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Giveaway: Ocster 1-Click Backup

Jonathan Riggall — Thu, 24 May 2012 17:16:08 +0200

We have 10 codes to give away for Ocster 1-Click Backup, a simple app that makes backing up your Windows PC into one of the easiest jobs you can imagine. We all know that we should back up our computers in case the worse happens, but how many of us actually do it? Some people are put off by the fact that backing up seems time-consuming and boring, or difficult and complicated. With Ocster 1-Click Backup, it's neither!

To win a Ocster 1-Click Backup code, simply leave a comment below before May 30th at 12pm PDT (Pacific Daylight Time), and we'll do a random draw to select the winners. Winners will be notified on the same day.
When you comment, make sure you enter your email address properly. This is how we will contact you if you are a winner - we will not share your email address with anyone.
Here are the full terms and conditions.

If you've never used Ocster 1-Click Backup, check out Niamh's review for the full low-down.

Heroes & Generals enters Closed Beta

Christopher Park — Thu, 24 May 2012 00:13:00 +0200

Since seeing Heroes & Generals at GDC 2012 and playing a bit of the alpha, I'm quickly becoming more interested in the game. Without considering its free-to-play aspect, the gameplay is great. Most of my in-game experience is as a soldier, and there are a lot of details even in the early build. The monetization of the game hasn't really been really explained in depth, though it does appear that players will at least purchase weapons to use in the game. When I was playing the alpha, there were noticeable issues with lag and physics, but those problems didn't degrade the gameplay. And since Reto-Moto, that company responsible for creating Heroes & Generals, is always working with the community on bugs and issues, it wasn't unusual to see updates stream through the browser add-on. Reto-Moto have announced that Heroes & Generals is now officially in closed beta. The developer has worked surprisingly fast from the my first impressions in March up to now, welcoming comments and suggestions from the vocal alpha community. Since my hands-on took place during the alpha, I'm interested in seeing what the beta has updated and polished. I will undoubtedly be diving back into Heroes & Generals to see the changes from my last time in-game. In conjunction with the announcement of the closed beta, Roto-Moto released a new videolog highlighting both gameplay and the upcoming iOS and Android apps: Heroes & Generals: Mobile Command, where you will be able to view the strategic part of the game played as a General. Since Reto-Moto mentioned at GDC 2012 that they were exploring mobile devices to secure a connection within the persistent browser war, it's great to see that the idea is moving forward. Heroes & Generals is the combination of strategy and first person shooter that also relies on teamwork from both sides to become victorious. You can sign-up for a Heroes & Generals beta key at the community site here.

Extend Android battery life with JuiceDefender

Lewis Leong — Wed, 23 May 2012 21:17:03 +0200

Managing battery life on an Android device can be frustrating. Many applications run in the background and system processes suck a lot of power, even when the phone is idling. Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich did a lot to improve the transparency of what apps are affecting performance and battery life, but there are still a few tricks to squeeze out a few more hours of battery life out of your Android phone. Enter JuiceDefender. This battery management application claims to save hours on your battery, but how exactly does it work? Does it actually work? There are three versions of JuiceDefender: Free, Plus, and Ultimate. The free version is a great way to try out JuiceDefender. By default, JuiceDefender Free schedules turning on the WiFi or cellular radio at a fifteen minute interval. When you first enable JuiceDefender, you will find that your push notifications will not appear instantaneously because of this set interval. While this may be frustrating, it may be worth it for some to wait a little while longer for notifications. There is a way to configure JuiceDefender to keep the WiFi and cell radios awake even when the device is asleep. JuiceDefender Free comes with presets for balanced and aggressive battery savings. The balanced preset will connect the device every 15 minutes while the aggressive preset will only check ever 30 minutes. The two paid versions of JuiceDefender offer more control and options to modify these presets or to create your own. Additionally, if your phone is rooted and its ROM supports CPU scaling, JuiceDefender will throttle the CPU when idling to reduce the strain on the battery. If you wake your phone, JuiceDefender will enable all the radios, there is noticeable lag when it does this. It takes a couple of seconds for the radios to reconnect to the network so some applications might time out if it looks for a signal immediately. This might not be a deal breaker for most people as it takes a few seconds to launch an application anyway.

Configure JuiceDefender's "Minimal Profile"

If having delayed notifications is unacceptable, you can configure JuiceDefender to use the "minimal profile" to save a bit of battery life while keeping push notifications. This will require either JuiceDefender Plus or Ultimate to get the additional settings. Here's how to do it:

Enable the Balanced profile.
In the status tab, activate the Advanced profile.
In the "Controls" tab, scroll down to the Keep enabled section and select both WiFi, data, and 4G if your phone supports it.
For a nice buffer for low battery, go to the "Triggers" tab and make sure Battery is selected and choose when you want JuiceDefender to start managing the radios by killing them while the phone is asleep. (I chose 25%.)
Scroll down and make sure Screen is enabled and that Ignore on low battery is disabled.

Your phone is now set up to still receive push notifications until a critical battery level is reached. No more waiting those precious seconds for the radios to wake and reconnect. While the "minimal profile" won't save as much battery life as the default presets, it still saves a bit while maintaining usability. During testing, I found a 25% increase in battery life using this minimal profile while the default "balanced" profile saved me up to 85%. For more battery life conserving tips, check out our article on Seven ways to save battery life on an Android phone.

