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Salesforce launches 'mobile-to-mobile' support system Desk.com

Posted: January 31st, 2012, 1:19pm MST by Tim Conneally

Salesforce, the gold standard of cloud-based CRM, launched on Tuesday a new customer support application called Desk.com, which gives small and medium-sized businesses a "social help desk" designed so ultraconnected, smartphone-toting employees can appropriately connect with the ultraconnected, smartphone-toting customer.

Desk.com grew out of Salesforce's 50 million dollar acquisition of Assistly just five months ago. The Assistly application was notable because it took customer relationships on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter and then integrated them with "traditional" support channels such as e-mail and telephone, making social network relationships among the most important methods of communication for companies.

With the launch of Desk.com, Salesforce is emphasizing the importance of mobility as the next frontier of customer relationships. The Desk.com mobile interface is built with HTML5, so employees can use their iOS and Android devices as support interfaces with the same filters and response macros as their desktop client. They can also delegate, change groups, change status, change priority for support cases, and even modify customer information.

Desk.com's reports will be able to show how many cases customer service agents have opened, resolved, replied to, reassigned, or reopened irrespective of the agent's method of connection. This feature has not yet launched, but it is expected to arrive in the first quarter of 2012.

Desk.com is available now, with a $49 per agent/month fee for unlimited usage. Salesforce also offers a "flex pricing" scale for part-time employees for $1 per agent/hour. Reporting will incur an additional fee.
CCleaner for Mac 1.01 released, but Windows users get more

Posted: January 31st, 2012, 12:54pm MST by Nick Peers

Piriform Software has released the first stable release of CCleaner for Mac, its free cleaning utility for Mac OS X. Based on the popular Windows version, CCleaner for Mac 1.01 FINAL boasts fewer features compared to its long-established sibling, but we expect this to change over time.

The new release enters an increasingly crowded market for free cleanup tools, and will compete against the likes of EASEUS’ CleanGenius Free as it bids to establish a foothold on the Mac platform.

CCleaner for Mac runs on OS X 10.5 or later, and offers three basic areas for cleaning. The Cleaner tab is where most of its options can be found, covering various system and application settings, including logs and caches.

Four major browsers -- Safari, Chrome, Firefox and Opera -- are also covered with this initial release. The user can choose which elements to scan via a series of boxes, then on clicking Analyze is shown how much space can be retrieved and where it will be recovered from.

The app also includes a Tools section, offering three options for securely wiping the free space on your hard drive, verifying and repairing permissions, and an application uninstaller. The suite is rounded off by a cookie management tool, which is accessible under Options. This allows the user to pick and choose exactly which cookies are kept on the computer.

The first stable release offers little new over previous beta releases, other than unspecified stability fixes for OS X 10.5 and 10.7.2 users, a number of minor bug fixes and improved cleaning of Chrome’s omnibox history.

CCleaner for Mac 1.01 FINAL is available now as a freeware download for Intel Macs running OS X 10.5 (Snow Leopard) or later. At the present time there’s a lack of documentation with the app, which is why we suggest you use it with care.

Photo Credit: Goydenko Tatiana/Shutterstock
MegaUpload users may gain temporary access to their files

Posted: January 31st, 2012, 12:41pm MST by Ed Oswald

Users of MegaUpload may have a brief window to retrieve files from the site after the law firm representing the file sharing service says it is negotiating a solution with the US Government. While the primary function of the negotiations is likely to gather evidence so that MegaUpload's lawyers can build their defense, it is possible the general public may temporarily gain access to their accounts.

In the United States, the file sharing service uses two hosting providers to store data, Carpathia Hosting and Cogent Communications. When US authorities shut down the service two weeks ago, it also froze MegaUpload's assets, leaving it no money to pay bills.

Lawyer Ira Rothken announced the agreement on Twitter Monday night. "Carpathia and Cogent agreed to preserve consumer data for additional time of at least two weeks so #Megaupload can work with US on proposal", the tweet reads. The process of deletion is expected to begin February 2, according to U.S. District Attorney Neil MacBride.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is also stepping in to assist MegaUpload users in data retrieval. On Tuesday it announced a partnership with Carpathia called MegaRetrieval that will work with users to retrieve legal content on MegaUpload's servers.

"EFF is troubled that so many lawful users of Megaupload.com had their property taken from them without warning and that the government has taken no steps to help them", EFF attorney Julie Samuels says. "We think it's important that these users have their voices heard as this process moves forward".

