enlarge

Try this waste-not way to print e-mail messages

It seems that e-mail messages and Web pages are fated to run two or three lines longer than a printed page, ensuring a steady waste of paper and ink. Some Web browsers will try to prevent this, but most mail programs don't.

Instead, the print-preview command in your browser or mail program can tell you how much paper will emerge from the printer: In Windows, go to the File menu and select "Print Preview;" on a Mac, go to the File menu, select "Print..." and click the Preview button in the print dialog box. You can then see what will appear on each page of the printout, and if the last page will only yield a few lines of irrelevant text (like those disclaimers at the end of e-mails from lawyers), you can tell the computer to skip that page.

Outlook Express no match for modern mail programs

If you still run Microsoft's Outlook Express, it's time to dump it. This clunker of a mail program -- included with versions of Windows prior to Vista -- lacks the search and security features of every other modern mail program and hasn't seen a meaningful upgrade in years. Microsoft's free Windows Live Mail for XP and Vista will pick up all of your Outlook Express messages, settings and addresses automatically, screens out spam and phishing messages and can subscribe to the "RSS" feeds many sites offer. Another option is the free Mozilla Thunderbird, which runs on Win 98 and anything newer.

Cell phone that reads text ideal for visually impaired

IknfbReading Technology Inc.'s new software gives the blind or vision-impaired the ability to read text with a camera-equipped cell phone.

The software is pricey ($1,595), but it works. Here's how: When a user takes a photo of the text -- a letter, book page, receipt or menu, for example -- high-quality character recognition software reads the contents of the document aloud. As each word is spoken, it is displayed and highlighted on the phone's screen. The software also:

-- Recognizes U.S. currency.

-- Transfers text files to and from computers or Braille note takers.

-- Adjusts reading speed to suit user's preference.

Learn more.