Software

Having told you about McAfee and Kaspersky the latest offering from Panda arrived. Most Notebooks I get to review come with some sort of Anti-Virus or Internet Security trial installed, so when one arrives without such security it’s an ideal testing medium.

In the autumn after a round of press/trade shows all the software companies rush to get their 2017 versions of software releases and updates on the market. Here I am looking at two such items from CyberLink who like Nero now reside in Germany.

Yes security software is almost as boring as backup software but both are nevertheless essential software in the world we currently live in as there are vast numbers of people making their living from defrauding innocent people of their data and money.

Adding to its portfolio of graphics software, Serif has developed an application that can run on the Mac and Windows platforms.

Anti-Virus software was developed in response to people who wanted to harm your computer, then it was the whole Internet Security thing with people trying to get at your money, now the latest Kaspersky suite focuses on protecting your children from harm.

This product has been around in one form or another since the CD-ROM first started to appear in PC’s. Other companies have come and gone but Nero has only undergone a name change and of course it now does so much more than oversee the burning of media.

It is time for an old favourite to make its annual upgrade appearance.

Windows tends to slow down with age and I know how it feels. This next title offers to help.

Version 2 of Power PDF from Nuance is an update that has also been designed to take into account the latest features in Windows 10 including touch screen technology.

Turning your digital images into a slideshow has never been easier with this next product from MAGIX.

This is the latest version of the backup software that has protected me for many years. They do two versions one you purchase outright and other a 12 month subscription which of course will give you lots of updates during the year.

Kaspersky Internet Security 2017 forms one-third of the company’s latest batch of protection software for PC, Mac and mobile users.

In the middle of July during the year of 64AD, the city of Rome was engulfed in flames with the Emperor Nero an interested spectator. Nearly two thousand years later a company, called Ahead Software released burning software named Nero after the long dead Emperor. A further ten years was to pass as Ahead Software metamorphosis into Nero AG and the company’s software took on the role of a multimedia suite while retaining the Nero name.

Originally developed by Avid and now part of Corel’s extensive range of graphics products, Pinnacle Studio has recently been made available in its version 20 guise.

It is up to you to ensure your computer and mobile devices are protected from malicious threats.

It is that time of year when the latest version of a piece of software, which seems to have a permanent residence on my various computer systems, makes its annual appearance.

While it makes sense to insure your valuable possessions, surely this action should also apply to your data with the insurance taking the form of a backup product.

Adding to its portfolio of graphics products, Xara has released its Designer Pro X365 offering. This product brings together elements of vector illustrations, photo editing, page layout and web design within a single WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) package.

Of all the keys on a computer keyboard, the one that tends to be the most confusing for novice users is the one labelled Print Screen or Prt Scr.

Being able to try a program for seven days and remain anonymous, or thirty days just for giving a little personal information is a big plus in making a decision as to if this program does exactly what you want it to do, yes it has a free trial.

This is the latest version of a trusted Backup program. It is designed to make the job of file backup easy and if it becomes easy then maybe more people will do what is a boring job more regularly. This is not a full system backup just a file backup there is a distinct difference.

In the right hands this product can give you amazing results, it can create 3D images from photographs add cartoonish features and much more however it can also create lip sync to audio or voice so you can be there even when you are not.

So what version would you expect to follow version 11. In the case of this next product it is a sizeable jump to 365.

Following on from its popular industry leading portrait make-over software, entitled Portrait Pro, Anthropics Technology has moved its focus from the foreground to the background with its new LandscapePro software.

The more you use Windows, the more reluctant your computer will be to perform at its optimum level. This next product offers to help.

I have used Samplitude Silver for some time; I probably use only a small amount of its ability in my regular adjustment of .wav files. Here it’s very big brother ‘think Twins’ and this Arnold to Danny. So exactly what can this powerful product do?

As its version number of X8 indicates, CorelDRAW has been around for a good number of years. In fact this software’s first appearance was back in 1989 as it offered users full colour vector illustration and layout functionality on the Windows platform. Over the years this software product has undergone numerous changes including a metamorphosis into a suite rather than a single offering.

A visit to London for the recent Intel Labs Day told me new things to come and also the current relationship with McAfee a company now part of their portfolio. An Intel Anti-Virus is something for the future here I tell you about what is available now.

The main problem with a product 18 versions old is when you remember the first one. Corel were one of the main reasons you got a CD drive. It was all the extra content they provided in images and fonts. Now the download needs a fast connection as its 1.8GB.

You have probably heard, on more than one occasion, the popular sayings of “As pretty as a picture” or “The camera never lies”. These two saying were far more appropriate yesterday than in today’s more computer dominated society. We now have access to a number of software applications that do their best to improve on the former saying and misrepresent what is delivered by the latter. One such product is Portrait Professional from Anthropics.