How to remove Facebook timeline

James Thornton — Wed, 23 May 2012 11:04:15 +0200

The Facebook timeline is a lot like peanut butter– you either love it or you hate it. If you fall into the second camp then be warned: May 29th is ‘T-day’, the day when your Facebook profile page will change over to the new timeline view – forever! If you can’t bear to wave goodbye to your old Facebook page then don’t panic: it is possible to remove the Facebook timeline. That’s to say, you can trick your browser into showing the classic Facebook view, without the cover image and date-ordered activity history. This will apply to your profile and those of all of your friends. Using an extension called Timeline Remove, it’s possible to get rid of your Facebook timeline from Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer or Safari. Here’s how it’s done: 1. Download and install Timeline Remove for Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, or Safari. Sorry, Opera users, this post is no use to you. 2. Once you’ve downloaded the extension a blue button will appear in the top-right corner of your browser. This is where you enable or disable the Facebook timeline. 3. If your timeline is enabled, just click on ‘Status: Timeline Remove” to turn it off automatically. 4. Here you can see the difference between the two views, which you can toggle using Timeline Remove Activated: Deactivated: Via: OnSoftware Brazil

DAEMON Tools for Mac released

Nick Mead — Tue, 22 May 2012 10:38:41 +0200

DAEMON Tools has finally released DAEMON Tools for Mac. The free CD/DVD emulation software has been available for many years on Windows and is an excellent tool for emulating CD or DVD drives if you don't have a physical drive available or don't want the hassle of burning one. DAEMON Tools for Mac Lite is free and has been initially released in beta. Like the Windows version, The Lite version of DAEMON Tools for Mac lets you emulate up to four virtual drives at once. DAEMON Tools is ideal if you want to mount a CD or DVD file in ISO, BIN, MDF or NRG format but it also supports most other major file types. However, it doesn't have the extra features of the Pro and Advanced editions, such as support for DVD HD and Blu-Ray drivers, or the ability to create image files. Read our full review and download DAEMON Tools for Mac.

Digital Distribution: An inevitable future?

Christopher Park — Mon, 21 May 2012 19:05:41 +0200

It wasn't that long ago to get movies, games, and music; you had to drive to a store to buy it. Now almost everything can be bought online. Receiving content, whether it be programs, videos, or other files, has become a digital process that is firmly embedded in almost everything we do. Will we ever stop needing physical formats?

PC

We’re in a digital download era, pushed by the devices that we use. But as smaller developers and publishers have welcomed digital distribution as a primary way to get their programs out, the bigger publishers, specifically video game publishers, are still sitting on the fence. It looks like a waiting game for these companies. Sony's newest portable device, the PlayStation Vita, was marketed as a device that could download every title released. But with a lack of expansive backwards comparability for the older games already available for download, the system sits waiting for the next PS Vita game. Overall, publishers are releasing games with the same ideas they have for the console market. Interesting enough, digital downloads remove the possibility of used-game sales; but they still charge the same price for a retail copy. Whether it be through a service like Steam or from a developer’s website; it is much simpler to find software through the Internet than search at a retail store now. Even online retailers moved into digital downloads removing the necessity for physical storage of program boxes. I think PC/Mac have been on the right track for a long time. Steam has forged digital downloads for games. The only disservice that I think publishers are forcing onto people who prefer this style of distribution is the cost of the product. It shouldn’t cost the same for a program online as it does at a physical store, since publishers save by removing the production of physical cases and the quality assurance of working discs. Cost is probably the biggest deterrent to widespread acceptance of digital downloads besides cultural or technological limitations. Honestly, if a program costs the same digitally as it does physically, I’ll buy the physical box just to have, because the convenience of downloading the program is very minimal in comparison. Distribution doesn’t just apply to programs. Streaming content providers like Netflix or Amazon Instant Video changed how people view content. Add in the fact that most video will remain on these services for a good amount of time, and you don’t really have to deal with owning physical discs as well. Netflix is my primary source for streaming media and it’s not difficult to imagine in the near future that most content will be streamed online through different hardware. Game consoles already support Netflix, and the introduction of Smart TVs is going to further segment that market.

Mobile

Beyond streaming video content or programs, just look at iTunes. You’re downloading digital audio content through a service without ever owning the physical media. iTunes is the service that has most changed how content could be sold, purchased, and accessed. The service is a one-stop shop for all the content you could want. Publishers want to be a part of the service because of the huge population of users. The connection between the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad also creates an environment that allows paying customers to digest a variety of content. All Apple products connect through one service to embed those users. The Google Play Store is like iTunes, but web based. It still offers a similar online store of content. I do think the web-based nature of Google Play is a little easier to use than the actual iTunes program, though the interaction between an Android device and Google Play can be annoying. Games have grown incredibly beyond the PC/console world. Smartphones and tablets have evolved the mobile space. Looking at the original games available on iOS or Android, they were experiments on how to use the technology inside a multifunctional device. Casual games exploded into this space. Angry Birds and Doodle Jump proved that games with quick sessions were best suited to the smaller screens. More recently, developers began creating more complex games. Graphics are improving and control schemes have become more intuitive to use the physical screen space. At the same time, mobile created a generally consumer approved environment. Prices of mobile games vary, but there are set price points that publishers look at. The 99 cent app is an easily digestible cost. Depending on the operating system, you could be looking at a free-to-play game as well. The mobile space is also entirely digital. Everything is consumed through downloading. Like PC, storage space isn’t a big concern because most utility apps don’t take up much space. Even the majority of games are relatively lightweight. While the restrictions of app size are implemented by the app stores, developers are finding a lot of tricks to get around it. The most common is for users to download an installer and then download files through Wi-Fi. This method is a great solution for publishers, but it is a little misleading to users. More specifically on iOS, the limited storage space can make it difficult to download larger games. Infinity Blade II or Batman: Arkham City Lockdown are great examples of these limitations. Games are the biggest enemy for available storage space. Backing up apps was also addressed early on. Local iTunes backups and iCloud alleviate this problem for iOS, and there are various utilities for Android to backup apps. It’s interesting because while I’m very concerned for my saved files on console or PC games, I’m rarely concerned about saving games on mobile. The nature of most games on mobile doesn't lead to many heavy penalties for players if they start from scratch (other than RPGs), and even when I lost a whole set of saved files on iOS, it didn’t bother me. The shelf-life for mobile games is much shorter than PC or console. My personal rate of digestion from download to completion is only a couple weeks. Even major publishers are accepting mobile as another source to attract users. The only drawback to performing these tasks is the screen size on the device and how the functionality has changed from keyboard/mouse to touchscreen. Apple’s market share of the iPad may be dominating the tablet market, but with Android and the eventual release of Windows 8, productivity could change. Tablets are moving away from being an extraneous piece of hardware to replacing laptops. I don’t think tablets will be able to remove the necessity of laptops entirely, but they are good replacements for casual tasks. The differing operating systems are going to eventually go head-to-head and it’s possible the unified nature of Windows 8 could push Android into the number three position. Mobile may be leading the push of an almost entirely digital environment, but PC and Mac are the backbone of the digital distribution. It’s easy to say that mobile will revolutionize digital content, and I think it will be a great asset but I don’t think touch input and a tactile screen will be able to replace a mouse and keyboard.

