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HandBrake is a video converter program intended to both rip and convert video files to work on a number of supported devices.

The features of this converter are easy enough to understand. An advanced computer user will most likely be able to use HandBrake for its full purpose, but a user who knows the basics should be able to figure out how to work through the main steps. You simply have to have a file or DVD to work with, and HandBrake will help with some of the less obvious steps by indicating the missing information that needs to be … Read more

StrokesPlus is a powerful and flexible program that lets users perform a variety of common tasks, such as cutting and pasting text, launching programs, and adjusting the computer's volume, all by making simple mouse gestures. StrokesPlus Portable is, as the name suggests, a portable version of this useful program. Whether you're experienced with using mouse gestures or looking to try them for the first time, StrokesPlus Portable is a great choice that lets you use your mouse gestures wherever you go.

StrokesPlus Portable appears as an icon in the system tray, and right-clicking it reveals a comprehensive set … Read more

Mouse gestures are one of the simplest -- and, we'd venture to say, most clever -- ways to save time on the computer. With a flick of the wrist you can launch or close a program, adjust your volume, undo your last action, or perform any number of other tasks. StrokesPlus is an easy-to-use program that provides users with a variety of predefined mouse gesture actions, as well as the capability to create others. We think it's a great way to save time and mouse strokes on commonly performed tasks.

StrokesPlus appears as an icon in the system … Read more

VNC stands for Virtual Network Computing. Based on a simple, robust protocol, VNC connections let you remotely view and control one computer from another using the Internet or a private network. UltraVNC lets anyone create VNC connections between two or more PCs running its software. Freeware, actually: UltraVNC is free but powerful enough to provide customer support and remote administration. It's easy to use, as VNC packages go, but it's not really for beginners. For example, you must install the client (Viewer) on one system and the Server on another, and both PCs must allow remote access. The … Read more

LG took the wraps off the latest addition to its L-Series line of smartphones this evening.

Featuring Android 4.0 (aka Ice Cream Sandwich), the Optimus L9 will sport a 1GHz dual-core processor and 4.7-inch IPS display. The 9.1-millimeter-thick L9 will also feature a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera and a high-density 2150 mAH SiO+ battery.

The new phone, which is expected to debut this week at the IFA 2012 consumer-electronics trade show in Berlin, will come bundled with QTranslator, MY Style Keypad, and QMemo apps. LG is touting QTranslator's use of optical character recognition technology to translate words … Read more

For months, we've heard talk of an iPhone 5 with a longer screen. The latest stories around the Internet suggest not only that this is a likely reality, but that iOS 6 supports this new resolution: 640x1,136 pixels, to be exact. That's an extra 176 pixels longer than the current iPhone's 640x960 display.

When I heard of the next iPhone's longer screen, I thought: I'd just prefer a slightly bigger screen, not necessarily a longer one. My current iPhone 4S feels like it has a perfect aspect ratio. Why change it?

Then I thought about it, and quickly changed my tune.… Read more

The latest evidence that Apple is ready to abandon its iconic dock connector in favor of a smaller solution comes in the form of a reference to a 9-pin connector in the code for iOS 6 beta.

The code string was uncovered by 9to5Mac and directly conflicts with several other reports of the possible size of a smaller dock connector. Reports of the number of pins in the new dock connector have ranged from as few as 8 to as many as 19 (or simply retaining the 30 it currently sports).

Important to keep in mind is the fact that … Read more

If you're still enjoying the dog days of summer, sitting by the pool drinking lemonade (hard or otherwise), good for you. But here in CNET-land, we're already gearing up for the fall rush. This week, we've had our noses to the grindstone reviewing Samsung's most lovely laptop, as well as do-it-all NAS drives, among other tech products. We had a little fun too, though, with an iPhone case you can use in that pool should you decide you absolutely have to surf the Web while you surf the waves. (You don't by the way, but … Read more

SAN YSIDRO, Calif.--They were hidden in the gas tank -- 17 tightly-wrapped packages of marijuana weighing in at 38.44 pounds.

The car was nondescript, a green 1999 Mazda 626. The driver was a male 50-year-old Mexican national, a resident of Tijuana who had presumably been hoping to make it into California without being stopped.

Instead, the man got caught with the massive haul of pot, snared by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers here at the world's busiest border crossing using several tools in their arsenal -- some high-tech, some very low-tech -- to find … Read more