Facebook Lite officially available for low-end Android devices
Facebook is not exactly the lightest mobile app around. In fact, it is one of the worst offenders, no matter if we are talking about Android or iOS. It uses plenty of resources, both in terms of data and processing power. We may have gotten used to it by now, but these are major pain points in developing and emerging markets, where more and more potential users are going online for the first time.
There, lots of consumers are rocking low-spec Android devices and small cellular data plans, and the standard Facebook flavor is not a great match for them. So, the social network has finally released a lighter version of its Android app, called Facebook Lite, which promises to address those shortcomings. Let's take a look at it.
Best Windows 8 apps this week
One-hundred and fifteen in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps and games released for Windows 8 in the past seven days.
Microsoft revealed this week how it envisions the future of Windows and in particular Windows 8's successor Windows 10. You can check out a video summary here, read why Mihaita is sold on Windows 10 and what Wayne thinks about Microsoft's presentation.
Milouz Market keeps free software up-to-date
Managing the software on your PC can sometimes feel like a full-time job, as you have to find the best applications, download and install each one, then do your best to keep them up-to-date.
If you have better things to do with your time, though, you could just install Milouz Market, which can manage a lot of this almost entirely automatically.
Troubleshoot PC problems with Switchblade, a free portable toolkit
If you regularly find yourself helping to fix other people’s PC problems then you’ve probably already thought about creating a portable troubleshooting toolkit. And this needn’t take very long. Just copy something like the Sysinternals Suite to a USB stick, for instance, and you’ll be more than equipped to diagnose and resolve all kinds of issues.
And if you find you need to extend your troubleshooting capabilities even further, then you can always add another free toolkit or two. Switchblade is an excellent free example: just download the latest version, unzip it to your USB key and you’ll gain all kinds of useful features and functionality.
Can't play a song or video? Try MediaInfo Lite 0.7.59
One of the most frustrating aspects of dealing with media files is that seemingly identical files are anything but. Why is it you’re able to play one AVI video file, but not another? How come that .MP4 video plays flawlessly, but this one just won’t open?
The problem is that the three-letter file extension is just part of the makeup of a video file. You need to identify the actual codecs used to render the audio and video, which can be tricky without third-party help. Thankfully, there’s a free tool that can identify those codecs for you in the form of MediaInfo Lite.
Grab 34 exciting software downloads released this week
The second week of releases for July is a little different from other weeks in that there has been a greater number of Mac releases than usual. TRIM Enabler 2.2 is a great free tool that helps to improve the life of SSDs, and the latest version of the app includes support for a wider range of drives. Lion is proving to be the most popular version of OS X yet, and Lion Tweaks 2.0.1 is a free tweaking tool that can be used to customize the operating system and eliminate irritations, while CrystalClear Interface 2.7.4 enables you to completely change the appearance of OS X through the use of skins. If you want to be sure of a secure web connection whether you are at home or out and about with a laptop, Hotspot Shield 2.61 is a free proxy tool that protects your privacy and enables access to blocked web sites.
No week would be complete without its fair share of browser updates, and this week is no different in that respect. Chrome 21.1.1180.41 Beta is an interesting peak into the future of Google’s browser, and there is also a portable version of the software available in the form of Google Chrome Portable 21.1.1180.15 Beta. If you're keen to see what the future holds for Chrome, there is also Chrome 22.0.1201.0 Dev and again there is a portable version available -- Chrome Portable 22.0.1201.0 Dev.
Celebrate the half-year with one of these 24 software downloads
We’ve reached the beginning of July but shouldn't forget June, which ended with a swatch of updates and releases.
Security is always a priority like these: avast! Free Antivirus 7.0.1451 is the free version of the AV tool, with avast! Pro Antivirus 7.0.1451 also featuring the same new Emergency Updater and improvements to sandboxing. Also available is avast! Internet Security 7.0.1451 which includes not only virus protection, but also a firewall, web filtering and more. Another free firewall is available in the form of the newly updated ZoneAlarm Free 10.2.64.0 and if you want virus protection as well, you might want to take a look at ZoneAalarm Free Antivirus + Firewall 10.2.
26 software downloads you shouldn't miss this week
As we reach the end of June, commercial developers are busy preparing software for a Q3 launch, so we’ll be entering a lean period for key, new releases. This doesn’t mean it was a quiet week; far from it. TechSmith released Camtasia 8.0 for Windows and 2.2 for Mac. This powerful screen-recording tool will enable you to produce professional-level presentations for just about any audience.
If you’re seeking an image editor to complement your screen recording toolkit, look no further than the free GIMPshop 2.8. This is effectively the popular GIMP, wrapped up in a different and user-friendly interface. The various K-Lite Codec Packs are a collection of codecs you can use to play video and audio content on your PC. Although it’s becoming more of a challenge to find videos that won’t play on your PC, there are still plenty encoded using a compression format that was more popular in the early part of the previous decade. Download K-Lite Codec Pack 8.92 Basic, the Standard pack, Full or Mega, which also contains a number of conversion tools.