When’s it coming?

Digital distribution is already here, but the utilization is very segmented towards specific devices and purposes. What may be holding it back is proven success on the business side, and for consumers it's about how easy it is to use, as well as the cost. I think the casual common consumer doesn't usually think beyond downloading an app and streaming Netflix at home while still buying movies and games at retail stores. The system is more prevalent in both the PC and mobile space with only entertainment, movies and console gaming, really showing up as the last hold-out for the eventual dissolution of physical media. PC has already shown that optical drives are unnecessary and mobile remains a digital space. Depending on the quality of streaming media or the size of downloadable content, the eventual demise of physical media is on the horizon. It could take an upstart company that focuses only on digital to show how much success is available.

SF Giants team up with ESRB on video game ratings

Amber Sass — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:11:59 +0200

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) announced a new partnership with the San Francisco Giants during a press conference on Wednesday at AT&T Park, pertaining to video games and their respective ratings. ESRB is the non-profit entity responsible for assigning ratings to video games, based on the content within them. ESRB’s ratings serve as a helpful guideline for parents to decide what games may or may not be appropriate to purchase for their children. On Wednesday, ESRB revealed a new public service announcement (PSA) campaign, starring two popular baseball fan favorites – catcher Buster Posey and pitcher Ryan Vogelsong, both of the San Francisco Giants.

The Campaign

At AT&T Park Wednesday, ESRB announced its new PSA campaign, starring popular SF Giants players, Buster Posey and Ryan Vogelsong. The PSA features both players explaining ESRB’s rating system and encouraging parents to do their research to determine whether a particular game is appropriate for their children. The ad will begin broadcasting soon on northern California television and radio stations, as well as over the big screens at San Francisco Giants home games at AT&T Park. Says Vogelsong of the campaign:

"I grew up with video games and I still play today. They’re a lot of fun, especially when we’re on the road. But these days it’s clear that not every game is right for every kid. The ESRB rating on the game box helps a parent decide which games are appropriate for their children. Being a father I’m proud to help reach other parents with this important message."

After the announcement, a group of Junior Giants received Playstation Vita portable gaming systems as gifts, along with a copy of MLB 12: The Show. They were also given an opportunity to play the game head-to-head with Posey and Vogelsong. The Junior Giants is a flagship program of the Giants Community Fund. It brings together boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 18 to participate in a free, non-competitive baseball program and serves as a great way to encourage kids from at-risk backgrounds to engage in positive and healthy extracurricular activities.

The San Francisco Giants Major League Baseball team is a significant emblem in San Francisco and surrounding Bay Area communities. It seems to be ESRB’s hope that, by aligning itself with the Giants, the importance of parental responsibility and initiative when it comes to determining what games are appropriate for young people will reach a substantially greater audience than it otherwise would have.

ESRB's Ratings

The Entertainment Software Association established the ESRB in 1994 to independently assign video game content ratings, among other responsibilities. The ESRB’s primarily goal is to offer consumers information about the content in video games so they can make informed decisions about what to purchase. There are two aspects to ESRB’s rating system: -Rating symbols: these symbols are posted on each video game’s packaging and indicate age appropriateness based on a letter and sometimes a number. For example, T stands for “Teen,” and implies the game in question is generally suitable for children age 13 and older.

-Content descriptors: For further information about just why the game was rated a certain way, ESRB also provides content descriptors on video game packaging. These description boxes go a little more in-depth as to what parents might find specifically objectionable in games, such as instances of violence, strong language and mature themes. In addition to these two helpful guidelines, ESRB goes a step further and provides actual rating summaries, available via a search box on ESRB’s website. These summaries go into even greater detail about how the content in a video game factored into the ESRB’s ultimate rating decision. The rating summaries can be accessed via ESRB’s mobile site, and from free iPhone, Android and Windows Phone apps as well. Even better, the ESRB Rating Search App for mobile devices provides ratings information on games via an in-app search, by speaking the game's title or even by snapping a picture of the game box in the store, ensuring you're never more than a few seconds away from being able to access more information about the games you're considering purchasing.

Chrome 19 introduces Tab Syncing

Niamh Lynch — Thu, 17 May 2012 17:52:17 +0200

Chrome 19 - version 19.0.1084.46, to be precise - was released this week, bringing with it one major addition: tab syncing. This nice addition means that you can access your current tab session across multiple devices. That means, for instance, that if you're researching hotels in Barcelona at home, you can access the same selection of tabs from your Android device or tablet while you're traveling. It's a really handy feature and a welcome addition to Google's star browser.

