Freeware and Reviews

Orbotix Sphero Techno Toy

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 5 May 2013 21:32:00 +0800

It has been a little a minute ago terminated a time since the leading smartphone-controlled cue globe named Sphero was released to the promote. Since in that case, we take part in witnessed a team of pre-production units sport their stuff. Apparently, more and more natives are decision themselves intrigued with this doodad (or whatever you call it). So what did you say? Is really with this $130 techno toy with the intention of makes it so worthy of note?
Hardware, setup and battery life
Setting up this techno toy is literally trouble-free. Into its plastic box, you will hit upon a blue induction charging heart, power cord and of line, the alabaster planet. To charge the globe, all you take part in to fix is to plug the heart in an outlet, prepared the 'Sphero' into its cradle and a blue LED light will indicate the arise of power designed for charging. It can take three hours to charge fully, and manufacturers application with the intention of the globe can run designed for an hour of playtime on a single charge.
After charging, you can in that case shake Sphero to metamorphose it on. It customarily takes two to three shakes to brace it to your Android device through Bluetooth iOS using every of the toy's various apps.
There are basically five apps designed for Android and iOS owners to exercise designed for Sphero: The Sphero, SpheroDrive, Draw 'N Drive, SpheroCam and SpheroGolf. But manufacturers take part in promised with the intention of here are more apps to happen.
The Sphero app is the core software with the intention of both facilitates firmware updates and duplicates functionality untaken in other apps. It includes built-in driving control, basic direction control, attract and drive capability and the 'Answer Me,' which is like a fairylike 8-ball countenance everywhere you can verbally ask question accountable by of course or thumbs down to Sphero. The globe as well includes an inside LED, everywhere you can transform color of your globe.
Into SpheroDrive, the app lets you opt from three control modes: The basic joystic, angle and RC. Into Joystick mode, you can move and drive the globe using the digital D-pad on your Android or iOS phone. With angle, you can exercise the real phone as your steering controls to drive the globe. The RC mode gives you the various controls designed for the ball's fly and steering controls. You can as well opt the fly of the globe from the three 'cautious, comfy and crazy' fly options.
The wrap up
At leading look, Sphero can be a very interesting techy toy. But a large amount of the period, later minutes of before a live audience with it, users be predisposed to grow bored. Well, of line, there's merely much period designed for everyone to watch a globe roll around by the side of walking pace already looking elsewhere designed for various entertainment.
The toy can be a useful tool designed for early a conversation, as a large amount individuals haven't seen this techy toy yet. Also, it is quite worthy of note how bonus apps can perk up this toy in the imminent. With inexperienced apps, this techno toy might be worth the more readily heavily built pricetag but designed for at present, it's a pricy point with incomplete attraction.

Sony MDR-NC200D Digital Noise-Canceling Headphones

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 3 May 2013 21:26:00 +0800

Anyone who commutes or walks in a tall city knows how distracting and loud things can dig up, whether it's a baby screaming seated behind you, moan of a automobile engine, loud car horns, natives discussion loud on their mobile phones, and all that. Thanks to Sony MDR-NC200D Digital Noise-Canceling Headphones, everyone can at present lump all outside din and take pleasure in useful melody. It may possibly cost a heavily built $200, but the quality with the intention of you dig up far outweighs the penalty. Sony MDR-NC200D Digital Noise-Canceling Headphones symbolize single of the top innovations of current know-how.
So what did you say? Does a $200 earphone assign you?
Don't expect to metamorphose heads with NC200Ds, but that's not a off-putting matter, as the headphones look attractive with the black shade and effectively functional design. The prepared is light but built tough with a variety of smooth textures. They include lightly matted earcups and faux leather pads. The bondage can reach from unexciting to ab90 degree rotation, can be folded in and unacceptable with secure click and as well provide a ample range of angle on the earcups. With all with the intention of, this will likely be the a large amount comfortable prepared of headphones you constantly exercise.
Fit
The NC200D utilizes an ergonomic oval form earcup, which is far better than the traditional circular design. It's very ear-friendly and puts very little pressure on ears, ideal designed for long hours of listening, and a little better than earpads in muggy weather as they don't stick to your ears. Above all, users can expect thumbs down cartilage cramping even later hours of wearing the headphones. Also, the cups can be folded unexciting, making it at ease to wear around your collar with no choking your isthmus.
Sound Quality
Sony's NC200D has a countenance called the AI NC. This countenance, as soon as bowed on, will take control of the noise-canceling by pausing designed for a little seconds, listening to outside din and in that case adjusting to single of three modes designed for digital noise-canceling, namely cars, inside environments and planes. However, as soon as you need to hear the din around you, can click the supervisor button by the side of the back and assent to it leak particular din in, so you don't really need to take the headphones inedible. Annoying noises such as air-conditioner hum and engine rumble are certainly finished away with this earphone.
This earphone has a very useful battery life. Your AAA battery will be useful to run designed for 22 hours, making this earphone a really good energy saving effect. All in all, there's really nothing injury with this effect. The fit is ideal, you dig up very useful sound quality, and more importantly, its automatic noise-cancellation mechanism by a long way and without fault.

The Right Way to Mount a Fan in Your Desktop Computer Case

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 1 May 2013 21:24:00 +0800

All computers generate heat while being used, and it is the fan's and cooling system's job to regulate the temperature inside the computer, keep it in good shape and avoid component damage from overheating.
Fans that are mounted properly don't just maintain the right temperature for the computer system. They generate the right airflow within the computer, which enhances the performance of all computer components, especially for those components that generate heat such as processors and video cards. When purchasing a fan to install in your computer or for better cooling system, you definitely need to know the right way to mount them in your computer case, as it's not as simple as putting them in place and let them do their job.
First thing you need to do is, of course, turn off your computer properly, unplug, and make sure all the cables connected from the front and back panels are disconnected. Remove the screws that hold the side panel n place. Then, slide the side panel out and place it safely aside.
Second, touch the metal part of the computer case to ground yourself and to avoid inadvertent discharge of static electricity that could possibly damage internal components of your computer. Find the fan mount in the computer case where you want to install the fan.
Positive and Negative Pressure
When installing a fan, remember that it is always better to have more air sucked in than blown out. Though this doesn't cool the inside of your computer effectively, by raising the air pressure inside, you can make little air leaks through the cracks between the drivers, panels and vents.
Power Mad
Basic computer fans run on two wires, and these can be either connected directly to the power supply or motherboard. Some modern fans available in the market today have 3 to four wires; the third wire reports the rotational speed of the fan (RPM) back to the motherboard while the fourth one controls the spin, reducing the noise of the computer.
In Goes the Fan
Though it is important which way the fan is facing, its rotational orientation doesn't matter that much, as long as the fan blades spin. However, if you already have an airflow system in your computer, it would be much better if you follow the original position of the replaced fan.
Always screw the fan thoroughly in each of its corners to secure it in place. Also, remember to use the right screws. Then, connect the fan to the motherboard (or power supply, depending on where it's originally connected).
Place your computer's side panel back in place along with wires and power cables. Double check all connections to ensure they are secure before closing the case completely to save having to go back in afterwards. Plug the computer back into a power outlet and you're good to go.

