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.
What you need to know about Microsoft's 'New Office'
Even though Microsoft's lips have been sealed shut on the topic, launch of Office 2013 (and the new Office 365) is imminent. Speculation is fueled by the Office 2013 available on its Home Use Program (HUP) website, something which has customarily preceded most prior Office launches. If the show is about to begin, then all of these preparatory charades are quite the indicator.
Martin Brinkman provided a wonderful in-depth preview on Office 2013 this past summer, and the great majority of what he covered is still valid in the final bits. I've personally been using a MSDN copy of Office 2013 Pro Plus since about late October and am quite pleased with the product. Ever since Microsoft dabbled with x64 capability in Office 2010, in-house developers increased memory and security aspects that 64-bit provides and the result is a smoother, safer Office experience. Microsoft posted a long Technet article on the benefits of x64 Office 2013 this last summer.
Surface Pro goes on sale February 9th
Nearly three months ago, Microsoft debuted the Surface RT tablet alongside its brand new operating system, Windows 8. Things have not been all-rosy since that fateful day in late October, and rumors of both failure and success run rampant. But all the while the company kept what is, perhaps, its trump card in hand -- the Surface Pro.
This is the tablet that Microsoft expects to be the big player, the one that will win over business users. Now we finally have some details about what to expect.
My 5 really big, unbelievable tech predictions for 2013
Most analysts, journalists and pundits use the new year to rattle off lists of what might be. Well, my inside sources were on vacation over the holidays and then at the Consumer Electronics Show. This week I finally hooked up with them and can finally make some safe bets on what's ahead. The delay gives me one-month edge on everyone else -- 11 to be right.
You will be shocked by this 2013 will-be list. BetaNews uses nothing but the finest sources, culled through constant pestering, home phone calls and secret online and parking garage meetings. With that, I present the Big 5.
Ashampoo 3D CAD Professional 4 gets budget price
Ashampoo has released 3D CAD Architecture 4 and 3D CAD Professional 4, the latest editions of its interior and exterior design tools.
And both programs are improved this time by the extended Project Wizard, now an even easier way to start your new design project. Choose your basic building floor shape, enter the dimensions, specify the number of floors and your preferred roof design and that’s it: even if you’ve never used this kind of tool before, you can have the core building shell created within a few moments.
Mega’s security not so mega? New tool reveals passwords stored in confirmation emails
Kim Dotcom’s new cloud storage and file-sharing site Mega is unquestionably a huge hit, racking up registrations like crazy. After an hour the site had received over 100,000 sign-ups, and was up to half a million registered users in the first 14 hours. According to a new tweet from Dotcom, it’s currently seeing 60 uploads a second.
Mega has made a big deal about security and privacy, with the site offering what it calls User Controlled Encryption, or UCE. All files stored on Mega are automatically encrypted, as are data transfers to and from the site. Users hold the keys to their own files so Mega’s staff don’t know what’s being uploading or shared, a move designed to protect the site from the authorities. However, despite all this promising security, it turns out the site may not be quite as safe as billed.
Meet Keon and Peak, the two Firefox OS developer preview phones
Firefox OS is anything but a secret with Mozilla releasing important details down the road since its unveiling and even an eye-opening operating system simulator, the latter introduced little more than two months ago. Frankly, the only important missing piece of the puzzle is the hardware on which Firefox OS is designed to run.
Mozilla decided to shed some light on the matter and through Geeksphone, that works in conjunction with Telefonica, revealed two developer preview phones, dubbed Keon and Peak. Spoiler alert: If you're hoping to see two LG Optimus G Pro devices in disguise you're in for a big surprise.
BitTorrent is alive and well -- isoHunt turns 10 years old
Despite the best efforts of the MPAA, RIAA and even the U.S. federal government, file sharing and BitTorrent are alive and well. While Kim Dotcom has launched his new Mega site (not BitTorrent tracking, just file storage and sharing) and the Pirate Bay has managed to survive despite jail sentences for the founders, many sites continue to operate without any real interruption or even mainstream notice.
One of those, isoHunt, has managed to make it to the grand old age of ten. The birthday celebration is not big, but the occasion warranted a post from the founder today.
