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BetaNews.Com (13 non lus)

XSearch: a small, simple and surprisingly capable search tool

Publié: juillet 30, 2013, 8:50pm CEST par Mike Williams

We’re always happy to try out desktop search tools, but at first glance XSearch didn’t seem promising. It doesn’t use indexing, for instance, so you know performance will take a major hit. And the authors talk about how some prefer search as it was back in Windows 98/2000, which might lead you to think the program is going to be very basic indeed.

But then we downloaded it, took a closer look, and were very pleasantly surprised. XSearch may not have all the conveniences you’d like in a modern search tool (or even most of them), but there’s still plenty of flexibility here, and it could be a useful addition to your portable toolkit.

The core interface is simple. Type a part of the file name, top left; choose a starting drive or folder, click Search, then watch as the results appear.

You can also expand additional settings, though. Click "File Size", say, and you might opt to look for files under 25MB, for example. But it’s also easy to search for files of an exact size, or files which lie between two particular sizes.

Of course you can also search for files by their Created, Last Modified or Last Accessed times. But again, there’s extra flexibility here, with the program able to look for files specified on, before or after a particular time, or between two times.

You can search for files which contain specific words. And once more, there are plenty of options. Enter your keywords, and you can have XSearch return files which contain all, some or none of them; there are "exact phrase" and "case sensitive" searches; you can even search for hexadecimal values, or look for the Unicode or UTF-8 versions of your words.

With all these parameters, searches can inevitably become quite complex. So it’s good to see that XSearch allows you to save any search as a file, for easy recall later.

The program also includes a hex viewer, for easier browsing of binary files. And optional Explorer integration allows you to launch the program from a drive or folder right-click menu.

The lack of indexing has significant consequences here, of course: you won’t be able to search for content in some file types, and performance isn’t going to be great. But despite this, XSearch is a likeable tool, ultra-lightweight (a single 512KB executable) and full of interesting features. Go take a look.

Image credit: megainarmy/Shutterstock
Facebook sends friend request to mobile game developers

Publié: juillet 30, 2013, 7:42pm CEST par Brian Fagioli

Facebook and the gaming community have a tumultuous relationship. Hardcore gamers look down on the social media giant for offering casual games like Farmville. However, Facebook has proven to be a great way to link gamers together. For instance, I am a big fan of Candy Crush Saga and Words With Friends for Android. Facebook allows me to discover other people also playing those games. In addition, PlayStation 3 can be linked to Facebook to share achievements.

In keeping with this gaming trend, Facebook today announces Mobile Games Publishing. The social media giant describes the service as "...a new pilot program to help small and medium-sized developers take their mobile games global. Through the program, we will work with select game developers and provide promotional support for their games in placements across our mobile apps".

While this is a great way for smaller game developers to get noticed (and paid), it is also beneficial for Facebook. By working with mobile game developers, the social media giant can bolster the mobile game integration with its service.

Facebook offers the potential for its 800-million users to discover the developer's games through promotional support. The social site further explains that it is "...invested in the success of these games, and in exchange for a revenue share, we will be collaborating deeply with developers in our program by helping them cultivate high-quality, long-term players for their games".

Overall, this announcement is great news and a giant win. Mobile Facebook users will get a larger selection of integrated games, Facebook gets more engaged users and game developers get increased visibility and money.

Unfortunately, this will not help me beat level 35 of Candy Crush Saga!
Microsoft rolls out better SkyDrive options for photos and sharing

Publié: juillet 30, 2013, 7:15pm CEST par Alan Buckingham

Microsoft introduced its SkyDrive cloud storage service to the world back in 2007, almost six years ago to the day, in fact. The service may have started slow, but with Windows 8 and Office 2013 the momentum has increased, with better integration. Now the software maker rolls out even more options to the storage site.

