Multimedia March 28, 2006

Forget the staid, starched-collar business attitude of the traditional office suite. Corel’s latest WordPerfect Office X3 - Standard Edition offers a more visual, Windows-style interface, and Corel’s even given the packaging a colorful, streamlined look.

But beneath its rather consumer-oriented exterior, you’ll find software that easily handles the demands of small businesses and, in a few areas, exceeds the capabilities found in Microsoft Office. (more…)

Security news

Microsoft has urged consumers to be wary as three newly discovered bugs leave people open to attack while using the internet.

All three flaws affect the software giant’s Internet Explorer browser. (more…)

Security news March 27, 2006

Florida state employees are being warned that their personal information may have been compromised after work on the state’s People First payroll and human resources system was improperly subcontracted to a company in India. (more…)

Multimedia, Security news

If you’ve ever been in the situation before, you know the feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you realize you’ve lost important data off your computer. Whether you know you accidentally deleted your Quicken files or simply can’t find any trace of the folder that houses your prized family photos, all you can think about is whether or not you can get that data back, and if so, how? (more…)

Multimedia

From texting to surfing the internet and making video calls, the ways in which mobile phones can be used seem to be ever expanding. In Japan, another string has been recently been added to the mobile bow with the launch of electronic books and comics specifically for phones. (more…)

Internet news March 25, 2006

Delays in the release schedule for test versions of Windows Vista hint at bigger problems with the operating system than Microsoft has so far indicated. (more…)

Multimedia

Although iTunes has always been one of the best pieces of jukebox software available, the company improved upon a great thing with version 6, which added the much-rumored video capabilities. The built-in video player accomodates both your own files and ones you buy at the iTunes Music Store; right-clicking a clip lets you render it iPod-compatible. The experience of both purchasing and playing videos is almost identical to perfoming the same actions with music, so seasoned users will have no trouble. All the features we love from past versions are still intact, including seamless iPod integration, smart playlists, CD burning, label printing, the ability to rip files in multiple formats (except WMA), network sharing, and, of course, the enormously successful iTunes Music Store. By default, iTunes now adds a MiniStore to the bottom of your library, but you can disable it without much trouble. Rounding out the feature set are parental controls, integrated podcasts, and a smart-shuffle option. Whether you’re already among the converted or have yet to try this top-notch player, iTunes 6 should find a home on any media junkie’s computer. (more…)

Internet news

BT is targeting customers who it says are regularly breaking their monthly broadband download limits.

The telecoms company has sent letters to more than 3,000 customers it has identified as excessive users. (more…)

Security news March 23, 2006

Hackers have been quietly infecting hundreds of thousands of computers worldwide with a particularly sophisticated Trojan horse program designed to steal bank account information and other sensitive data from compromised systems, according to security researchers. (more…)

Multimedia

“It certainly sounded like Microsoft leadership committed to us, our customers, our partners, and our shareholders that Vista would be out in 2006,” Mini-Microsoft, a blog from a Microsoft insider, vents. “Slip!”

“We should have asked for more details around the ‘or else’ part of that commitment,” Mini-Microsoft writes. “I was upset at missing the back-to-school market. Now we’re missing the holiday sales market. All of those laptops and PCs are going to have XP on it. What percentage will upgrade to Vista? Well, I guess that’s the little dream that I need to give up on. Vista’s deployment is going to come from people buying CPUs with the OS pre-installed, not dancing down the CompUSA aisle as they clutch that boxed version of Vista to their loving chest. So not only did we miss last year’s opportunity, we’re missing this year’s opportunity, too. With the convergence of high-tech media, this holiday season would have been an explosive nodal point to get Vista out for a compounded effect.” (more…)