To use tab syncing, you need to be logged into your Google Account and have syncing enabled. Go to the spanner menu, and, under Settings > Advanced Sync Settings, and make sure Open Tabs is enabled. To access the synced tabs, open a new one and, in the bottom right corner, open Other Devices and click the tab you want.

Why I left my iPhone

Lewis Leong — Thu, 17 May 2012 00:31:41 +0200

In June of 2010, the iPhone bug bit me hard. I remember reading the live blogs of the keynote, staring at one of the most beautiful pieces of technology I had ever seen. I had to have it. Unfortunately, Apple's site was flooded by people trying to pre-order the phone and I was too late. To get my iPhone, I waited in line for 17 hours on launch day, almost losing my sanity. Never again. The iPhone 4 wasn't my first smartphone. I was replacing my then ancient T-Mobile G1. I left Android because it just wasn't polished as iOS and the hardware was uninspired. Today, though, Android has caught up to iOS's stability and hardware design, which is why I left my iPhone 4 for a Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Here's why.

Direct from Google

One of the biggest reasons why I went for the Galaxy Nexus is because it is available off contract, unlocked, running the latest Android OS (4.0 or "Ice Cream Sandwich") and direct from Google. I have been an AT&T customer since 2001 and never knew how much I despised the carrier until I got my iPhone. Calls dropped, connections were spotty, speeds were a hit or miss. With an unlocked phone, I can now move to another carrier or use it overseas without being tied to a contract. Moving to a MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) saves a bunch of money in the long run and gives me the flexibility to move to another carrier at any time.

Google services

I am a huge fan of Google's services including Gmail, Calendar, and especially Google Voice. Most people are probably interested in Google Voice to dodge hefty text messaging rates, but Google Voice is so much more than that. Users get a new phone number that they can take to any carrier. It also transcribes voice mails (terribly and hilariously) and offers an easy way to manage your call history, texts, and voicemails. Although there is a Google Voice app for the iPhone, it doesn't integrate into the operating system and is extremely buggy. Speaking of things that irk me in iOS, there is no ability for 3rd party apps to integrate with the operating system. Want to use another browser? Sure, but links from Mail will open Safari anyway. Want to use Sparrow Mail as a default to send email? Too bad. You're stuck with Mail. Want to open up an address in Waze instead of Google Maps. Nope, you can't do that. While iOS repeatedly tells me, "No, you can't do that," Android asks me, "How would you like to do that?"

I'm a tinkerer

One of the things I like most about Android 4.0 is that you can figure out what's going on with your phone. You get a task manager that shows memory and disk usage as well as data about your battery use. On the iPhone, if your battery life is suffering, there is no way to understand what's impacting the battery life. With Android, users are given a graph of usage over time with data about which apps, services, and hardware is sucking up the most juice. One of the things I missed most about Android after I got my iPhone was the lack of automation. Locale is a favorite app of mine for automating things like toggling Wi-Fi at a certain location, changing the screen brightness when plugged in, and much more. When I received my Galaxy Nexus one of the first things I did was download Tasker. I now have settings for being at home and work so I will never have to toggle Wi-Fi or my ringer again. Tasker can automate just about ANYTHING on Android. Android's flexibility and customization options are what attracted the tinkerer in me.

No more jailbreaking/rooting

To me, the iPhone was unusable without being jailbroken. Jailbreaking allowed me to access custom lock screens, settings toggles, gestures, tethering apps, and various interface tweaks, which made living in Apple's closed ecosystem bearable. With Android, I no longer need to jailbreak or root to do everything I want to do on my phone. Not rooting means that I no longer have to play a game of cat and mouse with updating and re-rooting. Jailbreaking my iPhone meant waiting weeks or months for someone to find an exploit for the updated operating system. Now I can update as soon as an update comes out without having to wait to enjoy new features.

My iPad

One of the biggest motivations for going back to Android was the fact that I already had an iPad. I can still have my iOS fix when needed. I can still tether my iPad to my Galaxy Nexus on the go. It is nice to have both operating systems to be able to use applications exclusive to each platform. Now that I've switched to Android, do I hate the iPhone? No, not at all. Quite the contrary. I still love the iPhone and iOS. In terms of stability, intuitiveness, and getting the phone to work right out of the box, the iPhone is still king. Android, on the other hand, gives its users freedom, for better or worse. There is no more hand holding and you had better know what you're doing if you're going to be using Android. I am glad that Google and Apple are slugging it out. Having more competition leads to innovation, which benefits the consumer in the end. Farewell, iPhone for you have served me loyally but it's time for me to get back to my tinkering roots. (Read Tom's counterpoint about leaving Android for iOS)

Moving to Mac Guide: Part 2 - How to Install Apps

Nick Mead — Tue, 15 May 2012 18:34:19 +0200

A new Mac comes with a bunch of useful pre-installed programs, but you might want to install some additional software like an alternative browser (such as Chrome, Firefox or Opera.), an instant messenger client (like Adium or MSN) and, of course, some games! This raises the question: How do I install software on a Mac? Is installation of Mac software similar to Windows?

Installing is easy

You can get Mac software on a CD/DVD, download it from the web (such as from Softonic) or use the Apple Mac App Store. When you insert a CD/DVD into your optical drive, it mounts automatically and the icon appears on your desktop and in the left column in Finder. You just need to click the drive icon and you’ll find the program in it. If you want to install the app, drag its icon to your application folder. Programs downloaded from the internet are normally in .DMG format. It is a virtual drive that can be mounted on your desktop by double clicking it. It acts just like an average CD/DVD. To install the software you need, just drag the program icon to your applications folder and you're done! The easiest way to install Mac software is by getting apps from the Mac App Store. In order to use it, you must have an Apple ID with a connected credit card. When you choose an app you want to buy or download, you just click the corresponding button and it automatically downloads to your computer. It appears in your Applications folder or, if you are using Lion, in your Launcher.

