Flash authoring tool KoolMoves is a very inexpensive way to get up and running in the world of Flash scripting. Flash is a powerful visual programming language that's responsible for all the web-based videos you watch frequently, most of the Web ads you see, and many entire websites. Normally, Flash authoring tools run into the hundreds of dollars, but KoolMoves ($49, free feature-limited demo) has positioned itself as an alternative.

Screen captures--pictures of what is on the computer monitor--are useful and fun. As software reviewers, we take screen captures of all programs that we cover, so you, our readers, can better understand what we are reporting. You might use them to show errors to tech support, to prove prices at online stores, or simply to show your friends that crazy thing you just ran across on the Web. On desktop and laptop computers, doing a screen capture is a simple matter of using hotkeys--but on Palm devices, it's not so easy. For our screen captures to go with our reviews of Palm programs, we purchased and use QuickTake ($5, 10-day free trial).

Dell has made available a customized download of Google's Chromium OS (the open-source version of Chrome OS), specifically for its popular Mini 10V netbook.

Google discussed its upcoming operating system (OS) at a recent press event, and released the source code. Since then various builds of Chromium have surfaced online.

TRACY, CA -- Black Friday customers who arrived at the Wal-Mart store here, expecting to purchase an e-Machines laptop for the $198 Black Friday price, were surprised to find the entire shipment of 37 units had been assigned to other customers the day before.

A store manager admitted that the only way for a customer to know that tickets allowing later purchase of the machines were being distributed early would have been to call the store and ask.

Japanese computer peripheral maker Buffalo revealed Thursday a new Blu-ray burner, capable of reaching impressive 12x write speeds when used with USB 3.0.

The launch of Buffalo's new external BR-X1216U3 drive continues the company's recent enthusiasm for the faster SuperSpeed format.

Faces are among the hardest things to photograph well, and the advent of high-end digital photography serves only to magnify and enhance the normal blemishes and unflattering facial details that most of us prefer not to share with the world. Faces are also incredibly hard to touch-up well, which is why Photoshop artisans who work for fashion magazines get paid the big bucks. For the rest of us, there's Luxand Glamourizer ($30, 14-day free trial).

L. Stewart Peirce has upgraded to Windows 7. Can he safely move Windows.old to another drive?

Are you dying to own a Mac, but you just can't get your mind past the minimum $1000 cost of getting an Apple computer? If so, today may be your day to buy. It's Black Friday, and even Mac prices are getting cut. These prices aren't as deep as other tech products, but you can still find some deals from online retailers. I've taken a look at a number of these Mac sellers to give you the lowdown on what you need to know before making a purchase.

Battle of the Mail-in Rebate

Club Mac, Mac Connection, and MacMall have some great deals on Apple computers. You can get a white 13-inch MacBook for $884.98 at Club Mac and MacMall, for example, while Mac Connection sells the same computer for $849.

Mininova, one of the largest peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing sites next to The Pirate Bay, has now removed most of its links to copyrighted content. The site complied with a Dutch court ruling from August. Mininova has said it is considering appealing that ruling.

Netherlands-based Mininova has risen in recent months as one of the most popular torrent sites on the Internet, alongside The Pirate Bay, which is still maintaining a strong presence despite fines and threats to close down the site. But Mininova had to comply with a court ruling from three months ago, which ordered the site to remove all the links to illegal content.

It's game on for bargain hunters. Black Friday is here, and so are the super sales. If you're wondering what the latest tech deals are Friday, you're in luck. While you've been sleeping off that food hangover, I've scoured the Web for the best and freshest deals.

Not ready to brave the crowds? Don't despair, those in-store doorbuster deals are for suckers anyway. So instead of heading out to fight the maddening crowds, shop smart from the comfort of your home or office.

If you use Photodex ProShow Gold or ProShow Producer to create your presentations and slideshows, adding the ProShow StylePack Volume 1 plug-in ($20, buy-only) will give you even more creative choices.

Every year the Black Friday label entices tenacious consumers to embark on their shopping frenzy. Make it easy on yourself. Skip the lines, sleep in, and enjoy these online hardware and component deals while they last. Note that most of these deals are time-sensitive.

Networking

The lower price of entry into the Wireless N market these days will hopefully push the new standard into many more homes. However, be aware that many of the N routers on sale below $30 are not dual-band, meaning G devices on the network will choke the overall speed. The more efficient (and more expensive) N routers that offer simultaneous dual band separate the G and N devices onto different frequencies which allow them to run at their optimal speed. If you know only N devices will be connecting to your network or you're creating a two router setup, here are a few deals: