Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson

iOS 5 may have only just been released, but Apple wasted no time whatsoever in releasing apps that have been designed with the new version of the operating system in mind. First off the starting blocks is Find My Friends which, as the name suggests, makes it possible for a group of friends to share their location with each other with a view to meeting up -- or just tracking where everyone is.

You can adjust privacy settings so that your location is only shared when you want and with the people you are happy to share with. Should you decide you want to discover where your friends are -- if you need to meet them in an new town, for example -- you can send a request from within the app and, assuming they consent, their location will be displayed on a map for you. Find My Friends can also provide you with directions so you can meet up as quickly as possible.

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The attention of Apple fans has been focused on the imminent release of iPhone 4S on October 14, but before that there is iCloud and iOS 5 -- tomorrow. To make the most of both, a new version of iTunes is needed.  iTunes 10.5 includes iCloud support as well as a number of other important additions.

iTunes in the Cloud is part of the new level of connectivity that is to be found in iOS 5, and it means that any music or video purchases you make are synced online and can be accessed from any of your computers or iOS devices. Tied into this idea are automatic downloads; when you purchase music from iTunes Store, it will automatically sync to your other computers and iOS devices.

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One of the joys of Android is the fact that users are not fenced in in quite the same way that iOS users are. It  is possible to install a wider range of software on your device with fewer worries. If you want to take things to the next level, CyanogenMod is a replacement for your existing Android OS that has been stripped back and optimized to provide a balance between performance, stability and customization.

The firmware is built around Android 2.3 and while the interface is nothing flashy, the focus is on speed rather than looks -- but you still have the option to use themes. The unique tweaks and options include the ability to swipe notifications off the screen, while the built-in music player boasts the simplicity and ease of use of an iPod. Support for customizable gestures means that it is easier than ever to control playback.

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The Next branch of Opera’s development has been updated to build 1090, with a number of interesting changes that see alterations to the skin’s appearance and improvements made to the plugin installation process. Of course, there is also the usual swathe of bug fixes and performance enhancements, and despite the fact that this is a fairly early glimpse of the next version of the browser, it already seems surprisingly stable and polished.

There are a number of changes that can be summed up as polishing -- icons and buttons have been updated as has the badge graphic. The overall size of the skin has been reduced in terms of file size, and the padding around some screen elements has been adjusted to improve alignment.

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Anyone who has tried to provide computing assistance over the phone will know just how frustrating an experience it can be. Without the ability to interact with a problematic computer, it can be hard to diagnose just what the problem is, and having to rely on someone else to explain what the issue is can be all but useless. There are a number of remote access tools that can be useful in these circumstances, but Chrome Remote Desktop Beta is an extension for the Chrome browser that brings remote access to the web browser.

The extension can be used from a Windows, OS X or Linux based machine, and the only requirement is that both computers involved need to have both Google Chrome and the extension installed. As things stand, Chrome Remote Desktop Beta is unlike many other remote access tools in that someone needs to be in front of both the host and client computers.

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While much of the IT world has been focused on news about the iPhone 4S and iOS 5, there has been a huge number of other newsworthy releases in the past week.

Related to portable devices such as a the iPhone is Freemake Video Converter 2.4.0, which makes it easy to convert videos between formats and, in particular, convert them optimized for viewing on a specific device.  The app can also be used to rip non-copy-protected DVDs and to share your videos using YouTube. From the same company is Freemake Video Downloader 2.2.0 which can be used to download videos from the likes of YouTube and Dailymotion, and Freemake Audio Converter 1.1.0 which, much like its video related sibling, can be used to convert audio tracks from one format to another.

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The Nero range of disc burning tools has been updated, and there’s something for everyone in this comprehensive suite of utilities. The company’s flagship Nero Burning ROM allows for the importing of files from the updated Nero MediaBrowser while SecurDisc Surface Scans make it easy to verify burn projects, but it is in the main Nero suite that the bigger changes are to be found, and the various tools that make it up.

One common use for the Nero suite is backing up data, and there have been a number of improvements in this area. As well as support for NAS drives as a backup location, there is now support for incremental backups of your drives as well as the option of creating 1:1 file copies. Related to safeguarding your data, NeroRescue Agent can now be used to work with partitions that have not been assigned a drive letter.

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Even though the developer preview of Windows 8 is publically available, there will be some people who are keen to try out the upcoming operating system without having to go to the effort of setting up a dual boot system or wiping out their existing installation. This is where transformation packs can help, and the Windows 8 Transformation Pack 2.0 and UX Pack 3.5 have just been released with a view to making the task of mimicking Windows 8 easier and more impressive than ever.

