Life is hard -- and expensive. You've got bills to pay, vacation photos to send out, checkbooks to balance -- and that's just before 11 AM. Luckily, you don't have to spend an arm and a leg to get some help -- a raft of free programs to make your life easier is available online. And we've found the best ones, from free virus protection to photo- and video-editing services. Some of these programs work online in your Web browser, while others need to be downloaded and installed onto your computer, but the most important thing is that they're all top-notch. Now check them out before somebody realizes they can actually charge money for this stuff....


1. JumpCut: Edit and Publish Your Videos

Gel up the hair, slap on some wrap-around sunglasses, and put on a smile -- it's time to go Hollywood. JumpCut allows you to upload an unlimited number of your video clips, photos, and audio from your computer (or digital camera), while a host of online tools let you edit it all into the next box office blockbuster (or YouTube phenomenon, at least). The Web-based video editor lets you rearrange clips and photos, add titles, effects, filters, and a whole bunch more right in your browser (no downloading or installation necessary). It works in a host of browsers (though we heartily recommend Firefox on both Mac and PC), and it's as free as these here United States of America.

Everyone knows that China is a hotbed of software and movie piracy, but Canada? Yes, it seems the land that gave us 'Strange Brew,' Pam Anderson and breakfast-friendly ham is also giving copyright violators a safe haven from legal action. That's according to Microsoft, Apple and the other members of the International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA), who recently submitted to the U.S. government their priority picks for countries to blacklist. The blacklist is the first step toward eventually levying international trade sanctions on offending countries.

In ranking how poor of a job a country does enforcing copyright, Canada is currently a tier two country alongside Brazil, South Korea and Mexico. However, the IIPA has recommended promoting Canada to tier one, which would put our neighbors to the north in the same company as China, Russia, Thailand and several other ne'er-do-wells. The beef is that Canada isn't doing nearly enough to prevent thieves from violating copyright laws.

The U.S. government, however, does not agree with the IIPA and has granted Canada a stay of execution for now. The IIPA expressed disappointment at the decision, claiming that Canada, "continues to cause great damage to legitimate rights holders, both of Canadian and U.S. copyright products."

To be fair, the Canadian Mounties are a lot more knowledgeable about things like horses, hats and funny pants. Copyright law, not so much.


From Engadget

Related Links:

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• iPods Kicked Out of Class
• Get Chatty at the Bus Stop

We knew Hilary Duff was more than just a pop-music (and movie) star -- after all, she has her own perfume-, bag-, and clothing lines – but we had had no idea she was so tech-savvy. Lucky for us, Duff took a few minutes out of her busy schedule performing songs off her latest album, 'Dignity,' to tell us about her favorite gadgets and games. And when you're done reading the questionnaire, be sure to check out our special gallery featuring Duff and some of her favorite gadgets.


What gadgets do you always bring with you to the set?

I am really a cards type girl. I like board games too, but as far as gadgets, I used to have a T-Mobile Sidekick. Now, I use my T-Mobile BlackBerry to text my friends and email interview questions instantly.


Who's the last person you sent a text message to and what was it about?

My sister. I was asking her what she was doing for dinner and whether she had time to go to Pilates with me.


Where do you go pretty much every time you get online?

I go to shopbop.com and different magazine sites like Elle and Glamour. I also check out YouTube a lot.


What annoys you most about your iPod, cell phone, or laptop (or any other gadget)?

Dropped calls on my cell phone annoy me the most. When you are in the middle of a conversation and a loud beep goes off in your ear and then the line goes blank. Also, sometimes my iPod goes crazy and freezes and I can't do anything until the battery goes out.


Name one thing you wish your iPod, cell phone, or laptop could do that it doesn't do now?

I wish my cell phone could play my favorite TV shows on voice demand. It would be cool if my laptop could go to applications and iTunes by voice command, too.


Is there an upcoming gadget that can't wait to get your hands on?

I can't wait until they get Slingbox for Macs!


Good news, the beta version of Slingbox for Macs is out now. But back to the interview: You're stranded on a desert island: What gadget do you bring?

Definitely my BlackBerry so that I could get help!


Tell us what's the most-played song or artist on your iPod.

It varies from day to day. Right now it's Regina Spektor or Fiona Apple.


What cell phone are you using right now and what do you love or hate about it?

The T-Mobile BlackBerry 8700, I moved from the Sidekick because the Sidekick was big and more like a toy. I like the BlackBerry, it has a cool pin system for BlackBerry-to-BlackBerry communication.


Blackberry, Sidekick, or Treo?

BlackBerry.


Are you getting an iPhone?

I'll wait and see how people like it. The first of anything always has glitches and kinks to work out.