Say goodbye to April with one of these 36 downloads
Cloud was the big news this past week, and there were exciting developments in the world of online storage. After what seems like years of waiting, Google Drive 1.0 finally released, extending the idea of Docs and providing users with the opportunity to store any files they want online and keept them synched with their computers. There’s also a mobile version of the app available, Google Drive for Android 1.0.77, that enables access toyour files on the move.
Ubuntu One 2.0.3 has nothing whatsoever to do with the operating system of the same name, but provides you with 5GB of free space for storage and backups. Cloud storage stalwart Dropbox 1.4.0 has been updated and finally becomes stable, as well as adding batch uploading and importing of photos Meanwhile, Microsoft released Microsoft SkyDrive 2012 v16.4 and Microsoft SkyDrive 2.0 iOS with reduced storage levels.
What's in a week? 23 downloads you may have missed
There has been a great deal of activity in the security software department this week, starting with the release of Avast! 7 Free (beta2), a preview of what to expect from the upcoming antivirus tool. Interesting features such as the Reputation Service to check the safety of files and websites, and Remote Assistance for remote problem fixing, mean that this is worthy of your attention. From the same company comes another beta tool in the form of Avast! Internet Security 7 (beta2) which takes the security of your computer even more seriously.
Norton is a well-known name in the security arena and Norton 360 v6 FINAL is a complete suite of tools including a firewall, password manager and phishing protection as well as handy bonus features such as backup and system optimization.
30 software downloads you need this week
We’ve reached the end of the first month of 2012 and this has been another busy week for software releases. If it seemed a little quiet on the browser updates recently, things changed this week with the release of Opera 11.61 FINAL as well as Opera Portable 11.61. Fans of cutting edge software may be more interested in Opera Next 12.00 build 1256, which is the first update to the beta channel of Opera for quite some time.
When browsing the Internet, speed is often the most important consideration, and Pale Moon is a speed optimized version of Firefox that includes support for extensions. This week saw the release of not only Pale Moon 9.1 and Pale Moon x64 9.1, but also portable versions in the form of Pale Moon x64 9.1 Portable and Pale Moon 9.1 Portable.
We give thanks to these 25 app downloads
If you live in the United States, a four-day holiday weekend of feasting and shopping soon ends. Thanksgiving didn't stop developers from pumping out new wares this week. We pick 25 worth your attention, if not some warm thanks.
For many people, the Start menu is one of the most visited aspects of Windows, but if you’re looking for an alternative program launcher, Winstep Nexus 11.10 is a great option. This free tool is not only a great time-saving dock style launcher that can be used to access your programs, it is also an extremely attractive widget manager that can be used to monitor everything from CPU usage to the weather.
19 applications you might have missed this week
CyberLink released YouCam 5 this week. Although it's not an application that may be on everyone's radar, the new version does have a couple of interesting new features for serious users, one of these being facial recognition technology. This will enable you to login to Windows or Facebook without the need to remember your password. Use your webcam to recognize your facial features and you're in. At least in theory. YouCam 5 Standard is the basic version, whilst the Deluxe edition offers a stronger feature set, including the ability to lock your computer when your webcam notices you've moved away from your desktop.
Kaspersky's TDSSKiller 2.5.12.0 is a free tool designed to compliment your existing security software. Run a scan and it will detect a rootkit on your system, sniff out potential malicious files and report back. Detect anything suspicious and you can make a decision on whether you want to remove the files or not. However, TDSSKiller will give you another layer of protection and is ideal for users who want Kaspersky technology but have a subscription with a rival security software developer.
Tip: Free Opener accesses 75+ file types
Preparing a laptop to handle all the files it might encounter can be a tedious business. You may need to install PDF and Office viewers, graphics programs, a media player, archiving tools -- the list goes on. But maybe there's a simpler way. Download and install Free Opener, instead, and this one program will display more than 75 file formats for you.
You'll be able to open Office documents, for instance (DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX, XLSM, PPTX, PPT, and PPS). PDF files. Archives (7z, ZIP, RAR, GZ, TAR, TGZ, JAR). Flash files (SWF), assorted source code formats, a selection of RAW image formats, and many other graphics, video and audio file types.
Has 'beta' lost its meaning?
About 11 years ago (please ignore the rapidly aging "10 Years" banner overhead), a very bright young man put together a hosting service for new software, and a news feed to help publicize it. I'll spare you the part where I praise my boss for his wisdom and insight and great sense of timing, although all of that's certainly true.
In 1998, the term "beta" was generally used to mean "new software;" and so "Beta News" was interpreted quite correctly to mean "new software news." Some enterprising person may be able to dig up something I published elsewhere during that time where I complained about what I perceived as the misappropriation of "beta" to simply mean "new."
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