Rothken says that the hosting companies are willing to hold onto MegaUploads data while his firm negotiates with the government. In the end Rothken is looking for the government to free up some funds to pay the hosting providers, which he believes will help the company defend itself.

Photo Credit: mojito.mak[dog]gmail[dot]com/Shutterstock
Got Android? Get Firefox 10

Posted: January 31st, 2012, 11:45am MST by Joe Wilcox

Hey, Firefox fans, don't settle for just the desktop browser that popped up on Mozilla servers overnight. Firefox 10 mobile is also available at the Android Market. While the big browser offers significantly improved plug-in support, it's still DOA on the small one. That means no Adobe Flash for you, Bud.

New features include anti-aliasing for WebGL and accelerated layer-support via OpenGL ES. Firefox 10 mobile improves sync and HTML5 capabilities, as well. Among the fixes: "Extremely rare case where the browser may become unable to load web pages or close tabs".

The mobile browser requires Android 2.0 and above. I installed and ran it just fine on Verizon Galaxy Nexus with Ice Cream Sandwich. However, I find Firefox 10 mobile to stutter compared to Android's built-in browser and lacking Flash to be annoying. Even with the extra burden of Flash, Android's browser feels smoother.

So if you're a big Firefox fan looking for Flash, plug-in support and smooth, fast mobile browsing, 10 isn't your lucky number.
Go ahead, use pcAnywhere again -- after you update

Posted: January 31st, 2012, 11:13am MST by Ed Oswald

A week after telling users to disable its pcAnywhere, Symantec says the remote computing software is now safe to use, with a few caveats. First, the app must be upgraded to version 12.5, and a critical software patch applied to plug the hole.

In a statement posted to its website, Symantec says that it had patched all versions of the software back to 12.0. A patch for 12.0 and 12.1 was released on January 27, following a patch that was released for 12.5 on January 25.

"At this time, Symantec recommends that customers ensure pcAnywhere 12.5 is installed, apply all relevant patches as they are released, and follow general security best practices", the statement reads. "If customers are unable to adhere to this guidance and have not installed the latest version with current patches, we recommend that they contact pcanywhere@symantec.com for additional assistance".

Reuters reports that Symantec will offer those on versions of pcAnywhere prior to 12.5 free upgrades to the latest version, regardless of whether or not the software qualifies for support. It did not specify how it plans to handle the upgrade process.

Photo Credit: Kheng Guan Toh/Shutterstock
Amazon cloud services see dramatic growth in 2011

Posted: January 31st, 2012, 10:53am MST by Ed Oswald

Usage of Amazon's cloud services skyrocketed in 2011, with the company reporting that its cloud storage service Amazon S3 played host to 762 million objects as of the fourth quarter of 2011. This was up by 500 million objects over last year, year-over-year growth of 192 percent and the biggest expansion in the service's five year history.

Amazon credits the large jump in making it easier for users to get data into the system via a host of new features introduced over the past year. It also says the jump in cloud usage requires manpower, and it is hiring for software engineers, product managers, and other management postions for the S3 team.

Meanwhile, 2012 is expected to be a big year for cloud computing, with Forrester analyst Holger Kisker predicting the sector to generate $61 billion in revenues by the end of this year. Gartner is even more bullish, expecting spending on public cloud services to reach $89 billion this year, and $177 billion by 2015.
Hey, broadcasters, filmmakers, is Final Cut Pro X finally good enough?

Posted: January 31st, 2012, 10:08am MST by Joe Wilcox
That's the question, following big updates available today. How big? So big Apple even issued a press release. I ask the question because of professionals' negative reactions to the software soon after its late-June 2011 release. The uproar was loud enough that "Conan" did a skit about it. In September, responding to customer requests, Apple brought back older version Final Cut Studio 3 on a limited basis. That was then, this is now. Is Final Cut Pro X finally good enough for you?

Many pros complained that Final Cut Pro X was too iMovie-like, while stripping away features they depend on for editing broadcast or film videos. Others complained Apple abandoned core customers to make Final Cut easier for non-pros to use. The software offered more to amateurs and less -- actually took features away -- for professionals. Today's update (v 10.0.3) adds some surprising pro features, and they're not the first. This is the third update since the software's launch.

