Nick Peers

Everyone needs some form of backup, but while successive versions of the Windows Backup Tool have undoubtedly got better, they’re still not quite as intuitive or as comprehensive as we’d like them to be.

If you want maximum protection for your files, settings and even Windows itself, you need a good third-party tool. A tool like Acronis True Image 2010 Personal, worth $19.95, which will be available exclusively to US and Canadian residents to download for free from the Downloadcrew Giveaway site this Friday (January 20).

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You have undoubtedly noticed that an ever-increasing amount of the time you spend using your computer is online. The same is true of your phone, and when you’re out and about it is quite usual to use dedicated apps to access services such as Facebook and Twitter. But when using a desktop or laptop, the vast majority of people will head straight to the website of various online services. Thanks to Pokki this may change.

Pokki is a platform for a series of applications that can then be used to transform a range of websites and online services into desktop apps. The value of being able to access the Internet through the desktop rather than a browser is something that has been recognized in the past -- even Microsoft noticed the potential early on with its Active Desktop component in older versions of Windows. Pokki is somewhat more advanced than this and other similar options that are available, offering you a series of specially designed apps, each of which have been built from the ground up with a particular web service in mind.

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Staying on top of software updates can be tricky, particularly if your favorite apps have no means of telling you a newer version is available. What feature updates, performance tweaks and bug fixes could you be missing out on?

This is where the Downloadcrew UpdateScanner, from BetaNews' sister site, comes into play, giving you a single, convenient location for software update checking -- and we’ve just released version 2.0, packed with lots more useful features too.

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Digiarty Software Inc has launched the first public beta of an Android client of AirPlay It, its free media-streaming solution. The set of tools, which includes AirPlayit Server for Windows and Mac, allows users to stream media content from their computer to compatible mobile devices over WiFi, 3G and 4G networks.

Digiarty has also updated its iOS clients. Air Playit 1.8.0 for iPhone/iPod touch and Air Playit HD 1.8.0 for iPad both add support for CUDA hardware encoding on Air Playit Server to reduce CPU usage and reduce the server’s load on the host computer. The clients also now support multi-tasking background playback of music and allows the user to download music tracks directly to the mobile for playback later while offline.

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Apple’s iTunes application is obviously compulsory if you’re a Mac user, while the Windows version is essential should you want to sync your music collection to an iOS device. But what if you’re an iTunes user who wants to sync with another device  -- a MP3 player, media tablet or, gasp, Android phone?

Obviously Apple being Apple has made no provision for devices other than its own to get quick and convenient syncing capabilities with iTunes, but you don’t have to settle for Apple’s decision thanks to two separate solutions called Notpod and TuneSync.

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EASEUS Software has launched CleanGenius 2.0 Free, a cleaning tool for Mac users. CleanGenius is the new name for MacCleaning, which debuted just over a month ago as EASEUS’s first foray into the Mac market.

Also available with several additional features as a paid-for Pro version, CleanGenius 2.0 adds a new uninstaller component and extends the user’s control over existing cleaning tools, all wrapped up in a redesigned user interface.

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One of the most overlooked components when choosing your next Windows PC is its keyboard. You get so caught up in making sure it’s fast enough, feature-packed enough and with enough storage to forget that something as fundamental as the keyboard could make it practically unusable.

Often it’s not the keyboard itself that’s the problem, but rather the way certain keys are laid out. If you find yourself accidentally hitting one key when you mean to hit another, or find the Caps Lock keeps mysteriously coming on, then SharpKeys 3.5 is for you.

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Almost a month after releasing Google Chrome 16 Final, Google has finally pushed Google Chrome Beta to version 17. This latest build concentrates on delivering speed and security enhancements with background preloading of web pages and downloading screening functionality added.

A number of other, more minor changes and the usual slew of bug fixes are also included, including adjustable margins in Print Preview and a prompt to confirm the cancellation of incomplete downloads when the user closes the last window of an incognito profile.

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Open-source, cross-platform desktop publishing package Scribus 1.4.0 has been given a final, stable release, four years after the first developmental version saw the light of day. Over 2,000 feature requests and bugs have been resolved in this new release, which, despite the relatively minor version number jump from 1.3.3.x, is a major new release.

Notable improvements include better object handling, many more advanced options for text and typography, new features for vector objects and better handling of fills.

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Developers David Sansome and John Maguire have launched the first stable release of their cross-platform, open-source media player. Clementine Player 1.0, which is based on version 1.4 of the Amarok media player, is designed to play both music stored on the user’s hard drive as well as provide access to a wide range of Internet radio stations.

Version 1.0 adds support for major internet music providers Spotify and Grooveshark, although premium subscriptions for each are required to use the service. Also added are support for Sky.fm and di.fm streaming radio stations, Global Search, support for playing audio CDs and more transcoder options.

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Open-source defragging tool UltraDefrag 5.0 has been released. The Windows app, also available as a dedicated 64-bit build, features a completely redesigned interface and rewritten drive processing engine, which the developers claim will make it easier to implement future planned features.

UltraDefrag 5.0 also adds some new features, including a “quick optimization” option for targeting fragmented files rather than the whole drive, MFT optimization and user-defined log file creation to aid with bug reporting.

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Most programs can be relied on to act with reasonable decency when asked to remove themselves from your computer. That’s what the built-in uninstaller is for, after all, but sometimes it’s not so straightforward.

What do you do when you’ve exhausted all normal avenues for removing unwanted software from your computer? You turn to this feature -- a showcase of the best free tools for removing stubborn apps from your Windows-powered PC.

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Malwarebytes Corporation has squeezed out a major update to its popular, and effective, malware scan-and-remove tool before the New Year chimes in. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 1.60, which is designed to add additional protection to computers already running security software, debuts Chameleon technology, which the developer claims will allow the program to run even when a malware infection attempts to block it.

Version 1.60 also adds incremental updates and password-protected program settings for the paid-for Pro version as well as a number of additional improvements and bug fixes.

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Can’t wait for the next major release of VLC Media Player? Desperate to squash an annoying bug? Not afraid of installing untested, pre-release software on your computer? Willing to become a guinea pig ? If the answer to all of these questions is “yes”, then VLC Media Player Nightly might be for you.

As its name suggests, this is the latest, untested version of VideoLAN’s popular cross-platform, opens-source audio and video player to roll off the presses. That means it’s untested, which makes it unstable, and as likely to throw up new bugs as old ones get squashed. If that doesn’t put you off, read on.

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The Firefox development merry-go-round has moved on again, with Firefox 10 Beta and Firefox 11 Aurora builds being joined by two separate versions of Firefox 12: Firefox 12 Nightly and Firefox 12 UX, the latter build representing the efforts of a team focussed on delivering improvements to the Firefox user interface.

Despite the lack of any major revamps, there’s enough new features and interface tweaks filtering through the various builds to make the next three planned versions worth looking out for. Get a head’s up on what’s coming and discover which build is best for your current needs with our updated guide to what the future holds in store for Firefox.

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