The company wishes to support the new HD and Retina displays contained within today's devices, and has added such support directly into its latest iteration of the cloud service. Microsoft's Omar Shahine announces that SkyDrive supports these high DPI displays by "measuring the DPI scale of your device. When your screen supports it, we show higher resolution photos and thumbnails. So you see more of your real photo instead of a thumbnail that gets up-scaled (note: not all browsers support high DPI yet)". This illustrates the service's ability to process such photos as those captured in RAW format.

The company has also empowered users to share animated GIF images, a feature that previously blocked the important part -- the actual animation.

Sorting and managing files has also been enhanced. Microsoft already introduced an "all photos" view, but bolsters that feature in this upgrade. "Today, we’re happy to introduce a new capability on SkyDrive.com: the ability to share individual groups of files from anywhere in your SkyDrive. You can share two photos from your camera roll, or a hundred. You can share a file in one folder along with another file from a different folder. And you can share different things with different people", says Shahine.

Meanwhile, the new Shared view shows you all of the pics you have shared, and those that have been shared with you. Your own stuff is at the top of the list, sorted by what you have most recently sent out to friends and family. This is followed by a list of people who have shared something with you, sorted by who did so most recently.

SkyDrive brings 7 GB of storage to every user (25 GB if you were grandfathered in) and adds an additional 20 GB for customers of Office 365 Home Premium. Users can, of course, buy additional storage.
Microsoft releases Windows 8.1 Enterprise Preview -- available to download now

Publié: juillet 30, 2013, 7:07pm CEST par Wayne Williams
Microsoft rolled out Windows 8.1 Preview for developers and consumers last month, and now the software giant has followed it up with an enterprise edition.

This differs from the standard Preview release in a number of ways, including introducing additional advanced features such as Windows To Go, Start Screen Control and DirectAccess.

Assigned Access, which put in an appearance in the early leaked builds of 8.1 Preview (or Windows Blue as it was back then) but was absent from the official release, also returns. This is a kiosk mode that lets you lock down Windows to a single app.

According to Microsoft, this version of the OS refresh adds "premium features designed to address mobility, security, management and virtualization needs of today’s enterprise".

The list of premium features is as follows:
- Windows To Go Creator: IT organizations can create a fully manageable corporate Windows 8.1 desktop on a bootable external USB drive. The drive can be used to support Bring Your Own Device scenarios or be given to contingent staff to access the corporate environment without compromising security.
- Start Screen Control: IT departments can now control the layout of the Start screen on company-issued devices to ensure key apps are easily accessible. IT departments can also prevent users from customizing their Start screen to ensure consistency across individual workgroups or the entire company.
- DirectAccess: Users can seamlessly access resources inside a corporate network remotely without having to launch a separate VPN. Also, IT administrators can keep remote users' PCs up-to-date by applying the latest policies and software updates.
- BranchCache: Employees in branch offices no longer need to download content multiple times across their Wide Area Network (WAN) as BranchCache caches files, websites and other content from central servers locally on hosted cache servers or PCs.
- Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI): Users will enjoy a rich desktop experience and the ability to play 3D graphics, use USB peripherals and use touch-enabled devices across any type of network (LAN or WAN) for VDI scenarios, thanks to enhancements in Microsoft RemoteFX and Windows Server 2012.
- AppLocker: IT organizations can create a more secure environment by restricting the files and apps that users or groups can run on a PC, increasing the security of the device and the data it holds.
- Windows Enterprise Side-Loading: Internal Windows apps can be side-loaded on domain-joined PCs and tablets running Windows 8.1 Enterprise.
- Assigned Access: This new Windows 8.1 feature lets organizations enable a single Windows Store application experience on a device so the user only experiences the specified application but cannot access other system files and applications.
- Inbox VPN Clients: Windows 8.1 extends the ability to third party VPN providers to include versions of their VPN clients’ inbox. This means that on both x86 and ARM (RT) platforms, vendors can work with Microsoft to include their VPN functionality inbox with Windows 8.1.
- Open MDM: With Windows 8.1, new Open Mobile Alliance Device Management (OMA-DM) capabilities are built into the OS and enable mobile device management using third-party MDM solutions, such as MobileIron or AirWatch, with no additional agent required. Enhanced policies allow administrators to manage more settings from both Windows Intune and the third-party MDM solutions for both Windows 8.1 and Windows RT 8.1.
- Workplace join: Trusted devices running Windows 8.1 are allowed to access secured enterprise data.
- Remote business data removal: Allows personal devices to connect to, access and store company content that can be efficiently removed from the device by IT at a later date while leaving the personal data intact.
The last five features in the list were announced at TechEd North America back in June. You can find out more about the new features here and download a copy of Windows 8.1 Enterprise Preview here.

