merging

Google has come up with a way to merge users' Google Plus accounts, so that all circles and circle information can now be in just one account. The Web giant announced today the launch of the "Google+ circles transfer tool" via Google Takeout.

The tool works by moving users' Google+ circles and connections from what it calls a "source" account to a "destination" account. Once users' accounts are merged with this tool, people in their circles will only see the "destination" profiles.

This is most likely welcome news to those users that … Read more

Plenty of people don't want or need a big PDF app just to do something fairly simple, such as split or merge a handful of PDFs. Those people have many choices. For example, there's 7-PDF Split and Merge, a freeware version of the German software developer's premium tool. It has all the features of the Pro tool, but it will split only the first 50 pages and merge only five PDFs. We tried a fully portable version of the software, 7-PDF Split and Merge Portable.

As with similar tools, Split and Merge has a compact, all-in-one style … Read more

As the chorus of complaints grows over Apple's unwillingness to merge Apple IDs, it appears the company might soon change its stance on the matter.

According to MacRumors, two of its readers have contacted Apple CEO Tim Cook to see if Apple will eventually allow users to merge their Apple IDs. Those readers, MacRumors says, received word from an Apple executive relations employee, who said that the company is planning to allow for that functionality.

Apple has long denied customer calls for merging IDs. However, with the launch earlier this year of automatic downloads, complaints about that policy started … Read more

U.S. Cellular customers looking for a prepaid account will now have two more phones to choose from: the Samsung Gem and the HTC Merge.

The angular, black plastic Gem is a full touch-screen Android 2.2 Froyo handset. It has a 3.2-inch screen, a 3.2-megapixel camera, and it'll cost $139.99.

The heavier HTC Merge has metal accents, also runs Android 2.2, has a 3.8-inch touch screen, a 5-megapixel camera, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, and dual-SIM mode for world travel. It costs $299.99.

U.S. Cellular's prepaid plans range from $40 to $… Read more

One of the more than 250 new features in Lion is an enhancement to the Finder that supposedly allows you to combine the contents of folders. In Snow Leopard and prior versions of the Mac OS X, if you placed a folder into a directory alongside another folder of the same name, then the system required you to either cancel the operation and change the folder name or replace the existing folder. Now Lion should offer an option to combine the contents of similarly named folders; however, depending on the way you perform this task the process may not always … Read more

PDFs can be extremely useful, but they're also hard to work with if you don't have the right tools. Putting the contents of two different PDFs into one file isn't just a matter of cutting and pasting, and neither is the process of splitting a PDF into two different documents. PDF Split Or Merge is an easy-to-use program that can take care of both these tasks. It's not perfect, but it does do a good job most of the time.

The program's interface is quite intuitive, with a wizard that walks you through each step … Read more

File splitters split files into smaller files that are easier to manage and then merge them into a single file at the other end. GF Split & Merge is a free file splitter and merger that automatically creates files with numbered extensions to keep things in order. We tried it in 32-bit Vista and 64-bit Windows 7.

GF Split & Merge's small interface is about the size of the typical properties box, though it's efficiently packed with the necessaries. There are two tabs, Split and Merge. The Split tab has entry fields for Files to Split and Output … Read more

Google Contacts has plenty of room for storing the addresses and information for all your friends and business associates. Unfortunately, it isn't too choosy about who it adds, leaving you with info you didn't plan on keeping around. So you start deleting contacts and suddenly delete the wrong one from your address book. Luckily, Gmail Contacts has a restore feature nestled into one of its "more actions" menus.

Step 1: Log in to Gmail and click on Contacts in the top left corner.

Step 2: Click on the "More actions..." menu, just above your … Read more

In most respects, the HTC Merge for U.S. Cellular is a fairly standard Android 2.2 Froyo smartphone. It's got a decent but standard touch screen, a nice but not superlative 5-megapixel camera (with 720p HD video capture and playback, we might add,) and an unremarkable keyboard that's nevertheless sufficient.

The phone's primary point of difference lurks below the back cover, a SIM card slot that international travelers can use while taking the phone abroad. Even if you never step foot outside the continent, there are plenty of other features to keep you handy and connected. … Read more