ImBatch adds image batch renaming
High Motion Software’s freeware image batch processing tool ImBatch has hit version 1.80, and the new release sees some very welcome additions.
Top of the list is a Rename task, which sees the program able to batch rename an entire folder according to its EXIF or IPTC metadata, height, width, size, creation/ modification/ last accessed dates, and many other attributes.
Businesses must focus on optimizing IT costs Gartner warns
After years of cost cutting through the recession, businesses now have the challenge of continuously optimizing their IT costs. According to a survey of over 2,000 chief information officers worldwide, 65 percent see the main barrier to optimization as the mindset needed for all resources to work towards the same goal.
"Organizations don't often achieve the desired results from their optimization initiatives, and costs end up returning into the business," says Sanil Solanki, research director at Gartner. "CIOs should consider incorporating five key principles into their organization's cost optimization practices to form a basis for continual optimization. These principles are geared toward avoiding the danger of tactical cost initiatives, which may seem to generate savings in the short term, but can mean costs returning into the business in the long term".
Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S -- Windows 8 done right [Review]
My relationship with Windows 8 is very tumultuous; sometimes I love it and sometimes I hate it. However, this is due to the inherent problem with Windows 8 -- depending on what you are doing with it or what hardware you are using it on, the experience is different. I have used Windows 8 devices that are wonderful and others that are horrible. I often ponder, what if there was a device that could change based on what I was doing? I am happy to say, such a device exists and its called the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S.
The name "Yoga" is very appropriate as the convertible laptop offers multiple positions. No, I am not talking about the downward-facing dog -- this device can be a laptop, tablet and desktop. Lenovo calls these modes "Laptop", "Tablet", "Tent" and "Stand". However, "Tent" and "Stand", in my opinion, have duplicate functionality -- I refer to both of these as "Desktop Mode".
Surface Pro -- is Windows 8 the biggest failing of this expensive tablet?
Almost every time I have written about Microsoft in the past, I have been accused of being on the company's payroll when I write something positive, or being a hater out to bash the firm when I write something negative. Fair warning to anyone inclined to make such accusations (and a slight spoiler); this is one article in which I am going to sit firmly on the fence.
Let’s get one thing out of the way to start with. I quite like Windows 8. It’s not perfect and I have my complaints, but it is my primary operating system on three computers, and has been for some time. Until now, my only experience of Windows 8 has been on a traditional desktop and a laptop -- this means I have only interacted with the OS using a combination of a keyboard, mouse and trackpad.
Latest Microsoft ad targets students while dissing iPads
In a recent ad Microsoft levelled its guns at Google, but this time around it is Apple who finds itself in the crosshairs. The thinly veiled attack pits the Lenovo Yoga against Apple’s iPad in a bid to win favour in time for the ‘back to school season’.
The advertisement is set in a lecture hall and finds the lecturer’s audience divided into three distinct camps -- old-school pen and paper fans, iPad users, and a solitary student with a convertible Windows device. As the cue comes to start taking notes, the Windows user casually stops playing the word game she was engrossed in, flips the Yoga into ‘notebook’ mode and starts typing.
Skype for Outlook.com now available
Microsoft continues to integrate Skype into more of its products, a process that seems slower than it should be. The messaging and calling service is now finding its way into one more property, in this case the web-based email service, Outlook.com.
The new integration is considered a beta release, but is available in multiple international markets -- the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada and Brazil. "The Skype for Outlook.com preview makes it easy to connect with your Skype friends right from your Outlook.com inbox", says Skype's Pierre-Eric Jacoupy.
Microsoft talks user numbers, new features for Windows Phone App Studio
Two weeks ago Microsoft released its Windows Phone App Studio to beta. The service is designed to encourage the development of new apps and help non-developers "code" their own cool creations. No, you will not be building the next million dollar hit game using this alone, but you can see a smaller project from concept to completion here. The company expects the service to be used by hobbyists and enthusiasts.
