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Difficult watermark remover

Photo Stamp Remover offers an admirable service to users, but falls short of meeting all its claims. While the program is simple to learn and operate, its results left us wanting more.

The program's interface required a trip to the Help file, though any roadblocks seemed obvious after a few seconds of experimentation. The program features a bare minimum of commands, which should keep users of all skill levels focused. While learning the program came after some minimal effort, its results left us disappointed. The primary job of selecting an area or watermark to convert was a simple click-and-drag … Read more

Basic diary program

When you were a kid, did you have one of those little diaries with a lock and key? They weren't fancy, but there was something enjoyable about recording a day's events in those little books and then locking them up. Easy Diary is the electronic equivalent of those little books, a basic diary program that allows users to record their daily events and thoughts. Although the program is not particularly rich in features, it's not bad for a very basic diary.

The program's interface is quite plain; it shows a two-month calendar, and below that, a … Read more

Basic math drills

Math Educator is a basic program that allows users to practice solving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems. Although the program works fine, the uninteresting interface is unlikely to hold the attention of kids for very long.

The program's interface is very simple; there are no graphics or animations or other features that would make the program engaging to kids. The program makes a few sounds, but that's really the most interesting thing that it does. The interface consists of gray buttons on a blue background, one each for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Each type of problem … Read more

Complex map reader

Cartopro Evolution offers to help users make a digital collection of their maps. While the options will appeal to mapping experts, casual users will probably find this program overwhelming and unnecessary.

The program's interface is a mad collection of icons and jargon that will take a trip to the Help file and possibly a cartography degree to solve. Users looking for the point-and-click simplicity of online mapping programs will be disappointed here. However, those familiar with maps may enjoy the freedom, flexibility, and depth the program's options provide. Users must first scan a map into the program. Once … Read more

Basic skinnable clock

Alwact Clock is a simple analog-style clock utility with an alarm, a few different skins, and not much else. Although it does not contain many features, it functions well as a basic clock.

The program's interface consists of a handful of slide-out menus that are accessed by right-clicking on the clock. This is sometimes harder than it sounds, as certain skins make it difficult to find the right place to click, and occasionally the skin seems to change unexpectedly. All of the options are pretty basic and obvious, and it's a good thing, as there's no Help … Read more

Simple stopwatch

Bling Clock helps users keep track of time with simple commands and functions. This program is simple and effective enough that users of all skill levels will enjoy it.

The program's interface is sort of rough and will take some getting used to. Most options fade to black when the mouse isn't over them, which we found slightly annoying. However, when we could see things, the program was very intuitive and didn't require a trip to the Help file. The clock consists of a large black clockface and giant red digital numbers. Users can choose to run … Read more

Dell Inspiron 13 gets an upgrade (in Asia)

Have you been looking for new, sleeker Dells on the imminent fall horizon? Perhaps you'd better pay attention to Singapore. Eyes on the Web spotted that Dell's Singapore site has the Inspiron 13 in a new redesign, featuring a look that seems more like a Dell Studio.

What this amounts to is an affordable Dell with good looks in a package that's decently priced, at least in the Singapore conversion rate (it amounts to a little less than $1,000).

It's a big shift from the current Inspiron, which has a pretty bland look to it, … Read more

Microsoft's new Office

We have a real treat for you this week: a sneak peek at Microsoft Office 2010. Although Redmond doesn't have plans to release its mega productivity suite for more than half a year, but Microsoft did invite us to take a spin around the technical preview of upcoming versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. We've passed the goods along in a First Look video, a slideshow of screenshots, and a First Take review. Pay special attention to the 'conversation view' planned for Outlook, which operates similarly to Gmail's threaded conversations. We'd also like to direct … Read more