What's the longest time you've ever spent playing a video game in one sitting and what game was it?

I am not a video game player, but a few years ago I played a game I think it was called Vice City. It was so violent that I had bad dreams that same night. I hear the Nintendo Wii is a cool system.





Related Links:

• AOL Music: Hilary Duff Artist Profile
• AOL Sessions: Hilary Duff Performance (Video)
• Text-Crazed Lindsay Lohan Gallery

It's hard to believe that it's been 30 years since Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie and the droids first crossed intergalactic paths in 'Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope,' the first film in George Lucas's epic space opera.

Though May 25th marks the actual 30-year anniversary, Lucas and company are kicking off the celebration tonight with a screening of the original film in Los Angeles. (No word if it's going to be the original pressing, or the gussied-up 2005 version in which Lucas added some CGI as well as some entire scenes.)

To get you in the 'Star Wars' frame of mind, Wired has posted this incredible gallery of behind-the-scenes photos and concept art from the original film. Though, perhaps what's most incredible is seeing how kind or unkind time has been to some of the movie's stars.

From Wired

We knew Hilary Duff was more than just a pop-music (and movie) star -- after all, she has her own perfume-, bag-, and clothing lines – but we had had no idea she was so tech-savvy. Lucky for us, Duff took a few minutes out of her busy schedule performing songs off her latest album, 'Dignity,' to tell us about her favorite gadgets and games. And when you're done reading the interview, be sure to check out our special gallery featuring Duff and some of her favorite gadgets.


What gadgets do you always bring with you to the set?

I am really a cards type girl. I like board games too, but as far as gadgets, I used to have a T-Mobile Sidekick. Now, I use my T-Mobile BlackBerry to text my friends and email interview questions instantly.


Who's the last person you sent a text message to and what was it about?

My sister. I was asking her what she was doing for dinner and whether she had time to go to Pilates with me.


Where do you go pretty much every time you get online?

I go to shopbop.com and different magazine sites like Elle and Glamour. I also check out YouTube a lot.


What annoys you most about your iPod, cell phone, or laptop (or any other gadget)?

Dropped calls on my cell phone annoy me the most. When you are in the middle of a conversation and a loud beep goes off in your ear and then the line goes blank. Also, sometimes my iPod goes crazy and freezes and I can't do anything until the battery goes out.


Name one thing you wish your iPod, cell phone, or laptop could do that it doesn't do now?

I wish my cell phone could play my favorite TV shows on voice demand. It would be cool if my laptop could go to applications and iTunes by voice command, too.


Is there an upcoming gadget that can't wait to get your hands on?

I can't wait until they get Slingbox for Macs!


Good news, the beta version of Slingbox for Macs is out now. But back to the interview: You're stranded on a desert island: What gadget do you bring?

Definitely my BlackBerry so that I could get help!


Tell us what's the most-played song or artist on your iPod.

It varies from day to day. Right now it's Regina Spektor or Fiona Apple.


What cell phone are you using right now and what do you love or hate about it?

The T-Mobile BlackBerry 8700, I moved from the Sidekick because the Sidekick was big and more like a toy. I like the BlackBerry, it has a cool pin system for BlackBerry-to-BlackBerry communication.


Blackberry, Sidekick, or Treo?

BlackBerry.


Are you getting an iPhone?

I'll wait and see how people like it. The first of anything always has glitches and kinks to work out.


What's the longest time you've ever spent playing a video game in one sitting and what game was it?

I am not a video game player, but a few years ago I played a game I think it was called Vice City. It was so violent that I had bad dreams that same night. I hear the Nintendo Wii is a cool system.





Related Links:

• AOL Music: Hilary Duff Artist Profile
• AOL Sessions: Hilary Duff Performance (Video)
• Text-Crazed Lindsay Lohan Gallery

From Engadget

Another new home-theater-in-a-box (HTIB) -- the term used for all-in-one surround sound A/V and speaker systems -- may seem like no big deal, but the JVC Sophisti DD-3 (above) adds a little more to the usual lineup of features.

The new system includes the typical HTIB trappings such as an audio-video receiver, three speakers, and a subwoofer. The receiver, though, is a little smarter than average: It packs the ability to play movies and music stored on your PC, thanks to an Ethernet port that connects the system to your home network (and thus, your PC). It also has a USB port, so you can plug devices such as MP3 players and digicams directly into the system for music and photo playback.

The $1,000 package has been available in Europe for a few months now and is finally hitting the U.S. It's PC-compatible, but so far there's no mention of Mac compatibility. We also don't know if it will play tunes you purchase on iTunes, but we'll assume the answer is no since that would be a first. As for compatibility with subscription services such as Napster and Rhapsody? No word on that either, but we'll get back to you when we find out.

