Boxee for iPad is a wonderfully versatile means of accessing your media collection
The Mac and PC versions of Boxee provide a wonderfully versatile means of accessing your media collection -- music, photos and movies -- in a delightful interface. The app can be used in conjunction with your computer, or linked to your TV and stereo. Now there is an iPad app available that brings the flexibility of the desktop software to Apple's tablet. Boxee for iPad has been unleashed, and it has plenty to offer.
The idea behind the iPad app is very much the same as the desktop software, although this time around there is an even greater emphasis placed on streaming media. As is almost expected of any app these days, Boxee for iPad integrates with social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. This is not just so that you can interact with your friends, but also so that you can access videos that have been posted to these sites in the same app you will use to access the rest of your media collection.
CCleaner 3.0: New beta supports Mac OS X Lion
Piriform has released the third public beta of its forthcoming CCleaner for Mac. Based on the popular Windows version, CCleaner for Mac offers various cleaning tools for parts of the operating system, and is a freeware release.
Beta 3's headline feature is that it introduces support for Mac OS X Lion, but it also includes a number of new cleaning options, including Google Chrome and Firefox 6, plus a selection of system caches.
Finally, Apple provides OS X Lion recovery tool
Apple has released Lion Recovery Disk Assistant for beleaguered OS X Lion users, allowing them to start the Lion recovery process directly from a USB drive. Previously anyone who'd purchased the Lion upgrade through the Mac App Store would be forced to reinstall and update Snow Leopard before they could reinstall Lion if disaster struck, forcing them to replace the hard disk.
The Lion Recovery Disk Assistant requires an external USB hard drive or USB thumb drive with at least 1GB free space. It will partition the entire drive, so follow the guidelines at this Apple KB article for details of partitioning the drive so the rest of its capacity can continue to be used for general data storage if required.
Text Editor Everywhere does what its name says
If you've ever found yourself in a position whereby you're expected to enter some kind of text, including snippets of code, into an application or web form that you struggle to get to grips with, then Text Editor Everywhere could be a lifesaver.
This handy free tool allows you to compose your required text in another application -- say, your favorite text or code editor -before automatically transferring it into the other application or web form once you're done. The end result is that you get to work in an environment you feel comfortable while maybe gaining access to features not available in the original application or window, such as spell checking or syntax highlighting.
Partition Master 9 adds partition-merge, dynamic disk resizing
CHENGDU Yiwo Tech Development Co has announced the immediate release of EaseUS Partition Master 9. Available in both free (Home) and various paid-for (including Professional and Server) editions, EaseUS Partition Master provides non-destructive tools for partitioning Windows PCs that go beyond the basic functionality offered by Windows' own Disk Management tool.
Version 9 of EaseUS Partition Master includes several major new features, including the ability to merge two or more adjacent partitions on the same physical disk. Paid-for versions also include support for dynamic volumes, including copying, resizing and converting without data loss.
PC Monitor: Keep watch on your computer anytime from anywhere on anything
Ever wondered what your PC is getting up to while you're away from it? Or maybe you have a more practical reason -- you're an IT manager -- for needing to know what various PCs are being used for when you're not around.
Either way, one of the most comprehensive and complete tools for monitoring and managing your PCs remotely lies in PC Monitor, a pair of tools that let you monitor and control Windows and Linux PCs over the network or Internet from any web browser or -- if you prefer -- iPhone, Android or Windows Mobile device.
Pulmon Beta 3: You don't have to wait for Windows 8
It's hard to imagine, but Windows 8 beta could come as soon as next month's BUILD conference. One of the new features it looks likely to sport is the stripped-back Metro UI interface, which debuted in Windows Phone 7, and which will ensure Windows 8 works across a variety of devices including smartphones and tablets, not just computers.
As details of Windows 8's features start to emerge, programmers and enthusiasts are busy coding their own mock ups of how these new features will work. And if you'd like to see how Metro UI might look on your Windows 7 PC, check out Pulmon Beta 3, which was released just a few days ago.