The preview is designed to allow companies to get a head start in testing the operating system in their environments. Windows 8 customers have two years to upgrade to Windows 8.1 after the General Availability of the Windows 8.1 update in order to continue to remain supported under the Windows 8 lifecycle. Like the Windows 8.1 Preview this version expires mid-January 2014.

Photo Credit: R. Gino Santa Maria/Shutterstock
Get help on your family history with Family Tree Analyzer

Publié: juillet 30, 2013, 6:33pm CEST par Mike Williams

Researching your family history is a fascinating way to spend a few hours (and days, weeks, months and years), but keeping track of everything you’ve found can be a problem. Behind your family tree lurks a mass of names, dates, locations and relationships, and getting any of them wrong can cause you major problems later.Fortunately there’s plenty of help on offer, though, and the open source Family Tree Analyzer is an easy way to start. Point the program at your tree data (in GEDCOM form) and it can produce a range of reports, highlighting problems, providing new ways to browse your data, and generally giving your research a gentle push in the right direction.

You’ll first need to save your existing data in the GEDCOM format. If you’re using family tree software then you can probably do that via a Save or Export option. If your tree is on the web, then check the site for export features (at Ancestry, select Tree Pages > Tree Settings > Export Tree).

Install and launch Family Tree Analyzer, click File > Open and select your GEDCOM file. We saw a lot of errors when doing this from an Ancestry export, mostly relating to "unrecognized date formats", but don’t worry if you notice anything similar: it doesn’t seem to matter.

Once the file has been parsed then it’s time to start browsing. The Family Tree Analyzer interface is a simple one, essentially just a tabbed dialog, and clicking each of the tabs in turn will tell you more about your data.

The Data Errors tab runs some basic sanity checks on your data, for instance. Was an individual born or married after their death, or buried before it? Do you have facts dated before they were born? Did they live to be more than 120? There are 14 checks along these lines, you can choose what you want to run, and the program will highlight any problems for you.

The "Individuals" tab just lists everyone in their tree, along with some core details. It’s very basic, as reports go, but can still be useful. You can sort by any field, for instance, and so order the list by surname, birth date, death location and more.

The "Locations" tab displays the various places referenced in the tree (residences, places of birth and so on). Double-clicking any of these displays the related person, handy if you’ve forgotten who it was who died in Australia (or wherever). And if you need more detail then there are buttons to highlight any location on Google or Bing maps.

Other reports just aim to help you with your research. For example, the "War Dead" tab highlights males who don’t currently have a death date, but were of a likely fighting age during both World Wars, just as a reminder to check the military records. While the Census tab highlights everyone in your list that you’d expect to be alive at a particular census date, but aren’t currently recorded, perhaps useful when you’re deciding where to look next.

And there’s more, too, including locations lists, details on incomplete death records, even census lists which might help enter data at LostCousins.com.

Its interface is basic, and many of the reports are limited, but Family Tree Analyzer still provides some useful ways to view and check your family history data. If your current family history or site doesn’t offer much in the way of analytical tools then you should probably give it a try.

Image credit: Dirk Ercken/Shutterstock
BlackBerry 10.1 maintenance release rolling out NOW

Publié: juillet 30, 2013, 1:58pm CEST par Mihaita Bamburic

BlackBerry's update streak continues. The Canadian maker just announced a refreshed version of its BB 10.1 smartphone operating system, dubbed "maintenance release", which is touted to deliver a significant number of changes and improvements. The roll-out kicked off yesterday in the Asia Pacific region and is expected to finish in the US, starting at the end of the summer.

