custom

Decor8 is a simple app for Windows 8 that enables users to customize the look and feel of their desktops, lock screens and of course, the new Modern UI environment. Though Windows 8 comes stocked with some basic options, Decor8 adds extra features to give users that extra level of personalization and refinement.

After you install the app, Decor8 will appear on the Start screen like any other tile. When you open the app, you'll be greeted with an options menu that appears mighty hard to discern from a standard Windows 8 settings menu. From the Background settings, choose … Read more

We recently showed you how to pin your favorite Web sites to the Windows 8 Start screen. By default, the tile may use the site's favicon.ico file or just display the generic Internet Explorer icon. If you operate a Web site, that may not be good enough for you. Here's how to give your site visitors a high quality tile to pin on their Windows 8 Start screens:

Step 1: Go to the Microsoft site, http://www.buildmypinnedsite.com, then under the "See your site in Windows 8" section, enter the URL of your Web … Read more

Custom SLR is no stranger to Kickstarter; its C-Loop camera strap mount and M-Plate Pro tripod plate both got their start there. The usefulness of those products was easy to see, but its latest project, the ProDot, perhaps strays a bit into as-seen-on-TV territory.

The ProDot sticks right on your camera's shutter release, adding a soft, raised, textured surface to it. It is not unlike the trackpoints used on business laptops but considerably squishier.

While Custom SLR's Ivan Wong spins it as giving you more control and less fatigue, the greatest benefit is probably shock absorption. If you tend to push a little too hard on your release, the ProDot will lessen the vibration.

Plus, having used one for a bit, it's just fun to touch and makes it easier to blindly find your shutter release. … Read more

With most speakers or headphones, you're stuck with the designer's sound, but with the Logitech UE Personal Reference Monitors (PRM) you get to play headphone designer and dial in exactly the sound you want.

Each pair is totally unique; they're built with the individually designed equalization curves you selected. My PRMs sound absolutely amazing, but I'm a little biased, I designed them to please my ears! Every PRM buyer will do the same, and if they totally screw up and hate the result, Ultimate Ears will give them another try. Each PRM set is handmade in UE's facilities in California.

The price for this level of customization doesn't come cheap, though; the Personal Reference Monitors sell for $1,999. That's extreme, but so are $285,000 luxury cars. I cover the full gamut of audio, from affordable to the craziest expensive gear. … Read more

Start8 brings back the familiar start button to make your transition to Windows 8 a little bit easier. The first thing you'll notice when firing up your new Windows 8 PC is the lack of a Start button. For design reasons, Microsoft has removed the old Start menu in favor of the new Metro Start screen. Start8 aims to bring it back and help you make your move to the new Windows without compromising productivity.

The installation is light and fast, and setting up takes almost no time at all. Setup will ask whether you prefer the original Windows … Read more

If you want to give Facebook a piece of your mind, here's your chance.

Faced with all the usual concerns over Facebook's constant changes and privacy issues, the social network has rolled out a new customer satisfaction survey.

Spotted by AllFacebook, the survey is linked to a message at the top of the newsfeed for some users. The message reads, "We'd like to hear from you. Please take three to four minutes to tell us about your experience using Facebook."

A Facebook spokeswoman confirmed that Facebook is indeed circulating surveys. "Facebook runs variations of … Read more

Most programs you run on your computer are pretty smart when it comes to making sure you can see what's going on. If, for whatever reason, a program tries to open off of your desktop, it will usually catch itself and reset its position. Unfortunately, this isn't always the case -- sometimes you end up with an inaccessible window running off in space. Perhaps you sometimes have a second (or third) monitor hooked up to your computer that isn't there at the moment, or some bug occurred when the program was setting its position. If the program … Read more

While Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg wouldn't affirm whether or not Facebook could take on Google in the search arena, it's clear the social-networking giant thinks there's an untapped revenue stream in a social search product.

"I think people are surprised how much search is done on Facebook, you know, every day there's an enormous percentage of search. There's also a promise in the market that search could become more social that we don't think this has been met," she told CNBC this morning. "When you're looking for information, … Read more

Facebook, responding to worries about some of its recent advertising changes, shared some details about how it safeguards user information and said it created its new features with "privacy in mind."

Joey Tyson, Facebook privacy engineer, said yesterday in a blog post that while Facebook has designed its site to show ads that "help people discover products that are interesting to them," it also realizes that users trust the company to protect their information.

"Maintaining that trust is a top priority as we continue to grow," he said.

Tyson took pains in his blog … Read more