These days, free PDF tools do a heck of a lot more than simply display and print PDF files. Pick up a tool like Nitro Reader, for example, and you can create PDFs from within any application, plus sign, annotate and fill in PDF forms.

What you can’t do with free tools is edit, convert, split or combine PDF files, so if your needs are greater than the basic options provided by free tools, you’ll need to invest in a dedicated PDF editor. And when it comes to getting more bang for your buck, Nitro Pro has always delivered exceptional value in a package one third the price of Adobe’s entry-level Acrobat Standard.

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You’ve found what you think is an email address for a friend, or colleague -- but is it really valid? If you don’t want to send an email to find out (or you’re checking so many addresses that simply isn’t practical), then another option is to use a tool such as Email Checker Basic to verify the address directly with the server.

The program is small, portable and adware-free, so is very simple to try: just download the 198KB archive, unzip it and you’re ready to go.

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Almost two weeks after Amazon unveiled new tablets, the $199 7-inch Kindle Fire HD tablet gets "a new lease on life" through rooting.

Gaining elevated privileges (popularly known as "root") is facilitated by an exploit found in Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich that Amazon didn't fix before shipping the tablet. The fairly uncomplicated process gives the Kindle Fire HD a new trick up its sleeve -- using the Google Play Store, which provides access to all apps available there.

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Late this afternoon, in response to Motorola's requested, massive Apple product ban, Dan Gillmore posts to Google+: Come on, Google, don't abuse the patent system the way Apple does. Sheesh". I've seen similar sentiments expressed elsewhere. Gillmore and others are wrong. Google isn't playing Apple's game, but trying to end it. If Apple won't negotiate willingly, a show of force may be the only way to achieve patent peace.

Motorola Mobility is now a Google subsidiary, so legal demand from the one really comes from the other. From one perspective, the request is so sweeping as to dwarf any of the claims Apple makes against competitors like HTC and Samsung. Moto seeks a ban on virtually every Apple device -- iOS or OS X -- sold in the United States. It's reasonable to look at Google and to question whether the tactics are heavy-handed. They are not.

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Samsung has revived its "The Next Big Thing is Already Here" marketing campaign with new videos, one of which posted about an hour ago to YouTube. Like its predecessors, the 90-second spot mocks people waiting in line to buy iPhone, something going on right now at Apple Stores around the globe. Doors open at 8 am local time on September 21 for iPhone 5's official launch.

The South Korean electronics giant started the ad campaign in November 2011, following release of iPhone 4S. This year, the commercials come first and are sure to continue afterwards. This spot carries forward the storyline for at least one character -- that is for anyone who has watched the series. It's clever storytelling for advertising.

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In the world of Android distributions, one name stands above all -- CyanogenMod -- and praise doesn't come higher than that. Based on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, the popular CyanogenMod 10 should be a go-to for any modding enthusiast, be they a newcomer or aficionado looking for the custom ROM to unleash all the power without being too over-the-top.

As of late, CyanogenMod 10 offers increased flexibility by being available as a monthly release and nightly build, but what better way to experience the latest changes and the project evolution as a whole than running the latest cutting-edge nightly build?

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Removing unwanted software from your hard drive should be easy, but there are countless reasons why the process may prove problematic -- even if this just boils down to a badly written uninstaller. This is the very reason there are so many dedicated software uninstaller tools available, and one of the biggest names in the field is Ashampoo. The company has just released Ashampoo UnInstaller 5, which expands on its predecessor by improving the removal of apps that are no longer required.

While the program can be used to uninstall any program on your hard drive, it works best when used to remove those that have been installed after Ashampoo UnInstaller 5 itself. The latest version of the software includes an improved installation monitor which checks precisely what changes an installed program makes to your computer so they can be easily reversed when the time comes to remove it.

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Wednesday, longtime Windows smartphone maker HTC debuted two new flagship Windows Phone devices which were designed to showcase Microsoft's latest mobile OS Windows Phone 8. The new smartphones, called the Windows Phone 8X and 8S, carry the same bright external colors of Nokia's Lumia series Windows Phones, but use HTC's technology and design prowess to make the devices stand out on their own.