Among the new features:
- Improved third-party plug-in support
- Sync for up to 64 angles of video and photos
- Layered PSD support without leaving Final Cut Pro X
- Broadcast monitoring (in beta) via Thunderbolt ports
Multicam support is by far the big new feature, by giving back a capability taken away with Final Cut Pro X and extending it with the 64 angles of view, improved time-stamping, photo support and ability to mix together stills and videos of virtually any resolution. The latter two capabilities finally embrace advanced dSLRs, like Canon's EOS 5D Mark II; micro four-thirds digicams, like my daughter's Olympus PEN E-P2; and cell phones, like Apple's iPhone (and maybe even lowly Androids). The point: Final Cut Pro X is now primed to use video (and photos) from just about any source. Can you say mashup?

Update: Macworld offers a pro's look at the new features and why they matter.

But are these new features and others good enough for you? Please answer in comments.

Final Cut Pro X 10.0.3 is available from the Mac App Store for $299.99 -- that's for new users. Existing users get the update for free. Anyone else can download a 30-day free trial from Apple.
PowerDVD 12 -- it's the big upgrade you've been waiting for

Posted: January 31st, 2012, 8:36am MST by Mike Williams

CyberLink has today released the latest version of its flagship media player, PowerDVD 12 -- and the build sees major steps forward in the formats it can handle, and the way the program works with mobile devices, social media and more.

PowerDVD 12 now supports playing back all the main video formats, for instance, including MK3D, MKV (H.264), FLV (H.264), WTV, 3GP and 3G2. A new focus on audio means the program can also handle cinematic quality and lossless sound formats: DTS-HD 7.1, Dolby TrueHD 7.1, OGG, FLAC and more. And PowerDVD’s old ability to view your digital photos is now extended by native RAW format support.

There’s obviously not quite so much room to develop with DVD and Blu-ray playback, so the only major change here is to CyberLink’s TrueTheater technology. As well as upscaling videos to HD quality, removing noise, stabilizing shaky videos, enhancing details and colors, the software can now convert all 2D media to 3D: that’s Blu-rays, DVDs, videos and photos.

PowerDVD 12 also includes enhanced DLNA support, so it’s much better at streaming media around your home. Social media improvements mean you’re able to connect to and browse YouTube, Facebook and Flickr content from within the program. And enhanced mobile device support sees you able to stream content to your iPhone, iPad or Android devices, while a comprehensive Sync module makes it easy to set up detailed rules deciding how media should be synchronised with your Android device.

There’s no shortage of power, then, but to keep things straightforward you’re able to access most of your content via a simple tree and a thumbnail browser. You can access your media library via several different views -- grid, album, list -- to help you keep control, and smart search tools make it generally easy to locate the content you need.

And if for some reason you still don’t have all the media you’d like, the company hopes you’ll rectify this by shopping at PowerDVD’s integrated CyberLink/ 7digital music store, where over 17 million 320K DRM-free tracks await your attention (as long as you’re in the US, UK, Germany, France, Italy or Spain, anyway). Buy here and you’ll be able to store your music in the cloud where it can be accessed from anywhere, by up to 5 devices.

As previously, PowerDVD 12 is available in three editions.

The first, PowerDVD 12 Ultra, is the high-end build which includes everything we’d mentioned here, and is available for $99.95.

PowerDVD 12 Pro omits the mobile device apps, and the new DLNA Digital Media Renderer and Controller. You’ll still get a DLNA-compliant player and server, though, so this could be the sensible choice at $79.95.

And PowerDVD 12 Standard goes much further, also omitting Blu-ray and 3D playback, TrueTheater’s “convert anything to 3D” option, Android Sync, the DLNA Media Server, and HD Audio (TrueHD 5.1 and DTS-HD 5.1): list price is $49.95.

The Standard version is a little too stripped-down for our liking, but take your pick: there’s a trial version available, so see how it works for you.
Stop the plug-in madness -- get Firefox 10 now!

Posted: January 31st, 2012, 8:24am MST by Nick Peers

Ahead of its official unveiling, Firefox 10 FINAL has appeared on the Mozilla download servers, allowing impatient users the opportunity to download and install the new version up to a day early.

Version 10’s headline new feature will appeal to those frustrated with having to wait for browser extensions to be recognized as compatible by new builds: from version 10 onwards, browser extensions will automatically be considered compatible unless specifically marked otherwise. It will also see a minor interface tweak, the loss of the browser forward button, and some new tools that will appeal to developers.

