types

Modify file attributes and icons with Types

Types is a small configuration application that lets you manage filenames, icons, and other file and folder properties. It also allows you to modify context menus. There are several user-supported language ports of Types, a nice feature.

Types installs quickly and has a very simple interface that lets you navigate to different folders and click on files or folders to examine their basic properties and modify them, or delete the files. The problem with Types is that it is very basic and offers limited functionality. There are other applications that give you more control and more options, but Types does … Read more

Touchfire overlay adds tactile feedback to your iPad keyboard

Hoping to use your iPad in place of your laptop? The stumbling block has always been the keyboard: onscreen keys lack the tactile feedback afforded by the real thing, and therefore tend to trip up touch-typists (who are now woefully mislabeled).

Of course, there are any number of keyboard cases and add-ons, but those add bulk and weight to your tablet. Isn't there some way to make the iPad's own keyboard more serviceable?

That's the idea behind the Touchfire, a silicon overlay that aims to provide enough tactile response that you can live with the iPad's … Read more

SwiftKey 3.0 adds 'Smart Space'

If you're not familiar with SwiftKey, it's a Google Play Editors' Choice app, and it won the coveted Most Innovative App award at the 2011 Global Mobile Awards in Barcelona, Spain. What sets it apart from other keyboard replacement apps is its capability to understand not just patterns in your typing, but also how words work together. This makes it scary good at predicting not only the next letter you need to type, but also the next word, sometimes even before you begin typing it. What's more, Swiftkey can continue to learn from your e-mail, SMS, and … Read more

SwiftKey 3.0 adds 'Smart Space'

For better Android typing: SwiftKey 3

One area the iPhone has held its own against Android phones I've used is the responsiveness of the touch-screen keyboard. But one area where I think Android has shown more innovation better predictive typing. Which is why I was happy to see the release of SwiftKey 3 today.

The software one-ups the predictive typing abilities of Android's built-in keyboard, learning from your own typing to offer not just the next letters in a word, but also the next word, too. Hitting the spacebar completes the action. (When you start typing, the first word it suggests is "I,&… Read more

Microsoft's Surface tablet vs. the iPad: Seven challenges

Microsoft came out with all guns blazing yesterday with its Surface tablets. Or did it?

The perceived success or failure of what was shown is obviously subjective, and comes down to whether or not you believe in what Microsoft is showing. Moreover, can Microsoft's strategy with the Surface -- and all Windows 8 tablets, for that matter -- succeed in not just being a No. 2 to the iPad, but in being a true iPad rival?

As a user of both the iPad and previous Windows tablets, I think it comes down to these key points.

Boost your typing powers with SwiftKey

If you're not familiar with SwiftKey, it's a Google Play Editors' Choice app, and it won the coveted Most Innovative App award at the 2011 Global Mobile Awards in Barcelona, Spain. What sets it apart from other keyboard replacement apps is its ability to understand not just patterns in your typing, but also how words work together. This makes it scary good at predicting the next word you want to type, sometimes even before you begin typing it. What's more, SwiftKey can continue to learn from your e-mail, SMS, and even social media accounts (if enabled), so … Read more

Boost your typing powers with SwiftKey

If you're not familiar with SwiftKey, it's a Google Play Editors' Choice app, and it won the coveted Most Innovative App award at the 2011 Global Mobile Awards in Barcelona, Spain. What sets it apart from other keyboard replacement apps is its capability to understand not just patterns in your typing, but also how words work together. This makes it scary good at predicting the next word you want to type, sometimes even before you begin typing it. What's more, SwiftKey can continue to learn from your e-mail, SMS, and even social media accounts (if enabled), so … Read more

CorelDraw X6 knows how to handle colors

With a focus on both the occasional graphics user and the professional, CorelDraw Graphics Suite X6 (download) hits the market toting a wealth of tools that make manipulating graphics much simpler than before. Hobbyists can check it out to make newsletters, calendars, or banners, while business users can use it to make simple marketing collateral or sales presentations. And of course, designers can use it design things as well.

The new version of the Suite, X6, comes with native 64-bit and multicore processor support, which bumps up the speed of this program noticeably. This means less waiting when exporting, printing, … Read more

DIY Weekend: Three generations resuscitate a battered VW

How's this for an inspiring DIY project: three generations of a family whipping out the tools and working together to save a vintage car from the scrap heap.

That's essentially what's come about since CNET's own Jared Kohler bought a battered 1969 VW squareback for 500 bucks, with an eye toward getting it back on the road.

The tale involves not only a family bond but also the bond we form with things, be they iPhones, computers, or cars. It also speaks of how these two types of bonds are sometimes themselves bound together.… Read more