Newsletter

Apple's event today was largely a disappointment to most people, mainly because there was no iPhone 5 in the lineup (Read all of our coverage of the Apple event here). As was rumored, Apple instead released the iPhone 4S, adding a dual-core A5 processor, an 8-megapixel camera, an advanced voice command AI known as Siri, and several other new options in iOS 5, coming October 12. Apple also announced upgraded iPod Nanos and a refreshed line of iPod Touches. Still, the news of the day seems to be that there was no iPhone 5.

What did we really expect? … Read more

Evernote for Mac is just one part of an excellent, access-from-anywhere note-taking system. In addition to the Evernote desktop client, you can create and get to your notes from a variety of mobile devices (including apps for the iPhone and iPad) and any Web browser on any computer. A free Evernote account links all your notes together. This latest version tackles a few bug fixes to make the software run more smoothly.

Also this week, we have the latest version of OmniGraffle, the full-featured graphing, diagram, and chart software that was made from the ground up for Mac. Our game … Read more

Last week, Symantec launched its updates for Norton 2012, which included some interesting ancillary features and a hint of a much stronger connection between the company's desktop and mobile offerings. At the same time, the robust Norton Internet Security 2012 (download) and the slimmer Norton AntiVirus 2012 (download) show off a reasonable but not amazing performance bump. Get the full rundown here.

Also, be sure to check out WinDirStat (download), a tool that employs colorful graphics to help you pinpoint what's taking up all the space on your crowded hard drive. This useful piece of freeware even lets … Read more

Which browser do you use? Your Mac comes preloaded with Safari, a world-class option on its own that now has extensions you can add for even more functionality. Mozilla Firefox has wiggled its way into many Mac users' hearts with its speed and virtually unlimited amount of useful add-ons. Opera is another great choice with its Speed Dial favorites pages, tons of added features, and sleek and skinnable interface. All of these are good choices depending on the features you want, but there's also something to be said for simplicity.

If you just want a simple and stylish browsing … Read more

Last week, we saw a big release on the security front, as AVG let loose its shiny new 2012 suite. While the company did make some important security improvements in this latest version, including adding important protection against fake antivirus software and ransomware, it focused a bit more of its attention on performance. Specifically, the company says that it has reduced the size of its virus signature database by 40 percent and the number of running processes in the suite from 16 to 11. The company also stated that AVG 2012 uses 20 percent less memory overall than previous versions, … Read more

One of the most popular and customizable third-party clients in the multiservice chat category continues to impress. Adium supports multiple services, including AIM, Yahoo, MSN, Facebook, Windows Live, and Google Chat. Part of what made the original Adium so attractive was the multitude of IM service options, and that still forms the core appeal of this client. This latest version comes with a laundry list of new features and fixes making it a must-download for Adium users.

Also this week we have the latest version of Google Chrome, a full-featured Web browser that's among the most standards-compliant and fastest … Read more

This week, we got a first look at the newest version of popular antispyware and antivirus program Ad-Aware. According to the program's developer, Lavasoft, both Ad-Aware 9.5 Free Internet Security and Ad-Aware 9.5 Pro Internet Security ought to be four to eight times faster than they were in the last release. But, while the program did feel notably smoother in our tests, we're not so sure it lived up to all of the developer's claims. You can read our take here.

In other news, Mozilla, maker of the popular Firefox browser, found itself in the … Read more

Want to make Safari even better on your Mac? Glims is a recent addition to our Mac software library that's still in beta, but offers a ton of nice tweaks to Apple's Web browser. With Glims installed, you'll get new tab options, search results thumbnails, more search engines from the search box, search suggestions, and much more. Like any beta software, we recommend you back up your important work before running Glims on your Mac.

Also this week, we have the latest version of 1Password, the software that requires you remember only one password, and creates secure … Read more

Confirming months of rumors, an app store, much like Apple's App Store for OS X, has officially been listed among the features Microsoft is working to include in Windows 8. The revelation came last week from Microsoft President Steven Sinofsky in a Building Windows 8 blog titled, "Introducing the team." Among a list of teams associated with building the forthcoming operating system was, you guessed it, "App Store." Read up on all the details here.

In other news, Mozilla pushed Firefox 6 out the door last week, updating the vast majority of its users to … Read more