basic

We happen to find working with digital images to be very tedious, which is why our camera is full of photos that we took and then proceeded to ignore. Contenta-Converter Basic makes the task of working with batches of photos a little more tolerable, with simple options for converting, renaming, and sharing images. We might just end up doing something with last year's vacation photos after all!

The program's interface is sleek and attractive, with an intuitive wizard dialog that walks users through each step of the process. First, select your images, either by navigating to their location … Read more

You don't have to want a smartphone. It's OK to just want a phone that is really good at calling and texting. In fact, it's kind of refreshing. So here are five that let you simplify with excellence.

The list of great dumb phones is always evolving, so keep an eye on the latest models at CNET's pick list of great basic phones.

Since prehistoric times when Fred and Barney bashed stone tablets, punching a time clock has changed very little--until software made things "easy," that is. Redcort's Virtual TimeClock Basic Edition is a single-PC time clock program that is designed to turn back the clock for small business owners with just a few employees to keep track of and no time to waste doing it. Yes, it helps you manage time, attendance, and payrolls, but its biggest advantage may be this: it's actually easy enough for the Flintstones to use.

Virtual TimeClock's Welcome dialog lets you create, … Read more

Soon after I posted the news of Sprint's new Samsung M360 last week, I received a few e-mails from CNET readers wondering why such a simple phone was worthy of our attention. As reader sdf0013 put it in the comments section of the blog, the M360 news was "out of place for the usually tech-savvy CNET crowd."

Though I answered sdf0013's comment at the time, other readers offered similar comments after we reviewed the M360 on Wednesday. So I wanted to take this opportunity to address their concerns and defend the M360's merits.

CNET's … Read more

The ambitious, ground-up rebuild of Microsoft Office Standard 2007 presents drastically different interfaces and new file formats. The new Office looks so unlike its predecessors, it's likely to spark intense love-hate responses from users. This upgrade isn't for everyone: If you're patient, eager to try the latest tools, and willing to relearn most of what you already know about Office, then you may relish the challenge of Microsoft Office 2007. Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 can produce more-polished documents and presentations, and Outlook's new scheduling abilities make it a handier communications hub. Professionals who want to … Read more

New to Mac? Don't worry, MacFixIt is taking it back to basics, starting with System Preferences and moving throughout Apple's Mac OS X and the iLife and iWork application suites. This edition of Mac Basics sorts out the preferences you can change regarding your Mac's appearance.… Read more

As they say, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. However, the reason this outlook may be expressed in the first place is because "they" may have designs on your breakfast--especially when it comes in the form of breakfast sandwiches. After all, who can resist the allure of an egg sandwich? Topped with ham and cheese, the classic combination is suitable for one and all. Thankfully the breakfast staple is easy to make, and therefore not solely relegated to the fast-food drive-through window. But that doesn't mean it couldn't be made even easier to … Read more

A good digital photo editor like H&M's Studioline Photo Basic can help digital camera owners manage their ever-growing collections of snapshots. You can use it to import images to your PC from devices like cameras and scanners in all popular file formats. Its central image database makes it easy to manage images and add keywords, descriptions, and EXIF data. It bundles photo editing tools like red-eye and color correction with extras like slideshow and Web gallery features. Best of all, it's free.

We chose the download manager, which didn't install the program's manual until … Read more

Welcome to the 411, my Q&A column answering all your questions about cell phones and cell phone accessories. I receive plenty of questions about these subjects via e-mail, so I figured many of you might have the same questions, too. At times, I might solicit answers from readers if I'm stumped. Send your questions and comments to me at nicole.lee@cnet.com. If you prefer to remain anonymous, let me know in the e-mail.

Hello, My question is I received an LG Chocolate as a gift. Do I have to have a Verizon deal/contract to … Read more