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ColorBox is an ambitious app with a huge collection of writing implements, but without animations, a clearly-labeled interface or menus, it is unnecessarily hard to use. What ColorBox does well is to create a tool in which you can write nearly anything in any style or color you want, which for many people will be enough to overlook the glaring omissions in the app.

When you first open ColorBox, you can see at a glance just how many options there are. Tap any of the tabs on the left side of the screen and you can choose from one of … Read more

Some Windows OEMs showed off coming small form-factor Windows 8 tablets as part of Computex this week.

Microsoft didn't take the wraps off its rumored 8-inch Surface at the show. But the company did share a few more tidbits about some of the changes it's making to Windows 8 with the 8.1 "Blue" release that will potentially make these smaller devices more usable.

Among the new small-screen devices that Microsoft's partners showed this week were the 8-inch Acer Iconia W3 (with the outsized keyboard); the Lenovo MiiX 8, an 8-inch tablet with a stylus … Read more

Clipster is a combination of social video creation and tutorial tool, streamlining the process of making videos while giving you enough tools to make them unique to your personality and vision. The result is an easy-to-use app that helps you craft engaging videos in just a few quick seconds, while building a library of clips you can use for future videos.

Clipster starts with a fairly basic but comprehensive five-part tutorial, walking you through how to create your first clips. You can then either use the existing clips that Clipster loads with or start recording your own right away. Recording … Read more

3D Brick Breaker Revolution is the newest iteration of a popular formula long since used and reused on video game consoles and computers, but it fails to set itself apart enough to be a wholly unique experience. That is not necessarily a bad thing if you enjoy the genre, but for those looking for a new experience, as promised by the name, a lot of what's here is very familiar.

The object of 3D Brick Breaker Revolution is to destroy the blocks onscreen with a ball that you keep in the air with a paddle. The controls are well … Read more

Norton Zone offers a stylish cloud storage solution with plenty of space, but it could be faster. It runs neck and neck with names like Dropbox and Google Drive in terms of features. Its performance is just as smooth and it works on plenty of different gadgets. However, it's not as fast or as flexible as its rivals, which is a major downfall.

Norton Zone makes you sign up for an account during the install process, but it doesn't take long. Once you have one, you can manage your files over the Web, and on your smartphone or … Read more

AOMEI Backupper provides the user with the ability to back up not only their disks and partitions, but their boot sectors and system files, as well. This utility is for more advanced users who are sure of what they need.

The app is ready to go as soon as it's installed. The user guidance for this program is extensive, including a full set of tutorials on the company's Web site. The program, itself, links to the tutorials, and there is a tutorial for every feature in the program. Backing up the main disk and boot partitions requires a … Read more

Wise JetSearch Portable finds files shockingly fast and easily outpaces the default file search on Windows. It will find dozens of files that fit your needs faster than you can even say its name. It even displays your searches in a neat, clean layout that you're going to like.

Since Wise JetSearch Portable comes in an executable file, there is no need for installation, although it might upset your antivirus software. However, the program is clean and doesn't come with any nasty add-ons. This program isn't a Web search program; instead it simply searches for files on … Read more

Wise Program Uninstaller Portable forces annoying programs off of your computer, but it comes with its own nuisances, too. There are some weird pop-up ads to put up with and it doesn't delete programs quickly. However, it's helpful in a pinch and is nice to have since you can stick it on a USB drive to take with you.

This program downloads as an executable file, which may make your anti-virus software flag it as suspicious. During testing, the program didn't behave suspiciously, but it did bring an unnecessary pop-up ad out of nowhere. It was for … Read more

As a full-fledged, detailed optimization tool, Anvi Startup Booster gives a large amount of information about programs and services that start with the computer. The program ranks each item according to its "blocking rate," a metric of how much the program or service slows down your startup rate.

Downloading Anvi Startup Booster was extremely easy and the publishers didn't try to push additional add-on software. It is a small program that immediately scans your computer when opened. The scan takes seconds at most and is very comprehensive. The program shows you a list of startup programs and … Read more