In a matter of moments, the transformation tools enable you to turn your copy of Windows XP, Vista or 7 into a very close match to the look of Windows 8. The pack makes use of genuine Windows 8 resources to give an authentic finish, and this updated version includes changes to UI fonts, as well as the very latest icons navigation buttons and other interface components.

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Not long ago, investing in an office suite meant parting with a fairly substantial amount of cash, and while it is still possible to pay a great deal for a word processor, spreadsheet and presentation tool, there are also an increasing number of free options available. One newcomer is Kingsoft Office Suite Free 2012 which can be used both at home and in the office as an alternative for Microsoft Office.

The suite comprises three tools; Kingsoft Spreadsheets Free 2012 (to help with number crunching) Kingsoft Writer Free 2012 (for processing words) and Kingsoft Presentation Free 2012 (for the creation of slideshows and presentations). Each application is fully compatible with files created in their Microsoft Office counterpart. Each of the programs is impressive in its own right and all manage to look the part as well. While some free software has a tendency to look cheap, the offerings from Kingsoft are good-looking as well as functional.

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When it was unveiled, the potential for success for Quora was questioned by many, but in a fairly short space of time, the questions and answers service has gone from strength to strength. It was only a matter of time before an iPhone app was released to make it easy to ask and answer questions via the site, and that time it now; Quora for iPhone is here.

If you have a question about anything, and we mean anything imaginable, Quora should be your first port of call. Whether you are looking to discover how many people live in China, or you have a more practical query such has how to troubleshoot an error message that has been thrown up by Windows, there is sure to be something on hand who is able to help.

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There are few programs that can honestly be described as ‘must have’ tools, but for anyone who works with images, this is something that can be said of Paint.NET. What started off as a development of Windows’ own Paint tool has quickly become a highly respected image editor that is a serious alternative to expensive tools such as Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro.

The update to version 3.5.9 is a relatively minor number increment, but the changes and additions that have been made are important ones. Previous versions of the program had problems with the DirectDraw Surface configuration screen as well as DirectDraw Surface themselves, but these issues have now been addressed.

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It was another busy seven days of software releases, with the much anticipated final build of Firefox 7 hitting the severs. With improved memory usage and performance, this is a great upgrade to the popular browser. Firefox Portable 7.0 was also released, and the relentless Firefox update cycle continues with the release of Firefox 8.0 Beta 1, Firefox Aurora 9.0a2, Firefox 10.0a1 (Nightly) and Firefox 10.0a1 UX, which is a sideline project of Nightly, introducing a brand new Firefox user-interface.

Also released by Mozilla is SeaMonkey 2.4.1, a suite of Internet tools including an email client, IRC client and web editor. Again a portable version is available in the form ofSeaMonkey Portable 2.4. Rounding up Mozilla’s trio of releases is Thunderbird 7. This email client includes more tools than ever to help you to manage your inbox and while many of the changes amount to little more than minor tweaks, this is now a solid and impressive piece of software. Fans of portable software will be pleased to know that Thunderbird Portable 7.0 has also been released.

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Adobe has released an update for Photoshop Lightroom, bringing it to version 3.5 and adding support for an increased range of digital cameras. The update supports more high-end cameras' RAW output.

The list of newly supported cameras includes models from Fuji, Nikon, Olympus, Ricoh, Panasonic and more, and the same cameras are now also supported by the Camera Raw plug-in 6.5 for Photoshop. As well as adding new hardware support, Lightroom 3.5 also adds a number of enhancements and fixes bugs.

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Adobe has updated Photoshop Elements to version 10, and there are a huge range of features to enable you to view, organize, manage and edit your digital photos. For many people, using a photo editing package is all about adding special effects to images, and there are dozens of new effects to choose from here.

If you’re having trouble using any of the tools you find in the program, Guided Edits are on hand to provide you with assistance. While these may not help you to produce the best possible results, it is a good way to get an introduction to any tools you are not familiar with so you can see just what they are capable of.

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Skype’s iPhone app proved to be incredibly popular, and the recently released iPad version soon picked up a healthy following as well. Both versions of the app have been updated to include support for Bluetooth devices while the iPhone version has a new anti-shake feature designed to eliminate wobbly footage when conducting a video call.

Bluetooth support has been enabled for iPhone 3GS and 4 users as well as for the iPad 2 and fourth generation iPods. This opens up the opportunity to use headsets to make and receive hands-free calls.

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