Nick Peers

Ventis Media has overhauled its music management tool to add full support for video. MediaMonkey 4.0, available in free and Gold editions, allows Windows users to manage and organize their media collection with a set of powerful tools.

Version 4.0 also adds support for library sharing to and from UPnP/DLNA devices, improves automatic synchronization capabilities with Android mobiles and introduces a new portable installation option, allowing MediaMonkey to be run from USB drives.

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IObit has launched version 5 of its all-encompassing PC maintenance, optimization and security suite. Advanced SystemCare 5 sees the debut of ActiveBoost technology, a background process that aims to keep the computer running smoothly through intelligent management of system resources.

Advanced SystemCare features a new cloud-based database for up-to-the-minute updates, redesigned user interface and enhanced Quick and Deep Care modules. The system tool has also been rewritten with a brand new architecture and source code to extend compatibility to both 32- and 64-bit operating systems.

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Piriform Software has updated its free defragging tool, Defraggler to version 2.08.373. The new build adds a new disk and file benchmarking feature alongside a new VSS (Volume Shadow Service) compatible mode, plus promises better SSD detection and minor bug fixes alongside improvements to the Disk Health tab.

Defraggler made its name as one of the first tools to allow users to defrag individual files as well as entire hard drives. This latest build continues its path to become a more fully rounded defrag tool.

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The Firefox development merry-go-round has moved on again, withFirefox 9 Beta and Firefox 10 Aurora builds being joined by two separate versions of Firefox 11: Firefox 11 Nightly and Firefox 11 UX, the most intriguing build of all.

Those looking for major new features or a revamped interface will be disappointed, as the emphasis in Beta and Aurora builds is very much one of performance improvements and stability fixes. With this in mind, which version should you install? Read on for our updated guide to what’s happening with each version of Firefox.

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Mozilla has released the first stable build of its Thunderbird add-in, Lightning 1.0, which adds various organizer tools to Thunderbird, including a calendar, to-do list and events manager, giving it a more Outlook-like feel.

Version 1.0 represents the first stable release of the product, and is fully compatible with Thunderbird 8.0, which has just been released.

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In line with its recent Firefox 8 update, Mozilla has rolled out version 8 of its open-source email platform. Thunderbird 8.0 follows the pattern of recent major version updates by not actually delivering much in the way of new features -- understandable given the number of developers and testers working on Thunderbird are fewer than on Firefox.

Like Firefox 8, Thunderbird is now based on the latest Mozilla Gecko 8 engine, while add-ons installed by third-party applications are now disabled by default for security reasons. There are also new Search and Find keyboard shortcuts alongside numerous security patches and bug fixes.

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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.

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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.

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Mozilla has uploaded the final build of its open-source, cross-platform browser Mozilla Firefox 8.0 to its servers ahead of its official release tomorrow. Version 8.0 is the latest in a rapid series of releases from Mozilla that has seen development accelerated to rivals likes  Google Chrome.

Whereas version 7, released six weeks ago, concentrated on behind-the-scenes improvements, version 8 does feature some noticeable changes, including an Add-ons Compatibility Assistant plus an option for speeding up startup.

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Google has updated both Google Chrome Beta to version 16, and Google Chrome Dev to version 17, respectively.

Chrome Beta’s standout feature is support for multi-user profiles that can be standalone or linked to separate Google accounts for sync purposes. This allows users to access their own personal settings from another machine, but should be considered a feature that’s convenient rather than secure.

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Taiwanese software giant CyberLink has released version 8 of its all-encompassing disc-burning suite, Power2Go. Comprising software for burning data and media to CD, DVD and Blu-ray, Power2Go 8 adds a new tool for creating system recovery discs that allows the user to back up and restore data outside of Windows, plus the ability to mount virtual disk images as if they were physical drives.

Power2Go 8 also sees the introduction of a cut-down free version of the software. Power2Go 8 Essential is essentially a 15-day trial of the full Platinum edition of the suite that reverts to an “Essential” edition capable of only a handful of tasks after the trial expires.

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As we revealed just over a week ago, NitroPDF was readying the release of Nitro Pro 7, its commercial tool for creating, editing, annotating and sharing PDFs. Nitro Pro’s feature set rivals that of Adobe Acrobat, but is available for a significantly lower price -- just $80 for a limited period at launch.

Now, as planned, Nitro Pro 7  is now officially available for download in both 32-bit and 64-bit trial versions for PCs running Windows 7, Vista or XP.

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Postbox 3.0 has been released for both Windows and Mac users. This commercial mail client is aimed at those who rely heavily on email and who find the various free email tools, such as Thunderbird or the clients supplied by OS X and earlier versions of Windows too restrictive.

Postbox 3.0’s headline new feature concerns tighter integration with numerous third-party apps and services, including Gmail, Dropbox and a range of popular social networks. It also includes handful of interface tweaks designed to take better advantage of new features in Windows and OS X, plus throws in a handful of minor new improvements.

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Plex, Inc has announced the release of version 0.9.5 of its freeware cross-platform media browsing suite. Now split into two distinct programs, Plex Media Server and Plex Media Center, as well as a mobile app for Android and iOS, Plex 0.9.5 introduces a number of new features as well as major changes behind the scenes.

One key new feature -- the creation of a myPlex account -- aims to make accessing your media content remotely over the internet a simpler task, while PC users can now access their media collections via the first Windows build of Plex Media Center.

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Emulation is nothing new: as soon as 16-bit computers like the Atari ST or Amiga came on to the scene, coders attempted to emulate their 8-bit forebears like the Spectrum or Commodore 64. Nowadays both 8-bit and 16-bit machines are themselves emulated on PC and Mac, while Windows has gone so far as to now emulate its own predecessor, DOS, in the form of DOSBox.

It’s now becoming possible for Windows users to emulate certain mobile devices on their desktop. BlueStacks App Player lets Windows users emulate Android, while a brand new open-source app aims to do something similar for Apple’s iPad. Enter, stage left, iPadian.

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