Take to the skies with Microsoft Flight
If you ever tried one of the old Microsoft Flight Simulator series then you’ll know that learning just the basics took time, effort and real commitment. Which, of course, was why some people liked it: there was a real challenge involved.
If you were more intimidated by the program’s complexity, though, Microsoft Flight, the free successor to Flight Simulator, may appeal as it’s far more accessible.
Need to decompress files fast? Try Unarchiver 3 for OS X
Compressed files are not always used for the space savings reasons they were initially created for, but they are still very important. The widespread availability of high-speed Internet connections means that the size of downloads is far less important than used to be the case, but many downloads are still supplied in one of the many compressed formats that are available. OS X includes integrated support for a number of formats but if you want to be able to extract the contents of more archives The Unarchiver has been updated to version 3.0 with support for more compressed files types than ever before.
As you’ve probably guessed from the name of the app, this is a piece of software that is concerned solely with the decompression of archives, so if you’re looking to compress files you’re going to need to look elsewhere. In the software world there is a general trend towards jack-of-all-trades utilities, so it is slightly unusual to come across an app that does just one thing -- thankfully, The Archiver does it well, so it can be let off the hook somewhat.
Save 70% on Cyberlink PowerDirector 9 Ultra64
If you’re looking for a video-editing suite that combines a powerful feature set with user-friendly features while taking full advantage of your computer’s hardware to deliver blistering performance, then Cyberlink PowerDirector 9 Ultra64 fits the bill perfectly. While it’s been superseded to some extent by version 10, it’s still an excellent video-editing tool in its own right.
If you’re looking for a fast, powerful and reliable video editor for a price that won’t break the bank, you’ve come to the right place. You can pick up a full version of Cyberlink PowerDirector9 Ultra64 for just $29.95 -- that’s less than a third of its MSRP! But hurry the offer ends at 23:59 Central European Time tonight. That's 6:59 pm EDT, Americans.
Adobe releases Photoshop CS6 beta -- get it now!
Adobe has released a free public beta of Adobe Photoshop CS6.
And while these are relatively early days -- we don’t have information on pricing, yet, or a firm date for the final release -- it’s already clear that this is going to be a significant upgrade.
220 tablets for sale but you only want one
What's the saying about the rock that caused the avalanche? That might be the best analogy for iPad since its launch nearly two years ago. ABI Research says there are now 220 different tablets available globally -- the majority came after iPad. Judging by early new iPad sales, 3 million over the three-day launch weekend, many of you want just one.
But ABI says that will change, particularly as buyers in emerging markets scoop up smaller tablets. Surely that has to be good for Android and perhaps even Windows 8 someday.
Stand in line to beat Apple senseless
There are pageviews to be had when it's time to criticize Apple: probably as much if not more than writing about the latest iGadget. It is the same pattern over and over. First, Apple debuts its latest creation, and the press fawns. Next, a blogger or journo with an ax to grind finds some obscure problem affecting a small segment of users and makes it into a showstopping defect.
Without much thought, the rest of the media jumps on this report, and hundreds if not thousands of stories tell us how Apple's at the beginning of the end, lost its edge, blah blah blah. Same story every time -- from Antennagate, to Batterygate, and now Heatgate.
Windows Phone launches in world's biggest mobile market, China
Microsoft and Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC announced on Wednesday that the first Windows Phones have finally begun selling in China. The first device for sale in the country is the 4.7" HTC Eternity, which will be available to the Chinese market unlocked.
Microsoft was expected to launch Windows Phone in China some time in the first half of the year, and this is the first major platform announcement the company has made for the market.
Miro 5 media manager available as release candidate
There are countless websites that provide streaming content, either in an episodic or less structure form. Add to this the media files you already have stored on your hard drive and you have a lot of audio and video to contend with. Miro is a powerful media player that can be used to play local files, but is also geared up to playing online content from the likes of YouTube and Hulu. The application itself is nothing new, but the release candidate of version 5 of the program gives a tantalizing taste of what’s to come.
