ZXT2007's My MP3 Splitter is the tool to reach for when you just want to shorten a song file, extract a clip, or split a single recording of an LP side into separate tracks. It's not some complex contraption that can saw up a whole lumberyard's worth of rough cuts, nor does it resemble a pro mixing panel: it's a very basic, very user-friendly MP3 splitter.

My MP3 Splitter has a few large controls in a basic but attractive layout. The main window has two tabs: Standard, for file size, channels, sample rate, and so on; … Read more

RealParking3D Parking Games looks great and handles well, but it only has one car. That will be a death sentence for many fans of car games. However, if you don't mind using the black coupe it gives you, it really performs admirably.

You have to log in to start playing this game. It doesn't require a password, just that you make up a name to appear on the app's leaderboard. There are hundreds of levels to choose from, but expertly completing the levels doesn't unlock any special perks. There's no in-game currency to buy new … Read more

If you've never seen sweaty, headband-wearing dwarves dance to cheesy music, then you should check out the latest "The Hobbit" video diary from Director Peter Jackson.

Though primary shooting for the next two movies wrapped in 2012, Jackson, the actors, and the crew returned to New Zealand in May to kick off a 10-week pick-up shooting schedule.

After many months of inactivity, it takes a lot of work to get a billion dollar movie franchise rolling again -- especially in a remote locale like New Zealand. To ensure Jackson gets those perfect shots needed to complete "The Desolation of Smaug" and "There and Back Again," crews must reopen and modify existing sets and actors must revisit familiar scenes.… Read more

The tale of the Arkyd telescope is like that of the "little engine that could."

What seemed like a difficult task -- raising $1 million from a Kickstarter campaign to launch the world's first public space telescope -- was overcome on Monday as the crowdfunding goal was met with more than $1.5 million in pledges.

Not only did asteroid mining company Planetary Resources achieve its goal, it surpassed it, which means that the extra money can be used to add even more features to the telescope.

More than 17,600 people backed the Kickstarter campaign -- … Read more

Zimbra Desktop for Mac presents itself as an offline reader for online content, aiming to keep your e-mail, calendar, contacts, and social media accounts centralized in one app. Even though functional, the app suffers from buggy performance and an unattractive interface.

Installation was accomplished by a .PKG installer script and was pretty quick, given the downloaded file's large size. Setting up Zimbra Desktop for Mac was also rather painless. Though it suffers from an uninspired design, the app's interface is nevertheless very intuitive. We chose to sync our Gmail account with this app--a small matter of entering our … Read more

As an open-source game engine that works across a number of operating systems, TripleA for Mac allows users to enjoy playing different strategy and war-inspired board games in single-player, hotseat, or online modes. The application includes some features found in many popular games, but ultimately lacks the graphics or menus found in modern games. However, many may find the ability to play with others over the Internet to be a useful function.

The program's interface appears dated, with graphics and text labels that are not up to the level of modern strategy games. The first screen allows the selection … Read more

Speed Reading III for Mac aims to help users read faster by showing a basic technique that can improve one's focus. This application doesn't test comprehension or give explicit pointers on how to improve, though.

Speed Reading III for Mac requires no special steps in installation--just download and run the program. The first screen that appeared included a fair bit of information on it. Part of the text on this first window makes it clear that the app will not teach you how to speed read or test you to see if you absorbed anything. It will just … Read more

While it contains an extensive word dictionary and increasing difficulty levels, Speak N Spell for Mac's audio playback makes it difficult to use effectively on certain occasions. Its basic interface is useable, but actually practicing with it by hearing words might be challenging.

Speak N Spell for Mac starts up immediately after download. The program offers basic instructions available by clicking on the Help link in the application menu. While the program's interface is rather basic with no graphical menus, figuring it out is quite easy. Clicking a New Word button initiates a spoken word. The user must … Read more

Screenshot Helper for Mac solves the common problem of eliminating desktop clutter from screenshots. It is an elegant and uncomplicated tool that performs without any glitches.

Upon startup, a dialog window appeared, suggesting a change we could make to our System Preferences in order to make "more compatible" screenshots. We ignored this suggestion and had no problems, though this may be helpful for users who may share their screenshots with others and run into problems. Upon dismissing the warning, everything on our screen, except the dock and menu bar, disappeared and was replaced with solid white. The white … Read more