Tips For Sharing Your Amazon Kindle Ebooks

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 21:20:00 +0800

If you are a booklover and take part in a gift designed for current gadgets, in that case you might already take part in your own Amazon Kindle. This is single of the a large amount well-liked ebook booklover unacceptable here in the promote and it a inordinate doodad to take part in designed for die-hard charge readers since it enables you to take your hobby on-the-go. However, single of the biggest misgivings with the intention of readers take part in with the exercise of Kindle, or every other ebook readers designed for with the intention of question, is the incapacity to share their books to their fellow booklover contacts.
But anxiety thumbs down more since this article will exhibit you exactly how you can share your ebooks to other Kindle users. Amazon has produced a method with the intention of will be this process with the intention of much easier designed for all the ebook fanatics unacceptable here. Into piece of evidence, it enables you to share your ebook copies even designed for persons contacts who fix not take part in their own Kindle.
The leading step you would take part in to be is determine whether the Kindle books you take part in can be shared or loaned. Not all books on Kindle are inevitable designed for sharing, so in with the intention of casing you need to finance persons ebooks. It is essential with the intention of the author or publisher obligation allow the sharing countenance already you assign it away to your contacts. Sadly, not all of the Kindle books allow legitimate sharing so you need to hear how to identify which is which already you decide to purchase. This will be your life more suitable presently and not forgetting to talk about with the intention of it is much more no-nonsense.
All you take part in to fix is visit the webpage of the charge with the intention of you are interested in. Each charge on the Kindle warehouse has its own charge webpage, so take period to visit with the intention of. Go terminated to the “Product Details” section and be trustworthy with the intention of the following is visible - “Lending: Enabled”. You won't be able to hit upon the “Lending” option if the charge is not untaken designed for sharing.
On the other pass, you need to sign into your Amazon checking account in order to determine if the charge can be shared on your contacts. Just reach terminated to the Kindle warehouse and opt the tab with the intention of says “Manage Your Kindle”. There, you will hit upon the Kindle products you take part in purchased under your checking account. You obligation locate the “Actions” button by the side of the far fine boundary of the contact. Click on with the intention of to hit upon the books with the intention of are organized designed for sharing and you will as well hit upon the “Loan This Title” option develop into visible, which measures with the intention of you are boundless to share the charge.
There are assured restrictions involved though as soon as you opt to share or finance your Amazon Kindle ebooks. This is since of a united lawful agreement concerning Amazon and its digital publishers. For exemplar, if you take part in opted to finance or share your Kindle ebooks, it will merely be applicable designed for a set stop of period. Also, here must be a sharing invite by the recipient designed for by the side of smallest amount a week already you can kick off sharing your ebooks. Finally, this countenance is incomplete merely to US Amazon customers as of at present.
Take tone of these guidelines so you can kick off sharing your Amazon Kindle ebooks fine away!

Toshiba Thrive 7 inch Tablet

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 21:18:00 +0800

Last summer, Toshiba released its mini version of Thrive 10” and appropriately named it Thrive 7”. Its 10-inch predecessor had particular baggage, such as inferior than middling battery life, toy-like design and a bug with the intention of keeps it from rotary on later recharging. Without a doubt, Thrive 7” looks all but identical, and it even includes particular of the same specs such as the Tegra 2 C.P.U, 16GB luggage compartment seat and vanilla take on Honeycomb. So are here improvements with the intention of be this inexperienced Thrive tolerate unacceptable? Read on and hit upon unacceptable.
Hardware
There's thumbs down substantial difference in hardware concerning the inexperienced Thrive 7” and its 10” predecessor, with the exception of designed for the size of line. All of the source design elements take part in returned: Metal model surrounding the twin 2MP/5MP cameras, textured plastic back casing and analogous development. The less significant version of Thrive lacks particular full-sized ports, the back cover and battery are not comes off and the rear camera is at present equipped with a LED moment.
The ridges on its lid makes it so much easier to cradle in either sketch or landscape mode. Still, it feels tightfisted compared to the leading medicine of a analogous size in the promote, such as the T-Mobile Springboard or the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus.
At smallest amount this version amends its predecessor's lumpy design by weighing in by the side of 0.83lbs and 0.47in thick, making it to some extent lighter and as thick as Kindle Fire and a shade thinner than Nook Tablet (which is by the side of 0.48lbs).

Display and Sound
With its 1280 x 800 pixel count, this tablet has the a large amount densely packed put on view designed for its size. Also, it includes the same upscaling solution + know-how as the earlier 10” version. The specs may possibly not be at home videos and YouTube videos superb, but it can by a long way be HD movies sing. Indeed, this is single of the crispest displays you'll ensure in a 7” tablet, even if the Kindle Fire's IPS panel does offer brighter and wider viewing angles.
Performance
This tablet is equipped with NVIDIA's dual-core 1GHz Tegra 2 SoC, 1GB RAM and a vanilla Honeycomb build, as follows it doesn't really offer every surprising performance. The screen is very open to various taps and swipes, and applications launch literally quick. It as well provides smooth graphics designed for fast-paced games like Need designed for Speed Shift.
Nonetheless, expect to experience particular lags, even in the a large amount basic situations. You may possibly hit upon physically drumbeat shortcuts multiple time already it reacts and sincere the menu. Also, particular noticeable slight pauses are offer even in a minute ago browsing designed for apps in Android Market.
Battery Life
Battery life was the biggest drawback of the imaginative Thrive and it seems like Toshiba hasn't found the answer designed for this unruly. The Thrive 7” tablet barely runs designed for 4 hours and 42 minutes in a standard battery test (WiFi on, cassette looping), making it the poorest battery life in the promote fine at present.

Verizon's Galaxy Nexus Phone self-control Not Have Google Wallet

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 21:16:00 +0800

Verizon's Galaxy Nexus, the leading smartphone released with Ice Cream 4.0, will not take part in Google from its carrier's version. Though Google assisted Samsung in the development of this phone, the search engine giant will not be tough on Verizon's version from the manufacturer's demand.
Of line, the news was not well customary by Android fans, as they wanted to ensure this smartphone released in the promote with chock-a-block functionality.
A descriptive from Google complete to CNET more or less the demand of Verizon to disable the countenance in the effect. Many critics sight the demand as associated to the Isis, a locale venture project of Verizon with other giants in the industry, namely T-Mobile USA and AT&T, but this a minute ago still a speculation. It was keep on summer as soon as the trio of carriers was announced as their inexperienced mobile payment companies, but Google by a long way beat them to the punch.
It was keep on September as soon as Google launched their Google Wallet, way to come of many other companies attempting to enter the same niche. With every kind of Android phone with the intention of includes NFC (near-field communications) countenance, either a trouble-free bash or a taps of the screen will allow users to firm footing whatever they hope online. Spring is the lone carrier of this inexperienced Google service, and it's solely to its Nexus S 4g offering, but it is as well probable with the intention of more and more carriers will caper into the bandwagon soon using alternative NFC phones.
The Isis project, which is prepared to launch in 2012, is taking a various path from Google. They claimed with the intention of it will be a platform neutral solution with the intention of will provide the framework designed for third parties to append their services modules, whether thanks license issuers, retailers of payment networks. Making it a severe promotion direct various with Google's infamous operations, at any rate of the effect, and Isis will not access every user's data to attain its intention.
Also, Verizon built-in its own bloatware into its smartphone. Though this is assuredly maddening, Ice Cream allows its users to shelf the apps by disabling or defeat them.
The challenges designed for Isis is assumed to knock Austin and Salt Lake City leading. Smartphone owners would be up opposed to the same line of thanks as with their thanks license. They revealed its devices to falsify strong connection with the tall four in the industry: American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa. But as probable, they didn't expose the details.
If Verizon can close the deal, as partner in Isis, and has confidence with the tall four thanks license companies, in that case Google wallet must be a small unruly.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 21:26:00 +0800

Tips For Sharing Your Amazon Kindle Ebooks

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 21:21:00 +0800

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 21:20:00 +0800

5 Best Gadgets Under $100

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 20:46:00 +0800

Buying gadgets seem to be an expensive undertaking nowadays, what with many advanced and technological gadgets in the market that are powered by the latest technologies. If you are going to buy a technological gadget, you would most often assume that it will cost you a hefty amount. But would you believe it that you can buy useful gadgets for no more than $100? Yes, you read that right! There are some useful gadgets that you can get for an affordable price.

If you are a gadget geek, make sure you learn about what these are so you can add more to your collection.

1. Versatile speaker iPod or iPhone dock: Priced at $79.99.

You can find a lot of speaker docks for your modern gadgets in the market, but this one is a good value not just for its price. It works horizontally and vertically, which adds more flexibility into the product so you can use it with your iPod, iPhone, or iPad. Furthermore, you can conveniently set it onto your kitchen counter while at the same time utilizing it to enhance the quality of the audio and video that you can get from the device.

2. Wacom Bamboo Pen and Touch CTH460: Priced at $99

This gift is perfect for the modern artist. Equipped with pen and multi-touch capabilities, this is an ideal tool to use for sketching, as well as photo retouching. Wacom is a brand that has been manufacturing quality tablets for years and are deemed as first-rate manufacturers in the industry. If you cannot afford the $99 price tag on this device, you can go for the cheaper version at $69, although that one lacks the touch input.