Today Microsoft is talking numbers about where the service stands at this point in its brief life. Emilio Salvatore Prieto claims that within the first 48 hours of the beta going live more than 20,000 people had signed up and over 30,000 projects were underway -- a number that now stands at 55,000.
Microsoft announces Xbox One’s games line-up -- 38 percent of the titles will be exclusive
The Xbox One has had a lot of press since it was first announced back in May, with most of the coverage concerning the ever changing details of the console -- the removal of the DRM features, the backtracking on needing Kinect to use the device, the dropping of eight of the planned launch countries…
While the Xbox One might be a very different animal from what was originally revealed, one thing at least remains the same -- the console will play games. And today Microsoft revealed the list of titles available for the console.
Size matters -- HTC One Mini and Samsung Galaxy Mega heading to the USA
The American consumer is very indecisive when it comes to cell phone size. From the iconic "Zack Morris Phone" to Samsung's diminutive "Juke", the trend in size runs the gamut.
This continues with the smartphone craze as two new Android devices are announced for the USA -- the HTC One Mini and the Samsung Galaxy Mega. Both devices aim to fill a need and are defined by their size.
Image to PDF Creator Free lets you quickly build PDFs from your pictures
There are many ways to share a group of pictures with others. A zipped email attachment, say. An online album. You could share a folder on Dropbox, maybe, and that’s just the start.
For a really simple solution, though, why not just present them in a PDF file? You’ll get control over image order; you can add metadata to tell people more about the pictures ("Title", "Subject", "Author"), and the finished document will be viewable on just about every device and platform around. It’s extremely easy, too -- all you need is a copy of Image to PDF Creator Free.
Survey shows most of us would rather work from home -- shock!
"I'm working from home," is often seen as one of the great lies of modern life. But a new survey released today by Kona, the cloud based social collaboration and productivity platform, shows that a majority of employees would rather telecommute than be in the office.
The survey conducted with SodaHead shows that 70 percent of us would prefer to be sitting at home in our pajamas than traveling to the office. For those aged between 35 and 44 the number wanting to telecommute jumps to 81 percent. The 18-24 age group though obviously likes to get out more with only 66 percent preferring home working.
Paint.NET prepares the ground for the next major revision
Rick Brewster has announced the availability of Paint.NET 3.5.11, the latest edition of his excellent image editor. As you’d expect for a minor version update, the "changes" list is rather short, but there are still some welcome tweaks here.
The Undo data for your selection manipulations is now saved to disk, for instance, reducing memory usage during lengthy editing sessions.
Bing wants your photo for its homepage
Turns out that today is World Photography Day and while Google failed to even note the event with one of its Doodles, rival Bing has taken notice of the occasion. Unsurprising really, considering Microsoft's search engine is well known for its daily images that feature various stunning pictures from a range of subjects.
Today Bing announces a partnership with Discovery to set up a contest for photographers of all ability levels. "We’re excited to invite you to be a part of Bing's Hometown Homepage Photo Contest" says Michael Kroll, Principal UX Manager at Bing.
LastPass supports immediate syncing, extends Secure Notes
Free password manager LassPass has been updated to version 2.5.0, and introduces a good range of features and fixes.
There’s now support for the immediate syncing of changes to other devices, for instance. This may not work for you immediately -- the change is apparently being "rolled out for all users in stages" -- but as long as you have polling enabled (Preferences > Advanced > "Poll server for account changes") it should be available soon.
Microsoft's QR code competitor Tag to shut up shop -- hands in two years' notice
You may well not have heard of it -- and even if you have, it's even less likely that you've used it -- but Microsoft's Tag service is to close two years from now. In a statement on the Tag website Microsoft says that it is issuing a two year termination notice in accordance with its Terms of Use and that the service can be used as normal for the next 24 months.
For anyone to whom Microsoft Tag is an unfamiliar name, and this is likely to be a large group, this is -- or perhaps was -- Microsoft's alternative to the QR code. Scan a tag from a magazine or advertisement and you can access content such as websites, videos and more.
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