Ultimate

The drum pad and beat maker app craze continues with the release of Ultimate Beat Maker [Dubstep] for the iPad. The app, designed with nearly 50 different Dubstep and electronic music beats, allows you to set and combine any of those 48 beats with the tap of a button. While lacking in a number of features that would make this a must-own app, it is still very fun to use.

This is a very basic app, basically providing a map onscreen of 48 Dubstep beats that you can choose from. Tap any of the multicolored blocks and a beat will … Read more

Nevada has become the first state to allow its residents to legally play poker online for money.

The state on Tuesday announced (PDF) that UltimatePoker.com is now live for its residents. In order to play, participants must be 21 years old and reside in Nevada. For now, the site will offer nightly games with prizes of $1,000, though a higher-stakes game with a $10,000 pool will run on Sundays. Other poker sites are expected to go live eventually.

Nevada is breaking down a barrier in the online world of gambling. In 2006, Congress made Internet-based betting illegal, … Read more

1964 Ears makes custom-molded, in-ear headphones, just like Ultimate Ears, JH Audio, and Westone, but 1964 Ears is a relative newcomer. It has to try harder than the more established brands, so 1964 Ears offers a wider array of customizable features and service options than the others. Prices start a little lower, at $350 for the 1964-D, and $650 for the top-of-the-line model I'm reviewing here today, the 1964-V6. That's significantly less expensive than the established brands' flagships.

1964 Ears can also "remold" your old universal-fit balanced-armature headphones, like a Shure or Etymotic pair, and make … Read more

If you watch a lot of video on your computer, a decent video converter is an absolute necessity. But if you also watch a lot of video on your smartphone or tablet, or like to make DVDs, or find yourself constantly saving bits of video for later, a decent video converter isn't good enough. You need a good one. Like Xilisoft's Video Converter Ultimate. It's on the high side of premium video converters for home use, but you get what you pay for, which in this case means automatic profiles enhanced for just about any device or … Read more

LAS VEGAS--iPad keyboard cases galore litter CES, but Belkin has some nice new models up its sleeve, including a clever one that converts your old Apple keyboard. I gave them a whirl over at Belkin's booth.

The Convertible Keyboard Case (top), announced at the show, costs just $49 and adopts a standard Apple bluetooth keyboard to become a pretty portable keyboard case. The foldable case essentially acts as a wraparound folio/stand, but its design is elegant, finding a way to fold the Apple keyboard's tubular back into the design without adding bulge.

The Ultimate Keyboard Case is … Read more

If you own an iPad, iPhone, or iPod, you don't have many options for downloading. You can stick with the closed garden of iTunes or jailbreak your phone and risk bricking it. CopyTrans Manager gives you a safer solution to put songs, movies and even third-party apps on your gadget. It gives you a more user-friendly way to have all your favorite stuff on your mobile gadget.

Though the clean interface won't blow you away, it makes it easy to find the syncing options. Since CopyTrans Manager usually finds your gadget automatically, you can start moving and downloading … Read more

With most speakers or headphones, you're stuck with the designer's sound, but with the Logitech UE Personal Reference Monitors (PRM) you get to play headphone designer and dial in exactly the sound you want.

Each pair is totally unique; they're built with the individually designed equalization curves you selected. My PRMs sound absolutely amazing, but I'm a little biased, I designed them to please my ears! Every PRM buyer will do the same, and if they totally screw up and hate the result, Ultimate Ears will give them another try. Each PRM set is handmade in UE's facilities in California.

The price for this level of customization doesn't come cheap, though; the Personal Reference Monitors sell for $1,999. That's extreme, but so are $285,000 luxury cars. I cover the full gamut of audio, from affordable to the craziest expensive gear. … Read more

Xilisoft Video Converter Ultimate is a fast and easy-to-use video file converter tool that lets you convert almost any type of video and make it playable on mobile devices.

If an application can become addictive in terms of everyday use, Xilisoft's Video Converter Ultimate is one of them. It has a nice-looking interface, but we can't say it's very intuitive. However, once users go through the long list of options, subsequent movie conversions will be a piece of cake. Xilisoft Video Converter supports a ton of formats, and we find that very useful, as you can have … Read more

Nexus is Latin for both a group of things bound together and the act of binding them. That makes it the perfect name for Winstep's free Nexus Dock utility. Like other desktop docks, it has time and weather widgets, a screenshot tool, and quick access to Windows features like e-mail and the Start menu. But that's just the beginning of what this versatile app can do. It brings just about anything in your PC together on the desktop for instant access -- programs, utilities, files, folders, properties information, and so on -- and displays them in an interactive, … Read more