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21 downloads you shouldn't miss this week

Publié: janvier 14, 2012, 5:24pm CET par Mark Wilson

We’re only just through the second week of January, but the number of software releases is just as fast as ever. There have been so many applications hitting the servers over the last seven days, we wouldn’t be surprised if you had missed some here and there. This is why we have put together this handy roundup to get you back up to speed.

If you want to keep in touch with friends, family and colleagues, look no further than Skype for Windows 5.7.0.137 Beta. The latest beta version of this chat client fixes a number of problems that have been found, but Mac users have more to look forward to in Skype for Mac Beta 5.5. The latest beta includes an improved call interface that makes it easier to mute calls, add new people to a conversation, and share files and video.

There are a number of web browsers to choose from these days, and one up and coming star is Pale Moon 9.0.1. The latest release is an impressively speed-optimized custom build of Firefox and there is also a 64-bit version available in the form of Pale Moon x64 9.0.1. Fans of portable apps should take a look at Pale Moon 9.0.1 Portable and Pale Moon x64 9.0.1 Portable, which can be popped onto a USB drive. Another web browser update worth checking out is Google Chrome 17.0.963.33 Beta which enables you to check out just where Google’s alternative to the likes of Firefox is heading.

Many people use their computers to manage a digital photo collection, and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Beta 32-bit and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Beta 64-bit can be used to make this easier. The latest beat version of this handy utility makes it possible to not only browse and manage photos as well as editing and enhancing them. Adobe may be well known for its photo editing software, but PhotoFiltre 7 is worth a look. This surprisingly powerful photo editor can also be found in a portable form -- PhotoFiltre Portable 7.

If you have spent any time creating a work of art or touching up your photo collection, you should definitely think about backing up your files. O&O AutoBackup 1.0.106 (32-bit) is a wonderful free backup tool that enables you to put your external hard drive to good use and if you are working with a 64-bit version of Windows, you should try O&O AutoBackup 1.0.106 (64-bit) instead. It is important to keep all of your files backed up but FavBackup 2.1.3 provides a quick and easy way to back up the settings and data for your web browser. Hardwipe 1.5.0 is a handy security tool that can be used to completely eliminate the files you want to delete.

If you are used to working with an iOS or Android device, the idea of gestures will be familiar. StrokesPlus 1.2.3 enables you to create gestures that can be used in any Windows application to help automate common tasks. To make it easier to work with your applications and get to work faster, Windows 7 App Launcher v0.0.9.1 makes it easy to quickly launch multiple programs at the same time. If you want to customize the look of your computer, Rainmeter 2.2 makes it possible to completely alter the appearance of Windows with skins, gadgets, widgets and much more. On a more practical note, CDBurnerXP 4.4.0.2905 includes everything you need to create your own CDs and DVDs, including audio discs. Also in the musical category is TuneSync Server 2.0 which can be used by Android users in conjunction with Notpod 1.4.1 to wirelessly transfer your iTunes music collection to your Android device.

That’s it for this week -- there’ll be a plethora of downloads to look forward to in the week ahead and another roundup in seven days.

Photo Credit: Sean Gladwell/Shutterstock
Samsung offers Galaxy Note as a tool for 'creatives'

Publié: janvier 14, 2012, 4:39pm CET par Tim Conneally

Apple products are deeply entrenched in the creative world. Both Mac and iOS-based devices are the common tools among graphic designers, artists, music producers and composers, and yes, even journalists. (Especially journalists, don't even get me started.)

At CES 2012 this week, Samsung made a major appeal to "creatives" with the new Galaxy Note mini-tablet. In a large booth in a hallway outside of the show floor, Samsung set up caricature artists with Galaxy Notes, who were drawing passers by as musicians played in the background, using the Galaxy Note "instrument app" as a part of their performance gear.

In the video we've embedded, you can see the artists utilizing the stylus to compose sophisticated drawings with the 5.3" tablet, and the Brooklyn-based band Body Language performing with it as well.

Android-based music creation and performance applications are still quite few and far between, and the platform's best cannot even hold a candle to the best music apps on iOS.