3. Livescribe Echo Smartpen (2 GB): Priced at $99

Another $99 value gadget is ideal for those who love to write. With this smartpen, you can take your writing wherever you may go. Aside from writing, you can also use your smartpen to draw and scribble. When you are satisfied with your work, you can upload it onto your computer for further reproduction.

4. Roku HD Streaming Player: Priced at $79.99

If you are a couch potato, listen up because here is the perfect gadget for you – the Roku HD streaming player. This device can be connected into your TV so you can stream HD-quality TV shows, movies, and other content that you wish to enjoy. If you have a home Wifi, it becomes so much easier to explore whatever content you want to your heart's content.

5. Klipsch Image S4 Black In-Ear Headphones: Priced at $79.99

This is a perfect gift idea if you are looking for a high-performance headphone that is sold at a cheaper price. The Klipsch brand has been in the business for 60 years and this is a testament to the quality of their products. Furthermore, they have established their reputation in audio expertise that make them a go-to brand for those in search of quality audio products. Indeed, this is a good replacement than most earphones that are available in iPods or other MP3 players nowadays. Thus, it is a good deal for your money!

Repair Corrupt BKF Files by Using Backup Exec Repair

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 02:31:00 +0800

In these days security is one of the main concerns for all of us. We must secure our belongings to prevent any loss or damage. For a computer user the most invaluable thing is computer data, there is no doubt it. We cannot afford any type of data loss or damage. We must use a data backup technique to avoid such problematic situation.

Backup is a process that creates backup copies of our computer data in a file, which is called BKF or BAK file. The backup files can be stored anywhere in the computer or in any other external storage media. Backup files are very useful in case of sudden data loss or data corruption. In a situation of data loss or corruption we can use BKF file to restore all our data from it. The two most popular and preferred backup exec programs are: NT-Backup and Symantec (VERITAS) Backup Exec. NT-Backup is a Windows Backup Utility (freeware) and it comes as a built-in backup application in Microsoft Windows. In Windows Vista we get a different backup technique (program) "Backup and Restore" and in Windows 7 we need to download the NT-Backup Exec manually from the internet. Another one is Symantec Backup Exec program and it is a commercial software application developed by Symantec. The software is available for all the Operating Systems of Windows as well as Red Hat Enterprise Linux and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. NT-Backup Exec program can also be used to create backup files of Microsoft Exchange Server. While Symantec Backup Exec can create backup files of takes backup of both MS Exchange Server as well as SQL Server.

Backup file is very helpful and useful for all of us. But sometimes it may create some troubles. The only bad aspect of a backup file is that it is prone to corruption. Corruption may take place at any time and affect the complete backup file. As we know no computer file is immune to corruption therefore, a BAK file may also get easily corrupted due to any specific reason. There are various reasons which may cause corruption in BKF files, such as: a computer virus may attack on the backup files or folder or drive where the BKF files are saved. Virus attack may damage a file by overwriting or deleting some part of it. Sometimes while creating or restoring a backup file if the situation of unexpected system shutdown takes place, then it may result corruption in the files. This may also happen that the storage media in which we have saved or stored the BKF file gets malfunctioned or crashed. Due to this "storage media malfunctioned", the saved BKF files may become inaccessible or corrupted. We all know that the catalog file is an important part of a BAK file. It stores all the information related to the data and the files such as: file name, size, path or location, date and time, etc. Sometimes a situation like "missing of catalog file" may take place and this may result in a corrupt or invalid BKF file. A BKF file may become inaccessible or invalid if a catalog file is missing from it. These are the most common reasons behind backup file corruption. And only because of these reasons we may receive some corruption errors:

"Backup Exec 11d e000fe36- Corrupt data encountered".
"An inconsistency was encountered in the requested backup file".
"CRC failed" error.
"The backup file contains unrecognized data and cannot be used."
These are some most frequent errors which take place at the time of corruption. We must remove or fix these errors from corrupt BKF file; otherwise we cannot restore our data from it. In such a crucial situation we can use a third-party BKF Recovery tool since we have no other option. But before buying any third-party recovery software, we must use its free demo version. The demo version is a freeware that allows us to check the software before buying its full version. And if we feel satisfied, then we can go for its full version. A third-party recovery tool can easily recover our data from corrupt BKF files. It is an easy-to-use application that does not require any special technical knowledge to use it.

Backup Exec BKF Repair software is an advanced BKF Recovery solution offered by SysInfoTools. The software is highly capable and efficient to fix corrupt BKF files of NT-Backup and Symantec (VERITAS) Backup Exec. It supports recovery of compressed BKF file as well split BKF file, which is split into multiple parts. This is the only software that supports the recovery of compress and split BKF files. It enables users to save the recovered data at user desired location. It contains a highly intuitive and user-friendly interface for technical and non-technical users. Users can download the free demo of the software before buying the full version.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Naitik_Semwaal

Wandering Willows 2

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 13:52:00 +0800

Wandering Willows 2 Is Something So Incredibly Alluring You'll Burn Through A Few Hours Of Game Time Before You Realize What Hit You. Not Only Does Wandering Willows Contain Charming And Adorable Scenes And Characters, But Also Humor And The Freedom To Do Things In No Particular Order. Immerse Yourself In The Fantastical World Of Wandering Willows, A Casual Adventure Game From Play First. After Crash-Landing Your Balloon On A Mysterious Island,

Help The Islanders With Their Daily Tasks As They Help To Fix Your Balloon. Fear Not -- You're Not Alone on Your Quests! With Over 30 Enchanting Pets to Befriend and Train, You're sure to Find Just the Right Help to Garden, Bake, Create Clothing, Find Treasures, and And More for the Amusing Inhabitants!

Features:

Tons of adorable pets
Craft and charm your way home
Enter a world full of surprises!

Wandering Willows 2

Sally Spa PC Game

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 9 Mar 2013 13:40:00 +0800

Sally's back and ready to take the spa world by storm! Indulge yourself with hours of fast fun in ten original spa locations around the world. Refresh your customers with facials, manicures, massages, and more. Enhance the experience of your clients with more than 65 upgrades for your rapidly growing business. Melt away the stress from a wide variety of customers including blushing brides, demanding fashionistas, relaxing couples, and more! A wonderful escape for gamers of all ages, join Sally on her adventure in the business of fun!

After a much needed break from life in the hair salon business, Sally and her friend Nell are teaming up to take the Spa world by storm. Visit 10 gorgeous Spa locations spread across the world, on a quest to melt away everyone’s stresses by relaxing in your Spa.

50 colorful levels.
10 unique spa locations.
12 customer types.
More than 65 upgrades.
Soothing graphics and music.
Numerous assistants.

System Requirements

Windows:

Windows 2000/XP/Vista
500MHz or faster Processor
256MB RAM
DirectX 7.0 or better

Mac:

Sorry, not available for Mac.

Gadget Tycoon

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 7 Mar 2013 13:33:00 +0800

Gadget Tycoon, along with a video trailer and a group of screenshots from the game that show off its colorful cartoon-style graphics and animation. In Gadget Tycoon, players will assume the role of a college dropout who rents a run-down warehouse with the dream of starting a company. As the leader of the start-up company, players will decide what products to develop and manufacture, how to get financing, and where to advertise.

The game includes 10 single-player missions, as well as freeplay and multiplayer modes. Players can develop, manufacture, and sell three different products: a futuristic toilet, jet-powered in-line skates, or housekeeping robots. Each product can be customized with more than 30 components--for example, toilets can be built with TV sets, voice-activated flushing, and built-in bidets.

Gadget Tycoon will let players make moral decisions, such as whether to get funding from respectable banks or from the mafia and whether to pay for legitimate research or use industrial spies to get the technology necessary to build the desired product.

Gadget Tycoon

Pizza tycoon

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 5 Mar 2013 13:55:00 +0800

Pizza tycoon was one of those games that swarmed into the shops after the major success of Transport Tycoon. It is not as commonly known as its big brother (or as good), but it is a fun little game to play once in a while.

You start with a dream of becoming the biggest selling pizza maker in the world and gradually work your way towards this end by winning pizza contests, inventing new pizzas, building the coolest restaurants, and of course, by blowing your rivals up! The game has two sides; one is the friendly and inventive pizza maker…. And the other is a sinister and cold-hearted Mafia boss! Not only do you in the end rule the pizza market, but you also rule the underworld!

