organization

Pester is a freeware alarm clock utility that provides a simple way to set timed reminders, along with a few cool extras.

Of course, you can use iCal and other scheduling software to alert you to upcoming events, but sometimes these apps are overkill--like, for example, when you're just putting something in the oven, or you're trying to remember to catch a bus. Pester occupies a middle ground between iCal and more bare-bones timers (such as egg-timer widgets), letting you quickly set an event, name it, choose a countdown or a specific time for the alert, and then (… Read more

PCs are great productivity tools, and great time-wasters. It's not really fair to blame the machine; it didn't force you to spend all day Net surfing and forwarding gag e-mails. SVT Systems' GoalEnforcer Hyperfocus Edition is designed not only to help you focus on your tasks at hand to increase your daily productivity, but also to help you focus on your long-term goals and make concrete steps toward achieving them. It's based on "recursive visual thinking," a graphical method of saving, organizing, and prioritizing projects, goals, and thoughts.

GoalEnforcer Hyperfocus Edition's executable can be … Read more

It's not always easy to keep everyone on the same page when you have multiple employees working on the same projects, but with different tasks, appointments, and deadlines. We love the idea of a networked task manager that lets employees keep up with both individual and team tasks and activities. Unfortunately, A VIP Task Manager Professional Edition does a terrible job of executing this concept. Any time that could be saved by keeping employees abreast of each others' activities will surely be lost trying to figure this program out.

The application's interface is a disaster. It's cluttered … Read more

In a Q3 earnings call on Tuesday, Apple said third-quarter profits rose more than 77 percent largely from the success of the iPad and iPhone 4--probably not a big surprise for anyone. But the more shocking announcement (in my eyes) is that Apple set a record for the most Macs they've ever sold in a quarter with 3.47 million.

Obviously, I've always been a big fan of Mac computers, but I guess with the emergence of handheld devices like the iPad, iPod, and iPhone, I figured Apple's desktop and laptop business would not be as strong as it once was. Perhaps all these new iPhone users are deciding to give Apple computers a try. Whatever the case is, I'm glad to hear Mac computers are still selling well.

If you're one of the people who recently picked up a Mac (apparently there are quite a few of you), check out our Mac Starter Kit for some must-have software you can download right away.

If you're an iPhone user, make sure to come back and check out this week's apps, which include a simple free to-do list app and a platform game that challenges you to dig deep into the depths of dangerous mines.… Read more

For investors, Wall Street is much like the typical toddler is to parents: it bears watching. If you're serious about keeping up with the stock market, sooner or later you'll need a tool that will help you track it. Many such tools involve an expensive service and subscription fees, but StockMarketEye from TransparenTech tracks stock prices via on-demand or streaming quote data, organizes your portfolio into handy Watch Lists, and even estimates stock prices based on potential movements, but for an affordable, one-time purchase price without recurring fees.

StockMarketEye's simple dialog-based interface is one of the clearest, … Read more

You know how you can never find the spoon at the bottom of the diaper bag when the baby is screaming for food? Sure, maybe I could be a more organized mom, but I've seen my friends with the same frenzied look nearly every time I'm out and about.

I'd never heard of pouched baby food before this product turned up in my in-box, but apparently it's a popular alternative to jars. And Plum Organics has teamed up with Boon Inc. to create a spoon and pouch system. The custom-designed spoon easily attaches to the spout … Read more

One of the hardest parts about large written projects--academic papers, reports, books, and the like--is keeping large amounts of information organized and accessible. TreePad X Enterprise 12 Gb Single-user combines both word processing and database functions to make it easy to organize--and reorganize--all sorts of written information.

The program's interface is cluttered at first glance, with three rows of buttons across the top. We weren't quite sure how to get started, but a visit to the program's online Quick Start Guide clued us in, and the program quickly started to make sense once we started working with … Read more

Technology has done a lot to improve efficiency and make tedious chores more tolerable. Every now and then, however, some misguided soul creates a cure that's worse than the disease. So it goes with Click Shopping Organizer. The program attempts to make the process of compiling a shopping list easier, but it ends up being more trouble than it's worth.

Even installing Click Shopping Organizer was a pain. The program requires the installation of the Microsoft SQL Server, which must be downloaded separately. We spent at least 20 minutes just getting everything downloaded and installed. For the most … Read more

After spending 10 years and $24 million to see whether cell phone use leads to brain cancer, the World Health Organization has reached a verdict: it's not quite sure.

In a decade-long survey of nearly 13,000 people across 13 countries, the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) determined that most cell phone use did not lead to an increased risk of either meningioma, a common but typically benign form of cancer, or glioma, a rare but more dangerous type of brain cancer.

The study results, released Monday, did see "suggestions" that using cell … Read more