touch

Does it make sense to buy a PC with a touch screen?

Smartphones with touch screens? Great! Tablets with touch screens? Duh. But PCs with touch screens? Meh.

Recently I purchased a Lenovo IdeaPad U310 ultrabook, my first-ever touch-screen-equipped computer. I didn't necessarily want the feature, but figured I might as well give Windows 8 the benefit of the doubt. It was, after all, designed to be touched -- which explains why using it with a mere mouse and keyboard is such a dreadful experience. Plus, it was priced only about 50 bucks higher than its non-touch-screen sibling.

Having worked with the system for a couple weeks now, I'm ready … Read more

iBowl for iPhone 7.0.8 Review

The iPhone is a perfect device for a wide range of games, bowling first and foremost among them. With a touch interface, realistic physics, and plenty of engaging features, a game like iBowl for iPhone is immediately addictive for many of its players. But with a handful of drawbacks, trial restrictions, and limited interaction beyond the core game, is it worth a download? Here is a closer look to help you decide.

The iBowl for iPhone app has been around for quite some time, so it has been refined several times over to work more or less flawlessly on newer … Read more

One Touch Draw/Sketch & Paint 1.2 Review

Photo-filtering apps can add artistic or sophisticated flair to all of your favorite photos. True to its name, One Touch Draw/Sketch & Paint lets you draw, sketch, and paint on photos, but it's marred by a messy interface that requires a lot of trial and error to get results.

Before you get started with One Touch Draw/Sketch & Paint, the app asks you to accept an ad agreement. You don't have to accept, but it installs ads on your status bar, browser home page, and more if you do. For an app that's centered around … Read more

How to report spam e-mail sent to your iCloud account

Fighting spam is a constant cat-and-mouse game and one every e-mail provider faces. I receive my fair share of spam e-mail on my iCloud e-mail account, and for the longest time have just deleted them without opening, figuring it would eventually stop.

Then last week while on Twitter, I saw the following Tweet:

Pro tip:1. Select spam message2. Message => Forward As Attachment3. Send to spam@me.com4. Do a dance

— Jake Behrens (@Behrens) April 19, 2013

I had no idea this method even existed. Unfortunately, forwarding an e-mail as an attachment isn't possible on an iOS device. … Read more

FB Touch for Facebook 1.0.0 Review

As popular as it is, Facebook's default app is still fairly slow and buggy. Unfortunately, the same can be said for most of the replacement Facebook apps you'll find in the Play Store. FB Touch for Facebook isn't any faster or easier to use than any of those. If anything, it's less fun than using Facebook's default app.

This app is actually one of a pack of apps that offer the same mediocre experience under different names. Like all of those, FB Touch for Facebook sports a Facebook layout circa 2011 with a few added … Read more

Windows 8 touch ultrabooks see price cuts at Microsoft Store

Touch ultrabooks are seeing decent price cuts at the Microsoft Store, making these expensive models a bit more affordable.

Touch-screen laptops are generally priced significantly higher than non-touch models, as the screens have been expensive to procure.

The well-received Acer Aspire S7 has seen one of the steepest discounts, falling to $1,299 from $1,649.

The S7 features a 256GB solid-state drive, a 13.3-inch 1,920x1,080 resolution display, and a 1.9GHz Intel Core i7-3517U processor.

Next up, Sony's Vaio T Series 13 has been reduced to $999 from $1,299. That 13.3-inch touch model … Read more

Typing Trainer 8.0 Review

Learning to type is one thing, but typing well is another. Typing Trainer by TypingMaster helps you brush up on your typing skills with quick exercises and games, but it also studies your typing techniques to make specific recommendations to help you improve them. With games, tests, and reviews, Typing Trainer has plenty of features to offer even as your speed and skills improve. You can configure Typing Trainer for a huge range of languages and different keyboard styles, too. Typing Trainer 8.0 is freeware that is ready for Windows 8.

Typing Trainer opens with a full-screen user interface. … Read more

Windows 8 'touch-ups,' please

I like the Surface Pro. It drips with potential. That's the good news.

The bad news is that Windows 8 touch doesn't do the Surface Pro justice.

Try this. Use an iPad for an hour; then jump to Windows 8 touch. It's a not an easy switch.

Windows 8, at times, strikes me as Windows 7 touch with a Metro splash-screen bolted on. (Yes, there were Windows 7 touch laptops -- I've used them).

Here's the short version of what I'll write below: Aside from the browser and some interesting touch-based transitions done from … Read more

Touch devices to drop to $200, says Intel CEO

Touch laptop prices are headed south. Way south, according to Intel executives.

The price of Intel-based touch devices, including laptops, will sink to price points that penetrate inexpensive tablet territory. These new "innovative" designs will be based on Intel's Atom chip, Intel executives said today during the company's first-quarter earnings conference call.

"If you look at touch-enabled Intel-based notebooks that are ultrathin using [Atom] processors. Those prices are going to be down to as low as $200," said Intel CEO Paul Otellini.

Though neither Otellini or Smith mentioned screen size specifically, those price points … Read more

Color Touch 2.0 Review

Re-coloring a photo is an easy way to add a quick artistic flare. This app can add hundreds of different colors and shades to your photos. Color Touch is a little ad-happy, but it makes up for it with an easy-to-figure-out layout and cool coloring effects. There are enough options to keep the app fresh and cool through multiple uses.

The app appears as "Color Effects" in both your phone's app menu and the app's layout, itself. It makes you sign up for status bar and browser hijacking ads, too. If you accept, the app takes … Read more