Walt Mossberg says Picnik — a Web-based photo-editing application — is good for tweaking and improving photos, then posting them to photo Web sites, saving them to a computer, emailing them, or even printing them.
Adobe’s Photoshop Express offers the nicest set of Web-based photo editing tools I have seen. They are sophisticated for a consumer application, yet easy to use. However, it’s rough around the edges.
SnagFilms is a great idea for getting documentary films in front of more people, writes Walt Mossberg. It’s a new service that allows anyone with a blog, a Web site, or even a page on a social-networking site, to open a virtual movie theater and show these documentaries, free.
Xobni is a new, free plug-in module for Outlook that has some flaws, but Walt Mossberg finds that it turns the email experience from one that was organized by messages and dates into one that is organized by people and relationships.
Flock, a little-known Web browser, attempts to take the pain out of online multitasking by keeping your social networks, photo sites or news feeds visible at all times. The browser works well, but it isn’t for everyone.
If you got a new computer over the holidays, you’re probably focused right now on enjoying all its cool features, or savoring how much faster it is than the old warhorse it replaced. The last thing you want to dwell upon is the chore of backing up your data. Still, backing up your files is important.
Walt takes a close look at a a new, free Web guide to colleges–and mostly likes what he sees. The information isn’t just words and numbers, but includes lots of photos, videos and student input for most schools.
Edited by Walt and written by Katie Boehret, this is a guide to gadgets, web services and other consumer technologies.
Ethics Statement
Here is a statement of my ethics and coverage policies. It is more than most of you want to know, but, in the age of suspicion of the media, I am laying it all out.