The process of making a new recipe for your restaurants are based on real pizza making, and I find it difficult to play this game without wanting a pizza afterwards. Building a new restaurant is also great fun, as it enables you to use your creativity to make every little detail. Remember to build a restaurant that people will like. Pizza Tycoon is one of the rare games out there where beauty is a necessity in all that you do.

Graphics in the game is extremely well made from the maps of the city and the world, to the details on the pizza and the flowers in your little pizza place. Microprose has succeeded in creating a game that is fun, inventive and new. Pizzas will never be the same!

Pizza tycoon

Hollywood Tycoon

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 3 Mar 2013 14:23:00 +0800

In Hollywood Tycoon, Your Uncle Irving Has Died And Left You His Movie Studio! The Catch? It's Failing Terribly. You'll Need To Use All Of Your Tycoon Business Skills To Bring Tinsel Town Studio Back To Its Former Glory, Or Else Its Bankruptcy For Old Uncle Irving's Legacy. As The New Head Of The Studio In This Tycoon-Style Game, You'll Be In Charge Of Everything From Scripts To Sets. You'll Start Off Building Cheap, Poor Buildings Full Of Shoddy Workers And Then Build Expansions To Improve Their Quality As The Game Goes On. The Object Of The Game Is To Make Films By Matching Actors To Scripts And Rolling Tape In The Hopes Of Striking Box Office Gold.

You'll Earn More Money By Matching The Right Kinds Of Actors To The Right Kinds Of Scripts, Which Is Where The Bulk Of The Game Play In Hollywood Tycoon Truly Lies. Every Script And Actor Has A Score In Each Of Four Categories; Drama, Romance, Comedy And Action. If You’re Script Has 4 Stars In Comedy And Romance, But Only One In Action And Two In Drama, You'll Want To Find An Actor With Strong Comedy And Romance Scores. Stick The Right Types Of Actors In The Right Types Of Films (I.E. Match Categories) And Increase The Overall Quality Of The Film, Raising Profits.
There's Also A Gambling Element To Hollywood Tycoon That Will Help Keep You On Your Toes Once You Get Used To The Busy Business Of Film Production. Each Completed Film Will Provide You With The Opportunity To Check The Reviews It's Received. If You Choose To Do This You'll Activate A Slot Machine Mini-Game That Gives Thumbs Up And Thumbs Down. Earn More Thumbs Up Than Down And You’ll Get A Bonus. Get More Down Than Up And You'll Lose Money. It's Risky, But The Right Click Can Turn A Financially Terrible Production Into A Veritable Gold Mine Should Lady Luck Smile On You.

Features:

Create your own AVASTAR
Build and manage your own studio lot
Oversee the production of Blockbuster Films
Collect Awards and Achievements

Hollywood Tycoon

System Requirements:

Pentium III 1000 MHz
1 GB RAM
100MB free hard drive space
Windows XP/Vista

Typing Instructor for Kids Platinum 5

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 1 Mar 2013 14:29:00 +0800

Typing Instructor for Kids Platinum is the typing program for kids. It is the only typing software designed to teach young children to type that’s packed with just the right mixture of education, entertainment, and motivation, so kids can improve their typing skills quickly and see immediate results. Kids learn to type with 10 age-appropriate lesson plans for specific age groups, beginning with ages 6 & 7. Variety of ways to practice typing, with games, lessons, drills, advanced skill-building lessons and challenges, plus 40 engaging Practice Stories. Kids learn to type on an exciting adventure on Typer Island. They learn all keyboard basics following an age-appropriate Typing Plan. Step-by-step lessons, challenges, tests, and games motivate kids to keep typing their way around the Island to reach the Castle, advance to the Lost City, and become touch-typists! Kids can learn in English or Spanish.

Typing Instructor for Kids Platinum 5

Island Adventure Theme Motivates Kids to Improve Typing Skills

Reward-Seeking Program!

Kids type their way around Typer Island to reach

the Castle and advance to the Lost City!

This program offers rewards every step of the way! Kids visit distinct lands for lessons, challenges, tests, and games. They search for treasures, earn points, and add gold and jewels to their treasure box, on a journey to reach the Castle and become the Ruler of Typer Island. Once they reach the Castle, they advance to the Lost City, for more challenges and exciting games!

Explore Distinct Lands!

Kids visit The Old West, On the Water, In the Air, Over the Edge, and Under the Sea. They can take a break from lessons and go to Explorer Isle to play games, or to Story Lagoon to practice typing stories from Classic Literature and Fairy Tales.

Exciting Castle Adventures!

Once kids get to the Castle, they can play new games, like Tomb Typer and Xtreme Typing, and they can go to the Lost City for Treasure Quest and the ever-challenging Ziggy!

The Lost City is underwater and only accessible by first Capturing the Castle!

The Lost City is underwater and only accessible

by first Capturing the Castle!

The Mysterious Lost City!

Kids get to visit the Lost City once they complete the lessons, tests, and challenges of all five lands on Typer Island and "Capture the Castle!" In the Lost City they can explore the ruins and the shipwreck, and play Treasure Quest, the first typing adventure game, and the challenging arcade action game, Ziggy.

30+ Game Challenges!

Typing Instructor for Kids Platinum uses "Entertainment Explosion," to make learning to type fun and exciting. Kids can play games in a variety of ways by selecting options from the game settings menu. Arcade-style play and multiple levels make games extremely challenging and fun.

Typing Challenges and Tests Increase Speed and Accuracy

Typing Challenges

There are over 30 typing challenges. These include:
Comprehensive Evaluation
Timed Challenges
Advanced Level Challenges
Multi-Level Game Challenges

Typing Tests

There are hundreds of tests in Typing Instructor Platinum for Kids. Tests measure speed and accuracy, and results are provided for adjusted words per minute, based on both typing accuracy and speed.

Instant Results Give Kids Incentive to Improve Keyboarding Skills

Typing Progress Results

Instant Feedback is provided on typing results. Kids can see how they did on a lesson, challenge, test, or game right away. Results are given for:

WPM scores & Accuracy Percentages
Results Calculated from All Activities
Performance Assessment for Key, Finger, Hand & Row
Printable Results
Results Tracked for five Typists

Performance assessments are provided by key, finger, hand, and row.

Certificates of Achievement

Kids can print a certificate of achievement to show they have successfully conquered Typer Island and Rule the Island!

Charts and Feedback

Detailed results show kids the keys they know well and the keys that need more practice.

Creative Lessons and Exercises Help Kids Learn to Type

Step-by-Step Typing Instruction is provided, including proper posture, finger position, and ergonomic features. Visual Guides show finger/key placement.

Lessons include step-by-step

instruction with visual 3D guide hands.

Lesson Plans

There are 10 customized lesson plans to teach kids of all ages to type:
Learning the Home Row
Home Row and Upper Row
Home Row and Lower Row
Ages 7-8
Ages 9-10
Games Plan
Skill Building Plan
Suggested Typing Plan (no games)
Suggested Typing Plan

Learn in English and Spanish

There are 160 lessons, in English and Spanish. All lessons include:

Structured Touch-Typing Content
Proven Methods for Skill-Building
Unique Drills & Interactive Exercises
Age-Appropriate Content
Graphic Guide Hands
Standard & Split Keyboards
Multi-Skill Levels

Keep your fingers on the keyboard

as you move your motorcycle

across the desert in Xtreme Typing!

Multi-Level Games Make Learning to Type Fun

Typing Instructor for Kids Platinum has over 30+ Game Challenges! Kids can play games in a variety of ways by selecting options from the drop down menu, including words per minute (wpm), level of difficulty, and in some games, select an opponent. Games include multiple levels of play and points scored, so kids are motivated to win the first level, advance to the next level, and achieve a high game score!

Keep your fingers on the keyboard as you move your motorcycle across the desert in Xtreme Typing!

New! Xtreme Typing

This fast moving game teaches kids to keep their fingers on the keyboard to move their motorcycle across the desert and through the heart of the city. When they type accurately and faster than their target words per minute, they see a motorcycle stunt fest! Their bike makes several jumps, flies off ramps, rolls over limousines, and flies over buses.

