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This app takes your home PC and turns it into personal cloud storage. While this idea may sound interesting, in reality xCloud doesn't offer a real cloud-based service, but rather enables you to connect your mobile device to your PC remotely. This app has many issues that need to be addressed: security is weak and the execution leaves much to be desired.

Downloading the application seems easy enough, but the whole setup takes time. In addition to a mobile client, you must also download a companion server to your PC and register both pieces of software. xCloud requires a … Read more

Text-to-speech (TTS) and voice synthesis technology have come a long way since the days of choppy monotones and "computer speech." Today's TTS tools can be customized in so many ways that they can be hard to distinguish from natural speech in some applications. "Balabolka" means "chatterer" in Russian, and that's where Ilya Morozov's freeware TTS tool takes its name. Balabolka is based on Microsoft's Speech API (SAPI) but with changes designed to improve the clarity and articulation of the artificial speech generated by speech platforms such as the nearly ubiquitous … Read more

Intel merrily building processors for Apple's iPhone and iPad is a nice thought. So, hold on to that thought for at least a couple of years.

Until then, Samsung's in the way. That chipmaking giant has a factory in Austin, Texas, for building iPhone and iPad processors -- now and well into the future.

And Samsung seems to be doing a pretty good job. Courtroom wrangling alone won't necessarily drive an immediate wedge between the two companies if Samsung delivers the goods, which it has done pretty consistently.

Then there's the other big obstacle to an Intel deal: … Read more

It had to come to this, didn't it? You can't trust yourself to stay away from Facebook long enough to get any work done before lunch. And don't get us started on YouTube. We mean that: don't get us started on YouTube. Hours vanish. So you're thinking about software that blocks Facebook and YouTube at specific times because something must stop the madness. That's where FB Limiter from AxiomCoders enters the scene. This free tool prevents users from accessing Facebook, YouTube, or both. Your password controls access. You can keep your kids from going … Read more

The latest release of Corel Studio focuses on building up its consumer-level video-editing and production suite. Version X6 of VideoStudio is essentially Corel's response to the rise of HD content on affordable consumer gadgets. Corel has diligently kept up with consumers' pace when it comes to supporting such file types.

Using VideoStudio Pro as a primary editing program was a mixed bag; as someone who frequently produces videos on both a casual and professional basis, I had trouble envisioning the audience that Corel is targeting with VideoStudio. But first let's cover the core features.

Editing videos clips in … Read more

Looking for a very simple standalone application that can help you resolve some intriguing mathematical operations such as differential equations and definite integrals? SolveDiffEq for Mac proves to be a very simple but useful app.

The program comes as freeware and takes no time to download, install, and get running. It does not take much space, as it is very small. Being very straightforward and without too many options, SolveDiffEq for Mac performs very well. The interface lacks looks, but this is to be expected as this type of program doesn't really require a richer interface. It is divided … Read more

High-speed Internet doesn't always feel like high speed. If you want to browse and surf more quickly on your phone, you can use Internet Accelerator. Just don't expect it to actually work. While it claims it can make your surfing faster, it's more likely to just annoy you with never-ending pop-ups.

The app hits you with a "rate our app!" pop-up before you get to actually test the speed. These pop-ups happen any time you load the app and can even launch your browser and do all sorts of other shady stuff. The program itself … Read more

Often, songs or remixes are produced on YouTube but are not available anywhere for download. For people who want to listen to the audio in their favorite YouTube videos while offline, MediaHuman YouTube to MP3 Converter for Mac turns these videos into portable MP3 files, but with mixed results.

Available as freeware, the program supports multiple audio formats and allows you to select the desired sound quality, although this is ultimately limited by the nature of the original YouTube video selected. YouTube to MP3 Converter's download and installation are smooth, with minimal load time and space required. Simplistic at … Read more

If you have a Blu-ray player and don't want to or can't use a native Mac media player app, Mac Blu-ray Player can be used to view Blu-rays in addition to DVDs, but some may find the price tag for the full version too high.

The installation and setup of a free trial version of Mac Blu-ray Player for Mac went smoothly. The initial menus are intuitive and well-designed. The trial version will only function a limited number of times, however, before the user must buy the full version at $59.95. Technical support is available, and the … Read more