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BetaNews.Com (15 non lus)

Digital music sales set to break record

Publié: octobre 4, 2012, 11:14pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

This week one of my colleagues posted to group chat: "The CD player turns 30". To which I asked: "What's a CD?" And someone else took the question seriously: "Compact Disc". Duh, I know that. But does anyone younger than 10? It's a serious question given a prediction Nielsen makes.

The analyst firm expects record-breaking digital music tracks sales in 2012 -- that means in excess of last year's 1.3 billion. The number already exceeds 1 billion, and Nielsen forecasts digital album sales will grow 15 percent year over year. My, how times have changed.

Let me ask. When was the last time you bought a CD? I can't even remember. My last five digital purchases, all albums: "Soft Universe", pnau; "Pack Up The Plantation: Tom Petty & the Hearbreakers Live!"; "Ghost Notes", Matthew Barber; "Layla and Other Love Songs", Derek & the Dominoes (on sale for $2.99); and "A Night at the Opera", Queen (also on sale for $2.99). I purchased all from Google Play, where I still can't buy ($@%#^!) Green Day albums.

"As we look ahead, it’s clear that digital music purchases -- and consumption through streaming sources -- will continue to grow, and that consumers’ appetites for digital music will change at the speed of technology", David Bakula, Nielsen senior veep, says. These trends will no doubt continue to shape the way that music is discovered, marketed, consumed and sold".

Funny, how convenience suckered us all into buying up billions of digital tracks that audio fidelity and bit-rate are so much less than those on CDs.

If you're old enough -- or perhaps with new trends young enough -- to remember vinyl, yes, the headline is a pun (and violation of BetaNews editorial style).
Save the date (or maybe not) -- Windows Phone 8 launches October 29

Publié: octobre 4, 2012, 10:24pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

I must take a moment to share the love -- the exact same given me by the Windows Phone team offered in return. Nothing! Bwhahahaha. Microsoft sent out invitations to a Windows Phone 8 event -- hey, you know it's the launch -- for October 29. Not that I received one. (Yes, I checked spam messages.) Apologies to the good editors at Wired. I lifted the invite image from you. It reads "save the date" -- well, I guess not.

The phone OS event comes just three days after Microsoft launches Windows 8 and Surface tablets in New York City. I have three sisters, and their birthdays are October 26 and 29. Should I regard these product launches as presents or distractions, since Microsoft will have me too busy writing about the new stuff to celebrate with them? Well, girls, there's always Google+ Hangout or, maybe, just maybe, Skype. :)

Windows Phone 8 OEM partners aren't waiting around to unveil new devices, such as the Samsung ATIV or Nokia 920 and 820 -- both of which are now confirmed for AT&T here in the United States.

By comparison, Windows 8 manufacturers out new products or prices, too. For example: Acer Iconia W700 and HP ElitePad 900, just this week.

The lyric to that awful, sappy song goes: "Your the wind beneath my wings", which surely Microsoft hopes Windows 8 will be for the phone OS. These launches so close together aren't coincidental. Both are huge undertakings, and one is more than enough for any company. Given the sorry state of Windows Phone adoption, there can't be lift enough.

Combined Windows Mobile and Phone OS share in the strongest cellular mobile market, the United States, is just 3.6 percent on smartphones, according to comScore. That compares to 52.6 percent for Android and 34.3 percent for iOS. Still, there's a glimmer of hope. During second quarter, based on sales, Microsoft mobile OS share rose to 2.7 percent from 1.6 percent a year earlier, according to Gartner.

Looks like Windows Phone has the potential to go somewhere, which surely is anywhere up with market share so low. As for me, playing off another song lyric, "if you're going to San Francisco", I'm not.
Hiku replaces pen and paper without getting caught in the 'screen trap'

Publié: octobre 4, 2012, 9:46pm CEST par Tim Conneally

Halfway through its short appearance on Kickstarter, the little white device known as Hiku is just under halfway to its goal of $80,000. Led by former Palm product manager Rob Katcher, this deceptively simple device carves out a niche of its own by making an everyday task easier than even a smartphone could.