Similar to the HTC One X in the speed and power department (dual-core 1.5GHz processor, 1 GB RAM, 8 megapixel camera), the Windows Phone 8X has a 4.3-inch Super LCD 2 display with Corning's Gorilla Glass 2, 16 GB of internal storage, and an improved 2.1 megapixel forward-facing camera with 1080p video capture and an 88 degree wide-angle lens.

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Today, two days before iPhone 5 launches, Apple releases iOS 6. We'd like to know what you think of the software, particularly compared to the previous version. Several features are sure to cause reaction, with Facebook integration and Apple's new maps app, which replaces the one from Google, being high among them.

To be honest, given my Apple boycott and iPhone-toting daughter going off to college, I have no iOS device for testing. I can't review, and my best Apple-using writers are in Europe and likely won't blast out anything until tomorrow. But we need reaction today, particularly if iOS 6 turns out to be the update some of you won't want to apply. Judging from some of the reaction on Twitter, many of you should wait -- lest Apple Maps directs you to the river bank instead of your local financial institution.

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O&O Defrag 16, the latest incarnation of the company’s ultra-configurable defrag tool, is now available. And the new feature O&O highlights in particular is a new Time View, which the company says helps you understand which of your defrag actions have delivered particular performance optimisations.

The idea here seems reasonable. The more specific feedback you get from the program, the better you should understand how it’s working, which should in theory help you to make better defrag choices in future.

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Nitro PDF Pty Ltd has just released Nitro Pro 8, the latest version of its self-titled “Acrobat alternative” tool for creating, editing and converting PDFs. Version 8, also available as a dedicated 64-bit build, promises faster conversion times, smaller PDF files, automatic OCR implementation and auto-save and recovery technology.

Nitro Pro 8 also sees the product drop its two-tier pricing structure, losing the non-OCR release in favor of a single option incorporating IRIS’s OCR engine for $119.99. The launch also coincides with details of a new partnership with PC manufacturer Lenovo, which will see Nitro Pro bundled with new Lenovo computers going forward.

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The threat from viruses and malware is one that not only continues, but shows no signs of slowly down. The need for protective software has not gone away, and what could be better than install an anti-malware tool to help keep yourself safe? How about a security tool that boasts not one but two scanning engines? Take a look at Emsisoft Anti-Malware 7 -- in addition to Emsisoft’s own malware scanner, there is now a new second scanning engine from BitDefender.

There is a strong focus on performance with this release. Emsisoft has optimized its own scanning engine, and new settings have been added that enable users to configure how the software should make use of processors. What this amounts to is being able to choose how many cores should be used to run the scanner as well as increasing or decreasing the number of active threads, increasing program priority and making use of advanced caching techniques to help speed things up.

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CyberLink has continued rapid development of its photo management and editing tool with the release of CyberLink PhotoDirector 4 Ultra. PhotoDirector 4, which appears on Mac OS X for the first time in addition to Windows, retails for $50 less than rival product Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.

Despite coming just six months after version 3 was released, PhotoDirector 4 adds a number of notable new features to its roster: facial recognition and content-aware removal tools, plus new HDR (High Dynamic Range) effects on single photos, and a Body Shaper tool for reshaping arms, face and body.

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CyberLink Corporation has unveiled PowerDirector 11, the latest version of its feature-packed consumer video editor.

And our favorite addition so far has to be its content-aware editing, a time-saving tool that sees the program automatically identify the major scenes in a movie, so that you can then import them in a flash.

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Everyone loves to save a little money here and there, but when the timely bargains result in an alliteratively name month -- September savings -- so much the better!

Brand new to the store this month is the much-anticipated TuneUp Utilities 2013. You can save 50 percent from TuneUp Utilities 2013 [3-PC], ideal for installing on three home computers. If you have a single PC, save even more with TuneUp Utilities 2013 [1-PC]. There is also TuneUp Utilities 2013 [UPGRADE] designed to enable previous users to upgrade, at a discount. Finally, a TuneUp Utilities 2013 + AVG Internet Security 2013 [1-PC] bundle will safeguard and maintain a single computer.

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