Trillian 5.1.0.15 launches with Skype support, new lifetime 'Pro' license
Cerulean Studios has updated its Windows cross-network IM chat tool, Trillian for Windows, to version 5.1. The major new addition to this multi-platform social-networking tool is support for Skype, which joins other notable networks such as Facebook, Windows Live Messenger and Twitter in being supported.
Trillian provides a one-stop shop to all your major chat accounts as well as social-networking sites. Skype support extends to chatting and voice calls only; video chats aren’t (yet) supported.
Better benchmarking with Sandra 2012
SiSoftware has released the latest version of its flagship system information and benchmarking utility, Sandra 2012.
Upgrades to this kind of tool are normally rather dull, just adding support for this CPU, that graphics card or various other items of hardware. But Sandra 2012 is different -- it's packed with genuinely worthwhile improvements and additions.
Google supports partners in Android court fights, but not with money
Google said that it will assist partners in defending against lawsuits surrounding the Android platform Wednesday. While Google is not offering monetary support, it is sharing information, expertise, and access to the Mountain View, Calif. patents, Reuters says.
Chairman Eric Schmidt is on the last leg of a three-city Asian trip, meeting with its partners in the Far East. Schmidt made his comments in Taipei while meeting with HTC, but had been in South Korea the day before visiting with representatives of Samsung and LG.
Apple has a new way to take your money
It's easier than ever to pay your "Apple Tax" -- that price premium the company collects for its products. Well, that's how Microsoft refers to the price gulf between Windows PCs and Macs, as do many BetaNews readers. If you enjoy paying the tax then perhaps the Apple Store 2.0 app is just for you.
The Cupertino, Calif.-based company updated the retail app earlier today, adding new features for taking your dough. Now you can order that shiny new Mac, iOS device or other item from your phone and pick it up at the local Apple Store within the hour. The option is a great benefit for those who forget birthdays, anniversaries or other events and need that last-minute, pricey gift that shows they care. Order while you drive and pick up the item en route to the gift's destination -- assuming there's no major freeway pile up while you shop in the car.
Microsoft offers simple patch Tuesday for election day
Microsoft's patch Tuesday has fallen on state- and local election day this month, and as such, is relatively lightweight, with just one "critical" bulletin, two "important," and one "moderate."
The critical bulletin (MS11-083) is for a TCP/IP vulnerability that could allow remote code execution if an attacker sends a continuous flow of specially crafted UDP packets to a closed port on a Vista SP2 (32- and 64-bit,) Windows Server 2008 SP2 (32-bit, x64, Itanium,) Windows 7 for x64-based systems, or Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 (x64, Itanium) system.
Want more from Dropbox on your Mac? Try Bloodrop
Bloodrop greatly simplifies the process of sharing a file in your Dropbox public folder when using a Mac. It’s a small system dock application that enables you to share files to your public folder by simply dragging and dropping them onto the dock icon.
This copies the file to your Dropbox public folder and adds the all important public link to the clipboard, ready for you to paste it into an IM conversation or an email.
Get TV from your PC, anytime, anywhere
Watching TV using the Internet is nothing new, but sometimes you can’t access the channel you’d like to view from where you are. The simplest way to watch any form of television on your computer is with a TV tuner --whether it’s cable, satellite or terrestrial, it gives you access to the widest possible range of channels, including those you subscribe to.
Now, imagine being able to take that TV signal and watch it from anywhere you like: another computer on your network perhaps, a DLNA-certified device like your PS3 maybe, or even your mobile phone or tablet. The good news is there are a number of options, ranging from free (MediaPortal) to paid-for (DVBLink TV Source), which you can test for free for up to 20 days.
Want an Apple but can only afford a Dell?
I rarely post about vendor deals, but Dell sent promotional email today that caught my attention. Spend $649 on a Dell PC and get a Canon ELPH 100HS digicam, Adobe Elements 9, Premiere Elements 9 and Shutterfly photo book free. The goodies only come with select systems, and Dell is promoting this as a "Holiday Photo Solution".
I'm a sucker for good marketing, and the email subject line -- "Our Gift to You" -- caught my attention. That would be a good subject for phishing mail, too, but I saw that it was from Dell and previewed without images. (Tip: Turn off automatic image loading in email; this helps prevent spam containing "web beacons" -- hidden, clear images -- from identifying a valid address.) There's value here. The ELPH 100HS retails for $179.99 (137.99 from Amazon). The Adobe Elements software, as a bundle, is $79.49 from Amazon. Dell values the Shutterfly photo book at 30 bucks. It's a pretty good pre-holiday deal, that is assuming you want to buy a Dell.