The world of consumer technology is dominated by Swiss Army Knives; moderately powerful computers that handle dozens of different tasks ranging from communications to productivity to the creative arts. But, as the age-old colonial American saying goes, the jack of all trades is the master of none.

Sometimes it requires a specialized tool to really get a job done.

E-readers are a great example of this. Though users can very easily utilize their PCs, tablets, and smartphones to read e-books, the dedicated e-reader provides an experience customized for the person who wants to read and only read.

For the task of note-taking, there is no shortage of software to help us quickly take a note on our mobile devices. But because these multi-purpose devices are all dominated by a screen, the way we take notes is distinctly visual. At some point, we are going to have to look at the screen of our smartphone or tablet even if we are using speech-to-text dictation apps like Siri, Google Now, Dragon Dictation, or Evernote.

This is where Hiku reveals its brilliance. It is a Wi-Fi device that has been designed to replace the old fashioned pen-and-paper shopping list, and more currently, the screen-based taking of notes.

"Can you scan things with your mobile phone now? Can you record your voice now with your mobile phone? Sure you can!" Katcher told BetaNews. "But I can tell you there are so many people across the country that would never, ever do that when they're trying to get dinner ready for their family and they just ran out of something. My wife would look at me like I was crazy if I told her to pull our her mobile phone, pull up an app, hit 'add' and type out something. That's just something she's not going to do. With Hiku, it's dead simple, and it's very single-purpose."

Hiku lives in your kitchen. Specifically, it lives on the surface of your refrigerator with a magnet. The simple Wi-Fi device is used to create shopping lists. The only way to input information into the device is by either scanning a product barcode, or by speaking into it for a dictated note. There is just one stainless steel button, and no screen.

The list Hiku creates in the cloud is then pushed to whatever device you want, be it your smartphone, your tablet, your PC, your printer, whatever. By giving consumers a simple, straightforward way to collect their own data, they are actually more likely to use a linked app like Astrid Tasks, Evernote or Remember the Milk.

"Going back to the first few industrial designs for the device, there was one that we were really intrigued by," Katcher said. "It was this triangle shape…but it was a little more futuristic, a little more technology-forward, and that wasn't the vibe we were going for. We wanted friendly and iconic, so people could look at it and recognize it as Hiku. We wanted it to be something that even children could take it in their hands and use it."

If the Hiku Kickstarter goal is met, a whole host of other features will be unveiled. The device, for example, will ship with comparison shopping functionality, which will tell users the cheapest or closest places to get what they added to their list. Other features of the device will be revealed at a later date, specifically the Wi-Fi pairing process, and the ways to set up a multi-device household (one Hiku on the fridge, one in the bathroom, one in the garage, etc.) There will also be an API launch as the device launch approaches, to let developers tap into the barcode scans and voice data that Hiku collects, and build apps that capitalize on it.

The Hiku device has a suggested cost of $99, and Kickstarter funders can grab one at that price, or can get two for $189. In terms of Wi-Fi appliances, it really can't get much more simple than Hiku, and its purpose is crystal clear.
Could five new Nexus devices possibly debut November 5th?

Publié: octobre 4, 2012, 9:10pm CEST par Joe Wilcox
For the second time in a week -- once being a rarity -- I write about new Android device rumors. There's renewed buzz about five Nexus branded devices coming within the month. Talk of five, instead of the typical one, started in May from Wall Street Journal. Soon after, writing for Talk Android, Robert Nazarian claimed that five new Nexus devices would come on November 5, which is the fifth anniversary of Android's release -- well, in beta. The OS wasn't officially available for public consumption until the T-Mobile G1 launched about 10 months later.

This rumor actually makes sense to me, not that I really believe it. Nazarian cited a single source and hasn't much pursued the topic since. But it's oh-so convenient the idea that five Nexus devices will debut as a fifth-anniversary thing. It's a tempting enough rumor. Do you believe it, or even hope it's true?