Skype makes a big, brash debut for iPad
It's finally here: Skype for iPad has released on Apple's App Store. After months of waiting, iPad users can finally ditch the iPhone app and download this optimized build that takes full advantage of the extra screen real estate provided on the iPad.
Skype for iPad features everything you'll find in the iPhone app, including messaging and voice calls as well as video chat, but takes advantage of the superior hardware of the iPad 2 to deliver full-screen video chats using both front and back video cameras.
Easily expose hidden application functions with WindowsMenuPlus 1.1
Sometimes Windows can be really frustrating, with lots of useful tweaks and tools buried away beneath layers of dialog boxes and hard-to-reach system tools. WindowMenuPlus 1.1 aims to place some really useful tweaks for your apps on to the menu that pops up when you either right-click its titlebar or taskbar button (Vista and XP only).
Options include being able to keep the current window on top of other windows (and make it semi-transparent at the same time), team a program's priorities, kill its parent process, get more information about it and quickly reposition or resize the window a number of custom ways.
Skype 5.5 for Windows released, integrates Facebook features
Skype has announced the release of Skype for Windows 5.5. Its headline feature is deeper integration with Facebook. Once installed, you'll be able to see which Facebook friends are online and chat directly from Skype itself, plus update your Skype Mood and Facebook status together. You can also view, comment and "like" Facebook status messages too.
Skype 5.5 also promises improved video call reliability, new and updated emoticons and a raft of other minor improvements, interface tweaks and bug fixes.
Plex Media Server: Your content from anywhere on iPad, iPhone or Mac
Media files like photos, video and music can quickly swallow up gigabytes of drive space. Then there's the issue of viewing or listening to those files on more than one Mac or device. Do you diligently copy the files you need across to your second computer, or create a network shared folder that everyone can access?
A third option -- which has the added benefit of providing you with a fuss-free, attractive user interface for browsing and accessing your media collection -- lies with a tool such as Plex Media Server; it has been updated to version 0.9.3.4.
MP3 Skype Recorder: It's free but there's a price
Skype has revolutionized the way we communicate, and armed with a headset you can slash your phone costs either by calling fellow Skype users for free or taking advantage of its cheaper call rates to communicate with both landline and mobile phones.
If you've ever needed to record a voice call, you'll have no doubt browsed the Skype Extras shop and discovered a number of paid-for solutions are available. If you can't justify the cost, and your needs are relatively basic, then you can record any Skype voice conversation for free with the aptly titled MP3 Skype Recorder.
Google updates Chrome 14 Dev to support Mac OS X Lion
Google has updated the alpha "Dev" build of Google Chrome to 14.0.835.2. This minor update is notable largely for the amendment of one of its multi-touch features to avoid a conflict with Mac OS X Lion, which released last week.
The latest build basically alters the browser's own multi-touch gesture for moving backwards and forwards through the browser's history to two-finger swipe gestures from its original three-finger swipe. This latter gesture is used by Lion to move between desktops and full-screen apps.
YouSendIt: Sync, share, send with iOS and Windows apps
Cloud-based file sync and sharing solutions are not exactly thin on the ground, as any user of Wuala, AVG LiveKive, Dropbox, SugarSync and SpiderOak will tell you. That's why being able to stand out from the crowd is especially important in this cramped marketplace.
YouSendIt has carved a unique niche for itself by offering services you won't find in rival products, such as its "Send a file" service and options for annotating selected documents with text, images and even an electronically scrawled signature. Until recently, much of this functionality was restricted to your web browser, but YouSendIt has just released two new free apps for Windows and iPhone to accompany its existing YouSendIt Express application, which runs on both Windows and Mac.
Need better Windows file management? Try xplorer2 2.0
London-based ZABKAT Software has released version 2.0 of its Windows Explorer replacement tool. xplorer2 2.0 includes a number of notable new features and improvements, including support for dockable and floating panes.
xplorer2, which costs $29.95 and is also available as a 64-bit build, also utilizes the native preview handlers found in Vista and Windows 7 to deliver improved document previews, notably with PDF and Office files. Also new in version 2.0 are dual bookmarks, tab locking, context menu extensions and faster file browser operations.
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