A Superior Media Backup and Burner Program

December 15, 2009 — Mrs. Mecomber

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of 123 Media Max. All opinions are 100% mine.

This is timely. It’s a superior media backup and burner software program, very affordable and just in time for the holidays; not only as a gift, but also as a way to create gifts. With the personal computer becoming more powerful, with peripheral media creators and software becoming more user-friendly and affordable, we can now create our own videos! Moreover, these videos can be copied and burned onto DVDs for family and friends to enjoy, too.

OK I’m jumping the gun here. This 123 Media Max is very versatile software, and does many things. Moreover, it boastsBlu-Ray Copy Breakthrough which allows you to make backup copies of Blu-ray movies to standard DVD-RW, retaining the excellent HD quality.

The list of features is extensive, too extensive for me to list here entirely. But these are the main features the 123 Media Max software offers:

  • Convert audio files and CD tracks to mp3s for easier editing and managing.
  • Convert video files to DVDs.
  • Convert any DVD to DivX, AVI, Windows Media Video (WMV), and MPEG4 files. (wow!)
  • Make your own ringtones from CDs, mp3s and audio files
  • Convert and burn YouTube, Google Video, Metacafe, MyVideo, blip.tv, Putfile, Break and Myspace videos to DVD.
  • Backup Blu-ray movies to DVDs; the copied DVDs retain high quality and are playable on DVD players or your Sony PS3.
  • Back up any DVD movie to DVD.
  • Make a DVD from multiple video files; you can the audio and video pieces independently, too!
  • Loads more

I make a lot of audio and video compilations, so to me this software looks fantastic. Plus, we have some very valuable DVDs and DVD collections that would break my heart if they became damaged or corrupted. And Blu-ray movies are pricey– the 123 Media Max backup feature is a perfect way to have backups on hand in case anything happens to the original. Or, if you are like us, use the backup copy and store the original for safe-keeping.

Check out the software. This would make a very nice gift for any audiophile or movie maker or movie buff on your gift list. It’s affordable and looks really nice! Make sure to go to the website to check your computer specifications before purchasing.
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Posted in conversion programs, desktop publishing. Tags: , , , , , , . Comments Off »

My Review of Roxio Creator 2010

September 17, 2009 — Mrs. Mecomber

I’ve been in search of some video editing software that could manage my .MOV files that my Kodak camera creates. It’s been a very loooong search, almost a year now! I’ve tried all sorts of free (and purchased) video software and video converters– about a dozen, total. I was just about ready to buy a used Apple Mac so I could edit these videos– I was at wit’s end and could find nothing for my PC that could handle the .MOV files with ease.

Until now.

I have found the software of my dreams. It’s Roxio Creator 2010. (Lisa, thanks for mentioning it to me– Roxio totally rocks!!) The astute folks at Roxio had noticed my blogging lamentations about video editing software, and said they had what I needed. Honestly, I kind of doubted it at first- I’d tried so many other programs with no results. So Roxio sent me their product for a review. It was a bold move on their part, I believe. I’m pretty fussy and nothing had worked up to this point. I was shopping for used Mini Macs on eBay…. but I installed Roxio Creator on my PC, and….

:jeeters: HOLY COW!! I am very, very impressed with the software. It works it works!!

Roxio Box

OK, now for the details.

Roxio Creator 2010 is a hefty chunk of software. It installed well on my Acer Aspire X3200 (AMD Phenom X3 at 2.1 GHz, 4 GB RAM) and my HP Pavilion a6720y (AMD Phenom X4 at 2.2 GHz, 6GB RAM), but it would not install on my Toshiba Satellite notebook (AMD Athlon X2 at 1.7 GHz, 2 GB RAM). I didn’t even try it on my computers with Celeron processor cheapies. So be watchful of your PC specs when getting the software. It requires a hefty machine.

Roxio Creator is touted as a “multimedia software suite.” Among its many capabilities, it can:

  • Burn CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs. It has a cute desktop widget where you can drag and drop your files for burning right on your desktop. It’s a very nice feature for someone like me, who already has a dozen applications open…
  • Copy and convert video files, and data, audio, photo files. The conversion process is a breeze. I love this feature because so many recording gadgets record in native Apple formats (AVI, MOV, etc) and Windows seems to have a hard time managing them.

    • (more…)

Posted in conversion programs, desktop publishing, educational programs, image editing, photo editing. Tags: , , , . 4 Comments »

Another Desktop Email Client Program

July 28, 2009 — Mrs. Mecomber

I’m not a big fan of webmail. I have far too many accounts scattered across Gmail, Hotmail, Live Mail, Yahoo, and my POP3 mail. It’s REALLY onerous to log in to all these places to check my mail! :-p So I’m a big fan of desktop email clients. I’ve tried them all! Eudora, Thunderbird, Windows Mail, Outlook, Windows Live Mail, and a ton I don’t remember their names to. I liked Outlook, but after I upgraded my computer it wouldn’t run the old version I had (2000), and I wasn’t willing to shell out the big bucks for Microsoft Office. So I’ve reverted to Windows Mail, which is “ok.”