I just love the unbridled enthusiasm of fanboys sometimes. Student Seth Dickens exclaims about the new five devices rumor: "Oh mai Jesus. Please let this be 100% true!" Well, you can only use one -- okay perhaps two with well-trained opposable thumbs.

Yesterday, Taylor Wimberly, writing for Android and Me, posted a corroborating rumor: LG Optimus G Nexus, coming in November. Other rumors perculate as I write. Better sourcing -- meaning someone on the record -- would help make me more the believer. Among them: 32GB Nexus 7. Yeah, I'll take one for Christmas, thank-you.

One undercurrent is fairly consistent among the multi-device rumors and has been since the Journal's story: That Google is launching a new Nexus program, devices will ship with stock Android but manufacturers can offer limited -- and I do mean limited -- customization options.

"The major news here is that all the stock Android Nexuses, regardless of the manufacturer, will have their UI overlays that supposedly differentiate the brands, as just a theme available via a separate customization center", My Android Life Claims. "It was high time, if you ask us, and something millions of Android users have been demanding for a while now".

Under the scheme, as rumored, manufacturers would adhere to specific guidelines that, if nothing else, ensure immediate updates to the newest Android versions. Key benefits:
- Diminish Android fragmentation
- Open up market for "pure Google" devices
- Increase access to Google lifesytle services
- Combat OS fracturing from tailored Androids like Amazon's
- Separately, let OEMs continue offering customized skins, such as TouchWiz
- Meet customer demand for unlocked devices that can receive custom bootloaders
Zigurd Mednieks, who is a startup CTO and Android book author, captures my sentiment:

Now they are getting it right. Google has long needed to have more open and transparent relationships with OEMs. Picking winners is hard, and who knows which product formulation is going to be a monster hit. This will also speed up updates, if Nexus-compliant OEMs get access to Android updates and can either deliver timely updates, or deliver a HAL layer to Google that enables Google to provide updates directly.

A Google-guided multi-Nexus device strategy is hugely sensible and smartly timed, if rumors be true. Android already won the smartphone wars and makes surprising gains on tablets. Globally, as measured in phone sales, Android OS share was 64.1 percent during second quarter, Gartner reports.

According to Pew, 25 percent of Americans own tablets, with Android making huge gains against iPad. From July to July, measuring tablet ownership, iPad share plummeted from 81 percent to 52 percent, while Android skyrocketed from 21 percent to 48 percent. But...Kindle, which runs hugely-customized Amazon Android, makes up 21 percent of the green-robot tablet share.

So for both markets, the Nexus strategy makes sense as way of stabilizing the platform.
Acer Iconia W700 Windows 8 Pro tablet is surprisingly affordable

Publié: octobre 4, 2012, 6:00pm CEST par Mihaita Bamburic

Three days after HP announced the business-oriented ElitePad 900, Acer's formally announced flagship Windows 8 Pro-based tablet -- the Iconia W700, sporting Intel's Ivy Bridge processors gets pricing details. It is right where Microsoft CEO Steve Balmer suggested for Microsoft Surface. Coincidence or not?

The new Acer Iconia W700 boasts an 11.6-inch 1080p IPS display with an 1920 by 1080 resolution powered by an integrated, Intel HD Graphics 4000 video card paired with a Core i3 or a more powerful Core i5 Ivy Bridge processor, with a yet undisclosed amount of RAM. For storage it uses a 64GB or 128GB SSD that reportedly boots up in as little as 6 seconds, with resume from standby happening in just 1.5 seconds. On the back there is a 5MP auto-focus camera capable of 1080p video recording and on the front what appears to be a less than 2MP camera; that is known to record 720p video. And there's more...

