talking toaster that makes you coffee?
Well I am happy to say that changed when I got my Panasonic DMRES35VS VCR/DVD Recorder.
Here’s a little official copy about the device:
It doesn’t get a whole lot easier than this. Keep a stack of DVDs, and you’ll never miss another program. One touch recording can be set to keep from recording over your favorites, and you can even watch one program while recording another with Time Slip. The Direct Navigator shows you thumbnails of every program on the disc as you browse through your burgeoning collection. You’re on your own, however, to figure out where to find the time to see what’s been recorded.
What is the major pro for getting this device? Well for me I have boxes and boxes filled with old VHS wrestling tapes that will probably never be released to DVD. I had been copying them from the VCR to the computer, and then burning them - but that just takes time I do not have. With my new toy here I can just start it up and let Panasonic do the rest of the work.
So if that is the pro, where is the con? Well the only bad thing I can say about it is it takes a college degree to figure out how to work all the features that come bundled in with it. I have learned the basics of copying a VHS tape to DVD - but the fancy stuff I will have to leave for another day.
All in all I am very happy with it though, and if you find yourself in the same boat I would highly recommend it.
· April 23, 2007 at 7:28 am · Software Help
I tried to live with SiteAdvisor as long as I could, but McAfee’s over commercialization of the free product has lead me to look for a replacement.
That is where WOT comes into the picture. WOT is another extension for Firefox that acts as a reputation checker. Once installed it leaves a tiny footprint in the browser (which you can see in the picture above) and allows for quick and easy rating of links.
WOT is a free service that provides web site reputation information for users. You can download it as a simple add-on for your browser that determines the trustworthiness of websites based on direct testimonies from the users themselves.
All in all - I like WOT a lot better than SiteAdvisor. There isn’t a huge logo slapped across my browser, and I get no click-through ads like SiteAdvisor delivers. Give it a shot for yourself, because the more users this service has - the better the experience will become.
