VIPRE Internet Security 2012: Light on resources, heavy on protection
GFI Software today unveiled the latest editions of the company’s security products, VIPRE Antivirus 2012 and VIPRE Internet Security 2012.
And while much of the competition tries to win you over by adding ever more malware-hunting features, GFI takes a different tack, concentrating just on the basics, but making them as simple to use as possible.
Nitro Pro 7 released
As we revealed just over a week ago, NitroPDF was readying the release of Nitro Pro 7, its commercial tool for creating, editing, annotating and sharing PDFs. Nitro Pro’s feature set rivals that of Adobe Acrobat, but is available for a significantly lower price -- just $80 for a limited period at launch.
Now, as planned, Nitro Pro 7 is now officially available for download in both 32-bit and 64-bit trial versions for PCs running Windows 7, Vista or XP.
Postbox 3 supports gestures on Mac, jumplists on Windows
Postbox 3.0 has been released for both Windows and Mac users. This commercial mail client is aimed at those who rely heavily on email and who find the various free email tools, such as Thunderbird or the clients supplied by OS X and earlier versions of Windows too restrictive.
Postbox 3.0’s headline new feature concerns tighter integration with numerous third-party apps and services, including Gmail, Dropbox and a range of popular social networks. It also includes handful of interface tweaks designed to take better advantage of new features in Windows and OS X, plus throws in a handful of minor new improvements.
Plex Media Center promises big changes for Mac and Windows
Plex, Inc has announced the release of version 0.9.5 of its freeware cross-platform media browsing suite. Now split into two distinct programs, Plex Media Server and Plex Media Center, as well as a mobile app for Android and iOS, Plex 0.9.5 introduces a number of new features as well as major changes behind the scenes.
One key new feature -- the creation of a myPlex account -- aims to make accessing your media content remotely over the internet a simpler task, while PC users can now access their media collections via the first Windows build of Plex Media Center.
Samsung plans to make flexible screens a reality in 2012
After years of promises and demos both from Samsung and a host of other companies, the flexible screen is set to finally become a reality in 2012. Samsung confirmed plans during its quarterly conference call.
"The flexible display, we are looking to introduce sometime in 2012", company spokesperson Robert Yi says. The company aims to introduce the first flexible screen device in the early part of the year. He adds that it would "probably start from the handset side".
HP crams 2,800 servers into a single rack in 'Project Moonshot'
Following last week's introduction of the 64-bit ARMv8 architecture, leading PC and IT systems company Hewlett-Packard on Tuesday officially announced its low-power, massive-scale datacenter initiative called "Project Moonshot" will initially utilize ARM processors exclusively.
HP's mission with Project Moonshot is to reduce data center size by 94 percent, energy consumption by 89 percent, and cost by 63 percent by using lower power servers in "hyperscale."
Protect passwords with Secure Login for Firefox
One of the curses of modern day life is remembering, storing and managing passwords. Whether you use a password manager, store passwords in your browser or try to remember the lot, there are always challenges. Storing in your browser is the easiest option, but how can you be sure that they’re safe? Secure Login for Firefox is a very handy extra layer of security.
Like Opera’s magic wand, Secure Login helps you to log into sites where you’ve already saved your username and password in Firefox. If you have an account stored, when you rest the mouse pointer over the key icon to the left of the address bar, you’ll see if it's available to login. Just click this button to securely authenticate yourself on this site.
Still early in the 20nm era, ARM acquires circuit design company Prolific
ARM, the UK-based company behind the reduced instruction set processor architecture of the same name, announced on Tuesday that it had acquired long-running chip design partner Prolific Inc.. The amount of money ARM put toward the acquisition was not disclosed.
Consumers won't directly see the fruits of this acquisition for several years, but the intent is clear: ARM is strengthening its talent pool and intellectual property for circuits 20nm process and smaller.
Internet Explorer hemorrhages browser usage share
Do I have your attention now?
Google Chrome's assault on Internet Explorer continued a pace in October, according to browser usage share data that Net Applications released today. Chrome gained share for the 12th consecutive month. Since November 2010, IE share fell 7.72 points, while Chrome gained 8.05. Want to guess from where Google's browser is taking usage share? Hint: It's not Firefox.
Google wants you to mobilize your site
Let's face it: these days, a lot of us are accessing the Internet via smartphones, tablets, and other portable devices. It makes good sense that website owners respond to this trend, and ensure their sites play nice with mobile browsers.
Google knows this, and is launching a new initiative called "Go Mo", aimed at assisting developers in optimizing their content for mobile devices. The Mountain View, Calif. company has included site testing tools, best practices for creating mobile sites, and information to assist companies in locating qualified mobile web site designers.
AMD launches new entry-level workstation graphics card: FirePro V4900
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) on Tuesday launched its latest professional graphics card in retail, the FirePro V4900, which targets the entry level of professional graphics workstations.
WIth a pricetag of just $189, AMD's FirePro V4900 has 1GB of 128-bit GDDR5 RAM that drives memory bandwidth of 64 GB/s. It's not the most powerful of AMD's FirePro units, but it is priced to move, and will come as the default graphics card in certain Dell, HP, and Fujitsu workstations.
Tell us your Xbox Kinect story
November 4 is the one-year anniversary of Kinect, which rapidly is evolving into more than a game controller and a huge present and future success for Microsoft. The technology also represents the company's profound push into natural user interfaces. Apple's Siri has buzz now, but it's from Redmond, Wash., not Cupertino, Calif., that the most inventive NUIs are coming -- and most likely will dramatically affect your life and anyone within your sphere of six degrees of separation.
But that's a future I'll expand on in a few paragraphs. For now, the present. Do you Kinect? If so, I'd like your story, whether it's about the technology for gaming or something else. Please share your story here or send email to joe at betanews dot com. I'll collect some stories here and post others separately, depending on writers' preferences.
PC Tools unveils 2012 security software
Security vendor PC Tools has revealed its new-look website and 2012 products. And the company is focusing very much on ease of use, with the claim that all the new releases provide “powerfully simple protection”.
There are four major programs available.
5 real-life tales of terror from Apple
To kick off Halloween today, Betanews' Managing Editor Joe Wilcox gave us a lighthearted list of 10 things about Microsoft to be scared of. Here's a slightly more grim list of stories from the Infinite Loop.
HORROR FACTORY--- Though nearly every consumer electronics company uses some Chinese contractors for parts or manufacturing, Apple has a black mark on its ethical record for the unsafe working conditions at Chinese factories that supply parts for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod product lines. Stories of labor horrors include rash of employee suicides, and fatal explosions at Foxconn, and fatalities from exposure to neurotoxin N-Hexane at touchscreen supplier Wintek.
Now this is how you sell Kinect
I'm a big fan of Kinect and Microsoft using the body as the command line. The most natural user interface is you. But selling the long-term benefits, beyond gaming, is tricky. Leading into the controller's November 4 first-year anniversary, Microsoft promotes the "Kinect Effect". It's brilliant, and forward-looking, marketing that shows Kinect's huge potential outside gaming.
I've praised Kinect before, for example: regarding a viral video where a toddler dances inside Microsoft Store and debut of Kinect Fun Labs.
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