The W700 is touted as a versatile tablet PC, which is substantiated by the relatively low weight, for a device of this size and performance (Intel Ivy Bridge processors), of 2.3lbs (roughly 1.05KG) and the rather decent 8 hour battery life, though it's most likely for the lower spec Intel Core i3 processor. There is a "multipurpose" cradle for using the Iconia W700 in different positions such as landscape or portrait mode and according to the press release it comes "loaded with accessories", like a Bluetooth keyboard. A protective case and microHDMI to VGA adapter, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n and the usual plethora of sensors also come as standard equipment.

You may wonder about the price. Starting October 26, the Acer Iconia W700 will be available at leading retailers across the United States for a MSRP (Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price) ranging between $799.99 and $999.99 depending on the configuration. For US Acer Corporate clients it comes with Windows 8 Pro and a two-year warranty, and costs $1,049.99.

Ballmer stated that the sweet spot in pricing for Microsoft Surface tops out at $800, which is where the Acer Iconia W700 falls in but with larger screen. Additionally, price is considerably lower than many other 11.6-inch Windows 8 tablets. Considering it comes with a full-HD display, an SSD drive and the above mentioned accessories, is the $799.99 starting price competitive or not?
LibreOffice 3.6.2 stomps bugs dead

Publié: octobre 4, 2012, 5:34pm CEST par Mark Wilson

With more and more computer users counting the pennies, the move to lower cost and free software gains momentum. Microsoft Office may still be the world’s most popular office suite, but there is a growing user base that has turned to one of the free alternatives that have been gathering strength in recent years. LibreOffice is one such suite, and the latest version addresses a series of known bugs and helps to improve stability.

Although there are no major new features or options to be found in LibreOffice 3.6.2 – this crown was taken by the 3.6 release -- there have been improvements in a number of areas which increase the overall stability of the program and make it a piece of software that more businesses are likely to look to as a free office suite. 3.6.2 includes bug fixes for both the Windows and OS X versions of the suite.

Among the changes are several crashes fixes in different areas of the suite, and correctly an error with older versions of the Javas Runtime Environment. Problems with saving and opening files in different formats have been address, as have issues with the word count and PDF creation features.

Other fixes include changes to the way footnotes are displayed when the mouse is hovered over them -- they are now shown on a single line for ease of reading -- as well as addressing a problem that caused LibreOffice to crash when opening Lotus 123 files. Additional spreadsheet related fixes include changes to the pasting of data between cells and various issues that had been found with pivot tables.

You can find out more and download a free copy of the program by paying a visit to the LibreOffice review page.

Photo Credit: ARENA Creative/Shutterstock
Microsoft's $300M Barnes and Noble investment promises new Windows 8 Nook app

Publié: octobre 4, 2012, 5:33pm CEST par Tim Conneally

Book retailer Barnes and Noble announced on Thursday that its partnership with Microsoft in a new limited liability company called Nook Media LLC is complete and ready to go ahead of Windows 8's launch.

Barnes and Noble first announced it was considering a spin-off of its digital content business in January 2012. Three months later, the partnership with Microsoft was announced, and the software giant pledged $300 million to the venture, which would encompass Barnes and Noble's digital content business: e-books, e-textbooks, and e-periodicals.

Nook Media LLC, according to statements from Barnes and Noble, will have "a royalty-bearing license under Microsoft’s patents for its NOOK eReader and Tablet products." Part of this collaboration was built out of a patent infringement suit Microsoft filed against the book retailer for its prior Nook e-readers.

In Barnes and Noble's announcement on Thursday, the company specified that there "can be no assurance that the review [of its options for Nook Media LLC] will result in a strategic separation or the creation of a standalone public company," so for now, Nook Media LLC is just a subsidiary of B&N with a big chunk of interest from Microsoft.

According to Andy Lees, President at Microsoft, the release of a new Windows 8 Nook app is imminent. The move will help Microsoft provide a more consistent content ecosystem for upcoming Windows 8 devices. Microsoft's competitors Apple, Google, and Amazon all have comprehensive offerings that allow users to purchase music, video, games, apps, books, and periodicals in a mostly centralized fashion. Microsoft is still working on bringing this content ecosystem into sharper focus.