IEEE launches study to make 100 Gigabit optical ethernet cheaper, higher density
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) on Tuesday launched an exploratory committee that will look at functional upgrades to the 100 Gigabit profile in the optical ethernet standard 802.3ba-2010.
The group will look at 100Gb/s operation over a narrower and faster interface to enable the development and delivery of lower-cost, higher-density 100Gb/s solutions.
Tip: Monitor your PC uptime
The idea of tracking exactly when a PC is turned on or off doesn’t exactly sound like it’ll make the most interesting of applications. But give it a try and you’ll find Neuber Software’s PC On/Off Time really can be surprisingly useful.
If you use a particular system for work-related tasks, for instance, then finding a way to track its uptime could help you to complete a timesheet or prepare billing information. Maybe you’re wondering precisely how much time your kids spend on their computer? Again, PC On/Off Time should be able to reveal all.
You missed the AT&T LTE phone sale that wasn't, or was it?
I spotted something really bizarre last night. AT&T apparently dramatically dropped the price of its new 4G LTE phones one day after offering them for sale. The HTC Vivid fell from $199.99 to a cool hundred bucks on the company website. The Galaxy S II Skyrocket listed for $149.99, not the original $249.99. What? Did AT&T's LTE phone launch not go as planned? Did the company respond to Verizon's upped LTE data plan caps? Or was it a terrible glitch AT&T might regret?
The pricing, captured in the two screenshots here, simply stunned me. Suddenly I was ready to trade in my standard Galaxy S II for Skyrocket, after all. Why not save 50 bucks (since S2 still listed for $199.99) and get faster data (whenever LTE comes to my area)? I also wanted to score information to offer readers who bought S2 Skyrocket on Sunday and might want partial refunds.
iPhone 4S speakers don't play stereo right, tests show
iPhone 4S users are suffering from stereo audio quality issues when playing music through the device's integrated speakers, BetaNews has learned. The issue has been replicated on several devices, indicating that the problem may be widespread.
When playing stereo audio, the various instruments and sounds are sent to either the left or right channel based on how it is recorded, at an equal volume. This gives the illusion of fuller sound and depth to the listener.
Kodak sells off its CCD image sensor business to private equity firm
The Eastman Kodak Company on Monday announced that it has sold its Image Sensor Solutions (ISS) business to Beverly Hills private equity firm Platinum Equity for an undisclosed sum. The transaction includes the sale of Kodak's New York research and manufacturing facility where solutions for commercial, industrial and professional imaging are developed.
Kodak's ISS business manufactures mostly CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) sensors; a type of digital image sensor that has gradually been losing market share to CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) sensors, the smaller, more energy-efficient image sensors commonly used in mobile phones and consumer digital cameras.
Will you buy the Samsung Focus S Windows Phone?
We've given so much attention to iPhone 4S and Samsung Galaxy S II that Windows Phone looks mightily neglected. It is, and that needs to be remedied. If S2's 4.3-inch screen size, Super AMOLED Plus display, thinness and 8-megapixel camera appeal to you -- but not Android -- Samsung Focus S may be for you. The Focus S and Galaxy S2 share much in common. Call them fraternal twins or near-identical cousins, but these two handsets are kin.
I apologize. In the rush to cover AT&T's new LTE phones, which went on sale yesterday, we overlooked Samsung Focus Flash and Focus S; they also debuted November 6. Like the Galaxy S II skyrocket, where we asked "Will you buy?", the same question comes for the two Windows Phone 7.5 Focus models that went on sale yesterday. Will you buy one, or have you already? Please answer in comments or email joe at betanews dot com.
Palo Alto gives firewalls a cloud-based anti-malware sandbox with WildFire
Network security company Palo Alto Networks on Monday introduced a new anti-malware product for on-premises firewalls known as WildFire, which vets new and unknown files in a virtual sandbox to see if they're a new piece of malware, and then creates a distributable signature if they're determined to actually be bad files.
With the WildFire engine in place, a firewall will submit (either manually, or automatically based on policy) new and unknown .EXEs and .DLLs to a virtual cloud-based environment, where they are modeled against 70 different behavioral profiles to determine if they're malware.
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