screensavers

Check out space with Solar System - Earth 3D Screensaver

Screensavers have long outworn their welcome, but some people still refuse to live without them. If you wouldn't dream of having a blank black screen when your computer is idle, Solar System - Earth 3D Screensaver is for you. It shows you our planet in all of its glory.

The goofy early-'90s sci-fi music this application features is a weird choice, but it doesn't totally detract from the screensaver. As for the image, it's a cool spinning Earth that is actually fun to watch. It isn't the most accurate view of Earth you'll ever … Read more

Six features you don't want to miss in Android 4.2

Android 4.2 is full of new features, some are fairly minor, such as the Settings shortcut in the notification bar. Other features, such an improved photo editing process, are bound to have a bigger impact on the overall user experience.

Here are five new features you can find in Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, with the sixth item being a workaround should you decide against lock-screen widgets.

Developer Options Developer Options is an important settings menu for developers and those who like to fiddle with their Android device. For whatever reason in Android 4.2, Google hid the Developer … Read more

Toys 'R' Us takes on tablets with Tabeo

This Monday tech news roundup doesn't want to grow up:

Toys "R" Us has created it's own tablet designed for kids, called Tabeo. It goes on sale in stores Oct. 21 for $150, but the store is now taking preorders online. This kid-safe tablet comes with 50 apps pre-installed for games, education, reading -- even apps for cooking and editing photos. And there's 7,000 more apps available in an app store. It comes with 4GB of memory, but is expandable with a memory card slot. And Toys 'R' Us won't be sharing this … Read more

3D Face Screensaver

If you're looking for something a bit scary for a screensaver, then this simple app just might be for you. 3D Face Screensaver from Philippe Choquette presents the three-dimensional image of Cain, the villain in "RoboCop 2," something that fans of the 1990 film might remember. While this screensaver worked fine, it does try and install another program.

There is no interface for 3D Face Screensaver. Once downloaded, just click on the file named cain.scr to activate the screensaver. You can then watch Cain's face display varying degrees of emotions ranging from happiness to rage … Read more

Bring the world of Disney to your desktop with Disney Screensaver

Kids of all ages will enjoy Disney Screensaver, a free animated screensaver from ScreenSaverGift that displays background images of your favorite Disney cartoon characters with active but pleasant 3D screen animations. It's not loud or flashy, but its colorful motion and upbeat background music make it an amusing distraction that will be especially appealing to the small ones.

As with the developer's other free screensavers, Disney Screensaver basically installs itself, as we discovered when we opened our screensaver properties. We selected Disney from the list, and Windows displayed a preview of the screensaver, a scene based on the … Read more

Here's that Rainy Day (Screensaver)

Screensavers were as necessary as antivirus software when CRT monitors ruled the desktop. They kept your screen from burning in, but they also provided a way to really personalize the personal computer, which was a pretty stodgy affair at the time. Today's widescreen LCDs don't require screensavers, but they're still around. The original animated desktop display now offers sound and other multimedia features. We looked at a free screensaver that upholds this software tradition: Rainy Day Screensaver from ScreensaverGift.

Rainy Day Screensaver's installer opened our Screensaver Properties when it finished. We clicked Settings, where we could … Read more

Bring the storm indoors with Lightning Bolt Screensaver

We love a good thunderstorm, and the sound of one can be quite relaxing, even if it's fake. Lightning Bolt Screensaver is an easy way to bring some stormy weather to your computer screen. It's not the best such screensaver we've seen, but it's not bad, and we enjoyed both looking at it and listening to it.

The screensaver consists of three static images: a dark sky with a large thunderbolt shooting out of it, a grassy meadow during the day with some hills in the background, and a moonlit island scene with a spooky purple … Read more

Screensavers starting randomly after upgrade to OS X Lion

The Screen Saver options in OS X Lion are no different from those offered in Snow Leopard, and like Snow Leopard are available to configure in the Desktop & Screen Saver system preferences. As a result, you should expect the screensavers to behave as they did in Snow Leopard; however, a few people are noticing after upgrading to Lion that their screensavers seem to be randomly activating.

If this problem is happening to you, first try adjusting some of your Screen Saver settings by either changing the screensaver, adjusting its activation time, or setting various hot corners that you may … Read more

Storm chaser

If you're a weather nerd, and in particular if you're fascinated by hurricanes, you likely love looking at storm photos. If that's the case, you should check out The Weather Channel Screensaver. This program will adorn your desktop with a multitude of hurricane-related images as well as your local weather conditions.

The program attempts to install a toolbar and a couple of spammy-looking browser add-ons when you install it, so be careful during the installation process if those are things you don't want. Once the screensaver is installed, there are quite a few options for customizing … Read more

Animal instincts

To be perfectly honest, we could probably waste the better part of a day online looking at animal photos. Cute animals, funny animals, ferocious animals...we find them endlessly fascinating. If you do, too, consider Animal Desktop Wallpaper Screensaver App. This fun program is a screensaver with a social networking component, supplying a constant stream of high quality animal photos.

Although Animal Desktop Wallpaper Screensaver App is accessible in the Display Properties menu along with all your other screensavers, it also has its own manager. The program comes with six high-quality nature images, but that's just the beginning. Clicking … Read more