Uninstalling isn’t that easy

Theoretically, uninstalling an app is as easy as installing it. You should just drag the app from your Applications folder into the Trash. This generally works, but sometimes not all the files related to the program are removed. If you regularly install a lot of software, you’ll need a better solution. I use AppCleaner, which looks for all files related to the app you're deleting. If anything is found, you can decide whether to keep it or delete it. It’s an easy solution, but there are others which do pretty much the same job such as AppZapper or AppDelete.

Tricky preference panes

Sometimes extensions or other add-ons install as a Preference panes and reside in the Preferences window - Perian and Growl are two examples. Installing them is really easy. Just double click the file and it installs automatically. However, you can’t drag preference panes into the trash to remove them. To uninstall a preference pane, just right-click on it and choose Delete the preference pane. Part 1 of Moving to Mac [This series was produced in association with OnSoftware ES and IT]

4 Alternatives to Microsoft Publisher

Amber Sass — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:36:13 +0200

Microsoft Publisher is often peoples’ go-to program when they want to create brochures and other printed presentations. Unfortunately, many users feel as though its usability could be greatly improved, particularly for beginner designers. If you find creating printed material with Publisher a little too complex, there are alternatives available that might make your creation process a little easier. Here are four great alternatives to Microsoft Publisher for people looking to make the switch.

PagePlus Starter Edition

PagePlus is a great tool that lets you create dynamic marketing materials like stationary, posters, brochures, flyers, newsletters and business cards, to name a few. With a handy pop-up that lets you pick and choose what you want to create appearing right upon the program's launch, PagePlus is also pretty intuitive for beginners. The program comes with a good variety of ready-made templates as well, if you either don’t want to start from scratch or need some ideas to get your own creativity flowing. Even better, PagePlus supports a drag and drop design method, making it a breeze to move around different content quickly during the creation process. The Starter Edition of PagePlus is free upon registration on Serif’s website. After registering you will be sent a product registration key via email.

Scribus

If you’re looking for an open source alternative to Microsoft Publisher, Scribus is one good option. Scribus is a free desktop publishing tool that works cross-platform, which makes it convenient for people who like to hop between multiple computers and operating systems. Scribus offers a lot of great features, such as the ability to export and import PDF documents, as well as drag and drop designs. Formatting can be a little tricky in some instances though, and some scripting knowledge is required to access a few of the features. Scribus is also available for Mac.

Apache OpenOffice

Formerly known as OpenOffice.org, Apache OpenOffice is another open source alternative to Publisher. Instead of one program to make your creations with though, OpenOffice comes with five. You can create content within the format of text documents, a presentation app, or even a drawing program. For people who like variety, OpenOffice is a really great way to explore how more than one app within an office suite can create customizable content exactly to your specifications.

Adobe InDesign

If you want every option known to man and one of the most professional publishing tools available to you, Adobe InDesign is unquestionably the program to go with. It comes with extensive tutorials and documentation, as well as great integration with other Adobe products. If you’re familiar with other Adobe apps, InDesign has a similar interface and should be relatively easy to navigate. If this is your first time using an Adobe product though, InDesign might present a rather steep learning curve for you. Since it’s a professional publishing platform, it also comes with a price tag attached. Adobe InDesign is also available for Mac. Now that you’ve seen some of our picks for alternatives to Microsoft Publisher, we’re interested to hear about some of yours. Do you prefer a different program? If so, tell us why you like it in the comments below!

Video: What is Diablo III?

Jonathan Riggall — Mon, 14 May 2012 16:58:47 +0200

Are you wondering what all the fuss is about Diablo III? It's a huge release, but coming 12 years after Diablo II, it wouldn't surprise me if there were lots of people with little idea of what it actually is. It looks like Blizzard are aware of this and they've released a video, which you can see below, called 'What is Diablo III?'. The game is released on May 15th on Windows and Mac, and boxed editions come with Guest Passes inside, which you can give to your friends so they can also try the game. So, What is Diablo III? As you can see it's an isometric action game set in the dark world of Sanctuary, which is being invaded by demonic hordes. You choose a character from one of five classes, each with different attributes. As you complete quests and gain experience you'll be able to heavily customize and upgrade your hero, into something powerful enough and worthy of sending all the creatures of hell back where they belong. The gameplay is a mix of arcade speed, and role playing, which is really addictive blend. Diablo III lets you play online cooperatively in teams of up to four heroes, and also in player-versus-player gladiatorial battle. The free 'Starter Edition' demo will be available to everyone 30 days after Diablo III's release.

Windows Minimum System Requirements

Windows® XP/Vista/7 Intel Pentium® D 2.8 GHz or AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 4400+ 1 GB RAM (XP), 1.5 GB (Vista/7) 12 GB available HD space Direct X 9.0c Broadband Internet connection

Windows Recommended Requirements

Windows® Vista/7 Intel® Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz or AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 5600+ 2.8 GHz 2 GB RAM NVIDIA® GeForce® 260 or ATI Radeon™ HD 4870 or better

Mac Minimum System Requirements

Mac® OS X 10.6.8, 10.7.x or newer Intel® Core 2 Duo NVIDIA® GeForce® 8600M GT or ATI Radeon™ HD 2600 or better 2 GB RAM 12 GB available HD space Broadband Internet connection

Mac Recommended System Requirements

Mac® OS X 10.7.x or newer 2 GB RAM NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 330M or ATI Radeon™ HD 4670 or better Check out this gameplay video from the Beta version of Diablo III, released last year.

