free

Review: Bird Sounds Free puts a call to the bird, but does little else

Bird Sounds Free allows users to learn more about the birds they are looking for, at least sonically-speaking. It's easy to use and provides crystal-clear bird calls.

Bird Songs Free is a fairly basic app, providing a very basic interface and limited features beyond the basic functionality promised in the title. It opens with a grid of bird pictures. None of the birds is labeled, so unless you know your way around a chart of bird pictures, you'll be largely tapping at random. There is no way to know the accuracy of the bird calls in the chart … Read more

Review: Convert image formats with Pixillion Free JPEG Converter

Need a quick and easy way to convert an image or multiple images to another format? Pixillion Free JPEG Converter does this job quickly and without any issues. This software comes with an easy-to-use interface and supports a variety of the most popular image formats.

Pixillion Free JPEG Converter downloads as an exe file. The installation is rather easy. After accepting the user agreement you will be asked to install some additional software and extras, including a toolbar, which you will probably want to avoid. The program comes as an unlicensed trial version with an option to upgrade to a … Read more

Review: Upload files with ease, using iUploader Free

More people are moving a good percentage of their computing to mobile devices, yet there are very real limitations to what these devices can do. From downloading and saving files to uploading your files via standard forms, it is often more difficult to interact with Web sites on a phone or tablet than on a computer. That's where iUploader Free comes in.

iUploader Free is a proprietary Web browser that allows you to upload files to Web sites using standard upload buttons on those sites. By loading files into the iUploader folders, you can then upload those files--in whichever … Read more

Review: Bring the beat with MetroBeat Free

MetroBeat Free is a very straightforward app that does one thing, but it does it very well and provides a much-needed tool for musicians and singers, alike. Because so many music apps, whether training tools or just instrumental supplements, are loaded with features to the point of being unwieldy, MetroBeat Free is a fantastic tool in that it provides something you'll almost certainly need in a basic package.

Open MetroBeat and you'll find a black screen with a number of white buttons and text on it. At the top you can set the beat--4, 8, 12, or 16--and … Read more

Review: Quickly browse sites with Fast Web Browser Free

For a long time, Apple did not allow third-party companies to publish Web browsers on the App Store. While Safari--the built-in browser for iOS devices--is a good browser, it lacks a lot of tools people want, like Flash support. One of the best tools to get it right is Fast Web Browser Free.

Fast Web Browser is exactly what it says, a quick and streamlined Web browser that provides a huge range of features you don't expect to see in any third-party app, let alone a Web browser. From automatic full-screen browsing to intuitive input of URLs, Web previews, … Read more

Review: Guess the picture with Wipe It! Free

Wipe It! is a basic game designed to be played quickly between two friends either wirelessly or in person. That simplicity has made its way into almost every aspect of the game design, including a bare-bones interface and occasionally vague picture descriptions when solving puzzles. Nonetheless, it is a fun take on a basic concept that many people will enjoy playing.

The idea behind the game is very rudimentary. You are presented with a blank screen, under which is a picture. As you wipe away the top layer to reveal the picture beneath, you can start guessing what it is. … Read more

Review: Manage your files and transfers with ZipApp Free

The iPad and iPhone are perfect for file transfers. They are portable, have remote connections to the Internet and allow you to access the files and view them on the go, something that a flash drive cannot do. However, file sharing is very limited as it is and requires a third-party app, so there are tools like ZipApp that allow you to quickly and easily move files from your computer to your device.

The concept is similar to other iOS file sharing tools--open the app and click on the upload or share button. Now go to a computer and open … Read more

Review: Spy Calc Free helps you hide photos and videos

There are dozens of calculator apps on the App Store, so opening someone's phone and finding an app called "digital calculator" wouldn't cause anyone to bat their eyes twice. Except, this particular digital calculator is actually Spy Calc, an app that hides private photos and videos behind the façade of a boring calculator interface.

The tool is ingeniously made. The front-end calculator uses the built in iOS tools to recreate a digital calculator, but adds a password to it as an extra layer. You can use the calculator or you can enter your password … Read more

Free services make Gmail, Google Drive, Google search more private

It's no secret that any information you provide to a Google service is no secret.

When Google changed its terms of service last year, the company granted itself and any other company it chooses complete, unfettered access to anonymized (we hope) versions of all the messages you send and receive via Gmail, all the files you upload to Google Drive, and all the terms you enter in the Google search box.

As CNET's Rafe Needleman reported in April 2012, Google's rights go beyond simply perusing your personal information. Google's terms of service include the following:

When … Read more

Review: Create mosaics from your iPhone photo library using Photo Mosaic Maker Free

With so many apps offering photo editing in some form, it takes a unique function to warrant downloading yet another app on most people's phones. Photo Mosaic Maker Free does a decent job of offering such an experience with a very easy-to-use mosaic creation tool that pulls directly from your photo library, but is it enough to warrant the download or upgrade?

When you start Photo Mosaic Maker, you're presented with the upgrade screen outlining exactly what features are missing from the free version. You can then immediately start creating your first mosaics. Assuming you've linked your … Read more