Ashampoo 3D CAD Professional 4 gets budget price
Ashampoo has released 3D CAD Architecture 4 and 3D CAD Professional 4, the latest editions of its interior and exterior design tools.
And both programs are improved this time by the extended Project Wizard, now an even easier way to start your new design project. Choose your basic building floor shape, enter the dimensions, specify the number of floors and your preferred roof design and that’s it: even if you’ve never used this kind of tool before, you can have the core building shell created within a few moments.
Detect network intruders with SoftPerfect Wifi Guard
It’s important to keep your wireless network secure, and turning your encryption levels to the max is usually a very good place to start.
This doesn’t in itself guarantee safety, though, so you may want to also equip your system with SoftPerfect Wifi Guard, which will monitor your network and alert you to devices which it doesn’t recognize.
COMODO Rescue Disk 2.0 combats even deeply embedded malware
COMODO has released COMODO Rescue Disk 2.0, a bootable environment which includes a copy of Cleaning Essentials for Linux to help remove even the most deeply embedded malware.
Changes from the previous 1.x betas are fairly basic, and for instance include some bug fixes and the inclusion of the very latest COMODO Antivirus Engine for Linux (1.2.3). Otherwise the package remains a capable rescue disc which is worth considering for your emergency toolkit.
Create disk, partition and system backups with AOMEI Data Backuper
Bitter experience has taught us to be highly skeptical of free backup tools, particularly when they come from commercial companies: they’ll usually include one or more annoying restrictions in an effort to get you to upgrade to something else.
Would our concerns really apply to AOMEI Data Backuper, though? We installed the program to take a closer look.
Get the Windows 8 desktop you want with StartMenu8 1.0
If you’ve upgraded to Windows 8 and discovered you’re not a fan of the new Start screen then the chances are you’ve already installed one of the many free tools which can give your system a more Windows 7-like appearance. If not, though, IObit has just released StartMenu8 1.0, a simple program which may be able to help.
Just install StartMenu8 1.0 and by default the program will launch along with Windows, skipping the Start Screen and jumping directly to the desktop. StartMenu8 1.0 will disable the Windows 8 “hot corners”, too.
Relive your wasted youth with Trikanoid, a remake of classic brick-breaking game Arkanoid
Arkanoid was an 80′s arcade classic, a great test of hand-eye coordination as you tried to clear a breakout-style pattern of blocks from the screen.
But if you missed the game the first time, that’s not a problem, because Trikanoid has bought it back to life for both PCs and Macs.
Pokki gives its alternative Start menu a new look
Pokki -- the alternative Start menu and app framework -- has undergone a minor redesign in its latest update, with a new look, more customization options and a host of important bug fixes.
Increased font sizes, panel spacing and sidebar width in this release are all about improving readability, for instance, while the new light color theme helps Pokki blend in seamlessly with your desktop. (Although if you preferred the dark theme, that’s still available: click Settings and choose Dark to bring it back.)
Phrozen Safe USB protects your stick
There’s no doubt that USB keys are compact, portable and a very convenient way to transfer files and documents. Unfortunately, they’re almost as good as transferring malware, and allowing snoopers to steal information, which is why you might want to control them with a copy of Phrozen Safe USB.
After a simple installation and a reboot, launching the program will add an icon to your system tray. By default this will leave USB devices working just as they did, but right-click the icon and you can choose a couple of alternative settings: “USB Mode Read Only” (drives show up in Explorer, but you can’t write to them), and “USB Mode Disabled” (USB storage devices no longer appear in Explorer at all).
Bitdefender tops AV-TEST, Microsoft Security Essentials bottom feeds
Who offers the best antivirus protection? It’s not an easy question to answer, but independent testing labs AV-TEST and AV-Comparatives have just released their latest results and reports, and they make very interesting reading.
AV-TEST places Bitdefender Internet Security 2013 in first place, for instance, with 5/6 for usability, 5.5/6 for repair and an excellent 6/6 for protection. But F-Secure Internet Security 2013 and Trend Micro Titanium Maximum Security 2013 also rate 6/6 for protection, while Kaspersky Internet Security 2013 and Norton Internet Security 2013 rating well all round.
Combat computer-related eye strain with Eye Pro 2.1
When you’re carrying out some important PC task -- researching a big topic on the web, say -- then it’s easy to become totally immersed. And so, once you start looking at the display, you might not look away again for a very long time.
If this only happens occasionally, it may not be a problem. But if you’re always engaged in lengthy PC sessions then you may find it leaves your eyes feeling very tired. Which is why you could need a little help from the free Eye Pro 2.1.
Chrome 25 makes extensions get your permission
Google has released Chrome 25 to the beta channel for Windows, Mac, and Linux, and while the previous release wasn’t too surprising this one has some particularly important changes.
Perhaps the most significant will see external extension deployment disabled by default, which means if you install an application on your Windows system, for instance, the author will no longer be able to silently add a Chrome extension as well just by manipulating the Registry. They’ll normally have to ask your permission to install any add-ons within Chrome itself.
Malwarebytes Chameleon can remove malware from an already-infected PC
If malware somehow manages to penetrate your PCs defenses then it’s easy to assume you’ll simply download some other antivirus tool to remove it. But life may not be so straightforward. Once installed, some malware will try to prevent you from reaching big antivirus sites, and downloading or running their tools, making the problem much more difficult to tackle.
Unless, that is, you have a copy of Malwarebytes Chameleon to hand.
View the world from space on your desktop (sort of) with Desktop Earth
Let’s be frank: the regular Windows wallpapers are a little dull. And setting up a more dynamic system can take quite some time, as for instance you research different wallpaper changers, and try to find a source which provides images you like.
If you’re looking for a simpler way to liven up your desktop, then, you might prefer Desktop Earth, a small but simple tool which generates and regularly updates some gorgeous images showing the Earth from space.
Switchblade 0.70 troubleshooting toolkit revamps programs, adds Process Hacker
It’s a week since we covered Switchblade, an interesting portable troubleshooting toolkit which was a little flawed by its selection of programs. While there were some excellent choices, the package was distinctly short on system monitoring tools. And we weren’t entirely sure that most people would want to install a copy of Apache on a PC they were investigating, either.
With further questions soon emerging over licensing issues for some of the programs, it wasn’t long before the author removed the SourceForge download. It’s just reappeared in a new Switchblade 0.70 build, though, which appears to address at least some of the previous issues and concerns.
Google releases Chrome 24 -- get it NOW!
Google has released Chrome 24 to the stable channel for Windows, the Mac and Linux. And while there are no major additions this time around, the build still has enough to make for a worthwhile upgrade.
There’s the usual focus on performance, for instance. When the Chrome 24 beta appeared the development team claimed a 26.3-percent improvement in JavaScript performance over the last year, and the latest release includes yet more optimizations. No need to take their word for it, though: run Chrome’s Octane benchmark before and after upgrading, see for yourself.
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