Top new apps: what to download this week

James Thornton — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:41:31 +0200

Here’s a round-up of the best mobile apps we tested on Softonic this week. Check them out now!

N.O.V.A 3

The latest version in the N.O.V.A series of games proves to be one of the best first-person-shooters on the iOS platform to date. It boasts shiny 3D graphics, smart controls, surprisingly good voice acting, and, most of all, lots and lots of alien scum to blast. If you’ve got the latest iPad this will blow you away and you’d be forgiven for thinking you were playing Halo on an Xbox. iOS

Flipboard Flipboard has been a huge success on iPad and iPhone and now the news and social media reading app has hit the Android platform. Strictly speaking, it hasn’t officially been released, since it will be released as a timed exclusive for the Samsung Galaxy III. However, an early leaked build of Flipboard for Android has been released into the wild by XDA developers and it’s possible to test drive the gorgeous-looking app. Android

Twitpic

If you’re a Twitter fan then you’ll be aware of the photo sharing service, Twitpic, already. Now the service arrives on iPhone, allowing you to quickly show off photos and videos to your Twitter followers. There’s a bunch of filters and editing tools, and you can browse your Twitter photo timeline effortlessly through the simple user interface. iOS

Viber

Android and iOS users have been able to enjoy free calls with Viber for some time, and this week, a BlackBerry version of the app was released. Disappointingly, Viber for BlackBerry doesn’t yet support calling (which is the best thing about the other versions!), but you can use it to send free text messages and share pictures with other Viber users over 3G or WiFi. BlackBerry

TU Me

One app released this week that does allow free voice calling is TU Me. Besides allowing you to make free calls on your iPhone, TU Me lets you share photos and location and share audio messages with your buddies. While audio call quality is excellent over WiFi, TU Me isn’t as good for messaging as the more feature-filled WhatsApp. Also unlike WhatsApp, TU Me is not available for multiple mobile platforms. iOS

Office Zombies

Banks may be having a tough time of it these days, but at least they’re not being overrun by zombies. Not unless you’re playing Office Zombies that is. This is a mobile game for Java phones where you need to shoot zombies inside a bank. You’ll need to be quick on the trigger to stop the undead pursuing their capitalist dreams in this 16-bit style game that's a whole lot of fun to play. Java

Star Wars

The Force will be with you at all times if you install this Star Wars app on your Windows Phone. The free application includes a bunch of Star Wars goodies, including wallpapers and sound bites from the movies. You can listen to lots of famous quotes from Star Wars and save them as ringtones, which is good fun. The app also gives you quick access to the official Star Wars Twitter. Windows Phone

Head to head: CCleaner vs Mz 7 Optimizer

Lewis Leong — Fri, 11 May 2012 13:28:41 +0200

CCleaner has been one of my favorite tools to maintain PCs. It is simple to use and offers powerful tools. It has a small footprint and it can be installed on a USB drive to clean up PCs on the go. CCleaner can clean up files that are left behind from uninstalled apps, fix the registry, and uninstall apps but it is by no means the last word in PC maintenance. There's no defragmentation or optimization option within CCleaner. Enter Mz 7 Optimizer, an app specifically designed to tune up your Windows 7 PC. Can it replace CCleaner as our PC maintenance app of choice? Let's find out.

Ease of use

CCleaner features a clean, simple interface. The main window shows a list of things that CCleaner will look for and clean. The user can analyze and remove these files quickly, usually under 10 seconds. It also features a quick scanning registry scanner and back up. Beyond those two major features, CCleaner also has a tools tab for uninstalling apps, deleteing/disabling startup processes, a system restore feature, and a drive wiper. Mz 7 Optimizer on the other hand is intimidating at first glance. You are greeted with a billion options and it can be intimidating to use if you do not know what each tweak does. While Mz 7 Optimizer's main purpose is to maintain a PC, it also features interface tweaks that are hidden by windows. This is great for power users but confusing for the casual user. CCleaner wins on the ease of use as its menus and items are clearly laid out and its developer Piriform keeps the application simple. Power users may appreciate the flexibility and features of Mz 7 Optimizer but it definitely isn't for newbies.

Features

While CCleaner is good at what it does, it cannot match the sheer number of features that Mz 7 Optimizer packs into its program. Mz 7 Optimizer allows you to tweak your CPU, HDD, Memory, change network settings, clean your registry, defragment your drive, schedule backups, and change security settings. The amount of things Mz 7 Optimizer can do will make your head spin. Luckily, Mz 7 Cleaner has an automated optimization mode which simplifies maintenance on your machine. There are a handful of options you can check and Mz 7 Optimizer will perform those tasks in bulk.

Performance

CCleaner has always been one of my favorite maintenance tools because of its stellar performance. Scans and cleaning take just a few seconds. The application launches quickly but does require authentication to run as an administrative process. Mz 7 Optimizer is not the quickest of apps but it also isn't the slowest. Performance on the whole was average for most tasks but I found its defragmentation to take a while longer than defrag apps like Auslogics Disk Defrag and Smart Defrag. I also want to note that Mz 7 Optimizer's tweaks often require a reboot. It is recommended that you run this program without any other programs open, which will prevent conflicts.

Conclusion

So is there a clear winner? No. These are both great applications but serve different purposes. CCleaner is a fast, portable file and registry optimizer. Mz 7 Optimizer aims to perform ALL maintenance tasks on your machine. If your Windows 7 PC is running smoothly for the most part, you can maintain it with CCleaner. On the other hand, if your PC is long overdue for maintenance, Mz 7 Optimizer is a better choice for breathing new life into your PC.

