scan

No matter how big of a scanned or PDF file you have, this program can handle it. Free OCR will read an otherwise uneditable document and churn out copyable text you can manipulate however you like.

With support for more than 10 different languages, this software impresses with both its accuracy and speed. It churns out an editable version of a small section of text in seconds, but only takes a minute or two to read documents with tiny text or bizarre formatting. You can even crop out sections of the document you don't need to shave seconds off … Read more

Google is trying to convince the courts to throw out a book-scanning lawsuit filed against it by the Authors Guild.

In a brief submitted to the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals last Friday, Google argued that a suit filed on behalf of all authors whose books have been scanned shouldn't be allowed because most authors support the scanning.

Backing up its claim, the company yet again cited a survey that found 58 percent of the authors polled approved of Google scanning their books so the content could be searched online. A full 45 percent said they had … Read more

Google announced plans today to roll out its version of a scan-and-match feature for the company's music service in Europe in two weeks and then in the United States soon after.

The company was to announce the feature today, as well as other updates to Google Play entertainment media during a press event in New York that was supposed to mark the debut of the latest version of its Android operating system, according to multiple music industry sources. The search company cancelled the event due to Hurricane Sandy.

Last month, CNET reported that Google was trying to obtain the … Read more

Most people know that computers require regular maintenance, even if they're not quite sure what that should consist of. Windows Doctor provides a suite of utilities that can keep your machine running at its best by addressing a wide range of performance and security issues. If you're in the market for something that will take care of problems without asking too much of you in the way of decision-making, Windows Doctor is a good choice.

The program's interface is sleek and intuitive, with its features arranged in tabs labeled System Booster, System Security, Registry Cleaner, Privacy Cleaner, … Read more

Downloading files, installing and uninstalling software, and other daily activities create messes that take up space and impact performance. Wise Disk Cleaner is a housekeeper of sorts, making sure that things are tidy and functioning at their best.

Wise Disk Cleaner has an attractive, well-organized interface that arranges its features in four tabs. The Common Cleaner is a quick scan that gets rid of the most obvious junk, while the Advanced Cleaner digs a little more deeply to find more space-wasters. The Slimming System feature gets rid of unneeded Windows files, such as music samples and Windows update uninstallation files. … Read more

The Windows registry is often considered forbidden territory for newbies. Only the most experienced users are encouraged to peer into its contents. Wise Registry Cleaner claims to offer a tool that even the least experienced can use without fear of wreaking havoc upon their computer. While the tool is indeed easy to use, it doesn't offer anything extra to help put new users at ease with their registry.

Wise Registry Cleaner presents a simple, easy-to-understand interface with three tabs at the top that walk you through its cleaning features. We started with the program's main selling point, its … Read more

Of all the kids who go to emergency rooms in the U.S., about 6 percent are there because of stomach pains, according to researchers analyzing a large national database.

And while that 6 percent rate has held steady over the past decade, with anywhere from 2 percent to 8 percent being diagnosed with appendicitis (the number fluctuated without any clear pattern), the percentage of kids getting CT scans has jumped from 0.9 percent to 15.4 percent between 1998 and 2008, the researchers wrote in the current issue of the journal Pediatrics.… Read more

Even if you run reliable antivirus software -- and you do, don't you? -- it's never a bad idea to have a supplemental program that can pick up malware that your regular antivirus application might miss. HitmanPro 3 (32-bit) is an easy-to-use program that can quickly scan for and remove a variety of nasty things that might be lurking on your computer.

HitmanPro 3 has an intuitive interface that makes it easy to get started. If you're ready to plow ahead with the default scan, just click Next. If you'd like to do some customizing, the … Read more

Wal-Mart is testing a new mobile payment system that will allow shoppers to use their iPhone to scan their purchases while shopping rather than having them scanned at a checkout register.

The retail giant last week invited employees with iPhones at its Rogers, Ark., supercenter to participate in a test of the system, which is called "Scan & Go," according to a survey posted at SurveyMonkey.com. Instead of scanning the items at checkout, customers could use the app to scan items as they add them to their shopping cart.

The system, which is currently unavailable to customers, … Read more