RocketDock is a smoothly animated, alpha blended application launcher. It provides a nice clean interface to drop shortcuts on for easy access and organization. With each item completely customizable there is no end to what you can add and launch from the dock. Now with added Taskbar support your minimized windows can appear as icons on the dock. This allows for better productivity and accessibility.
And I am Going to Recommend This program
Paint.NET is free image and photo editing software for computers that run Windows. It features an intuitive and innovative user interface with support for layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a wide variety of useful and powerful tools. An active and growing online community provides friendly help, tutorials, and plug-ins.
Version 3.2 features ability to draw Fixed Ratio and Fixed Size selections with the Rectangle Select tool.
If all you want is a quick image retouch, Photoshop is overkill. Paint.NET, on the other hand, is an open-source freeware editor with all the essentials, including tools to crop, rotate, resize images, adjust colors, and create collages.
Paint.NET supports common image formats--JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, and others--but not high-resolution RAW files. There are enough basic and intermediate effects and features to keep image-tweakers happy, though the red-eye removal tool is notably weak; those images may require manual attention.
Unlike most free image editors, Paint.NET supports layers and has an actions manager. The pleasing interface boasts semitransparent windows for ease of use.
Version 3 fixes many old quibbles, including a convenient thumbnail manager for handling multiple image editing, and improved program graphics. Paint.NET is far more advanced than Microsoft Paint, and given its free price, it's a must-have for anyone needing to fix images.
RoboPanda
www.wowwee.com
$150
People may be surprised to see the RoboPanda after seeing some of WowWee’s other robotic toys — unlike the RoboSapien (which made a habit of grunting) or our recently-reviewed RoboQuad (which made a habit of going on the prowl), the RoboPanda is more of an educational robot. Designed to appeal more to a younger crowd, it’s mobility is more limited: it’s actually mostly designed to just sit upright and interact directly with a child sitting in front of it. Pick it up and it asks where it’s going; place it face-down and it’ll ask for help getting up. But while it’s sitting upright and interacting, you can play games with it, have it tell a story, or other such things. It has rudimentary awareness of its environment, including the ability to recognize it’s own teddy bear, and it can see a few things nearby. It also has an educational aspect to it, explaining facts, and asking for input from the child. Its extreme cutesiness will definitely limit its appeal to very young children…at a certain age children will move on to something a bit more mature. The one big pro is that the RoboPanda comes with two program cartridges, and if it catches on, there may be more cartridges coming.
R2-D2 Interactive Droid
starwars.hasbro.com
$120
Is there anyone out there who hasn’t wanted their very own R2-D2 protocol droid? This interactive (and undersized) version of R2-D2 doesn’t do everything the movie version of R2-D2 did, but it responds to a small handful of voice commands, wanders around in its environment, plays games like spin the droid…and can even hold a drink for you with the extendible claw…a light drink, anyhow. Like the R2-D2 unit in the movie, this one doesn’t always follow instructions, shaking its head in defiance of an order. It even has a bit of personality, responding positively to some names, and negatively to others.
Boe-Bot
www.parallax.com
$149
Those who aren’t happy with a pre-built robot may want to take a look at the Boe-Bot kit from Parallex (available from our friends at ThinkGeek.com) — it’s a program-it-yourself kit that comes with a programmable processor, wheels, motors, and assorted electronics components that can be placed into the “breadboard” on top of the main circuit board. No, you’re not going to wind up with something as immediately fun as the Robosapien or the R2-D2 droid, but those who dive into this kit will learn something about electronics, programming, and robotics. Designed for those with a bit of patience.