But I found another email client recently, a big one. Zimbra. It’s open source, so it’s free. And the program is HUGE. Not the file size, but what is has to offer. It’s a lot like Outlook– it has a built-in calendar, address/contacts section, etc. The calendar is very, very nice.

Now be aware that there are many “versions” of Zimbra, including a few beefed-up versions that you pay for. I just LOVE their synchronization suite (I have multiple computers and check my email on them all), but it’s a premium service and a little too pricey for my tastes. But it’s a very sleek email client, and the Zimbra Desktop is free! Can’t beat that!

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Posted in desktop utilities, email programs, free programs, organizers. Tags: , , , . 1 Comment »

Phone Tray- The Answer to Telemarketing Hassles?

June 29, 2009 — Mrs. Mecomber

A friend passed along this website when I complained about my incessant telemarketing calls- Phone Tray. Oh my word, this looks like an amazing software program! I wanted to post about it right away, so that you’d have the chance to see it, too. (Scroll all the way down and look for Phone Tray Free 1.34). I have not downloaded it yet (I have to order Call Waiting at my local telephone provider first, in order for Phone Tray to work). This looks like a spectacular program. I have been PLAGUED by telemarketing calls. I mean, hey, it’s great to know that I have a Rochester personal injury lawyer or a new credit card waiting at my disposal, but if I need it, I’ll call you guys, k?

Basically, Phone Tray installs on your computer. Your computer is then hooked up to your telephone line. When a call comes in, the phone call is routed through your computer (through Phone Tray) and a Caller ID information window pops up. The nice thing about Phone Tray is that you can BLOCK telephone calls! Which means, when I get a telemarketer, I can, through the Caller ID, get the number and then block that number from ever calling my phone again. I LOVE this idea!! So as soon as I have the Caller ID feature enabled on my phone, I’m going to download Phone Tray and give it a thorough run-through. I’ll post my review with all my findings. I’m really looking forward to this, hoping that this will solve my telemarketer problems. P.S. Phone Tray is a free program! Stay tuned.

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Posted in ad blocks, computers, desktop utilities, free programs. Tags: , , , . Comments Off »

New Site For Downloading Software

June 25, 2009 — Mrs. Mecomber

The folks at DownloadSoftwareHere.com (also know as Softry.com) wanted me to let you know about their new website offering tens of thousands of free software downloads to quickly find and download software you want. I’ve been puttering around the site quite a bit, testing out what they have to offer. A lot of the downloads are for web developers (database management, website development tools like chat rooms, etc), although they have stuff for the “average” computer user (like games, network chat and chat programs, some educational programs like typing, dictionaries, and languages programs). The website is extremely well-organized: There is a long list of basic topics in the left-hand side, and when you click a topic, you’re taken to a page with more defined topics. From there, you can click to see available downloads for the specific thing you’re looking for.

The search feature is very impressive. I’ve been looking for a LAN Network chat program for a looong time, and when I typed it in the search bar, I got a page of software titles and very descriptive paragraphs. This is so helpful, because I don’t have to click and click and click just to see if the software is what I want. I was able to determine from the descriptions whether the software suited my needs or not. (Unfortunately, I didn’t find a suitable chat program, so my quest continues).

Anyway, if you are a web developer, you might want to check out the site. DownloadSoftwareHere.com promises that they use anti-virus tools to check all software (as any good download site would). With ANY website, please do your homework when downloading any software from the Internet. Be sure you have an updated anti-virus and firewall program. Check out the program thoroughly, do a search for reliability, bugs, etc.

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Posted in anti-virus, desktop utilities, free programs, security how-to. Tags: , . 1 Comment »

Backup Email with KLS Backup

June 20, 2009 — Mrs. Mecomber

I work from home, and saving emails and other correspondence is extremely important, for filing purposes. Printer ink is SO expensive, the last thing I want to do is print all my emails and store them in my filing cabinets! :S I haven’t found a good and simple email backup program that would just SAVE stuff and not add all these extra doodads like a Plano Cosmetic Dentist.

Well, not until now! I just tried out KLS Backup and I really like it! It not only saves email from all the “major” software programs (Outlook Express, Windows Mail, Windows Mail Live, Thunderbird), but also saves settings from Opera, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Seamonkey, and more. You can choose what files or folder you want saved, not as a big batch file of pre-determined settings. I love this!

klssoftwr

The program is free to download and use. It’s a great one!

P.S. One suggestion I have before saving email– deleted all your junk mail and deleted messages before saving files. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a huge file filled with stuff you didn’t want to save, anyway.

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Posted in desktop utilities, email programs, free programs. Tags: , , . 1 Comment »
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