"As demand for digital content continues to increase, we are focused on bringing ground-breaking reading and learning content and technologies to more people in more formats than ever before, including the imminent launch of our exceptional NOOK reading application for Windows 8," said William Lynch, CEO of Barnes & Noble in a statement on Thursday.
Firefox goes native Windows 8

Publié: octobre 4, 2012, 4:59pm CEST par Nick Peers

Mozilla has unveiled its first public preview of how Firefox will look when run using Windows 8’s new tile-based interface. Firefox Metro UI Preview is based on an offshoot Nightly build of Firefox, codenamed “Elm”, and can be downloaded and tested now on PCs running Windows 8.

This early preview provides a fully functional web browser, complete with multi-touch support on compatible displays. However, as expected at such an early stage in its development, not all planned features have yet been implemented, while the Nightly tag indicates this is a largely untested build.

Once downloaded, users should install Firefox Metro UI Preview using the standard options. As a Nightly build, Firefox Metro UI Preview will install alongside non-Nightly builds of Firefox such as Firefox FINAL and Firefox Aurora, although it will overwrite any other Nightly build installed.

Once installed, launch Firefox Metro UI Preview from the desktop or Start screen, and it will prompt you to make it the default browser -- do so, and then assign any default actions to it when prompted. Close the browser, then switch to the Start screen. You’ll now see the Firefox nightly icon has been replaced with a dedicated tile -- tapping this launches Firefox Metro UI Preview in all its glory.

As expected, the browser uses a full-screen approach, with tabs and a control bar accessible from the top and bottom of the screen respectively. With documentation thin on the ground, it will take some time to navigate the program, but we were able to glean that swiping down from a narrow area in the top left corner made it possible to permanently view thumbnail previews of all available tabs. From here, clicking … revealed an option to permanently pin the tabs themselves to the top of the screen for easy access.

At this early stage, Firefox Metro UI Preview is clearly not ready for mainstream use, with features missing and not working as expected. However, it does provide a full-screen web browsing experience, and while much work is to be done before it can be integrated into the main Nightly build ahead of its long road to final release, it’s clear that Mozilla is making good progress in delivering on its promise of an alternative tile-based browser to Internet Explorer.

Firefox Metro UI Preview is available now as a free open-source download for PCs running Windows 8. As this is untested and unstable software, users should take a backup of their system before proceeding.
ASUS Transformer Prime and Infinity Pad receive Jelly Bean

Publié: octobre 4, 2012, 4:50pm CEST par Mihaita Bamburic

Great news yet again! After Acer updated its flagship Android tablet, the Iconia Tab A700, ASUS released the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update for the Transformer Prime and its flagship Transformer Pad Infinity Android tablets.

The update bumps up the Android version to 4.1.1, build number JRO03C and comes in at a rather hefty 455-465MB and a more modest 314-324MB for the Transformer Pad Inifinity and Transformer Pad, respectively, depending on the SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) that dictates which update must be downloaded.

ASUS did not provide with a changelog as to what changes owners of either tablet should expect, but according to XDA Developers the update brings a speedier browsing experience, and the usual array of Jelly Bean features including Google Now.

It is available via OTA as well as a complete ROM download, and should supply that needed refresh after the one-year old Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwhich. Might just be my first tablet...
Street View arrives in Google's mobile app -- iOS 6 users rejoice

Publié: octobre 4, 2012, 4:15pm CEST par Wayne Williams

Google has introduced Street View into its web app, bringing back one of the most sorely missed features lost when Apple swapped Google’s popular mapping app for its own much poorer solution in iOS 6. I’m sure you’re more than familiar with the whole sorry tale that led Apple CEO Tim Cook to issue an apology, and our own readers saying they wouldn’t be buying an iPhone 5 because of it, so I won’t dwell on the subject here.

If you followed my advice and added a shortcut to Google’s web app, you’re all set to start using Street View. Its rollout seems to be complete, so you should now have access to it, wherever you happen to live.

