reading

I love a good magazine. That's why I'm hoping digital distribution services like Next Issue and Zinio can help usher in the age of the digital periodical.

Yesterday, Zinio gave it a little nudge by unveiling Z-Pass, a sort of a la carte subscription option: three magazines for $5 per month.

According to the Zinio press release, "The monthly cost of a Z-Pass is the lowest available in the market for a multiple-magazine subscription model." That's technically true, but with a huge asterisk: Next Issue (a sort of Netflix for magazines) costs $9.99 per … Read more

Smartphones and tablets are standard-issue in the business world, but they don't come with great Office software. This software, however, gives your smartphone the magical ability to read Excel spreadsheets from your phone. That is, if you can see through the numerous ads.

This is a reader app, which means it doesn't let you make any edits to the documents you read. The app doesn't actually work with the .xls format in Excel; instead in converts Excel files to PDF format to display them. That means you'll end up with two copies of the file, with … Read more

Using a tablet as an e-reader can save you money and lighten your load while on the go. Unfortunately, a lot of tablets aren't optimized for reading text for long periods of time (like e-books, RSS feeds, or just long Web posts) and may cause mild eyestrain. Luckily, the Galaxy Note 8 comes with a feature to help solve this issue: Reading Mode.

However, Reading Mode isn't turned on for all of your apps by tapping on the icon in the notification panel. Why doesn't this mode work in all apps by default? No idea, but fixing … Read more

In an age of information overload, apps like Flipboard provide the much- needed organization and curation tools to keep it all in one place. By taking your RSS subscriptions, Twitter account, Facebook account, and other online accounts and combining them into one easy-to-use interface, Flipboard simplifies the consumption of information on an iPad and makes it faster and easier than ever before to get what you need from your device.

When you first open Flipboard, you'll be prompted to create an account. This account will store all of your subscriptions, and you can choose to either create a new … Read more

As mobile devices take on a more prominent role today, file readers are becoming more popular as they allow Android devices to view and/or edit files from Microsoft Word, for example. WordReader is one option, and while it can be useful, there are still many other alternatives that offer more features and work with more file types.

On the plus side, WordReader is a fairly light app that loads very quickly and allows the user to get right to work. The first unusual aspect of this app is the fact that it comes with its own file browser. Microsoft … Read more

Every parent knows (or should know) the importance of reading to their kids. And when it comes to stories adults and toddlers alike can enjoy, it's hard to beat Dr. Seuss.

Of course, browse the aisles (real or virtual) of any bookstore and you'll see that your average Dr. Seuss hardcover can run $10-15. Ouch!

That's why I continue to be a big fan of Oceanhouse Media's Dr. Seuss e-book apps, which not only provide the complete Seuss experience (and then some), but also save you considerable coin.… Read more

Learning any language can be a tough endeavor, but reading words and hearing their pronunciations can help make the new language stick. English Reading combines classic literature with an audio feature. The app is pretty bare bones, but what it offers will appeal to those learning English and those who are looking for a few free reads.

English Reading's interface certainly won't win any design awards. It features two menu options: News and Books. The News option offers headlines from "Time," Reuters, NBC News, "USA Today," and "The Washington Post" (though it'… 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 App Store is filled with games and learning tools for children at varying levels of quality. Some are effective but bogged down by messy menus or too many ads. Others are pretty but offer ineffective learning tools that children will only find confusing. Buddy's Read and Spell Lite manages to steer clear of both of these traps to offer an intuitive, fun-to-play game for children that is heavy on learning and whimsy, but light on the distractions and ads that so often bother parents.

After starting the app, children have only one option: to play the game. The … Read more