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In a pinch and need a data connection on your tablet or laptop? You can use Open Garden to sneak a connection from your smartphone without needing to tether. Setup is easy, but the connection has enough hiccups and jumps to sometimes be more frustrating than it's worth.

Before you can use Open Garden, you have to download another program for your desktop. Once you set up the network, your gadgets will connect automatically whenever they're nearby. It can even work through NFC if your phone has it. However, owners of modern phones can have a more reliable … Read more

Sending and receiving text messages can be problematic and costly when your destination is the Philippines. Chikka Text Messenger solves this dilemma for you by providing a communication hub via online servers.

The application loads quite quickly and the account setup is simple as well. If you possess a Globe, Smart, or Sun mobile phone you may simply enter your phone number and password. All other phone providers must set up an account with a valid e-mail address. Chikka Text Messenger is free for the user who installs it. However, there is a nominal fee for the phone responding to … Read more

Small Street for Mac is a town-building and management game. A free download for Mac OS X, there are in-game purchases of extras and money that help expand the game and the play. Small Street for Mac is available from the App Store and download sites and installs easily.

The goal of Small Street for Mac is to create a town of apartments and houses for citizens, and shops and restaurants for them to work in and buy from. Instead of starting small and building to a large city or nation like some building games, Small Street for Mac stays … Read more

Sizerox is an app for Mac OS X that lets you resize, crop, watermark, and perform other manipulation of digital images. It's not available through the App Store, but it is from several Web sites. The demo version (which superimposes gray squares over your images, rendering them essentially useless) can be upgraded to the full version for $14.95.

The Sizerox interface is clean and easy to use. Most of the interface windows show details about the source and destination pictures, while additional dialogs let you select preferences. Fully supporting drag-and-drop, Sizerox lets you select one or more images … Read more

vMEye is an app that allows you to access and manage live video streams from security cameras or video encoders from your iOS device. The app is free through iTunes.

Using vMEye, you can connect to one or more cameras or video encoders, usually attached to a security system, and control that system from your iDevice. To use vMEye you provide the IP address and port of the cameras or encoders you want to connect to, and provide log-in authentication. You can select from up to eight video feeds, and there's a set of buttons to control the camera (… Read more

Pocket Tanks Deluxe is an artillery game that's easy to learn and difficult to master. Available from iTunes, Pocket Tanks Deluxe is a free download, but additional add-on packs with various capabilities are sold for 99 cents each for those aficionados who want to extend their gameplay.

The Pocket Tanks Deluxe graphics are pretty simple, but they work in the context of the game. You're presented with a few simple controls for angling your artillery, then you lob shells at the enemy, trying to wipe them out before they get to their targets. You can clobber them directly, … Read more

Netflix has been a popular platform for video streaming for many years now, and with support for many devices it continues to be a necessary app for many people. Netflix provides an online streaming source for movies and TV shows, and this release of the Netflix app is for iPhone and iPad. The app is available from iTunes and installs easily.

The Netflix app usually launches with a screen showing the latest editions for the Netflix service, and as long as you are a subscriber you can click on any screen image to launch streaming playback of the title. You … Read more

If you are a fan of those old soccer management simulation games for the PC, or just simply like playing soccer games on game consoles, Big Win Soccer provides a good mesh of gameplay and management that is conveniently packed inside a simple, but enjoyable game app.

Big Win Soccer offers a very simple interface and easy navigation that will be familiar to those who've played other sports apps available for mobile OS platforms. While it seems safe to assume that those who download this game will be familiar with soccer, there is some background knowledge you need to … Read more

If you know hockey well, be ready to go straight through the menus of Big Win Hockey and play your seasonal games away. If you're not that familiar with hockey, well there's always room for a little trial and error.

The simple interface of Big Win Hockey has straightforward buttons and options. For those who are well-versed in the game, it should be a breeze to jump in and get your team assembled, but a few specifications presented in the player's stats, such as the player's shot orientation and rating, might not make immediate sense to … Read more