album

Image Compressor 2008 Pro Edition is a full-featured digital image editor. Although it won't replace Photoshop or other top-of-the line editing software, it's a great choice for users seeking a fairly lightweight program that still delivers plenty of options.

The program's interface is quite sleek and intuitive, although we were dismayed that the Quick Start Guide, which seems to invite users to click on it for information about different topics, couldn't actually be clicked on at all. This was the only hiccup we encountered, though. The interface is fully configurable, allowing users to customize the layout … Read more

Wedding Album Maker Gold is an intuitive way to create custom slideshows and save them in a variety of formats. Although it's not the most sophisticated program we've ever seen, it's easy to use, and is a good choice for users that aren't too picky.

The program's interface is very intuitive, allowing us to create our first album in a matter of minutes. The program walks users through the process of selecting photos, adjusting transition effects, adding music, selecting a template and menu, and selecting the proper output format. The interface isn't particularly slick-looking, … Read more

They're good, but do the remastered Beatles CDs offer a big enough sonic improvement over the 1987 CDs to make them essential? Listening over my high-end, two-channel system they absolutely do! But are the differences large enough to show up over an iPod, car system, or computer speakers?

The 2009 remasters are louder than the 1987 versions, so a quick comparison might lead you to believe the remaster is "better" simply because it's a little louder. And there's more bass. So if you compare old and new adjust the volume of both CDs to make them the same. Then tell me what you hear.

I compared two of the better sounding CDs, "The Beatles (The White Album)" and "Abbey Road" over my iPod, using my Monster Turbine in-ear headphones, and over my computer, with Audioengine2 speakers. Mind you, the Turbine and Audioengine2 are a good deal better than average-sounding ways to hear music, and after I compensated for the volume differences between the 1987 and 2009 versions, the sound was nearly the same.

And I was listening in a dead quiet room, add some background office or street noise and the differences would be even harder to hear. Rather than buy the new Beatles CDs, buy better headphones or speakers. They would make the Beatles music you already own sound better.

Thing is, with the 2009 remasters we're talking about fairly subtle improvements in clarity, especially in high-frequency detail, overall spaciousness, and naturalness. And the music seems more dynamically alive. Too bad those qualities evaporate over iPods, computer speakers, and car systems. … Read more

Fotobook Editor lets you create attractive and modern custom books and calendars in a variety of sizes. However, the publisher is based in the United Kingdom, so users outside the U.K. may not be able to get products as quickly it claims.

The interface is well organized and easy to use. There is a Help file that directs users to Fotobook Editor's Web page, and there is an FAQ and a support request form that you can consult if you need assistance. We tried a few of the book and calendar templates and found them easy to use. … Read more

Peter Kafka at All Things Digital reported Thursday that Apple is planning to make a major announcement the week of September 7, and that was a big scoop.

But much of the substance of Apple's announcement--at least as it relates to music--is old news, according to multiple music industry sources. Last month, the Financial Times broke the story that Apple is working on the next-generation album cover, code named Cocktail.

Whatever else Apple intends to announce at the still not officially announced event, expect Cocktail to be part of it. An Apple spokesman declined to comment on Friday.

It … Read more

Did we like music more back when we had to pay for it in bulk?

That's essentially the question writer Nick Carr asks in yet another provocative post on his Rough Type blog. "Slanted and Enchanted" revels in the one-hit wonder but also asks if we are losing something by dumping albums for tracks.

I've suggested that artists may find new ways to more deeply engage their fans by focusing on singles rather than albums, but there's something to Carr's logic:

HomeGallery is an easy-to-use wallpaper changer that lets users edit and organize their images within an attractive and intuitive layout.

The program's interface is exceptional, with a sleek and professional-looking design. The fact that it consists of three separate windows can be a bit annoying, but we were willing to ignore that because it was so nice to look at. One small window contains controls for the changer--play, fast forward, and so no--and also gives access to the program's settings. Another window provides a cool-looking filmstrip-style display of the user's images across the top of the screen. … Read more

On today's episode, we invent a new word that we hope will show up on a show like "The Hills" sometime soon. Plus, we get fired up, make terrible jokes about monkeys controlling computers with their brains, and actually work in a tiny bit of news. For example, Apple's doing a tablet and music labels are trying to sell some new weird digital album thing. You might like the "fired up" part better.

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Monkeys and scientists develop persistent "plug and play" control over brain-to-computer interface… Read more

Apparently, the digital download didn't kill the album after all.

The four largest recording companies and Apple reportedly have plans to create what they hope is the next-generation album. Driving the efforts is the hope that music can once again deliver fat profits, instead of the scrawny margins earned on 99 cent downloads.

On Sunday evening, the Financial Times reported that Apple plans to entice customers to accept packaged music by throwing in "photos, lyric sheets and liner notes" and also enable consumers "to play songs directly from the interactive book without clicking back into Apple'… Read more