Play Wolfenstein 3D for free online

Nick Mead — Thu, 10 May 2012 11:02:07 +0200

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of Wolfenstein, Bethesda Software has released Wolfenstein 3D free to play online. The browser version is the full Wolfenstein 3D in which you play the part of an American soldier in World War 2 trying to escape Nazi Germany's Castle Wolfenstein. In addition, iOS users can also download Wolfenstein 3D free for a limited period to celebrate the anniversary. Play Wolfenstein 3D for free here.

Epic Games celebrates 20 year anniversary with free music

Christopher Park — Wed, 09 May 2012 23:35:02 +0200

Epic Games has a long history in game development. The company has a wide variety of games on a host of platforms. Starting with PC and moving into consoles and iOS, Epic Games has been on the front of development tools with its Unreal Engine and illustrating the ability of fostering talented developers. Since Epic Games is a development studio with games and also creates game development tools, they have had impressive insight about how to make games for a variety of hardware. Celebrating their 20 year anniversary, Epic Games released a free soundtrack with music from their games over that span of time. Jazz Jackrabbit 2 (1998) illustrates the company's beginnings while Infinity Blade II (2011) really shows how far Epic Games has come, as well as their open mind to new possibilities. You can download the free soundtrack here.

Games you should play

Unreal Tournament 3

The multiplayer action of Unreal Tournament 3 still exists today. It continues to be a popular multiplayer game available with lots of community mod support. When it released in 2007 with the then-new Unreal Engine 3, it showed that PC gaming still had the power for amazing graphics and gameplay. Unreal Tournament 3 still has a very dedicated base of players who are using mods to keep the game fresh while decimating each other. Even when many players moved to console for their multiplayer experiences, Unreal Tournament 3 is still one of the best on its PC platform. Even though Unreal Tournament 3 isn't as widely played anymore, there is still an active community who keep fresh content alive. One mod that impressed me was the Nyan Cat mod, turning a rocket launcher into a Nyan Cat launcher.

Infinity Blade and Infinity Blade II

Using the Unreal Engine 3, Chair Entertainment showed that the iPad could produce amazing visuals with Infinity Blade. While the cost was a shorter battery life, the careful development behind the game showed off close-to-console graphics on a portable device. The swipe gesture controls focused the action and allowed for a directed gameplay experience, leaving the distracting on-screen control scheme that other developers used. Chair Entertainment only improved with Infinity Blade II. They were able to push more graphic power through the iPad 2, while still allowing iPad users to have a similar experience. There hasn't been a game that has truly met the amazing visual style of Infinity Blade II, although other developers using the Unreal Engine 3 are getting closer. Unfortunately, Infinity Blade II also proved to eat battery life at the expense of impressive graphics. Epic Games has branched out with their games and the soundtrack plays an impressive history. The company made an impact on PC with Unreal Tournament, created a brand with the Gears of War series on Xbox 360, and showed that a mobile device could produce amazing visuals with Infinity Blade. Epic Games' 20 year anniversary is well deserved, and they are sure to impress in the future.

How to: manage cookies in Internet Explorer 8

Amber Sass — Wed, 09 May 2012 18:19:39 +0200

Internet Explorer 9 is a big improvement over its predecessor. Unfortunately, the newest version of Microsoft’s popular browser isn’t compatible with Windows XP. For that, you’ll need to use Internet Explorer 8, which is still a solid browser by anyone’s estimation. Cookies are pieces of information stored on your computer that personalize your experience every time you visit a website. If cookies are disabled on IE 8, you will often encounter problems such as being unable to complete an online purchase, among other important actions. Fortunately, managing cookies in IE 8 is a relatively simple process. I’ll show you how to enable, disable and even delete your cookies entirely in a few simple steps!

Enabling cookies

1. Locate the Tools menu in the upper right corner of your browser. It’s in the same bar that loads your various website tabs. 2. Select Internet Options in the Tools menu. 3. A new window will appear. Click on the Privacy tab up top. It’s the third option from the left. 4. Beneath the Settings section, move the slider on the left to a Medium setting or below. Every time you move the slider, new text will appear on the right-hand side that explains what the new setting will and will not allow in terms of cookies. Read this over to gain a better understanding of what you’re allowing or restricting at each different setting. 5. Once you've found the setting you want, click Apply at bottom, then OK.

Disabling cookies

In the same vein as enabling cookies, you can disable certain types of cookies by moving the slider in the Internet Options dialog box up to a higher setting. Just follow the steps for enabling cookies above, and move the slider up instead of down to block cookies you don’t want to have enabled.

Deleting cookies

In some instances, you might want to delete cookies entirely. This might be a good idea if you’re on a shared computer and don’t want someone to be able to log into things like your email account. Deleting cookies is also a simple 5 step process: 1. Return to the Tools menu, just as you did when you wanted to enable or disable cookies. 2. Click Internet Options and wait for the new window to appear. 3. This time, you want to click on the General tab in the upper left instead of Privacy. 4. In the middle of the window, under the Browsing history section, click the Delete… button. A new dialog box entitled Delete Browsing History will appear. 5. In this new dialog box, check the Cookies option, which is the third choice from the top. From there, click the Delete button at the bottom right. This action will delete cookies that store your online preferences like login information. There you have it – three easy ways to manage cookies on IE 8!

How to: set a password with Winrar

Niamh Lynch — Wed, 09 May 2012 17:02:02 +0200

Setting a password on a .RAR file couldn't be easier, and it's a great way to keep almost any type of file safe from prying eyes. Here's how: 1. Open Winrar and browse to the files you want. If they're saved all over the place, it might be an idea to move them all to one folder, and compress that. Give the folder an informative name so you can easily identify it later. 2. Right click and choose Add files to archive. A new window will open.