Audacity 2.0.3 offers faster resampling speeds and new effects
Popular open-source, cross-platform sound recording, editing and mixing tool Audacity 2.0.3 has been released. Despite the minor revision number, the new update boasts several key new features, including a new resampling library, tweaked Time Tracks tool and several new effects.
Audacity 2.0.3 also includes a number of key bug fixes, but does ship with a number of other issues as yet unresolved, all of which are documented in the release notes.
NTT DOCOMO spills the beans on the LG Optimus G Pro
On Tuesday, Japanese carrier NTT DOCOMO took the wraps off its new smartphone and tablet lineup, arriving in the Spring. From the significant number of new devices that will be launched starting from January 25, one stands out from the rest -- the new LG Optimus G Pro smartphone.
NTT DOCOMO's decision to unveil the Optimus G Pro shows unfortunate timing, seeing as on the same day LG revealed plans to introduce its current flagship handset, the Optimus G, into more than 50 new markets, starting with Singapore at the end of January.
Detect network intruders with SoftPerfect Wifi Guard
It’s important to keep your wireless network secure, and turning your encryption levels to the max is usually a very good place to start.
This doesn’t in itself guarantee safety, though, so you may want to also equip your system with SoftPerfect Wifi Guard, which will monitor your network and alert you to devices which it doesn’t recognize.
HTC Windows Phone 8X -- positive first impressions
Before anyone labels me as an Android fanboy, let me tell you this -- I like Windows Phone 8, I like it a lot. Even though my smartphone of choice is the Google Galaxy Nexus running either of the two Jelly Bean iterations, Microsoft's mobile operating system has always appealed to me, especially the latest iteration which is by far the best of the bunch. I’ve always wanted to review Windows Phone 8, but there was one big problem -- I couldn't get a review unit for an in-depth look at it. So I did what PR folks were not expecting -- I bought an HTC Windows Phone 8X.
So why the Windows Phone 8X? There are not many devices running the new OS at the moment, but in my part of the world the selection is even more limited -- HTC is the only manufacturer that currently sells a Windows Phone 8 smartphone. The price is also very attractive at EUR479 which is marginally less than what the Samsung Galaxy S III goes for, for instance. By contrast the Nokia Lumia 920, which is not yet available locally through official channels, costs more than EUR700 at major retailers, a price difference that I cannot justify at all. So, as you can imagine, the Windows Phone 8X is my one and only choice.
COMODO Rescue Disk 2.0 combats even deeply embedded malware
COMODO has released COMODO Rescue Disk 2.0, a bootable environment which includes a copy of Cleaning Essentials for Linux to help remove even the most deeply embedded malware.
Changes from the previous 1.x betas are fairly basic, and for instance include some bug fixes and the inclusion of the very latest COMODO Antivirus Engine for Linux (1.2.3). Otherwise the package remains a capable rescue disc which is worth considering for your emergency toolkit.
Should Barack Obama stick with BlackBerry?
Barack Obama is now officially in his second term as President of the United States, following the January 20 inaugural swearing in. We have another four years of Obama, but does he have another four years of BlackBerry? He is by far the most profile Crackberry, in 2009 fighting to keep his smartphone in the face of opposition. (You think Apple losing that iPhone 4 in a bar was bad? Imagine the president leaving his handset behind.) But Obama is President and Commander-in-Chief and got to keep his Canadian gem.
But it's a new administration, and Obama appoints new cabinet members. Which of them is more important, gets more attention than his smartphone? So the question: Should he stick with BlackBerry or switch platforms?
Waterfox 18.0.1 brings the power of Firefox 18 to 64-bit Windows
After a gap of nearly three months, Waterfox 18.0.1 has been released, bringing the Firefox variant for 64-bit versions of Windows bang up to date. Its return is welcome news considering Mozilla recently dropped its own 64-bit Windows build from the Nightly codebase, and allows
The delay in releasing Waterfox -- also available as a portable build -- has been attributed to major bugs in the Intel C++ compiler, which is used by developer Alex K to produce Waterfox from the Firefox source code.
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