It’s very easy to use, just load the web app (if you don’t have a shortcut installed go to maps.google.com in Safari), tap to zoom in to a location, and a bar should appear at the bottom of the screen, showing the familiar Pegman. Click on him, and Street View will open in a new tab. You can also go directly to maps.gstatic.com.

In my experience, it works perfectly -- great on the iPad and presumably just as well as on the iPhone 5 -- and you can navigate the streets by dragging on the screen, or tapping the arrows. Street View can be displayed portrait or landscape.

Like a lot of people I’m still keen for Google to roll out its new, official Maps app, but this will certainly do for now.
Uh-oh, that video won't play? Try Convertilla

Publié: octobre 4, 2012, 3:53pm CEST par Mike Williams

Finding videos online is easy. Finding videos in a format you can play is sometimes more difficult, though, which is why you might need a tool like Convertilla to convert movies from one file type to another.

The program’s big advantage is its simplicity. There’s no talk of codecs or bit rates here; conversion can be as easy as dragging and dropping your file onto Convertilla, choosing the output format and clicking Convert.

But it’s not totally feature-free. The program can import several file types, for instance: MP4, FLV, MKV, MPG, AVI, WMV and MOV.

You can export them in any of those formats, as well as 3GP or MP3 (if you only need the soundtrack), with some control over the final resolution and video quality.

Convertilla also provides profiles for many common devices: Android, iPod, Blackberry, Sony PSP and PS3, Microsoft XBOX 360 and Zune, Nokia N-series and others. If you want a clip to play on one of these then just choose the appropriate profile and Convertilla will select an appropriate output format and resolution for you.

And like many similar programs, Convertilla is essentially a shell for the excellent FFmpeg tool, so you can be sure that your conversions will be done properly and at speed.

There are plenty of limitations here, of course. You can only choose one video to convert at a time; you’re not able to select audio or video codecs, specify custom bit rates, and more. If it’s sheer video conversion power you need then something like Freemake Video Converter will be a far better option.

But if you don’t need any of that, and are just looking for a transcoding tool which is quick, simple and easy to use, then Convertilla could still be an excellent choice.

Photo Credit: Roger Jegg - Fotodesign-Jegg.de/Shutterstock
Dropbox for Teams admins can help users enable security features

Publié: octobre 4, 2012, 3:33pm CEST par Mihaita Bamburic

Following the introduction of two-step verification, the popular cloud storage service Dropbox has updated Dropbox for Teams to help team admins enable security features.

The service is updated starting today, and will allow admins to verify which team members have turned on two-step verification and to email those that have yet to enable the feature, all through the "Team" tab. The feature is implemented to aid admins instead of offering them the possibility to remotely enable an extra layer of security through two-step verification, and according to the blog post new features will be developed over time.

In order to avoid mixing personal with business-related files, and for what are most likely privacy concerns, Dropbox will send current team users an online guide detailing how to move their "personal stuff" into another account.

Dropbox makes the same "helping" reference, pointing out a number of scenarios such as getting access to the summer intern's project files after they are no longer hired, or when a team member is locked-out of their account (which may not be that far fetched apparently), for features that the cloud storage service is looking to implement and it's fair to assume the former is the reason to suggest not mixing personal with business "stuff."

Photo Credit: Jirsak/Shutterstock
Facebook reaches 1 billion monthly active users

Publié: octobre 4, 2012, 2:34pm CEST par Wayne Williams

You know what’s cooler than 500 million Facebook users? One billion. That’s the number of people Facebook says are now using the social network every month. It reached that magical milestone on September 14 at 12:45 PM Pacific time, so it’s probably one billion and a bit, by now.

To celebrate, Mark Zuckerberg posted a little thank you and a fact sheet about the news, which contains some interesting key metrics, including that there have so far been 140.3 billion friend connections, and over 1.13 trillion likes since that feature launched in February 2009. There are 219 billion photos currently on the site, not including deleted ones, which Facebook says totals around 46 billion.