3. The Winrar options for creating a new file can look a bit complex, but don't worry. You can modify lots of options, but you don't have to. Just make sure to choose where the new, locked file will be saved, and what it will be called. 4. Of course, the most important step is to apply the password. To do this, hit the Advanced tab > Set password. An Enter password dialog will appear - it needs to be secure, so pick a good one!

5. Once Winrar creates your locked RAR, it will look like any other. You can email, save, move and share it as normal, but when someone tries to open any of the files it contains, it will ask them for a password. One thing to bear in mind - even though someone will need to enter a password before they can open the files, if they open the RAR with Winrar or an app like Peazip, they'll be able to see the file names without actually opening them. You might want to bear that in mind when you call that photo Crazyparty2012.jpg, ok?!

TU Me - disappointing new voice and messages app

Tom Clarke — Wed, 09 May 2012 16:56:08 +0200

Do we really need another app for staying in touch with friends and family? Telefónica certainly seems to think so. Today, it launched TU Me, which bundles free messaging, voice calls, photo sharing, and more together in a simple-ish iPhone app. TU Me's main advantage over similar WhatsApp is its voice calling, apparently based on Jajah which Telefónica bought in 2010. Photo sharing, location sharing, audio messages - these all feature in both apps. But WhatsApp also offers video sharing, contact sharing and it's multi-platform.

TU Me unfortunately has more serious problems. It doesn't appear to have functioning push notifications, meaning you've got to have the app open to know you're receiving a call or message. Additionally, it doesn't play well with Siri when Siri is set to start when you raise the phone to your head. Image download seems slow when you receive a message and messages cannot currently be deleted. These flaws will probably be ironed out in the next release while WhatsApp now probably needs to add voice calling as soon as it can. Oddly, TU Me lacks any social element, making it a purely one-to-one solution. When it works, though, TU Me works really well. Audio quality for voice calls over WiFi is excellent... when they connect properly. Location sharing is quick but uses a different engine to Maps and put me over a block away from my actual location. Sending audio messages is quick and easy, but who does that very often?

Telefónica has shown over the last few years that it sees at least a chunk of its future business in proprietary software. Unfortunately, like social network Tuenti before it, TU Me doesn't quite get it right. When calling worked, it sounded great. But with so many other annoyances plaguing it, TU Me is going to have to improve before it becomes my favorite app for reaching out.

Klout is FarmVille for grown-ups

Jonathan Riggall — Tue, 08 May 2012 10:43:32 +0200

Klout is a social app that aggregates your social media/network data and gives you a score based on your activity. You can connect with your Twitter or Facebook account, and then link other networks to your account. The higher your score, the more 'influential' you are. In June 2011 I was re-tweeted once by @Wired - my Klout score rocketed as my account was exposed to all the people who follow Wired on Twitter, and I got some follow on re-tweets. I was famous! Well, not quite, but this boost was short-lived, and a month later my Klout score had dive-bombed back to normal levels, leaving a gaping hole in my ego. Silly competition with friends and coworkers has seen me increase my score steadily - but the cost has been my online life turning into a giant game of FarmVille. Klout says it exists to measure your influence online, and in some ways it achieves this. But its real success is rather that it turns your online life into a frantic competition; one where you are rewarded for posting popular things on social networks, and punished for time off or talking about niche interests. Be consistently popular or your score will drop! Klout also makes deals with companies who offer perks to Klout users with higher scores (the higher the score, the better the perk), so your popularity can get you stuff. Like Farmville, Klout needs constant attention, and requires you to use your social contacts to succeed.

How Klout can change you

Social networks are pretty flexible things, and you can make of them what you want. Maybe you just use Facebook to keep up with friends and family, or maybe you are more into it, creating events and posting your thoughts, photos, videos and everything else the platform offers. Similarly for Twitter - there are various ways to use it, and doing so passively can be as valuable for some people as being a heavy tweeter is for others. I've been on Klout for a while now, and I've noticed it can turn your Facebook and Twitter activity pretty cynical, pretty quickly. Your Klout score increases when more people comment on your Facebook posts, give you 'likes', retweet and mention you, or give you Google +1s. Join Klout, and you may find you start fishing for these: Instead of doing whatever you want on social networks, you'll design your interactions with Klout in mind: be controversial, comment more, do things you know will get you interactions from friends and followers. Nothing going on? Stick an Instagram picture on Facebook, and watch as your poor friends inadvertently feed your addiction and boost your Klout score. Yes, I have done that. We should use social networks how and when we want. Attaching a score to them and rewarding the 'winners' turns something useful into a competition. It's quite natural that if you grade someone, they will compare themselves with others and want to improve. This doesn't really help you make meaningful use of social networks, unless you think trolling your connections for interaction is meaningful.

Celebrities: influential by default

Celebrities on Klout are invariably experts on topics as fascinating as themselves (seriously), and while they are certainly popular no one could credibly say Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber are posting anything particularly original or insightful. But to Klout, by sheer popularity alone, they are ranked highest. Now I'm not saying I would expect a score that high, but there are people out there who are much better on social media platforms than top ranking celebrities. Just like Twitter's trending topics and Google+'s Explore, the biggest Klout scorers are pretty vapid and dull. The top ten Klout scores are all celebrities with lots of fans - not necessarily people who post interesting, original or influential things. Klout is fun, I'll admit that, but as Wired noted recently, people are starting to take it seriously. Having a high Klout score shouldn't mean hotels treat you differently for fear of your influence on Facebook, and employers shouldn't be taking it seriously when hiring. Also, I should not be thinking about getting a puppy for all the cute and popular photos I would be able to put on Facebook to boost my Klout score. What do you think about Klout?