New! Typing With Sharks

This action-packed, underwater adventure helps kids learn challenging keys on the keyboard. They type words quickly to zap hungry sharks and piranhas before they attack their submarine. The deeper they dive, the harder it is to escape, especially from the electric eel, giant squid and the boss shark.

New! Flotsam Fighter

Kids use their Flotsam Fighter Space Ship to clean-up space debris (flotsam), and save all four planets in the Aeon Galaxy by zapping space debris from around the planets. The more debris they collect, the more intergalactic credits they earn. Eight challenging levels of play help them develop their typing speed, typing accuracy, and save the Galaxy!

New! Tomb Typer!

This 3D interactive game helps kids to improve their typing skills and use their wits! They search an ancient Egyptian tomb by correctly typing words and characters to navigate their way through two levels of intriguing exploration for treasure.

The Features of Typing Instructor for Kids Platinum

Typing Plans

Exclusive! Learn in English or Spanish!
Exclusive! Choose from 10 Typing Plans for specific age groups!

Lessons

Structured touch-typing content
160 Lessons
Proven methods for skill-building
Age-appropriate content
Standard and split keyboard lessons
3D guide hands for all keyboards

Typing Challenges & Tests

Exclusive! 30+ game challenges
Exclusive! Advanced level challenges
Proficiency tests and advancement level tests

Progress & Results

Exclusive! Instantly tracks results!
Exclusive! WPM scores and accuracy percentages
Exclusive! Pass tests and get rewards
Performance assessment for key, finger, hand, and row
Results calculated from all activities
Full-color progress charts and graphs
Printable results
Certificates of Achievement

Practice Activities

Exclusive! Practice how to type and ergonomics
Exclusive! Practice games on Explorer Isle and in the Castle Arcade
Advanced skill-building lessons and challenges

Motivational Features

Exclusive! Exciting castle-seeking theme
Exclusive! Visit 5 unique lands on Typer Island
Exclusive! Capture the Castle & advance to the Lost City

Games & Entertainment

Exclusive! Multi-play games! Play games the way you want!
Exclusive! Multi-level games! More challenges as you advance

McAfeeTotal Protection 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 14:07:00 +0800

The bottom reviews are by a bunch of people who have no clue hows business works. Of course McAfee and Norton will try to have you renew their product for the full price, that is how they make the money. The lazy and stupid people will go ahead and renew without shopping around. If you are smart and use your head like you are supposed to, you will shop around and usually find the newer retail version for cheaper than the renewal fee. All you do is input the new CD Key into your account and you are golden.

McAfee is so much better than Norton. It takes less memory usage and does not slow down your computer. I have been working in the IT industry for the past 7 years and basically only use McAfee. It's easy to use and setup. It's on all the work computers and personal computers. Have never had any issues with it unlike Norton. Norton would still permit spyware and virus to enter where mcafee stops it dead.

McAfeeTotal Protection 2013

Product Features McAfeeTotal Protection 2013

New High-performance scanning engine-We built our next-generation scanning engine to guard your PC from the latest viruses, Trojans, spyware, rootkits, and other threats, all without seriously compromising battery life or slowing your PC down.
Enhance Safe searching and shopping-With color-coded icons next to every search result, including popular social networking sites, you'll know if the site you're about to visit is safe
Enhance Anti spam -We'll filter out all the shady stuff to keep you and your inbox protected. And the anti -spam engine integrates with new technology to make sure the right emails are making it into your inbox
Parental controls let you block inappropriate sites with age based rules and adjustable categories.
Find out what your kids have been up to online through the surfing report. You'll know when they log in, any attempts to access forbidden sites, and how much time they've spent online

Kaspersky Internet Security 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:44:00 +0800

Kaspersky Internet Security 2013 delivers premium PC protection from all Internet threats, ensuring you're always safe as you use the web to bank, shop, surf, social network, and more. Unique technologies, such as Safe Money and Secure Keyboard, protect your financial transactions via online banks, payment systems such as PayPal, and e-stores. Plus, Kaspersky Internet Security 2013 is optimized for maximum performance, so you'll never be slowed down as you use the Internet to its full potential.

Kaspersky Internet Security has yet again proved itself as a dominant player in the security market with its 2013 version. Almost any internet security comes with a 2 way Firewall, anti-spam and anti-identity theft tools. Tools which are not usually included in the anti-virus suites of any company. Hence I always suggest people to buy Internet Security suites and not just the anti-virus, regardless of the security company in question. Anyway, here are some points as to why I like Kaspersky Internet Security.

Kaspersky Internet Security 2013

Often security softwares tend to be unnecessarily complicated, causing the users to not use most of the features that the software comes with. Thankfully, Kaspersky has a user friendly interface which is usable to people of almost any technical level. The software notifies you in a very non-obtrusive way when a potential threat is detected. Different features in the software such as Network monitoring, handling quarantine, scanning, updating, etc. is very easy.
The drawback of having any anti-virus program is that it bogs down your processor and ram, and seems intrusive in most actions you might take. Kaspersky Internet Security on the other hand is very light on the system, using under 5mb of ram in the background, which is astoundingly low.
I have used many paid and free internet security solutions out there. McAfee, Norton, AVG amongst others. And time and again I see that Kaspersky Internet Security is the most successful in blocking worms, trojans and viruses. Quite savvy with technology, I very rarely present myself to a vulnerable situation. But even then, my computer does come in contact with infected files somehow or the other (flash drives usually). But Kaspersky Internet Security has kept me safe every single file.
Safe Money - This is one of the killer features of Kaspersky. I use online commerce and banking services alot. Hence that makes me paranoid about wanting to stay protected. And Kaspersky Internet Security has helped me easy that paranoia to a large extent with this feature. Despite encryption and other means, commerce online is still faced with vulnerabilities in the network and browser. So when you visit the login page of the desired commerce website (like ebay, paypal or your bank website) Kaspersky Internet Security opens a new protected instance of your browser, and checks the URL and certificate of the website. This is especially important as scammers often use legitimate looking spoofs of websites and grab hold of the customer's info once they enter it (this is called phishing. This is a great feature!
Finally Kaspersky Internet Security installs nifty little things like a virtual keyboard and anti spam banner on your browsers. These again help thwart spurious websites and keyloggers.
Kaspersky Internet Security also comes with highly customizable parental control features, which help protect and control the computer use of your child.

Product Features

Real-time protection against all viruses and Internet threats
Secures online banking and shopping with unique Safe Money technology
Uses real-time, proactive and cloud technologies to detect new, emerging and unknown threats
Instant safety checks on fi les, applications and websites
Rollback of harmful malware activity

System Requirements

Platform: Windows 7 / Vista / 2000 / XP

Sony Movie Studio Platinum Suite 12

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 08:31:00 +0800

Create movies in stunning AVCHD and stereoscopic 3D. Edit audio in Sound Forge Audio Studio, upload movies to Pixel cast, and burn to DVD or Blu-ray Disc; all with Sony Movie Studio Platinum Suite 12. With innovative and powerful features for video compositing, color correction, and animated titling, professional-grade results are easier to achieve than ever. Use the surround sound mixing tools to create 5.1 soundtracks. Add style with the NewBlueFX 3D Titling and Video Effects. Complement your film with 50 Sony Sound Series: Production Music soundtracks. When you’re ready, upload completed projects to your free Pixelcast Plus* account and invite others to collaborate.

Highlights

Edit and produce movies with special effects and transitions
Create DVDs and Blu-ray Disc media with custom menus and graphics
Utilize innovative 2-D and stereoscopic 3-D tools
Share movies on Pixelcast, YouTube, iPod, iPhone, and more
Follow along with Show Me How tutorials and learn as you go
Select from 50 Sony Sound Series: Production Music files
64-bit support
Simplified event edge trimming

New Features

Publish to Pixelcast

Movie Studio Platinum Suite

Publish movies to Pixelcast without ever leaving the application (U.S. only). Have friends upload their movies and photos to Pixelcast to collaborate on a fun, unique experience together.

50 Sony Sound Series Production Music files

These royalty-free soundtracks add the perfect atmosphere to almost any project.

Windows Vista and Windows 7 64-bit support

Access more system RAM by installing the 64-bit version of Movie Studio Platinum 12 onto your 64-bit machine.