There have also been 17 billion location-tagged posts, including check-ins, since August 2010 when that feature was added, and 62.6 million songs have been played 22 billion times since September 2011 when the first music-listening applications were launched. As Facebook points out, that equates to around 210,000 years of music.

It also provides a breakdown of the average user signing up now, when Facebook hit 500 million users (July 2010), 100 million users (August 2008), 50 million users (October 2007) and 25 million users (January 2006). The details include the median age of the user, the top countries people are connecting from, and the average number of friends each user has. It also points out that Facebook now has 600 million users accessing the site via mobile devices.

Obviously reaching the one billion figure is big news for Facebook, and a much needed positive message for the company in the light of those tumbling share value reports, but there are still markets where it has a lot of work to do -- China and Russia being the main two examples where Facebook is a minnow compared to much more popular home-spun social networks.

Photo Credit: LeventeGyori/Shutterstock
You can do better than the Windows 8 command line

Publié: octobre 4, 2012, 1:00pm CEST par Mike Williams

Windows 8 brings fundamental change to many parts of the operating system, but the command line isn’t one of them. It’s just as annoying a place to work as it ever was.

If you’re tired of the console’s many deficiencies, then, we’d recommend you don’t waste any further time waiting for Microsoft to fix them. Just install the open source ConEmu, instead: it’s a powerful console emulator which comes packed with options to make your command line life easier.

The tabbed interface is one key addition. Creating another command line session only takes a moment (press Win+W > Enter). But the program is also very configurable, so while ConEmu will launch cmd.exe by default, you can actually launch any shell you like (or even simple gui apps, like Notepad). And you can set the startup directory for each tab, as well as running it as a specific user, with administrative rights, and more.

The individual console interface also has many changes. You can properly resize the window and your command line output will adapt accordingly; there’s a great deal of control over the look of the window (background image, fonts, colours, transparency, more); and CAPS, NUM and SCRL icons display the current status of each key (and can even actively set them, so for instance clicking CAPS will toggle your Caps Lock status).

ConEmu also allows you to build a library of common console tasks, which you can then use to customise the Windows 7 Jump List for the program.

Another useful integration option sees ConEmu able to detect the progress of many common operations -- chkdsk, say -- and display suitable indicators both in the window title and on the taskbar (the Wiki explains more).

And browsing the menu and various settings dialogs just reveals so much more here. Powerful keyboard macros, Explorer integration, lots of text selection options, a highly configurable status bar, a built-in screenshot tool, an “always on top” option, and the list goes on. And on. And on.

Don’t be intimidated by any of this, though, because you’re not buried in complexity immediately. You’ll benefit from many of ConEmu’s advantages in your very first session with the program, and you can explore the rest of the feature set at your own pace, learning and applying new functionality as you need it.

Photo Credit: Liv friis-larsen/Shutterstock
TomTom for Android available, but not for any smartphone

Publié: octobre 4, 2012, 12:11pm CEST par Mihaita Bamburic

Do you find the standard Android maps app to be lacking? There is a solution -- the popular navigation software TomTom is now available for Android smartphones.

Unlike cloud-connected software solutions, TomTom relies on offline maps to offer guided navigation on Android smartphones and considering the 2.3GB free storage requirement the download is consistent to say the least. The app comes with a number of useful features, such as live traffic information via HD Traffic, lane guidance, spoken street names, eco routes to save that extra bit of gas or electricity, automatic day and night modes, as well as other features. There are maps for United States, Europe, United Kingom as well as other geographical locations.

But there is a limitation. If you are interested in purchasing the application (the cost varies depending on the included maps). It requires an Android smartphone running an OS version higher than 2.2 (Froyo) with a screen resolution lower than 1280 by 720, which eliminates flagship smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S III, Samsung Galaxy Note 2, HTC One X+ and Samsung/Google Galaxy Nexus.

The app may be great, but limiting it to mid-rage Android smartphones is not.