MAGIX Music Maker 2014 gains new loops, instruments, pitch correction tools
German multimedia specialist MAGIX has revealed the next generation of its flagship audio editor, MAGIX Music Maker 2014. As before, it comes in both standard and Premium editions, each of which sees some worthwhile gains with the new release.
If you like Music Maker’s loops, for example, you’ll love the extra choice you get this time around: there are 2,000 new loops and sounds with the regular edition, 5,000 if you opt for the Premium.
Opera 16 adds form filler, new browser tweaks
Opera Software today announces the release of Opera 16.0 FINAL.
As you might expect, the new rapid release cycle means that major changes are in short supply, but look closely and there are one or two interesting additions to be found.
First Look: Qihu 360 Internet Security 2013
Qihu 360 Software may not make too many headlines in the security world, but the company is huge in its native China, claiming an impressive 450,000,000 users in total. (To put that in perspective, even a big name like AVG only claims around a third of that number.)
It seems that Qihu has ambitions to expand further, though, this year finally releasing its free 360 Internet Security 2013 -- an antivirus product, despite the suite-type name -- in an English language version. Is it worth your time? We took a quick look.
Orbit Downloader includes DDoS code, says ESET
First released back in 2006, Orbit Downloader’s ease of use and lengthy feature list helped make it one of the most successful download managers around. And so it’s all the more surprising that new research by ESET claims the program includes a component designed to assist in distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.
Starting with version 4.1.1.15, the main Orbit Downloader executable has apparently been communicating with the orbitdownloader.com site, silently downloading a DLL file and retrieving configuration data.
Record every detail of your family history with My Family Tree
Building your family tree on a website like Ancestry.com has plenty of advantages. You'll get easy access to a host of records; you can use these to locate and add missing family members in just a few clicks, and it’s simple to share your work with anyone else who might be interested.
These sites may not be as configurable as you’d like, though. View and reporting options are often limited, printing is generally poor, and you might prefer to keep all those personal details to yourself, anyway. Sounds familiar? Then you may want to install a local genealogy application, instead, and the free Windows-based My Family Tree is one of the best options around.
Google adds new 'reset to default' option to Chrome
If your current browser isn’t working as it should then you’ll appreciate the new "Reset browser settings" option (Settings > Advanced) Google has added to Chrome 29 FINAL. This restores the original default browser settings, while leaving apps, bookmarks and themes untouched.
As promised in the previous release, rich notifications (the system where alerts from apps and extensions can appear in a separate window, even when the browser isn’t running) is now available for Mac, as well as Windows. Check the Chrome 28 release post for settings guidance if this isn’t working for you.
Full Throttle Override lets you maximize the performance of specific apps
If you’re looking to maximize your PC’s speed then enabling the High Performance power plan (Control Panel > Power Options) applies CPU and system tweaks which might help. But there’s a problem: the plan increases energy use, and mobile users will probably find their battery doesn’t last quite as long.
It makes sense to use the High Performance setting only occasionally, then -- and that’s where Full Throttle Override comes in. This tiny tool will automatically enable the High Performance plan for specific applications only, and restore your previous plan just as soon as they close.
ImBatch adds image batch renaming
High Motion Software’s freeware image batch processing tool ImBatch has hit version 1.80, and the new release sees some very welcome additions.
Top of the list is a Rename task, which sees the program able to batch rename an entire folder according to its EXIF or IPTC metadata, height, width, size, creation/ modification/ last accessed dates, and many other attributes.
Image to PDF Creator Free lets you quickly build PDFs from your pictures
There are many ways to share a group of pictures with others. A zipped email attachment, say. An online album. You could share a folder on Dropbox, maybe, and that’s just the start.
For a really simple solution, though, why not just present them in a PDF file? You’ll get control over image order; you can add metadata to tell people more about the pictures ("Title", "Subject", "Author"), and the finished document will be viewable on just about every device and platform around. It’s extremely easy, too -- all you need is a copy of Image to PDF Creator Free.
Paint.NET prepares the ground for the next major revision
Rick Brewster has announced the availability of Paint.NET 3.5.11, the latest edition of his excellent image editor. As you’d expect for a minor version update, the "changes" list is rather short, but there are still some welcome tweaks here.
The Undo data for your selection manipulations is now saved to disk, for instance, reducing memory usage during lengthy editing sessions.
LastPass supports immediate syncing, extends Secure Notes
Free password manager LassPass has been updated to version 2.5.0, and introduces a good range of features and fixes.
There’s now support for the immediate syncing of changes to other devices, for instance. This may not work for you immediately -- the change is apparently being "rolled out for all users in stages" -- but as long as you have polling enabled (Preferences > Advanced > "Poll server for account changes") it should be available soon.
Bot Revolt automatically blocks known dangerous IP addresses
Protecting your PC from malware normally involves trying to detect its files just as soon as you possibly can. And so you might have an antivirus tool scanning everything you access for known threats, say, or monitoring programs for suspicious behavior.
These techniques can be bypassed, of course -- and they often are -- but Bot Revolt claims it can help, adding a new layer of security which will "block over 1 billion known malicious sources" from around the world.
View Wikipedia content offline with Kiwix
Accessing Wikipedia is generally easy. Need to know something? Point your browser at www.wikipedia.org, search for the topic in question, and you’ll have all the details you need in just a few moments.
But what if you have a slow connection, maybe metered, perhaps no connection at all? Then what you really need is Kiwix, which allows you to download a local copy of Wikipedia for speedy offline access on your PC, Mac or Android device.
Avast 2014 Free Antivirus, Internet Security betas now available
Avast Software has officially revealed the first public betas of Avast Free Antivirus 2014 (aka Avast 9), Avast Pro Antivirus 2014, Avast Internet Security 2014, and Avast Premier Antivirus.
These aren’t just routine by-the-numbers updates, either -- the new releases see notable improvements in many different areas.
Easily take and share screengrabs with the Dropbox-enabled CloudShot
Capturing the screen on a PC is easy enough, particularly with Windows 8, where pressing Win+PrtSc can finally save your grab as a file.
Actually doing something with that grab, like sharing it with someone else, normally takes rather more work, of course. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Especially if you install a copy of the open source CloudShot.
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