The most noteworthy enhancements, which BlackBerry 10.1 maintenance release adds, center on BB Balance, Hub, World and social network integration -- Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. The changes are mostly designed to improve content discovery, messaging and security. Let's take a look at what's new.

BlackBerry Balance, the BYOD-friendly feature which was introduced in BB10, can now be set to separate personal and work accounts into different views within the Hub. This is designed to improve conversation managing, according to the Canadian maker.

BlackBerry Hub is touted to enhance navigation between messages (by adding support for new gestures and keys) and to offer more control over email synchronization settings (Exchange ActiveSync and IMAP users can keep the content for an unlimited period of time).

BlackBerry World, the Canadian maker's app store, features improvements which are designed to ease content -- apps, games, music and videos -- discovery and keeping track of attractive offerings (that have yet to be installed) through a wishlist (up to 48 items can be added). Google introduced a similar feature, last year, for its Play Store.

The Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter integration in BlackBerry 10.1 maintenance release brings general improvements to the newsfeed, content managing and discovery and messaging. The complete changelog is available here.
Is Twitter's introduction of an abuse reporting button really workable?

Publié: juillet 30, 2013, 1:17pm CEST par Mark Wilson

It is said that there is no such thing as bad publicity, but the PR department at Twitter might well be feeling otherwise at the moment. After coming under fire for using fabricated tweets in promotional material Twitter has been in the headlines after the company faced calls to do more to combat abusive tweets.

Threats of death and rape do not make for pleasant reading, but it is something that has happened to a number of Twitter users. The most recent victims to speak out -- Caroline Criado-Perez, who successfully campaigned for Jane Austin to appear on British bank notes, and UK MP Stella Creasy -- led to a grassroots campaign for Twitter to do more to police its micro-blogging service.

Bowing to pressure, Twitter has announced that an abuse reporting option will be added to the web and Android versions of its apps -- it is already available in the iOS app and on the mobile website.

I have opined about the futility of trying to police the web, but it is clear that something needs to be done to prevent illegal activity. Making death threats in the real world is illegal, and there is no reason for Twitter, or the Internet in general, to be any different.

The difficulty comes from finding a way to make online laws work. It is all well and good having an international law that makes threatening others online illegal. But if a death threat is made against someone, how do the relevant authorities go about tracking down the perpetrator? Sure IP logs can help to some extent, but it's very easy to create an online account using false credentials and to spoof an IP address.

It is impractical to think that Twitter could self-police. If there is one thing we have learned from the NSA debacle it's that gathering activity data about non-specific users generates more information than can be practically dealt with.

So it is left to other users to do the policing. The introduction of a 'Report abuse' button seems like a good idea, but it is going to be open to abuse. See a tweet you disagree with? Report it as abuse. Fallen out with someone and want to get back at them? Report all of their tweets as abusive. This seems petty, but it's very likely that this is exactly how things will pan out.

And if the abuse reporting button is to be of any use at all, Twitter will have to spend time and money properly investigating every single report -- regardless of whether it was a report of a serious crime, or a petty squabble between two people.

Then there is the problem of the boy who cried wolf. There will undoubtedly be people who misuse any means of reporting problems -- just as people misuse the emergency services number -- but should someone who does this be blacklisted? What if that same person is then the subject of legitimate threats?

The whole idea of policing any aspect of the internet is a tricky one. No one has yet come up with an ideal approach, but the very fact that so many people are now talking about it is a step in the right direction. Perhaps a crowd-sourced solution will emerge from all of the unpleasantness and debating.

Photo Credit: Oleksiy Mark/Shutterstock
Windows 8 and RT tablets lagging far behind the competition

Publié: juillet 30, 2013, 1:09pm CEST par Wayne Williams

Windows 8 is an operating system designed for touch PCs, but it's struggling to find a sizeable audience on them. PCs as we know them are on their way out, and tablets are the future, as we've been told time and again by analysts. Figures from the likes of Gartner and IDC clearly back up this sea change.