However, at the rate that non-phone and non-tablet Android devices are springing up, it's only a matter of time before someone creates a musical instrument that runs on Android as well, or at least an app that can go toe-to-toe with Apple's offerings.
New Samsung Chromebook is a cheap, plastic MacBook

Publié: janvier 14, 2012, 2:16am CET par Joe Wilcox

If you missed the new Series 5 Chromebook at Consumer Electronics Show 2012, there's a reason. Samsung practically hid the thing, during an event of otherwise big, big announcements from the South Korean electronics giant. Disappointment is my reaction to the new offering, which, regrettably doesn't temp me back to using a Chromebook.

I asked my colleague Tim Conneally, who got up close to the new Chromebook in this video, for his reaction. "My first impression: it looks like a plastic MacBook". Ah, yeah, hasn't Samsung been having problems with Apple, fending off accusations of imitating products. Judge for yourself, from the photo and link to Tim's video. Doesn't the new Series 5 Chromebook resemble MacBook but donned in plastic?

But there's something more important than missing metal. My bigger concern is performance, to which Tim dismally responded: "The difference in handling is imperceptible". The specs are largely unchanged from the original. System memory is still 2GB and the processor is less crappy. Not good, just not as bad. Samsung is unleashing an unworthy successor and one that makes Chromebook less appealing than the original -- seeing as v1 isn't enough and the new one isn't much more than a new MacBook-like enclosure and speedier processor. Specs are otherwise the same, or seem to be based on the little info released by Samsung.

A Real Under-performer

For two months last summer, I used a Samsung Series 5 Chromebook as my primary PC in the first weeks and as my only one later on. I found the overall cloud experience to be refreshing, no liberating, but Chromebook grated on me the longer I used it. The problem: Performance. On the software side, Google continually updates Chrome OS, which got better with each of the many updates. But the hardware is steadfast. At the least, Chromebook needs 4GB of memory. But really the processor -- and, more importantly, the graphics chip -- simply aren't good enough.

Living in the cloud doesn't free Chromebook from daily computing demands. If anything there are more, because so much activity is conducted online and so many services require Adobe Flash, which still seems wonky to me on Chrome OS -- that's without the demands placed on CPU, GPU and Net bandwidth.

In early October, when writing about giving up Chromebook, I didn't fuss much over what was for me sluggish performance. I'm a power user and, presumably, atypical of the type of person most likely to use a system running Chrome OS. But after getting back to a real computer, my feelings about performance lag are more pronounced.

Currently, I'm using the Lenovo ThinkPad T420s with: 2.5GHz Intel Core i5 processor (with 3MB L3 cache); 14-inch matte screen (with 1600 x 900 resolution); 160GB Intel sold-state drive; 4GB of DDR3 memory (1333MHz); DVD burner; WebCam; Ethernet; WiFi N, memory card reader; 3 USB ports, one each HDMI and VGA port; and Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit. The original Chromebook -- and, sadly its successor -- isn't in the same league. Chrome OS changed my computing habits, so I still largely do everything in the browser, but there's real performance on ThinkPad T420s and none of the waiting common with the Samsung Series 5.

My Chromebook config: 12.1-inch LED display with 1280 x 800 resolution and 16:10 aspect ratio; 1.66GHz Intel Atom N570 processor; 2GB DDR3 memory (not expandable); 16GB solid-state storage; integrated NM10 graphics; ALC272 integrated audio; stereo speakers (which in my tests deliver surprisingly rich sound for the class of machine); internal microphone; 1-megapixel webcam; WiFi N; Verizon 3G (on higher-end model); headphone/Mic jack; two USB ports; 4-in-1 memory card reader (SD / SDHC / SDXC / MMC); and 6-cell battery (with stated life of 8.5 hours).

Specs are sketchy, but Samsung claims the new Chromebook has 3X performance from the dual-core Celeron processor, which granted is a step up from the single-core Atom processor on v1. But Tim's assessment isn't encouraging, since he has Samsung's original Chromebook and has experience enough for spot comparison.

There's no Samsung press release I could find about the new Chromebook, nor does Samsung's Flickr account -- loaded with photos of everything else. There's plenty on Samsung's Series 9 ultrabook, which design and features are jaw-dropping. As for Series 5 Chromebook, it's a plastic MacBook with few of the benefits.