Software

Review: Hone your spelling skills with some help from Speak N Spell

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

Review: Screenshot Helper makes hiding the mess on your desktop a snap

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

Review: Change the function of the green zoom button with Right Zoom

Right Zoom for Mac addresses the annoying problem of the Mac's green zoom window button. Rather than simply maximizing the window to fit the screen, users still must click the lower right corner and drag the window larger. This application changes the default button functions, making it a true maximize feature.

The freeware program works in the background to change the default functions. After downloading quickly, the program brings up a preferences menu. This allows for Right Zoom for Mac to be activated at all times, or when an additional hot key is pressed. There are a number of … Read more

Review: Convert videos between formats using Prism Free Video Converter

With the number of available formats and the speed of conversion as its main advantages, Prism Free Video Converter for Mac offers a useful and easy-to-use solution for those who need to easily change saved video files from one format to another.

During the installation this software tries to install a toolbar, which the user can easily prevent by unchecking the option. Prism Free Video Converter for Mac lacks advanced graphics but its main menu buttons are designed well enough to be useful. Users can manually add individual files or entire folders for batch processing via large top menu icons. … Read more

Review: Plasma Tunnel Screensaver creates a customized plasma tunnel effect

As a screensaver, Plasma Tunnel Screensaver for Mac works well and is quite unique, but its design and operation are very one dimensional. The animation follows a tube with different colors, but does not add any different areas of movements or additional effects. The user can customize the colors, though.

The program installs directly onto the screensaver area of the Mac and comes with a README file. Opening the System Preferences menu lets the user select the Plasma Tunnel Screensaver for Mac as the default screensaver. Either allowing it to activate or starting the preview brings up a first-person camera … Read more

Review: Mix, record, and broadcast like a pro with Virtual DJ Free

Atomix Productions' Virtual DJ Free not only mixes and mashes beats from a classic two-deck console, but also it serves as audio central for your system since it also records audio and video, burns discs, and even broadcasts online using a radio server or your own PC as a client-limited server. A survivor, Virtual DJ has been making music for millions of users for more than a decade. The latest version adds new controllers and full compatibility with Windows 8 multitouch surfaces. And it's still free.

Like similar tools, Virtual DJ takes its functional and style cues from the … Read more

Bebo founder buys back social network for $1M

Long forgotten 8-year-old social network Bebo, which AOL bought for $850 million in 2008, is escaping near death once again.

Original Bebo co-founder Michael Birch said in a tweet Monday that he has purchased the property from owner Criterion Capital Partners (CCP) for $1 million with plans to reinvent the site. AOL sold Bebo to CCP three years ago for reportedly less than $10 million.

We just bought Bebo back for $1m. Can we actually re-invent it? Who knows, but it will be fun trying...

— Michael Birch (@mickbirch) July 1, 2013

The social property never got close to accumulating a … Read more

Review: Vonage Mobile comes with a cool layout and decent call quality

Vonage Mobile is a nifty way to get free calls and texts, but only if you don't mind that it's frequently offline. It has a gorgeous layout and other good perks, though. Add in some decent call quality and a video-calling feature over Wi-Fi and 3G/4G, and you've got the makings of a good app.

Like most similar apps, calls, texts, and video chats are only free if your friend uses the service. During testing, only two contacts were already on the app. That's not a ringing endorsement. However, inviting people to Vonage Mobile is … Read more

Review: Yahoo! Weather possesses great looks, useful features, and many widgets

Yahoo! Weather offers plenty of style, substance, and some downright awesome widgets. It has a great blend of features and good looks to decorate your mobile device. If it was less of a battery hog, it'd be perfect.

This app will find your location through GPS or let you set up multiple zip codes to see the weather. If you're a fan of the minimalist style Apple's iPhone has become known for, this app's design is a treat. It combines that with pictures of your location, which it pulls from Flickr. In addition to being connected … Read more

Review: Track and sort your library with Book Hunter

Book Hunter for Mac's excellent interface and helpful tutorial make it a good application for sorting and organizing a book collection. As users read more and more on their computers, smartphones, tablets, and with physical books at home, this type of application is becoming more useful.

After downloading and starting up, the free application brings the user into a tutorial, which links to the developer's Web page for more information. This help is not really needed since Book Hunter for Mac is easy to use. The main interface includes noticeable buttons for entering book information and creating separate … Read more