Simplified event edge trimming

Users can now trim events on the timeline in a simple two-step process.

3-D Blu-ray Disc and Internet project templates in New Project dialog

3-D templates have been added to the New Project dialog box, making it faster and more straightforward to create 3-D projects right away.

Up to 20 video tracks

Produce intricate video projects or record multi-track audio as Movie Studio Platinum now supports up to 20 video and 20 audio tracks.

Simplified event edge trimming

Split and Trim toolbar buttons

Toolbar buttons have been added for event splitting and trimming. This reduces the how-to guesswork and enables users to make edits faster.

Floating Windows controls

The Stereoscopic 3-D Adjust plug-in contains new tools to fix stereoscopic 3-D screen edge violations. In addition, the horizontal and vertical offset of 3-D images can be adjusted to correct the perceived depth of field.

Color-coded visual indicator that an event has been added to timeline

A glowing box now appears around newly added events on the timeline, making a clearer indication where it was placed within the project.

Specifications

Platinum Suite also includes:

Movie Studio Platinum 12
DVD Architect Studio 5
Sound Forge Audio Studio 10
50 Sony Sound Series: Production Music soundtracks
Red Giant Magic Bullet Quick Looks
NewBlueFX 3D Titling and Video Effects
iZotope Vocal Eraser
Jump Start video tutorials
Anaglyphic 3-D glasses

Minimum System Requirements

Microsoft Windows Vista 32-bit or 64-bit SP2 or Windows 7 32-bit or 64-bit
2 GHz processor (multicore or multiprocessor CPU recommended for HD or stereoscopic 3-D)
500 MB hard-disk space for program installation
2 GB RAM (4 GB recommended)
IEEE-1394DV card (for DV capture and print-to-tape)
USB 2.0 connection (for importing from AVCHD, XDCAM EX, NXCAM, or DVD camcorders)
512 MB GPU memory
Supported NVIDIA** or AMD*** GPU
Windows-compatible sound card
DVD-ROM drive (for installation from a DVD only)
Supported CD-recordable drive (for CD burning only)
Supported DVD-R/-RW/+R/+RW (for DVD burning only)
Supported BD-R/-RE drive (for Blu-ray Disc burning only)
Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 (included on application disc)
Apple QuickTime 7.1.6 or later for reading and writing QuickTime files
Internet Connection (for Gracenote MusicID Service)
Supported Formats (Import): AA3, AAC, AIFF, AVI, BMP, CDA, FLAC, GIF, JPEG, MP3, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, MVC, OGG, OMA, PCA, PNG, QuickTime, RealMedia, SFA, SND, W64, WAV, WDP, WMA, WMV
Supported Formats (Export): AA3,AAC, AC3, AIFF, AVC, AVI, BMP, FLAC, JPEG, LPEC, MP3, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, MVC, OGG, PCA, PNG, QuickTime, RealMedia, TIFF, W64, WAV, WDP, WMA, WMV

Autodesk SketchBook Pro 6

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 13:44:00 +0800

Autodesk SketchBook Pro for Windows/Mac is a fun and intuitive paint and drawing application, enabling you to transform your computer into the ultimate artist toolkit. With the tools designed for professional artists, illustrators and designers, SketchBook Pro’s easy-to-use interface will unlock the artist in everyone. SketchBook Pro is specially optimized to work in companion with pen tablets such as Wacom Bamboo, Intuos, and Cintq products or with Windows-based tablet devices to deliver an authentic drawing experience and supports multi-touch navigation support on the latest Wacom devices.

The award-winning application for everyone who loves to draw. Autodesk SketchBook Pro for Windows/Mac is a fun and intuitive paint and drawing application, enabling you to transform your computer into the ultimate artist toolkit. With the best-in-class tools designed for professional artists, illustrators and designers, SketchBook Pro’s easy-to-use interface will unlock the artist in everyone. SketchBook Pro is specially optimized to work in companion with pen tablets such as Wacom Bamboo, Intuos, and Cintq products or with Windows-based tablet devices to deliver an authentic drawing experience and supports multi-touch navigation support on the latest Wacom devices.

Key Benefits and Features

Free up the sketching process with ultra-responsive digital pencils, pens, markers, paintbrushes and airbrushes that look and feel just like the real thing.

Designed to feel and respond just like a physical sketchpad when used in companion with pen tablets such as Wacom Bamboo, Intuos, and Cintq products or with Windows-based tablet devices.

Streamlined interface delivering an unobstructed and discoverable environment, keeping you in the creative zone.

Featuring Copic Markers and the Copic Color System

Familiar tools make it easy to get started, including pencils, paintbrushes, markers, airbrushes, erasers, flood fill tools, and smudge brushes.

Draw Styles and Guide tools, like French curves, help create clean and precise strokes.

Multi-touch navigation support on the latest Wacom devices.

Synthetic paintbrushes that behave more like traditional paint mediums, such as acrylics.

Smudge brushes for blending colors.

Even more brush controls to customize.

Product Features

Free up the sketching process with ultra-responsive digital pencils, pens, markers, paintbrushes and airbrushes that look and feel just like the real thing. Designed to feel and respond just like a physical sketchpad when used in companion with pen tablets such as Wacom Bamboo, Intuos, and Cintq products or with Windows-based tablet devices.

Familiar tools make it easy to get started, including pencils, paintbrushes, markers, airbrushes, erasers, flood fill tools, and smudge brushes. Draw Styles & Guide tools, like French curves, help create clean and precise strokes Streamlined interface delivering an unobstructed and discoverable environment, keeping you in the creative zone.

System Requirements

Windows

Microsoft Windows7 or Windows XP

1 GHz Intel or AMD processor

1 GB of RAM

Graphics card capable of 1,024 x 768 display with 128MB RAM

Pressure-sensitive tablet and pen recommended for basic features

Mac

Apple Mac OS Version 10.6, 10.7, or 10.8, 1GHz, Intel-Based CPU

1GB of RAM

Graphics card capable of 1,024 x 768 display with 128MB RAM, recommended with Core Image Support

Pressure-sensitive tablet and pen recommended for basic features

Dragon Premium 12, Student / Teacher Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 10:46:00 +0800

Dragon NaturallySpeaking 12 Premium speech recognition software ignites new levels of personal productivity and convenience by enabling you to interact with your PC by voice. Dictate or modify documents, spreadsheets and presentations, manage e-mail, search the web, post to Facebook and Twitter, and more. Launch applications, select menu items, save files, and switch windows using simple voice commands or create your own custom commands to insert boilerplate text and/or graphics. Even dictate notes into a digital voice recorder or a compatible iOS device and Dragon will later transcribe the recorded files into text on your PC. Dragon 12 Premium is your key to less stress and more success at home, school, work, or wherever life takes you.

Key New Features

Natural-sounding text-to-speech reads back editable text for easy proofing or multitasking.
Smart Format Rules allow Dragon to adapt by detecting your format corrections - abbreviations, numbers, and more - so your dictated text looks the way you want it every time.
An interactive tutorial provides simulations to enable you to learn and practice good dictation, correction, and editing habits.
Use Dragon with two of the most popular web-based e-mail applications - Gmail and Hotmail - with Full Text Control and commands for the most frequent actions.
Use a Bluetooth wireless headset for superior comfort and mobility.
Use your iPhone, iPod touch (4th gen), iPad or your compatible Android device as a remote microphone.
Dragon 12 delivers up to a 20% improvement in out-of-box accuracy compared to Dragon 11.
If you use Dragon on a computer with multi-core processors and more than 4 GB of RAM, Dragon 12 automatically selects the BestMatch V speech model for you when you create your user profile in order to deliver faster performance.
Dragon 12 boosts performance by delivering easier correction and editing options, and giving you more control over your command preferences.

Ignite Productivity with Fast, Accurate Dictation

Say words and watch them appear on your computer screen — three times faster than typing — with up to 99% recognition accuracy right out of the box. Correcting or revising your dictated text is fast and simple, too. Natural-sounding Text-to-Speech reads editable text for easy proofing or multi-tasking. Dragon adapts to your voice and the words you use to deliver better recognition results over time. You can even personalize Dragon with your own custom vocabulary of acronyms, proper names and other unique phrases that you frequently use. Dragon can even adapt its format rules by detecting your format corrections – abbreviations, numbers, and more so your dictated text looks the way you want it to every time.

