Nick Peers

IObit has launched Smart Defrag 3.0, a major new version of its Windows defragmentation tool, which promises to improve performance by preventing fragmentation of the user’s hard drives.

Version 3.0 comes with a new defrag engine, adds a Defrag & Prioritize Files option for boosting overall performance and revamps the user interface to fit in the Windows 8 look.

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Adobe has unveiled three major updates with the release of Adobe Flash Player for Other Browsers 12.0, Adobe Flash Player for Internet Explorer 12.0 and Adobe AIR 4.0.

The new versions of Adobe’s cross-platform web media playback and runtime tools will initially appeal more to developers, but should have benefits for end users going forward when apps are released that take advantage of some of the new features.

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The start of a new year is always a good time to review your computing habits. If you’ve not yet done so, make sure 2014 is the year you finally implement a long overdue backup plan for your PC with the help of our current favorite backup tool, Acronis True Image 2014.

Not only does True Image contain all the tools you need for backup and recovery, you can use it to clone your hard drive when upgrading to a new model or (if you buy the Premium version) even transfer an entire Windows installation from one PC to another.

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Emulating old computers, consoles and even entire arcade machines on your computer is nothing new. Back in the early 90s it was possible to emulate 8-bit computers on your Atari ST or Amiga, and these days you can emulate all kinds of computers, gaming consoles and even arcade machines.

But what if you have a hankering for playing old favorites from more than one console platform on your Mac? The answer lies in the recently released OpenEmu 1.0.1.

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The Windows Club has released Ultimate Windows Tweaker 3.0 for Windows 8 and 8.1 users. The lightweight, portable freeware tool makes it easy to tweak various aspects of Windows that usually hidden away or require access to Registry editor or Group Policy Editor.

The new release sits alongside the previous version, Ultimate Windows Tweaker 2.2, which requires Windows Vista or 7.

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You’ve spent ages building the ultimate digital movie and TV collection, and now you’re ready to introduce it to a media server, so it’s easily accessible from a range of devices. The only problem is, you’ve named and organized your files in such a way as your media server can’t match them to the correct TV show and movie, leaving ugly filenames in their place.

One option is to painstakingly start renaming all your files to suit your media server. The other is to enlist the help of a dedicated tool, such as Collbee 1.0 or FileBot 3.8.

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Cloud backup and sync provider Dropbox has released a major new stable build for desktop with the launch of Dropbox 2.6.2 FINAL for Windows, Mac and Linux. Version 2.6’s headline new feature is brand new, redesigned installers for Windows and Mac platforms, but there are some useful functional improvements too.

The redesigned installer aims to make the process as simple as possible, automatically downloading and installing the new version with significantly less user interaction than previously.

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It’s not enough that the iPhone and iPad have designs on replacing your computer, they’ve one eye on rendering your scanner obsolete too. Thanks to apps like Scanner Pro, which is free on the App Store until the end of this week (January 9), you can transform your iOS device into a fully functioning mobile scanner.

Scanner Pro makes it easy to not just turn your iPad or iPhone’s rear camera into a portable scanning tool, it also provides tools for optimizing the results, helping you create good quality  digital documents quickly and with the minimum of fuss.

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Kingsoft Software has seen in the New Year with major updates to its range of free and paid-for office suites for Windows. Despite minor version number changes, Kingsoft Office Suite Free 2013 users gain the ability to save documents in the later Word (.docx) and Excel (.xlsx) formats, a feature previously restricted to Kingsoft Office Suite Pro 2013 users.

Other new features across both builds include improved encryption options, a slew of new and improved features for Writer and Spreadsheet components and better stability.

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Team MediaPortal has released a major update of its open-source media center for Windows. MediaPortal 1.6.0 FINAL comes with the promise of increased stability thanks to a MySQL update, better TV performance on selected live streams and support for a range of new plugins.

A number of improvements in MediaPortal 1.6 can be found within its Music section. There’s a rework of the Last.FM component for compatibility reasons, while the AllMusic scraper has also been updated to restore album and artist scraping functionality.

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In an ideal world manufacturers would support their hardware devices forever, providing new drivers every time a new version of Windows or OS X appears on the scene. The sad truth, however, is that support tends to only last a few years, leaving your hardware relying on backwards compatibility to keep it working longer term.

For many hardware devices, once they stop working with a newer version of your operating system, that’s it. But if you’re about to throw out a trusty old scanner, stop and check out VueScan 9.4 before doing so.

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Two months after the initial alpha release, dotPDN LLC has released a brand new build of Paint.NET 4.0 Alpha, its free image-editing tool for Windows. Build 5105 of this pre-release software includes a number of tweaks, improvements as well as the usual flurry of bug fixes associated with pre-release software.

Only one new feature is added to build 5105: a Bezier curve can now be applied using Paint.NET’s Shapes tool. Users should also find both line and curved shapes now work when the rounded line cap styles is applied.

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CyberLink has launched a major new update to its powerful webcam toolset with the release of CyberLink YouCam 6 Standard and CyberLink YouCam 6 Deluxe. Version 6.0 adds a new camera shooting mode and creative photo editing tools alongside a new free Creative Camera companion app.

The latest build also introduces a new calendar view, plus allows users to organize photos using facial recognition technology. It also comes optimized for use with Windows touch screens.

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German software developer Ashampoo GmBH has launched Ashampoo Snap 7.0, a major new release of its screen-capture tool for Windows users. Version 7 is described by Ashampoo as "The screen capturing solution that does it all", and is backed up with a large array of new features.

Version 7 also comes with the promise of a smoother workflow, simpler user experience, smarter work environment and integrated sharing tools.

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Berlin developer O&O Software GmbH has released O&O SafeErase Professional 7.0, a major update to its secure delete tool for Windows PCs. Version 7.0, also available in 64-bit form adds Windows 8.1 compatibility and promises faster data deletion on more powerful PCs.

The new release also debuts a tweaked user interface with redesigned icons and subtle changes that O&O claims will make it easier and better to use than previous releases.

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