Nick Peers

Norwegian cross-platform browser Opera 12.10 has been released, promising support for more powerful extensions, the SPDY networking protocol and a number of platform-specific enhancements.

Mac users gain Retina Display support and Notification Center integration in Mountain Lion, for example, while the Windows build, also available in 64-bit, adds support for two additional touch gestures in Windows.

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German remote-support developer TeamViewer GmbH has publicly released the first beta of TeamViewer 8, its cross-platform, free-for-personal use remote support and control tool.

Version 8, which is currently only available for Windows and Mac, debuts alongside TeamViewer Touch for Windows 8, a dedicated full-screen app for Windows 8 users wishing to connect to other machines, while the new desktop beta comes with support for multi-touch gestures, Mac Retina displays and the ability to record both sound and video during a remote session.

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Evernote has released the first public beta of version 5.0 of the Mac version of its cross-platform, note-sharing and taking tool. Evernote for Mac 5.0 Beta 1 comes with over 100 new features and boasts a redesigned user interface aimed at streamlining and simplifying the process of creating, organizing and sharing notes.

The update is currently only available to those who install the program directly from our download link and then follow the instructions given for updating to the latest beta version. Because of the way the Mac App Store version works, Evernote was forced to remove the direct download link as the process of installing a new non-App Store version of Evernote led to server issues due to masses of users re-sychronizing all their data with a separate build of the program. Evernote hopes to make the beta available to App Store users prior to its final release.

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Google has updated its cross-platform 3D world exploration tool.Google Earth 7.0 gains functionality previously added to Google Earth for Mobile in the form of city tour guides and 3D imagery of cities. Google Earth 7’s tour guide provides pointers for local items of interest as users explore the world using the program. The launch of version 7 on desktop also comes with new sites added to the existing 3D imagery database.

Prior to the launch of Google Earth 7.0 on the desktop platform, 3D imagery was available for selected US cities only, with the likes of Boston, Denver, LA, Portland, San Diego, Seattle, Tampa and the San Francisco Bay Area among those featured. To view these cities in 3D, users need to manually switch on the feature by ticking the 3D Buildings option under Layers.

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The 64-bit Firefox variant Waterfox 16.0.1 is available, providing Windows users with a stable version of Firefox that’s optimized for 64-bit systems.

The latest build finally appears 19 days after Firefox 16 itself released, and includes all the changes and improvements found in the 16.0.1 build of Firefox. However, it has already been effectively made out-of-date by the appearance of Firefox 16.0.2, which contains a critical security fix.

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Less than 48 hours ahead of its launch of Windows 8, Microsoft has unveiled Skype for Desktop 6.0 for Windows and Skype for Mac 6.0, a major new release of its popular cross-platform chat tool. Skype for Desktop 6.0 focuses on improving integration with existing Microsoft Messenger and Facebook services.

New features include the ability to log in using either Microsoft or Facebook accounts before linking all three together. One reason for doing so is that Skype now supports IM conversations with Messenger contacts as well as other Skype and Facebook friends.

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Piriform has updated the Mac version of its popular freeware cleaning tool to add full support for the latest revision of Mountain Lion plus an option for selecting files and folders to include or exclude from scans.

CCleaner for Mac 1.05 also resolves issues with older versions of OS X, and includes a number of other performance and stability improvements in addition to the usual round of minor bug fixes.

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Oracle has released its first minor update for the 4.2 branch of its open-source, cross-platform virtualization tool. VirtualBox 4.2.2 is primarily a maintenance release, with a large number of notable bug fixes and few feature additions.

Notable items in the update include an adaptation of changes introduced in Mac OS X 10.8.2 which led to virtual machines failing to boot. Other changes include a restoration of selected tool-tip functionality and a implementation fix for the Windows WDDM video driver.

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Berlin developer O&O Software has released a brand new version of its drive-imaging and backup tool. O&O DiskImage 7 Professional 32-bit, also available as a 64-bit build, adds full support for Windows 8 and EFI/UEFI systems.

Version 7 also allows users to create an emergency boot CD from directly within the program itself, plus debuts a streamlined interface designed to appeal to less experienced users. It’s also now capable of adapting to third-party energy saving settings, ensuring disk images aren’t compromised.

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Connecticut-based WinZip International LLC has updated the Windows version of its world-famous compression tool with a plethora of major new features, including cloud integration and sharing. WinZip 17.0 launches with the ability to zip, manage and share files directly from cloud-based services and social media sites.

Version 17 also adds tools for converting Office documents to PDF, resizing images and adding watermarks, plus revamps its interface in a move designed to make the program more intuitive to use.

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IObit has released Advanced SystemCare 6 FREE, a brand new version of its freeware optimization tool. Version 6.0 debuts a new, streamlined interface, and comes with full support for Windows 8.

ASC 6 Free, which is also available in Pro form with additional functionality, also updates its Surfing Protection, Driver Manager and Privacy Sweep databases, adds support for additional languages and provides unspecified general bug fixes.

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Hot on the heels of Mozilla pulling the latest stable release from its download servers after discovering a security vulnerability, Firefox 16.0.1 FINAL has now been released. Those who had already upgraded to version 16 should upgrade automatically now the updated version is available. Full details about the vulnerability can be found here.

In the meantime, Mozilla has updated all pre-release versions of the popular cross-platform, open-source browser to versions 17 (Beta), 18 (Aurora) and 19 (Nightly/Elm/UX) respectively. Once again, confirmed changes are thin on the ground, although the recent release of the “Elm” branch of Firefox Nightly, previewing the new Modern UI-based version of Firefox for Windows 8, is a noteworthy addition.

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Australian software developer Nitro PDF Pty Ltd has released Nitro Reader 3.0, the latest version of its free PDF viewer and creator that also includes tools for filling forms and annotating PDF documents.

Version 3.0 -- also available in 64-bit form includes three major improvements first seen in Nitro Pro 8, the company’s commercial tool for creating, editing and converting PDF files, namely auto-save and recovery, smart alignment for improved static form filling and smaller PDF files sizes.

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Ahead of its official unveiling, Mozilla has made Firefox 16 FINAL available for download. The latest version provides little in the way of major new features, and in some ways is more noteworthy for the features missing from this release, including the long-awaited inline PDF viewer (click here to find out how to switch it on manually) as well as a number of OS X Lion/Mountain Lion enhancements.

What is present in version 16 is initial desktop support for web apps, VoiceOver accessibility features for OS X, extra developer tools and enhanced garbage collection performance to prevent freezes and performance lags.

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LA-based iolo Technologies LLC has announced a minor update to its flagship PC optimization tool. System Mechanic 11.1.1, also available in cut-down freeware form as System Mechanic Free 11.1.1, delivers a number of enhancements and minor adjustments to the major 11.0 release, designed to eke that little bit more improvement from customer PCs.

There’s enhanced ActiveCare and AcceleWrite functions, the ability to remove clutter without rebooting your PC and a streamlined Windows 8 installation among other tweaks.

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