So if people aren't buying into Microsoft's new OS on regular PCs (with or without touch) then they must be scrambling to buy tablets running Windows 8 and RT surely? Well things don't look too rosy for Microsoft there either.

RT devices are struggling with lacklustre sales and limited backing from hardware partners, and Windows 8 tablets have yet to really take off. According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global tablet shipments, including white box (rebadged) devices reached 51.7 million units in the second quarter of 2013, up 43 percent from 36.1 million in Q2 2012.

Android, thanks to high profile hardware partners like Samsung, Amazon and Google itself, was on 34.6 million of the tablets shipped in the quarter, dwarfing Apple's 14.6 million shipments. However, when you strip out the white box tablets (branded tablet shipments accounted for 36.2 million units) the gap between the two leading mobile operating systems is greatly reduced.

Tablets running some form of Windows accounted for just 2.3 million shipments in the quarter.

According to Strategy Analytics' figures, Android tablets secured a 67 percent global share, while Apple iPad lost a significant chunk of market, declining from 47.2 percent in Q2 2012 to 28.3 percent, due in part to the lack of new models, this quarter. And right down in the distance, Microsoft picked up a global share of just 4.5 percent.

Strategy Analytics cites the lack of big name apps as one of the main reasons for low Windows 8/RT market share. "There may be an uptick in Windows RT shipments in Q3 following savage price cuts by all the partners still involved in the RT Market. Microsoft has reduced prices by $150 and other vendors even more; they are still not cheap, but are much more where they should be to compete. The shortage of apps continues to be a problem, with seemingly little incentive for developers to work on the platform".

Photo Credit: ollyy/Shutterstock
Thailand bans Bitcoin -- company suspends trading in the country

Publié: juillet 30, 2013, 12:06pm CEST par Mark Wilson

Thailand has ruled that use of the online currency Bitcoin is illegal. Bitcoin Co Ltd was going through the process of registering with the necessary government agencies in order to operate legally. Having initially ruled that Bitcoin is not a currency, Bank of Thailand now says that due to a lack of existing applicable laws, numerous Bitcoin activities are now illegal.

A statement on the Thai Bitcoin website explains that it now illegal to buy and sell Bitcoins within the country. In addition to this, the buying and selling of goods and services for Bitcoins is outlawed, as is sending and receiving Bitcoins from anyone outside of Thailand.

While this does not prevent Bitcoin Co Ltd from trading in Thailand, it imposes such restrictions on its operations that the company has "no choice but to suspend operations until such as time that the laws in Thailand are updated to account for the existence of Bitcoin".

The bank has said that it will reconsider the situation in the future, but did not specify a timeframe.

Photo credit: ppart/Shutterstock
Government censorship -- no matter how well-intentioned -- can never be a good thing

Publié: juillet 30, 2013, 10:29am CEST par Wayne Williams
My colleague Mark Wilson wrote an interesting article on Sunday about the futility of ISPs and governments trying to block pornography. If you’ve been following the news you’ll know the UK government intends to make accessing adult content on the internet "opt in". That's perfectly legal adult content by the way -- not just the nasty stuff.

Mark also worried about where such a move could lead, saying, "In filtering out porn, how could I be sure that whoever is doing the filtering is not also blocking access to other things, be it through a sense of morality, or by simply miscategorizing something?" Which, it turns out, could be truer than he knew.

In the comments under Mark’s story, Bruce Fraser said "this entire article is based on misinformation, presupposition and creating fear", adding, "the proposal is about blocking pornography, not taking away human rights. By invoking the 'freedom' language, Mr. Wilson is tugging on our heartstrings, suggesting that this is just the beginning of something much more sinister".

Sadly, if it was just about pornography, then that would be one thing, but it could indeed be the beginning of something much more sinister.

In a blog post titled "Sleepwalking into censorship", digital freedom campaigner the Open Rights Group claims that the "porn" block will extend into other areas -- automatically preventing access to yet more legal (if questionable) material.