The development making waves in Firefox 10 is the way it handles browser extensions. Previously, unless an extension was specifically marked as compatible for the latest version release, it would be disabled until updated by the developer. With new versions now appearing on the dot every six weeks, this has frustrated developers and end users alike.

The actual functionality of automatically marking add-ons as compatible actually began back with the release of Firefox 4, but was restricted to those add-ons distributed through Mozilla’s own official channel. According to Mozilla, 75 percent of add-ons are obtained outside of the official channel, so the change will make a noticeable difference.

The change is part of a wider move towards making Firefox update itself completely silently -- according to the Mozilla Wiki article describing the process, Mozilla hopes to be able to eventually update users with the latest version of Firefox as well as all add-ons without any user interaction, with Firefox 13 (due in June) the intended target release.

Other Changes

Aside from the slew of bug fixes and minor improvements, there’s not a lot else to get excited about for end users. Eagle-eyed users will notice one minor change to the Firefox Location Bar in version 10 - the loss of the forward button. This is the first step towards streamlining the user interface even further, a process that can be previewed by following the Firefox UX project.

On the other hand, web developers will be particularly pleased with Firefox 10, thanks to a number of major new tools, all accessible from the Firefox > Web Developer menu. The most notable of these is an Inspect option that allows developers to visually inspect pages with the help of a Highlighter tool that makes checking a page’s CSS and HTML code that much easier. This feature was originally planned for Firefox 4, but since its postponement has been significantly overhauled.

Firefox 10 FINAL is available now as a free download for Windows, Mac and Linux. Updated Beta, Aurora and Nightly builds will follow shortly – check back for our updated guide to what’s happening in the world of Firefox development later this week.
Symantec launches Norton Identity Safe as standalone beta app

Posted: January 31st, 2012, 8:16am MST by Tim Conneally

Symantec on Tuesday launched the public beta of Norton Identity Safe, a free password management application for mobile and desktop devices. The software was originally a feature built into Norton Internet Security and Norton 360, and is now available for the first time as a standalone application.

Norton Identity Safe beta is designed to be a simple and secure way for users to store and manage their logins and passwords for all their different applications and services. With the application installed, the user only needs to remember their master password, and then they can launch any of their stored services. This login information can be synched across the users' different devices as well.

The beta also includes Norton Safe Web protection, Norton's free reputation tool that keeps a constantly-updated view of potentially suspect URLs and unsafe sites.

Norton Identity Safe for PC beta can be downloaded from Symantec by clicking here . Identity Safe for Android and iOS can be downloaded with the QR codes below.
Get better copy and paste with Clipboard Magic 5.0

Posted: January 31st, 2012, 6:58am MST by Mike Williams

When CyberMatrix released Clipboard Magic 4 it was one of the better clipboard managers around, effortlessly capturing every text item copied to your clipboard and retaining them in a list for easy re-use later.

That was back in 2005, of course, and the intervening years have seen several significant issues appear with the program. If you’ve used it in the past, though, or just need a clipboard extension tool right now, then the good news is that CyberMatrix has finally released the first beta of Clipboard Magic 5.0, and it’s packed with fixes and valuable new features.

This kind of tool can often produce very lengthy lists of clipped text, for instance. So Clipboard Magic 5.0 can now help you to organize them by giving individual clips labels and names, or color-coding them, enabling you to spot related clips at a glance.

The program always allowed you to save your list of clips to files, for easy reuse later, but what if you forget? Clipboard Magic 5.0 can now automatically save your clipboard history, so even if your PC crashes you should still find your text items available when you next reboot.

If you regularly work with clips in multiple languages then you’ll appreciate the program’s new Unicode support.

Clipboard Magic 5.0 gains many new configuration options, including the ability to customize its toolbar to suit your needs.

And some long-standing problems have finally been slain. So you should no longer have trouble copying text greater than 32KB in length, for instance. And if another app has locked the clipboard then Clipboard Magic will no longer give up immediately with an annoying error message; it’ll just try again a few more times, and the chances are that one of those will be successful.

Clipboard Magic remains completely free, though, and lightweight, with the base program typically requiring well under 1MB RAM on our test PC. It’s a beta, so you shouldn’t expect complete reliability, but the program behaved well in our tests: if you’re looking for a text-based clipboard manager then this one is well worth a few minutes of your time.

Photo Credit: Serghei Starus/Shutterstock