convert

Sometimes less really is more, and software that does a single task well is better than a feature-rich app that bogs down performance, clogs system memory, or over-reaches its abilities. Here are seven programs that were built to do a specific job, and succeed. These downloads may not have all the fixin's, but they taste great all the same.

UPDATED: We asked for your favorite picks and you responded. Here are five fresh one-trick ponies of the software world that you just love to bits.

MediaCell Video Converter This multiformat video converter makes the list thanks to a three-part, one-pane interface from which you browse for the video file, select the mobile device you'll be watching it on, and click the large, bubbly "convert" button. No need to concern yourself with file formats, bit rates, and sound quality. While users certainly can tweak the volume and settings themselves in the app's "output" section, MediaCell Video Converter's preset optimizations per device make it unnecessary for most.… Read more

It's not uncommon for publishers to start nailing dollar signs on freeware products or release a pro version requiring some financial obligation. It's a little more rare, and always refreshing, to see publishers introduce a free version of a commercial product. PK Ware did it with SecureZIP back in April, and MobiMate is doing it now with WorldMate S60, all-in-one travel software that incorporates a world clock, global currency converter, weather forecaster, and time zone map that tracks night and day around the globe.

The limited-feature release offers users free reign over five WorldMate capabilities, but dangles flight … Read more

You'd be forgiven for classifying Fujitsu's U810 notebook as a slightly clunky ultramobile PC.

After all, it weighs a pound and a half, has the Intel A110 processor used in Samsung's UMPC, and allows for fairly easy and accurate thumb typing. But you'd be wrong. Fujitsu prefers to call it a mini-notebook, mostly because it's essentially a scaled-down version of its other convertible notebooks.

It opens like a notebook, but has a rotating screen, which can be swiveled and locked down like Fujitsu's other Lifebook products. The U810 has a lot of features--biometric security, … Read more

This is the second open source application review that I've done, but it really should have been the first. I could probably live without talking to other people (Adium), but I'm not sure I could survive long flights without the occasional movie. Handbrake covers this fundamental human need.

If you're not currently using the open-source Handbrake application, your life is woefully incomplete. Handbrake is one of the applications that you will continue to use when you die. Angels are using it, even as I type, to rip their DVDs to their hard-drives so that they can save battery life on long trips (to Redmond, most likely :-).

Enough gushing. What is Handbrake? … Read more

South Korea will soon be seeing BTO's latest audio-ripping powerhouse, the Plusdeck EX. The bread-loaf-size box allows users to encode virtually any audio source (cassette, turntable, radio, even your mobile phone) into an MP3 or uncompressed WAV file. This is the same company that created the Plusdeck 2c, a dedicated cassette player that fits into a 5.25-inch computer drive bay. The 2c, however looks like a case study in '90s tech design, while the EX looks pretty stylish despite its girth.

The Plusdeck EX also comes with a remote, radio antennas, power supply and a USB cable. It … Read more

I'm not sure how you people can watch movies and TV shows on those little screens, but you sure are doing it! Every time I turn around on the bus or in the airport, somebody is watching video on her iPod. (If she's supercool, she's watching it on her new iPhone.)

It's easy to buy videos designed to view on those little screens, of course, but if you want to get your own DVDs and Web movies onto your iPod or iPhone, you'll have to dive into the wide world of video converters.… Read more

A lot of phones have built-in unit converters, but the iPhone doesn't. So this handy little app comes to the rescue to help you convert one unit of measurement to another. The layout is pretty straightforward, and it's easy to use.

iPhone link: http://www.tappingware.com/unitconverter/UnitConverter.php

It's already been a week since we eagerly anticipated the clock striking 6 p.m. for the sale of the very hyped iPhone. The speculation of what will happen is over, and by now most people are well over the hype. Some may be envious of others' iPhones, and some may be trying to sell an iPhone for a profit.

In case you haven't seen the iPhone or are interested in learning more about it, we've got a slew of galleries, as well as some pictures of the Sanyo SCP-3200, the General Electric G1 camera, and the … Read more

Movavi is a company that provides a variety of software solutions for video editing and conversion. Today they've launched a free, Web-based video conversion service that lets people change the format on video clips without installing any sort of conversion software on their computer. Users can upload up to five different video files, up to 100MB in total space, and choose from 11 popular formats for output. The main use for services like these is compatibility with portable devices, or Web services that require video clips to fall under a certain spec for playback--the iPod and upcoming iPhone included.… Read more