According to the group, based on "current mobile configurations and broad indications from ISPs", the proposed parental controls will also pre-select options to ban access to:
- Violent material
- Extremist and terrorist related content
- Anorexia and eating disorder websites
- Suicide related websites
- Alcohol
- Smoking
- Web forums
- Esoteric material
- Web blocking circumvention tools
What's actually pre-selected will, ORG says, vary depending on your ISP.

How true this claim is, I personally don’t know. At this point, no one can say for certain what the block will cover, but the list suggested by ORG is reportedly based on those "used by mobile phone providers today". If the organization’s mock-up is fairly close to how the porn block will work, it will mean if you elect to not allow sexual content on your home computer then you will have to opt in to see the other categories included in the list. And I can’t see parents who say no to porn expressly saying yes to any of those other options. Suicide related websites? Definitely! Anorexia and eating disorder websites -- bring them on!

So suddenly, from not allowing pornography on your family computer, you’re saying no to a whole swathe of other content blocked by the judgment of someone you neither know nor should trust.

As an aside, if you have a teenage child who suffers from depression, and they kill themselves after having accessed a suicide related website that the block failed to cover -- can you sue the ISP and the government for failing in their role as self-appointed guardians of the internet? Because if they’re deciding what we can and can’t see online, are they not ultimately going to be liable if they fail to do their jobs? That’s called negligence, after all. Of course, that is just one of the many problems with the whole ill-thought out idea.

Perhaps even more pressing, once this system is in place, it will be easy for the government and coerced ISPs to add other pre-ticked boxes to the list. What else can they include that is illegal, or might be viewed as unwelcome activity by, say, big business lobbyists? Ah yes, why not block access to sites which contain links to (or information about) copyrighted material, to stop the "kids" getting their parents into trouble by downloading it. After all, no one is going to want to opt out of that one. Untick it -- "Are you sure you want to break the law and risk the police coming round to check for pirated content on your PC? Y/N".

Make no mistake, once UK-wide censorship of any kind is introduced, and made "opt out" we’re going to find ourselves on a very slippery slope and it likely won’t be a problem limited to the UK for very long.

Photo Credit: Rob Hyrons/Shutterstock
Microsoft, Oracle and others side with Apple over US iPhone 4 ban

Publié: juillet 30, 2013, 9:44am CEST par Ed Oswald

Representatives of several companies are asking the Obama Administration to intervene in a patent dispute between Apple and Samsung that resulted in a ban of the sale of older iPhones in the US.

The International Trade Commission ruled last month that Apple infringed on patents owned by Samsung, and ordered a ban on the sale of the iPhone 3G, 3GS, and 4 in the country beginning August 4. Of those devices, only one is now sold. The effect on Apple’s business is likely to be considerable however, given that the iPhone 4 is now free with contract through most of its US partners.

In a rare show of solidarity, representatives for Microsoft, Intel, and Oracle have come to Apple’s aid, arguing through the trade group BSA that bans on products due to the use of standards-essential patents should not be permitted except under extraordinary circumstances.

Verizon and AT&T -- who too stand to lose out in a deal -- also have contacted the Administration asking US Trade Representative Michael Froman to nix the ruling. Froman has the authority to overturn such rulings, but doing so would be unusual. The US Government has not overturned an ITC ban since 1987, when the Reagan Administration nixed a ban on the importation of Samsung memory chips.

Although Apple does not break out sales of its iPhones by model, it is believed the iPhone 4 sells well as a result of its low price. The device accounted for 18 percent of all iPhone sales between April and June of this year, Consumer Intelligence Research Partners says.

Without the iPhone 4, Apple stands to lose a significant portion of its market share and a chunk of its sales. The effect will likely only be temporary -- given the iPhone 5S and a cheaper plastic iPhone are expected to debut in September or October of this year.

