Brandon Dimmel

Windows 8, Microsoft's newest operating system (OS), launches today along with the firm's first tablet computer: the Surface. Yesterday, the company's chief executive officer Steve Ballmer appeared in New York to discuss the much-anticipated debut. ... "With Windows 8, we have brought together the best of all worlds, the PC and the tablet, your work and your life," Ballmer said in a presentation that was live-streamed across the Internet. "You log in once and see the device light up with your life, everything and everybody you care about," Ballmer said. "Picture your start screen filled with ... (view more)

Microsoft Desktops 2.0 Desktops is a free software utility that allows you to organize your Windows computer applications on up to four virtual desktops. This means you can, for example, read email on one, browse the web on the second, and do work ... in your productivity software on the third, without having to suffer the clutter of windows you're not actively using at the moment. http://microsoft.com MarkdownPad 10.0.30319.1 Markdown is a text-to-HTML conversion tool for web writers working on Windows computers. Markdown allows you to write in an easy-to-read, easy-to-write plain text format, ... (view more)

BootRacer 4.0 BootRacer software automatically calculates your Windows computer's boot-up time. As it operates, this software logs all the computer boot-up events to a history report and also to a standard event log. You can then check the logs by ... using the Windows Event Viewer. The software allows you to understand what's going on while your computer is starting up, so you can make adjustments to get your computer working more to your liking. BootRacer is free for non-commercial use. http:/www.greatis.com Bytescout Watermarking 3.0.173 Do you often take photos of your friends and family and ... (view more)

Apple finally unveiled the long-rumored iPad Mini at a press event in San Jose, California, on Tuesday, October 23. The firm also showed off new versions of the standard iPad and a revamped MacBook Pro. The iPad Mini was clearly the star of this ... show, however. Despite former Apple Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs having once dismissed 7-inch tablets, the firm has long been developing a device to compete in the rapidly growing lower-end tablet niche. 7.9-Inch Screen, No Retina Display, $329 The iPad Mini weighs just 0.68 pounds and measures only 7.2 millimeters thick. The screen is 7.9- ... (view more)

PhoXo 8.0 PhoXo is a free and powerful image editing software tool for Windows computers. It's tiny, fast, and easy to use, with high-powered features that include layering, undo, batch processing, and a wide variety of useful and powerful functions ... for selecting, cropping, painting, retouching, measuring image files. http:/www.phoxo.com Bytescout Screen Capturing Bytescout Screen Capturing software can record computerized video in the AVI format. It allows you to easily capture full screen video or select a specific field of vision. The screen recorder also supports audio recording. This ... (view more)

Microsoft wasn't the only firm to report significant revenue losses last week. Advanced Micro Devices, popularly known as AMD, revealed that its revenue recently hit a three-year low. In response, the firm says it must cut costs by eliminating close ... to 1,800 jobs worldwide. AMD is a major producer of computer microprocessors. A few years ago it was neck-and-neck with Intel in the race for market leadership. Today it's still in second place, but much farther behind. Overall PC sales are down throughout the industry, leaving the entire personal computer market to face an uncertain future. Part ... (view more)

According to Microsoft, Windows 8 will be available on 1,000 different computer models. The firm says it has certified that number of unique systems and there are more to come. Microsoft Chief Financial Officer Peter Klein revealed this information ... in a recent conference call. The call was primarily intended to discuss Microsoft's last fiscal quarter (which ended September 30). It was a disappointing period: According to the Redmond-based software giant, overall revenue dropped eight per cent to $16 billion. That's a significant decline from quarterly revenue numbers during the same period ... (view more)

ManicTime 2.3.7 Manictime is a free software utility for Windows computers that operates in the background and records your activities. When you are finished, you can use the collected data to accurately keep track of your time. All the data ... Manictime gathers is stored locally on your computer and you can delete it any time you want. Having a local database also enables you to use ManicTime offline, without an Internet connection. http://www.manictime.com ClipCube 1.2 ClipCube is a compact notetaking app with an integrated clipboard history. It has an easy-to-use interface and works ... (view more)

DDS DDS is a free utility that will scan your computer and create log files containing various startup, configuration, and file information about your computer. This program is helpful for security purposes because it provides a detailed overview of ... what programs are automatically starting when you boot into Windows. http://www.bleepingcomputer.com ICQ 8.0 ICQ is a free instant messaging service that allows you to be signed on to several devices simultaneously. This allows you to chat with friends virtually anywhere and anytime, from whatever device is most convenient for you. When new ... (view more)

According to a new report, weak software programming by medical companies could allow a hacker to deliver a fatal shock to a heart patient. The report is based on research by Barnaby Jack, a security analyst for IOActive who specializes in threats ... to medical technology. In a recent presentation at the Breakpoint Security Conference in Melbourne, Australia, Jack said that programming flaws associated with the wireless transmitters that send data to pacemakers could be exploited by hackers. According to Jack, hackers could exploit this vulnerability in a way that "could definitely result in ... (view more)