Berlin-based utilities developer O&O Software has released version 8 of its flagship backup and recovery tool, O&O DiskImage.

One very convenient new feature sees the program able to directly create VHD files. You’ll need to enable this first (Edit > Imaging Options > select "VHD File"), but once that’s done your future images will be saved in VHD, rather than O&O’s own OMG format.

Microsoft, while not innovating at Mozilla-Google rate, has been stepping up development of Internet Explorer -- thankfully moving on from the dim, dark days of IE6. Windows 8.1 comes with the shiny new Internet Explorer 11, and with that release Google implements plans to begin phasing out version 9 of the browser.

Don't panic yet -- this move is for Google Apps, a service used more in the business realm than the home. It really should not come as a surprise, as the search giant holds firm to a policy of support for current and previous browser versions -- in other words IE 10 and 11 now.

Digg once ranked as a top site on the web when it came to finding the latest and biggest stories. Things went a bit downhill in recent times, but the company has been working on a phoenix-like resurrection, pulling itself from the ashes. The social news site has launched its Google Reader-replacement, in the form of Digg Reader, fresh on the heels of the shuttering of the once-popular RSS web app.

Now Digg goes all-in on video, stating "we're proud to announce that we've launched Digg Video, a section of Digg solely dedicated to collecting and promoting the best and most interesting video content on the Internet. It’s the Digg you already know and love, just in video form".

Microsoft is no stranger to trying to stick the knife into the competition, and the company's latest campaign, Keep Your Email Private, is no different. This is not just an ad campaign, but rather an entire microsite that has been set up to demonstrate how much better Outlook.com is than Gmail. The reason? There is only really one put forward for consideration -- Google's scanning of emails.

This in itself is nothing new. We have known for a long time that Google scans the content of emails with a view to delivering targeted ads. It’s not something that everyone is happy with, but we know all about it, and if you don’t like it, you're free to move away from Gmail. But Microsoft is now exploiting this fact in a bid to attract people to Outlook.com.

Four months ago, I embarked on a grand adventure. I boarded train Google+ and departed from station RSS. I left behind Feedly and my list of carefully curated subscriptions. Google Reader's demise set this new travel plan into motion. The search and information giant's social network would be my major -- really only -- source of news. Hey, other people rely on Twitter! I put Plus first.

I live the Google lifestyle, as many of us do everyday, but more than most people, by using Androids and Chromebook Pixel as my computing devices. But strange thing happened during my travels. Rather than find a broad, eclectic group of people, I increasingly encountered Google fanboys, which I am not. Rather than expand my horizons, Google+ shrinks them.

Today, TeamViewer announces a new beta version of its popular remote control software for Windows, Mac and Linux PCs. The latest release, named TeamViewer 9 Beta, introduces new features aimed at businesses, developers and end-users as well as security improvements.

The most noteworthy security addition in TeamViewer 9 Beta is two-factor authentication. It allows users to add an extra layer of protection to their accounts by using security codes, that can be sent to their mobile devices and, alternatively, generated by dedicated mobile apps. On Macs, TeamViewer 9 also adds the option to increase the password strength in QuickSupport.

If programs aren’t running as expected on a PC then checking whatever .NET versions are installed is often a good idea. So it’s a pity that Microsoft doesn’t provide a quick and easy way to do this, instead forcing users to navigate through multiple Registry keys (not so helpful when you’re trying to remotely troubleshoot problems with a PC novice).

Fortunately there are plenty of more straightforward alternatives around, and one of the more capable, ASoft’s portable .NET Version Detector, has just been upgraded to version 14.

Way back in January, BitTorrent released its sync app, though it was early days, and the organization wished to keep testing to a private level. Since then, there has been steady progress, including making a beta version available to the masses. Now it seems the service reaches critical mass with today's news.

The company starts its announcement with news that Sync has surpassed one million users, along with more than 30 petabytes of data synced so far. The company points, in part, to the recent security climate as one of the reasons for its popularity. "BitTorrent Sync is a beta project in cloud-free syncing. Our goal is to build a sharing tool that lets you move big files, and big ideas, freely. Without surveillance. Without speed limits. And without size caps. Your data belongs to you. Sync is designed to keep your stuff yours; with you and your team, wherever you are", the announcement states.

Online password manager LastPass has updated its range of browser-based extensions with the release of LastPass 3.0 for Windows, Mac and Linux. The manager, which supports all major web browsers, comes with a fresh new design and changes to the way users interact with web forms.

Also updated are the company’s premium-only mobile apps, LastPass 2.5.2 for Android, and LastPass for Windows 8, while LastPass 2.0.6 for iOS will be updated once it’s passed Apple’s store approval process.

Samsung and Google jointly released the Galaxy Nexus just over two years ago, in October 2011. The handset is no longer shiny and new, but that doesn't mean there aren't still customers using the device -- it's still for sale at retail locations like Amazon. And Nexus owners could be considered the hardcore Android fans or, in other words, the very ones who know about, and want, version 4.4 of the mobile operating system.

However, Google sticks to a rigid 18-month lifespan for devices, and this means the Galaxy Nexus will not be updated to Android 4.4. Despite the perception that the search giant isn't known for changing its mind, a sampling of the handset's owners are attempting to petition the company to do exactly that.

Dropbox is a name that's usually associated with online storage where it finds itself pitted against the likes of Google Drive and Microsoft's SkyDrive. But now the company could be branching out in a new direction with the purchase of Sold, one of the simplest online selling services ever invented.

Sold existed as an iOS and Android app and the idea was that a user uploaded a photo and brief description and everything else was taken care of by Sold -- no worrying about determining the best price or calculating postage. Or as Sold put it "doing all the dirty work for" users. There are no details about what will happen to Sold now that it has been, er, sold, but for now the site has been effectively shut down.

From technology that watches you in the supermarket, to social networking’s attempts to make the ads we see more relevant, the advertising industry is becoming cleverer at getting its message in front of the right people.

But is scanning emails, as Gmail does, a step too far? A survey commissioned by Outlook.com in the UK has found that 84 percent of people disapprove of email service providers scanning messages in order to target online adverts.

As promised back in August, Google launches Helpouts, an online video help service based on the idea of Hangouts. Or as Google puts it, "real help from real people in real time". There are numerous online help repositories -- Yahoo Answers et al -- but the thinking behind Helpouts is to make things live and instantaneous.

If you have a sudden yearning to make a soufflé, forget hunting through score of recipes sites for the best method, get someone to show you step by step.

Most people should know by now that Microsoft is ending support for Windows XP in April 2014. However, according to NetMarketShare's latest report, 31.24 percent of the PC market is still running the venerable OS.

For enterprises this raises serious security and compatibility issues not to mention the time and effort involved in migrating large numbers of systems. Solutions provider Adaptiva is offering an answer in the form of its OneSite Rapid OSD product to aid operating system deployment and cut the time and cost involved in moving to Windows 7 or 8.

Although Microsoft made upgrading from Windows 8 to 8.1 easy and free, the process has to be done through the Microsoft Store. If you want an ISO version of the OS, and don’t have a TechNet or MSDN subscription, you need to engage in a little trickery, which is straightforward enough, but not ideal.

As someone who once bought a brand new Advent laptop with Vista on it, but without any discs I could use to reinstall or repair the OS in the event of trouble, I know how frustrating not having a physical (or digital) copy can be. Newegg is currently offering a "Windows 8.1 Back-up Media disc" for pre-order that could potentially save the day.