commands

LOS ANGELES -- At first I thought I had misunderstood him, so I made sure to reply slowly. "So you're saying Kinect is going to blast IR signals at your living room, and they're going to reflect off walls and stuff and bounce back to control all of your devices?"

"That's correct," Marc Whitten said.

"Whoa," I replied.

"Kinect has a really powerful management of that energy," he explained. "It's just light," he went on, "but it just exists in a different spectrum." I … Read more

If you are tired of drag-and-drop file manipulation in the Windows' GUI, then FAR Manager, with its command line and DOS-like interface for file creation and editing is for you. The program downloads easily and is free to use.

As a text-based application, FAR Manager allows the user to manipulate files by renaming them, moving them from directory to directory, and opening them in another window. You can also delete files, create new files, or edit certain files by clicking on them. Most users won't find the interface intuitive, but that is to be expected. If you are used … Read more

Managing a large volume of files and folders is definitely a headache for most users. Feature-packed muCommander for Mac offers a great tool for anyone looking for an advanced file manager. This application performs well and offers a high level of customization.

The installation of muCommander for Mac literally takes seconds as all you need to do is drag the application into your Applications folder. The installation does require you to have the latest Java Runtime Environment, so if you don't have it you will be automatically taken to java.com to download it. Upon startup you can customize … Read more

There was a time when all that a GPS device needed to do was get you from point A to point B -- preferably alive and in one piece. Over time, we began to expect so much more. We wanted hands-free calling, syncing of contacts, large databases of local destinations, and traffic data. The bar for what counted as a good GPS device had to be raised.

That bar is still rising, faster yet and higher than ever now that GPS navigators must compete with smartphones and tablets. Simply getting from point A to point B isn't enough when … Read more

Launching applications via keyboard shortcuts can increase your productivity. Quicksilver for Mac studies your habits and helps you achieve better control over your Mac. It functions very similarly to the Mac address/search bar, but with extra functions and even quicker launch options.

Quicksilver for Mac comes packed with its own installer, which makes the installation quick and easy. Once the free app has been installed, you can access it by pressing the Quicksilver hot key. To extend the functions of this app you can download some additional plug-ins available from the developer's Web site. There are default preset … Read more

The number of options available in the Mac OS and its applications can be difficult to manage for all but expert users. With MacPilot for Mac, users can track and change settings in a number of areas from one program.

The free trial version of MacPilot for Mac comes with a 15-day usage limit, while the full program requires a payment of $19.95 to activate. The program's native installer set the program up quickly, but a lengthy user agreement must be accepted to use the program. Upon startup, the user is prompted to purchase the full version or … Read more

You have plenty of choices when it comes to tools for editing the EXIF metadata contained in your digital images and other files, everything from dead-simple freeware to pro-level applications running into three figures. ExifTool definitely belongs among the freeware, but whether it's a simple tool depends on how you feel about the Windows command line. If you have no idea what that is, ExifTool is not for you; much friendlier metadata tools aren't scarce. But if you can handle Perl or have no problem with the Command Prompt (or typing characters and spaces) then ExifTool offers a … Read more

The very name of Air Missile Commander calls to mind classic '70s and '80s arcade games like Missile Command. The comparison is apt, as this game takes many of its gameplay elements from the basic "destroy before you are destroyed" style of play that was popular in that era. It has a few flourishes, however, and despite a relatively simplistic interface and graphics, Air Missile Commander becomes a fairly fun game as you progress in levels.

The idea of Air Missile Commander is simple. You are given 100 missiles and must direct them at the tanks on screen. … Read more

Everything on a Mac looks so polished on the outside that it may become unclear how to fine-tune settings under the hood of its graphical interface. Cocktail for Mac allows you to access an impressive number of useful tweaks and enhancements without entering a single line of code.

Cocktail for Mac can manually trigger maintenance scripts, optimize inactive RAM manually or periodically, toggle Spotlight indexing for chosen drives, force special startup modes, and access a lot of the hidden Finder and core app settings, to name just a few options. By "hidden," we mean those settings that are … Read more