Ignite Proficiency and Ease of Use, Right Out of the Box

Thanks to the new interactive tutorial’s simulations, you can learn and practice good dictation, correction and editing habits so that you can create text efficiently within just a few minutes. The Dragon Help system contains a Tip of the Day window and other easy ways for you to quickly learn what interests you. The Dragon Sidebar puts important voice commands and tips in one convenient desktop location. And on-screen help means information is always available when you need it.

Ignite Freedom and Comfort at Your PC

Say "goodbye" to repetitive stress injuries. Use your PC in a comfortable, ergonomic way without being tied to your keyboard and mouse. Open applications or folders, select menu items, click or move the mouse, press keys, switch from one window to another and more using simple voice commands. Use your Apple iPhone, iPad or iPod touch (4th gen) or your Android device as a wireless microphone over Wi-Fi for optimal convenience. Wideband Bluetooth support delivers outstanding wireless performance with no training required.

Ignite Convenience by Using Your Favorite Applications

In addition to DragonPad, the built-in text editor, you can use Dragon 12 Home with many of your favorite Windows applications.

Dictate documents in Microsoft Word, Corel WordPerfect, or OpenOffice Writer.
Send e-mail in Microsoft Outlook or Windows LiveMail.
Work with spreadsheets in Microsoft Excel.
Create presentation text in Microsoft PowerPoint.
Search the web using Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, or Google Chrome.
Post to Facebook or Twitter.

Dragon 12 Home even enhances the experience of using your voice with two of the most popular web-based email applications — Gmail and Hotmail — offering Full Text Control and commands for the most frequent actions in Internet Explorer 9, Mozilla Firefox 10 or higher, and Google Chrome 16 or higher.

Use a Bluetooth wireless headset for

superior comfort and mobility

Ignite Efficiency with Voice-Driven Multitasking

Dragon Voice Shortcuts collapse common multi-step tasks into direct voice commands you can use at any time, no matter which applications are currently active. For example, say: "Send email to John Smith and Raphael Sanchez" or "Search maps for financial advisors in Boston, Massachusetts" or "search Google for 87 divided by 12" and Dragon makes it happen. You can also say "open top site for Facebook" and Dragon automatically opens the top-ranked page for these keywords. You can even use voice commands to create e-mails, schedule tasks and appointments, and search your computer faster than ever before.

Ignite Mobility for Productivity On-the-Go

A free Dragon Recorder app lets you record high-quality audio files using your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch (4th gen). For more advanced recording functionality, dictate into a Nuance-approved digital voice recorder, and then have Dragon transcribe the audio files into text when you return to your PC. These mobile recording capabilities enable you to capture thoughts while they’re still fresh in your mind to produce detailed, high-quality reports, papers, proposals, meeting minutes, and more.

System Requirements

CPU

Recommended: 2.2 GHz Intel dual core or equivalent AMD processor

Minimum: 1 GHz Intel Pentium or equivalent AMD processor or 1.66 GHz Intel Atom processor

NOTE: Faster processors yield faster performance. SSE2 instruction set is required.

Processor Cache

Recommended: 2 MB L2 cache
Minimum: 512 KB L2 cache
Free Hard Disk Space
3.2 GB
4 GB for localized non-English versions

Supported Operating Systems

Microsoft Windows 7 and higher, 32-bit and 64-bit
Microsoft Windows Vista SP2, 32-bit and 64-bit
Microsoft Windows XP SP3, 32-bit only
Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2, 32-bit and 64-bit

RAM

Recommended: 2 GB for Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2008 32-bit; 4 GB for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 64-bit
Minimum:1 GB for Windows XP and Windows Vista; 2 GB for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008

Other

Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 or higher for online help
Sound card supporting 16-bit recording
DVD-ROM drive for installation
Nuance-approved noise-canceling headset microphone (included in purchase)

Dead Space 3 PC Game

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 13:47:00 +0800

The original Dead Space will always be remembered as a game that scares the crap out of you and as much as I loved the first two titles, this one falls short in terms of atmosphere. With that being said, everything else feels a lot better in Dead Space 3. The game feels more fast paced than the first two titles and you are never given a moment to rest or even think of what weapon to choose from. I found myself looking behind most of the time because I was so scared of someone coming after me and scaring the crap out of me. After having completed the game, I definitely feel like the game was extremely well made and the fans of the original Dead Space will absolutely love this game. The graphics are superb and there are some scenes that really stand out in the game. You will know what I'm talking about when you play the game. The sound is what makes this game stand out from every other game out there. I cannot explain how realistic the sound in this game is. You will have to play the game to find out because there's no word to describe how great the sound is.

Visuals

It's a bit scary how real everything looks in this game with high level of detail in both the environment and characters. The character animations are some of the best I have seen in my life. One of the things that make this game such an incredible experience is the lighting, environment and the artists have done an incredible job at making this game feel like a real place. Some of the environments in the game remind me of Doom 3 which is great because I loved Doom 3. There are some portions of the game where you just have to stop, look around and just absorb all the details that is around you.

Sound

The sound in this game does an amazing job at creating an incredible atmosphere of fear and tension throughout the game. There were some moments where I became so scared because I kept hearing squishy sounds coming from the air vent but I didn't know where exactly that I almost ran away from the computer. I honestly believe that the sound in this game is its best and strongest point.

Gameplay

The gameplay in Dead Space is excellent and it gives you a variety of interesting guns. The controls feel great and fluid for most of the time but there were some moments when you get crowded by monsters and it's hard to focus. Creatures are killed easily when you shoot off their limbs but usually take a lot of hits if you're just aiming for the body so it lends a whole strategic kind of thing to the mayhem. The gameplay is similar to Dead Space 2 so that's nice.

Overall, I found Dead Space 3 to be an improvement from Dead Space 2. It has amazing graphics, a great story, and one of the most realistic sound experiences you will ever find in a game. The only negative that I can think of is that I found the original Dead Space game to be creepier than Dead Space 3 but that doesn't mean Dead Space 3 isn't creepy because it is. I definitely recommend it to the fans who loved the first two titles because Dead Space 3 will make you crap your pants. I give this game a 10/10 even though I didn't find it to be as creepy as the original game.

Dead Space 3 brings Isaac Clarke and merciless soldier John Carver on a journey across space to discover the source of the Necromorph outbreak. Crash-landed on the frozen planet of Tau Volantis, Isaac must comb the harsh environment for raw materials and scavenged parts. He will then put his engineering skills to the ultimate test to create and customize weapons and survival tools. The ice planet holds the key to ending the Necromorph plague forever, but first Isaac must overcome avalanches, treacherous ice-climbs, and the violent wilderness. Facing deadlier evolved enemies and the brutal elements, Isaac can choose to team up, not only for his own survival, but for that of mankind's. Play together with a friend or go it alone as Isaac Clarke using the seamless new drop in, drop out co-op functionality. Each mode offers unique story elements and gameplay.

KEY FEATURES

Team up and take down the terror together
Play the full campaign in online co-op or single player
Easy drop-in and drop-out play
Head planet side and experience a hostile new environment
Discover underworld cities and accept side missions
Explore the frozen terrain and search abandoned encampments
Uncover the past and embark on a thrilling expedition to save mankind
Discover the source of the Necromorph terror and fight to fend off the extinction of the human race

Minimum System Requirements

OS: Windows XP (SP3), Vista (SP1) or Windows 7
CPU: 2.8 GHz processor or equivalent
Memory: 1 GB RAM (XP), 2 GB RAM (Vista or Windows 7)
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 6800 or better (7300, 7600 GS, and 8500 are below minimum system requirements)
ATI X1600 Pro or better (X1300, X1300 Pro and HD2400 are below minimum system requirements)
256MB Video Card and Shader Model 3.0 required
DirectX: The latest version of DirectX 9.0c
Hard drive: At least 10GB of hard drive space for installation, plus additional space for saved games.

Norton Internet Security 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 11:17:00 +0800

Symantec has moved Norton 360 to the same release schedule as Norton Internet Security 2013 and Norton AntiVirus, making them into a three-tiered strategy for consumer security. Norton AntiVirus is the entry-level product, with Norton Internet Security occupying the middle rung and Norton 360 aimed at people who want the most bang for the most buck.