While there is a leaning towards video in Miro, the release candidate helps to highlight that it can be used for other media as well. If you have a hefty MP3 collection on your hard drive, Miro can be used to listen to your favorite albums and while you’re doing so, you can take advantage of the application’s ability to go online and retrieve the correct album art and information for any track or albums that are incorrectly labelled.
jAlbum 10.5 is fourth release in three weeks
Less than three weeks after launching jAlbum 10.4, an update that "perhaps should have been labelled jAlbum 11", according to its makers, the Swedish web album creation tool has been updated again with a number of improvements and feature tweaks.
jAlbum 10.5 claims to improve album downloading by up to eight times, plus adds the ability to import albums created in the desktop application as well as online. It also promises that album projects can now be moved and copied without breaking. jAlbum 10.5 is in fact the fourth update of the program since version 10.4 was released on March 2, with three minor updates appearing in a 48-hour period from March 7-9.
HP combines printing and PCs in new business unit
Since last year, leading systems vendor Hewlett-Packard has been assessing the future of its PC division, known as the Personal Systems Group. Today, HP announced its PSG will merge with its Imaging and Printing Group (IPG) in a combined business group known as the Printing and Personal Systems Group.
At the end of last year, HP examined a potential spin-off of the PSG, but ultimately decided against the idea, since the division was so tightly integrated into HP's overall structure.
Apple device users, 'Cloak' your identity on public hotspots
Free WiFi is more prevalent than ever and the popularity of mobile devices means that more and more of us are connecting to these free networks using laptops, tablets and mobiles. In these situations, using their own computer, most people would not give a second thought to security.
But if you’re using your MacBook, iPhone or iPad in a public place with free Internet, such as a coffee shop, it is possible for someone to tap into your connection and steal your private data. Cloak is a security tool for Apple fans that makes securing these connections quick and easy.
Universal USB Installer supports four more Linux distros
The busy folks at Pen Drive Linux have updated their handy Universal USB Installer tool to support four more distros. Which means it can now convert live CDs of Deepin Linux, LinHES Linux, Trisquel Linux and Satux Linux to run on USB keys.
And that’s not bad at all, as the tool already supported all the usual big name distros (Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, OpenSUSE and more, each in multiple versions), as well as a lengthy list of Linux-based utilities: Gparted, System Rescue CD, and antivirus rescue CDs from AVG, Avira, BitDefender, F-Secure and Kaspersky, amongst others.
Has programming lost its way?
The average end user has no idea what goes into developing software. All they see is whether the software works or not, whether it looks good or whether it is easy to use. But for developers it is a totally different story. They are overwhelmed with new technologies every day and programming, rather than getting easier, at times becomes more and more challenging.
Programmers often are at the mercy of those who create the development tools they use. Drag and drop, IntelliSense, XAML, code editors replaced by Studio environments, debuggers, OOP and more OOP. Now we have Metro, WinRT and a totally new world of Windows development. Has programming really become easier and easier, with all the choices we have today? Or has programming lost its way?
Get CryptBox 2012 for free, but hurry!
Whether you share your computer or not, you should probably think about encrypting some of your private documents. Files relating to your finances, work and personal life can reveal a great deal of information about you, and it is not just a matter of wanting to maintain personal privacy. Identity theft is a serious problem, and if your personal details fall into the wrong hands, there is no way of knowing just how it will be used.
CryptBox 2012 is an immensely powerful encryption tool that can be used to secure your data and you can grab yourself a free copy in today’s giveaway.
Internal issues still cause more data loss than outside attacks, says report
The Ponemon Institute, sponsored by security software company Symantec, released on Tuesday its seventh annual Cost of Data Breach Report, which analyzes and quantifies the financial impact of data breach incidents around the world.
This year, the Institute looked at the security data from 49 companies in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Australia, India and Italy, and interviews with over 400 individuals from these companies were conducted over nine months in 2011.
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