CyberLink PowerDirector 10 Ultra Review
Feature-packed and easy to use, CyberLink PowerDirector has always been one of the better consumer video editors. Of course there’s always room for improvement, though, and the latest version, PowerDirector 10 Ultra, has some very interesting additions.
Full 3D editing support allows you to import 3D videos and photos, or convert 2D media to 3D, then enhance these with 3D effects, titles, transitions and more. New 2D effects include a time-lapse tool, or support for recording hand-drawn animations (signing your name, say), and playing them back within a video.
Dell World: virtualization matters
Yesterday, in Austin, Texas, Dell World wrapped up an exciting week of keynotes and sessions focused on enterprise IT. While Apple had the limelight this week, with launches of iCloud, iOS 5 and iPhone 4S, the spotlight for many enterprises was Dell World and its Who's Who list of presenters, which included Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, Salesforce.com chief Marc Benioff, former Chief Information Officer of the United States Vivek Kundra , VMWare CEO Paul Maritz, Intel chief Paul Otellini, and others. Among the hottest topics: virtualization, whether cloud, desktop or server.
"Virtualization is really changing the way that we deliver IT", says Chris Young, general manager of VMWare End User Computing. Young presented one the week's virtual sessions. He rightly observes that IT computing has passed through three major eras -- mainframes, client-server, the web -- and is transitioning to a fourth. "We're now, through virtualization, heading to the cloud. End-user computing will be one of the areas of IT that's going to be completely transformed by the cloud era".
What I learned while buying my daughter iPhone 4S
I missed out on the big iPhone 4S launch here in San Diego, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise -- as the anachronism goes. There was chaos this morning in BetaNews manor, so I ground my teeth, cursed often and kept my fingers pounding the Lenovo ThinkPad T420s keyboard. I wouldn't have gone to buy iPhone 4S but to take photos before the store doors opened at 8 a.m. My sixth sense sniffed opportunity -- that the line outside Apple Store Fashion Valley would be nowhere near as big for iPhone 4S as it was for v4. I was right. It wasn't, I later learned. Grumble, grumble.
My daughter texted soon after going to school. She needed me to sign some papers for taking tests and to cough up payment for exorbitant fees. She needed everything during lunch, and "It'd be amazing if you could bring some food too!!!" Parenthood. I needed a break, so we met and squared everything away. Then I got to thinking about Apple Store. It was only a few miles away. Why not pop over there and see how the line looked and if iPhone 4S had sold out.
Taptu ties together professional and social news feeds
With a range of social networks to choose from, each with their own timeline or news feed available, coupled with blogs and news websites, many Internet users have a huge amount of information to wade through each day. If you don’t fancy the idea of visiting each of your preferred news websites and blogs individually, or cluttering up your phone or tablet’s home screen with endless social networking apps, Taptu may be of interest as it makes it possible to access all of your social network and news feeds in one place.
You can quickly and easily add your Facebook account to the app so you can keep track of news that is posted in this way, as well as using the app to keep an eye on your timeline as it fills up with comments and pictures from your friends. Similarly, you can add your Twitter account to make it easy to keep up to date with the tweets of everyone you follow from the same place.
iPhone 4S first impressions review: awful activation experience
We planned here at Betanews to give you a good first impressions review of the iPhone 4S, but to tell you the truth just getting the phone to work has been one of the worst experiences setting up an electronics device I can remember. You saw our photos of the unboxing? Well, that was the highlight. Seriously!
To better grasp what the average person might experience, we followed the instructions as they were given. No shortcuts, nothing. I'm also new to this online activation thing, so that may have been smart on my part to follow the directions I'm being given. Apparently, that may have been the first mistake.
iPhone 4S unboxing [slideshow]
The day has finally arrived: Apple's iPhone 4S appeared on my doorstep this morning. After having the iPhone 3GS for two years, it certainly was past the time to make the jump to a much better phone. Indeed the 4S is that phone, including a dual-core processor, 8-megapixel camera, and Siri, Apple's new personal assistant.
While I had initially planned to hold off upgrading until the iPhone 5, after Apple showed of Siri I was hooked. What follows here is my unboxing of the device, and as you can see, not too much is different from past iPhones as far as content. I also posted my first impressions, and a full review will follow this weekend.
Samsung loses to Apple in the Netherlands, avoids knock-out in Australia
It's a rare occurrence these days: neither Apple nor Samsung can claim victory in their ongoing legal battle, as courts in two separate countries pushed back on their efforts to bury each other in injunction hell.
Samsung was denied an injunction against Apple products in the Netherlands, while a court in Australia refused to issue an injunction preventing Samsung from releasing any future tablet devices before the current infringement case goes to court there.
Did you buy iPhone 4S, and was it 'for Steve'?
Today, Apple's newest smartphone goes on sale in seven countries -- Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, United Kingdom and United States. We'd like to know: Did you buy one? If so, did you preorder or stand in line? Perhaps you're in line somewhere right now reading this. Do tell us. Maybe you're home, taking a day off from work, waiting for FedEx to deliver you preorder -- and wondering why not a day early like iPhone 4.