Notoriously slow to respond to trends, the consumer security field is surprisingly not taking Windows 8 lying down. Norton and many of its competitors are optimizing their suites for Microsoft's new operating system ahead of its release, and Norton is combining that strategy with efforts to protect you on social networks, protection against scams and other social engineering attacks, and a bolstered firewall.

Norton Internet Security’s five patented layers of protection and powerful cloud features protect you from threats, no matter where you go or what you do online.
Benefits

Say goodbye to viruses

It's okay to blink, because we never do – SONAR technology and live 24x7 Threat Monitoring watch over your PC for any suspicious behavior to quickly identify threats.

Download away – we scan the files you download and eliminate online threats that we find.

Deep clean your PC – our powerful Threat-Removal Layer targets and scrubs out aggressive, hard-to-remove infections that less sophisticated products often miss.

Harness global power – only Norton™ can bring you the ultra-fast Network Defense Layer to block a multitude of threats before they can even touch your PC.

Protection from the future, available today – our exclusive reputation and behavior antivirus technology are so advanced that they can stop online threats that bad guys haven't even created yet.

Keep out trespassers – Browser Protection blocks unsafe websites that secretly download software that can steal personal information or take over your PC.

Norton Internet Security 2013

Protects Against

All types of viruses and spyware
Online identity theft when you bank or shop
Bad files and websites when you browse and share
Phishing scams
Theft of your personal information
Hard-to-remove infections
Spyware
Spam
Social network threats when you socialize

Key Features and Benefits

Stops all types of online threats from ever reaching you, no matter where you go or what you do online.

Our five patented layers of protection quickly and accurately detect and eliminate almost any threat, including viruses that hackers haven’t even created yet.

Protects your most personal information when you surf, shop, and socialize online by guarding your browser, your passwords, and your private data.

Ultra-fast Internet network layer stops threats before they can reach your PC.
Browser protection blocks “phishing” websites set up to trick you into revealing your passwords, credit card numbers, and other confidential information.
Scans your Facebook News Feed for dangerous downloads and suspicious links.
Protects your identity by remembering, securing, and automatically entering your user names and passwords.
Makes it easier to protect your kids when they go online by letting you manage Norton Online Family from within the product.

Active virus detection and elimination lets you share freely, without getting or passing on viruses.

Improved SONAR technology and live 24/7 threat monitoring watch your PC for suspicious behavior to quickly identify and protect you from threats that haven’t even been invented yet.
Powerful threat removal layer targets and gets rid of aggressive, hard-to-remove infections that less sophisticated products often miss.

Protects without slowing you down or getting in your way.

Intelligent detection and quiet background operation won’t annoy you with lots of “pop-up” warnings or requests to restart.
Superior performance means fast browsing and file scanning.

Cloud-based Norton Management puts you in complete control and simplifies protecting your various devices.

Lets you fix, update, renew, or install Norton products on additional PCs, without having to find your install CD or product key.
Works from anywhere over the Internet, with a few simple clicks.
Brings together your other Norton protection products in one convenient location.

System Requirements

Operating Systems Supported

Microsoft Windows XP (32-bit) Home/Professional/Tablet PC/Media Center (32-bit) with Service Pack 2 or later
Microsoft Windows Vista (32-bit and 64-bit) Starter/Home Basic/Home Premium/Business/Ultimate with Service Pack 1 or later
Microsoft Windows 7 (32-bit and 64-bit) Starter/Home Basic/Home Premium/Professional/Ultimate
Microsoft Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro (32-bit and 64-bit)

Minimum Hardware Requirements

300 MHz for Microsoft Windows XP, 1 GHz for Microsoft Windows Vista/Windows 7/Windows 81
256 MB of RAM
300 MB of available hard disk space
CD-ROM or DVD drive (if not installing via electronic download)

Email scanning supported for POP3-compatible email clients

Support for Antispam

Microsoft Outlook 2002 or later
Microsoft Outlook Express 6.0 or later
Windows Mail (spam filtering only)

Browser Support for Phishing Protection, Safe Search, and Password Management

Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0 or higher (32-bit only)1
Mozilla Firefox (32-bit only)
Google Chrome

Browser Support for Vulnerability Protection

Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0 or higher (32-bit only)1
Mozilla Firefox (32-bit only)

H&R Block At Home Deluxe

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 10:26:00 +0800

H&R Block At Home Deluxe includes everything needed to easily complete federal and state taxes, plus the tax expertise you can trust. With an easy-to-use interface, H&R Block At Home Deluxe searches for hundreds of deductions to get the biggest refund. Ideal for homeowners and investors, the program includes personalized tax guidance and features available only from H&R Block, such as built-in expertise and audit support, expert advice from our community of tax specialists, an H&R Block enrolled agent to represent you in the event of an audit, and best of all.
H&R Block starts the interview process with an annoying up-sell pitch, recommending an upgrade from Deluxe to Premium even when it is not necessary. It would have better if they waited until the financial information is entered and offered the Premium version only to those for whom it might make sense. What is the difference between Premium and Deluxe? The Premium version offers advanced tools for self-employed and rental property owners: cost basis of home sales, dividents, gifts, and inheritance assets. It has advanced schedule C guidance to maximize deductions for self-employment income. And finally it has guidance for rental property income and expenses. The rest of the Premium package is the same as Deluxe. I am a including a photo (under customer photos) of a table which shows what is included in each package of H&R At Home (Basic vs Deluxe vs Premium).

H&R Block At Home Deluxe

As of 11/19/2012 videos for tax law changes were not available yet (the prompt said coming soon).

Minor pet peeve: Help is not context sensitive. For example, when you click on "learn more" about a particular topic the general help window opens but it does not show help topics for the specific topic that you were working on. Instead you need to search and know which words to use locate the relevant topics.

Good news: DeductionPro 2012 is now integrated into H&R Block, you no longer need to go to H&R web site.

H&R Block provides you some guidance for completing Form 1116 (foreign tax credit, for example from mutual funds). However, you need to keep switching between whole-form view to enter data and then back to interview to read the instructions. Even though the form where you can enter data is visible at the same time as instructions you cannot enter data into it until you switch into whole-form view. This is cumbersome, but at least there is some guidance for this form.

Copy and Paste from Interview screens is not possible. Sometimes I wish to do it for some issue as a reminder to myself. My solution is to do PrintScreen (holding ctl key, shift key, and PrintScreen key at the same time). This generates an image of the screen, which I paste into paint or photo editing software which I can print or save for later.

I don't use the default location for the tax returns due to how I set up my backup software. The H&R Block software does not initially remember this new location on the second start of the application, it told me I have no returns. I needed to pick the return manually from the File menu, as it did remember recently used files. The third time I started the software, it finally knew the location of the tax return file.

I use large font option on my monitor display and in the past had display issues (some things were displayed on top of each other). This year all forms displayed properly with this option. Nice!

I purchased H&R Block Deluxe plus State. This version entitles you to 5 free federal state e-files. There is no free e-file for the state return. If you want to e-file you will need to pay a fee of $19.95 to e-file each state return. This charge can be avoided by printing the forms and mailing them in via post office.

The price on this package changes day to day. I found a nice tools that shows history of Amazon prices. If you enter "price history alert" in Google it will come up at the top, it has the word camel in the name. I find this tool very helpful. I just looked up that the price last year fluctuated between $20 and the list price of $44.99. During the tax preparation season it hit the $20 mark on three different dates. You can set up an alert tool to email you when your desired price has been reached.

For folks trying to download State Forms: State Forms became available on January 17. 2013. If you go to the Software Update Center on H&R website you will see a section called State Updates. Under there you there is a link called "Forms Available". If you click on that, it will show a table that shows availability of forms for each State. When the state forms will become available they can be downloaded by selecting the State Tab and then clicking on the button labeled "Buy" (a little scary since we already paid for it) but then "buy" will turn into "update" and the forms will be downloaded to your computer.

A note for those who use the digital download rather than the boxed edition

Product Features

Platform: PC/Mac

Personalized tax advice

Maximize mortgage interest and charitable deductions

Sale of stocks, bonds, and mutual funds