So, while this one sounds quite appealing, you're best off waiting for a few formal reviews -- quite possibly from us -- before taking the plunge.

UPDATE: We've learned that the unit will require the installation of Cyberlink's Media Server software, which is currently Windows-only. So, Mac-heads are left out cold, but at least PC users won't have to upgrade to Windows Media Center Edition or Vista Home Premium to stream their data.

From JVC.

We've got a feeling this iTunes thing is gonna be huge.

Sarcasm aside, movies on iTunes seem to be taking off, despite some initial skepticism. The newest converts to the Church of Apple are United Artists and MGM Studios. Along for the ride are such films as Robocop, Mad Max, Foxy Brown, and Dances with Wolves.

The shipment of the Apple TV streaming media unit no doubt had some influence on the timing of this decision. Since the new 'media center lite' is finally in consumers' hands, it makes sense for Apple to beef up its already respectable lineup of downloadable TV shows and movies.

Unfortunately all flicks downloaded from the iTunes store are still only standard definition, which strikes us as a bit of a waste since the Apple TV is capable of displaying high-definition video.

From Engadget

If you want to be the biggest pimp Daddy on the block, you might want to get yourself a Niveus 2007 Windows Vista Media Center. Designed with audio-and video-philes in mind, these highest-end PCs look more like audiophile stereo components than computers, and have the high-end gold audio-video connections to boot. Which is kind of the point, since you can use the remote to download HD-quality music directly into the PC while sitting on the couch in your living room. We're all for getting rid of our space-hogging CDs, but the alternative--digital music from the likes of iTunes, Urge, Rhapsody, and other online music stores--just doesn't compare in terms of sound quality.

What is HD-quality music, you may ask? In this case, it's tunes sold by HD media store MusicGiants in Windows Media Lossless (WMA) format, which is about as close as you can get to the original digital recording and way better than anything you'd buy on iTunes (no more disappearing instruments and other audio nuances that get lost in a typical CD-to-MP3 conversion).

In addition to HD-audio and all the usual Windows Vista Media Center features, Niveus's Media Centers will play 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound audio, the highest-resolution HD video (1080p), upscale regular DVDs to HD-quality, play HD-DVDs, record up to four TV shows simultaneously, and take CableCARDs (which means you can get rid of your unsightly cable-box). These features and functions are all rarities in PCs, but the Niveus is also one of the first Windows Vista Ultimate Media Center systems to include Intel Viiv technology and Core 2 Duo processors, which help render such audio-and-video-phile output (not to mention help you compute).

One other big difference: Unlike standard Windows Vista PCs, the Niveus models automatically go right into user-friendly Windows Media Center after startup, so they're perfect for the PC-averse (despite all our mumbo-jumbo above). Just make sure you get an expert, or even a custom-installer, to set one up for you (not hard since these are available mostly at high-end, custom-install audiophile specialists like Harvey Electronics).

Now for the painful part: These babies start at $3,199, for the Rainier, but the high-end Denali (pictured) and Pro Series models start at $7,199.

Despite its name, MySpace's new TrailerPark is not what you might think. The social networking site's latest feature is actually a place to get the latest and greatest film trailers online. Sure, there are plenty of other options out there to get your sneak peeks, but MySpace TrailerPark makes it easy to embed them into your page just like any other MySpace video. Now you can show your love for Nicholas Cage by placing the trailer for Next on your MySpace page, right next to where he sits proudly atop your friends list.

Now if only you could get over that nagging knowledge that it was actually one of his assistants who wrote "Thanks for the add!" in your MySpace page's comments section.

From TechCrunch

No one doubts that the iPod rules the music market, but Apple had to go and gloat, A-list style, when it announced that the 100-millionth iPod had been sold. The joyous press release, out today, is laced with quotes from celebs like Mary J. Blige, Apple regular John Mayer, and cyclist/saint Lance Armstrong.

"It's hard to remember what I did before the iPod," said Mary J. Blige, GRAMMY Award-winning singer. "iPod is more than just a music player, it's an extension of your personality and a great way to take your favorite music with you everywhere you go." (In case you forgot, Mary, you recorded a few great albums before the iPod came out in 2001. Not that that matters, or anything. Nothing important happened before iPod.)

Apple is clear to note that this also makes the iPod the fastest selling MP3 player. In a press release from the company, Steve Jobs (Apple's CEO) thanks the millions of iPod users, stating, "At this historic milestone, we want to thank music lovers everywhere for making iPod such an incredible success. iPod has helped millions of people around the world rekindle their passion for music, and we're thrilled to be a part of that."

From Apple