RealVNC rebrands as VNC Connect 6.0, switches to subscription-based model
RealVNC Ltd has unveiled RealVNC VNC Connect 6.0, the newly rebadged and updated version of its VNC server and client package for Windows, Mac and Linux.
There’s a shift from a perpetual license keys to a subscription-based model, plus a large number of new features, including cloud connections, team-based remote access and sharing, and support for improving remote access.
Analyze and compare video quality with QCTools
QCTools is an open-source cross-platform tool for analyzing and objectively measuring video quality.
The program is aimed at helping professional users identify problems with digitized footage, but it could also help to compare video codecs, conversion tools and more. QCTools is available for Windows, Linux and Mac. It’s a lightweight package -- a single executable and a few text files -- and installed easily on our test PC.
Prevent malware changing your DNS with DNS Lock
Freeware developer Sordum has released DNS Lock, a free tool which prevents malware (or anything else) changing your IPv4 DNS addresses. Launch the program’s single executable and it prompts you to enter your primary and secondary DNS IP’s.
DNS Lock offers you a choice of Open DNS and Google DNS Servers, too, although it only displays the raw IP addresses without identifying what they are.
AllDup 4 finds visually similar images
Freeware duplicate file finder AllDup has hit version 4.0 with some major additions and updates.
The program can now detect visually similar pictures in the image formats BMP, JPG, GIF, PNG and TIF, even if they’ve been flipped, rotated, reduced in quality or colors, or marginally cropped. Enhanced audio file scanning allows the program to find duplicate FLAC and MP3 files, even if they have different tags.
Automatically clear your clipboard with ClipTTL
You’re working away in one app, but realize you need data from another. So what? That’s what the clipboard is for: copy here, paste there and it’s sorted in seconds.
But the story isn’t over. The information you copied will remain in the clipboard until it’s replaced, visible to others, consuming RAM (maybe a lot, if it’s an HD image), and annoyingly appearing in other documents if you accidentally hit "paste".
Screen recorders for Chrome: ViewedIt vs Openvid
Recording what’s happening on your desktop can help you create presentations, share ideas, troubleshoot problems, or just impress others with your gaming skills.
Getting started is surprisingly easy. There’s no need for complex native clients, just installing a free Chrome extension like ViewedIt or OpenVid Screen Recorder could give you everything you need.
SoftPerfect File Access Monitor now freeware
The comprehensive hard drive activity tracker SoftPerfect File Access Monitor is now freeware. The program enables logging and filtering all the file system activity on a PC, including file creations, reads, writes and deletions.
Setup requires installing a service on your system. This isn’t as convenient as portable products, but does deliver more reliable results, and allows logging more of what’s happening as Windows boots.
DevOps is driving the move to cloud-first businesses
New research from cloud business management specialist ServiceNow indicates that enterprise cloud services have reached a tipping point, with 52 percent of respondents saying they would select cloud as the platform of choice for new business applications.
In addition 85 percent say they now are headed towards a cloud-first footing, with almost nine out of 10 saying they will complete the shift within two years.
jpeg-recompress cuts image file sizes by 50-80%
Jpeg-recompress is an unusual open-source tool which can cut JPEG file sizes by 50 percent or more.
The program works by intelligently selecting the lowest possible quality setting for your JPEG, which also has the minimum effect on its perceived visual quality. This is still lossy compression, and not something to use with images you might want to edit later. But it’s ideal for shrinking pictures you’d like to share elsewhere, perhaps on social networks, by email, or on your own websites.
Avira ships all-in-one Avira Free Security Suite 2017
Avira has released Avira Free Security Suite 2017, a comprehensive bundle of its antivirus, antiphishing, VPN and speedup products.
The package includes four products. Avira Free Antivirus keeps malware at bay, Avira Browser Safety blocks dangerous links, Avira Phantom VPN encrypts web traffic and masks your IP address, and Avira System Speedup optimizes your PC’s performance.
Thycotic launches free tool to expose endpoint threats
We're seeing attacks on endpoint systems becoming more common and increasingly clever. Yet for administrators knowing what's happening on their endpoints presents a challenge.
Privileged account management specialist Thycotic is launching a new, free Endpoint Application Discovery Tool to automatically discover and reports on applications installed on Windows endpoints.
Opera 41 slashes start times, improves newsreader feature
Opera Software has released Opera 41 for Windows, Mac and Linux, making reduced start times its major priority. The headline new feature is accompanied by a number of other performance improvements.
Opera 41 also includes a majorly revamped personalized newsreader, containing a wide list of tweaks and enhancements to give users some extra features to play with on top of the under-the-hood updates.
Stop ransomware infecting your MBR with MBRFilter
Cisco’s Talos Group has released MBRFilter, a Windows disk filter which prevents malware overwriting a drive’s Master Boot Record (MBR).
This can stop some ransomware variants -- Petya, Satana -- from installing and taking full control of your PC. Installation is straightforward. Well, mostly. Download the 32 or 64-bit version as appropriate for your PC, unzip the file, right-click MBRFilter.inf and select Install. Reboot when you’re asked.
Lock down any PC with Simple Software Restriction Policy
Simple Software Restriction Policy (SSRP) is a free tool which gives complete control over the folders where software can be executed.
Program Files, System and other folders are allowed by default. But commonly-exploited locations like your desktop and temporary folders are blocked, instantly protecting you from a host of potential threats.
Photo-to-painting converter FotoSketcher gets a test Android release
The popular PC "photo-to-painting" converter FotoSketcher is now available on Android in a very basic, advanced-user-only test release.
This alpha app is only available as a stand-alone .apk file, and if you manage to install it anyway you’ll find there’s only a single painting effect, and even that is a work-in-progress.
Recent Headlines
BetaNews, your source for breaking tech news, reviews, and in-depth reporting since 1998.
© 1998-2025 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. About Us - Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy - Sitemap.