Picks: Reviews of BrainsBreaker, Eyecopia, PhotoEchoes, Audio Mentor

Greetings and Welcome! Moving intoFebruary and it seems like the ball just dropped in Times Square a fewdays ago. Time flies when you're having fun. Still lots of snow here inColorado where I live. As long as my roof holds up I'll be happy.Windows Vista has been released in the coming weeks I'll be reviewingproducts that take advantage of the new features. Vista has some newcapabilities that will give the Windows operating system new potential.For today, however, I have some good software products to tell youabout. So, if you're all set just sit back, relax, and let's take alook.

• BrainsBreaker
• Version: 4.8
• System Requirements: Windows 98/ME/NT/2000/XP
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• Download BrainsBreakerNOW!
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BrainsBreaker, by Juan Trujillois a cool tool for creating your own jigsaw puzzles. The program comeswith free puzzles, but you can also make your own. In testing theprogram I used pictures of my grandchildren to create puzzles.

BrainsBreaker lets you decide how many puzzle pieces each puzzlehas. The only real limitation is the size of your screen. Another coolfeature is that you can share your puzzles with other people. I alsolike the fact that you could stop a puzzle and return to it later rightwhere you left off. That makes it nice in case you don't have the timeto finish a puzzle in one sitting. Another thing you can do is put yourpuzzles online so multiple people can try solving it. BrainsBreaker isa perfect program for anyone who loves across recruit jigsaw puzzles. Check out for yourself!

• Eyecopia
• Version: 1.4.9
• System Requirements: Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP
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Eyecopia, by Enjoin, LLC.was one of my Quick Picks and we had more time to test it here in theoffice. This is a slick program for doing surveillance in and aroundyour house. I hooked up two Web cams and had one watching the front doorand one watching the hall. The software made it easy to see if anyonewas approaching.

Eyecopiaproved to be really handy when a package was delivered. I could look at the software and immediately see that the FederalExpress girl was at the door. A feature I thought was really clever wasthe ability to send an e-mail and attach a video clip to it. you coulduse this feature to monitor your house while you're on vacation or aspart of a widespread Neighborhood Watch program. Slick!

Eyecopia is a really powerful tool for keeping track of your homeor your business. The interface is easy-to-use and intuitive, whichmakes it perfect for users with all levels of experience. So, give it atry. It's one of the nicest programs of it's kind that I've seen.

• PhotoEchoes
• Version: 1.2
• System Requirements: Windows XP
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• Download PhotoEchoesNOW!
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PhotoEchoes, by Juan Trujillois another program that was a Quick Pick. This is one that you have tosee and especially if you like kaleidoscopes. You can use it as astand-alone program to generate some really cool images utilizing yourown photos, or other graphics.

PhotoEchoes can also be used as a screen saver. Another coolfeature is the ability to play music in the background while it'sdisplaying images. Makes for a very soothing effect, of course dependingon the music you pick. If you're into photo and really love theuniqueness of kaleidoscopes, then PhotoEchoes is oneprogram you have to try. Check it out for yourself.

• Audio Mentor
• Version: 1.2
• System Requirements: Windows XP
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• Download Audio MentorNOW!
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Audio Mentor, by Tracer Technologiesis a nifty program that you can use to put old recordings onnew CDs. The program is easy-to-use and you don't have to be anaudio technician to use it. I found the program to be intuitive and forme that means it great for both new and experienced users.

Audio Mentor makes it easy because it takes you through theentire process step-by-step. That makes you feel comfortable asyou take your old recording and put them in a format that will hopefullylast a bit longer. Audio Mentor does an amazing job of removingnoise from your old tapes and records. (Note: A "record" is adisc, generally made of vinyl, which music was originally recorded on. -The Editor. In testing it out I found it could remove hiss, pops,those tiny little "clicks", and it did it all quite fast. Nice!

Audio Mentor is perfect for taking audio from older formats andgetting a copy on CD. The program is really impressive because it makeswhat I might consider a complicated task into something that most peoplecan do. You can even enhance the original recording before you burn itto CD. It keeps all the files separated so you know exactly which songsneed to be converted and which are already done. I like the product somuch that I'm also making it a Dr. File FinderFavorite! and there aren't many of those. So, if you've gotsome good audio on old media, give Audio Mentor a try. Irecommend it!

• Easy DVD-Video Copy 3.0.32 by EasyDVDCDBurner.com
• Check ItOut!

Easy DVD-Video Copy 3.0.32 is a nifty tool for makingidentical copies of DVDs. I mean it really makes and exactcopy including all the fancy menus, languages, and more. Good formaking archival copies of movies. Keep in mind that copyrightedmaterial is protected by law. Take a look at Easy DVD-Video Copy.It may be what you've been looking for.

What can I say? We've run out of time for this week. Some of you maywonder how I can evaluate over 200 programs every week and stillenjoy writing about some of them. Well, it's because I reallyenjoy software and always have. I look at a lot so I can tell youabout some of the BEST. If you have requests, I'm always open tosuggestions. I'll be back next week with more Picks to share with youand I'll hope you'll stop by. Till then, have a great week, a wonderfulweekend, and happy downloading!