Ed Oswald is the founder and editor-in-chief of TechPolitik, a technology blog that explores technology issues and their effect on politics in Washington, D.C. and around the world. His work has appeared on several sites including BetaNews, ExtremeTech, PC World, Technologizer and VentureBeat over the past decade in the tech news business.
Bitdefender Safepay aims to make web browsing more secure

Publié: juillet 30, 2013, 9:34am CEST par Nick Peers

Renowned security expert Bitdefender has officially launched its free secure web browser for Windows users. Bitdefender Safepay 1.9 comes with the promise of a "secure hacker-proof browser", aimed at providing users with a secure tool for online banking and e-shopping.

Safepay also offers a free security audit for your PC, and offers users a paid-for upgrade whereby free Wi-Fi hotspot protection is offered to provide safe, encrypted connections even when using open, non-encrypted hotspots.

Once downloaded and installed, users must sign up (or log into) a free Bitdefender account, which can be done using Facebook, Google or Microsoft accounts. The browser then launches full-screen in sandboxed mode, with users cut off from the desktop except for a red button in the top left-hand corner that allows them to toggle between Safepay and the regular desktop.

Safepay scans the user’s computer for malware each time it’s run to make sure no infections are already present. Users can then use the browser like any other, with the addition of a virtual keyboard for even greater security when entering data. In addition to protecting online banking and e-shopping activities, Bitdefender says that Safepay also provides general protection again fraud, phishing and malware with anti-tampering and anti-keylogger technology.

The final release remains free to all registered users, but one feature present in the beta has been restricted to users of a paid-for license only: the ability to browse securely when connected to open Wi-Fi hotspots where no password-protected encryption is provided. This costs from $4.99 for a week’s access to $34.99 for the full year.

Bitdefender notes that the Safepay technology is already present in its other paid-for security products, making the software redundant for users of those applications.

Bitdefender SafePay 1.9 is available now as a free download for PCs running Windows XP or later. Also available are trials of Bitdefender Total Security 2014 (v17), Bitdefender Internet Security 2014 (v17) and a range of other Bitdefender security products.

Photo credit: Gunnar Pippel/Shutterstock
Marble: an open source alternative to Google Earth

Publié: juillet 30, 2013, 9:26am CEST par Mike Williams

Google Earth is a great mapping tool, hugely detailed and packed with features. Like Street View, for instance, which helps you navigate millions of miles of road all around the world, and would probably justify installing the program all on its own.

If you don’t like the program, though -- or, maybe, you just don’t like Google -- then there are some excellent alternatives available. The open source and cross-platform Marble, for instance, can’t compete with the photos and the imagery of Google Earth, but is still extremely powerful and has a great deal to offer.

The program is available in Windows, Linux, Mac and mobile editions (Nokia N9, N900, N950). We opted for the Windows build, and found Marble downloaded and installed quickly. It opens Google Earth-style, with a view of the planet from space, and navigation is similar: left-click and drag to rotate the globe, spin the mouse wheel or double-click to zoom in.

As you focus on a particular region, so cities and towns appear. Clicking any of these opens a panel with some basic data (elevation, population, time zone), while a second tab displays the Wikipedia page for that location.

This opening view only takes you to a country level, which means you won’t get to see smaller towns or villages. That’s easily fixed, though: click OpenStreetMap in the left-hand Theme list and you’ll be able to drill right down to street level, with road numbers, names, and plenty of other details (parking, restaurants, theatres, hotels and more).

There are also tools to search for places, measure the distance between two points, or create routes to help you find your way from one point to another.

And if this isn’t enough, then there are a host of bonus maps you can use. There are historical world maps from various dates, for instance. You can view maps showing the Earth at night, or highlighting temperature, or rainfall. Or you might venture a little further, with maps of the moon, Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and more (the Maps page will show you what’s available).

Marble may not be quite as polished as Google Earth, then, but when you consider their relative budgets that shouldn’t be a great surprise. The program is still a free software triumph, though, packed with features, great for educational use, and with plenty of maps and other addons to extend its abilities. They’re even working on iOS and Android versions, apparently. Bring it on.