More Software Opinion

11 May 2011
Opinion: Manage Disks (Partway) With DiskBoss Free

DiskBoss is a suite of disk management tools that focuses on searching, organizing, and manipulating files. With TB well on its way to replacing GB, and file counts in the hundreds of thousands being all too typical, the need for tools to deal with that morass is clear. DiskBoss Free, available in 32-bit and 64-bit versions, is a stripped-down but potentially useful version of the full product.
Opinion: Four Essential Productivity Apps For Android Tablets

A few weeks ago, I grabbed an Acer Iconia A500 tablet to replace my aging first-generation iPad. (Personally, I find the Iconia a better value than the iPad 2, and I'm addicted to Android's widget support.) Not surprisingly, the Android Market features a pretty short list of tablet-worthy apps, but that list is growing. Here are three excellent productivity freebies that work great on Android Honeycomb slates.
10 May 2011
Opinion: Adobe Photoshop iPad Apps Arrive

Adobe's Photoshop companion apps for Apple's iPad are now available in the App Store. The three apps, Color Lava, Eazel and Nav, were first announced last month and follow an update for Adobe Photoshop CS5, which is required in order to use the companion apps. The apps work with Photoshop for PCs and Macs.
Opinion: Google Releases Android 3.1, First Big Honeycomb Update

Google today announced its first significant update to Android 3.0 Honeycomb. Google will roll out the update to Verizon Xoom 3G users today, and to other Honeycomb devices over the next couple of weeks.
Opinion: Let's Talk Social CRM Strategy

The announcement early last week (May 2nd) of Salesforce.com's completion of the acquisition of social media analytics company, Radian6, stirred some thoughts I've had on the long term trajectory of socialytics and social CRM. I gave my overview of what I thought this acquisition meant when Salesforce.com announced its intent to purchase Radian6. (See it here) Since Salesforce.com hasn't been at liberty to divulge specific plans or to begin work with Radian6, details are still to come.
Opinion: Emergency Text Messages Coming to Cellphones

In case of disaster, wireless carriers will soon alert your cellphone by emergency text message.
Opinion: Google I/O Mega-Conference: No Ticket? No Problem

Google I/O, the big developers' conference sold out in record time. You're missed out on tickets, but so what? Stop kicking yourself, ignore the hype, and attend virtually. Here's all you need to know.
Opinion: Day 9: Taking a Closer Look at Google Docs Spreadsheets

30 Days WIth...Google Docs: Day 9
Opinion: ActiveSMART Watches Your Hard Disk for Trouble

Most users will be fine with a free program such as HD Tune, which simply retrieves your hard drive's S.M.A.R.T. data (self-monitoring information about your drive's health) when you run it. However, if your PC is always-on it might be worth your while to keep a program like the $30 ActiveSMART (or Active SMART as it's referred to in some areas of the program) running in the background to keep an eye on the status.
Opinion: Send Yourself Text-Message Reminders

You know what I love about text messages? They're virtually impossible to ignore. They pop up on your phone's screen, making it beep, buzz, or both. Consequently, text messages are great for reminding you to do stuff.
09 May 2011
Opinion: Chrome OS Will Likely Include Netflix Support

Now that the Google I/O conference for developers is just a day away, speculation as to what will be revealed in San Francisco this week is reaching a fever pitch.
Opinion: Asian Financial Firms and Information Security

Technology is an indispensable component of the business process — perhaps even more so for the high-profile and technology-dependent financial services industry. This is evident from IT security remaining in the pole position in technology investment priority within banks, insurers, and financial markets. In fact, visibility and importance of IT security products in financial enterprises have all but increased dramatically within the past two years following the global economic malaise
Opinion: 10 Major Apple iTunes Annoyances

The bane of any iDevice user's existence is Apple's barely usable iTunes software.
06 May 2011
Opinion: For the Unity-Averse, a Peek Ahead at Linux Mint 11

Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" has been out for about a week now, and it's become clear that opinions are divided on Unity, its new desktop shell.
05 May 2011
Opinion: How Apple Can Make OTA Updates in iOS 5 a Success

Rumor has it that Apple may finally be prepared to cut the cord with iOS 5 and introduce over the air (OTA) updates that don't require a physical USB connection to a PC. It sounds like an awesome step forward, and it would help the iPad live up to its "post-PC era" title, but only if Apple does it right.
04 May 2011
Opinion: It's Time to Give Digital Rights Management the Boot

Today may be "Star Wars" Day thanks to its lispy slogan, "May the 4th be with you," but it's also a day the Free Software Foundation has chosen to call attention to a tech-enabled problem. Specifically, by designating May 4 as its Day Against DRM, the organization hopes to draw attention to the high costs of digital rights management.
Opinion: Android 2.3.4 On Nexus One, No Google Talk Voice Chat

Attention, Nexus One owners: the latest variant of Gingerbread is here! But don't get too excited as this "special" Nexus One version of Android doesn't deliver all the digital goodies that other handsets are getting.
Opinion: Remains of the Day: Stock and trade

There’s a shift on Wall Street, but Apple’s still riding high; the App Store may soon be seeing fewer enthusiastic reviews; and Foxconn has some demands for Brazil. Ring the opening bell; it’s the remainders for Tuesday, May 3, 2011!
Opinion: Lima: The Piracy-Free App Store for Jailbroken iPhones

If you've ever jailbroken your iPhone, you probably know--and love--Cydia. While there have been a few alternatives over the years (such as Icy), the simplicity and polish of Cydia has cemented its reputation as the go-to iOS jailbreak app installer. The problem, however, is that Cydia not only makes it easy to install jailbreak-only apps, but DRM-stripped pirated apps as well. This has given jailbreaking a fairly deserved stigma in the eyes of Apple and many iOS developers, who obviously don't get paid for pirated apps downloaded from Cydia.
Opinion: RIM and Microsoft Alliance: Who Wins?

RIM introduced an unexpected guest speaker at BlackBerry World--Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. Ballmer unveiled a new partnership between the two which will have Microsoft's Bing replace Google as the default search provider on BlackBerry mobile devices. Microsoft stands to gain from the alliance, but it's hard to see what value is there for RIM.