Applications

Microsoft's EU Browser Bugaboo Could Cost Billions
July 18, 2012

A technical error that affected 28 million Windows users in Europe could cost Microsoft billions in penalties. The glitch, which disabled the display of a browser choice screen in Windows, violates an agreement between Microsoft and European Union regulators. The maximum penalty for such a violation is 10 percent of a company's annual revenues.

Microsoft Remodels Office
July 17, 2012

Microsoft unveiled the new versions of its Office suite and and Office 365 subscription-based service on Monday. The updated Office has an intuitive design that makes it touch- and stylus-compatible, and usable across a variety of devices running Windows, including tablets and smartphones.

Symantec Update Leaves XP PCs Feeling Blue
July 17, 2012

Symantec has determined that combining the newest version of its antivirus software with the decade-old Windows XP operating system can cause users' PCs to freeze up with the dreaded Blue Screen of Death. After Symantec analyzed the problem, it revealed that the incompatibility hit machines running the OS in combination with certain other applications.

Apple Draws Up Blueprint for iTunes Renovation
June 29, 2012

Apple's iTunes may be getting a facelift soon. The new iTunes Store will be rolled out later this year -- most likely along with the next generation of Apple's popular iPhone -- and sport improved discovery and sharing capabilities, as well as better iCloud integration, according to a report.

Samsung Shows Its Softer Side
June 19, 2012

Today in international tech news: Samsung's new chief stresses software. Also: A Japanese man takes issue with Google's autocomplete function, filing a lawsuit claiming that the feature not only made him lose his old job, but also kept him from getting a new one; a deaf German blogger gains notoriety for using her lip-reading acumen to transcribe on-field banter; and more.

Epic Revs Up PC Gaming With Unreal Engine 4
June 08, 2012

Epic Games on Friday officially announced its upcoming Unreal Engine 4 technology, which could be the foundation for the next decade of graphics technology in video games. This comes the day after the close of E3, the video game industry's largest trade show, and it's notable in that the current video game console systems will not be able to take advantage of this technology.

Ringer for OS X Sets Just the Right Ringtone
June 05, 2012

Tone overlap syndrome can be a stressful affliction, and it seems to affect iPhone users on a regular basis. It's a phenomenon in which someone with whom you live or work has the same kind of phone you do and they use one or more of the same built-in tones you use on yours. Left unchecked, tone overlap can lead to annoyance, acute irritation, and eventually madness.

A Slap to the Interface: 3 Apps for OS X Window Management
May 22, 2012

Features that Apple has added to OS X over the years, like Mission Control and Spaces, have given users more options for laying out their work areas. Each time another edition of OS X comes out with new interface abilities, the desktop feels more manageable, less constricted. However, there are still a few window management tricks and functions that OS X can't do on its own.

MenuTab Keeps Facebook Nicely Widgetized
May 15, 2012

Facebook's march toward its IPO has put a harsh spotlight on the social network's shortcomings, and one of the primary worries among prospective investors is that Facebook doesn't have very sharp mobile chops. There are a million things it could be doing in mobile to draw in more revenue, they say, but it's still an area in which the network moves painfully slowly.

A New Day Is Dawning for the Technology Market
April 30, 2012

Last week, I was at the Dell annual Industry Analyst Conference, and it suddenly struck me that we are looking at a very different technology market this decade. Apple is expected to slide, largely due to the firm's inability to replace Steve Jobs; the dynamic that created Microsoft is changing, and analysts are questioning the firm's relevance as Dell and HP ramp up their own software efforts. Dell, in particular, is doing some really interesting things.

Schlepping Files Got You Down? Enter the DragonDrop
April 23, 2012

I'm a highly visual guy, and while there are all sorts of ways to work with files on my Mac, I still love cluttering up my desktop with folders, links, documents and photos. I treat my desktop like a table surface, and I have elaborate stacks and sections of folders and files.

Windows Puts Microsoft 2 Steps Ahead, Xbox 1 Step Behind
April 20, 2012

Microsoft reported higher than expected earnings Thursday, with Windows 7 license sales up despite the company's plan to release a new version of its desktop operating system later this year. The company's PC division gained 4 percent from a year ago, earning $4.6 billion in revenue. The gain was in part thanks to an uptick in businesses buying Windows 7 licenses, Microsoft said.

Photoshop Beta Pops With New Features, New Look
March 23, 2012

It's not often that Adobe offers the public a free preview of its flagship product, Photoshop, but that's what it's doing with the next version of the photo editing software. Adobe announced Thursday that a beta release of Photoshop CS6 for both PCs and Macs is available from the company's website. Although the CS6 download is free, you have to create a user account before you can install it on your computer.

IP&TV World Forum, Day 2: The Future
March 22, 2012

I'm attending the IP&TV World Forum, aka the Internet Protocol Television Show, at the Olympia exhibition hall in sunny London. I have been checking out technologies being deployed in Europe that we may be seeing state-side very soon. HbbTV is a hybrid television delivery system available now in some European countries that combines synchronized broadcast with broadband.

Microsoft Gives Office a Metro Makeover
March 19, 2012

Microsoft's next version of its office suite, Office 15, is currently available as a private preview for beta testers. However, a reviewer not bound by Microsoft's non-disclosure agreement claims to have used a copy, and he says the new version has a Metro look and feel to it that ties in Office to the minimalist aesthetics of Windows 8.

Mountain Lion Messages: A Few Crossed Wires, Lots of Potential
February 27, 2012

The new Messages app for the upcoming release of OS X Mountain Lion -- that's right, it's "OS X" without the old "Mac" in front of it now -- is in beta and available for download. Unlike some companies, Apple tends not to release beta software, but it occasionally does. Of course, it took me all of six seconds to decide to give it a whirl.

Microsoft Gives Devs a Glance at Visual Studio 11
February 24, 2012

Microsoft will release a beta of Visual Studio 11 on Feb. 29, the same day it releases a preview version of its Windows 8 operating system. VS 11 is an integrated development environment spanning the entire software creation lifecycle from architecture to code deployment, testing and validation. It adds support for Windows 8 and Microsoft's Windows Azure cloud platform.

iBooks Author Lets You Build Astounding Texts
February 13, 2012

In my mind, the most important element of any software application is the ability to make users feel empowered, as if they can act on information, make changes, or best yet, create. Apple's new iBooks Author application for Mac OS X lets you create -- so much so that I actually believe that I could write an awesome iBook textbook myself.

Apple Remakes Final Cut Pro X
February 01, 2012

Apple announced an update Tuesday of its video editing software Final Cut Pro X aimed at quelling dissatisfaction with the product among professional media producers. This latest version of the software, release 10.0.3, is available from the Apple's App Store as a free upgrade for existing Final Cut Pro X users and for $299 for new users. A 30-day free trial version is also available.

Yoink: Efficient Swatch Snatcher Makes Full-Screen Feel Less Bloated
January 31, 2012

Of all the changes brought about with OS X Lion, full-screen viewing was one that failed to make much of an impression on me, at least at first. Ballooning a window to the edges of the screen and blowing out the menu bar seemed a little restrictive at first. Full-screening an app the way OS X does it just felt uncomfortable and weird.