I didn't buy the new smartphone. As I wrote last week, "You can have iPhone 4S, I'll take Galaxy S II". (By the way, the S2 is simply the best smartphone I've ever owned. I haven't enjoyed a gadget this much in years.) Meanwhile, my colleague Ed Oswald preordered iPhone 4S. He received it minutes ago as I write. Look for his unboxing photos and first-impressions review later today.
Skype now officially property of Microsoft
Microsoft has completed the $8.5 billion acquisition of consumer VoIP and instant messaging service provider Skype from investment firm Silver Lake that was first announced
six months ago.
Now, Skype is officially a new business division inside of Microsoft, and the company's CEO Tony Bates will become president of that division, reporting directly to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. For now, it appears Skype's products won't change.
Tuneup Utilities 2012 improves laptop battery performance
The only way to stop your PC’s performance degrading over time is to stop using it. That’s not really a practical option, so the next best thing is to use suitable optimization software that reduces clutter and ensures that all systems are running as well as they can be.
The latest release of TuneUp Utilities 2012 provides you with over 30 different tools for optimizing and maintaining your Windows machine to keep it humming along nicely. It costs $49.95, but a free trial is available for testing purposes prior to purchase.
Samsung's day of reckoning in Apple fight fast approaches
Samsung can breathe a small sigh of relief. While a US District Judge says that Galaxy Tab 10.1 infringes on patents held by Apple, she refused to award the preliminary injunction the Cupertino, Calif.-based company seeks.
Lawyers for both companies appeared before US District Judge Lucy Koh in a long-anticipated court hearing yesterday. Samsung can continue selling Tab 10.1 as well as the Droid Charge, Galaxy S 4G, and Infuse 4G in the United States. For how much longer, with the holidays fast approaching, is uncertain.
What do you think of iCloud?
We asked, and you surprised us with your answers. Many of you don't think much of iCloud. But perhaps you got off to a bad start because of the glitchy launch. First impressions are so important in any new relationship.
Yesterday, Apple flipped the switch on iCloud in conjunction with a rash of supporting software updates, including iOS 5. Getting those updates was no easy matter, as Ed Oswald reported yesterday and many of you also shared. iCloud is Apple's new connected synchronization service, which replaces iTunes as major sync hub and offers a rash of new capabilities. But to really get it, many of you have to persevere through more updates than I've seen necessary from Apple in years. The service also isn't working quite right for many of you, in a cascade of glitches that reminds of the catastrophic launch of MobileMe three years ago.
Android activations top 190M, close on iOS
Google's mobile operating system picked up tremendous momentum from July to September. Today, during Google's Q3 earnings conference call, CEO Larry Page said that the total number of activations had reached 190 million -- that's up from 135 million three months ago. Last week, Apple reported that it had sold 250 million iOS devices to date, up 25 million during the same time period.
It's no secret that Androids are outselling iOS devices on a sheer volume basis, but based on these numbers, and recent analyst data, momentum is increasing. Whether or not Android can sustain the gains depends on much occurring this month that foreshadows the future. Tomorrow, iPhone 4S officially launches at 8 a.m., local time, whatever that is for you. While many people have expressed disappointment at there being no iPhone 5, Apple cofounder Steve Jobs' untimely death last week could spur a rock star effect of sudden sales. It's now social media-spread folklore that 4S is "For Steve". Similar Jobs allure could likewise lift already hot-selling iPad 2.
Google serves up Ice Cream Sandwich October 19
You can call me disappointed. I was psyched for the Google-Samsung event that was scheduled to take place in San Diego, where I live, this week. But then the companies cancelled, claiming they wanted to show respect for Apple cofounder Steve Jobs, who died last week. Bloggers, journalists and phone geeks had gone gaga over the "Unpacked" event, which presumably was to announce the next Google phone and Android 4.0 -- aka Ice Cream Sandwich. The new invites are out, and as you can see from the image right, there's little doubt what's coming.
But the location isn't good for me, and perhaps not for you. From the companies: "The Samsung/Google media event has been rescheduled to take place on October 19 in Hong Kong, China at S221 Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre. The event starts at 10:00 a.m. HKT with doors opening at 9:30 a.m. HKT. The event livestream will be available at YouTube.com/Android at 10 p.m. EST on October 18 for US media who cannot attend the event".
Pearson adds free learning management tools to Google Apps for Education
Publishing and educational tools company Pearson on Thursday launched the beta version of OpenClass, a free, cloud-based learning management system (LMS) that is integrated with Google Apps for Education, and will be available in the Google Apps Marketplace.
Earlier today, techie Ryan Tyler wrote an article for us about Gadgets in higher education, which are certainly a big part of on-site learning. But for remote learning, independent study, scheduling, collaboration, testing, and submission of assignments, the cloud plays a huge, and ever-growing role in higher education.
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